Meaningful Life Skills: Weekly Global Class

Do you feel overwhelmed and inundated by the deluge of demands and expectations tugging at you from all directions? Are your personal uncertainties, fears and anxieties flooding your psyche? Are you burned out by information overload continuously streaming into your mind and heart? If you answered yes, know that you are not alone. Virtually every one of us has times — some more often than others — when we feel that we cannot get our heads above water. We may have moments of respite, but the incessant wear and tear of life’s presenting challenges and pressures – — from financial burdens to personal struggles — cause us tremendous stress, to the point of feeling that things are out of control and even hopeless. We try to divide and conquer, taking it day by day, but the longer term forecast can appear gloomy and dark. Is there anything you can do to protect yourself from the raging floodwaters drenching your life? Please join Rabbi Jacobson in this vital and highly relevant presentation addressing one of the mo

How much control do you have over your life? Conventional thinking — and in many ways, the prevalent current view — is that most of our lives are determined by circumstances out of our control. If one was born into a dysfunctional home or experienced trauma, for instance, then they will most likely have difficulties with trust and relationships. If one grew up in a toxic and unhealthy environment, that will shape their destiny. This deterministic view is quite fatalistic and frankly downright pessimistic and depressing. Are we indeed simply defined by cause and effect? Or do we have the power to transcend our circumstances? Can we create a better reality than the “hand” we were dealt? To determine whether we are – or we are not – a victim and product of our circumstances, we must first understand and define: Who am I essentially at my core, what makes me tick and what potential and inner resources do I contain? Please join Rabbi Jacobson for this important pre-Rosh Hashana talk and discover new vistas of your

Just as we thought we were getting out from under the corona cloud, here we go again. With the latest resurgence of covid related concerns, people everywhere are asking: Will life ever get back to normal?    Please join Rabbi Jacobson as he addresses, in his disarming and inimitable way, our current disruptions. Instead of reacting to the symptoms with short term solutions, learn how to turn this challenge into an opportunity to step back and ask ourselves: What exactly is "normal" and who says that our pre-covid norm was healthy in the first place? Discover how upheavals offer us the ability to revisit and recalibrate -- and create a new paradigm in our lives. This is a time to not be a victim of circumstances, but to take control of how you navigate the uncertain twists and turns and define your own destiny.

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 Jacobso

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 a

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

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

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.

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 throu

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 freed

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.

Summer has finally arrived. After what we have been through in the last 18 months, we all can use a well deserved vacation. Just kickin' off our shoes, laying back and relaxing. With no pressures, let's just BBQ and have some fun. But is that enough? Can the human spirit really survive on animal bliss alone, without some measure of healthy angst and restlessness? When we're on the fast-paced merry-go-round or roller coaster of our lives, it's difficult to step back and see our lives in perspective. But when we experience a transition -- from winter to summer, from covid to post-covid, from gloom to hope -- we have a break, an opportunity. As we enter the summer vacation season -- vacation from the word vacate, to empty and be free -- this is an excellent time to revisit the very nature of your life and its purpose. What is work and what is vacation? What exactly are we vacationing from? Please join Rabbi Jacobson and experience a new type of "vacation" by using the breezy summer energy to probe deeper into

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Many people are alarmed by the recent rise of anti-Semitic threats and attacks. Whether this is connected to events in Israel and the general racial unrest and polarization in this country is debatable. Regardless, any accelerated anti-Semitic rhetoric and violence is certainly a cause for concern for all of humanity. Unequivocally, like the "miner's canary", hatred toward Jews has historically been a harbinger of troubles for all innocent people. Over the years, a school of thought has developed that we should indeed be concerned with history repeating itself, the argument being that Jews are never safe. While there may be temporary lulls of peace and calm, as in the Golden Age of Spanish Jewry or pre-World War Europe, anti-Semitic violence always comes back to rear its ugly head.  However, there is another school of thought. Please join Rabbi Jacobson as he passionately takes on this critical issue, and presents a radically different approach: While we need to be vigilant, and take strong measures to p

Do you ever feel like you're trapped in a dark tunnel. with no way out? It may take the shape of confusion and uncertainty; of general resignation and "quiet desperation;" or of deeper depression and hopelessness. Every one of us, at times, will experience the fear and anxiety that comes with a sense of being stuck in our lives. Please join Rabbi Jacobson and discover ways to navigate through the "tunnel vision" of our lives and find the light at the end of the tunnel. Learn the cosmic and mystical roots of life's shadows, and not only how darkness leads to light, but also the divine nature of darkness itself. 

As our hearts tear over the senseless loss of lives in the latest outbreak of violence in the Middle East, one can’t help but wonder: Will it ever end? What will it take to achieve peace in the Holy Land? Most, if not all, politicians, analysts, pundits and commentators — and nearly everyone else — have long given up hope on any comprehensive solution. After all we have witnessed, after all the attempts at peace, one need not even be a cynic be to be skeptical about the prospects. And yet, has everything truly been tried? The Western world in general rejects seeing this war between Israel and Arab/Muslims in any religious context. Many feel that in our “enlightened” and “scientific” age, religion is not and should not be a factor. Rational people can sit down and negotiate, as they would any business transaction or merger, and come up with a mutually acceptable compromise. And then move on. However, faith and religious passions don’t work that conveniently. Please join Rabbi Jacobson in this provocative pr

Just as some of us thought that the situation there was stabilizing, the peace accords showing promise of a brighter future for the region, we suddenly are rudely met with this barrage of rocket attacks and violence shaking the holy land... And all this in the wake of the Meron tragedy, in which 45 souls were ripped away from us. What is going on? How are we to react? You won't want to miss this special pre-Shavuot presentation by Rabbi Simon Jacobson, as he addresses both the larger picture and historical roots of this crisis, as well as how it informs the smaller, immediate picture of the here and now. Did you know that these conflicts go back over 3800 years? That they are based on deep ideological and spiritual tensions? Only by understanding the broader context of these battles can we hope to diffuse them and find a permanent solution.  Take a journey back 3333 years ago to Sinai, and come away with a new clarity and perspective, as well as practical things we each can do to help the situation an

Is your life predestined and predetermined? Or do you have control over your destiny? Do you have free will? So much of your life seems fixed in place without any of your input. Beginning with your very nature, personality and genetic makeup, followed by the influences of your home, family and education that shaped you and your attitudes, and finally different life experiences -- all factors that defined you and your life long before you became an independent adult (if there is such a thing) and were able to make choices. It then would seem to logically follow that we are products, if not victims, of circumstances. Well, not so fast. Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson and a discover a new perspective that has the power to change the way you see yourself and your life. Explore deeper mystical truths that will take you beneath the surface of our fixed structures and deterministic universe and reveal nondeterministic forces, containing a vast range of possibilities, which when tapped into, allow you to transcen

Is this wishful thinking? Do we deserve a second chance? Can we have a second chance? Conventional wisdom would seem to dictate that time travels in only one direction: forward. The past is the past, and you can do nothing to change it -- as much as you may want to. This is how we have been trained to think. Today's culture often takes it a step further: Get real and stop having illusions of grandeur. Come to terms with the fact that bygones are bygones. Shattered dreams, broken promises, love betrayed -- this is all part of reality. There are no second chances. As the cynics or the pessimists say; the more things change, the more they stay the same. Ecclesiastes puts it this way: A generation goes, a generation comes, and there is nothing new under the sun. Basically, lower your expectations and don't expect any great changes in your life. If something was damaged, there's nothing you can do about it. We are victims of circumstances. Period. But is this true? Please join Rabbi Jacobson as he challenges con