Meaningful Life Skills: Weekly Global Class

We are now in the graduation season with millions of students celebrating the conclusion of a stage of their schooling.But what exactly is a graduation? What does it signify? Is it just an invisible milestone that comes and goes? Or is there something deeper, something personal and meaningful that we all - not just the graduates but also friends and family - can learn from it?Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson as we discuss transitions, the right of passage, that takes us from one stage in our lives to another. Discover that this is really the essence of what graduation is; it’s about the journey of life and how we deal with these transitions and junctures in time as we move and metamorphosize from one stage to the next.

Is there anyone that you absolutely and entirely trust? Trust with your life, trust with your confidence, trust with everything about yourself; someone you are comfortable being vulnerable with, knowing that you won’t be judged or criticized and the person’s attitude will not change in any way. Is there anyone that you have total transparency with, total honesty with no defenses? Actually you can ask a deeper question. Do you totally trust yourself? Are you completely in sync with yourself, not living in denial? Do you trust your choices and decisions implicitly? Trust is a very big word and it lies at the heart of every important aspect of your life. Trust plays a crucial role in all our relationships and commitments, it affects our connections and our decisions. When you totally trust someone you let yourself be completely invested, sharing and giving of yourself in a very real way. But when you don’t fully trust someone, you’ll put up walls and find excuses and justifications, making it impossible to be

Are you a giver or a taker? The fact is that we live in a world that teaches us how to take, with the justification and argument that life is fundamentally selfish; survival of the fittest is the driving ethos and if you don’t take care of yourself no one else will take care of you. Is that accurate? Is that a healthy attitude? On a short term basis, it may seem that being a taker will benefit you, even if doesn’t help others. But what about the bigger, long-term picture? What about love, virtue, nobility — what happens with these fundamental elements in life when we are in a parasitic state of mind? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in this penetrating talk — digging into the core of what defines us as humans — and discover how giving lays at the heart and soul of a healthy life. When you give you become a creator — defining yourself and your destiny, instead of being defined by those you take from. Giving builds confidence and security, enabling you to actualize your greatest potential.

Let's talk about spirituality. It's pretty much a given today that beneath the material surface of existence lies layers and layers of energy. What we experience with our senses -- sight, sound, taste, touch and smell -- is only the tip of the iceberg. Whether you call it energy, or spirit, or the inner workings, or the dna or the microscopic quantum state - there is a deeper dimension to our world that remains hidden to the physical eye. We will define it as spiritual energy. But what is spirituality? What does the very word spirit mean? Conventional thinking divides existence into two dimensions: spirit/energy and body/matter. And with the knowledge that e=mc2 we also discovered that energy and matter are actually reversible - they're both forms of energy just in different states of the same reality. (Just as heated water turns into gas and transforms into ice when frozen.) We also see our lives through this two-dimensional prism: 1. the material part of our lives -- survival, and 2) the spi

Are women inferior to men? Were they created as an afterthought, a secondary human being, designed to live in the shadow of men? The common perception is that in earlier history, in primitive times, that was indeed the attitude – that men were the center of the universe and women were simply their accessories. Hence, totally inferior. And even more specifically, if you ask anyone about the biblical and religious views of male vs. female, the response is that male hierarchy controlled the world and women were second class citizens. This common perception continues that in time women slowly began to claim and finally gain some rights (i’ts still arguable when they have equal rights or almost equal). In the last century, the suffrage and feminist movements are seen as being the modern advances of women finally gaining recognition and equal stature to men. But is this true? Are women indeed inferior to men in the Bible? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson as he debunks these common misperceptions and you will be sur

Mental health is a critical component in every aspect of our lives. It affects how we think, how we feel, our moods, our behavior and our actions. It impacts how we will deal with stress, our relationships, the choices we make, and so much more. Therefore, to lead a functional, productive and meaningful life, it is absolutely vital that our mental state be healthy.But what exactly is a mental state? What does our psyche look like? And what constitutes a healthy psyche, and how do we build that? When talking about a physical/tangible part of our body, it is easier to evaluate whether, say, an arm is functioning well or whether it is injured. But how do we determine that on a mental level, in the area of our psychological, emotional and behavioral lives? How do we assess and analyze our psyche and what can we do when there are challenges? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson for this important talk as he dissects the very core of mental health and discover how to access and actualize the deepest parts of your psyc

We live in a world where we are constantly categorizing and labeling all our experiences, our products and our entities. We do this in our personal lives; organizing our kitchen cabinets and closets and orchestrating our family's activities. And we do this in our professional lives; creating a filing system and a structured work environment and schedule. The human mind is a master at quantifying, classifying, sorting and organizing information. Modern technology has only accelerated the process of systemizing ways to store, retrieve and distribute data. Marketing is built on branding and etching distinct definitions in our psyches. While it is critical for an efficient and organized life to have categories, shelves and structures, what happens when we begin doing that to each other as human beings? When we label one another -- or even worse, stereotype one another - what does it do to the human condition? And how does this impact our relationships? This can ultimately lead to the worst possible discrimin

There has been a recent explosion of the use of mind altering substances - specifically psychedelics; DMT, psilocybin, ayahuasca, mescaline, ketamine, and other forms of experiences that people are attributing to helping them heal and reach deeper spiritual states and expanded consciousness. Some are suggesting that certain psychoactive substances have immense therapeutic potential, especially when it comes to tackling serious, hard-to-manage mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, alcoholism and addictions.The truth is that this is not a recent phenomenon. For centuries, various cultures and tribes have been using plant medicines and hallucinogens. Some shamans and healers have been incorporating these substances into their healing processes and ceremonies since ancient times. Are these appropriate and reliable methods? And what are we to say about this recent surge in our society? What's driving it? Is there any legitimacy to it or is it simply a fad? What long la

One of the more challenging moral obligations that we face throughout our lifetime is honoring our parents - and especially our elderly parents, as they become more needy and more dependent. This is not an easy thing to do on so many levels. It can be physically challenging, mentally taxing, emotionally draining and a major burden financially. So the big question is why are we obligated to help our elderly parents? Why should our parents become our responsibility? And this question is acutely growing as the largest demographic today are the elderly - due to higher life expectancy and health and medical interventions. Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson for a vital discussion that not only addresses our moral obligation but also our spiritual well being. Explore what lies behind our relationship with our parents, both when we are children and they (hopefully) cared for us and as they get older and we may need to take care and support them. Discover how honoring our parents -- especially in challenging times --

Freedom is one of the most cherished values in life. Personal freedom, political freedom, religious freedom… Much blood, sweat and tears have been shed for freedom; wars fought and lives lost in the name of freedom. Indeed, for thousands of years the world’s population was not free at all! We lived under monarchs, sometimes tyrants, always controlled by others. It’s only a recent phenomenon that we have freedom in our lives. But the big question is: Do you actually feel free? We may have all these freedoms around us, but are we enslaved internally? Is something holding us back? And the even bigger question is: What is freedom? How do we define freedom? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson for a fascinating pre-Passover discussion all about freedom. You can be physically free, free to roam about, not imprisoned behind tangible bars, but still be trapped and addicted emotionally and psychologically. Prison can take on many forms. Passover represents the exodus from bondage and slavery to any force and power withi

We usually associate spirituality with very positive and uplifting experiences; feelings of inspiration, transcendence, and free-spiritedness. Spirituality encompasses the ability to go beyond ourselves to experience higher states of consciousness and awareness.But is there a dark side to spirituality? Are there shadows, risks and challenges lurking? Is there such a thing as a bad or destructive spiritual experience? Are there harmful shamans, healers or sorcerers? Every powerful force can create tremendous good or cause profound damage.Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson for this important conversation and discover that with all the great and powerful experiences we are capable of - both on a cosmic and personal level - we must never forget that there is also "the other side", the darker side. Explore methods to not only preempt the negative energy but also learn to harness it toward the good.

What is meditation and how can it help you in your life? Our minds, especially in today’s world, are hyper-stimulated and over inundated. While racing from topic to topic, we are constantly multitasking and filled with distractions. How can we learn to slow down, smell the roses and live in the moment? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson and discover that there is a method where you can learn to focus your heart and mind and soul. And that focus in turn will spill over and saturate every part of your being with a deeper level of purpose and urgency. Explore how you can live a more focused, calm, serene and less stressful life.

Happiness is so crucial to life and yet often so elusive. Many people say, “If things are going well, I’d be happy.” The truth is: If you were happy, things would be going well! So how can we become happy? Is there a trick, a method to finding more happiness in our lives? Or are we destined to our predisposed disposition? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson for this unique program on happiness. Discover that when you smile you can actually generate happiness. Scientific studies show that when you smile (even a fake one) your brain releases neurotransmitters, including dopamine, serotonin and endorphins. Happiness is not just what happens to us, but it is actually what we create and initiate. We have the power to generate tremendous joy and happiness in our lives, despite our circumstances and vicissitudes. This life changing lesson will be sure to improve and transform the quality, joy and productivity in every aspect of your experience — from your daily routines to your bigger milestones.

A new frontier is upon us. Artificial intelligence has been talked about, written about and discussed in the form of predictions, prophecies and science fiction for centuries. Books have been written and movies produced foreshadowing a world driven and even controlled by robots and machines. But now we are actually experiencing it, living with it -- we have entered into a new era of AI that some are heralding as nothing less than a revolution, comparable to the greatest intellectual breakthroughs in history. With the development of ChatGPT, self-driving cars and so many new technologies, we have robots, machines and drones that are programmed to replace so many of our daily tasks. But not just mundane activities; we now have tools that can replicate and perhaps surpass the very process of human cognition. With our great minds, we have designed programs infused with human intelligence, experience and collective knowledge that are not simply covering menial tasks but can even channel creativ

How much potential do you have within you? Is there a way to release, access and actualize it? Today we know that every fiber of existence — even the smallest piece of matter — contains enormous amounts of atomic and nuclear energy. But to the naked eye and to our conscious senses and conventional tools, this energy is so concentrated that we have no awareness of it, and can’t even fathom its sheer power. Yet, we have developed methods, through nuclear fusion and fission, to produce unimaginable levels of energy. So too, you — each one of us — contains incredible power concealed and locked within your quantum supra-conscious. Please join Rabbi Jacobson in part 4 of a new revolutionary series as he presents time-tested methods on how to unlock the tremendous potential within you and how to channel it in your daily life. Discover 6 steps to unleash your supra-conscious and draw it into your consciousness. ***** This new 4-part series, How Consciousness is Born: 6 Steps from the Quantum Supra-Conscious to the Co

Are you able to access your supra-conscious (or unconscious, as it’s more popularly, though not necessarily accurately, known)? Ostensibly, it would seem impossible considering that the supra-conscious is an imperceptible and ethereal state — comparable to quantum-like indeterminism. However there are indeed methods to access and channel your supra-conscious into your consciousness. This is no small feat. Doing so can allow us to open up new channels of awareness, while also freeing us from the toxins — pain and trauma — that may have polluted our inner psyches. Please join Rabbi Jacobson in part 3 of a new revolutionary series as he presents time-tested ways to draw from our supra-consciousness and transform our lives. ***** This series, How Consciousness is Born: 6 Steps from the Quantum Supra-Conscious to the Conscious, deciphers a 16th century kabbalistic text in the Pardes of the great mystic, R’ Moshe Kordevoro, describing the metamorphosis from the quantum supra-conscious to the conscious. In

Do you ever wonder where consciousness comes from? It’s quite obvious that our conscious thoughts, feelings and experiences are just the outer tip of the iceberg. But what lies behind the curtain of our perception? Can we access it? Understanding the supra-conscious and how it impacts our lives is not simply an academic, psychological or even philosophical discussion. It affects all our activities and encounters, which are the surface expression of these subliminal forces within. So understanding how consciousness is born and its earliest roots, can help us revisit the source — the engine room of supra-consciousness — to perhaps charge and rewire our underlying neurons, to fire on new cylinders. Please join Rabbi Jacobson in this revolutionary series as he deciphers a 16th century kabbalistic text in the Pardes of the great mystic, R’ Moshe Kordevoro, describing the metamorphosis from the quantum supra-conscious to the conscious. In part 1 of this series, we took a journey through the six steps of this f

Do you ever wonder where consciousness comes from? When an idea suddenly falls into your head, where did it originate? That aha moment... what brought it on? As conscious beings we are aware of our thoughts, our experiences and phenomena around us. But what lies behind the curtain of our perception? If consciousness is the outer tip of the iceberg, what does the iceberg look like? Can we access it? Understanding the supra-conscious and how it impacts our lives is not simply an academic, psychological or even philosophical discussion. It affects all our activities and encounters, which are the surface expression of these subliminal forces within. Our memories and experiences -- our traumas and joys, from the youngest age -- whether we are aware of them or not, are all embedded into our psyche. These forces, even if deeply buried and concealed, impact your external life experiences - your fears, your joys, your attractions, your repulsions. Every past experience will inform your future experiences. Especiall

Vision is one of our most powerful senses. It impacts every aspect of our lives. It has the power to stimulate, captivate, mesmerize and seduce us -- for good or for not -- in overwhelming ways. And yet, how much of reality do we actually see? What percentage of the bigger picture do our eyes of flesh perceive? Indeed, considering all the different existing forms of manipulation and deception, our eyes can be led to believe all types of distortions and falsities. Behind a smile may lie an enemy. A sugarcoated candy can conceal poison within. Life is fraught with dark secrets lurking beneath the surface. What you see is not always what you get. Don't judge a book by its cover may be one of the most fallacious cliches. Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson on a journey plumbing the depths of reality, traveling into dimensions beneath and beyond our sensory tools. Learn how to recognize the limits and parameters of your instruments of perception, explore how to opens these doors and peer into the inner workings of yo

Are social media and technology improving your personal life? Are they enhancing your relationships? With all of technology's breathtaking advancements, connecting us in unprecedented ways, why do we feel more disconnected than ever? Despite the thousands of "friends" we may have on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok, why have we not become closer and more intimate? People today, perhaps more than ever, feel disoriented and are experiencing deep alienation; a crisis in relationships and intimacy. How do we explain this paradox: A world both connected and disconnected like never before? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson for this important conversation and learn how the true challenge is not how to look at technology but how to look at yourself. Discover how to reclaim your life and take control of technology, instead of letting it control you. Explore what social media is doing to us and what we can do to use its benefits and gifts to advance and grow our personal lives and relationships.