Meaningful Life Skills with Rabbi Simon Jacobson

Do you live to work or work to live? If someone asks you who you are, do you show them your business card? Is your identity defined by your work? Shouldn't it be the other way around? But many us have become so consumed by our jobs and careers, that who we are has become an extension of what we do. Shouldn't we be directing our vehicles and instruments where to go instead of them telling us where to go? Who is the captain of your ship? Let's take this a step further: Is labor a positive thing? We who have grown up with work as a cultural norm may think that this is how it always was. That is not the case at all. Work, as we know it is a relatively recent development. For much of ancient and medieval history, work has been hard and degrading. Indeed, according to the Bible, work-labor is a curse: “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food.” The Greeks and later the Romans believed that manual labor was for slaves. The Greek word for work was ponos, taken from the Latin poena, which meant sorrow. So as we return to work after Labor Day, how are we to look at our jobs and careers? Are they a curse, a necessary evil? When we go to work in the need to support ourselves are we capitulating to the overwhelming forces of materialism? Are we doomed to sell our souls to a corrupt world that "consumes its inhabitants"? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson as he drills down into the belly of the beast, and uncovers the deeper soul of labor and work. Discover that the challenge is not our professions and businesses on their own, but rather with realigning and focusing our work toward a higher calling. The tension between matter and spirit is ultimately best resolved not by escaping the world of labor for the world of spirit, nor by surrendering to work as a curse, but by spiritualizing the material and revealing the deeper sparks embedded in our work. Learn how to become the captain of your ship.

8 Syys 202229min

Love. One simple word that is far from simple. Love contains volumes upon volumes. Everyone uses the word, but does anyone know what it means? No matter what culture, race, religion or nationality, love -- or the lack thereof -- is everywhere. From the beginning of time, authors, poets, songwriters and artists have tried to define love; the simple word connoting longing, passion, connections, complexity, depth, beauty, heartache, intensity, to name a few of its many facets. Love has moved mountains, but it has also destroyed nations. The best and the worst of people have emerged in the name of love. So what is this love? Is it biological or spiritual? Is it real or imagined? Love to the human spirit is like water to a flower. Everybody needs it and yet we find it so elusive. It lies at the heart and foundation of all of life and yet it's so difficult to find healthy, nurturing love. What would life be like without love? Can a child grow up healthy without love? Is there such a thing as dysfunctional love? Is love selfless or selfless? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in this critical discussion and discover age-old secrets from the Kabbalah about the essence of true, healthy love. By contrasting it with current scientific views on love, learn new and deeper dimensions of love that may surprise you, including how love (and the need for love) drives everything we do -- even our destructive behaviors. Find out how to create relationships that are not only meaningful and sustainable, but connections that will be eternal.

2 Syys 202237min

One of the greatest compliments you can give a person is to call them a visionary. But what is a visionary? And who is a visionary? We often think the title is reserved for the geniuses, the rare individuals that were blessed with unique foresight, prescience, wisdom and strength -- a guiding light and presence. But the truth is that every single person - you and I included - is capable of being a visionary! We each have the capacity; we just need to become aware of our uniqueness, and learn to have the courage and fortitude to not just please and conform to others, but to be ourselves, and tap into our own powerful and life-changing value. Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson and discover how YOU can become a visionary. Explore how to discover your true self, and how you can employ certain methods, a formula to use in your life to widen your horizons. Instead of looking at things with myopic vision, begin to see the panorama -- and that in turn will inform and enrich every detail of your life.

25 Elo 202236min

Details, details, details.. All of our lives are comprised of so many minute specifics, obligations to our home, family, friends, work and even to ourselves. We often get overwhelmed simply by the pressure, expectations and demands of these daily routines, known as the daily grind for a reason. It sounds nice in theory to be told that we must step back and see the forest for the trees, get beyond the minutiae and look at the big picture -- and allow the big picture to inform the particulars. Great advice! And yet, life goes on, often at a 90 mph pace, not leaving us much room to pause and breathe. Every morning we wake up bombarded with our to-do lists, details necessary to get through the daily rat race, but overwhelming and often anxiety inducing at the same time. How can we actually -- and responsibility -- take care of all the details in an effective way, but (and here's the million dollar question!) instead of the details controlling us, we control them? Is that even possible? Does my life simply consist of random moving parts or can I find purpose in each piece? William Blake put it so beautifully, "To see a World in a Grain of Sand, And a Heaven in a Wild Flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand. And Eternity in an hour." But how? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in this exciting workshop as you discover the beauty in the details, how you can see the greatest of the great in the smallest of the small, and how you can combine all the tiny parts of our day to create the most magnificent big picture. And how you can indeed experience the infinite in the finite and the eternal in the moment.

17 Elo 202233min

"Life breaks all people but some are stronger in the broken places." Ernest Hemingway During the course of our lifetime, every one of us is going to inevitably experience hurt -- a loss, a setback, trauma, grief, death, etc. At one point or another, we will all face difficulties along our journey, tested with heartbreak and challenges. Now, this is not meant to paint a dark picture and negative outlook on life.. It is simply the reality of life's cycles. The most important thing to remember is that your response to life's cracks will be what defines who you are. How will you deal with loss and betrayal; with broken promises and shattered dreams? What will you do when your love is violated? When you are in pain and suffering? How will you navigate the uncharted and crashing waves of setbacks and trauma? Will you break down or will you become stronger in the process? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in this fundamental workshop as he shares with us a time tested proven formula - almost 2500 years old! - and learn the seven steps that lead us from loss to healing; a seven step process that offers us critical tools and methods to take us from life's darkest moments to not only heal - but to become stronger and greater than ever.

17 Elo 202229min

When was the last time you cried? I will never forget the day when a gentleman in his mid 40s came to see me. Taking one look at him, without even uttering a word, I could sense the extreme tension in his body. He was so wound up, clearly carrying a very heavy weight on his shoulders. When we finally began to speak, he shared with me that throughout his entire life he was bullied, loathed, hated.. by his parents, siblings, friends and strangers, to the point that in time he began to hate himself. I can't describe how painful it was to witness this broken man telling his heartbreaking story. He sat there -- pitiful, numb, frozen, all knotted up. So much sadness. So much sorrow. So much despair. How can anyone carry so much?! After a while, which seemed like an eternity, I turned to him and asked, "When was the last time you cried?" He looked at me in complete bewilderment and then responded, "The last time I cried was when I was 5 years old. My father looked at me with a stern eye and said, 'Men don't cry. I do not want to see you cry ever again.'" "And I have never cried since. No matter how painful my life was, no matter how difficult my situation was, I never cried again. I feel like if I would now begin to cry, I would never be able to stop." Tears are a critical part of our lives. We were given tears as a way of release, like the steam escaping from a kettle. Without the release, all our feelings and emotions, our joys and our sorrows, would just continue to build and bottle up inside of us with no outlet. The tension would overwhelm and implode within us. Tears allow the intense energy to escape. They soothe and bathe us in the release of feelings and emotions. Tears bathe your soul, say the mystics. Please Join Rabbi Simon Jacobson for an important discussion on the role tears play in our lives. Discover the mystical and cosmic power of tears and the tools they provide us that help us express and balance our deepest feelings and emotions in a healthy and productive manner. And... learn the end of the story of the man that didn't cry for 40 years.

4 Elo 202228min

Is your life made up of many disjointed and fragmented pieces? Or is there a larger narrative that's unfolding, connecting all the dots and moving parts of your daily life? Sadly, most of us live our lives from moment to moment, often in survival mode - just getting by and through each day. Some moments are ups, some are downs; and there are twists and turns along the way. But is there an underlying thread between all these seemingly random moments? Where are they leading us? The secret and truth behind it all is that your life is a journey. Yes, it is a journey with many layers and stops, twists and turns, ups and downs, with winding roads and obstacles in its path. But it is one glorious journey, one majestic narrative that continues to unfold. And you play an active role in the development of the unfolding drama. Furthermore, your journey -- and every leg of it -- is rife with meaning. Every step you take, every stop you make, every fork in the road you encounter, every mountain you climb, every valley you traverse -- every single moment is brimming with opportunity, filled with potent energy waiting to be released. Every detail has a purpose and is part of a bigger picture. Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson on this journey of discovery. Learn how to recognize the journey of your life and its deeper meaning. Discover how to actualize the tremendous potential in every detail of your daily life, which in turn will charge up and change the way you look at yourself and everything you do.

27 Heinä 202227min

When asked, "What would you hope to witness in your lifetime?", world peace might be the most common -- and cliched -- response. But what does this really mean on a practical level? What is the secret to achieving global peace, and how can I, one of billions of people that make up this world, make a difference - or even a slight dent - in achieving this monumental objective? So many world leaders, thinkers and philosophers - especially in the last century - have been aspiring and seeking all types of methods to create a world that lives in peace. All types of attempts have been made, including the establishment of the United Nations, NATO, ambassadors and diplomatic relations, international alliances and treaties, summit meetings, etc. And while much progress has been made, there is much more work to be done; though our efforts until now have worked to some extent, the world is far from a place of peace. So what is the secret that has been evading us all this time? Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, it all begins at your doorstep, within you. World peace must begin with inner peace. Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson on a journey through psychology and physics demonstrating how our personal lives impact the world around us. Discover what we can do in our internal lives to create harmony and peace inside ourselves and in turn create a ripple -- butterfly -- effect that brings harmony between spouses, parents and children, families and communities, friends and strangers, and by extension, to the larger world. Despite the diversity of nations, let's find the harmony within our diversity, the intrinsic bond that connects us all on a deeper level. We are, after all, indispensable parts of one larger mosaic; musical notes in one grand cosmic symphony. And when we find inner peace between our conflicting voices and drives, we bring peace to the world. Because at the end of the day, the billions of people that make up the world are comprised of individuals like you and I. And we will be the change needed in this world.

21 Heinä 202234min