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Gratitude, Israeli Spiritual Care and Contemporary Hassidic Teachers: The Theme of Thankfulness in the Works of Rabbis Brazofsky the Netivot Shalom), Rav Arush and Yemima Avital

2014; Philosophy Documentation Center; Volume: 5; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.5840/asrr2014515

1946-0538

Einat Ramon,

Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies

In this paper I highlight the possible contribution of three contemporary Hassidic Israeli thinkers, largely unknown outside of Israel, to the shaping of the theological landscape of spiritual care in Israel. The Israeli spiritual care movement is still in its infancy, and scientific, quantitative studies concerning its theological direction have yet to be carried out. The possible influence of the three contemporary Israeli Hassidic thinkers in question, however, is evidenced by the fact that they are often mentioned and are quoted by leaders in the spiritual care-giving movement in Israel. 1 My argument here is therefore limited to pointing out that these thinkers ‐ emphasizing the idea of healing through the consciousness of gratitude, and active in Israel during the late 20 th and early 21 st Centuries ‐ may play a similar role to that of William James in relation to the North American chaplaincy movement. 2 These figures are the previous ultra-Orthodox Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Hassidic group of Slonim, Reb Shalom Noach Brazovsky (Belarus 1911- Jerusalem 2000), author of the book Netivot Shalom [Paths of Peace]; Yemima Avital (1929, Casablanca - 1999, Jerusalem), a female mystic and student of psychology who developed a spiritual discipline titled “cognitive thinking”; and Rav Shalom Arush (Morocco, 1952 - Jerusalem), a Sephardic-Hassidic spiritual leader, and formerly a student of one of Yemima Avital’s own students. In their writings, all three develop a Hassidic approach to life in which gratitude is the essence of spiritual resilience. Gratitude expresses an appreciation of the goodness in God’s world, in oneself and in others.