Mastering Your Mind: How to Control Thoughts and Stop Negative Thinking

While it can sometimes seem impossible to control our thoughts and avoid negative thinking, it is actually something that can be achieved. In Judaism, we are in fact commanded to control our thoughts. When necessary, emotional or psychological guidance can help achieve this.

A Torah Command to Control Our Thoughts

The Torah commands: "Do not stray after your heart and after your eyes" (Numbers 15:39).

According to the classic commentators, "after your heart" refers to thoughts, meaning that a Jew is obligated not to entertain negative, harmful, or sinful thoughts. "After your eyes" refers to avoiding looking at improper sights, as harmful sights can damage the soul.

At first glance, the command regarding the heart seems puzzling. Controlling our eyes is understandable because we can close them, look away, or change our line of sight. But can we truly control thoughts? The Torah’s answer is that we can. Jewish law holds a person responsible for guiding their thoughts. (Of course, if a negative thought arises involuntarily but the person immediately dismisses it, there’s no sin, but only if they choose to dwell on it.)

The very fact that the Torah commands this means that it is possible. God, who created us and knows our capabilities, would not require what we cannot do. As the Zohar says, "God looked into the Torah and created the world". He designed our bodies, minds, and souls according to the Torah’s instructions, and if He commands us to guard our thoughts, our spiritual and psychological makeup can handle it.

Free Will in Thought

Some people are naturally more optimistic, but everyone has free will. We can choose to focus on positive, uplifting thoughts, or on negativity and worry. Regardless of our nature, we all face challenges, and the work of cultivating healthy thought patterns is universal. For some it may be easier, but the choice is always ours.

This choice is also a form of spiritual freedom. The Sages teach: "The only truly free person is one who engages in God’s will" (Pirkei Avot 6:2).

Becoming a ‘King’ Over Yourself

Jewish thought explains that a person is made up of three inner “layers”:

• Mind (Moach) – the seat of thought and intellect

• Heart (Lev) – the seat of emotions

• Liver (Kaved) – representing desires and impulses

The order in which these rule over each other determines the quality of our inner life:

1. Liver → Heart → Mind — Initials: כל"ם (Kelem) — “Nothingness.” Here, physical desires rule over emotions, and emotions over the intellect, leaving a person spiritually empty.

2. Heart → Mind → Liver — Initials: למ"ך (Lemach) — a symbol of folly, where emotions override reason.

3. Mind → Heart → Liver — Initials: מל"ך (Melech) — “King.” Here, the intellect rules over emotions and desires, guiding them toward a higher purpose. This is the true “king” — one who governs their impulses and directs their life by wisdom and faith.

When we train the mind to rule, we gain mastery over our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and become free, strong, and spiritually sovereign.