How Jewish Wisdom Created the Cure for the Mind
by Levi Cohen
To understand the history of psychology is to uncover the “Jewish spark” hidden within a secular science. It is a historical curiosity that the cartography of the human mind was drawn almost exclusively by Jewish thinkers. From the coffeehouses of Vienna to the clinics of New York, figures like Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler, and Viktor Frankl did not merely create therapeutic methods; they were engaged in a secular form of Cheshbon HaNefesh.
For centuries,we Jews have been trained to look inward. We are a people who demand Tikkun. The Baal Shem Tov taught that every thought, every emotion, and every encounter is a message from the Divine. When Jewish doctors entered the universities of Europe, they carried this ancestral DNA with them. They were looking for the soul in a world that had largely forgotten it.
Today, this legacy is being reclaimed and elevated. It is no longer just about analyzing the mind, but about healing the heart of the community. This is the mission of the Bereishis Foundation, a modern organization that is taking the “Jewish Science” of the last century and using it to build a true Dirah Betachtonim, within the lives of our children.
Part I: The Architects of the Mind
Sigmund Freud: The Animal Soul Revealed
It began with Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). While often criticized for his secular views, Freud’s contribution to understanding the human mechanism was profound. He introduced the world to the Id-the chaotic, instinctual reservoir of drives. He taught us that man is not always the master of his own house but is driven by subconscious forces.
In the language of Tanya, Freud was mapping the Nefesh HaBahamis (the Animal Soul). He identified its nature-self-oriented, pleasure-seeking, and reactionary. He saw the “mud” that covers the heart. However, as the Rebbe often pointed out, Freud stopped there. He missed the “diamond” beneath the mud-the Nefesh HaElokisthat remains pure and untouched by trauma.
Alfred Adler: The Need to Belong
Alfred Adler (1870-1937) broke from Freud to suggest that our deepest drive is not pleasure, but the need to overcome feelings of inferiority and find a place in the community (Gemeinschaftsgefühl).
Adler’s insight mirrors the Chassidic concept of Bittul (selflessness). A person finds true health not by inflating their ego, but by connecting to the Klal. Adler realized that isolation is the root of pathology, and connection is the cure.
Melanie Klein: The Battle Within
Melanie Klein (1882-1960) pioneered the understanding of the infant’s internal world. She described how we “split” our reality into “good” and “bad” because we cannot handle the complexity of the world.
This internal battle is the daily struggle of the Benoni described in Tanya, the intermediate person who is constantly balancing two voices within. Klein’s work allows us to understand that the “bad” parts of ourselves are often just protective mechanisms gone awry, or as Chassidus would call it, the Yetzer Hara trying to protect its territory.
Viktor Frankl: The Search for Meaning
Perhaps no figure bridges these worlds better than Viktor Frankl (1905-1997). A survivor of the concentration camps, Frankl developed Logotherapy, teaching that man’s primary drive is the Will to Meaning. He famously taught that one can endure any “how” if one has a “why.”
It is a known story that in the 1950s, when Frankl was dispirited and ready to give up his work, the Lubavitcher Rebbe sent a personal messenger to him in Vienna with the words: “Be strong! Continue your work with complete determination… You will ultimately succeed.” The Rebbe saw in Frankl a vessel for the truth that purpose is stronger than pain.
Abraham Maslow: The Ladder of Growth
Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) gave us the Hierarchy of Needs, teaching that before a person can reach “Self-Actualization” (spiritual growth), their basic needs, safety, food, and security must be met. This echoes the Rambam’s teaching that a person in desperate poverty cannot focus on the Divine. We must care for the body so the soul can soar.
Part II: A Modern “Tikkun”
If the 20th century was about identifying the mechanics of the mind, the 21st century is about redeeming them. This is where the Bereishis Foundation enters the story.
Applying Maslow’s insight, Bereishis understands that you cannot ask a child to work on their “self-actualization” if their parents are drowning in financial anxiety. The foundation steps in to subsidize therapy costs, ensuring that money is never the reason a Jewish child is denied help. By stabilizing the family’s “safety” needs, they allow the therapeutic work to begin.
Drawing on the insights of Bruno Bettelheim, who believed the environment itself must be healing, Bereishis has launched the Department of Ruach & Resilience. It is not enough to treat a child for one hour a week; we must transform the classrooms and hallways where they spend their days.
Led by dedicated professionals like Chana Kaiman, this initiative brings tools like Internal Family Systems (IFS), a modern descendant of Jewish psychological thought, into our schools. It teaches children to understand their own “parts,” helping them navigate their Yetzer Hara not with shame, but with understanding and control.
In a world that can often feel fractured, the Bereishis Foundation is doing the work of Tikkun, one child at a time.
To learn more or support this vital mission, visit www.bereishisfoundation.org.
