A Man of Wisdom: Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D.

Getting Up When You're Down, Part III

By Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D.

THE SUN WILL SHINE AGAIN

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Attaining an identity of one's own is of prime importance in good times as well as in bad times.


Rabbi Chaim Shmulevitz, the late great dean of Jerusalem's Mirrer yeshivs, cites the Midrash relating that King Solomon was banished from his throne by Ashmidai, king of the demons. Solomon begged for food from door to door, and when he said, "I am the king," people jeered at him, believing him to be a madman. The Talmud says that initially, Solomon was a powerful monarch, king over a vast empire, the greatest of the great, and when he was dethroned and had to beg for food, he was "king only over his walking stick" (Sanhedrin 20b).


Rabbi Shmulevitz says that in the throes of his impoverishment, Solomon was still "king over his walking stick," i.e., he never forgot that he was king. His circumstances were disastrous, but he did not allow them to crush him. He maintained his sense of royalty even when he had to beg for food. Heed Rabbi Shmulevitz's words: "A person must be most cautious when he suffers a fall, not to allow the fall to harm him even more than the actual adverse circumstances. If he will strengthen himself even in his decline and maintain his personal value under all circumstances, there is hope that he will rise and return to his former status and even higher than that" (Sichos Mussar 5731:13).


This is a precious Torah insight. Sometimes we cannot control what happens to us, but we can control how we react.


Whereas depressed feelings due to losses are normal and should not be relieved by antidepressant medication, it is nevertheless possible that the stress of prolonged worrying and insomnia may indeed cause a chemical imbalance, creating a secondary depression that can be helped by medication. If one suffers continued insomnia, loss of appetite, crying, and feelings of despair, one should consult a psychiatrist.

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Attaining an identity of one's own is of prime importance in good times as well as in bad times.


Rabbi Chaim Shmulevitz, the late great dean of Jerusalem's Mirrer yeshivs, cites the Midrash relating that King Solomon was banished from his throne by Ashmidai, king of the demons. Solomon begged for food from door to door, and when he said, "I am the king," people jeered at him, believing him to be a madman. The Talmud says that initially, Solomon was a powerful monarch, king over a vast empire, the greatest of the great, and when he was dethroned and had to beg for food, he was "king only over his walking stick" (Sanhedrin 20b).


Rabbi Shmulevitz says that in the throes of his impoverishment, Solomon was still "king over his walking stick," i.e., he never forgot that he was king. His circumstances were disastrous, but he did not allow them to crush him. He maintained his sense of royalty even when he had to beg for food. Heed Rabbi Shmulevitz's words: "A person must be most cautious when he suffers a fall, not to allow the fall to harm him even more than the actual adverse circumstances. If he will strengthen himself even in his decline and maintain his personal value under all circumstances, there is hope that he will rise and return to his former status and even higher than that" (Sichos Mussar 5731:13).


This is a precious Torah insight. Sometimes we cannot control what happens to us, but we can control how we react.


Whereas depressed feelings due to losses are normal and should not be relieved by antidepressant medication, it is nevertheless possible that the stress of prolonged worrying and insomnia may indeed cause a chemical imbalance, creating a secondary depression that can be helped by medication. If one suffers continued insomnia, loss of appetite, crying, and feelings of despair, one should consult a psychiatrist.

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Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D. is a psychiatrist and ordained rabbi. He is the founder of the Gateway Rehabilitation Center in Pittsburgh, a leading center for addiction treatment. An Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, he is a prolific author, with some 30 books to his credit.