Shemiras Hanefesh Encyclopedia Volume 1: Safety hazards, health guidelines, & superstitious practices and beliefs, according to Halacha and Kabbalah

The purpose of this book is to compile all the directives and practices from the Talmud, Poskim, and Kabbalists that were enacted and are to be followed due to reasons of safety and health of one’s body and soul resulting from natural or supernatural reasons, and to prevent a person from endangering his physical or spiritual state of being. [In addition to the natural and scientifically understood risks and dangers that one must beware from, there are also numerous supernatural dangers which one is equally required to beware from. Many such dangers are recorded in the Talmud and Poskim, especially in the writings of Rabbi Yehuda Hachassid. Thousands of such restrictions and directives exist and can be found throughout Jewish literature in general, and in the oral Jewish tradition handed down from father to son in particular. In this Sefer, we have taken the daunting task of collecting all of the health and safety related directives and restrictions that are recorded in Jewish literature, or that are traditionally followed as superstitious practices. Likewise, we’ve also compiled restrictions and directives relating to preventing memory loss and loss of one’s Torah learning, as well restrictions and directives relating to preventing poverty and loss of money.The Two-Volume Series of this SeferDue to the immense amount of material that relates to the laws of safety and health, we have published the Sefer as a two-volume series. The following is the content contained within each chapter:Volume 1Chapter 1: The obligation to guard one’s Health and physical safetyChapter 2: The categories of Hazard restrictionsChapter 3: Making a fence around one’s roof & pitChapter 4: Eating Habits, Guidelines, & Directives in HalachaChapter 5: List of foods and their health status [Alphabetical order]Chapter 6: Foods forbidden due to DangerChapter 7: Liquids forbidden due to Danger & Drinking HazardsChapter 8: Morning washing related hazardsChapter 9: Actions that require hand washing due to Ruach Ra’ahChapter 10: Bathing related hazardsChapter 11: Bathroom related hazardsChapter 12: Holiday related HazardsChapter 13: Aveilus-Death & Mourning related HazardasChapter 13: Aveilus-Death & Mourning related HazardasChapter 15: Marriage related HazardsChapter 16: Marital relations-Hazards related to marital relationsVolume 2:Chapter 17: Encyclopedia of All Other Hazards, health directives, & Superstitions [in Alphabetical order]Chapter 17, which takes up the entire content of volume 2 of our two-volume series, is an encyclopedia of all the various hazards, superstitions, and health directives, that were not discussed in volume 1. In general, volume 1 covered all the food and beverage related hazards as well as those hazards which deserve their own full Chapter, such as hazards relating to making a fence, mourning, handwashing, bathing, bathroom, cemetery, marriage, and marital relations. Thus, if a desired subject cannot be found in the encyclopedia in this chapter in volume 2, please refer to volume 1 and the chapters there where this matter may have been discussed. In addition, please refer to volume 1 in the introduction and chapters 1-2 regarding the general background and level of obligation that should be awarded towards the hazards recorded in this encyclopedia. Read more