Primordial Silence and Therapeutic Presence

Primordial Silence and Therapeutic Presence

This essay examines the theological concept of divine presence manifesting through absence as articulated in the Talmudic passage Menachot 29b, where Moses witnesses Rabbi Akiva's martyrdom and receives God's enigmatic response: "Be silent, for such is My decree." Drawing on contemporary therapeutic frameworks developed by Dr. Julian Ungar-Sargon, this analysis explores how the paradox of divine concealment (hester panim) informs clinical practice, particularly in contexts of inexplicable suffering and existential crisis. The essay argues that the therapeutic encounter mirrors the theological tension between divine accessibility in interpretive partnership and divine mystery in the face of suffering, offering a framework for understanding healing that transcends purely biomedical paradigms (1,2).