Meaningful Life Skills with Rabbi Simon Jacobson

There are 4 personality types: 1. What's mine is yours, and what's yours is mine. The ignoramus. 2. What's yours is yours, and what's mine is mine. The average person. 3. What's yours is yours, and what's mine is yours. The optimal personality. 4. What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine. The wicked person. (Ethics of the Fathers 5:10) Is it possible to balance a healthy ego and a healthy coexistence with others, and if yes—how? Is it merely about a logical negotiation of forgoing some of our immediate needs due to the benefit we receive from others? Or is it far deeper than that? What is more inherent in us -- our individuality, or being part of a larger whole? E Pluribus Unum - out of many, one. How is that possible? Which prevails, the many or the one? Last week we discussed "why not be selfish?" and established that in fact the most selfish thing you can do is be selfless. Transcendence, going beyond our limited boundaries - and not selfishness - is our inherent state. Tonight, join Rabbi Jacobson for a fascinating discussion and discover how there is actually a third dimension to all of this - beyond the individual and beyond the group, and when we connect to that, the magic of true seamless fusion emerges! Both the individual and group become one, harmony within diversity, not a compromise at all but a beautiful, eloquent flow that results from experiencing transcendence -- a reality greater than ourselves.

19 Aug 202136min

Our society is currently challenged, perhaps more than ever, by self-centeredness, a me-me-me era, in which its each man for himself, an eat or get eaten mentality. How will I survive if I am not the "fittest", putting my own needs and self first? Who will look out for me if not myself? Why should I bother going out of my way to help others? And can I have any ego, a healthy sense of self, and still be selfless? Self interest vs the greater common good has plagued humanity from the beginning of time. The prevalent perception is that we are fundamentally driven, first and foremost, by our needs, survival and personal pleasure. Freud called it the Id; Darwin: Survival of the fittest. But is this true? Are we indeed inherently selfish? Join Rabbi Simon Jacobson for a fascinating discussion on seflishness, selflessness and the human ego through the lens of Chassidus, Kabbala and psychology. Learn how to properly balance them all while analyzing the benefits and positive results of helping others. (Spoiler alert: by helping others, you are actually helping yourself!) Discover a new and surprising way to look at yourself and how the destructive behaviour of selfishness, while not only harming others, goes against your very essential nature and thus undermines and stunts personal development and growth.

12 Aug 202130min

Words have always been powerful -- more than we imagine. But they have never been as potent as they are in today's information age and communications revolution. There was a time when our words reached only the people we spoke with or wrote to. Our conversations were limited to those around us, and they were not recorded for posterity. But today, with the explosion of technology -- internet, social media, smartphone -- every word we say or write has been amplified beyond anything anyone could ever have envisioned. Our words are streamed and broadcast to the entire world; they can go viral reaching millions if not billions of people; and they remain etched forever in cyberspace and beyond. Posts on today's platforms can incite a mob, destroy a person's reputation as well as spawn a revolution. On the positive side, a kind word can inspire and comfort large numbers of people. But is our sensitivity to the words we utter up to par with their exponential reach? As our platforms and methods of communications have expanded, have we developed deeper care, respect and empathy to ensure that our words are being used in the best possible way? Are we appreciating the gits we have today? Do we understand the implications of our words -- and their impact? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson and explore the deeper roots of our power of speech and communication. We can take for granted our ability to speak with each other. Discover how your words are actually connectors and interfaces between your inner soul and faculties and the people and world around you. The better we understand how speech communicates our ideas and feelings the better we will connect with each other. Learn how your words are streaming energy into the environment around you; how they create a vibe that shapes your surroundings and the people you are speaking with. And above all, how what you say is what you get -- how the energy of your words echoes back to you and defines the response you will receive from others.

5 Aug 202131min

The recent controversy about orthodoxy and unorthodoxy is nothing new. It reflects the long-standing debate about the role of God in our lives -- and even the very existence of God. For centuries now, battles have been raging between science and religion, reason and faith, modernity and belief. But before we enter the fray, should we not first be defining the actual meaning of God, religion, faith and spirituality? Without fully understanding these terms, how can we know what we are disagreeing over and whether we are truly in disagreement at all? As one great mystic told the self-proclaimed atheist: The God you don't believe, I don't believe in either. What, for example, is the difference between religion and spirituality? Can one be complete and healthy without the other? What is God like and why is He relevant to us? Does being religious automatically make one a fundamentalist? Can I be "orthodox" and live a life of happiness and freedom? Can faith and modernity be reconciled and balanced in today's society? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson as he dissects these critical issues, digs into their very core roots and comes away with a surprising and refreshing take on God, faith, religion -- and its far reaching implications in our lives.

29 Jul 202140min

More than oxygen, more than food and drink -- humans need love and connection to live and thrive. But what exactly defines connection? And why is it so vital? Above all, how do we build healthy, meaningful and sustainable connections and relationships? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson and discover how true connections are forged in our souls. Travel on a fascinating journey into the five dimensions of your soul, reflecting five levels of connection, and learn how to build deeper bonds on each of these levels.

22 Jul 202137min

One of the most powerful sights to behold is the regeneration of a forest after it has burned down. Few things are more astounding to witness than renewal after hopelessness and rebirth after death. How have you reacted to the scars and schisms in your life? Have you given up? Do you feel like damaged goods? All of us will experience a crack in our lives -- a broken relationship, a shattered dream, an unfulfilled promise, a betrayal of trust. For some devastation comes as a result of abuse and trauma -- causing one to feel like something was '"killed inside of me." How you respond and rebound after something has been lost or destroyed will define your life. Please join Rabbi Jacobson in this fascinating presentation on how to create regeneration after fires have ravaged your life. If you have experienced any type of loss or destruction -- this class is for you. It will give you a new perspective and hope on your losses and offer you actionable exercises to discover deeper resources in coping and growing through your challenges. Like the Biblical phoenix arising from the ashes, and the new moon reborn each month, like new life sprouting from an eroding seed and the newborn chick emerging from a cracked egg, learn ways to experience a metamorphosis in your own life -- empowering you to transform destruction into resurrection.

15 Jul 202137min

Are you free? Most people instinctively reply: Of course I am free. We live in a free world. In contrast to centuries past, today the citizens of the USA and most of the countries in the world are guaranteed inalienable rights -- freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition. Today we have the freedom to move about and make our own decisions about virtually every aspect of life, unlike in days of old, when monarchs and despots ruled the world with absolute authority. But do these rights alone define true freedom? You can be technically free, unbound by chains and authority, and yet be completely enslaved by your fears, insecurities, addictions and a series of other forces that encumber your ability to spread your wings. Take technology: is it freeing you or ensnaring you? Are you in control of your life, or do other voices and expectations define and control your decisions? Please join Rabbi Jacobson in this eye-opening and "freeing" presentation, as he introduces a deeper way of defining freedom -- not just the freedom to do "whatever you like," but the freedom to be yourself -- to express your unique voice without any outside imposition. Discover how true freedom is not the absence of subjugation, but experiencing the full expanse of life. It is not merely the shedding of external chains, but unlocking the internal chains that stop you from living up to your infinite potential.

8 Jul 202131min

Our hearts and prayers go out to the lives buried under the rubble of the collapsed Surfside towers, and we extend all our support to their families to stand strong in this difficult time. At the same time, this heart wrenching tragedy offers us powerful lessons about the sanctity and dignity of every individual life, and how hope is never extinguished. Please join Rabbi Jacobson as he honors the living and those taken with an impassioned talk about the eternal flame that burns forever even in the deepest darkness. No matter what challenges and difficulties we may experience in life, a spark always remains alive, which provides us with hope and strength, and upon which we can build and rebuild.

7 Jul 202127min