Reviewing: “Renewal, Growth, and Hope: A Psychologist Walks With Torah” by Dr. Martin I. Dank. Ahl Kayn Publications and Lulu.com. 2022. English. Paperback. 210 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1387862825.
Dr. Martin I. Dank, currently retired from a lengthy career as a clinical psychologist, has recently published “Renewal, Growth, and Hope: A Psychologist Walks With Torah.” His journey leading up to this fourth publication is an amalgam of personal history, academic and professional expertise, religious and spiritual influences, and musical talent. In this latest work, Dank “brings to these pages his unique and compelling feelings and personal interpretations of the Bible while relating his spiritual journey and distinctive perspectives about life.”
Dank’s interest in psychology dates back to his childhood, when he was intrigued by individuals who could greatly impact the mental health of their patients. This interest was shared in high school when he attended the High School of Music and Art where he trained in singing, drawing and playing the violin. It was shared once again with his love of Israel, culture and Hebrew language, which he acquired during a gap year at the Machon L’Madrichei Chutz La’Aretz, an early program for teens of all religious backgrounds in Jerusalem where they were trained to become Jewish leaders of their youth movements and communities.
After returning from Israel, Dank earned a BA in cantorial studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary, a BA in music with a minor in psychology from CCNY, and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from NYU. Settling with his family in Pomona, New York, he served for 15 years as the director of clinical psychology at the Helen Hayes Rehabilitation Hospital, treating children from birth to age 5 in the hospital’s Child Development Center. He then served as the senior psychologist in an upstate school district and the first psychologist to practice at Good Samaritan Hospital. Throughout, he maintained a thriving private practice. His love for writing came about as the result of the hundreds of reports he submitted about his patients through which he captured their spirits.
The religious influences in Dank’s “slow but steady” journey towards Orthodoxy were many and varied. When studying in Israel, he was greatly influenced by the young and dynamic leader of the Bnei Akiva Movement, Rav Chaim Druckman, whose amalgam of passionate love for God, Torah and the Land of Israel drew Dank to Religious Zionism. Dank forged a close relationship with Rabbi Dr. David Halberstam, who served him as a professional mentor and guide to Orthodox Judaism for many years “with a smile that could melt one’s heart and a soft voice that could impart wisdom that heals.” Serving as a chazan in several congregations including the Park Avenue Synagogue as well as congregations in Summit and New Milford, New Jersey, intensified his connection to the texts of the tefillot and furthered his commitment to Torah and ritual.
Dank attributes his understanding and interpretation of Torah to several Torah giants whose writings inspired him. Rabbi Adin-Even Yirael Steinsaltz, z’tl, whose massive commentaries on oral and written Torah served as his guide through the texts in an precise and cogent approach. Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, z”tl served as his role model for bringing the world of general knowledge to the interpretation of Torah texts. Rabbi Nathan Cardozo’s weekly “Thoughts to Ponder,” coming out of his Jerusalem Cardozo Academy have inspired him with their “rare blend of spirituality, scholarship, intellect, devotion to Judaism and its people, graced with a passion for music.” Dank expresses his deep hakarat hatov to Rabbi Chaim Shochet of the Chabad of Pomona, his current rabbi, for his encouragement in the publication of this latest work.
“Renewal, Growth, and Hope” offers Dank’s commentaries on specific ideas sparked by the parshiot of the Five Books of Torah. The commentaries range from one page to seven or eight. They are conveyed through the lens of a seasoned psychology practitioner as well as an Orthodox student of Torah text and commentaries.
Dank suggests that this work is his response to the Bible in a very personal way. “I was intrigued to see that Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, z”tl has referred to the idea that it is incumbent on every person to create at least one original interpretation of Torah every day,” he said, adding the rationale that this understanding is even included within the first commandment to “be fruitful and multiply.” Rabbi Nahman’s perspective is that an important goal of Torah is to “discover from it aspects about ourselves.” Similarly, Rabbi Yerucham, the spiritual guide at the Mir Yeshiva suggests, “Who is the most famous Torah commentator? Why, every man himself since every individual is commanded to learn about himself from Torah.”
“Renewal, Growth, and Hope: A Psychologist Walks With Torah” is available for purchase at Amazon.com and www.Lulu.com.
By Pearl Markovitz
