One of the most common and painful challenges in daily emotional life is the sharp fluctuations in mood. Every person experiences these shifts—sometimes within the same day, and at times within an hour. Mood swings from joy to apathy, from self-confidence to existential doubt, and often it seems there is no real control over these feelings.
In a lesson delivered last night, Rabbi Yoel Pinto, the son and spiritual successor of the Admor Rabbi Yeshayahu Pinto, addressed this phenomenon and offered a different perspective—one that seeks to return responsibility to the soul of the individual, not through blame, but through a deep understanding of both spiritual and psychological processes.
During the lesson, Rabbi Pinto explained that although a person’s life may outwardly appear stable—the same routine, the same habits, the same people—the feelings constantly change. “One day you feel joy, energy, confidence, and the next day you are in the exact same place—but feeling emptiness, pain, and failure,” he said.
According to him, contrary to the prevailing perception that attributes this change to reactions from the environment—compliments, criticism, encouragement or rejection—the Torah teaches that these changes stem from a person’s actions and thoughts themselves. It is not the outcome that determines mood, but the action. It is not how others respond, but the intention and inner essence that drives the individual.
Rabbi Yoel Pinto highlighted the tension between external encouragement and internal motivation. “A person who only feels good when complimented—will collapse when others think differently. One who draws his motivation from external successes—will break when immediate results do not appear.”
In contrast, Rabbi Pinto presented a different model: awareness of one’s thoughts. Action derived from choice, not from passing emotion. According to him, the Torah sees man as responsible for his emotional state—not as absolute control over feelings, but as an understanding that emotion is a result of speech, thought, and deed.
Rabbi Pinto’s remarks align with a growing trend of therapeutic approaches that blend Jewish spiritual insights with modern psychological understandings. More and more professionals are beginning to recognize the connection between religious values and psychological processes: thought creates emotion, and intention creates a sense of control and agency.
“Everything depends on a person’s actions and thoughts”—not as a cliché, but as a genuine proposal for change. Don’t blame the world, don’t wait for someone to come save you—act, from within.
Watch the full lesson.
This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel