In thinking about the lives of two Great Individuals from the Bible, I found myself asking an unexpected question. Why did Jesus, the prophet of love, curse an innocent fig tree? Why did Lot’s wife, although explicitly forbidden to do, look back? My lecture does not provide an answer but rather a response enriched by Jewish tradition and Jungian Psychology. It discusses the psychology of the impossible and the nature of forgiveness in Christianity, Judaism and clinical work. It will also illuminate the trauma of leaving home, when to look back and when to look forward.
Henry Abramovitch Ph.D., is training analyst and founding President of Israel Institute of Jungian Psychology in honour of Erich Neumann. He is Professor Emeritus at Tel Aviv University Medical School and former President of Israel Anthropology Association. He is the author of Brothers and Sisters: Myth and Reality as well as numerous articles and book chapters. He is with Murray Stein co-author of the play, The Analyst and the Rabbi, available on YouTube. He lives and practices in Jerusalem. He teaches and supervises routers throughout Eastern Europe and Khazakhstan. Since the beginning of war in Ukraine, he leads an ongoing reflection group for Ukrainian Jungian analysts.
