(ט) רַ֡ק הִשָּׁ֣מֶר לְךָ֩ וּשְׁמֹ֨ר נַפְשְׁךָ֜ מְאֹ֗ד פֶּן־תִּשְׁכַּ֨ח אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֜ים אֲשֶׁר־רָא֣וּ עֵינֶ֗יךָ וּפֶן־יָס֙וּרוּ֙ מִלְּבָ֣בְךָ֔ כֹּ֖ל יְמֵ֣י חַיֶּ֑יךָ וְהוֹדַעְתָּ֥ם לְבָנֶ֖יךָ וְלִבְנֵ֥י בָנֶֽיךָ׃
דברים כ''ה:ט''ו
(טו) וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־לֹ֤א תִשְׁמַע֙ בְּקוֹל֙ יי אֱלֹקֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמֹ֤ר לַעֲשׂוֹת֙ אֶת־כָּל־מִצְוֺתָ֣יו וְחֻקֹּתָ֔יו אֲשֶׁ֛ר אָנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיּ֑וֹם וּבָ֧אוּ עָלֶ֛יךָ כָּל־הַקְּלָל֥וֹת הָאֵ֖לֶּה וְהִשִּׂיגֽוּךָ׃
דברים כ''ח: כ''ח-כ''ו
(כח) יַכְּכָ֣ה יי בְּשִׁגָּע֖וֹן וּבְעִוָּר֑וֹן וּבְתִמְה֖וֹן לֵבָֽב׃ (כט) וְהָיִ֜יתָ מְמַשֵּׁ֣שׁ בַּֽצָּהֳרַ֗יִם כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר יְמַשֵּׁ֤שׁ הָעִוֵּר֙ בָּאֲפֵלָ֔ה וְלֹ֥א תַצְלִ֖יחַ אֶת־דְּרָכֶ֑יךָ וְהָיִ֜יתָ אַ֣ךְ עָשׁ֧וּק וְגָז֛וּל כָּל־הַיָּמִ֖ים וְאֵ֥ין מוֹשִֽׁיעַ׃
But take utmost care and watch yourselves scrupulously [lit. "But guard your self and guard your soul diligently"], so that you do not forget the things that you saw with your own eyes and so that they do not fade from your mind as long as you live. And make them known to your children and to your children’s children.
Deuteronomy 28:15
(15) But if you do not obey the LORD your G'd to observe faithfully all His commandments and laws which I enjoin upon you this day, all these curses shall come upon you and take effect:
Deuteronomy 28:28-29
(28) The LORD will strike you with madness, blindness, and dismay. (29) You shall grope at noon as a blind man gropes in the dark; you shall not prosper in your ventures, but shall be constantly abused and robbed, with none to give help.
What is your impression of how Judaism and/or Jewish institutions approach mental health, either historically or today?
Elijah the prophet was discouraged, weary, and afraid. After great spiritual victories over the prophets of Ba'al, he feared and ran for his life, far away from the threats of Jezebel. And there in the desert, he sat down and prayed, defeated and worn:
(ד) וְהֽוּא־הָלַ֤ךְ בַּמִּדְבָּר֙ דֶּ֣רֶךְ י֔וֹם וַיָּבֹ֕א וַיֵּ֕שֶׁב תַּ֖חַת רֹ֣תֶם אחת [אֶחָ֑ד] וַיִּשְׁאַ֤ל אֶת־נַפְשׁוֹ֙ לָמ֔וּת וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ׀ רַ֗ב עַתָּ֤ה יי קַ֣ח נַפְשִׁ֔י כִּֽי־לֹא־ט֥וֹב אָנֹכִ֖י מֵאֲבֹתָֽי׃
רש''י על מלכים א י''ט:ד':ב'
(ב) וַיֹּאמֶר רַב. (תַּרְגּוּם:) סַגִּי לִי אַרְכָּא, עַד אֵימָתַי אֲנָא מַטְרַף כְּדֵין.
(4) he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush and sat down under it, and prayed that he might die. “Enough!” he cried. “Now, O LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
Rashi on I Kings 19:4:2
(2) And he said, “It is enough.” [Targum Yonoson rendered,] “My long life is enough, According to the opinion that Eliyahu is Pinchas, Aharon’s grandson, he was over 500 years old at this time. until when will I be confused like this?”
But G'd heard Elijah's cry and advised him on how to proceed.*
The prophet Jonah was angry and wanted to run away from prophecy:
(ג) וְעַתָּ֣ה יי קַח־נָ֥א אֶת־נַפְשִׁ֖י מִמֶּ֑נִּי כִּ֛י ט֥וֹב מוֹתִ֖י מֵחַיָּֽי׃ (ס)
מצודת דוד על יונה ד':ג':א'
(א) ועתה ה׳. הואיל וכן הוא אבקש ממך שתקח את נפשי ממני כי טוב מותי מחיי לראות באבדן בני עמי אשר ע״י באה הסבה:
(3) Please, LORD, take my life, for I would rather die than live.”
Metzudat David on Jonah 4:3:1
Now G'd: For He will also demand from you to take my soul away from me, for it is better for me to die than to see the loss of my people
G'd responded to Jonah, teaching him the value of human life.*
Job (a prophet) suffered through great loss, devastation, and physical illness:
(יא) לָ֤מָּה לֹּ֣א מֵרֶ֣חֶם אָמ֑וּת מִבֶּ֖טֶן יָצָ֣אתִי וְאֶגְוָֽע׃
איוב ג':כ''ו
(כו) לֹ֤א שָׁלַ֨וְתִּי ׀ וְלֹ֖א שָׁקַ֥טְתִּי וְֽלֹא־נָ֗חְתִּי וַיָּ֥בֹא רֹֽגֶז׃ (פ)
איוב י':א'
(א) נָֽקְטָ֥ה נַפְשִׁ֗י בְּחַ֫יָּ֥י אֶֽעֶזְבָ֣ה עָלַ֣י שִׂיחִ֑י אֲ֝דַבְּרָה֗ בְּמַ֣ר נַפְשִֽׁי׃
איוב ל':ט''ו-י''ז
(טו) הָהְפַּ֥ךְ עָלַ֗י בַּלָּ֫ה֥וֹת תִּרְדֹּ֣ף כָּ֭רוּחַ נְדִבָתִ֑י וּ֝כְעָ֗ב עָבְרָ֥ה יְשֻׁעָתִֽי׃ (טז) וְעַתָּ֗ה עָ֭לַי תִּשְׁתַּפֵּ֣ךְ נַפְשִׁ֑י יֹ֭אחֲז֣וּנִי יְמֵי־עֹֽנִי׃ (יז) לַ֗יְלָה עֲ֭צָמַי נִקַּ֣ר מֵעָלָ֑י וְ֝עֹרְקַ֗י לֹ֣א יִשְׁכָּבֽוּן׃
(11) Why did I not die at birth, Expire as I came forth from the womb?
Job 3:26
(26) I had no repose, no quiet, no rest, And trouble came.
Job 10:1
(1) I am disgusted with life; I will give rein to my complaint, Speak in the bitterness of my soul.
Job 30:15-17
(15) Terror tumbles upon me; It sweeps away my honor like the wind; My dignity vanishes like a cloud. (16) So now my life runs out; Days of misery have taken hold of me. (17) By night my bones feel gnawed; My sinews never rest.
(משלי יב, כה) דאגה בלב איש ישחנה רבי אמי ורבי אסי חד אמר ישחנה מדעתו וחד אמר ישיחנה לאחרים
The Gemara explains another verse in Proverbs: “If there is care in a man’s heart, let him quash it [yashchena]” (Proverbs 12:25). Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi dispute the verse’s meaning. One said: He should forcefully push it [yas'chena] out of his mind. One who worries should banish his concerns from his thoughts. And one said: It means he should tell [yesichena] others his concerns, which will lower his anxiety.
From Martin Buber's Tales of the Chasidim:
Once, the Hassidic rabbi Zusya came to his followers with tears in his eyes. They asked him:
"Zusya, what's the matter?
And he told them about his vision; "I learned the question that the angels will one day ask me about my life."
The followers were puzzled. "Zusya, you are pious. You are scholarly and humble. You have helped so many of us. What question about your life could be so terrifying that you would be frightened to answer it?"
Zusya replied; "I have learned that the angels will not ask me, 'Why weren't you a Moses, leading your people out of slavery?' and that the angels will not ask me, 'Why weren't you a Joshua, leading your people into the promised land?"'
Zusya sighed; "They will say to me, 'Zusya, why weren't you Zusya?'"
What values can we learn from this?
What are the ways in which we express the outlined values inside and outside of our communal spaces? Are these efforts sufficient? Are there ways we could do this differently?
For more info on Jewish sources and mental health organizations, check out the following: