Resource Library

Explore the connections between Judaism and mental health with our educational resources! Below you will find articles, downloadable activity sheets, videos and podcasts, and more about Jewish holidays and concepts, and the ways Judaism addresses mental illness. (Library disclaimer)

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Modim and the Hedonic Treadmill

Judaism has several daily prayer services; Shachris (Morning service), Mincha (Afternoon service), and Maariv (Evening service), and additional Musaf service on Shabbat and holidays. In each service, the central piece of liturgy is the Shemonah Esrei, a collection of prayers consisting of praises of God and requests for Their assistance in everything from health, to business, to peace, recited silently by each member of the congregation. However, among the myriad of requests in the Shemonah Esrei, one prayer offers a moment of gratitude – the Modim – or thanksgiving prayer.
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Who Are We?

When working with folks in recovery, many questions come up around how they build and reestablish trust with loved ones whom their addiction has led them to burn in some way. Especially as they navigate recovery, I hear from my residents that they’ll tell their loved ones “this time is different” or “here’s who I am now,” and their loved ones don’t necessarily believe them right from the start.
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The Jewish Gift of Giving

Purim is a holiday of joy, celebration and feasting, but an essential element of Purim is giving, particularly to those in need. Mordechai established matanot le’evyonim — gifts to the needy — as a central commandment of the day. Jewish tradition and modern research alike show that generosity increases happiness and life satisfaction and activates “the happiness trifecta” of dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin. Engaging in giving transforms personal joy into shared joy, making Purim a celebration that uplifts both the giver and the community.
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The Tabernacle & the Psychology of Relapse | Parshat Terumah

This article explores Parshat Terumah and the Mishkan as a response to the Jewish people’s relapse into idolatry after the golden calf, showing how God provided structure and tangible guidance for their spiritual recovery. It draws a parallel between this biblical narrative and modern understandings of relapse, emphasizing the importance of frameworks and support systems in navigating periods of vulnerability.
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Mahjong: My Surprisingly Jewish Self-Care Practice

By Gabby Spatt | Listening to my mother’s stories, something clicked: My grandmothers were practicing self-care through mahjong and baking long before we had the language for it, connecting to each other and their families through a combination of shared baking and quality time. And now, this game and coffee cake recipe were passed down to me by my grandmothers and my mom. L’dor v’dor, from generation to generation. I even have a mahjong set that belonged to one of my grandmothers, purchased in Hong Kong in the 1960s.
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Shemini Atzeret: A Holiday of Holding

Simchat Torah is one of the most joyful days of the year, filled with music, dancing, and celebration of the Torah. However, its roots in Shemini Atzeret remind us that joy can take many forms, and the boisterous celebrations traditionally practiced on Simchat Torah may not be the kind of joy everyone needs as the High Holiday season comes to a close. Some of us find the most joy in the quiet embrace of those we love.
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From Gap to Gain: Why Measuring Backward Moves You Forward

That six-minute personal best happened because I spent less energy worrying about where I wasn't and more energy appreciating where I was. My body responded to gratitude and confidence instead of stress and anxiety. The course didn't get shorter. I just stopped racing toward the horizon and started measuring the ground under my feet.
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The Rule of Threes: A Jewish Way to Say You’re Sorry

The High Holidays are a season of forgiveness—a time dedicated to improving ourselves and making amends with God and the people we’ve wronged in the past year. Some might see this exercise as trite: Why would we need to be reminded to say we’re sorry to our friends? Others might see it as disingenuous if we all do it at the same time every year, but sometimes we need that external push to actually do it. But how?
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Accordion Content

The Blue Dove Foundation resource library is constantly growing as we create and collect meaningful content to share. As you are engaging with our resource library, please let us know if you see anything that is out of date or that needs to be updated, whether it regards mental health information or Jewish content. 

Blue Dove both serves and works with members of all kinds of Jewish communities, from the ultra-Orthodox to the unaffiliated. To be as inclusive as possible and respectful of different communities and traditions, we have decided to spell God as such — with no hyphen in place of the “o.” And much like we avoid using “him” or “her” to describe a person (opting for “them” instead), we agreed to treat God as a gender-neutral term. When quoting a resource or text directly, however, we keep the original terms used by the author.

We hope our resources can be used in a variety of settings with different audiences. We invite you to adapt resources in whichever way meets the needs of the group you are working with. To explore how to adapt our resources, please view our webinar with the Jewish Education Project, where we explore adapting our resources: Through the Portal: Exploring the Connections between Judaism and Mental Health with the Blue Dove Foundation.

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