R. Kivelevitz begins by analyzing the superficial features of the formalities which trivialize true love and intimacy, and decries how these special days are often exploited by those merely seeking fleeting encounters. On the other hand, Prof. Juni argues in favor of programmed “closeness rituals” as he points out that the beauty of meaningful relationships is often lost in the routine of daily activities. 

The essence and function of intimacy and close relationships are analyzed from the perspectives of social Marxism and family economics. Basic theoretical divides are elaborated by the discussants: From the Freudian notion that all relationships are merely means to self-serving ends – to the stance of Ego Psychology which maintains that intimacy and love are basic human needs in of themselves – to Existentialist Humanism which view life without meaningful relationships as inherently empty. R. Kivelevitz extends the analysis to man’s relationship to Hashem, citing primal Kabalistic sources which conflate human intimacy themes with the sublime – which Juni interprets as sublimation from the psychoanalytic perspective. Dr. Juni finds a parallel in the Mormon approach to religious experience, citing studies from Brigham Young University about the experience of personal relationships to G-d. 

Juni stresses the function of routines which express verbally and demonstratively the positivity between individuals, stressing that leaving these feelings in the implicit realm is a disservice to all and diminished the quality of relationships across the board. 

Prof. Juni is one of the foremost research psychologists in the world today. He has published ground-breaking original research in seventy different peer reviewed journals and is cited continuously with respect by colleagues and experts in the field who have built on his theories and observations. 

He studied in Yeshivas Chaim Berlin under Rav Yitzchack Hutner, and in Yeshiva University as a Talmid of Rav Joseph Dov Soloveitchick. Dr. Juni is a board member of the Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists and has regularly presented addresses to captivated audiences. Associated with NYU since 1979, Juni has served as Director of PhD programs, all the while heading teams engaged in cutting-edge research.Professor Juni's scholarship on aberrant behavior across the cultural, ethnic,and religious spectrum is founded on psychometric methodology and based on a psychodynamic psychopathology perspective. He is arguably the preeminent expert in Differential Diagnostics, with each of his myriad studies entailing parallel efforts in theory construction and empirical data collection from normative andclinical populations. 

Professor Juni created and directed the NYU Graduate Program in Tel Aviv titled Cross-Cultural Group Dynamics in Stressful Environments. Based in Yerushalayim, he collaborates with Israeli academic and mental health specialists in the study of dissonant factors and tensions in the Arab-Israeli conflict and those within the Orthodox Jewish community, while exploring personality challenges of second-generation Holocaust survivors. 

Below is a partial list of the journals to which Professor Juni has contributed over 120 article (many are available online):

Journal of Forensic Psychology; Journal of Aggression,Maltreatment, and Trauma; International Review of Victimology; The Journal ofNervous and Mental Disease; International Forum of Psychoanalysis; Journal of Personality Assessment; Journal of Abnormal Psychology; Journal of Psychoanalytic Anthropology; Psychophysiology; Psychology and Human Development; Journal of Sex Research; Journal of Psychology and Judaism; Contemporary Family Therapy; American Journal on Addictions; Journal of Criminal Psychology; Mental Health, Religion, and Culture. 

As Rosh Beis Medrash,Rabbi Avraham Kivelevitz serves as Rav and Posek for the morning minyan at IDT.Hundreds of listeners around the globe look forward to his weekly Shiur inTshuvos and Poskim. 

Rav Kivelevitz is aMaggid Shiur for Dirshu International in Talmud and Halacha as well as a Dayanwith the Beth Din of America.