Resource Type: Articles

Finding Mental Wellness in the Four Cups of the Seder

The four cups of the Seder offer a fantastic way for us to meditate on our freedom, and they ways we have worked to escape our personal Egypts.
Wine glasses.
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V’NAHAFOCH HU: Turn it Upside Down – An Alternative Reading to the Mitzvah of Intoxication on Purim

From Arielle Krule and the T’shuvah Center Team | There is an oft-used statement from the Talmud on Purim that “a person is obligated to become intoxicated on Purim until they do not know the difference between the curse of Haman and righteousness of Mordechai.” This statement has been used as the guiding principle for what Purim celebrations have comprised in the Jewish community, but that statement contains a deeper meaning, hidden right beneath the surface.
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What Connects Moses and Esther? Imposter Syndrome

Masks are a major part of the celebration of Purim — but also the way we operate in the world. Depending on the social setting, masks are the things we hide behind to conceal our true selves for fear of rejection. Often, the use of masks in public spaces is out of an insecurity that deep down, we aren’t who people think we are — otherwise known as imposter syndrome.
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Masks that Reveal, Masks that Conceal

We make much of masks at this holiday. Does your mask cover up the real “you,” or does it reveal who you secretly would like to be — or even who you really are? Purim provides a wonderful occasion to explore my self and my masks.
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Learning to Love Your Tree

By Jaime Glazerman | The Torah compares the human body to a tree and writes that "For man is a tree of the field” (Deuteronomy 20:19). Just like we love and appreciate trees of all shapes and sizes, we must learn to love and appreciate our own unique "trees".
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A Helpful Reminder of Kavod Habriyut

For JDAIM and beyond, learn about kavod habriyut - the value of unqualified universal respect applies to all human beings, whether young or old, sick or healthy, tzadik (righteous person) or rasha (criminal), independent of social status, identity or context. Related to that idea is the Jewish value — and our mental health value — of all human beings being created in the image of God, b'tzelem Elohim.
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The Truth about Brown and Me

By Rabbi Sandra Cohen | Forgiving myself is always the hardest part. Inside, I feel I failed. But, if I step back, or I step up on the balcony to see the pattern my life has taken, it is hard to realistically to believe I botched my life. Instead, I want to proclaim the wonders of my college years, the things I learned and the faith I discovered. All of these helped to get me to where I am now, with a life full of blessings.
Image of a woman in black and white.
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You Always Have a Home Here – Parshat Bechukotai

In this sermon, Rabbi Matt Shapiro explores the health benefits of community and the idea of returning home, and how people experiencing mental health concerns need to remember that they can rely on their communities to create a space for them to reside in. And that the members of those communities need to ensure that that is true.
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