|
 Feb 4-10 Q: How does the difficulty of successful dieting prove the Jewish principle of naaseh ve nishma?
Spiritual Modality for Behavior ModificationProfessor Tobiy Gurvich, MD, DSc & Professor Herman Branover, DSc, ABSTRACT According to Jewish tradition, every human being has an animal soul related to the blood and a divin soul related to the mind. These two souls struggle for control of the entire personality. The natural method to change behavior is for thought to affect emotion, which affects action. The Torah method of behavior modification reverses this hierarchy: The action of performing Torah commandments affects emotion, which affects thought. Performing Torah commandments allows the animal soul to fully function but subordinates it to the divine soul. Proof of the effectiveness of this system is the meaningful continuity of the Jewish people. This system has been applied with great remedial success to Jewish prisoners and their families by the Aleph Institute in Miami.
It can be argued that while the mind certainly can dominate the person, nurture and habit have the power to effectively neutralize the mind's independence. Proof for this is the ease with which we make good, sound resolutions and the difficulty in keeping them. Behavior patterns, whether intrinsic or learned (nature or nurture), can be otherwise described as addictions. While some addictions are chemically or psychologically motivated, others are a result of regularity and repetition. One of the reasons postulated why successful dieting can be a greater challenge than rehabilitation from drug or alcohol addiction is the fact that you can completely eliminate drugs and alcohol from your regimen, but you cannot stop eating. Instead, you must modify and transform your attitude towards eating. It requires a lifestyle change. Many credible studies and much experience show that it would be futile to heal addiction to drugs or alcohol by modifying their consumption. In life most of the traits or actions that we want or need to change cannot be completely eliminated. For instance, if you want to stop gossiping, you must modify your communication pattern. You do not stop speaking entirely. Hence we need to address the intended behavior that we want to change by knowing and activating the source of that particular behavior. Let us consider the two human software components, namely the animal soul and the divine soul, and analyze how they affect extremely different results in the hardware or body. The way we modify our bodies is analogous to how we can modify our souls. If we wish to develop certain muscles, we repeat a specific exercise frequently. If we wish to reduce part of our anatomy, we repeat different specific exercises regularly. So, too, our internal operating systems (souls) respond to different stimuli to achieve different results. Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar, "Spiritual Modality for Behavior Modification" in B'OR HA'TORAH 12E pp 122-123BIO In 1981 he founded The Shul of Bal Harbour in Surfside, Florida. As its head rabbi he is both the spiritual leader and educational programmer for all ages. Also in 1981 Rabbi Lipskar founded the Aleph Institute and the Educational Academy for the Elderly, both based in Surfside. The Aleph Institute is a non-profit national humanitarian organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for both prisoners and military personnel and their families. Rabbi Lipskar has created alternative punishment philosophies and developed unique eduational opportunities for the general public in the field of treatment of closed populations. He also directs the pioneering Educational Academy for the Elderly. sholom@aol.com
B’OR HA’TORAH is Published by SHAMIR Address all correspondence for B'Or
HaTorah to Ilana Attia Site housed by
|
