“The rabbinate is often a precarious place to be, from an emotional and psychological point of view.”— Dr. Elliot Malamet

Burnout is an issue that may affect people across all types of occupations, but people working in high-stress professions, such as doctors, nurses, teachers and mental health workers, tend to get the most attention when it comes to wider discussions of burnout.

While not as widely acknowledged as healthcare workers and police, the clergy are also at very high risk for not only burnout, but depression. Their vocation carries enormous expectations in terms of their availability, empathy, wisdom, hopefulness, and ability to make things right — no matter what they may be dealing with themselves.

This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Across the Sea, a podcast about Judaism and mental health, and it is the first of a two-part series focusing on the clergy and their mental health.

Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks with Rabbi Yossi Sapirman and Dr. Michelle Friedman about the particular stresses that rabbis experience, their challenges in accessing mental health care, and what congregants do not understand about the lives of their spiritual leaders.

“I don’t think people truly realize that the person they’re dealing with is as vulnerable as they are.”— Rabbi Yossi Sapirman

This‌ ‌episode discusses:‌ ‌

• The isolation and loneliness of being a designated source of comfort for a community
• Guidelines and policies that synagogues could implement to improve their working lives of their rabbis
• The lack of Shabbat in the lives of rabbis and the importance of rest to mental health and emotional wellness

‌

Highlights:‌ ‌

00:51 Intro

03:06 Rabbi Yossi Sapirman & Shabbat

06:17 Effects of stress on family

07:12 Always connected, always on

11:34 Gratitude & expectations

13:50 Synagogue guidelines

17:20 Isolation & loneliness

19:05 Challenges of seeking mental health care

23:21 Dr. Michelle Friedman & mandatory therapy

28:01 Resistance to support

31:29 The risk of speaking out

Links:‌ ‌

To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:

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Shalom!