MyLife: Chassidus Applied Episode 141, with Rabbi Simon Jacobson
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As we approach Yud Dalet Kislev, the 88th wedding anniversary of the Rebbe and Rebbetzin, what lessons can be derived about marriage? And what is the significance of this anniversary today?
To honor this anniversary, this week’s 141st episode of My Life: Chassidus Applied will address marriage related issues, including: Is it healthy for a husband and wife to work together? What should we be looking for in a shidduch? Does Chassidus have a unique approach to Shalom Bayis?
Chassidus describes the clash between the body and soul (and really any two antagonistic elements) as two kings vying for the same crown. Both ‘kings’ can’t wear the same crown though. Is this a rule that holds for always or have we perhaps reached the age in which two kings can wear the same crown? If yes, how does this translate into every aspect of life that has two polar elements, for example -the male and female dynamic?
Other topics that will be covered in this episode include: Is Tanya racist? At the end of chapter 1 Tanya describes the superiority of the Jewish soul over the gentile soul. This statement makes me uneasy because it seems to undermine the mantle of good deed. How can it be that an indecent Jew has a loftier soul than a respectable gentile? Can someone be superior only by virtue of him being born Jewish? Can you please explain how this sense of superiority felt by Jews is a good thing, because to me it seems to mitigate personal responsibility?
Rabbi Jacobson will also review the following essays submitted in the last MyLife: Chassidus Applied essay contest: “Happiness: A Five Step Program” by Yitzchak Parnasis; ”Achieving Greatness” by Shimon Gruen; and “Being Happy by Being Yourself” by Moshe Backman. These and other essays can be read online at meaningfullife.com/essays.
And finally, the Chassidus question of the week: All relationships mirror the relationship between G-d and a Jew in which all levels of the Neshama are engaged. In a marriage, what does it mean to incorporate ‘chaya’ and ‘yechida’? Are they not dimensions of the soul that are inaccessible?
This hour-long dose of insights 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 meaningfullife.com/mylife.
The topics in this Sunday’s hour-long broadcast will include:
· Chassidus Applied to Vayishlach
· Lessons from Pearl Harbor: 75 years later
· Yud Dalet Kislev: Marriage and Shidduchim
· Should spouses work together?
· What critical traits should one look for in a Shidduch?
· How is Chassidus unique in its approach to Shalom Bayis?
· Have we reached a time when ‘two kings can wear one crown’?
· Is Tanya racist?
· Feedback and follow-up:
o Religion and the Founding Fathers
o What defines a mashpia?
o What’s wrong with a handshake?
· Chassidus Question: What does it mean to connect with a spouse on the levels of Chaya and Yechida? Aren’t they inaccessible?
· MyLife Essays: Happiness – A Five Step Program; Achieving Greatness; Being Happy by Being Yourself
In what has now become a staple in many people’s lives, 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 and great care has to be taken when speaking openly, 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 week after week. 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 MP3s for listening on the go.
Questions may be submitted anonymously at meaningfullife.com/mylife
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Live Video:
I think it is quite the opposite when you give a child a gift or tsedaka he see’s the spiritual not the material aspect of the gift
A adult see’s the material aspect of the gift or tsedaka and has great diifficulties in seeing the spiritual
I have seen a number of letters from the Rebbe that says that even though we are Chabad which celebrates mind over heart……… the way you “feel” about your date is different and it should be considered an “ikur” in your decision and not a “tuful”.