Tzaddik headspace
Modern psychology has much to teach us about healthy ways of managing our thoughts and emotions, but so do the mitzvos. Like a healthy body, the mental benefits with regard to keeping mitzvot are mostly indirect - when you're healthy you're able to serve G-d without the added stress of illness or incapacity. But there are some mitzvot where healthy thinking is almost a prerequisite. Love your neighbour like yourself וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ ( ו יקרא יט:י ) This famous commandment is described in the Gemara as the foundation of the entire Torah. In a plain sense, it obligates us to treat everyone as we would like to be treated. When you contemplate the wording, however, a beautiful facet is revealed. The commandment does not say you have to love your neighbour more than yourself. Intrinsically, a person loves himself more than any other entity around them. If someone tells you that they love someone more than they love themselves they...