8:00pm: Back to School Advice, Intrusive Mother-In-Law

This week’s edition of MyLife: Chassidus Applied with Rabbi Simon Jacobson, Episode 82, will air tonight, Sunday, here on CrownHeights.info, beginning at 8:00pm. This week Rabbi Jacobson will address the topics: Back to School Advice for Teachers; Intrusive Mother-In-Law; Mental Health Continued and a Special Tribute to Schneur Zalman Pevzner OBM

Join Rabbi Jacobson in this week’s episode as he pays tribute to Schneur Zalman Pevzner, a”h, whose young soul was ripped away from us in his prime. We will honor him by highlighting his Applied Chassidus essay which he had worked on in his last months on this earth, and can be viewed online, aptly titled, The Battle between Matter and Spirit. Tune in for a very special message we received after he submitted his essay.

In this episode Rabbi Jacobson will also present the Rebbe’s directives to teachers preparing for the new school year. “As a high school teacher every year I agonize over the first day of school. What message do I want to give over? How will I grab them? Excite them? I know that many of my students are not jumping for joy at the thought of sitting behind a desk for hours at a time day in day out! Although my subject is Navi, I like to walk in and immediately share something uplifting and relevant to my students? Something relating to beginnings, after all we are in Elul! I would very much appreciate your thoughts!”

Other topics that will be addressed in this episode include: advice how to navigate the complicated waters of in-laws, as well as continuing the discussion on mental health as seen through the lens of Chassidus.

“My mother is upset that my wife doesn’t call her. My wife says she feels that my mother constantly questions the way she conducts herself. I’m stuck in the middle between them. I told my mother to not speak with her about how she does things, just keep the conversations limited to weather, casual chatting etc. My mother won’t accept this. She says that she has such superficial relationships with her neighbors. One should a deeper relationship with a daughter in law. What’s the best way to resolve this?”

“I was fascinated, as I am sure others were, by your explanation of the anatomy of mental illness according to Chassidus. I would appreciate, as I’m sure others would as well, if you could provide more elucidation and the practical application of the Chassidic approach toward understanding and dealing with mental illness, especially in the context of what you mentioned about the different levels of hidden, potential, and core faculties.”

Rabbi Jacobson will also review the following essays submitted in the MyLife: Chassidus Applied contest (in addition to the one submitted by Shneur Zalman Pevzner A”H). Struggle on Purpose; by David Karpel, 45, teacher at Rohr Bais Chaya Academy, Coral Springs, FL. Lessons from the New Year: What blowing the shofar can teach us about helping individuals who struggle with depression, by Zalman Friedman, 31, Teacher at Cheder Menachem in LA, CA. These and other essays can be read online at meaningfullife.com/mylife/contest/.

And finally, the Chassidus question of the week (our new feature): “The more I learn Tanya the more confused I get: Each of us has two nefoshos (souls) within us, nefesh ha’bahamis and nefesh Elokis, who are at battle with each other. Who then is the one determining which voice to follow? When the beinuni chooses to listen to the divine soul, the Tanya says Hashem helps the nefesh Elokis prevail. If they are fighting and Hashem is the final arbiter, where do I come in?”

This hour-long dose of insights 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 www.meaningfullife.com/mylife.

The topics in this Sunday’s hour-long broadcast will include:

• MyLife Chassidus Applied to Chai Elul and Parshas Ki Savo
• The battle between matter and spirit, by Schneur Zalman Pevzner a”h
• Advice for teachers for the new school year
• Mental health follow-up
• Intrusive mother-in-law
• Chassidus question: With two souls, who’s in charge?
• MyLife Essays: The battle between matter and spirit. Struggle on purpose. Lessons from the New Year: What blowing the shofar can teach us about helping individuals who struggle with depression

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, 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. 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 MP3’s for listening on the go.

Questions may be submitted anonymously at www.meaningfullife.com/mylifelive.

MyLife is now available as a podcast and can be streamed or downloaded from iTunes.