Coping with Anxiety from a Torah Perspective

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When Israel launched the Rising Lions War against Iran on the morning of June 13th, 2025, the nation of Israel did not know what to expect. A quickly declared State of Emergency, soon followed by drone attacks, and shortly after that by barrages of ballistic missiles fired at our tiny country. Sending millions into shelters, wrecking destruction of property and most devastatingly claiming tens of lives. In Israel, and in the Diaspora, we wait with uncertainty to see what will unfold. This has undoubtedly caused intense feelings of anxiety amongst Israel’s citizens.

Fear and anxiety are a natural part of life, even in normal circumstances. Researchers of psychology have found that fear is one of the five in-born emotions we feel from the time we are born. Fear and anxiety are there to protect us, to motivate our behavior in times of danger, but constant anxiety is detrimental to one’s mental health and even in times of war, we need mechanisms to combat it. In this article we will see the approaches of Chazal to this issue, long before the advent of modern psychology.

The Talmud and Anxiety

Shlomo Hamelch addresses the topic of anxiety when he writes in Mishlei “Anxiety in the heart of a person causes yashchenah – dejection, but a good word will turn it into joy.”¹ Yashchena can be translated as to suppress, yet the rabbis in the Talmud suggest two other possible meanings: The Gemara explains another verse in Proverbs:. “… One said: He should forcefully push it [yasḥena] out of his mind. And one said: It means he should tell [yesiḥena] others his concerns, which will lower his anxiety².

Here Shlomo recognizes the effect of anxiety- it will cause dejection, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. After 20 months of war with an added new front, many of us indeed feel this way. Yet Shlomo also gives us a coping mechanism- a good word. Perhaps by this Shlomo is recommending we put our anxieties in perspective, or find positive aspects to it. Indeed, this can be a healthy method to deal with our troubles. Putting this into practice in our current reality, one can be grateful they have a safe room to run to, or the opportunity to meet neighbours they barely interact with in the streets’ public shelter. Often in times of crisis, we feel extra grateful for all the good in our lives. While this does not minimise the real threat, it provides comfort and a source of strength.

Rav Ami and Rav Asi suggest alternative readings to the term ‘dejection’. Rav Ami says it means he should suppress the anxiety. This is one of Freud’s noted defense mechanisms, and certainly a useful one in the short term- parents will put on a brave face for their children while moving them to the safe room, Israelis are infamous for their dark humour jokes as a method to deal with crisis and national emergencies. Ignoring the reality can often give us the necessary space of mind in which to deal with it.

Rav Asi, however, suggests rather the opposite approach that one should articulate his fear and speak about it. Indeed, this is what we do when we reach out to friends and family, share our concerns, or go speak to a therapist. And this is what our mental health experts recommend as the best course of action. Sharing will often lighten the emotional load our anxiety holds over us.

The Role of Faith- I Am With You

A recurring theme in the Torah at the mention of a fear or serious concern, is the quick reassurance from Hashem that He will be with us.

Hashem tells Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov “Do not be afraid”. ³ When soldiers go out to war, they are to be reminded not to fear as “the Lord your God is the One who goes with you.”⁴ Moshe reminds Yehoshua to be brave and strong as Hashem has chosen him and will be with him⁵.

This theme holds true for generations of Am Yisrael, on the national level and on the individual level. One of the many inspirational recurring themes we have heard from the survivors of Hamas captivity is how their faith in Hashem, and in their Judaism gave them the strength to get through each day. This is true of hostages who are not religious people. Eli Sharabi shared for example, “I am not a religious person, but there, from the first day I was kidnapped, every morning I say, ‘Shema Israel,’ which I have never said in my life. The power of faith is crazy, I felt I had someone watching over me.”⁶ In times of anxiety, faith gives us the strength to face and deal with our fears, knowing we are in Hashem’s hands.

Rav Sacks, commenting on the promise Hashem makes to us at the end of the Tochecha of Parshat Bechukotai writes, “This is where God promises that even if Israel sins, it may suffer, but it will never die, and it will never have reason to truly despair. … It tells us that no fate is so bleak as to murder hope itself. No defeat is final, no exile, endless, no tragedy, the story’s last word.”⁷

Finding Joy

Shlomo Hamelech mentions joy as an antidote to anxiety. This idea was embraced by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov and holds a strong place in other Chassidic streams as well.

“When a person despairs, their intellect and mind go into exile… But when someone is happy their mind becomes settled and they are able to understand things clearly. Joy is freedom. When a person fills their mind with joy, their intellect becomes free from its exile. They can control their mind and intellect however they want so as to concentrate on their goal and return to God.”⁸

The ritual of prayer is an extremely grounding act that also connects us to our routine – and connection to routine in non-routine situations, is also clinically proven to lower anxiety. Even now, when shuls are closed due to the State of Emergency, individual prayer can be a great source of comfort.

Despite all the pain and uncertainty that surrounds us, life continues and there is much to be joyful about. While writing these words, I was made aware of a post by a doctor at Soroka hospital who delivered a new baby moments after the hospital suffered a direct impact from an Iranian ballistic missile.

Meditation and Prayer

Many psychological practices teach us the importance of developing our ability to be in the moment, such as by practising mindfulness, focussing on our breathing, acknowledging our sensations in any given situation, and these are clinically proven to help ease anxiety. Judaism has been practising these since its inception in the form of prayer. Daily prayer allows us the opportunity to pause for a moment, turn off the news, and focus on our spiritual needs. The Mishna comments that the chassidim would meditate for an hour before and an hour after prayer⁹, and the fifth Lubavicther Rebber wrote “Upon coming in from the “outside” (i.e., from his physical and material concerns), a person should not hasten to pray immediately. Rather, he ought to wait until he discards and dispels his earlier concerns so that they won’t disturb him.”¹⁰

Meaning and Hope in the Process

It was relayed that while in captivity, Hersh Goldin-Polin, shared a quote of Viktor Frankl, that “when there is a ‘why,’ one always finds the ‘how.’” Meaning gives us the ability to face the most dire situations. Rav Sacks explains that meaning “is about a sense of purpose in life, especially by making positive contributions to the lives of others… Meaning is about how you judge your life as a whole: past, present, and future…Individuals who suffer stress, worry, or anxiety are not happy, but they may be living lives rich with meaning. Past misfortunes reduce present happiness, but people often connect such moments with the discovery of meaning…Meaning has to do not with nature but with culture. It is not about what happens to us, but about how we interpret what happens to us.”¹¹

Am Yisrael is on a mission. It is a long and hard road. But we know that our role in history is fundamental, and our own history has proven that over and over again. Right now, the IDF is on a mission to rid the world of an evil threat, and we each have our role to play in it, even while we suffer the difficult consequences of it. Rabbi Solevetchik wrote “to suffer is to be obligated, to be committed, to be called.”¹² As Jews we need to answer the call, to find our meaning and role in our current circumstances, as we have throughout history, and doing so will give us the strength to face what comes with this mission. As individuals and as a nation we are in uncertain and stressful times, but the Torah provides us with tools to bear the current weight, as it has in the past and will in the future.