Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

February 3rd, 2020

My early childhood school years were full of joy of learning. I attended a local Day School of which my father then served as its principal. The mornings were taught Ivrit B’Ivrit, which sparked my lifelong love affair with the beauty of l’shon kodesh. In the summer of first grade I was reading fluently in Hebrew and English. Significantly, this school worked on language foundations so we had as yet to learn Chumash. We read from read …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 24th, 2020

Most religious people are aware of the various schools of thought in how to reconcile the Biblical account of creation in six days and the fossil records which seem to indicate a long, gradual process of evolution from simple organisms to the more complex. The most religiously uncomplicated approach is that the Torah’s authority takes precedence over any seeming evidence, and it’s not something to be overly troubled by. Theories come …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 18th, 2020

From time to time I meet with a couple suffering from anxiety related sexual dysfunctions who also have halakhic questions connected to the problem.  Some of the halakhic questions are complex and hard to answer and others are simply a matter of not having been educated properly by their chosson or kallah instructors.  When I ask if they have consulted with a rabbi about their halakhic questions, some will say they are too embarrassed, …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 1st, 2020

I grew up in a neighborhood and a time where anti semitism was normal . We were spit at, threatened, and had our bikes stolen fairly consistently. I never realized how much it hurt. All of the sudden now a lot of trauma is coming back to me and I’m reliving it for the first time. I am angry and physically sick about it. A few days ago, just passing on the street a bunch of High School aged kids mumbled racial epithets at me. I’m not o …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

December 27th, 2019

Spiritual Spam Filter Set to High I think we are so used to getting spiritual “spam” that we filter out important messages. It is a challenge to stay mindful and consciously connected to G-d in our daily routines. Some examples of spiritual spam include making blessings without paying attention, offering serious prayers such as Kaddish or Birkot Hashachar while winding tefilin and folding and unfolding the talit, and studying sacred t …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

December 20th, 2019

How often is a person conscious and mindful of what he or she is doing? Life is busy, we check our cell phones every three seconds, and when we aren’t regretting the past we are busy worrying about the future. Trauma treatment practitioners are becoming more aware that disassociation is something we all do. It is only a matter of degree and severity that separates trauma victims from others. Without using the term mindfulness, Jewish tradit …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

December 16th, 2019

Book Review I Am for My Beloved A Guide for Enhanced Intimacy for Married Couples David S. Ribner and Talli Y. Rosenbaum   Imagine one day, on the eve of the Pesach Seder, Eliyahu HaNavi issued a special hora’at Sha’ah, commanding all the Jews to eat a Ham and Cheese sandwich while reclining at the Seder instead of the usual Matzah and Maror.  Even the most devout believers would have great difficulty fulfilling this unusual …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

December 9th, 2019

Religious Therapists are obliged to be aware of what they are feeling and what they are seeing. What makes an effective clinician, is the one who is able to sense internal conflict, cognitive dissonance, and internal realities and external reality. In short, as we pray for every morning ‏דובר אמת בלבבו to speak truth within our hearts.   As religious Therapists, at times, we cannot help but notice conflict between c …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

October 28th, 2019

Carl Gustav Jung was originally a student of Freud, but it was in matters of religion and spirituality that he began to differ, and eventually broke away from his teacher and mentor. Jung was keenly interested in religion and spiritual process and how they related to his empirical studies of psychology.  Jung’s Analytical Psychology provides a superb foundation for developing a religion-friendly psychological approach.   Like Freu …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

September 15th, 2019

I have noticed a sociological psychological phenomenon amongst a segment of religious clients.  Certain otherwise observant people do not lay tefillin. From anecdotal evidence, it occurs with greater frequency than other lapses.  Individuals who otherwise observe kashrus, shabbos (even not using smartphones) still seem to have difficulty with tefillin. Logically, it is perplexing because tefillin as a mitzvah can be performed in approxi …
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