Can an observant woman who has depression listen to music on Shabbat, and can a Jewish man eat bread on Passover if he is recovering from an eating disorder?
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What about a person who has suicidal thoughts while he engages in prayer?
A new institute seeks to answer those types of questions, with the goal of resolving conflict that could emerge when Jewish life and mental health interact.
The Maagalei Nefesh ("Circles of the Soul") institute was set up by Beit Shemesh-based Rabbi Yoni Rosensweig, who has written books on how Halachah and mental health can go together, and Nadav Ellinson, the co-founder of the startup Intelligo Group
"The classical approach is that rabbis need to focus only focus on mental issues because it is assumed that they already know all about Halachah, but that is not true. Rabbis that don't know how to reconcile Halachah with treatment, despite their well intentions, could cause harm," Rosensweig said.
The institute they formed seeks to give rabbis the proper tools to combine both worlds so that they would be able to give correct advice to those struggling with mental issues in their community.
Ellinson, who made aliyah from Australia 8 years ago, felt that despite having a successful high-tech company, he wanted to add more meaning to his life. "I saw all the suffering and stigma that comes with those who struggle with mental issues and after conducting a quick review of the lay of the land, I saw that there was a lot to do in the religious world in that context, so, having already known that Rabbi Rosensweig wanted to build such an institute I approached him and we decided to get moving."
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