Dr. Shmuel Mandelman devotes his prodigious mind and big heart to his nation’s well-being

Photos: Naftoli Goldgrab, Personal archives

AS soon as Rabbi Grober saw Shloimy walking toward him, his highly trained mechanech’s antenna buzzed into high gear.

“Rosh Yeshivah,” Shloimy sputtered. “Today Dovid finally showed up, he was gone for days, remember? He said he had pneumonia.”

The Rosh Yeshivah nodded, well aware that the “pneumonia” was a coverup for what Dovid’s most recent therapist said was clinical depression.

“Anyway,” Shloimy continued, “today he walked into the beis medrash on fire. He was there before I was, shuckeling like crazy in front of the shtender. I said shalom aleichem, welcome back, and asked how he felt, and he yelled at me that I should stop schmoozing and start learning.”

The Rosh Yeshivah had seen enough in his life to know that this was a red flag. But what was there left to do? Dovid had been to a number of therapists, been diagnosed with everything from depression to anxiety to ADHD, had imbibed numerous medications, and things seemed only to grow worse.

There was one person he hadn’t tried yet.  He reached for his phone, found MANDELMAN - PSYCHOLOGIST and hit “call.”

Rabbi Grober was met with a flurry of pointed questions, all slowly enunciated, but with no time in between, as if they had been prepared beforehand. Within just hours, Dovid had an emergency diagnostic session scheduled. Finally, there was clarity: someone had managed to find the precise diagnosis that had eluded all the other practitioners.

As the weeks passed and Dovid began looking healthier than he had in years, Rabbi Grober marveled at the heaven-sent angel who had no time at all in his daily schedule, but still found all the time in the world to help a Jew in need.

He’s not the only one to marvel.

Rabbanim, roshei yeshivah, dayanim, Hatzolah responders, school principals, and just about every frum mental health professional — all have watched Dr. Shmuel Mandelman in action and benefited from his knowledge, talent, and devotion.

He is perhaps the single most influential mental health professional in the yeshivah world today, nurtured and handpicked for his role by a gadol with intimate knowledge of  both communal and individual struggles. In an increasingly complex landscape, he is an undisputed address for clarity and guidance. And as daunting and draining as this work can be, he keeps at it — because taking responsibility is a mandate he received from his rebbi.