8:00pm: Is It Appropriate to Recite the Blessing on a King When We See the President of the USA?

The topics in this week’s 283rd episode of the highly acclaimed MyLife: Chassidus Applied series, with Rabbi Simon Jacobson, will include: 

  • Chassidus Applied to Chof Cheshvan: Beginning of 160 years since the Rebbe Rashab’s birth (5621), and 100 years from his histalkus (5680)
  • Lessons from Chayei Sarah
  • How does the mistreatment of the poor by Sodom compare to some behavior today?
  • What lessons can we learn from the current impeachment hearings?
  • Are non-Jews created in the Divine Image? Do they have a soul?
  • Is it appropriate to recite the blessing on a king when we see the President of the USA?
  • Should I be bothered by my spouse speaking to people of the opposite gender?
  • How much of a relationship should one have with his wife’s younger sisters?
  • How do we explain controversial behavior by our heroes in Tanach?
  • Why not broadcast MyLife on more websites? 
  • Follow up (episodes 282): Social anxiety
  • Chassidus question: 1. Does the soul feel what the body feels? 2. How would you explain the maamar V’isha Achas about spiritual and emotional numbness?
  • My Life 2019 essays: Big G-d and Little Me, Hindy Litvin, 17, Atlanta, GA; Cultivating an Identity Within the Framework of Chassidus, Ahava Keet, 17, Los Angeles, CA; It’s Not About You, Mendy Halberstam, 37, Miami Beach, FL 

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.