MyLife: Chassidus Applied Episode 69
“Please give me a perspective and tell me if it’s so terrible to take my children out of the Chabad system. Our outside institutions run so professionally and have the latest educational techniques but our children receive shtetl quality. Times have changed, the world changed, Chabad is so good at keeping up with the times in technology and knowledge, why can’t our children benefit? I’m so upset about this that I feel like putting my shlichus and community aside and creating a new structure and curriculum for our schools approved by rabbanim. We shouldn’t be trying to solve the problems only after our children are off the way. Thank you for your time and for the HUGE impact you have all over!”
“What would the Rebbe say – do all our children have to be in the exact same model school? Is it possible to have a Lubavitch Yeshiva that deviates from the exact schedule they all have? Is it possible to find warmth rather than a demand that all boys hats and shirts and shoes all be just so?”
“I’m a typical Yeshiva bochur, not ‘fray’ not ‘Chassidish’ but I’m just lost. My question to you is, how do you learn chassidus? I try to learn myself but I don’t see the amazing life changing stuff I hear from Chabad Rabbis like you and others. So how can I see it? I don’t see chassidus talk anywhere about marriage counseling, yet Chabad rabbis are great marriage counselors. I don’t see chassidus speak about emotional problems that you guys are so good at helping people with. On top of that, why is my mashpia sound so boring, unintelligent and closed minded? Please teach me and so many hungry bochurim how to learn chassidus properly.”
“I got engaged and started feeling really anxious. I spoke with people and most dismissed it as having the cold feet syndrome. Over a decade later and K”AH many children I still have this negative feeling towards my wife. It affects my day to day living and my relationship with my wife as the posuk says Kmayim hapanim l’panim ken lev ha’adam. Suffice is to say that I am concerned not only for the future of my marriage but most importantly that of my children. How will I counsel them when they reach the age”? “It appears that many of our marriages are driven by mind and not heart. What are the real repercussions of this lack of emotion in relationships that I feel many are suffering from?”
In this episode, Rabbi Jacobson will also continue the discussion about how to deal with conflicts between parents and married children.
In addition, Rabbi Jacobson will review more essays submitted in the MyLife: Chassidus Applied contest: “Fiery Time, Quality Time: Run and Return for Love’s Sake” by Dan Lewin, “Creating Space for the Song of Songs: How to overcome self-doubt and discover a different way to pray” by Eleazer Rubin, “Mindfulness, Presence, and Priorities” by Shmuel Dov Brown. These essays and others can be read online at http://meaningfullife.org/mylife/contest/.
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 www.meaningfullife.com/mylifelive.
The topics in this Sunday’s hour-long broadcast will include:
Chassidus Applied to Behaalosecha
Is the Yeshiva system failing us? (follow-up)
Taking children out of Chabad schools
Boredom in yeshiva
How to learn Chassidus passionately
Negative feelings about one’s spouse (continued)
Adult children disrespecting parents (continued)
MyLife Essays: Prayer and self-doubt; run and return for the sake of love; and mindfulness.
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.
Live Video:
B”H
What if you cannot simply aford to pay for Chabad Cheder?
R’ Simon is incredible. He has been blessed in helping chasidim find clarity and may Hkb’H bench him with arichus yomim and gezunter yurin. His solution to the chinuch crisis does not sit well though. His advice to parents is essentially not to look at this as my problem rather it sshould be viewed as our partnership to work on and better the chinuch collectively. He acknowledges that big institutions don’t turn on a dime and baby steps are the path forward and it may take many years until significant change is seen. My question is this: chinuch is not… Read more »
Every child is special ed…..What about asking a Rov….
Since one hour is usually not enough time to cover enough topics, how about lengthening the class for 15 minutes or so.
He is poshut excellent. On the mark. You feel the Rebbe’s approach in these resonating words.