Applied Chassidus: The Joy Edition

MyLife: Chassidus Applied Episode 37 Airs Tonight at 8 PM

Why is joy – simcha – so important to my life? How can I access it when I’m sad? Why is simcha one of the fundamentals of Chassidus? What did the Baal Shem Tov add to this mitzvah that was not there before?

Joy – we are commanded to feel it, everybody seeks it, it has the power to transform – yet it so often eludes us. What is true joy and how can we experience it during Sukkot? How can we then “bottle it” and ensure that it doesn’t remain a fleeting experience but one that spreads into our lives all year round?

In tonight’s pre-Sukkot episode, Rabbi Jacobson will discuss the Chassidic approach to the power of joy in its many dimensions. How joy can help the chronic complainer and the grouch? Is it contradictory to enjoy material things in this world while being a dedicated chassid? How does one find joy in an unhappy marriage? How can you maintain your unique identity without the fear of being criticized and stigmatized by others? How can we subjugate irrational fears and being a worst-case scenario worrier? Can one be joyous in times of grief? What did the Rebbe exactly say about not drinking more than four small cups?

Tune in this Sunday night for the next episode of MyLife: Chassidus Applied. 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 is joy so important?
· What exactly is joy anyway?
· Why is it one of the foundations of Chassidus?
· How can we live with true joy even when we’re not in the mood?
· Can joy be turned on by command?
· Antidote for the chronic complainer
· Is enjoying life a contradiction to being a chassid?
· Unhappiness in marriage
· Turning grief into simcha
· How many L’chaims are allowed?

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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