"And you choose life" is wisdom
The meaning of the commandment, "And you shall choose life," is the obligation to acquire a portion from which it is possible to escape (the commandment is expressed in Deuteronomy 31:19: "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse; and you shall choose life, that you and your descendants may live").
("And you shall redeem every firstborn of your sons - to teach him Torah. And you shall teach your sons to teach him wisdom. I am Rabbi Yishmael: And you shall choose life - this is wisdom to take a wife for him" - Yerushalmi Kiddushin 1, 7)
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
"וּבָחַרְתָּ בַּחַיִּים" זוּ אָמָּנוּת
Definition (Hebrew)
הַמַּשְׁמָעוּת שֶׁל הַצִּוּוּי הַמִּקְרָאִי 'וּבָחַרְתָּ בַּחַיִּים' הִנֵּה הַחוֹבָה לִרְכֹּשׁ מִקְצוֹעַ שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר לְהִתְפַּרְנֵס מִמֶּנּוּ (הַצִּוּוּי מוֹפִיעַ בַּדְּבָרִים ל יט:"הַעִידֹתִי בָכֶם הַיּוֹם אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ, הַחַיִּים וְהַמָּוֶת נָתַתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ, הַבְּרָכָה וְהַקְּלָלָה, וּבָחַרְתָּ בַּחַיִּים לְמַעַן תִּחְיֶה אַתָּה וְזַרְעֶךָ").
("וְכֹל בְּכוֹר אָדָם בְּבָנֶיךָ תִּפְדֶּה- לְלַמְּדוֹ תּוֹרָה. וְלִמַּדְתֶּם אֹתָם אֶת בְּנֵיכֶם לְלַמְּדוֹ אָמָּנוּת. תְּנִי רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל: וּבָחַרְתָּ בַּחַיִּים- זוֹ אֻמָּנוּת לְהַשִּׂיאוֹ אִשָּׁה"-יְרוּשַׁלְמִי קִדּוּשִׁין א, ז)