The Zodiac: Is My Life Predestined?

How much of your personality has been shaped by others? By our parents - our genes and our DNA. By our environment, our homes, our families, our schooling, our education, our value systems and our social influences. The question is how much of your existing identity is really you and how much has been defined by others? Have you found your own voice, your unique purpose? Or have you never discovered it, or perhaps lost it along the way?This question is acutely amplified when faced with adversity. When we are attacked, we impulsively go on the defensive. But do we get defined by our enemies? Take for example, the natural defense mechanisms and immunity systems we build up to protect ourselves from predators. After sustained attacks, it's possible that in our fear of being hurt we develop such thick layers of protective armor, to the point of our own detriment, that we cannot distinguish between our armor and our inner identities. You have become the mask and the armor. Think about that: In addition to the initial pain caused by the abuser, you may have tragically become the ultimate victim -- perpetually defined by those who have threatened and hurt you. Instead of being your own person, you are then giving the perpetrator the power to dictate who you are. You will never be able to win against an enemy that continues to shape you and define who you are meant to be. It is critical to find yourself and not allow yourself to be defined by anything else in life. Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in this vital discussion and discover that while yes, there are factors that shape our lives, they DO NOT determine who we are. We need to face and fight our enemies, but it is critical that we not allow ourselves to be defined by them. Discover how to access the real you -- independent of all your surrounding circumstances -- and unleash its power in your life and in the world.

21 Joulu 202330min

Is there anything in life that is indestructible? We are mere mortals, finite creatures in a physical world where everything in existence seems to be impermanent. Things erode, deteriorate, and ultimately age and perish. That inner search for eternity, for immorality - is that just a fantasy or is it indeed possible? Chanukah teaches us the secret to immortality, the indestructible power of light that turns the finite infinite and the ordinary extraordinary. Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson as we learn how to access that light within ourselves and within the world around us. Especially now, in dark times, finding that indestructible power of light is needed more than ever.

14 Joulu 202330min

With war being waged in Gaza, military strategists are obviously seeking and employing all types of methods and ways to fight this war. Every war has its distinct  personality and unique challenges and therefore requires a customized solution. This war is no different. Dealing with a hostage situation, savage terrorists, who wantonly use civilians as shields,  poses particular difficulties, as we all know.And frankly the war is not just in Gaza. This war is also in the media; the war over our minds and our hearts being influenced through disinformation and propaganda like never before.While the military experts on the ground are doing their job, there is a surprising source -- that most of us may not think of -- where we can find powerful tools and strategies for war. The "military" secrets come from the holiday that we are about to enter, Chanukah, the festival of lights. The discovery of pure olive oil, and the subsequent rededication and lighting of the Chanukah Menorah was a result of a victorious war fought by the Maccabees. Why then do we celebrate Chanukah with light, by kindling candles?Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in this illuminating Chanukah program and discover how light teaches us the best war strategies. Learn five lessons that empower us to fight and win the battles that come our way.

7 Joulu 202333min

We all hate war. (Well let's qualify that. There are some people who for one reason or another historically, as well as today, are predisposed to aggression, violence and upheaval. But civil people generally despise war and everything it stands for. Healthy people inherently want a calm and peaceful existence.)So why would any decent person go to war? Why would a moral country deploy their citizens to fight? Why would anyone put themselves in harm's way? Who in their right mind would want to shed blood and create all the havoc and destruction that  comes with war?The only reason is because you have no choice. It is a last resort. If you are attacked, if your family is in danger, you are responsible to defend and protect yourself and your loved ones. It's called: self defense. But then what does war achieve? Is it just to eliminate the threat, the enemy? It's more than that. When your sworn enemy has called for your unconditional destruction, and unwaveringly demonstrated that in action -- they have in effect left you with no other choice -- then war becomes not only a necessary way to protect yourself, but the only means to achieve true peace and harmony. Because as long as you don't vanquish your enemy, you will forever be at war. It may be dragged out and appear at times to be peaceful, but inevitably it is a war. It's just like an infection in the body - if you don't deal with it and eradicate it, it'll continue to fester and grow until it ultimately kills you. As Israel continues to wage war with its sworn enemies, all ethical people are compelled to ask themselves: yes, we were forced to go to war. But to what end? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in this critical discussion to establish the moral imperative of this war. Discover how war cannot be justified as an end in itself; we cannot be satisfied with fighting just to defend ourselves. War is legitimate solely when it is the only way to peace. At times we can achieve peace through peaceful means; but at times the only way to achieve peace is sadly through war.

30 Marras 202328min

There are rare moments in our lives when we are provided with an unprecedented opportunity, a wake up call. Those moments where a paradigm shift occurs that can affect us on an individual level, on a collective level or on a global level. Certain events shake us to our core and open us up to these quantum leaps.And at that moment your actions, your choices, your decisions can change everything. We are now living in such a time.The events that happened on October 7, the atrocities perpetrated, the sheer brutality and all the subsequent events - the war that continues to wage, the rise in antisemitism, the mass protests - are indeed a watershed moment. And these are times where we are looked at - and will be looked out by future generations to come - to see, how did we behave? How did we react? Did we step up? Did we stand up? Did we speak up? Or did we retreat in silence or in fear and chose to do nothing? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson for a historic and vital conversation that every individual must hear - and then must ask themselves these important questions. Are you part of the problem or part of the solution? Are you making history or letting history make you? This is an opportunity that can radically change the entire future. Be the change.

23 Marras 202327min

With the recent alarming rise of antisemitism in wake of the atrocities perpetrated on October 7th by Hamas, it's well worthwhile to dig deeper into the nature of Jew hatred, what exactly antisemitism is. What are the roots of this abhorrence and where does it stem from? Why is it that throughout history Jews were consistently singled out more than any other minority? With acts of hatred, discrimination, expulsions and genocide. From a scientific point of view we cannot associate antisemitism with one particular cause because it goes back millennia, and was directed at Jews from every possible nationality and culture. For example, to say it's a result of Christian discrimination, while definitely a contributing factor, doesn’t give the full picture because there was Jew hatred before Christianity existed. And before Islam became a religion.So we have to find a common denominator that would transcend the different millennia, the different centuries, different empires and different situations of discrimination against Jews. What lies at its core?Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in this critical conversation dissecting the anatomy of antisemitism and explore what we can do about it. Discover the cosmic, spiritual and psychological roots of the longest hatred in history. Learn how the irrational despise of Jews is linked with the natural materialistic hostility to the transcendent and the divine. Knowing the cause can then help us finally uproot this cancer once and for all.

16 Marras 202337min

I call on heaven and earth as witnesses today that I have offered you life or death, blessings or curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants will live! Deuteronomy 30:19Does it make any sense that a healthy person would choose death over life? Would any sane person choose destruction over survival?And yet we see - amplified in the latest atrocities going on in Israel - that there exists a perverse culture of death, of martyrdom. Where death is celebrated. Where death is the ultimate sacrifice and goal. This frightening reality compels us to look deeper into the very meaning of life and identity -- who we are as human beings. What defines us? Life or death? Blessing or curse?In the Bible G-d commands us: "Choose life." But why do we need to be told to choose life? It seems natural  that every human being graviates to do everything possible to preserve life, your own life and the life of others. Yet in times like this, where we find ourselves fighting a war where death is glorified, this verse from the Bible suddenly resounds with tremendous import and profound relevance. This darkness -- completely antithetical to life -- behooves us to examine the significance and true value of the human soul. As we wage spiritual war, alongside the physical one, please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in this fundamental discussion and discover the importance of choosing life. Choose life. Always choose life.

9 Marras 202323min

While Israel is at war with its enemies, following the atrocities that took place on October 7th, there is another war raging all over the world. This is the war over truth, a propaganda war filled with misinformation, disinformation, lies and myth. This war is being fought in the media, on campuses, with protests and videos aimed to manipulate and pull at our heart strings - all vying for control over our minds. And this information war is only amplified by modern technology, incessantly streaming and inundating us with reports and opinions of all colors and stripes. This instantaneous access on live social media and all existing platforms has created unprecedented confusion on a critical mass level. How in the world can one sift through all this conflicting data and contradictory narratives, and figure out what is true, and what isn't true? Who should we believe? Not only on a breaking news level but also on perspective, on context. Who is the oppressor and who is oppressed? Who is the victim and who is the perpetrator? This is a war going on in your family, in your home and in your mind. Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in this critical battle over the truth, and discover how to discern fact from fiction, reality from myth. When we hear so many different and opposing accounts, the only way for intelligent people to find clarity and tackle thorny questions is by digging deeper into the issues and researching the history of the region and its people, based on hard verifiable facts and sources. Instead of buying into subjective -- and distorted or outright false -- storylines presented by people with agendas, biases and prejudices, it behooves us to directly and transparently review the evidence and come to conclusions based on authentic and critical evaluation.

2 Marras 202345min