''The Lord protects the simple'' is a phrase from a verse in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...

, the phrase has both a plain meaning and another meaning due to rabbinic exegesis.

From Psalms

states: "The Lord protects the simple, I was brought low and he saved me." According to the plain meaning of this verse, the Psalmist is expressing confidence and gratitude to the divine. This verse (and Psalm) are recited by Jews in the liturgical thanksgiving prayer, the

Hallel Hallel ( he, הַלֵּל, "Praise") is a Jewish prayer, a verbatim recitation from Psalms which is recited by observant Jews on Jewish holidays as an act of praise and thanksgiving. Holy days Hallel consists of six Psalms (113–118), which ...

. Over time, the phrase has evolved into the English idiom, "God watches over children and fools," occasionally including "drunks," along with variations of the terms used. Modern English translations of the Bible have substituted "the helpless" or "the foolish" at times.

Rabbinic tradition

In the rabbinic tradition, this verse takes on an entirely different and quite important meaning.Shabtai, David. ''Journal of Halachah and Contemporary Society'' The verse represents a principle of Jewish law (

halakha ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...

) that permits people to assume various low-level risks and dangers. Risk may be taken because, as the verse states, the deity protects people who are "simple" (). In Jewish ethics and law, the principle of "The Lord protects the simple" has been applied at times to permit

cigarette smoking Tobacco smoking is the practice of burning tobacco and ingesting the resulting smoke. The smoke may be inhaled, as is done with cigarettes, or simply released from the mouth, as is generally done with pipes and cigars. The practice is believed ...

circumcision Circumcision is a procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin is excised. Top ...

at inauspicious moments,

bloodletting Bloodletting (or blood-letting) is the withdrawal of blood from a patient to prevent or cure illness and disease. Bloodletting, whether by a physician or by leeches, was based on an ancient system of medicine in which blood and other bodily flu ...

, unprotected intercourse for women perceived to be at risk, and such instances as the marriage of a woman whose previous two husbands had died ("

isha katlanit {{short description, Married woman who has become a widow twice ''Isha katlanit'' ( he, אישה קטלנית, literally: "lethal/deadly woman") is used in ''halakha'' ("Jewish law") for a married woman who has become a widow twice. Such a woman, i ...

").

References

*''

Babylonian Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cent ...

''. Shabbat 129b, Yevamot 12b and 82a * ''Torat Chesed'' Shneur Zalman of Lyady, (Lublin) EH 44 * ''Igrot Moshe'',

Moshe Feinstein Moshe Feinstein ( he, משה פײַנשטיין; Lithuanian pronunciation: ''Moshe Faynshteyn''; en, Moses Feinstein; March 3, 1895 – March 23, 1986) was an American Orthodox rabbi, scholar, and ''posek'' (authority on ''halakha''—J ...

. EH 1:63 and 4:73 * Freedman, Benjamin. ''Duty and healing: Foundations of a Jewish bioethic'' Routledge, 1999. (See section 4.) {{DEFAULTSORT:Lord protects the simple Jewish ethical law Hebrew Bible words and phrases