Q&A: A Yeshiva Student with Mental Health Problems
A Yeshiva Student with Mental Health Problems
Question
Hello Rabbi.
I am writing this question following the incident that happened yesterday, in which a young man stabbed his friend in a Haredi yeshiva in Kiryat Sefer, and afterward it was claimed that the attacker was in a psychotic state. I personally have witnessed other cases in which there were boys in yeshiva suffering from psychiatric problems of varying degrees of severity, and more than once I saw a severe psychotic episode with my own eyes.
So the question is this: in yeshiva, as is well known, there is engagement with “spiritual” content, and sometimes even “mystical” content. I am not speaking only about yeshivot where Kabbalah and the like are studied, but even about dry Lithuanian-style yeshivot, where even there it is impossible to avoid dealing with “lofty” matters, whether within the framework of study or in the interactions among the students.
Even the study of ethics, with its accompanying self-demands, can create significant emotional pressure.
In light of this, is there reason to avoid sending to yeshiva a boy with diagnosed mental health problems? Should yeshivot prevent the admission of boys with psychiatric problems?
On the one hand, the yeshiva serves as something like Noah’s Ark and protects him from the hazards of the outside world. On the other hand, there is concern that the content and the atmosphere might worsen his condition.
I would like to sharpen the principled question and focus it on a specific private case of a particular relative, a newly religious person.
Thank you in advance
Answer
This is a difficult question, and I cannot answer it, especially since I do not know the young man and I am not a psychologist or psychiatrist. A psychologist should be consulted to give an expert opinion. Each case must be judged individually.
Discussion on Answer
On what basis did you decide that yeshiva might worsen his condition?
You don’t make decisions like that based on gut feelings. This is a professional question that needs to be asked of professionals (who may also have no idea, and may even give an answer despite having no idea, so it needs to be checked carefully). Once you have an answer about the risks (my guess is that usually yeshiva is really not a risk factor, but my guess is no more grounded than yours), then that’s the point at which to ask what is “appropriate.”
Yishai
Obviously professionals are involved too…
But since we’re dealing with the realm of the psyche, where much is hidden and not revealed, and we are not talking about a virus / bacterium / inflammation etc. — I’m not convinced that their advice/diagnosis is to be treated as Torah from Sinai, and this is not the place to elaborate.
As for my supposition/concern (I haven’t decided…) that staying in yeshiva might worsen his condition — it seems reasonable to me (with a bit of experience added…).
I’m concerned that for someone in a psychotic state (delusions / visions / hearing voices), being in a place where “spiritual” matters are being dealt with is not exactly the most suitable environment.
But that’s only a hypothesis, and therefore I asked to hear the Rabbi’s view (not as a halakhic ruling, but as an opinion).
Y.D.
I don’t know what the Hazon Ish said or what he meant — what I did hear, by contrast, from Rabbi Shach (second-hand source, not with my own ears), was that a yeshiva is a place where one is supposed to study Torah. Someone who is unable to study — that is not his place. (At the time he was speaking about sending a boy to the army.)
With God’s help, 18 Elul 5778
Our sages already taught us that “idleness leads to madness” (“madness” in the language of the sages is “insanity”). When a person is occupied with an activity that interests him, his mind is distracted from the anxieties and fantasies surrounding him, and his success in that activity raises his self-image and gives him self-confidence, which eases healing and coping.
Rehabilitation centers are well known in which people with physical or mental problems are integrated into creative work in a supportive environment suited to them (for example, “Hazon Pethiah” in Jerusalem). A few years ago the rehabilitative study hall “Shef Yativ” was established, dealing with the rehabilitation of the mentally ill through yeshiva-style Torah study accompanied by an appropriate professional staff.
It seems to me that for a boy with mental health problems, especially if he is being treated with medication, it is generally difficult to concentrate on learning for an entire day (which is not simple even for an ordinary boy), and therefore it is advisable that he take hold of both paths. A few hours a day within a framework of Torah study and a few hours within a framework of work, and together the boy will feel that he is progressing.
The rehabilitative component can also exist in a regular yeshiva, provided there is a good atmosphere there of encouragement and helping the weak. In a place where there is an achievement-driven race accompanied by one person’s arrogance toward another, I fear spiritual damage even for someone who does not come with a background of mental health problems. Torah study that brings spiritual growth should be done with humility and close friendship, and then the Torah is an “elixir of life” for those who learn it. In such a place, the outstanding students will devote some of their talents and time to supporting those weaker than they are, and that will benefit everyone. If this is not possible within the regular Torah framework, then one should look for a rehabilitative Torah setting like “Shef Yativ” and the like.
With blessing,
S.Z. Levinger
Rabbi Aharon Yeshaya Rotter testifies (in the booklet “Darkhei Ish” at the beginning of his book “Shaarei Aharon” on Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim) that the Hazon Ish said to a man who was a laborer and wanted his rabbi to register him as a yeshiva student, and the rabbi said that he had to ask the Hazon Ish.
The man approached the Hazon Ish, who answered him that if the rabbi asked him, he would answer that he should not be fictitiously registered as a yeshiva student, since the entire deferment for yeshiva students “hangs by a hair,” and if the authorities were to discover a fictitious yeshiva registration, this would endanger the deferment for the genuine Torah scholars.
A quotation of Rabbi A.Y. Rotter’s words I brought in my comments on the articles “A Bridge Between the Wagons” and “No Regrets,” on the “Shabbat Supplement – Makor Rishon” website.
With blessing,
S.Z. Levinger
Go and see what people actually do: every leper and every man with a discharge gets an exemption from military service whether he studies or not.
This of course has nothing to do with your friend, because if he studies, it is his full right to be in yeshiva; it’s just that one has to think whether it’s wise. I would say that in such a case it would be preferable for him to seek an exemption from the army on mental health grounds (which is probably appropriate), and not feel that he is obligated to remain in yeshiva because of the army, even if it does not suit his mental condition.
S.Z.L., the story about the Hazon Ish is irritating (though typical). The problem is not that the other boys won’t get a deferment, but that it’s a dishonest act.
Didn’t the Hazon Ish say that yeshivot are cities of refuge?