Applied Chassidus: Episode 43

MyLife: Chassidus Applied Episode 43 Airs Tonight at 8 PM

Despite living in an insulated community, distorted secular standards of beauty have crept in and affected us. Young girls and women feel immense pressure to look and dress a certain way. Discretion over food consumption and living a healthy lifestyle are important, but what about people who become obsessed with their weight? In this week’s broadcast Rabbi Jacobson will address from a Chassidishe perspective: insecurity, body image and eating disorders.

What is the appropriate way to treat beggars? What is our obligation to the homeless? How should a chassid approach shidduchim nowadays? What should our priorities be in choosing a spouse? What are appropriate venues for shidduch dates? What topics should be discussed? At what point of the dating process should you reveal or ask about sensitive matters, like mental health, family medical history or even a dubious past? Why is no one in Chabad talking about the Knesset’s ruling on Mihu Yehudi (Who is a Jew) – a topic so close to the Rebbe’s heart, over which he poured out hours of passionate talks? For that matter, why is no one crying out about Israel and its territories – as the Rebbe would certainly be doing today? Following up on the discussion of favoritism, as a parent, what do I do when I actually do feel different about one child to the next? Is there an issue with those who “overdo” the Ohel, spending Shabbos and Yomtov there?

This hour-long dose of insight is meant to inform, inspire and empower us by applying the teachings of Chassidus to help us face practical and emotional challenges and difficulties in our personal lives and relationships. To have your question addressed, please submit it at www.meaningfullife.com/mylifelive.
The topics in this Sunday’s hour-long broadcast will include:

· Why are we not talking about who is a Jew and Israel?
· Unhealthy relationship with food
· Body image and insecurity
· Dating protocol: Priorities; where to go, what to talk about
· Obligations to the homeless
· Do we now receive the Rebbe’s advice from a different channel than his blessings? (Igros/Ohel follow-up)
· Should we be going to the Ohel on Shabbos and Yom Tov?
· Favoritism: From a parent’s perspective (follow-up)

MyLife: Chassidus Applied addresses questions that many people are afraid to ask and others are afraid to answer. When asked about the sensitive topics he has been addressing, Rabbi Simon Jacobson commented, “I understand that the stakes are high, but the silence and lack of clarity on matters plaguing the community can no longer go unaddressed. The stakes of not providing answers are even higher.”

The on-going series has provoked a significant reaction from the community, with thousands of people viewing each live broadcast and hundreds of questions pouring in. At the root of every question and personal challenge tackled by the series is the overarching question: Does Judaism have the answers to my personal dilemmas?

In inimitable “Jacobson-fashion”, the broadcast answers people’s questions in simple, clear language while being heavily sourced. Each episode is jam-packed with eye-opening advice from the Rebbeim, gleaned from uncovering surprising gems in their letters, sichos and maamorim that address our personal issues with disarming relevance. Simultaneously, Rabbi Jacobson is able to crystallize a concept quickly, succinctly, and poignantly for any level of listener.

All episodes are immediately available for viewing in the MLC’s archive and can be downloaded as MP3’s for listening on the go.

Questions may be submitted anonymously at www.meaningfullife.com/mylifelive.

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