Michael Mantell

Dr. Michael Mantell

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:

Parashat Bo: Summoning the Effort to Pursue Your Goals

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — In each weekly Torah reading, we find insightful and profound lessons for our emotional evolution. This week’s parasha is certainly teeming with weighty psychological education. Often in life we become complacent in our personal station. It may not be particularly beneficial, it may not be what we ideally long […]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Torah Portion for January 1, 2022

How do you manage the pressure of hail in your life? No, not the hail that might fall once every few years in our generally warm San Diego rainy seasons. The hail I’m referring to is that which comes as adversity and misfortune, the type that Pharaoh experienced in this week’s Torah reading. Pharaoh told Moshe after the plague of hail, “I’ve sinned this time and God is righteous and me and my people are wicked.” But as soon as the hail cleared, Pharaoh stepped back from his admission. [Michael Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Parashat Vayechi: What Sustains You Through Setbacks in Life?

What sustains you through setbacks in life? Is it your self-confidence? After all, pop psychology would have us believe that what it takes is simply true belief in yourself. But this week’s parasha Vayechi, teaches us that what strengthened and motivated Joseph was a genuine understanding of Divine providence. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Torah Reading for December 11, 2021

For those who cherish the gift of life and all the possibilities it brings, striving for a gentle life makes sense. Forgiveness is one path to a more peaceful, soothing, and kinder life. This week’s Torah reading provides a way to move towards this life, with Joseph’s heroism, understanding, tolerance, and compassionate forgiveness as our blueprint. After all, forgiveness, redemption, and growth are always central to our lives, and especially in current times. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Joseph, Zechariah, the Maccabees, and modern-day Chanukah

This week’s parasha, Miketz, falls out during Chanukah. Yet, Chanukah isn’t mentioned even once in all of our Torah. Recall that in last week’s parasha, Vayeishev, Joseph was thrown into a pit. Joseph prayed and Hashem answered his prayers. This week, we read how his life changed, how Hashem saved his family and by extension, our lives as Jews as well, and how Joseph prayed prayers of thanksgiving…as do we, for Hashem delivering us miraculously as he did Joseph. Our endurance has little to do with military capacity or political perceptiveness, both clearly important, but rather from our own inner determination that is launched in our faith. This is the link between Miketz and Chanukah. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Parashat Vayeishev: Predictable Unpredictability

You’ve heard it many times, “Man plans, G-d laughs.” Or perhaps, like me, you’ve heard this version, “Mentsch tracht, Gott lacht.” I like “Man thinks, G-d Winks.” Regardless, like all of us who prefer to live without being mutchet or tcheppeht, (pressured or bothered), Jacob found that life has its challenges and disappointments. Just when we think all is well in our family, in our career, in our lives, G-d shows us that He has another lesson for us to learn. It seems the only thing predictable about life is how unpredictable it can be. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Parashat Vayetzei: Strengthening Our Character 

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.  In this week’s parasha we learn about the psychology of living life well, that is, how to strengthen our character. This includes a) reinforcing our spirituality and b) intensifying our commitment to a strong work ethic, two areas of contemporary societal life that are clearly in need of improvement. וְאַתֵּנָה

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Torah Reading for October 9, 2021

Do you sing zemirot at your Shabbos meals? Sadly, I see fewer and fewer people enjoying this wonderful tradition to enhance the Shabbat experience. One song in particular is linked to this week’s parasha, Noach. No, not Yah Ribbon and Mah Yedidot Menuhatekh, but Yom Shabbaton, “The dove found a place to rest on the Sabbath (Yonah Maz’ah Bo Manoah)” written by Yehudah Halevi, the great Spanish poet of the 12th century. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts