How does Judaism effect your ADD and vice versa?
Does the ritual and tradition help you focus or calm anxiety? Or perhaps the opposite, is it a source of confusion in your life, and does ADD make that worse?

(Please read this section's guidelines. Religious content is a very sensitive issue.)

Hi Eyeforgot!

How does Judaism effect your ADD and vice versa?
Does the ritual and tradition help you focus or calm anxiety? Or perhaps the opposite, is it a source of confusion in your life, and does ADD make that worse?
As an orthodox Jew who doesn't have ADD but who is the proud papa of an-about-to-turn-11 year old with ADD & a-just-turned-7 year old with ADHD, I don't know that it affects them one way or the other. Their ADD/ADHD & their orthodox Jewish upbringing don't have a whole lot to do with each other with one exception.

The exception is the modern orthodox Jewish school that they go to here in the Jerusalem 'burbs. Genesis 25:27 says:

And the boys grew; and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents.
Most of the religious education system in this country is geared towards little Jacobs, i.e. diligent, studious types who fit in the box & who will easily fit an assembly-line approach to education, and doesn't know how to handle little Esaus, i.e. kids who just don't have the wiring to be quiet tent-dwellers. Our oldest, Yohanan, is in 5th grade & the school administrators don't quite know what to do with him or how to reach him. For 7th grade & up, there's a great network of religious schools specifically for ADD/ADHD kids (the principal of which lives across from the street from us; he coined the Jacob-Esau metaphor). I've sort of got my heart set on this network for Yohanan. Our youngest, Naor, is in first grade and so far, so good. Our boys teachers/rabbis seem to "get it" as far as reaching them is concerned but the administrators are hopeless.

See this old thread: http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23616

My Jewish faith certainly helps me deal with things. It gives me strength, hope & peace-of-mind.

Howzat?

stillsmallvoice :)

Hi stillsmallvoice,

I love your name.

The school for "Esau" sounds like a great idea. If it is OK with you I would like to put a link to that post on my ADHD Biblical/Christian thread. Interestingly enough, we just finished a study on Esau and Jacob and their personalities and characters. I love Torah study, it's a beautiful thing to know that we share a religious history through the God of Abraham.

Shalom,

andecala

Hi andecala!

I love your name.
Thanks! See http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=240893#post240893.

If it is OK with you I would like to put a link to that post on my ADHD Biblical/Christian thread.
Link away!

...it's a beautiful thing to know that we share a religious history through the God of Abraham.
We speak the same language, just different dialects.:D

Be well!

ssv :)