"The daily pressures required so much of us just to stay alive.There was no free moment to worry about what would be"
Meir Elbagdadi was dressed like a thousand other young men from wealthy Israeli Shas-affiliated families whose fathers,
through grit and determination, pulled themselves up from the poverty in which they’d grown up and secured the brachah of parnassah.
Sharp suit? Check. Neatly trimmed peyos tucked behind the ears? Check. Limited exposure to high-quality information about mental health? Unfortunately, that was also a check.
Meir had a classic case of OCD, complete with intrusive, obsessive thoughts about his halachic observance, plus compensatory compulsive behaviors. Some of his most debilitating symptoms included the need to repeat the Shema or to restart his Shemoneh Esreh over and over due to fears of lacking proper kavanos.
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