214. Mental Illness - April 17, 2021

Ancient thinking reflects the belief that medical afflictions were punishments from God to show his displeasure, and that displeasure had to be carefully managed lest God seek to punish the entire community! This week we looked beyond physical afflictions and took a closer look at mental afflictions. There are numerous examples of mental illness in the Bible and references to it in the wisdom of the ancient sages - so we know mental illness is as ancient as our people. However, unlike in biblical times, today we know that mental illness is not a punishment from God, but a real, medical condition for which we should have compassion.