Meaningful Life Skills: Weekly Global Class

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 discri

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 ve

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 i

With the latest brutal atrocities perpetrated in Israel - the horrific sights and descriptions of things that most of us couldn't imagine in our darkest dreams - the words "absolute evil," "pure, unadulterated evil", have become the way many are describing these massacres. Not simply killing which is total evil in itself, but the sheer savage ways and extreme forms of cruelty and sadism with which these heinous crimes were committed, defies any word in our human language. Absolute evil doesn't even seem strong enough. And yet, there are many that try to "justify" these actions, and even worse and more appalling -- they argue that the victims are somehow at fault! In some twisted form of 'logic" there are the claims that Israel is evil and somehow Hamas good. But even if you don't go that far, some argue the case of moral equivalence, where both sides are equally guilty. Others altogether embrace moral relativism, rejecting any form of absolute right and wron

We - and every decent person in this world - are shocked by the heartwrenching events and the tragic war taking place in Israel. How can a decent human being not be horrified by the brutal atrocities perpetrated against innocent civilians; men, women, children, elderly murdered in cold blood, abused, degraded, tortured and taken hostage in the most inhumane way. We are united and devastated in pain and confusion.How could this happen? Why did God allow it? How should we react to this? What should be our approach and what can we do about it?As we continue to reel from the news, we have many, many questions. But most importantly, what is our role in a historic time like this? This is clearly a watershed moment, a game changer for the Middle East and for the entire world. The annals of history will look back at this time and ask: what did you do?What did we do?To shine some light, provide perspective and clarity and offer direction and hope in these times, please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in this timely and crit

Are you a happy person? Do you feel happy right now? As human beings, we all have times that we're happy and times that happiness eludes us. But overall, what is your natural inclination?Are some people just born happier than others? Is happiness inherent or acquired? And more importantly, are there things we can do - tools we can learn, methods we can implement - to bring more happiness and joy into our lives, to become more upbeat and optimistic? Or are we simply hard wired a certain way, with some people being more despondent while others more spirited?You will be surprised to learn that happiness is something that you can control.Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson and discover that happiness is both inherent and acquired: you are naturally born happy. Happiness is your state of being. However, that core nature can be obfuscated by life experiences. Learn how to acquire tools that allow you to access your natural happiness, to experience happiness as a noun, not just as a verb. Remember, you do not cont

Do you feel stuck in your life? Stuck in a situation, stuck in a relationship, stuck in your job? Are there things that you simply cannot free yourself from, no matter how much you try and no matter how good your intentions are? After all your attempts, you just keep being tugged back into the same old rut?What do you do in a situation like that? Is there any way out? How do you get yourself out of the pit when there is seemingly no rope to hold onto, no light to show you the way out? This is one of the most difficult questions to answer because in many cases we may be our own worst enemy, and a prisoner cannot free himself. Somebody else cannot pull you out of your trappings - especially if you're resisting and don't want the help. A problem cannot be solved within the same system that created the problem. Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in this life changing discussion and discover how to access powers that are beyond the system where the problem was created. Learn time tested methods to not only

Are you motivated? Do you wake up each morning feeling energized, excited to seize the day? Or is your life one of tedious routines, monotonous habits, repeating the same cycles, day after day, simply making do and getting by?One of the great challenges in life - even though it sounds innocuous - is boredom. The monotony and the routine, feeds into a lethargy that ultimately leads to resignation and demoralization. It may seem harmless enough at the start, and yet it can often be the beginning of a downward spiral. Boredom creates a void, a breeding ground for all sorts of problems -- as we desperately seek to fill the vacuum.Another difficult challenge we face in life is the feeling of being trapped: The narrative goes like this: I'm stuck in my life. I can't seem to get out of the rut. The more things change the more they stay the same. How can I escape this pit of negativity that's holding me back?Life is synonymous with movement. Everything in existence is pulsating with energy. Healthy livin

No company, organization or entity can efficiently function without a mission statement. Can you? Have you ever asked yourself what your personal calling is in life? If you haven't, know that you're not alone. Most people on this planet do not have a personal mission statement. But the bigger question is how do you find your mission? How do you identify your unique and indispensable role in this world? We're so busy and overwhelmed with the existing pressures of life, with expectations and demands to make ends meet, to pay our bills, to fulfill family and personal needs. And in today's day and age, with technology and media overload we are inundated from every direction. We don't even have the time to step back and think about what our mission is. Most of us simply take life day by day, reacting to the needs of the moment. Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson for this vital and fundamental discussion on discovering your personal calling in life, and how that will infuse every aspect of yo

Let's talk about God. What does God mean to you? Is God real or superstition? Do you have a personal relationship with God, or is God simply part of the culture and home you grew up in? This three-letter word "God" evokes perhaps more conversation and debate than any other word. And the debates continue to rage. There are firm believers, firm non-believers, firm agnostics -- and those not so firm in their beliefs. Everyone has an opinion on the matter. The battle between science and religion continues to impact society to this day. With the advent of the Enlightenment, known as the Age of Reason, free and open inquiry challenged absolute religious authority. Many felt that science would replace religion. But has that happened? Are faith and reason compatible? Is God a contradiction to an open, questioning mind? Is God necessary? What is most interesting -- and bizarre -- is that while we argue over God, we may not even agree or know what the word means! Before we agree or disagree - before

Love - we all need it and yet we find it so difficult to attain. It is perhaps the most elusive of all experiences. What is love? Is is real or just a chemical reaction? Is it just another physical/psychological aspect to our being or is there something deeper, a spiritual/ethereal component to love? Schopenhauer notoriously wrote, “Love is based on an illusion and represents what is an advantage to the species as an advantage to the individual.” Is this correct? Is love simply a way of nature tricking and deceiving us in order to perpetuate the species? Are we simply being fooled into “loving” in order to survive? Or is there something more transcendent, something deeper going on? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson for this vital conversation and discover that not only is love real, it is actually the key to turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, the mundane into the sublime. Love is our ability to bring eternity into our impermanent lives; infuse immortality into our mortality; fuse the infinite a

Think Importance Mission Energy Is time your friend or your enemy? On one hand we’re always trying to beat the clock and meet deadlines. The pressure of time - the constant tik tok, tik tok - can be overwhelming and even downright scary. Our time is limited, every minute that passes can never be reclaimed and it keeps on moving no matter what. We literally cannot do anything physical to stop time and the aging process. On the other hand, time keeps us moving, motivating us to make the most of it. It reflects our full life journey - the past, present and future. It defines our milestones and achievements. It’s the way we function and get anything and everything done. Time is the fuel that keeps our life on track. What exactly is time? Is it real or imaginary? Does it have a soul? How should we best utilize our time and manage it most efficiently? How can time become our ally? Join Rabbi Simon Jacobson for this critical discussion on the very nature of time. Discover four steps -- reflected in the four

How would you rate your self esteem? And how do we even define self worth? What do we consider valuable? Is it how much money you have; how many possessions you own? Is it how many friends you have; how much love you have in your life? And who defines self worth? Do we define it ourselves? Or do others define it? We live in a world where we are inundated from every direction by all types of voices trying to sell us something. If you buy this, you'll look better and you'll feel more valuable and more worthy. But is our worth so surface based, so superficial. Additionally, we are faced with constant demands and expectations -- from parents, educators, employers and employees, family, media, politicians and more -- competing for our attention, time and energy. No wonder that we find it often difficult to discover ourselves -- to appreciate who we are and our own inherent value, independent of all these forces. Can others give us our worth or should our worth be generated from within? Please join Rab

Do Spiritual People Live Longer?What is the secret to living a long and healthy life? Much has been said and written about the importance of maintaining physical fitness -- balanced diet, regular exercise, ample sleep, avoiding toxins, and so on. But how about our emotional, psychological and spiritual health? What effect does, say, anxiety and stress have on our welfare and longevity? How much do our fears and insecurities drain and erode our immunity systems? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson for a dynamic discussion on the virtues of living a more meaningful and spiritual life. Discover how to introduce transcendence into your daily routines, how to build and embrace eternal foundations and values, and how that will help free you from the stresses and pressures that take their toll on your health. Learn how to unleash forces in your soul that will allow you to live a more fulfilling and a longer life, quantitatively and qualitatively.

One of the greatest challenges in life is how to rebuild after loss, how to reclaim dignity after we've been violated, how to experience rebirth after we've been traumatized, how to find resolution after something may have been destroyed. Tonight is Tisha B'Av, the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, when the Temple was destroyed. This day represents and personifies destruction on all levels, global, communal and personal. However, the good news is that within the destruction and within the challenges, lies the birth of hope, reconciliation and building something even greater that what was there before. Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in this vital conversation on how to comfort others and how to be comforted yourself. Discover the 5 R’s - five steps to build empathy: Reconnect. Recognize. Rebirth. Rebuild. Renewal.

Life is often fraught with challenges and difficulties. Yes, there are many times where life is thankfully filled with celebrations, joy, happiness, beautiful events and experiences. But there is no person on earth who hasn’t also been affected by the other part of life, the pain and suffering, the distress and anxieties – everybody has dealt with this in their own personal lives. Which brings us to the age-old question: How can a good G-d allow bad things to happen? If G-d is just, how can injustice occur? Why are good people made to suffer?There are those who have rejected G-d for this precise reason. But does a G-dless life make it easier to suffer? The fact is that each of us – no matter who you are – feels pain when we see innocent people senselessly suffer. If we did not have a sense of justice and compassion, why do we expect goodness to be rewarded? Why are we troubled when good people suffer? For many people G-d is actually their only solace and source of hope in difficult times. But the question sti

When you think of competition, how do you react? What feelings and thoughts does it conjure up?For many the word evokes feelings of failure, losing, or even humiliation. A competitive nature may not tolerate that another person won, leaving them bitter, angry and resentful. For others, the word elicits excitement, overzealousness to take on the challenge and be victorious at all costs, even if it means trampling others in the way. It can be about dominance, power and control. Either extreme doesn't seem positive. But does it have to be that way? Is competition all bad? Are there any benefits to it? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson for a dynamic discussion exploring the transformative potential of competition. Delve into the psychology and mechanics of healthy competition, uncovering its ability to drive personal growth, foster resilience, and ignite excellence. Discover how to harness competition as a motivational force, while also learning to navigate its potential pitfalls. In any area you are seeking

Do you feel alive, truly alive? Is your life filled with enthusiasm, energy, passion and excitement? We all go through ups and downs in life; there are times that we are sluggish and can feel unmotivated, uninspired, apathetic, and even zombie-like. And there are times that we feel like we are burning on all cylinders, making the most of our time and actualizing our potential. What state do you generally find yourself in? Is our energy level simply based on our moods and vicissitudes? Is it dependent on how we are wired: Are some people just more spirited than others? Or are we all able to achieve high octane levels to feel fully alive? And if so, what can one do to stimulate this state of being not only biological alive, not merely surviving, but living life to the fullest -- with spirit, energy and passion? Imagine what it would feel like to wake up each morning and jump out of bed with powerful anticipation, a mindset to seize the day and accomplish great things! And imagine being able to do so day

What power and potency do our words carry? Words are everywhere. Books, media, video, marketing, talk radio -- the list goes on. Words inundating us from every direction. And of course, the words we use endlessly. Words we think, speak and write. Do we even know how many words we utter a day? How many words we text? How many words we communicate? Do our words matter? How many of them are meaningful and how many are insignificant, even nonsense? How many of our words are hurtful and destructive? To speak comes so easily that we often take it for granted. Being that we have no quota for how many words we can say in a day we just talk, talk, talk… At the same time words contain tremendous power. Language is the basis of all communication and transmission of knowledge and experience; conversations between people who love each other, between strangers, between spouses, parents and children. Words create relationships, connections and attachments. Kind and loving words bring us together; healthy discourse lea

Are there any leaders that you trust?We have a leadership crisis today, where the people in power - our leaders - are simply not leading, and are not trusted. Do we even know what defines a true leader?Interestingly, the question goes deeper and is actually also about each one of us. Do you see yourself as a leader? We often think leaders are somewhere out there, other people who have the proper leadership credentials. But did you ever consider that you - yes, you - may have the potential to be a leader in your own right?It's about time to actually identify what makes a leader. Is it power, is it charisma, is it influence? The answer may surprise you and teach you what to expect in a leader and above all, how to be a leader in your part of the world.Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in this important discussion, and discover how the acronym of the word LEADER reveals the very features of what it takes to be one. Explore 6 qualities and ingredients that define a true leader and learn how you can employ the