The Rebellious Boy

Every Talmudic Jew had the ability to turn any mundane detail of daily life into a sacred order, one directly accountable to God.

This was much like the Quran, strictly regulating people's behavior and habits.

When people in the Middle Ages pursued spiritual virtues, literature, art, philosophy—when everything had to follow the teachings of Christianity's holy scripture, the Bible, and no one could violate them; when people bathed only a few times in their lives, paid no attention to city planning, and sewage and excrement flowed everywhere—the Jews lived outside the cities and maintained good hygiene. When plagues spread, this isolated way of life indirectly created quarantine, and naturally, the plague never came knocking.

Leviticus 11:44:

For I am Jehovah your God: you shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.

Talmud, Section 206: To be holy, wash your hands after meals.

Keeping the body clean was common to religions that arose in the Middle East. Washing one's hands and face was a religious obligation, which later became the ritual of washing. Every Christian had to be baptized, which was also meant to keep the body clean. As for how it evolved into everyone no longer bathing, that might have had something to do with Roman bathhouses.

For a long time, many bathhouses in Rome allowed men and women to bathe together. It was not difficult to see naked men and women being intimate in public baths, which also led to many behaviors now called "debauched." Bathhouses became dens of pleasure where the idle and wealthy competed in extravagance and amusement. Scandals abounded, and their reputation was vile.

In ancient Europe during the Roman era, bathing was highly valued. Taking a