QUESTION:
1) Is acupuncture an acceptable method of therapy according to the Torah?
ANSWER:
It is a possible method of therapy, but it is only acceptable if it just acupuncture alone without any other ‘additions’ to it.
QUESTION
2) Can an observant Jew get treated by an irreligious therapist (under pressing circumstances)?
ANSWER
Firstly, we need to be concerned about the following factors.
(1) By seeing a therapist who does not keep Torah and mitzvos, the client is exposing himself/herself to a different worldview [contradictory to the Torah’s views] and it is not possible for it not to bleed into the therapy sessions. Even worse is that many times the advice of the therapist is against halachah. In addition, we must know if the the actual method of therapy being used is problematic or not.
(2) Since an irreligious person lives in a different world than the world of a Torah observant Jew, many times the therapist will introduce certain concepts or ideas from the outside world, and gradually the client becomes open to those ideas that are not in line with the Torah.
(3) Another problem is the connection that is formed between the therapist and the client. When the connection is properly achieved between a therapist and the client, a genuine and deep emotional bond is formed between the therapist and the client [which enables the healing process for the client]. But this is inappropriate when the therapist is not observant of Torah and mitzvos, because such a connection has a bad influence on the ruchniyus of the client.
(4) Sometimes the client begins to hold the therapist in high esteem, and slowly the client begins to feel that a Jew can be a good, decent and productive person even through the therapist doesn’t keep Torah and mitzvos. If a person is not strong about his ruchniyus – whether consciously or subconsciously – he will begin to feel that “a Jew can be a good person even if he doesn’t keep the Torah”, and this can also lead him to think that a Jew can lead a good life even without keeping Torah and mitzvos. To my great pain, I am intimately aware of situations in which this actually happened, where the client actually stopped being religious and abandoned all of his Torah observance!
Therefore, as a general ruling, the answer to this question is: Absolutely not! In a case where there is no alternative and an exception must be made in order to save the person, we need to carefully consider the above factors and see if each individual session is causing a breach in any of those factors, and in addition the person would need to strengthen his ruchniyus after each session, so that he can “suck the fruit and throw away the peel.”
QUESTION
2) Can an observant Jew get treated by an irreligious therapist (under pressing circumstances)?
ANSWER
Firstly, we need to be concerned about the following factors.
(1) By seeing a therapist who does not keep Torah and mitzvos, the client is exposing himself/herself to a different worldview [contradictory to the Torah’s views] and it is not possible for it not to bleed into the therapy sessions. Even worse is that many times the advice of the therapist is against halachah. In addition, we must know if the the actual method of therapy being used is problematic or not.
(2) Since an irreligious person lives in a different world than the world of a Torah observant Jew, many times the therapist will introduce certain concepts or ideas from the outside world, and gradually the client becomes open to those ideas that are not in line with the Torah.
(3) Another problem is the connection that is formed between the therapist and the client. When the connection is properly achieved between a therapist and the client, a genuine and deep emotional bond is formed between the therapist and the client [which enables the healing process for the client]. But this is inappropriate when the therapist is not observant of Torah and mitzvos, because such a connection has a bad influence on the ruchniyus of the client.
(4) Sometimes the client begins to hold the therapist in high esteem, and slowly the client begins to feel that a Jew can be a good, decent and productive person even through the therapist doesn’t keep Torah and mitzvos. If a person is not strong about his ruchniyus – whether consciously or subconsciously – he will begin to feel that “a Jew can be a good person even if he doesn’t keep the Torah”, and this can also lead him to think that a Jew can lead a good life even without keeping Torah and mitzvos. To my great pain, I am intimately aware of situations in which this actually happened, where the client actually stopped being religious and abandoned all of his Torah observance!
Therefore, as a general ruling, the answer to this question is: Absolutely not! In a case where there is no alternative and an exception must be made in order to save the person, we need to carefully consider the above factors and see if each individual session is causing a breach in any of those factors, and in addition the person would need to strengthen his ruchniyus after each session, so that he can “suck the fruit and throw away the peel.”
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