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:
This week’s parasha, literally meaning, “When you go out…” opens with a description of facing war with enemies. Maimonides tells us that more than seventy mitzvot spring from this week’s Torah portion, from weights and measures and collecting debts in a righteous way, to proper ways to divorce and keeping promises. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
Overcoming evil inclinations Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael MantellHenry David Thoreau once shared that he had three chairs in his home, “…one for solitude, two for friendship, and three for society.” Doesn’t that provide you with remarkable insight about the value of a chair? Chairs provide comfort, stability, relaxation, style and for Thoreau, “…solitude, friendship and society.” [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
The Mantell CHAIR method Read More »
Lifestyles, Michael MantellShoftim tells us, “When you besiege a city for an extended period, to make war against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them; for you may eat from them, and you shall not cut them down; for is the tree of the field a man that you should besiege it?” The Ibn Ezra sees this as a statement, not a question, “Ki Haadam eitz hasadeh, the human being is a tree of the field.” He, like so many contemporary environmentalists, believes that we are intertwined with our environment. Destroy a tree, and we destroy ourselves. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
Torah, environmentalism, and political leadership Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
Overeating, what we are discussing in this column, is not obesity. It’s always important to be aware of what you feed, your head or stomach. So do you know where your hunger really lies? Here’s my handy “Gastronomic Positioning System” to help you locate your hunger above or below your neck. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
What are You Feeding During COVID19? Read More »
Lifestyles, Michael Mantell, Travel and FoodIs your glass half empty, half filled, or as mine is, filled with 6 ounces of water? Yes, “the link is what you think,” and this week’s Torah reading underscores this idea with its words, “See, this day I set before you a blessing and a curse…” Couldn’t this pasuk have begun, “This day I set before you blessing and curse…”? Why begin with “See”?[Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
Seeing and choosing the righteous path Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael MantellWhether you want to electrify your peak performance under pressure at work, at home, or in your local park, boost your confidence and mental toughness in your gym, amplify your leadership or ignite team cohesion in your company it takes motivation, goal setting, relaxation, concentration, imagery, and self-talk. It takes an exceptional mental workout to arouse a healthy, wellbeing promoting physical workout, wherever that may take place. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D}
You won’t exercise without this Read More »
Lifestyles, Michael Mantell, Sports & CompetitionsAfter eating a fine meal at a friend’s home, we go out of our way to thank the host, send a thank you note, sometimes even send a gift after the meal, if we haven’t brought one in advance. But how much time do we spend thanking the true Host? In Birkat HaMazon, we have an opportunity to bring this week’s teaching alive, “And you will eat and be sated, and you shall bless the Lord, your God, for the good land He has given you” (Deuteronomy 8:10). If you believe Hashem plays a personal role in your life and you genuinely recognize that whatever you have comes through His hand, you’re likely to be filled with Hakarat Hatov, recognizing the good, gratitude. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
Gratitude to the One Who makes it all possible Read More »
Michael Mantell, Middle EastWalter Bortz, II, M.D., gerontologist and author, observed, “Longevity is neither an accident nor an isolated phenomenon. It is a product of specific healthy behaviors, a direct consequence of health maintenance.” In other words it’s your thoughts, choices, decisions and commitments that add years to your life. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
Staying young in mind, young at heart Read More »
Lifestyles, Michael MantellExercise is health. It’s that simple. In today’s COVID19 focused world, health and wellbeing are on the top of our minds more than ever. Perhaps that’s the silver lining of this pandemic, the renewed focus on health and wellbeing. We want to feel good and live a long, happy, strong and healthy life. And exercise, that no-cost, do anywhere at any time, side-effect free activity, has become established by medical science as an essential step on the clear pathway to get us there. (Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D)
Exercise is health! Read More »
Lifestyles, Michael Mantell“And you shall teach them to your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk on the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up.” (Deuteronomy 6:7) That’s quite a lot of teaching and speaking, isn’t it? (Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D)
Learn Torah, know it, act upon it Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell“Do not fear them, for it is the Eternal your God who is fighting for you” (Deuteronomy 3:22). What a buoyant, assuring, and optimistic message of hope. That’s what this week’s parasha offers to us. The surety that, after we’ve done all we can, we can confidently let go and move forward with faith and trust in Hashem. As Rabbi Tarfon taught in Pirke Avot (2:16), “It is not your responsibility to finish the work of perfecting the world, but you are not free to desist from it either.” [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
Teach these stories to your children Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael MantellCan you think of anything more valued in our daily lives than health promoting and stress reducing compassion? Not long ago I, along with my trusted colleague Lance Breger, MS, led a three-day intensive program on “Physician Wellness” for the members of the American Society of Hematology. One of our central topics was “compassion in healthcare.” Compassion is an essential, powerful element in our lives, in healthcare, in society. It elevates all of us and is without limit. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
Compassion is health Read More »
Lifestyles, Michael MantellAre the doors of our synagogues honestly and completely wide open, inclusively and warmly, genuinely accepting all on equal footing, even modern day “Reubens and Gads”? After all, who is perfect? Are we missing parts of our community today, indeed are we turning away members of our community, explicitly or implicitly, from our synagogues? [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
Are our synagogues sufficiently inclusive? Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael MantellInstead of acknowledging that all of life is uncertain, accepting it and growing through it, many find themselves anxious, apprehensive, and filled with destabilizing fear when faced with uncertainty. But when are we not NOT faced with ambiguous, unpredictable and” novel, uncertainty? There is no crystal ball of certainty. (Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D)
Here’s to whatever comes: the uncertainty of life Read More »
Lifestyles, Michael Mantell