Resource Category: Jewish Connection to Mental Health

The Mental Health Hanukkah Journal

Hanukkah can also remind us we, like the rest of the world, need to remember the great miracles we are and have light shed on the innermost parts of ourselves that need attention and understanding. In this book we have devoted space to eight essential reflection prompts we hope will help you reflect on your year — on what brought you light and what dimmed your light — as we add more light to our menorahs this season. We will intersperse these prompts with our mental health Hanukkah resources.
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Pirsumei Nisah – Illuminating Your Inner Self (An Eight Day Hanukkah Journal)

Hanukkah can remind us we, like the rest of the world, need to remember the great miracles we are and have some light shed on the innermost parts of ourselves that need attention and understanding. We have devoted space to eight essential reflection prompts we hope will help you reflect on your year — on what brought you light and what dimmed your light — as we add more light to our menorahs this season.
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An Exploration of the Mi Sheberach

By Miriam A.G. Baumgartner | Many of us think of a mi shebeirach as a prayer for healing. But one can say a mi shebeirach for other reasons as well. Simply put, a mi shebeirach is a Jewish prayer used to request a blessing from God. Its format — invoking God in the name of the patriarchs and matriarchs and then making a case that a specific person or group should be blessed — dates to the 10th or 11th century CE in Babylonia. At that time, it was used to bless the congregation or the people gathered for prayer.
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Wellness Resources for the Situation in Israel

“Kol Yisrael arevim zeh la zeh – All Jews are responsible for one another” is a Talmudic phrase most often used as a call to action. A symbol of the responsibility we should feel for the well-being of others. It is also a sign of unity and strength, and it reminds us that we are never truly alone in our struggles.
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Keeping it Together

By Max Hollander | In the desert, there is only anxiety, but the holiday of Sukkot asks us to embrace that desert experience because without it we wouldn’t get anywhere. We don’t just read about it; we live it, residing in the sukkah for an entire week. And, in doing so, we learn to accept the reality that we are allowed to shake or stumble on our journeys and shouldn’t be ashamed of that.
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T’Shuva Le’Tevah – A Return to Nature

By Tori Greene | The holiday of Sukkot is a time when we as Jews from all around the world take our indoor lives outdoors as we build temporary dwellings — called sukkot — to eat, hang out and even sleep in. After spending about a month and a half from Elul to Yom Kippur, delving inward and focusing on the self, Sukkot pulls us outward.​ It requires us to interact with community and nature in a way that can be rejuvenating for the soul and, potentially, for the mind.
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Mental Health Tashlich Blessing Card

תשליך/Tashlich is an expression of repentance, acceptance, and forgiveness for how we mistreated others. But we must also forgive ourselves for the ways we mistreated ourselves. Check out our blessing card, perfect for your Tashlich experience.
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Shofar Service and Our Longings

By Rabbi Sandra Cohen | I believe patience will win out. Hope will win. But…if I, for example, light Shabbat candles four times a year, and God “shows up,” as it were, four times a year… then the odds of us meeting each other are low. But if I invoke God regularly, doing mitzvot, praying, blessing, celebrating and mourning, if I actively remember God, I am more likely to experience God remembering me.
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The Power of Art: The Positive Effect of Art on Mental Health

Creativity is a godly activity. According to Jewish tradition, every story in the Torah is included for a reason. Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, a 20th-century scholar, wrote in “Halakich Man” that the reason the story of creation was included in the Torah was to teach us to be creative — just like God. Engaging in art and practicing creativity can leave us with more than just a beautiful physical piece of work. Art can be an incredible tool for expressing ourselves and actively supporting our mental health. Research has found “expression through art can help people [who are struggling] with depression, anxiety, and stress.”* Engaging in art for even 20 minutes reduces cortisol, which decreases stress.
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