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Dr. Michael Mantell[/caption]
Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. is a retired psychologist, best-selling author, international speaker, and a highly sought after cognitive behavioral coach whose actionable, valuable and practical work has been featured on Fox News, ABC-TV, NBC-TV, CBS-TV, The New York Times, and The Huffington Post. He has been teaching how Torah’s wisdom can lead to optimal living for many decades. You can follow him on Facebook and in other social media, where he has posted the #MantellDaily5 everyday for years.
His books, available on Amazon, include:
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*Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff: P.S. It’s All Small Stuff
*The Link Is What You Think
*Ticking Bombs: Defusing Violence in the Workplace (with Steve Albrecht)
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When we rush to explain pain, we tend to distort it. We personalize what isn’t fully ours. We reduce something vast into something manageable, and in doing that, we often make it smaller than it really is. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.]
Parsha Shemini: The weight of Aaron’s silence Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined ContributorsEvery element on our Seder plate speaks. Every drop of wine we spill teaches us something. The matzah in our hands, the bitter herbs on our tongues, the salt water that tastes like memory, these are not illustrations of the story. They are the story, and we are invited to step inside it once more. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.]
Pesach itself is this week’s D’var Torah Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael MantellWhat may be the most anxiety-provoking question a Jew hears this week? “Have you finished cleaning for Pesach yet?” [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.]
Parsha Tzav: The flame that must not go out Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined ContributorsThe Torah teaches that although the Divine voice was powerful, it was Moses who truly received it. This is not because he had special ears, but because he cultivated inner humility and spiritual awareness. He made space within himself to listen. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.]
Parsha Vayikra: God’s invitation to draw close Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and FoodThere are portions of Torah that move quickly. And then there are those that linger. Vayakhel and Pekudei linger. They return repeatedly to the details of constructing the Mishkan, to names, to measurements, to repetition. It’s fair to ask: Why spend so much time on this? [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.]
Parshiot: Vayakhel-Pekudei: Gather and rise Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined ContributorsFor more than 50 years, I’ve sat with thousands of men and women who describe themselves with a kind of quiet shame:
–“I’m too stubborn.”
–“I dig in.”
–“I don’t let things go.
–“I’ve always been this way.” — [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.}
Parsha Ki Sisa: The spiritual power of being stiff-necked Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined ContributorsTetzaveh is the parsha of details. Dozens of pesukim describing the garments of the Kohanim. Threads. Stones. Measurements. Colors. Nothing casual. Nothing approximate. Every stitch exact. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.]
Parsha Tetzaveh: The hidden light and the hidden leader Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined ContributorsWhen we learn the parshiyot of the Mishkan, it’s easy to get caught up in measurements, materials, and blueprints. But the Torah isn’t giving us an engineering manual. It’s giving us a mirror. [Michael Mantell]
Parasha Terumah – The gold standard, inside and out Read More »
Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Opinion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors
Lobell notes that Judaism did not ask her to believe first, but to learn, to question, and to practice. Where Catholicism had been imposed, Judaism was discovered. Where faith once felt compulsory, it now felt invitational. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.]
Young woman atheist describes her conversion to Orthodox Judaism Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Mantell, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined ContributorsParashat Mishpatim shows how lofty spiritual experiences can become daily living. After the thunder and awe of Sinai in last week’s parasha, the Torah now turns to the details of life: laws of justice, business ethics, personal responsibility, compassion, and integrity. No fewer than fifty-three mitzvot appear here, teaching that holiness is built not only through inspiration, but through conduct. [Michael Mantell, PhD]
Parashat Mishpatim – We Wander, Wing It, and Wonder Why We’re Late Read More »
Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined ContributorsTrue transformation rarely arrives with ceremony. It interrupts, startles, and whispers, “There is another way to exist.” These moments are intruders in our thoughts; small sparks of clarity that jolt us awake. In therapy and psychological coaching, we recognize this as the difference between insight and change: awareness alone rarely heals; transformation begins when insight is translated into action. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.]
Parsha Yitro: When insight becomes habit Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined ContributorsFaith alone is not enough; it must be translated into action. The sea did not split until someone, Nachshon ben Aminadav, stepped forward. The manna did not nourish spiritually unless the people learned to gather it according to Hashem’s law, even when it felt illogical or inconvenient. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
Parsha Beshalach: You don’t have to be fearless, just faithful Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and FoodParsha Bo is often remembered for its drama including the final plagues, the rising tension, the night that reshaped Jewish history. Yet beneath the spectacle, the Torah is asking a quieter, deeply personal question: “what actually prevents a human being from changing?” [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
Parsha Bo: Before redemption, courage to move without certainty Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined ContributorsThe plagues themselves are not acts of revenge. They are acts of moral clarity. Pharaoh believes power comes from domination. Hashem reveals that true power flows from justice, accountability, and truth. Va’eira teaches that when lies go unchallenged, cruelty flourishes. Silence enables oppression. Moral clarity requires voice, even when speaking is uncomfortable. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.]
Parsha Va’eira: Growing through the hail Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors