In this week’s torah portion (Vayakhel-Pekudei) Moshe relays Hashem’s commandment to work six days and rest on the seventh.

It’s off to work we go

Throughout the week people are busy working and tending to personal obligations. On Shabbos, we are given the opportunity to step back and disconnect. We are able to have family meals, reconnect with our friends, and forget about all of our electronics and responsibilites.

Mental health benefits of Shabbos

Two of the strongest protective factors against adolescent drug and alcohol addiction are family meals and a strong community connection. When we disconnect from technology we have lower levels of stress, are more likely to retain new knowledge we learn and rate our overall well being as higher. Let’s appreciate the gift that Hashem gave us and realize that by keeping his laws we are not only fulfilling His will, but also obtaining tremendous benefit.

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Ariel Mintz, MD

Dr. Ariel Mintz grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After spending two years learning in Israel, at Derech Eitz Chaim and Shaalivm, he earned his BA in Psychology at Yeshiva Univesity in New York. He went on to obtain his MD at Oakland University William Beaumont School of medicine and trained in adult psychiatry at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. He completed a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic and is a practicing psychiatrist in Cleveland, Ohio. He has received awards for his research, academic performance, and service to the Jewish community. He has a supportive and talented wife and three wonderful children. He is very passionate about destigmatizing mental illness and bringing comfort to those who are suffering.

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