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From: rhendel@mcs.drexel.edu (Russell Hendel)
Date: Wed, 18 Dec 1996 11:55:02 -0500
Subject: Obsessive Compulsive Behavior

Tszvi Klugerman (V25n44) asks for defenses against
>>..the Freudian claim that halacha leads to obsessive compulsive behavior.>>

I cite two such sources:

1) The Rav, Rabbi Soloveitchick, once said in Shiur that a psychiatrist
asked him, "Why do you Jews continually encourage fear of God. Surely
the encouragement of fear of any type is unhealthy." The Rav responded:
On the contrary: Without the fear of God people would be continuously
afraid of the consequences of their passions and sins and this fear
would be focused towards a large variety of people and
institutions. Halacha," he continued, "Tried to substitute ONE
fear---fear of God---for these MANY fears."

To continue the Rav's thoughts: No one really thinks "fear" (in contrast
to e.g. "love") is a high spiritual state. However if this one fear of
Someone Spiritual replaces many other fears it has redemptive merit.  In
a similar vein even if halachah leads (with certain people) to
compulsive behavior an evaluation of this compulsiveness must be made
against a background of "the alternatives". After all, if this person is
compulsive even with God imagine what they would be like otherwise.

2) However, the most powerful defense against Judaism encouraging
compulsive behavior occurs in The Rambams great introduction to the
Tractate Avoth---"The Eight Chapters"--where he discusses the
foundations of Jewish psychology.  Similar thoughts are echoed in the
Laws of Personality in the Mishneh Torah.

Briefly, the Rambam explicitly distinguishes between "compulsion" and
habit For example, consider Shabboth vs Weekdays: "Compulsion" would
be a tendency ONLY to work or ONLY to rest while "habit" acquisition
signifies a balanced personality that feels equally comfortable doing
either of the two extremes or anything inbetween. The Rambam explicitly
states that the goal of halachah is to enable people to acquire balance
in all areas: e.g. ownership vs charity, learning vs mitzvoth, marital
intimacy vs family purity laws, working the land vs the shmitah resting
of the land.

Russell Jay Hendel, Ph.d, ASA, rhendel @ mcs drexel edu