Jewish faith & mental health

The Torah says: “Ye shall therefore keep My statutes, and Mine ordinances, which if a man do, he shall live by them: I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 18:5, JPS 1917)

In the Talmud, Shmuel reads this verse as the strongest proof that saving a life overrides Shabbat. The mitzvot are given so that a person will “live by them,” and “not that he should die by them.” (Yoma 85b)

Many Jews and rabbis today apply this same value to mental health. A serious mental health crisis, especially thoughts of suicide, can put a life in danger. Getting help in that moment is not a lack of faith. It is honouring the value of life.

Deuteronomy says: “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes saw…” (Deuteronomy 4:9, JPS 1917) In its setting, Moses is urging the people to remember what they saw at Sinai.

The Talmud also uses this verse, together with Deuteronomy 4:15 (“Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves”), to teach that a person should not put themselves in danger. In a story in Berakhot 32b, the verses are quoted to a man who risked his life. Over time, these words became a well-known source for the Jewish duty to guard your own health and safety.

Guarding yourself today might look like

• Getting enough sleep and regular meals.
• Noticing when stress or low mood is building, and acting early.
• Stepping away from situations that are harmful to you.
• Asking for help when you cannot manage alone.

Maimonides (the Rambam), a great rabbi and physician, wrote that “by keeping the body in health and vigour, one walks in the ways of God,” because it is very hard to understand or know God while one is ill. He then gave practical advice about eating, sleep and daily habits. (Mishneh Torah, Human Dispositions 4:1, Hyamson translation)

The same idea fits the mind. When anxiety, depression or exhaustion take over, it becomes hard to pray, study, love or enjoy life. Caring for your mental health is part of caring for the whole person God made.

The Mishnah teaches that humanity began with one person, to show that sustaining one life is like sustaining an entire world. It also says each person should be able to say: “The world was created for me.” (Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5)

When you are struggling, it is easy to feel that you do not matter. Jewish tradition says the opposite. Each person is unique, like a coin stamped with its own face, and irreplaceable.

The Torah says: “I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse; therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed.” (Deuteronomy 30:19, JPS 1917)

Many people, especially caregivers, parents and those who were raised to put others first, feel guilty taking care of themselves. Hillel’s first question reminds us that if we do not stand up for our own needs, often no one else will.

Being “for yourself” can mean

• Saying no when you are stretched too thin.
• Asking for help with a task or a feeling.
• Making time for sleep, meals and rest.
• Speaking up when something is hurting you.
• Booking an appointment with a counselor or doctor.

Hillel’s second question balances the first. A life focused only on yourself can become lonely and small. Caring for others, through kindness, community and tzedakah, gives life meaning and connection.

Helping others can also lift your own mood. It gives you a sense of purpose and reminds you that you have something to offer, even on hard days.

It is easy to put off getting help or making changes: “after the holidays,” “when work calms down,” “when I feel better.” Hillel’s last question gently asks: why not start now?

Rabbi Tarfon offered a comforting balance: “It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it.” (Pirkei Avot 2:16) You do not have to fix everything at once. You only have to take the next step.

A step you could take today

• Text a friend and say, “I’m having a hard week.”
• Call your rabbi or a counselor’s office.
• Take a 15-minute walk.
• Fill in “One small step: if not now, when?” in the worksheets.

“Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; Therefore with affection have I drawn thee.” (Jeremiah 31:3, JPS 1917)

Jeremiah spoke these words to a people in exile, who had every reason to feel abandoned. An everlasting love has no beginning you had to earn and no end you can fall off. “Drawn” is a gentle word: led, not pushed.

“I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely; For Mine anger is turned away from him.” (Hosea 14:5, JPS 1917)

This verse comes right after the prophet’s call to return (teshuvah). God promises to heal and to love “freely”: as a gift, not as wages. You do not have to be perfect first.

“Can a woman forget her sucking child, That she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, these may forget, Yet will not I forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands…” (Isaiah 49:15–16, JPS 1917)

When you feel invisible or forgotten, this image can help: your name engraved where it can always be seen. God’s compassion is pictured as even stronger than a mother’s for her baby.

“For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall My covenant of peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath compassion on thee.” (Isaiah 54:10, JPS 1917)

Mountains are the most solid thing we know. Isaiah says God’s kindness (chesed) is even more lasting. On a day when everything feels shaky, that kindness is still there.

“The LORD thy God is in the midst of thee, A Mighty One who will save; He will rejoice over thee with joy, He will be silent in His love, He will joy over thee with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17, JPS 1917)

Researchers who study faith and coping have found that the most helpful kind of faith usually grows from feeling loved and supported by God, rather than watched or judged.

Ways to let that love in

• When a harsh thought comes, ask: “Is this how the One who sings over me would speak?”
• Say Modeh Ani each morning as a reminder that your life is a gift.
• At the end of the day, name one sign of God’s chesed (kindness) you noticed.
• Let people care for you. Their kindness can carry God’s love too.

Maimonides described teshuvah as including confession, regret, and resolving not to repeat the wrong. When the wrong was done to another person, it also means making it right with them and asking their forgiveness.

The Mishnah teaches that Yom Kippur atones for wrongs between a person and God, but for wrongs between people, it does not atone “until he appeases the other person.” (Yoma 85b) Repair is part of healing.

A teshuvah reflection

1. Name what happened honestly.
2. Notice how you feel about it.
3. Make amends where you can.
4. Decide what you will do differently next time.
5. Let it become part of your growth, not a weight you carry forever.

Some people, especially those who are anxious or perfectionistic, get stuck replaying their mistakes. Teshuvah is meant to move you forward, not trap you in guilt. Once you have done the work of returning, you are allowed to let go.

Healthy guilt vs. shame

• Healthy guilt says: “I did something wrong, and I can make it right.”
• Shame says: “I am bad.”
• Teshuvah speaks to the first and helps heal the second.

Rabbi Tarfon’s teaching applies to personal growth too: “It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it.” (Pirkei Avot 2:16) Change usually happens in small steps over time.

Ideas

• Choose one habit to work on this month.
• Use the Elul and High Holiday season as a yearly check-in.
• Keep a short journal of small wins.
• Ask a friend or mentor to cheer you on.

“I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid; I said: ‘I will make confession concerning my transgressions unto the LORD’ — And Thou, Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah” (Psalm 32:5, JPS 1917)

In the verses just before, the psalmist describes what keeping silent did to him: his bones wore away and he groaned all day. Guilt that is hidden often shows up in the body, as tension, poor sleep or a heavy chest. Saying it out loud to God, and sometimes to a trusted rabbi or friend, can bring real relief.

“As far as the east is from the west, So far hath He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12, JPS 1917)

“Come now, and let us reason together, Saith the LORD; Though your sins be as scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they be red like crimson, They shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18, JPS 1917)

East and west never meet. Once you have done teshuvah, the mistake does not have to follow you around. “Let us reason together” is an invitation to talk, not to be shamed.

“I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, And, as a cloud, thy sins; Return unto Me, for I have redeemed thee.” (Isaiah 44:22, JPS 1917)

“Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, Saith the LORD of hosts.” (Malachi 3:7, JPS 1917)

Clouds can look heavy and permanent, then the sky clears. And notice the order in Isaiah: the forgiving comes first, then the invitation to return. God is already turned toward you.

“Turn Thou us unto Thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; Renew our days as of old.” (Lamentations 5:21, JPS 1917) These words are sung as the Torah is returned to the ark. You can also say them as a personal prayer for a fresh start.

“Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth the iniquity, And passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger for ever, Because He delighteth in mercy. He will again have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; And Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:18–19, JPS 1917)

These verses are the source of Tashlich (“cast away”). On the first afternoon of Rosh Hashanah, or any time until Yom Kippur in many communities, people go to a natural body of water, read Micah and psalms, and symbolically cast away their sins, often by emptying their pockets or tossing bread. The rabbis preferred water with fish, but any water will do, even a tap.

Tashlich is a powerful picture for an anxious or guilty mind: the mistakes are not kept on a shelf. They sink to the bottom of the sea. My Jewish Learning notes that some rabbis worried people would think the ritual itself, rather than real teshuvah, could change their lives. Tashlich is a symbol that goes with teshuvah, not a replacement for it.

A personal letting-go practice

1. Do the inner work of teshuvah first: honesty, regret, repair where you can.
2. Go to a river, lake, the sea, or even a running tap.
3. Read Micah 7:18–19 slowly.
4. Drop a pebble, leaf or crumbs into the water for each thing you are letting go of.
5. Thank God, who “delighteth in mercy”, and walk away a little lighter.

Bikur cholim, visiting the sick, is an important mitzvah. The Talmud teaches that anyone who visits a sick person “takes from him one-sixtieth of his suffering.” (Nedarim 39b) It also tells how Rabbi Akiva visited a sick student whom no one else had visited, and the student recovered thanks to the care he received. (Nedarim 40a)

Many Jewish communities through history had Bikur Cholim societies to care for the ill, and today some synagogues have committees that organise visits.

This mitzvah includes mental health

• Visit or call someone who is going through depression, anxiety or a hard time.
• Bring a meal, or offer a ride to an appointment.
• Listen more than you talk.
• Keep checking in, not just once.

Pirkei Avot teaches: “appoint for thyself a teacher, and acquire for thyself a companion.” (Pirkei Avot 1:6) Friendship is something worth investing in, like any other good thing in life.

A chevra is a group of friends or companions. Jewish life is full of them: study partners (chavruta), synagogue groups, youth groups, community organisations and volunteer groups. Even the Torah notes, at the very beginning: “It is not good that the man should be alone.” (Genesis 2:18, JPS 1917)

Ways to connect

• Find a chavruta (study partner) for a weekly learning session.
• Join a synagogue committee, choir or class.
• Go to a Jewish community centre program.
• Volunteer with a Jewish community organisation.

Rabbis are often among the first people Jews turn to in hard times. Today many rabbis are expected to visit sick congregants, and they can offer listening, prayer, guidance and connection to other help.

You can ask your rabbi to

• Listen and talk through what you are facing.
• Include you in a Mi Sheberach.
• Help you find a counselor or support group.
• Connect you with meals, rides or other practical help.

Like every community, Jewish communities are not free of stigma around mental illness. In some close-knit communities, people have kept struggles secret out of fear of gossip or of harming a family’s reputation or marriage prospects.

If community has hurt you

• Your feelings make sense. You are allowed to name what happened.
• You deserve care that is private and respectful.
• It is okay to look for a different synagogue or community that feels safer.
• Talk to a counselor who understands both faith and spiritual hurt.
• If you experienced abuse, you have the right to report it and get support.

The Psalms are full of people who felt cast down, afraid and alone, and who still had deep faith. Even the great Rabbi Yochanan needed someone else to take his hand when he was ill. (Berakhot 5b)

Research also finds that faith often helps people cope. A large review found that, in most studies, people said their faith helped them through illness and stress. Faith and struggle can live side by side.

The school of Rabbi Yishmael taught that “permission is granted to a doctor to heal.” (Bava Kamma 85a) Maimonides, one of the greatest rabbis, was himself a physician.

Studies from 1992 and 2012 found that Jews were, on the whole, more open to seeking help and more positive about therapy than several other groups.

A good therapist will

• Ask about what matters to you, including your faith.
• Never ask you to give up your beliefs or practices.
• Work with your rabbi if you want them to.

Jokes about the “anxious Jew” are common, but My Jewish Learning notes that scientific data does not support the idea that Jews are generally more anxious or neurotic. A 1992 analysis of U.S. data found no difference in overall lifetime rates of mental health conditions between Jews and non-Jews.

The same analysis found some conditions a little more common in Jews and others less common. The takeaway: Jews face mental health struggles like everyone else, and deserve the same care.

In some close-knit communities, people have kept struggles secret out of fear of gossip or of harming a family’s reputation or marriage prospects. That fear is understandable. It is also one of the main things that keeps people from care.

Ways to protect your privacy

• Ask a counselor how they keep your information private.
• Choose a referral service that matches you with someone discreetly.
• Share only with the few people you trust.
• Remember that you can give a name for a Mi Sheberach without any details.

The International OCD Foundation describes scrupulosity as a type of OCD with religious or moral obsessions: constant fear of having sinned, or feeling you must repeat prayers or rituals again and again. It is not a sign of extra holiness, and it often brings fear rather than closeness to God.

Scrupulosity can be treated with a type of talk therapy, and treatment may include talking with leaders of your own faith. The goal is to separate OCD from your real values, so you can live by them in peace.

Rabbis offer listening, prayer, guidance and community. Licensed counselors are trained to treat anxiety, depression, trauma and other conditions. A good rabbi will support you in getting professional care when you need it.

Many Jews say Tehillim and see a therapist. Choosing both is not a compromise. It is using every gift you have been given.

The Talmud tells of Rabbi Yochanan, who helped others recover from illness by taking their hand. But when he himself fell ill, he needed Rabbi Chanina to take his hand. Why could he not help himself? The Talmud answers: “A prisoner cannot generally free himself from prison.” (Berakhot 5b)

This is a powerful teaching for mental health. Even people who are wise, strong and used to helping others sometimes need someone else to help them. Asking for help is not weakness. It is how healing works.

The Torah says that someone who injures another must “cause him to be thoroughly healed.” (Exodus 21:19, JPS 1917) The school of Rabbi Yishmael learned from this that “permission is granted to a doctor to heal,” and that healing is not going against God’s will. (Bava Kamma 85a)

Jewish tradition has long valued doctors and healers. Maimonides himself was a physician. Seeing a counselor, therapist or doctor for your mental health continues this tradition of healing through skilled people.

When Moses was trying to handle every problem for the whole people by himself, his father-in-law Jethro told him: “Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee; for the thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.” (Exodus 18:18, JPS 1917)

This is one of the earliest descriptions of burnout. Jethro’s advice was not to try harder, but to get help and share the load. The same wisdom applies today.

Relief Resources is a nonprofit that helps members of the Jewish community find vetted mental health professionals matched to their needs, with offices in several cities and remote help for people elsewhere.

The Blue Dove Foundation works to change how the Jewish community understands and responds to mental illness and addiction, and offers a resource library and a “Find Support” directory. It is now part of BeWell, the mental health initiative of the Jewish Federations of North America.

Many cities also have a local Jewish Family Service (or Jewish Family & Children’s Services) offering counseling. Other groups, such as Refuat Hanefesh, Chazkeinu, Refa’enu and Elijah’s Journey, focus on reducing stigma, peer support, education and suicide prevention.

Finding a therapist who respects your faith

• Ask your rabbi for names of counselors they trust.
• Ask a Jewish referral service to match you with someone.
• Ask at a first meeting: “How do you work with clients whose Judaism is important to them?”
• A good therapist of any background should respect your beliefs and practices.