Meaningful Life Skills with Rabbi Simon Jacobson

Your body serves as a vehicle to carry your soul through life. Just as you would not harm another person, you should not harm your own body. It is your duty to eat well, to rest, to stay in shape, and to treat your body with respect in every way. Physical fitness is not arbitrary or optional; it is part of your responsibility to yourself. On the other hand, worshipping the body is destructive. The body is a vehicle for the soul; its value lies there, not as an end unto itself. Many people today are health-conscious. We understand that being healthy makes us feel better, makes us more productive, and ultimately lengthens our lives. We realize that when we are healthy, we can concentrate on family and work, and the other things that are important to us. But most significantly, a healthy body allows you to concentrate on your soul, enabling you to fulfill your divine mission in this world and live a meaningful life. Remember that the health of your body is dependent on the health of your soul. And it is your responsibility to nourish them both. When your body or soul cries out, recognize the symptoms for what they are: an urgent request for you to address their needs, be they spiritual or physical.

21 Elo 202021min

Do you control your destiny or is your life predetermined? Is the Zodiac real or a myth? Do its signs play any role or have any significance in our lives? These are not theoretical questions. If our lives are predestined, then we must wonder whether we have any free choice. And the answer to that question has far reaching implications in our lives. If your destiny has already been determined then what meaning does your life have and how invested will you be in your choices and decisions, which can't change your outcome? What hope is there for someone who is predestined to suffer? A life that is controlled by forces beyond ourselves essentially renders us powerless. All these issues are acutely amplified in these disruptive and uncertain times, when we are clearly not in control of of schedules and futures. Please join Rabbi Jacobson in this vital talk about the very meaning of our lives -- about the essence of our beings and our contributions. Are we pre-wired programmed machines, like the entire universe, governed by the deterministic laws of nature? Or do we humans have the ability to transcend the parameters of our defined structures? Discover how your soul has the power to break free of the confines of existence and of your predispositions -- and how you can indeed control the unfolding drama of your life. How you hold in your hands the destiny of your life and the destiny of the world.

13 Elo 202044min

Subscribe to the Meaningful Life Center YouTube Channel for more: 🔔 https://www.youtube.com/meaningfullif... Good and evil has always intrigued and mystified us. Each one of us has both a beautiful and ugly side. It may be called light and shadow, noble and cruel, selfless and selfish -- whatever terms you use -- these two forces are real within you and I. And they are in perpetual battle: Which voice will prevail? But there are deeper and critically important questions about the good and evil potential within us. Are you primarily one or the other? Or are they equal powers? Are some of us wired to be better and other wired the other way? Can we separate between the good and the bad, or is every move we make a combination of the two? Is there good without bad, and bad without good? And perhaps the biggest question of all: What exactly is evil? Can we harness and transform the bad? Please join Rabbi Jacobson in this fascinating exploration of the roots of good and evil. The journey begins by tracing our way back to the story of the mysterious Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. What type of tree was this? What is wrong with eating from a tree that allows you to know good and evil? What were the consequences of this event and how do they impact us today? Since God is all good, where does evil originate from? In this powerful presentation -- using Stevenson's classic about Dr. Jekyll's experiment to separate his kind and his ugly nature -- discover the inner soul of good and bad, and its application to our lives today. Watch the Weekly Global Class Playlist: 💻 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... Let’s connect: 🌐Website - http://www.meaningfullife.com/ 📷 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/meaningful.... 👍Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/meaningfulli... 💼LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonjaco... 📧Email – wisdomreb@meaningfullife.com 💬WhatsApp – 347-766-7558 Rabbi Simon Jacobson is a pioneering speaker, educator and mentor to thousands. He is the Dean and Founder of The Meaningful Life Center, coined "The Spiritual Starbucks" by the New York Times, which bridges the secular and the spiritual. He is the author of the best-selling book Toward a Meaningful Life (💎 https://www.amazon.com/Toward-Meaning...) which has sold over 300,000 copies and been translated into 13 different languages. With his keen insight into the human condition, and over 35 years of experience, he has the unique ability to offer clarity and direction especially in difficult times. Rabbi Jacobson and the MLC have been lauded for creating non-stop programming nourishing people's hearts and souls. Please donate or sponsor a class, to help us continue and expand this life-affirming work 💓 https://www.meaningfullife.com/donate. #MeaningfulLifeCenter #AppliedKabbalah #WeeklyMasterclass

13 Elo 20201h

Is there hope after loss? Rebuilding after destruction? Love after betrayal? Life after death? Too often we give up after we have experienced hurt and disappointment, especially when the abuse is repeated and sustained. Once our trust has been breached, it becomes increasingly difficult to trust again. After being invalidated and rejected time after time, a demoralized child tragically begins to lower his/her expectations, to the point of feeling resigned that s/he does not deserve to be loved and nurtured. As the child grows into an adult this lack of confidence haunts the development of healthy relationships. What can be done about this? Can you grow beyond your traumas and pains? Please join Rabbi Jacobson in this special Tisha B’Av program, and discover how this saddest day of the year paradoxically contains the secret to the most fundamental truths in life: How to rebuild trust after betrayal and regain hope after loss. Learn methods how to rise and grow from the ashes even when your “structures” may have burned down. How the deepest redemption is born in the flames of destruction. Watch the Weekly Global Class Playlist: 💻 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... Let’s connect: 🌐Website - http://www.meaningfullife.com/ 📷 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/meaningful.... 👍Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/meaningfulli... 💼LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonjaco... 📧Email – wisdomreb@meaningfullife.com 💬WhatsApp – 347-766-7558 Rabbi Simon Jacobson is a pioneering speaker, educator and mentor to thousands. He is the Dean and Founder of The Meaningful Life Center, coined "The Spiritual Starbucks" by the New York Times, which bridges the secular and the spiritual. He is the author of the best-selling book Toward a Meaningful Life (💎 https://www.amazon.com/Toward-Meaning...) which has sold over 300,000 copies and been translated into 13 different languages. With his keen insight into the human condition, and over 35 years of experience, he has the unique ability to offer clarity and direction especially in difficult times. Rabbi Jacobson and the MLC have been lauded for creating non-stop programming nourishing people's hearts and souls. Please donate or sponsor a class, to help us continue and expand this life-affirming work 💓 https://www.meaningfullife.com/donate.

30 Heinä 202054min

Subscribe to the Meaningful Life Center YouTube Channel for more: 🔔 https://www.youtube.com/meaningfullif... It's beyond absurd to witness the man-made problems we are creating today due to our divisiveness and inability to civilly communicate with each other -- especially evident in the looming presidential election campaign. It's bad enough that we are have on our hands a global pandemic destabilizing and disorienting the citizens of the world -- something which we did not bring upon ourselves. Why, in the world would we then magnify and complicate matters by bringing upon ourselves this maddening division, even to the point of hatred?! One would think that when we are all facing a national and international health crisis and all its disruptive effects, threatening us all equally, we would come together to serve our common and mutual interest. Instead, as bizarre as it sounds, the problems are only being amplified and exacerbated many times over by the politicization of the issues and the resulting polarization -- tearing our country and the world apart! Where are our leaders?! Our politicians and media (with a few exceptions), instead of displaying unity, are in many ways at the "helm" of this great divide. Today's media has become, in many ways, a form of "entertainment," offering "gladiator"-style duels and showdowns, feeding into our basest instincts and lowest common denominator. Imagine a family member falling ill, and instead of joining together to help their loved one, a family feud breaks out arguing over who is in control or other petty issues... Our political process has been rendered into a literal battle between elephants and donkeys, leaving so many of us simply disgusted, and even cynical, about the entire system. Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in this eye-opening talk, as he finds insights and direction from a most surprising place: the very origins of the political parties association with the donkey (Democrats) and elephant (Republicans). What began in 1828 an insult to Andrew Jackson, ironically turned into a "proud" symbol of the Democratic party. In this fascinating presentation Rabbi Jacobson offers a refreshing -- and even revolutionary -- take on current events, and come away with a new perspective and approach to our polarized society. Discover how to reintroduce the human spirit back into the mud-slinging wrestling match between the elephants and the donkeys. And above all, practical advice and guidelines how you and I -- each one of us -- can do things to be part of the solution (and not part of the problem) and help remedy the situation.

23 Heinä 202048min

For the first time in our lives, virtually all public entertainment venues are closed down -- stadiums, concerts, theaters, preforming arts, museums, clubs, amusement parks, galas and parties. This unique situation presents us with a rare opportunity to step back and ask ourselves: What role does entertainment have in my life? What happens when many of my entertainment options are not available: I don't have Wimbledon to look forward to; I can't go watch my favorite baseball team play a competitive game with its arch-rival? Every deprivation allows you to see deeper truths about yourself: What are you like without the things you usually depend upon? What impact is it having on your life? How dependent are you on outer stimuli? Do you live vicariously through your heroes and stars? Do you know how to find inner inspiration? How do you strike a healthy balance between inner and outer stimuli? Please join Rabbi Jacobson as he dissects the anatomy of entertainment and examines the root causes of its powerful effect on us. Why are we drawn to various forms of entertainment and how does it stimulate us? What part of your psyche does it impact? Is there a difference between healthy and unhealthy forms of entertainment? How can you assure that others inspiring you does not replace your need to inspire yourself? How can we find alternative ways to awaken passion and excitement from within?

16 Heinä 202057min

Everybody is now asking the big question: When will life go back to normal? What will the new norm look like? Will anything change? But the bigger question we should be asking is: What exactly is "normal"? Is "normal" defined by the usual routines and patterns we are accustomed to? How do we really know that the conditions we consider to be "norms" are actually true and real? Perhaps they are just a result of our own subjective perceptions and experiences? "Normal" for some people can even be unhealthy and toxic. Shouldn't the current disruptions and upheavals serve as an unprecedented opportunity to question and challenge our assumptions about what is truly important, valuable and... normal? Please join Rabbi Jacobson as he, in his inimitable style, challenges our "comfort zones" and our very definition of "normal" and other assumed truths. Discover how revisiting preconceived notions opens up surprisingly new perspectives and deeper truths. The upending of our previously-held givens in these times of crisis allows you to see the bigger picture, and recognize a far more expansive "normal" -- and reclaim yourself in the process.

9 Heinä 20203min

It's hard to imagine most people acknowledging that they are judgmental. We usually find explanations and excuses for criticizing and judging others. "I am not judging that person, all I am is pointing out their faults." "It's not about me, it's about the truth and upholding higher standards." "God has a problem with that person, not me." These are some of the most common justifications for being judgmental. And yet, there are many judgmental people on this planet. More than we would like to admit. Are you one of them? Remember, you can also be overly judgmental of yourself. The big question to be asked is: why? Why is it so easy for a person to judge another? Who gave us that right? And what compels us to do so? Just because you disagree with someone, does that mean that you have to judge him? If you witness or hear about someone behaving in a way that seems wrong, how can you jump to a conclusion and judge that person without further investigation? And even if you establish that a wrong was done, how does that translate into judging the individual, not just the action, as if his behavior is emblematic of his entire person? And if you judge others out of a sense of moral one-upmanship, ask yourself: who appointed you as having a monopoly on morality? Is it possible that judging others is a defense mechanism; a way of elevating ourselves and feeling superior? Is being judgmental ever appropriate? Please join Rabbi Jacobson as he addresses a topic deeply relevant to our times of personal and cultural upheaval. Discover how to look at yourself with a new set of eyes, and what questions to ask that help you identify the roots of judgmentalism, and distinguish between genuine respect for higher standards and rejection of negative behavior, while not resorting and stooping to judgment. And above all, learn how judgmentalism is a product of shallow and superficial attitudes, and at the end of the day, coming in touch with your core essence builds your self-esteem, which in turn helps you recognize the core essence of others, allowing you to see them in a positive light.

2 Heinä 202058min