Resource Category: General Education

Jewish Sources on Mental Health and the Value of Life

These sources can be used as text studies or conversation starters about Judaism and mental health.
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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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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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Body (From Hineni: Caring for the Caregiver)

Mental health IS physical health and vice versa. We are only beginning to fully understand the way this works and how our actions affect our physical being. In addition, emotions can be a very physical experience, and we gain from learning the skill of tuning in.
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Mind (From Hineni: Caring for the Caregiver)

Mental illness is rarely logical. Thoughts and feelings can collide in ways that make no sense; illness can make someone reject help they know they need and do things that can harm. We attempt to explain what we can, suggest strategies for maintaining objectivity, and point you toward resources that can provide more information.
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Hineni | Caring for the Caregiver

This is a companion guide, not a “manual.” We don’t intend to lecture; we want you to feel as if we are sitting with you at the breakfast table, helping you to step back from your own reactions and look at things objectively. We want it to feel conversational, e.g., one parent/caregiver talking to another, and provide you with information to educate you as a caregiver and accompany you on what is often an incredibly isolating and thankless job. Our team’s extensive experience working with families and educating communities has taught us a great deal about ways to offer support, and we wish to share some of that experience with you and say, “Hineni.”
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Sanctifying Social Media: Doomscrolling and Mental Health

The Hebrew word for being holy/sanctified is “kadosh,” However, many scholars stress that to be kadosh also means to be separate. This dual meaning — to make something holy is to separate it from other parts of our lives — is significant. Separating ourselves from things that are potentially harmful to our mental health like social media would mean making our lives kadosh, holy.
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Remember to Nishmah | Parshat Mishpatim

In the aftermath of trauma, one can easily become consumed by a sense of restlessness and a need to “do,” or a task to “na’aseh,” without taking time to pause and “listen” to their hearts. When the Jews escaped Egypt and transitioned into life in the desert, they likely felt that way, compelled to “do” without listening to how they were feeling in that moment. Perhaps God was reminding them to do so at the end of the Torah portion Mishpatim, where the iconic phrase, "Naaseh Ve'Nishmah - We Will do and We Will Listen!" is found.
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