Stay Home: Discover the Center of Your Universe

Just a few months ago very few of us were concerned with the question of how to balance our work life and our home life. Even if we were concerned, we didn't do much about it. The conflicts and tensions between our vocations and our homes, between our careers and our families, were usually "resolved" (or better said: unresolved) through either denial, compartmentalization, compromising our homes in face of our career climbing and social status, or a combination of the above. Foundations are invisible to the eye, and are often overlooked and overshadowed by the glitz and drama of our "upper floors."

But now that our workplaces and public squares have been closed down, and we have been quarantined in our homes, we are compelled to ask ourselves: What does home mean and how vital is it for our well-being? What is the foundation, and what should be the priority, of our lives? What is the means and what is the end? Where should our energies be focused for maximum impact? Why are we here?

Both historically and personally, on a macrocosmic and microcosmic level, home was always the base and core -- the nest and foundation -- of our existence.

From the beginning of time the home was the center-point of our lives. In the pre-modern and pre-industrial age, work was seen as menial labor, only as a means to provide for our homes and families to build and grow. At some point in the last few centuries the focus shifted from our homes to our workplaces and social environments.

The same is true on a personal and psychological level: For every one of us to grow into healthy and secure adults we first need nurturing and loving homes to build out confidence and self-esteem. But at some point as we mature into adults, we can often lose and forget the vital importance of our homes and families. What would you be like without a solid home and unconditional love? Would a bird have the courage to fly if it had no nest?

Our new and unexpected state of affairs, with essentially all our previous life "centers' disrupted or suspended, offers us a rare and unprecedented opportunity to revisit the role and centrality of home in our lives, and answer critical questions that until now were buried beneath our demanding schedules and routines.

Please join Rabbi Jacobson on an eye-opening journey into the core of our beings, and the importance that home - both literally and figuratively -- plays in the shaping and success of our lives. Discover the emotional and psychological significance and power of your home. A home is much more than a shelter and respite from the hostile world. A home is a nurturing womb; a comforting hearth -- a launchpad that allows you to spread your wings and soar to unprecedented heights. Learn how to use this strange and difficult time to appreciate your gifts like never before. You will never look at your home and family the same way again.