Author: Jay Yitzi Horowitz, Mr.

May 22nd, 2020

Ratzon Hatorah, Yitzi Horowitz, LCSW Bamidbar 2020   Last week, after saying “Chazak Chazak Venischazek” upon completing Parshas BeChukosai, I commented to my wife that we said “Chazak Chazak Venischazek” at the end of Parshas Pikudei in our house as well.  We read the entirety of Sefer VaYikra in quarantine.  But that slowly things seem to be re-opening.  The world is kind of peeking its head out from …
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Author: Jay Yitzi Horowitz, Mr.

May 1st, 2020

Achrei Mos, Kedoshim 2020 Ratzon HaTorah, Yitzi Horowitz, LCSW   Last week I wrote about the problems of Dualistic Thinking, about how we run the risk of relating to constructs like the “material” and the “spiritual” as two very separate and distinct dimensions of life.  The consequences of this are that we don’t strive for balance and harmony within ourselves, we reject differences between people and see G …
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Author: Jay Yitzi Horowitz, Mr.

April 23rd, 2020

A Biblical Quarantine To draw parallels between this week’s Parsha and our current events is not hard.  Afflicted with a disease called Tzora’as, the Metzorah or Leper, is quarantined for 14 days outside the camp.  Tzora’as could appear in one’s clothing, on surfaces and really disrupt someone’s way of life.  It frightens me that someone might take an obviously false, yet easy cheap potshot of drawing …
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Author: Jay Yitzi Horowitz, Mr.

November 8th, 2019

Ratzon HaTorah, Yitzi Horowitz, LCSW Lech L’Chah 2019 Chazal teach us that when Hashem created the world He looked into the Torah and created the world.  Seemingly to mean that instead us understanding that the Torah exists inside the world, the world really lives inside the context of Torah.  In other words, we tend to think of the Torah as a practical guide or list of do’s and don’ts for how we are to live our lives. …
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Author: Jay Yitzi Horowitz, Mr.

October 28th, 2018

Words are used to convey feelings and thoughts, to convey messages and ideas.  Words create a bond between author and reader when both are open to it.  Today I have no words.  I contemplated not writing anything.  Today we are transported to a dimension beyond words.  I wanted to write about Yitzchok, the world of laughter.  To capture some of the brightness and nuanced complexities of laughter.  Laughter is a d …
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Author: Jay Yitzi Horowitz, Mr.

November 1st, 2017

                      I had not seen her in more than a year Lowering her frame into my office chair Gone was the stench of the lonely nomad First time in four decades she was not sad   M'belly's all swollen, she said with a tear God finally up an' did me sumpin' fair No more crack or drink for me, she was glad 'cause m'daddy, bless his soul, 'll be a grandad.   Listen son, she says …
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Author: Jay Yitzi Horowitz, Mr.

November 29th, 2016

For the first time I played close attention to politics. I related to this election. Really strongly.  It’s as if the country served its constituents one heaping pile of visceral self-check after self-check.  This was not an election of content or policy but rather a reflective check on the social temperature.  A check-in on how people feel about racism, women’s rights, gay marriage and many other issues.  Whether …
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Author: Jay Yitzi Horowitz, Mr.

September 28th, 2016

i I want to teach you a holy Torah from the Arizal.  By way of introduction let me say that we all know how the Torah tells the story of each and every one of our lives.  The midrash that I am so fond of quoting says, “Histakel b’Oraisa uborei olmah, Hashem looked into the Torah and created the world.”  In truth it is a commandment, “Look into the Torah and create the world.”  Your world.  On …
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Author: Jay Yitzi Horowitz, Mr.

September 7th, 2016

This is something I posted in conversation on the Nefesh ListServe right after the devastating Orlando terrorist act.  I am gratified that many of the points I made here seem to be related to points made in Part One of the Fall 2016 edition of The New Atlantis.  After reading that publication, I decided to post this publicly. I work with gay clients.  Gay men who are orthodox.  Some of them struggle with wa …
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Author: Jay Yitzi Horowitz, Mr.

December 15th, 2014

If I were to identify one fundamental issue of psychological health that we, as a society, don’t do a great job addressing it would be self-awareness.   Generally speaking, we are not honest enough with ourselves. Think about how often we confuse thoughts and emotions.  What’s the difference between a thought and an emotion? It even pervades our vernacular. Does this sentence make any sense- “I feel like drinking …
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