Judaism Mental Illness: An Introduction to Jewish Law Serving a Jewish Client

1. Judaism & Mental Illness:An Introduction to Jewish Law & Serving a Jewish Client Presentation by Amy Greenbaum, Executive Director & Rabbinic Resource, Hillel at Miami University Visiting Faculty, Miami University Department of Comparative Religion

2. May 11, 2007 Religious Diversity & Mental Health - Judaism Amy Greenbaum Slide 2 Brief Background on Judaism Monotheistic 4,000-year-old religion. Tanach (also called Torah) contains the same books as what many Christians call The Old Testament (different order) Commentaries on the Tanach began approximately 100 BCE and continue to this day. The commentaries are central to halachah (Jewish law) and are considered by many to be continual oral revelation from God through humans. Examples include Mishnah, Talmud, Shulkhan Aruch

3. May 11, 2007 Religious Diversity & Mental Health - Judaism Amy Greenbaum Slide 3 Brief Background on Judaism, continued God is a loving Wellspring of Life Judaism is a way of life. Teshuvah, the process of repentance and turning within, recognizes the reality of human nature and encourages people to regularly accept faults, learn from them and try not to make the same mistakes again. Teshuvah can be a model for a system of change. Friedman & Yehuda argue �We posit that these systems [psychotherapy & teshuvah] are distinct, yet overlapping, and we focus on three areas where these points of convergence are manifest: locus of authority, use of the transference, and establishment of goals.�1

4. May 11, 2007 Religious Diversity & Mental Health - Judaism Amy Greenbaum Slide 4 A Taste of Textual/Jewish Legal Responses to Mental Health Issues �Whenever two people sit together and exchange words of Torah, the Divine Presence hovers between them.� (Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Ancestors, 3:3) Therapy as a form of Torah study Maimonides (Rabbi & Physician): �when a doctor observes a mental problem, treatment of the psychiatric malady must take priority�2

5. May 11, 2007 Religious Diversity & Mental Health - Judaism Amy Greenbaum Slide 5 Sin & Guilt in Judaism No original sin in Judaism. Term for �sin� in Judaism more accurately defined as �missing the mark.� Every person has a neshamah (soul) given by God in the image of God. (God in Judaism is beyond human, humans do not physically look like God.) Each person born with two aspects to their human nature Yetzer tov - good inclination Yetzer ha�ra - evil inclination Both are necessary ��and behold it was good� is a reference to the yetzer tov, while �behold it was very good� is a reference to the yetzer ha�ra. But, is the yetzer ha�ra to be considered very good? Yes, for without the yetzer ha�ra people would not marry, build a home, beget children or engage in business. (Genesis Rabbah 9:9)

6. May 11, 2007 Religious Diversity & Mental Health - Judaism Amy Greenbaum Slide 6 Some Over-Generalizations of the Jewish Patient Some Jews are deeply religious and may wish to frame their therapy with Jewish law and values. Many Jews in America today are not religious. Many Jews connect with their Jewish identity on a cultural level. Jewish values inform their daily decisions. Such cultural connection can include a strong sense of social justice / tikkun olam which can be important for therapeutic work. How to include Judaism? Therapist may follow the lead of the patient, especially if the patient is aware that s/he may utilize Jewish values & culture as part of therapy (pamphlets, books in waiting room�).

7. May 11, 2007 Religious Diversity & Mental Health - Judaism Amy Greenbaum Slide 7 Treatment as Tikkun Olam & Tikkun Atzmi Tikkun Olam - Repair of the world Tikkun Atzmi - Repair of the self Commandment or mitzvah from God Therapist as facilitator of this process A cautionary word

8. May 11, 2007 Religious Diversity & Mental Health - Judaism Amy Greenbaum Slide 8 Resources (1 of 2) Book on Basic Judaism: Joseph Telushkin, Jewish Literacy : the most important things to know about the Jewish religion, its people, and its history, New York:W. Morrow, 1991. Books on Judaism & Mental Health Richard Address, ed., Caring for the Soul: R�fuat HaNefesh, A Mental Health Resource and Study Guide, New York: UAHC Press, 2003. William Cutter, ed., Healing and the Jewish Imagination: Spiritual and Practical Perspectives on Judaism and Health, Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2007.

9. May 11, 2007 Religious Diversity & Mental Health - Judaism Amy Greenbaum Slide 9 Resources (2 of 3) Journals on Judaism & Mental Health Journal of Psychology and Judaism, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, ISSN: 0700-9801 Web Resources: Jewish Healing Centers - http://jewishhealing.org/ Judaism & Substance Abuse - http://jacsweb.org/ Resource on Judaism - http://myjewishlearning.com Reform Judaism on mental health issues - http://urj.org/jfc/bioethics/mentalhealth/ The Kalsman Center on Jewish Healing - http://www.huc.edu/kalsman

10. May 11, 2007 Religious Diversity & Mental Health - Judaism Amy Greenbaum Slide 10 Resources (3 of 3) Articles on Judaism & Mental Health Michelle Friedman & Rachel Yehuda, �Psychotherapy and Teshuvah: Parallel and Overlapping Systems for Change,� Torah u-Madda Journal, Vol. 11, (2002-3), pp. 238-253. Julie L. Goldberg & Karen O�Brien, �Jewish Women's Psychological Well-being: the Role of Attachment, Separation, and Jewish Identity,� Psychology of Women Quarterly, Vol. 29:2 (June 2005), p. 197-206 Theologies of Suffering: How Judaism Can Help You Cope, Rabbi Rebecca W. Sirbu, http://www.huc.edu/kalsman/writings/

11. May 11, 2007 Religious Diversity & Mental Health - Judaism Amy Greenbaum Slide 11 Sources 1 (slide 3 on Teshuvah) Michelle Friedman & Rachel Yehuda, �Psychotherapy and Teshuvah: Parallel and Overlapping Systems for Change,� Torah u-Madda Journal, Vol. 11, 2002-3, 238-253. 2 (slide 4 Maimonides quotation from ) �Mental Illness: The Moral Imperative,� Sermon by Rabbi Barry H. Block, Temple Beth-El, San Antonio, Texas, as found on website http://www.beth-elsa.org/bb102502.htm)