Meaningful Life Skills with Rabbi Simon Jacobson14 Mar 2025

Whom Do You Serve. Purim’s Secret

We speak much about freedom—but are we truly free? Bob Dylan famously sang, “Gotta serve somebody.”

You may be an ambassador to England or France,
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance.
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world,
You might be a socialite with a long string of pearls.

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed.
You’re gonna have to serve somebody.
Well, it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord,
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

Dylan’s words strike at a deep truth: We all serve something. It may be money, power, approval, or expectations ingrained in us since childhood. Our fears and anxieties often stem from feeling bound by what others want from us—real or imagined.

Servitude comes in many forms. It’s not just ancient slavery; it’s being enslaved to addictions, to materialism, to toxic relationships, even to therapy or medication when they dictate our lives. Is it being enslaved to that which imposes itself upon you and compels you to do something that you otherwise wouldn’t do.

The real question each one of us must ask is: Whom do you serve?

Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson and discover Purim’s secret: true freedom begins with not serving any man or man-made institution. Only by releasing ourselves from the material forces that control us – whom and what we serve – and connecting to a higher eternal reality beyond our mortal existence can we break free from our shackles and gain true freedom.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(374)

60 Day Journey. Finding Renewal in Times of Disruption

How do we react when our lives are disrupted—when routines and predictability are suddenly upended? Generally, disruption is disorienting. We thrive on consistency, on having a defined plan. When that...

27 Sep 202430min

60 Day Journey. Finding Clarity in Times of Confusion

Clarity is one of life’s greatest blessings, the ability to know with certainty the correct path to take in life. There is no joy like dispelling the shadows of doubt. But how do we actually find clar...

19 Sep 202431min

60 Day Journey: Finding Love in Times of Hate

There’s so much hatred in the world today—rational or irrational. The very essence of hatred, at its core, feels irrational. We see it everywhere: between individuals, in politics, in the media, and b...

13 Sep 202433min

60 Day Journey. Finding Hope in Times of Fear

Where do you turn in times of fear and uncertainty, when upheaval disrupts your regular routines? In such moments, we often get disoriented and demoralized. You might feel like a lost ship at sea, uns...

5 Sep 202427min

Will the War in Israel Ever End

With all that has unfolded in Israel over the past year—the losses, the pain, the tragedies, the atrocities, the senseless deaths—we can't help but wonder: Will the war in Israel ever end? This is not...

29 Aug 202427min

Start Smart. The Key to Educating Our Youth

How would you rate the current state of education for our children and youth? This isn't a small question. Just as the health of a tree depends on how its seed is planted, so too, healthy adults are t...

22 Aug 202426min

Should We Be Afraid of Iran

With alarming threats emerging from Iran, many are asking: What will be? Should we be frightened? Will a larger war erupt? Will America get involved? And what will be the impact on Israel? These are n...

15 Aug 202426min

Does G-d Cry

Does anyone care when you are in pain? Does G-d care? Are we alone in our suffering? One of the most devastating aspects of pain and suffering is the isolation—the feeling that no one is out there. Wh...

8 Aug 202431min