For years, people driving along Park Heights Avenue might see Rabbi Dr. Morris Lasson running with friends. Some knew him as a psychologist. Others knew him as a rabbi, Torah teacher or longtime member of Congregation Shomrei Emunah. At the Jewish Community Center, where men in the locker room called him “Doc,” he was one of the regulars.

Lasson, a Baltimore psychologist, ordained rabbi and Torah teacher, died July 17 at age 88.

His son Elliott Lasson said his father built his life around six areas: family, Baltimore, Torah study, psychology, synagogue life and the JCC.

“He was a very hardworking, consistent man of conviction,” Elliott Lasson said. “I would hope that people remember him as a man of dignity.”

Lasson was born April 21, 1938, and grew up on Biltmore Avenue in Upper Park Heights. His parents, Nelson and Nanette Lasson, raised their children in an Orthodox Jewish home. Nelson Lasson worked at Boone Press. Nanette Lasson was a homemaker who also taught at Talmudical Academy.

The family belonged to Shearith Israel Congregation. Rabbi Shimon Schwab became an important influence and helped guide Lasson toward a Jewish education.

Lasson attended Arlington Elementary School and graduated as valedictorian of Talmudical Academy in 1956. He then studied at Ner Israel Rabbinical College under rabbis including Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman and Dovid Kronglass.

He earned a master’s degree in psychology in 1962 from Loyola University, received rabbinic ordination from Ruderman in 1963 and earned a doctorate in psychology from The Catholic University of America in 1967.

During graduate school, Lasson served for about a year as rabbi of a small congregation. But psychology became his career.

His son said he entered the field because he wanted to help people.

Lasson began at the University of Maryland Hospital clinic and later ran a private practice for close to 60 years. He treated individuals, couples, families and adolescents.

He also worked with hypnosis and behavior modification. Later, he evaluated children affected by lead-paint poisoning and people with post-traumatic stress disorder, including police officers and firefighters. He also served as an expert witness.

Local rabbis often referred patients to him because he understood Orthodox Jewish life and respected religious beliefs and customs.

His son said that faith also shaped how Lasson treated patients who were not Orthodox.

“He had a moral compass,” Elliott Lasson said. “His patients respected that.”

Lasson was a founding member of Nefesh, an organization for Orthodox Jewish mental health professionals. He belonged to several divisions of the American Psychological Association and served as president of the Baltimore Psychological Association in 2010.

He also wrote articles for The Jewish Observer, an Orthodox Jewish magazine, combining psychology and Torah.

Lasson remained committed to his patients. During a family vacation in Florida, he stepped away to take a call from a patient in crisis and helped persuade the person not to take his life.

He continued working until early 2025.

That same sense of responsibility appeared in his personal life. Lasson had received two kidney transplants. Years later, his son asked him to call a man afraid of having the same procedure.

Lasson made the call, then called several more times to check on him. His family learned about the follow-up calls only during shiva.

Torah study was another major part of his life.

Lasson had a weekly study partnership with Reuven Yudkowsky that began when they were teenagers. It continued for about 70 years, including through Zoom.

For more than 40 years, Lasson taught a Shabbat morning Talmud class in private homes and spent evenings preparing the lessons.

He also studied with his grandchildren and grandchildren-in-law, choosing material that matched their age and level. When they were young, he often included a treat.

Lasson supported Talmudical Academy, Bais Yaakov of Baltimore and Ner Israel. He and his wife also hosted meetings for Torah Schools for Israel.

The family joined Congregation Shomrei Emunah in 1975. Lasson became a familiar figure there, sitting in the front row on the left side.

Even near the end of his life, when walking was difficult, a caregiver brought him to evening services. Congregants came over to greet him.

His son said some people wondered who would sit in his seat after his death because it had become so closely connected with him.

Lasson was known for arriving early, dressing carefully and following Jewish law in a steady, direct way.

“There was no shtick about him,” his son said.

He was also warm and social. At the JCC, he formed friendships with Jews from many backgrounds, including those who were Conservative, unaffiliated or less observant.

Those friendships led him to teach Talmud to doctors and lawyers with little formal Jewish education.

At home, Shabbat was at the center of family life. Lasson blessed his children on Friday nights, shared Torah and sang Jewish songs.

He also enjoyed decorating the sukkah and later invited his grandchildren and great-grandchildren to help.

Lasson and his wife, Greta, were married for 58 years. She kept the books for his psychology practice and helped manage the home and family schedule.

Her death in December 2021 affected him deeply. His son said Lasson especially missed her during Shabbat and holiday meals.

Elliott Lasson said the main lesson he took from his father was the need to help others and follow through.

The lesson, he said, was simple: “Giving to others, giving back to others.”

Ellen Braunstein is a freelance obituary writer. She welcomes suggestions for individuals who had meaningful ties to the Baltimore Jewish community. Email csix@midatlanticmedia.com.