Talmud on the Mind: Exploring Chazal and Practical Psychology to Live a Better Life

Where do we turn to better understand ourselves? For many people, the insights of modern psychology provide a way to be in touch with the inner-workings of their minds. However, for those familiar with traditional Jewish literature, the penetrating psychological insight of the Talmudic Sages provides a framework for spiritual and personal growth through profound self-understanding. In this volume, Ethan Eisen, a Yeshiva University-ordained rabbi and clinical psychologist, explores the seeds of contemporary psychology that are woven through the pages of the Talmud and its commentators. Based on passages from Maseches Berachos, Rabbi Dr. Eisen takes the reader on an illuminating journey through many topics-procrastination, bullying, mindfulness, and microaggressions, among many others-bringing traditional Jewish sources side by side with findings of modern psychology. He concludes each chapter with a life-enhancing practical lesson that emerges from these two mutually enriching sources of knowledge and wisdom.

I have known Rabbi Dr. Ethan Eisen, since his high-school days in our Yeshiva. His intelligence, yiras shamaim, and extraordinary mentchlichkeit, make him an ideal candidate for producing a work offering insights on so vital a dimension to understanding all aspects of this vital area of Torah. - Rabbi Ahron Shraga Lopiansky, Rosh Yeshiva of the Yeshiva of Greater Washington

Dr. Eisen astutely compares a wide range of contemporary psychological insights with traditional Jewish thought. He writes with articulate clarity, and reflects in his work a mastery of both Talmudic and psychological concepts. In highlighting the congruence of ancient rabbinic texts with modern psychological knowledge, Dr. Eisen makes an important contribution to both the fields of Judaica and contemporary psychology. - Dr. Yisrael Levitz, Founding Executive Director at The Family Institute of Neve Yerushalayim