What is NOGA™?
NOGA® is our pareve branch of Toratherapeutics®. We have created the NOGA™ brand to provide holistic healthcare products and services free of any religious or cultural bent in order to encourage our clients to benefit from and utilize the vast array of healing modalities available in today’s world that are permissible.
Since Toratherapeutics® was created to serve the Torah-observant community, everything we do is either consonant with or directly informed by Torah. There are three basic ways people can choose to deal with health or mental health challenges:
There is a G-dly and spiritual way that is in the realm of “k’dusha” or holiness. This might entail davening, saying Tehillim, learning prescribed sections of Torah, giving charity, or doing a prescribed mitzvah, etc. to resolve a problem. There is a way that is antithetical to the Torah, which is the realm of “kelipah” – the unholy. This might include resorting to forbidden, illegal, or risky behaviors (such as abusing drugs or drinking for escape, dangerously speeding in a car, or even using therapeutic methods based in Eastern or idolatrous traditions). The third way is through “kelipas NOGA” which literally means “the husk that has a glimmer.” Utilizing items in the realm of kelipas NOGA, allows one to benefit from the natural world and spiritually elevate it to a ‘better position.’ This realm is neither holy nor profane, it is neither fully opaque, obscuring G-dliness altogether, neither is it fully transparent – openly revealing it. Kelipas noga refers to those things that are neither holy nor unholy, but are neutral. When we take anything created by G-d and use it for our benefit in a healthy way, we actually elevate that thing and transform it from something that was once neutral to something that can now be considered holy because it has brought healing to both the body and the soul. Matters of therapy, medicine, exercise, diet and healthy lifestyle overall, are those things that fall in the realm of kelipas NOGA.
Although we must employ various things that are not considered actual mitzvos, by using them out to maintain our health, we automatically elevate the activity to a level of high spiritual import. Self-help requires therapeutic tools, methods, techniques and information that may not be directly prescribed by Torah, but since we are enjoined by the Torah to maintain our health, we now take something that is available without any spiritual value per se and bring it to its elevation.
The Torah (Devorim, 4:15) enjoins us to be healthy: “You should guard your souls [lives] very well.” The RaMbaM states in Hilchos Deos 4:1, “Because to have a sound and healthy body is among the ways of Hashem…therefore a person must distance himself from those things that cause his body damage.” Enhancing our health and wellbeing becomes a holy act through our efforts. As the Maggid of Mezeritch said, “a kleiner loch in kerper is a groisse loch in neshoma – a small physical defect is a great spiritual one.” It is by feeling healthy and robust that a person is able to serve G-d. A healthy body and mind facilitates our best performance in day-to-day life, and in our special task to elevate and improve our surroundings.
The Torah states, “Kedoshim tihiyu – You shall be holy,” (Vayikra, 19:2) which the sages explain to mean “kadesh es atzmecha b’mutar lach – sanctify yourself by [the proper use of] that which is permitted to you.” (Yevamos, 20a) This is what we do at Toratherapeutics®, and this is our specific brand NOGA.™ We utilize the permissible with hopes that it facilitate health and healing in our clients, students and customers. NOGA™ is our pareve – religiously neutral product and services line to cater to anyone of any religious or cultural background. We hope you will enjoy NOGA.™
Please click around our NOGA™ Store to discover new ways you can nourish and heal your body, mind and soul!
