Author: Rabbi Shmuel Reich

January 24th, 2024

An artist completes the final touches on a painting. A musician adds a bit of flair to their rendering. An athlete steals a pass without looking. The significance of instincts in areas of unique talent are obvious.   But the use of our instincts is something we engage in countless areas of life. We stop eating food that tastes off. We have a sense of when and how to change lanes when driving. We intuit what jokes we say will b …
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Author: Rabbi Shmuel Reich

August 17th, 2020

Shimmy gazed off into the distance. His dark brown eyes appeared lost in the woods that are visible from my office window. His dark, calloused hands fidgeted mindlessly on the lip of my desk. Was he still with me? I wasn’t sure, but waited patiently. He finally responded.  “Nothing,” he replied, “Basically nothing. They diagnosed it because I was acting out in school, and I think it has to do with why I was always the …
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Author: Rabbi Shmuel Reich

January 13th, 2022

The following was originally published as an article in The Five Towns Jewish Times April 16, 2021, pg. 101: David was more than a little skeptical. Years as a below average recreational poker player didn’t help him hide it. Neither did the bluntness of his personality. “ADHD?!” he snapped irritably. “Are you kidding me?! That’s what my kid’s teacher says when she can’t control the class!” &ldq …
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Author: Rabbi Shmuel Reich

May 16th, 2024

To the casual observer, it didn’t look like a significant exchange at all.   “Would you like a receipt?” the cashier asked politely.   “Yes, please,” Chaim responded.   Chaim left the store, crumpled the receipt, and threw it in the public garbage can.  That was it.   But for Chaim, this was a great victory.  Chaim had always been considered a people pleaser. He was r …
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Author: Rabbi Shmuel Reich

May 21st, 2020

The following is adapted from a talk that I recently gave for the Bergen County Chapter of CHADD (Children and Adults with ADHD, an organization whose mission is to improve the lives of people affected by ADHD) on the subject of Creating Structure to Help Your Teens and Preteens with ADHD Get Schoolwork Done at Home. I am dividing it into three installments. The second is about: Laying the Groundwork - How to Be the Parent You Need to Be in Order …
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Author: Rabbi Shmuel Reich

May 27th, 2020

The following is adapted from a talk that I recently gave for the Bergen County Chapter of CHADD (Children and Adults with ADHD, an organization whose mission is to improve the lives of people affected by ADHD,) on the subject of Creating Structure to Help Your Teens and Preteens with ADHD Get Schoolwork Done at Home. I am dividing it into three installments. The third installment became a bit longer than intended. I am therefore divided it into …
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Author: Rabbi Shmuel Reich

May 26th, 2020

The following is adapted from a talk that I recently gave for the Bergen County Chapter of CHADD (Children and Adults with ADHD, an organization whose mission is to improve the lives of people affected by ADHD) on the subject of Creating Structure to Help Your Teens and Preteens with ADHD Get Schoolwork Done at Home. I am dividing it into three installments. The third installment has become a bit longer than intended. I am therefore dividing it i …
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Author: Rabbi Shmuel Reich

March 30th, 2023

I had been hoping to write a blog with suggestions for how to make preparations for Pesach easier for those with ADHD related challenges. I soon realized that to cover everything would need to be more like a book than I blog... I had not quite set out to write a book at this time, so instead I wrote a blog with a small handful of points that I think can be useful. Here goes!  Many individuals with ADHD struggle with organization of time …
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Author: Rabbi Shmuel Reich

December 20th, 2022

Alex could feel his face flush as he looked at the floor, ashamed and humiliated. He couldn’t even look his wife in the eye. He had known how crushed she would be by the loss of his job. He had always been so responsible and dependable. She had always appreciated it. How could this happen?
The memory replayed in his mind. It was really unimaginable. His email to a potential client was well written, informative, and courteous. He had s …
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Author: Rabbi Shmuel Reich

June 19th, 2023

Entrepreneurship is a field in which many individuals with ADHD are particularly talented. Risk taking, creativity, and personal charm all have an opportunity to shine. Not having a boss to whom to answer also tends to be plus.   A challenge, however, is beginning the day at the time they would like. Waking up later than intended, getting lost on social media, or getting sidetracked by any activity around the house can all be causes of begin …
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Author: Rabbi Shmuel Reich

May 19th, 2020

The following is adapted from a talk that I recently gave for CHADD (Children and Adults with ADHD, an organization whose mission is to improve the lives of people affected by ADHD) on the subject of Creating Structure to Help Your Teens and Preteens with ADHD Get Schoolwork Done at Home. I am dividing it into three installments. The first is about The Value of Structure. Here goes: As a classroom rebbi for teens - and often the jumpier ones - th …
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Author: Rabbi Shmuel Reich

October 7th, 2021

This article was published in the September 10, 2021 edition of The Five Towns Jewish Times (page 107) with the title "The First Day of School." Yitzy trudged slowly through snow. His footfalls in his large, bulky boots made an audible crunching sound. The echo reverberated through the quiet small-town street. The truth was, though, that there were only two inches of snow on the ground. It wasn’t really the snow that was slowing him down. W …
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Author: Rabbi Shmuel Reich

February 8th, 2021

It was disconcerting, to be honest. Yechiel carefully turned over the pen he was holding, watching it intently, and occasionally putting it in his mouth. A little bit of strange, absent minded fidgeting never hurt anyone, especially coming from a kid only about fifteen years old, but this felt different. One of my jobs in the yeshiva in which I teach is to be available in the beis medrash (study hall) certain times of day. I answer questions of t …
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Author: Rabbi Shmuel Reich

June 9th, 2021

I was quite proud of myself, to be honest. Despite all of the training and experience, sometimes working with people can be quite challenging - especially teenage people. This time, finally, I had managed not to let him get under my skin at all. And he walked away satisfied. Allow me to explain: One of my capacities in the yeshiva in which I teach is that of shoel umaishiv - one who is available to answer questions that students have when studyin …
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Author: Rabbi Shmuel Reich

April 7th, 2020

Eliezer doesn’t call me often, but when he does it is usually important, time sensitive and - for good measure - quite to the point. So when I saw an incoming call from Eliezer last week, I was quick to pick up. “Shmuel!” “What’s up, Eliezer?” “Would it make sense that a kid with ADHD can spend hours building model airplanes uninterrupted, but behave very disruptively at dinner with the family?” &ld …
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Author: Rabbi Shmuel Reich

September 7th, 2020

The first half of this article was published as a Letter to the Editor in the October 10 2019 Edition of The Flatbush Jewish Journal A few months ago, I bumped into an old friend (ie: “one with whom one shares no common WhatsApp chats”). We then dutifully proceeded to inquire about one another’s lives, which at least from his end, was not completely disingenuous. I told him that in addition to teaching, which I have been doing f …
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Author: Rabbi Shmuel Reich

March 28th, 2022

Esther would frequently arrive at meetings between five and ten minutes late. It was tolerated due to her high level of talent, affable personality, and great work ethic, but she was getting the feeling that it wouldn’t be for much longer. Moshe had a habit of making big plans for Sunday afternoons - family time, home repairs, hobbies, and more - on the same day. When less than half of this would be accomplished, he felt like a failure. Thi …
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Author: Rabbi Shmuel Reich

August 29th, 2022

A week or so ago, I watched summer camps come to a close. At that time, a troubling realization struck me: kids whom I only know from camp - who are highly successful in an environment in which the day primarily revolves around sports, music, and other fun activities - are frequently the very same kids who feel constricted in a classroom during the school year. It was upsetting to think of how kids whom I have only seen in a successful capacity m …
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