According to a recently published study carried out by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, adults who attend Shul regularly live longer than their peers who do no.
The study was based on a Bureau of Statistics survey conducted in 1997, for which 5,000 Israeli men and women aged 60 and above were interviewed about their way of life.
Data showed that the death rate was 75 percent higher among the group that did not attend Shul than it was among the group that attended Shul regularly.
There is no clear-cut explanation for the Shul attendance effect, but researchers outlined two main possibilities.
“One explanation is spiritual, that is, the individual faith factor. “A series of studies that have been conducted in recent years, especially in the United States, argue that faith helps people deal with psychological pressure. People who believe and pray apparently survive longer.”
They also noted that since religious Jews do not drive on Shabbos, a person who goes to Shul regularly must be able to walk, and hence is healthier.
(Complete Article on Haaretz Website)
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BSD
This is The Malach Ra (Ha’aretz – well known for its of yiddishkeit…) Mevareich Ba’al Korcho. I’ve known many Z’kainim Muflagim, in their late 90’s, that said they feel that coming to shul is there whole life. Maybe all those yungeh chevra who “chap” a “koisel” @ home will come to shull Shelo Lishma, for the sake of Arichus Yomim.
Derocheha darkei no’am.
Hashlaych Al HaShem Yihovcho, V’hu Yichalkilecha…”
They couldn’t dream of a third possibility, that G-d whom they pray to grants them longer life, as is openly in the Bible (the same one used in the UN to get the land of Israel)
There is no way that the death rate is 75 percent higher- that is a HUGE number. What kind of poorly run study is this?
What about another possibility?
Those who go to Shul regularly, happen to be very makpid on ‘Kibbud Av V’aem’ and / or ‘Shliach H’kan,
Do you have something against me? Why my comments are never coming in?
From the deep of the ‘yiddishe neshome’
1. Automobiles are responsible for 20% of all fatal accidents.
2. Don’t stay at home, because 17% all accidents occur in the home.
3. Avoid walking on streets or sidewalks, 14% of all accidents occur to pedestrians.
4. Avoid air travel, because 16% of accidents involve this form of transportation.
5. Of the remaining 33%, 32% percent of all deaths occur in hospitals.
You will be pleased to learn that only 0.01 percent of all deaths occur in a synagogue, and these are usually related to previous physical disorders.
Therefore, logic tells us that the safest place for you to be at any given point in time is in Synagogue services. Torah Study is even safer. The number of deaths during Torah Study is too small to register.
For safety’s sake, go to Shul as often as possible, and attend Torah Study. It could save your life!
Steinway,
Interesting statistics. However, point nos. 5 goes without saying! Those who are in hospitals are there for obvious reasons. Many of them as a result of the preceeding points.
Furthermore, where would the safest place be for the general public, Non Jews who dont attend synagogue.,? I know its ‘a Kasho oif a Maaseh’, but what does logic dictate there?
When we daven, we are proclaiming that Hashem created this world and continues to create at every given moment. Thus we create a dwelling place for Hashem in this world.
This is our purpose for being created.
This act of recognizing that Hashem is the creator and is constantly creating, brings tremendous blessing to the blessee.
May we all be blessed with revealed Shefa Brocha.
Based on the article’s theorization about
religious Jews who do not drive on Shabbos living longer because they walk more and hence, are healthier… It would seem on that theory that those religious walking Jews should live only 1/7 (14%) longer than their “fry” brethren.
I am willing to go as high as 20% if we decide to throw in Yom-Tovim as well.
However, eating massive plates of Chulent and Chopped Liver and then going to sleep (of which the typical “fryer” does not) should offset the advantages of walking and thereby bring those numbers down…
Go figure.
bobkatny: The article said that religious Jews who go to shul on Shabbos must be able to walk, in general, and not only that they walk on Shabbos. Thus I don’t believe your percentages apply.
Besides, how many people in E”Y eat chopped liver every Shabbos and how much meat do they put in their cholent?