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8:00pm: Should We Be Closing Schools and Shuls Due to Covid-19?

The topics in this week’s 300th episode of the highly acclaimed MyLife: Chassidus Applied series, with Rabbi Simon Jacobson, will include: 

  • Coronavirus
    • How did our ancestors deal with plagues? 
    • Has the Rebbe ever made public statements about pandemics and what we can do on a physical and spiritual level to stop them?
    • Are the yeshivas that are closing due to corona virus violating the edict shomer mitzvos lo yeda devar rah?
    • Is it okay to daven at home?
    • Add a mitzvah to help stop the pandemic?
    • Should we organize a larger prayer gathering?
    • Can the Coronavirus panic possibly be a sign of Moshiach’s imminent arrival?
  • Chassidus applied to 25 Adar and Parshas HaChodesh
  • Lessons from Vayakhel Pikudei 
  • 300th episode: What are the three most important everyday lessons for the average person you have learned from chassidus?
  • What type of miracle is better, a supernatural miracle or a miracle hidden in nature?
  • Ki Tissa follow-up:
    • Why was Moshe not punished for smashing the luchos?
    • Was Moshe forgiving of the Jews who built the golden calf?
  • Purim follow-up:
    • Why are the names of Mordecahi and Esther used?
    • Women included in the miracle
    • Was G-d “awake” during the Purim story?
  • Chassidus question: Why did G-d tell Moshe that he can see His back, but not His face?
  • My Life 2019 essays:
    • חסידות – המפגש החדש, Paz Shavit, 35, Herzliya, Israel
    • עד כמה חשובה הכוונה בקיום המצוות, Dori Galili, 45, Sderot, Israel
    • Bullying: An Opportunity, Not a Threat, Mendel Wilhelm, 23, London, England


This hour-long dose of insights, broadcast live every Sunday night 8-9PM EST, is meant to inform, inspire and empower us by applying the teachings of Chassidus to help us face practical and emotional challenges and difficulties in our personal lives and relationships. To have your question addressed, please submit it at chassidusapplied.com/ask.

In what has now become a staple in so many people’s lives, MyLife: Chassidus Applied addresses questions that many people are afraid to ask and others are afraid to answer. When asked about the sensitive topics he has been addressing, Rabbi Simon Jacobson commented, “I understand that the stakes are high and great care has to be taken when speaking openly, but the silence and lack of clarity on matters plaguing the community can no longer go unaddressed. The stakes of not providing answers are even higher.”

The on-going series has provoked a significant reaction from the community, with thousands of people viewing each live broadcast and hundreds of questions pouring in week after week. At the root of every question and personal challenge tackled by the series is the overarching question: Does Judaism have the answers to my personal dilemmas?

In inimitable “Jacobson-fashion”, the broadcast answers people’s questions in simple, clear language while being heavily sourced. Each episode is jam-packed with eye-opening advice from the Rebbeim, gleaned from uncovering surprising gems in their letters, sichos and maamorim that address our personal issues with disarming relevance. Simultaneously, Rabbi Jacobson is able to crystallize a concept quickly, succinctly, and poignantly for any level of listener.

All episodes are immediately available for viewing in the MLC’s archive and can be downloaded as MP3s for listening on the go.

Questions may be submitted anonymously at chassidusapplied.com/ask.

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