Rashi Shapiro
Encyclopedia
Dr. Rashi Shapiro is a prominent leader in the Orthodox Jewish
world of psychology
. He was born in 1953 in Washington, D.C.and was named after the great rabbinical sage and biblical commentary, Rashi
. His father was Rabbi Aharon Shapiro was rabbi in Linden, NJ and Queens, NY. and a professor of economics. His mother, Marta Berl Shapiro, was a professor of English literature and at age 50 became a lawyer.
at age 23 and taught in the Mesivta of Greater Miami. In 1978 he took his first pulpit at Congregation Ohr Hachaim of Miami Beach. He was also the director of the Horeb Seminary for Women, a division of the Talmudic University of Florida.
The rabbinate required counseling intervention with families in the community, and Rabbi Shapiro trained in social work at Barry University, Miami. He founded and directed “Hypnotherapy and Counseling Centers of Miami”. During this time he perfected hypnosis for smoking cessation while researching past life regression
.
Upon coming to New York he became the director of the Tikvah Clinic, the Orthodox Jewish mental health center of the new hope guild. During this time he completed his doctorate in clinical psychology at Long Island University while also consulting at the Maimonides Mental Health Center and South Beach Psychiatric hospital. At New Hope, Dr. Shapiro founded the institute for psychological Services to nursing homes where he trained and supervised 50 psychologists who treated the elderly.
In 1988 Dr. Shapiro created the day hospital at Pesach Tikvah – Hope Development in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn where he serviced the chasidic community of Satmar. He eventually became the executive director of the agency.
Since 1991 Dr. Shapiro has been devoted to his private practice and is founded he Institute for Technological Psychology in Brooklyn.
Dr. Shapiro is currently training therapists in unique and unorthodox treatment strategies for the ultra-orthodox and chassidic community. He is singular in his promotion of group therapy
for the orthodox Jewish community.
Publications:
Journal Journal of Psychology and Judaism,Issue Volume 23, Number 4 / December, 1999 Rashi Shapiro
group named "Rashi and the Rishonim" at the age of 17. He gave concerts in the U.S. and in Israel often performing with the likes of Shlomo Carlebach
(The Singing Rabbi), the Rabbis' Sons and Theodore Bikel
(a very famous Jewish folk singer and actor) and others of their ilk and reputation. The band received critical acclaim for their first album, but Rashi abruptly quit the band to pursue religious training in Israel.
The album is, today, hailed by record collectors as one of the rarest and most desirable records in the genre of Jewish Folk Music.
Personnel on the LP
were Rashi Shapiro (vocals, Cordovox
, guitar
, harpsichord
); Heshy Gruenberger (vocals (alto-tenor
)), Shelly Lang (vocals, Duovox
); Josh Neustein (vocals (baritone
)); with Abby Warshaw, Yussie Lieber and Steven weiss on additional guitars, Yisroel Lamm and Sam Weiss on trumpet
s, Elliott Federman on drums, and Mickey Lane
on bass guitar
.
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
world of psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
. He was born in 1953 in Washington, D.C.and was named after the great rabbinical sage and biblical commentary, Rashi
Rashi
Shlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
. His father was Rabbi Aharon Shapiro was rabbi in Linden, NJ and Queens, NY. and a professor of economics. His mother, Marta Berl Shapiro, was a professor of English literature and at age 50 became a lawyer.
Rabbi and Psychologist
He was ordained rabbiRabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
at age 23 and taught in the Mesivta of Greater Miami. In 1978 he took his first pulpit at Congregation Ohr Hachaim of Miami Beach. He was also the director of the Horeb Seminary for Women, a division of the Talmudic University of Florida.
The rabbinate required counseling intervention with families in the community, and Rabbi Shapiro trained in social work at Barry University, Miami. He founded and directed “Hypnotherapy and Counseling Centers of Miami”. During this time he perfected hypnosis for smoking cessation while researching past life regression
Past life regression
Past life regression is a technique that uses hypnosis to recover what practitioners believe are memories of past lives or incarnations, though others regard them as fantasies or delusions. Past life regression is typically undertaken either in pursuit of a spiritual experience, or in a...
.
Upon coming to New York he became the director of the Tikvah Clinic, the Orthodox Jewish mental health center of the new hope guild. During this time he completed his doctorate in clinical psychology at Long Island University while also consulting at the Maimonides Mental Health Center and South Beach Psychiatric hospital. At New Hope, Dr. Shapiro founded the institute for psychological Services to nursing homes where he trained and supervised 50 psychologists who treated the elderly.
In 1988 Dr. Shapiro created the day hospital at Pesach Tikvah – Hope Development in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn where he serviced the chasidic community of Satmar. He eventually became the executive director of the agency.
Since 1991 Dr. Shapiro has been devoted to his private practice and is founded he Institute for Technological Psychology in Brooklyn.
Dr. Shapiro is currently training therapists in unique and unorthodox treatment strategies for the ultra-orthodox and chassidic community. He is singular in his promotion of group therapy
Group therapy
Group psychotherapy or group therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which one or more therapists treat a small group of clients together as a group...
for the orthodox Jewish community.
Publications:
- Biofeedback as a disease management adjunct: a technique that has been found to enhance and expedite cognitive behavioral therapy. (Cover Story): An article from: Behavioral Health Management by Paul R. Bindler and Rashi Shapiro (Digital - Jul 28, 2005) - HTML
- Psychological testing in brief psychotherapy: how testing, appropriately applied, can enhance managed care's "therapy of choice." (Cover Story): An article from: Behavioral Health Management by Paul R. Bindler and Rashi Shapiro (Digital - Jul 28, 2005) - HTML
- Orthodox Peer Supervision and Orthodox Group Therapy: Two Groups—One Religion
Journal Journal of Psychology and Judaism,Issue Volume 23, Number 4 / December, 1999 Rashi Shapiro
Musical career
Before receiving his PhD, he founded the first folk-rock Jewish musicJewish music
Jewish music is the music and melodies of the Jewish People which have evolved over time throughout the long course of Jewish History. In some instances Jewish Music is of a religious nature, spiritual songs and refrains are common in Jewish Services throughout the world, while other times, it is...
group named "Rashi and the Rishonim" at the age of 17. He gave concerts in the U.S. and in Israel often performing with the likes of Shlomo Carlebach
Shlomo Carlebach
Shlomo Carlebach , known as Reb Shlomo to his followers, was a Jewish rabbi, religious teacher, composer, and singer who was known as "The Singing Rabbi" during his lifetime...
(The Singing Rabbi), the Rabbis' Sons and Theodore Bikel
Theodore Bikel
Theodore Meir Bikel is a character actor, folk singer and musician. He made his film debut in The African Queen and was nominated for an Academy award for his supporting role as Sheriff Max Muller in The Defiant Ones ....
(a very famous Jewish folk singer and actor) and others of their ilk and reputation. The band received critical acclaim for their first album, but Rashi abruptly quit the band to pursue religious training in Israel.
The album is, today, hailed by record collectors as one of the rarest and most desirable records in the genre of Jewish Folk Music.
"This band was a groupie’s dilemma. Four single guys. A rock and roll lifestyle. A thumping folk sound that dripped from their hits such Chayil . The liner notes explain: “There once lived a great sage named RashiRashiShlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
whose prophetic commentary on both the written and oral Torah shed glorious light on its cosmic intricacies. Rashi is truly the name of the arranger of this album. His parents named him Rashi in the hope he would strive to attain even some of the greatness of the great sage. He developed the ability to play nine musical instruments including the Cordovox.” For the record, the Rishonim are Josh, Shelly, Heshy, Abbi, Steven, and Yussie."
Personnel on the LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
were Rashi Shapiro (vocals, Cordovox
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
); Heshy Gruenberger (vocals (alto-tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
)), Shelly Lang (vocals, Duovox
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
); Josh Neustein (vocals (baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
)); with Abby Warshaw, Yussie Lieber and Steven weiss on additional guitars, Yisroel Lamm and Sam Weiss on trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s, Elliott Federman on drums, and Mickey Lane
Mickey Lee Lane
Mickey Lee Lane is an American songwriter and arranger ....
on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
.