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Are there any published works on the scientific rationale for any of the 613 Mizvot?

For example: Handwashing: It only took the medical community did not deem it medically relevant until 2 centuries ago. The MD who did the first research was shunned by his colleagues and died before his discovery in obstetrical procedures with handwashing was saving women's lives was fully realized. The first national guidelines for handwashing in medicine were not published until the 80's https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK144018/

The reason I am asking this is a would like to start compiling not only rationale but scientific evidence as to the results of following or not following it, that show why following it is of benefit.

I am thinking of blogging on it actually and cannot find many books on the topic, although I have started reading the jewish philosophers who did categorize the 613 in numerous ways. Our science is always improving and so should the list of scientific rationale be expanding.

The hand washing example, demonstrates a powerful example of the loss of life involved in not following that one simple commandment! Amazing! Even more relevant considering the increasing prevalence and incidence of resistant bacteria like MRSA.

Al Berko
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Ray Frank
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  • Thanks for editing. Is your question essentially whether anyone discusses the scientific benefits of following mitzvot? – Alex Feb 08 '19 at 03:36
  • Yes, who is discussing this if anyone in terms of published books or articles. Thanks in advance. – Ray Frank Feb 08 '19 at 04:01
  • Subset of https://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/22851/? – DonielF Feb 08 '19 at 06:35
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    Possible duplicate of About what were rabbis ahead of the times? – mbloch Feb 08 '19 at 09:02
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    Ritual handwashing in only required for bread! – Avrohom Yitzchok Feb 08 '19 at 10:45
  • Handwashing is not a Mitzvah at all! AFAIK it was instituted after the destruction of the Temple as a regulation, not מעיקר הדין. – Al Berko Feb 08 '19 at 11:35
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    @alberko it was established for kodshim much earlier. Shlomo I believe. – Heshy Feb 08 '19 at 11:40
  • Don't murder - it kills! Don't steal - it deteriorates society! etc. – Al Berko Feb 08 '19 at 11:42
  • @Heshy For Kohanim yes, but for the rest of us it was much later I think... – Al Berko Feb 08 '19 at 11:42
  • Don't take "scientific explanations" seriously. Most of the Gemmorah was written by our Sages based on the Greek/Roman scientific and medical tradition. So many many regulations were issued to implement their scientific findings in many areas of our Halacha for good or bad. Also many Rabbis from then and till now try to justified the Mitzvos based post-factum on current scientific findings. – Al Berko Feb 08 '19 at 11:55
  • There is no point to the scientific rationales because it can lead to not doing the mitzvos as the rationale changes. Consider that goyim are allowed to eat chazir (pig). – sabbahillel Feb 08 '19 at 12:16
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    @alberko no, for everyone who wanted to eat a shelamim – Heshy Feb 08 '19 at 12:16
  • If I can request a favor? Please don't take the angle that science has dictated the mitzvoth. Not only is that false, it's misleading the public. However, it can be praiseworthy to claim that the performance of certain mitvot supports or colludes with what science has eventually discovered numerous years later. Inevitably, there are always skeptics. Similar to the NASA scientist who claimed that Jews made a "lucky guess" in calculating the lunar orbit without the use of telescopes or computers many millennia ago, and we "were lucky" that our calculations differ from theirs by a second or two. – DanF Feb 08 '19 at 16:37

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The ספר החינוך / Sefer Hachinuch / Book of the Initiation (Wikipedia article, Sefaria text) includes scientific rationales for many commands. Here's an example.

msh210
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  • Rambam too in More – kouty Feb 08 '19 at 09:54
  • @kouty, by all means post an answer – msh210 Feb 08 '19 at 12:45
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    Did you mean Book of Education instead of Inauguration? Or was that intentional (and then I missed the point of inauguration)? – mbloch Feb 08 '19 at 14:04
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    Given that he writes in his introduction that it was meant for his son to read on Shabbos afternoons, I think “education” is a better translation here. cc @mbloch – DonielF Feb 09 '19 at 01:00
  • I dunno, @mbloch. To me, "education" is more "לימוד"-ish, while "חינוך" is more "initiating someone into life/Judaism", from the same root as "חנוכת המזבח". I'll edit it to "initiation". – msh210 Feb 09 '19 at 18:40
  • @DonielF, preceding comment is for you, too. – msh210 Feb 09 '19 at 18:41