MyLife: Chassidus Applied Episode 101, with Rabbi Simon Jacobson
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Rabbi Simon Jacobson began his “career” as a chozer and maniyach of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, one of a select few who both remembered and documented the Rebbe’s talks for posterity. Most of what we know of the Rebbe’s teachings comes from this work. This entailed an incredible effort to retain hours upon hours of the Farbrengens delivered on Shabbos and Yomtov, when no recordings and notes could be taken. How was this done? In MyLife Episode 101, Rabbi Jacobson will walk us through the process of preserving these eternal words of the Rebbe.
“Rabbi Jacobson, can you spend some time on your weekly Chassidus applied talks to discuss the making and writing of the Hanochos? What was the process from chazora to writing? How did this develop over the years? Was there an effort to keep to the Rebbe’s words verbatim, or was the intent to make the sicha formulated for the written form? Why did the Rebbe start editing more of his talks in the later years? Did Vaad Hanochos Hatmimim and Lahak do chazora separately? If the sichos in Yiddish and Hebrew are not identical, how do we understand that?”
Other topics that will be addressed in this week’s episode of My Life: Chassidus Applied include:
What “chiddush” is there in Chassidus over psychology (including cognitive behavioral therapy and others)?
I grew up in a non-Chabad community, as a chossid of another Rebbe, but I have slowly been draw to the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s teachings, finding in them a clarity on just about every topic, causing me to have doubts whether I am in the wrong community. Something is telling me that it’s not good for me to feel this way, and it can actually be destructive to my Yiddishkeit, as it may very much damage the hiskashrus I’ve had until now with my own Rebbe. How would you guide me about these feelings I have?
A sticky situation in marriage and shmiras Shabbos: “My teenage son came and told me that he knows that Tatty is often being, G-d forbid, Mechalel Shabbos by using his phone. Even though my intuition told me that he’s probably right, I tried to make believe that I didn’t believe it and that he shouldn’t either. But then he went and proved it to me. I felt so uncomfortable and did not know how to react. I understand that this probably needs much more hands on guidance, but could you please start me off with some simple advice how to approach my husband as well as what to tell my child?”
Rabbi Jacobson will also review the following essays submitted in last year’s MyLife: Chassidus Applied essay contest: “Get to Know Yourself and Become Free” by Omer Halevi, “Overcoming Fear in Four Steps” by Yechiel Harari, and “Growing through Recognition of Duality” by Shmuel Lieberman. These and other essays can be read online at meaningfullife.com/essays.
And finally, the Chassidus question of the week: How does the idea of perpetual creation and constant renewal of existence (explained in the second book of Tanya, as you mentioned in some of the last episodes) go along with the commentaries (Ohr Hachayim in Parshas Bereishis) which explain that the creation spanned a six day timeframe, and gets renewed every week on Shabbos?
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 Chof Beis Shvat
What should I do when my child caught Tatty doing something wrong?
What does Chassidus add to psychology?
Should I leave my Rebbe when I am drawn to Chabad?
The process of chazora and hanochos (remembering and documenting the Rebbe’s talks)
Tanya end of chapter one (continued)
Chassidus Question: Reconciling perpetual creation with existence being renewed every Shabbos
MyLife Essays: Get to Know Yourself and Become Free, Overcoming Fear in Four Steps, Growing Through Recognition of Duality
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
Live Video:
1)Can the essay be based on teachings of the Ba’al Shem Tov, Maggid, and Tanya, or just sichos and maamorim of the Rebbeim?
2)How specific do the sources need to be?
3)Just curious, who are the judges?