R eb Yosef always sent me the most interesting referrals.
Whereas most of my patients came in requesting a diagnosis or treatment of a psychiatric illness Reb Yosef’s referrals were for a completely different reason. As av beis din of a conversion court Reb Yosef occasionally needed my help in confirming an individual’s sanity.
In reality most of the people who wanted to convert to Judaism out of pure messianic psychosis would never reach Reb Yosef’s beis din. A young Japanese man with a history of bipolar disorder who was manic and convinced that he was a direct descendent of Shimshon Hagibor would be directed to the nearest hospital as opposed to the beis din. Even if he’d grown out his hair and was refusing to touch grapes it wouldn’t have been a strong enough case to make it to Reb Yosef. But should such a case reach him Reb Yosef knew enough psychiatry to stop the conversion process in its tracks and to refer the individual for the appropriate level of care.
Not knowing the halachah at the time regarding mental illness and conversion I was surprised to have received my first call from Reb Yosef asking me to see a young woman who was undergoing the conversion process. Reb Yosef explained that every individual — regardless of psychiatric history — would be sent for an evaluation prior to his or her final meeting with the beis din.
