- Mental Health and well-being in Judaism -

SECTION 1 - THE TIMES WE LIVE IN

לְפִיכָךְ נִבְרָא אָדָם יְחִידִי, לְלַמֶּדְךָ, שֶׁכָּל הַמְאַבֵּד נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ אִבֵּד עוֹלָם מָלֵא. וְכָל הַמְקַיֵּם נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ קִיֵּם עוֹלָם מָלֵא.

Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5

"It was for this reason that man was first created as one person [Adam], to teach you that anyone who destroys a life is considered by Scripture to have destroyed an entire world; and anyone who saves a life is as if he saved an entire world."

SECTION 2 - Being a Role Model - Living as a Kiddush Hashem

ויקרא כ״ב:ל״ב

(לב) וְלֹא תְחַלְּלוּ אֶת שֵׁם קָדְשִׁי וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲנִי ה' מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם.

Leviticus 22:32

(32) And ye shall not profane My holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the LORD who hallow you,

קידושין כ״ט א

דת"ר האב חייב בבנו למולו ולפדותו וללמדו תורה ולהשיאו אשה וללמדו אומנות וי"א אף להשיטו במים

Kiddushin 29a

A father is obligated with regard to his son to circumcise him, and to redeem him if he is a firstborn son who must be redeemed by payment to a priest, and to teach him Torah, and to marry him to a woman, and to teach him a trade. And some say: A father is also obligated to teach his son to swim.

משלי כ״ב:ו׳

(ו) חֲנֹ֣ךְ לַ֭נַּעַר עַל־פִּ֣י דַרְכּ֑וֹ גַּ֥ם כִּֽי־יַ֝זְקִ֗ין לֹֽא־יָס֥וּר מִמֶּֽנָּה׃

Proverbs 22:6

(6) Train a lad in the way he ought to go; He will not swerve from it even in old age.

“When a man dies, if he can pass enthusiasm along to his children, he has left them an estate of incalculable value.” Thomas Edison

SECTION 3 - Caring for the mental health of our loved ones

דברים ד׳:ט׳

רַ֡ק הִשָּׁ֣מֶר לְךָ֩ וּשְׁמֹ֨ר נַפְשְׁךָ֜ מְאֹ֗ד פֶּן־תִּשְׁכַּ֨ח אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֜ים אֲשֶׁר־רָא֣וּ עֵינֶ֗יךָ וּפֶן־יָס֙וּרוּ֙ מִלְּבָ֣בְךָ֔ כֹּ֖ל יְמֵ֣י חַיֶּ֑יךָ וְהוֹדַעְתָּ֥ם לְבָנֶ֖יךָ וְלִבְנֵ֥י בָנֶֽיךָ׃

Deuteronomy 4:9

But take utmost care and watch yourselves scrupulously, 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:

שבת קכ״ח ב:י״ח-כ׳

מילדין את האשה וכו׳: מכדי תנא ליה מילדין את האשה וקורין לה חכמה ממקום למקום ומחללין עליה את השבת לאתויי מאי לאתויי הא דתנו רבנן אם היתה צריכה לנר חבירתה מדלקת לה את הנר ואם היתה צריכה לשמן חבירתה מביאה לה שמן ביד ואם אינו ספק ביד מביאה בשערה ואם אינו ספק בשערה מביאה לה בכלי אמר מר אם היתה צריכה לנר חבירתה מדלקת לה את הנר פשיטא לא צריכא בסומא מהו דתימא כיון דלא חזיא אסור קא משמע לן איתובי מיתבא דעתה סברא אי איכא מידי חזיא חבירתה ועבדה לי:

Shabbat 128b:18-20

We learned in the mishna: And one may birth a woman even when that involves the desecration of Shabbat The Gemara asks: After all, it was taught explicitly in the mishna: And one may birth a woman even on Shabbat, and call a midwife for her to travel from place to place. The phrase: And one may desecrate Shabbat for a woman giving birth, what does it come to include? All the possible acts of desecrating Shabbat for the birthing woman were already listed. The Gemara answers: It comes to include that which the Sages taught with regard to this issue: If a woman giving birth were to need a lamp, her friend lights the lamp for her on Shabbat. And if she were to need oil, her friend brings her oil via the public domain in an atypical manner, carrying it in the palm of her hand but not in a vessel. And if the oil that her friend brings in her hand is not enough, she brings oil in her hair. And if oil that she brings in her hair is not enough, she brings oil for her in the typical manner, in a vessel. The Master said in the baraita: If a woman giving birth were to need a lamp, her friend would light the lamp for her on Shabbat. The Gemara asks: This is obvious. The Gemara answers: It is necessary to teach this halakha only in the case of a blind woman giving birth. Lest you say: Since she cannot see even with the light it is prohibited to bring a lamp for her, it teaches us that lighting the lamp is permitted to settle her mind. The blind woman thinks: If there is something that needs to be done in the course of childbirth, the lamp will enable my friend to see and she will do it for me.

שבת כ״ט ב:י״ב

מתני׳ המכבה את הנר מפני שהוא מתירא מפני גוים ומפני ליסטים מפני רוח רעה מפני החולה שיישן פטור כחס על הנר כחס על השמן כחס על הפתילה חייב רבי יוסי פוטר בכולן חוץ מן הפתילה מפני שהוא עושה פחם:

Shabbat 29b:12

MISHNA: One who extinguishes the lamp on Shabbat because he is afraid due to gentiles, from whom he is hiding in his home, and due to thieves, or if one is afraid due to an evil spirit, i.e., he is depressed and prefers sitting in the dark, or if he extinguished the flame due to the sick person so that he will sleep, he is exempt. However, in a case where he extinguishes the flame in order to spare the lamp, spare the oil, or spare the wick, he is liable. Rabbi Yosei exempts him in all of those cases, as in his opinion no labor prohibited by Torah law is being performed by extinguishing the flame, except for the case where he seeks to spare the wick. Only in that case is extinguishing a creative action because he makes the wick into charcoal by extinguishing the flame.

יומא פ״ד ב:ח׳

ראה שננעלה דלת בפני תינוק שוברה ומוציאו והזריז ה"ז משובח ואין צריך ליטול רשות מב"ד ואע"ג דקא מיכוין למיתבר בשיפי מכבין ומפסיקין מפני הדליקה בשבת והזריז ה"ז משובח ואין צריך ליטול רשות מב"ד ואע"ג דקא ממכיך מכוכי

Yoma 84b:8

Similarly, if one sees that a door is locked before a child and the child is scared and crying, he breaks the door and takes the child out. And one who is vigilant and acts quickly is praiseworthy, and one need not seek permission from a court, although he intends to break it into boards to be used later. Similarly, one may extinguish a fire by placing a barrier of metal or clay vessels filled with water in front of it on Shabbat when life is endangered. And one who is vigilant and acts quickly is praiseworthy, and one need not seek permission from a court, although he leaves the coals, which can be used for cooking after Shabbat.

משנה ברורה שכ״ח:ל״ח

ננעל הדלת בפני התינוק שובר הדלת ומוציאו אע"פ שהוא מפצל אותם כמין עצים שראוים למלאכה שנעשים כמין נסרים או קסמין להדלקה אפ"ה מותר השבירה שמא יבעת התינוק וימות ולא אמרינן שאפשר לקרקש להתינוק באגוזים מבחוץ עד שיביאו המפתח. ואפילו אם היה צריך להחוליא ולהנסרים והקסמין ג"כ שרי כיון שאינו מכוין לזה:

Mishnah Berurah 328:38

In a case where the door is locked in front of the child, one may break the door and takes it out even though it splits it like a kind of wood that is suitable for a work that is made as a kind of sawdust or firewood, it is permitted in case the child dies out of fear (being left alone) we do not say that it is possible to rattle the baby with nuts from outside until they bring the key.

מועד קטן כ״ו ב:כ׳

ת"ר חולה שמת לו מת אין מודיעין אותו שמת שמא תטרף דעתו עליו ואין מקרעין בפניו ומשתקין את הנשים מפניו

Moed Katan 26b:20

The Sages taught the following baraita: When a relative of a sick person dies, those around him do not inform him that this relative died, lest he lose control of his mind due to his emotional state and his grief exacerbate his physical health. And other people may not rend their garments in his presence, so that he will not know that one of his relatives passed away. And we silence the women who weep in his presence, so that he will not know that his relative is no longer alive.