The Judaic Foundations of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Among the wealth of ideas that connect Judaism and CBT, we can discern at least seven over-arching principles or themes: • The imperative of self-awareness and self-examination • The necessity of striving for self-mastery • The primacy of behavior over “insight” • The cultivation of self-sufficiency and equanimity • The understanding and toleration of oneself and others • The awareness that happiness and unhappiness are “internally caused” • The emptiness of short-range hedonism and immediate gratification Principle 1: The Imperative of Self-Awareness and Self-Examination Corollary: Lack of self-deception “The Torah commands, “Do not deceive your fellow man (Leviticus 25:14,17). That is the actual din (law). What is lifnim meshuras hadin (going beyond the minimal requirements of the law)? That one should not deceive oneself.”—the Rabbi of Kotzk, cited in Twerski, 1999, p. 94-95. Self-awareness and self-examination in the Judaic tradition are predicated on the conviction that each of us must scrupulously and fairly assess our motives, actions, and characters. Both elements of this self-inventory—scrupulousness and fairness—are critical. We go astray, for example, when we either overestimate or underestimate some quality or fault. Citing the Hasidic master, Bunam of Przysucha (1765-1827), Sherwin & Cohen discuss the first element, scrupulousness: “Self-deception is a common human inclination; integrity is its antidote…Just as one is proscribed from deceiving others in word or deed, one is enjoined not to deceive one’s own self. In this regard, the Hasidic master, Bunam of Przysucha was asked: Who is a hasid, who is pious? He answered: One who goes above the requirements of the law. The questioner asked: What is the law? The rabbi replied: It is forbidden to deceive one’s neighbor. And what is going above the letter of the law? Not deceiving one’s own self.” (Sherwin & Cohen, 2001, p. 196) Ellis’s REBT also demands that we evaluate ourselves honestly and without self-deception. Contrary to a common misunderstanding, thinking “rationally” is quite different than “rationalizing.” As Ellis and Harper point out, rationalizing in the psychological sense means: “To devise superficially rational or seemingly plausible explanations or excuses for one’s acts, beliefs, or desires, usually without being aware that these are not one’s real motives. Psychologically, therefore, rationalizing or excusing one’s behavior is virtually the opposite of being rational about it.” (Ellis & Harper, 1961, p. 67)