AI Summary
5 min readThe month of Elul, which precedes Rosh Hashanah, is traditionally understood as a time of preparation for repentance and spiritual renewal. But in a conversation on the 18Forty Podcast, psychotherapist Mendel Horowitz challenges the assumption that religious introspection alone is sufficient for genuine self-understanding. Horowitz argues that the religious framework of Elul, with its focus on sin, repentance, and returning to God, operates in a fundamentally different register from the kind of personal awareness that psychodynamic therapy aims to cultivate. The two projects, he insists, should not be conflated.
Two Frameworks, Not One
Horowitz, who transitioned from a career as a yeshiva rebbe to become a psychotherapist, draws a sharp distinction between the roles of teacher and therapist. A rebbe, he explains, operates within a preexisting framework of right and wrong, of muttar and assur (permitted and forbidden). When a student comes to a rebbe, they enter a universe of expectations, texts, and communal norms. The therapist, by contrast, offers a blank space. “Psychotherapy, the way that I practice psychotherapy is something that is blank,” Horowitz says. “It's something that is completely generated by the person who's sitting with me.”
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What you'll learn
- 1 (04:50) **Introduction: Elul as the Month of Teshuvah and Self-Discovery** - David Bashevkin frames the month of Elul as a preparatory period for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, centered on the process of Teshuvah (return).
- 2 (23:02) **Guest Introduction: Mendel Horowitz on Psychotherapy and Religious Life** - Bashevkin introduces Mendel Horowitz, a psychotherapist in Israel, whose work explores the distinct roles of psychodynamic therapy and religious guidance.
- 3 (45:18) **Why Religious Engagement Doesn’t Guarantee Self-Awareness** - The conversation explores why serious religious practice does not automatically lead to emotional healing or self-discovery.
- 4 (61:54) **Individual vs. Group Therapy: The Power of the “Laboratory”** - Horowitz distinguishes between psychodynamic individual therapy and interpersonal process group therapy.
- 5 (77:26) **Reframing Teshuvah: Raising Awareness, Not Just Repenting** - The discussion turns to how the religious project of Teshuvah can be better aligned with psychological healing.
- 6 (84:19) **On Dilemmas and Not Giving Advice** - Horowitz explains his refusal to advise clients on difficult choices, such as choosing between a religious ideal and a personal need.
- 7 (88:23) **The Good Enough Elul: A Project for Imperfect Teshuvah** - Horowitz introduces his guide, “The Good Enough Elul,” which uses psychodynamic concepts for the month of Elul.
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Show Notes
In this episode we discuss:
—What is the nature of the inner work we do over Elul?
—How do our psychological and religious work overlap and interact?
—How can we detach ourselves from external expectations and learn how to live comfortably in pursuit of our purest desires?
Interview begins at 27:00.
Tune in to hear a conversation about how we discover our most essential selves.
Mendel Horowitz, M.S., is a Jerusalem-based psychotherapist, researcher, and author certified by the International Board for Certification of Group Psychotherapists. His research interests include group therapy and the intersection of masculinity, loneliness, and faith. He is a founding member of United Hatzalah’s Psychotrauma & Crisis Response Unit and a member of the Public Outreach Committee of the American Group Psychotherapy Association. His essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Jerusalem Post, JTA, The Forward, and the Jewish Journal, among other publications, and his professional writing has appeared in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy.
References:
Tur
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer
Song of Songs 6:3
Psychoanalysis: The Impossible Profession by Janet Malcolm
The Examined Life: How We Lose and Find Ourselves by Stephen Grosz
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