Mental Health by Rabbi YY Jacobson

Sony Perlman in Conversation with Rabbi YY: Rabbi YY Jacobson & Sony Perlman on the podcast "Brainstorm with Sony Perlman", Motzei Shabbos, 6 Adar II, 5784, March 16, 2024. The conversation focused on the mental health crisis of our age, and the question if we have betrayed our youth by placing such overemphasize on emotions.How do we understand the soul and heartbeat of our generation? The interview explored also the burden of inauthenticity, understanding our coping mechanisms, healing our marriages, child abuse, and the Agunah crisis. For all the otherepisodes: Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/episode/10sK1alOjYevtBKFNT0y0u?si=2TiYHoEwR_uvYzOa_UW8Lw Apple:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brainstorm-with-sony-perlman/id1596925257?i=1000649439737

Rabbi Shimon Russell in Conversation With Rabbi YY: In honor of a recent "Kesher Nafshi" fundraiser, Rabbi YY Jacobson interviewed world-renowned therapist Rabbi Shimon Russell, author of "Raising a Loving Family."The interview took place on Sunday 9 Adar I, 5784, Feb 18, 2024. The conversation between Rabbi Russell & Rabbi Jacobson explored how to raise a loving family in our times, how to educate, inspire, and mentor our children, providing them with their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs, so that they can grow up to be healthy, happy and inspired human-beings and Jews. The conversation also focused on Crisis-Chinuch, dealing with struggling children of all ages. The conversation explored the duty and opportunity for parents to heal themselves and confront their own coping mechanisms and wounds so that they can show up for their children authentically and vulnerably, without using their children as tools to numb their own pain. For more information about Kesher Nafshi which helps parents with struggling children, please go to:https://keshernafshi.org/

Interview with Rabbi YY on "Headlines" Radio: Israel and the Jewish world reel in pain from the devastating lossand pain since October 7th, 2023.How can we turn our current plight into a growth opportunity?Will we have Post-Traumatic Stress or Post-Traumatic Growth from the war? Rabbi YY Jacobson addresses these questions on the Halacha Headlines podcast, Guest-Hosted by Rabbi Ari Wasserman, on Motzei Shabbos Parshas Bo, 10 Shevat,5784, Jan. 20, 2023 This is an excerpt ofthepodcast. The full podcast also includesRabbi Aviad Goldvicht a Rav Tzvaii, a rabbi/businessman serving in the IDF as a Rabbi,Dr. Jacob Freedman noted psychiatrist, speaker and author &Mrs. Batya Widowsky BSW social worker and volunteer for the psycho-trauma unit of Ichud Hatzalah. To listen to full episode:https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-cja8u-1554322

Zoom Webinar from Fresh Start with Dr. Ron Siegel, Moderated by Rabbi YY Jacobson: In light of the current ongoing challenges in Eretz Yisrael and around the world, we present a transformative webinar to provide practical tips and expert guidance for self-regulation during times of crisis. Featuring Dr. Ron Siegel, Moderated by Rabbi YY Jacobson, on Monday, November 27, 2023, & was facilitated through Yochanan Polter & Tova Korn of "FreshStart" https://jewishfreshstart.com/home Fresh Start Retreat, Their flagship program, Fresh Start Retreat, is a 7-day intensive retreat helping participants understand their past to create a brighter future.

Zoom Webinar from Fresh Start with Dr. Richard Schwartz, Moderated by Rabbi YY Jacobson: In light of the current ongoing challenges in Eretz Yisrael and around the world,Fresh Start invites you to a transformative webinar seriesto provide practical tips and expert guidance for self-regulation during times of crisis. Featuring Dr. Richard Schwartz, Moderated by Rabbi YY Jacobson, Tuesday, November 21, 2023.

Rabbi YY in Conversation with Dr. Stuart Ablon: How Do We Avoid Power Struggles & Frustration Between Parents and Children? How do we helping our children and ourselves during a time of crisis and fear? How do we discipline children in a positive way? How do we avoid anger, power struggles, and frustration between parents and children? How do we inspire our children rather than control them? A conversation between Rabbi YY Jacobson & Dr. Stuart Ablon. This webinar took place on Friday 4 Kislev, 5784, November 17, 2023 & was facilitated through Yochanan Polter & Tova Korn of "FreshStart" https://jewishfreshstart.com/home Fresh Start Retreat Our flagship program, Fresh Start Retreat, is a 7-day intensive retreat helping participants understand their past to create a brighter future.

Rabbi YY on "A Positive Podcast": Rabbi & Raizel Schustermaninterview Rabbi YY Jacobson in a powerful conversation. They discuss the importance of staying connected with your children through parenting. In this episode, they explore the difference between woke liberalisms approach to parenting and Chassidus approach and how to differentiate between the two. They also delve into the significance of choosing connection over behavior when dealing with challenges with our loved ones Throughout the conversation, Rabbi Jacobson provides insights into the spiritual teachings of Chassidus and how they can be applied to modern parenting. He explains why connected parenting is not "woke" but instead, the essence of Chassidus. Additionally, he sheds light on how some of the new approaches to parenting are rooted in the ancient teachings of the Baal Shem Tov. If you are curious to learn more about Chassidus and its relevance to relationships , this episode is a must-listen. To set up your free consultation with Raizel schusterman you can reach out through her website www.apositivecoach.com A positive podcast is powered by OKclarity.com. OKclarity.com is THE place for any Jew - no matter how religious you are - to find a top notch therapist, psychiatrist, coach, or nutritionist. And its completely free! OKCLARITY.coms professionals are vetted and have extensive experience working with the Jewish community. If youre in the market for a therapist, Coach, nutritionist, psychiatrist or the like - or if you ARE a therapist, coach, psychiatric medication provider or nutritionist, you must go check them out at OKclarity.com. To gettheir other podcasts and content go toA Positive Podcast on Apple PodcastsorSpotify

Women's Class Vayekhel-Pekudei: This women's class was given on Parshas Vayakhel-Pekudei, 5769, March 17, 2009, and it is partially based on the last public address bythe Lubavitcher Rebbe, presented on Shabbos Parshas Vayakhel, 25 Adar I, 5752, February 29, 1992, and on Likkutei Sichos vol. 21 Vayakhel-Pekudei. Vayakhel means to gather -- the gathering of distinct parts to create a community; whereas Pikudei means to count. Counting serves as a function of distinction, and separation, with an emphasis on the individual being counted. These two portions then capture two dimensions of life. On the one hand, we crave intimacy, seek community, and inherently belong to a larger family.On the other hand, we are pulled toward individualism, independence, and self-actualization. Where is the balance?How do we reconcile the two?

Tackling Taboos with Rabbi YY & Eli Nash #2: Part Two of a Three Part Series with Rabbi YY Jacobson and Eli Nash discussing addiction, abuse,homosexuality, and more.

Tackling Taboos with Rabbi YY & Eli Nash #1: Part One of a Three-Part Series with Rabbi YY Jacobson and Eli Nash discussing addiction, abuse, psychedelics, homosexuality, and more.

Rabbi YY Interviews Author of "The Body Keeps the Score": Rabbi YY Jacobson had a zoom conversation with Dr. Van Der Kolkon healing trauma in the Jewish community. It included an intimate and raw Q&A session with "Fresh Start" Alumni. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk is a psychiatrist, author, researcher and educator based in Boston. Since the 1970s his research has been in the area of post-traumatic stress. He is the author of The New York Times best seller, The Body Keeps the Score. Dr. Van der Kolk formerly served as president of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and is a former co-director of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. He is a professor of Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine and president of the Trauma Research Foundation in Brookline, Massachusetts. The Fresh Start Retreat is an intensive 7-day retreat designed for men and women who want to understand, process, and heal from unresolved trauma, neglect, and abuse. To learn more about Fresh Start Retreat Center please visit https://www.jewishfreshstart.com or call 248-301-9997

Rabbi YY Interviews Dr. Stephen Porges: Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D. is a distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University where he is the founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium. He is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina. He served as president of the Society for Psychophysiological Research and the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences and is a former recipient of a National Institute of Mental Health Research Scientist Development Award. He has published more than 400 peer-reviewed papers across several disciplines including anesthesiology, biomedical engineering, critical care medicine, ergonomics, exercise physiology, gerontology, neurology, neuroscience, obstetrics, pediatrics, psychiatry, psychology, psychometrics, space medicine, and substance abuse. In 1994 he proposed the Polyvagal Theory, a theory that linksthe mammalian autonomic nervous system to social behavior and emphasizes the importance of the physiological state in the expression of behavioral problems and psychiatric disorders. The theory is leading to innovative treatments based on insights into the mechanisms mediating symptoms observed in several behavioral, psychiatric, and physical disorders. He is the author of The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation (Norton, 2011), The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe, (Norton, 2017), co-editor of Clinical Applications of the Polyvagal Theory: The Emergence of Polyvagal-Informed Therapies (Norton, 2018) and author of Polyvagal Safety: Attachment, Communication, Self-Regulation (Norton 2021). Dr. Porges is the creator of a music-based intervention, the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), which is used by therapists to improve social engagement, language processing, and state regulation, as well as to reduce hearing sensitivities. The Fresh Start Retreat is an intensive 7-day retreat designed for men and women who want to understand, process, and heal from unresolved trauma, neglect, and abuse. To learn more about Fresh Start Retreat Center please visit https://www.jewishfreshstart.com or call 248-301-9997

Rabbi YY Interviews Dr. Stuart Ablon, Ph.D.: at a "Fresh Start" Alumni Webinar, moderated by Yochanan Polter co-founder of Fresh Start Dr. Ablon is an award-winning psychologist, Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, Founder and Director of Think:Kids at Massachusetts General Hospital, and the author of three books, including Changeable, hand-picked by Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Dan Pink and Susan Cain for their Next Big Idea Club. One of the worlds top-rated thought-leaders and keynote speakers at conferences including SXSW, TedX and NATCON, he teaches a very different approach to understanding and addressing challenging behavior of all types and in all people from homes to classroom to the boardroom. Fresh Start Retreat is an intensive 7-day retreat designed for men and women who want to understand, process, and heal from unresolved trauma, neglect, and abuse. To learn more about Fresh Start Retreat Center please visithttps://Jewishfreshstart.com

Shifra Hendrie Interviews Rabbi YY Jacobson:

Adult Content: Webinar With Rabbi YY & Eli Nash: Adult Content: A Webinar withRabbi YY andEli Nash discussing the shame around addiction, on Tuesday, March 8, 2022

In Conversation: Rabbi YY & Rabbi Shimon Russell, LCSW: Rabbi YY Jacobson & Rabbi Shimon Russell, LCSW,discussing and taking questions on zoom, regarding: Why Are So Many Teenagers Struggling in Today's Generation? What We Can Do to Help Them? Episode #83 of "Let's Get Real with Coach Menachem," with Rabbi Menachem Berenfeld, Life Coach, moderated by Asher Parnes.

Women's Chanukah Class: This weekly women's class was presented on Tuesday, Parshas Miketz, 26 Kislev, 5782, November 30, 2021, at Bais Medrash Ohr Chaim in Monsey, NY.

Q & A with Rabbi YY on Instagram live: Rabbi YY Jacobson on "Instagram Live"answering questions related to Mental Health, moderated byMoshe Schonbrun,Rabbi at University of Maryland & Host of The Chavrusa Podcast. On Sunday evening, 3 Kislev, 5782, November 7, 2021.

Lecture for Mental Health Initiative Chabad NJ: Faith in Times of Anxiety - Address to Chabad of Montclair

24 Teves 5773 : A Day with the Alter Rebbe (1) -- 200 Years From His Passing- 1) The Majesty of Friction. 2) How To Deal with People Who Hurt You

24 Teves 5773: How to Deal with People Who Hurt You? The View of the Alter Rebbe. Can a Person Choose to Harm You?

The Majesty of Friction: The Light Unleashed Through Tension- Maamar Lo Tov Heyos HaaAdam Levado By Rabbi Schnuer Zalman of Liadi

Yud Shevat 5773 Webcast : Why We Need G-d In Our Schools. Can We Turn Our World Into a Garden? How Do We Educate Children? Is Man Inherently Good or Bad?

This class will travel into the world of some of Judaisms greatest geniuses, Maimonides, Rabbi Yosef Rosen, and the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and see how they understood some of lifes deepest truths from textual halachik nuances. What is freedom is it merely the absence of slavery and oppression? What is rest is it merely the termination of work? Maimonides says that the obligation to remember and recount the story of the Exodus on Passover is the same as the obligation to remember Shabbos. Why does he make this comparison? But how is rest different than refraining from work? How is freedom from slavery differ from active freedom? Indeed, the Hebrew language offers us two words to describe liberty: Chofesh and Charus. The difference between them is dramatic: One is freedom defined by what we are not; the other is freedom defined by what we are. The famous Rogachover Gaon, Rabbi Yosef Rosen, teaches an extraordinary and innovative law based on Maimonides: It is not enough to refrain from work on Shabbos, but one must actively engage in rest. This then is Maimonides point. It is not enough to be released from slavery, one must actively live free.

Class Parshas Mishpatim: A Journey Through the Four Talmudic Categories of Damagers and Their Psychological Application. The Torah is not only the history and development of early Judaism; not only an ethical and moral code; not only the philosophy of Monotheism; but also contains hundreds of cases of criminal, civil, and corporate law. One of the six orders of Talmud -- the order of Nezikin, Damages -- is entirely devoted to the Jewish judicial system and all of its intricate details. It analyzes and dissects hundreds of practical, as well as theoretical cases, and was organized later into one of the four sections of the Shulchan Aruch, the Code of Jewish Law. This class will analyze these Four Fathers of Damage psychologically and spiritually, and show how they are the fathers and roots of all spiritual stagnation, emotional paralysis, and self-destructive behavior. The class concludes with the Torah approach of how to deal with these four challenges. Nezikin begins by listing four fathers of possible methods of damage: Ox, Pit, Human and Fire. These are four prototypes of damagers that include multitudes of children, the legal offspring, as it were, of these fathers."

For well over a millennia, Jewish spiritual life revolved around the myriads of ritualistic services conducted in the Tabernacle, and later, in the Temple. The Torah describes in minute detail each item, artifact, garment, service and sacrifice that was part of Temple worship." "Today, many of these methods of worship seem foreign, ceremonial, and outdated. Yet nothing can be further from the truth. In Jewish tradition, the heart of man is the Temple of G-d; every rite and ritual performed in the Temple exactly parallels a spiritual journey in the psyche of the human being. In this class, we will analyze the cleaning of the Menorah, the daily animal sacrifice, and the burning of incense, and discover the profound spiritual and psychological implications of a Talmudic debate regarding their order in the daily service of the Temple.

Please Pass the Salt - A Journey into the Five Layers of Torah Study, and the Five Layers of Human Identity

This women's class was presented on Tuesday Parshas Acharei-Kedoshim, 6 Iyar 5777, May 2, 2017, in Monsey, NY. How do you maintaining your identity during stressful times? What an agricultural Talmudic law about fruit teaches us about psychological serenity and historical endurance.

The five challenges of living: Loss, illness, moral Impurity, finances & uncertainty. How the five Jewish holidays address the five most painful experiences of the human condition

It was the worst crisis in Moses' life. Incited by the 'mixed multitude', the Israelites complain about the food: 'If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost; the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna. It was an appalling show of ingratitude, but not the first time the Israelites had behaved this way. Three similar episodes occurred previously and are recorded in the book of Exodus. Yet Moses' reaction this time is dramatically different: I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me! If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now - if I have found favor in Your eyes - and do not let me face my own ruin. What triggered this despair? And how did G-d respond and comfort him? And if Moses felt that the burden of leadership was unbearable, what gave him the strength to continue? One possible answer to these questions provides a simple but moving lesson in the importance for a student or disciple to give feedback and express appreciation to his mentor, even when the student thinks that his successes are completely insignificant in the shadow of his teachers greatness. A fascinating encounter between the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Sholom Dovber Schneerson, and Dr. Sigmund Freud in 1903.

Class Parshas Matos: The Music of Intoxication: The Kabbalistic story behind a rare musical note in the Torah

"The simple reading of the story goes like this: After the Jews created a Golden Calf, Moses smashed the stone tablets created by G-d, engraved with the Ten Commandments. Moses and G-d then ""debated"" the appropriate response to this transgression and it was decided that if the people would truly repent, G-d would give them a second chance. Moses hewed a second set of stone tablets; G-d engraved them also with the Ten Commandments, and Moses gave them to the Jewish people." "Yet a few major questions come to mind. 1. Moses, outraged by the sight of a golden calf erected by the Hebrews as a deity, smashed the stone tablets. He apparently felt that the Jews were undeserving of them, and that it would be inappropriate to give them this Divine gift. But why did Moses have to break and shatter the heavenly tablets? Moses could have hidden them or returned them to their heavenly maker?" "This seems strange. Why would they place the broken tablets in the Holy of Holies? After all, these fragments were a constant reminder of the great moral failure of the Jewish people. Why not just disregard them, or deposit them in a safe isolated place?" "2. The rabbis teach us that ""The whole tablets and the broken tablets nestled inside the Ark of the Covenant."" The Jews proceeded to gather the broken fragments of the first set of tablets and had them stored in the Ark, in the Tabernacle, together with the second whole tablets. Both sets of tablets were later taken into the Land of Israel and kept side by side in the Ark, situated in the Holy of Holies in the Temple in Jerusalem." "3. In its eulogy for Moses, the Torah chooses this episode of smashing the tablets as the highlight and climax of Moses achievements. Why does the Torah choose this tragic and devastating episode to capture the zenith of Moses life and as the theme with which to conclude the entire Torah, all five books of Moses?! " "This class, using as a springboard two seemingly superfluous words in Eikev, will examine this entire episode from a deeper vantage point. It tells the story of all forms of brokenness in the human journey."

"You shall not see your brothers ox or his sheep go astray and ignore them; return them to your brother... So shall you do with his ass, so shall you do with his garment, and so shall you do with every lost thing of your brother... -- Deuteronomy 22:1-3 " "Obviously, the duty to return a lost object to its owner is not limited to oxen, sheep, asses and garments, but appliesas the verse concludesto every lost thing of your brother. The Talmud explains that the Torah cites these examples because each of them teaches us another of the laws regarding lost objects. However, while it deciphers the laws to be derived from ox, ass and garment, it does not succeed to do so in the case of the sheep. The lost sheep is a difficulty, it concludes the Talmud, meaning that the legal significance of the word sheep in the verse proved difficult for the sages. " "Accordingly, the mitzvah of returning a lost object applies not only to the physical property of ones fellow but to his spiritual possessions as well. If you encounter a life gone astraya confused mind, a dysfunctional heart, a soul that has lost its moral compass or spiritual sensitivityrestore it to its owner. You may not remain indifferent to the spiritual plight of a brother any more than you may ignore his wayward ox. " "The Zohar tells us that the Torah has both a body and a soul. The body of the Torah is its physical partthe historical events it recounts and the laws it legislates. But implicit in this body is a soul, a mystic dimension in which every story has its sublime analogy and every legal nuance its spiritual counterpart." "Specifically, the four examples of lost objects enumerated by Torah correspond to four prototypical maladies of the human soul. Join us on a fascinating journey into the psychology of aggression, passivity, treachery and meekness. "

How Flattery Destroyed a People. The last Judean-Roman king, Agrippa, read the Torah during "Hakhel" and wept, but the Jews assured him that he was their brother. According to the Rabbis, this spelled their end.

Four Perspectives On Sin: An evening of song & inspiration with Rabbi Jacobson and Cantor Berel Zucker singing stirring high-holiday melodies. The lecture explores a "panel discussion" between wisdom, prophecy, Torah and G-d on sin.

The Art of Transformation- On Rosh Hashanah we go to the water to cast away our sins; on Sukkos we return to the water to reclaim our sins

The Raven & The Dove: The Flood Recedes and Noah Sends Out a Raven Followed by a Dove. Why These Two Birds? And What Does This Story Tell Us of the Journey Necessary for people Recovering from Personal Floods? When Cynicism Replaces Innocence.

Miketz/Vayigash Class: How Joseph Brought Healing to His Broken Family- A Tale of Three Experiments

Why Was Moses Afraid to Gaze at G-d?- In His Greatest Moment Moses Chose Earth Over Heaven

Four Guardians and their Psychological Application- Are You a Parasite? A Party Animal? An Employee? Or a Soldier?

Is Life Beautiful?- You Can Choose to Stare at the Thorns Or Gaze at the Roses

The Tension between Selfhood and Selflessness- A Journey into the Biblical Prohibition Against Offering Yeast or Honey

The Story Behind a Curse: Embracing Your Unique Place in the World

Shavous -- Yartzeit of the Baal Shem Tov: Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov (1698-1760), the founder of Chassidism, granted Judaism a sophistication, depth, and richness, which allow us to appreciate Torah with a new light. One of his most fundamental teachings was that G-d was not a force above the world manipulating and controlling it, but rather G-d was the name we use to describe the very truth and essence of Reality; the core and backdrop of all existence. Therefore, in every thought there was meaning, in every experience there was joy, in every encounter there was energy of the Divine. You can find G-d in all. This class takes us on a journey into one of the Baal Shem Tovs teachings on how to deal with alien and destructive thoughts that inundate us during prayer and meditation. 150 years before the birth of psychoanalysis, the Baal Shem Tov taught us how the external manifestation of a thought may eclipse its inner meaning. Every thought needs healing and sublimation. Yet there are exceptions.

"The Torah differentiates between two categories of husband: an arus, a betrothed husband, and a baal, a full husband. Under Torah law, marriage consists of two distinct stages. First is the betrothal (erusin), by which the bride becomes ""forbidden to the rest of the world."" From this point on, for another man to have relations with her is tantamount to adultery, and to dissolve the betrothal requires a get (writ of divorce), as for a full-fledged marriage. The betrothal, however, only establishes the prohibitive side of marriage (the exclusion of all other men from the relationship), but not the substance of the relationship itselfthe two still cannot live together as man and wife. This is achieved through the second stage of marriage, the nissu'in, which renders man and wife ""one flesh.""" "In the 30th chapter of Numbers, the Torah discusses the laws of the annulment of vows. If a married woman makes a vow (I promise I will not eat meat), her husband has the authority to veto it, and declare his wife's vows null and void." " In Biblical and Talmudic times, the eirusin and the nissu'in were held on two separate occasions, so that for a certain period of time (usually a year) the bride and groom were bound by the prohibitions of marriage but had not yet begun their actual life together. In this period, the groom is called an arus, and only following the nissu'in, the second stage, he assumes the status of a baal." "Regarding the annulment of vows, the arus and the baal differ in two respects. The baal has the sole authority to annul his wife's vows, while the arus can do so only in conjunction with his bride's father. On the other hand, there is also an area in which the authority of the arus is greater than that of the baal: the baal can only annul vows made by his wife after their marriage (nissu'in), while the arus can revoke earlier vows, including those made by his bride prior to their betrothal." "The Talmud explains that these two laws are interdependent. Because the baal's ability to annul his wife's vows derives solely from the relationship between them, he has no authority over vows made before this relationship came into being. And because the aruss authority is in partnership with the father, it extends as far back as that of the father." "Every law in Judaism, we know, has a psychological and emotional counterpart. This class explores the relevant personal ramifications of this law by examining two profiles of people: the human being who has made full peace with G-d, and the person who still struggles with G-d, and is never fully integrated with Him. At first glance it would seem the former is in a superior state, but in essence, it is the other way around." "This class gives unique comfort to those of us who never seem to get there and are always enmeshed in a struggle against our demons, addictions, and inner challenges."

Vayalech Class: Moses end was drawing near. G-d had commanded him that he was to pass on the mantle of leadership to his devoted disciple Joshua, the man who never left Moses tent. The Midrash tells us that it is at this historic moment that Moses turns to G-d with a surprising request. I know that I am not destined to lead the nation into Israel. But let me enter not as a leader but as a follower! Let Joshua take my place, but let me live! G-d, the Midrash continues, granted Moses request. What happens next is astonishing: The Midrash tells us that Moses became jealous of Joshua. He could not bear being deprived of the Divine revelation that was now exclusively his student's! Moses tells G-d: I prefer one hundred deaths over one pang of jealousy! G-d again grants his request, and Moses passes away. We have to understand: What does it mean that Moses became jealous? Moses was the one who had declared, If only all the people would become prophets! And of his dearest student Joshua? The Talmud tells us that one can be jealous of anyone except his own son or his own student!? We find that Elijah happily granted his student Elisha double his prophetic spirit? And from all people Moses, the most humble human being on earth! This class will explore the spiritual and psychological roots of jealousy and its results, and show the deeper perspective on just what it was that Moses was refusing. We will understand the real difference between the leadership of Moses and the leadership of Joshua, and how this was reflected in their personalities and in their generations.

Chayei Sarah Class: Eliezer was sent by Abraham to Charan (modern day north-Syria) to bring back a wife for his only son Isaac. In this monumental marriage, the first Jewish shidduch, the entire Jewish future lay. Eliezer is given only one requirement: The girl must be a relative of Abraham. It is here that Eliezer is torn, because he too has a daughter, and as Abrahams faithful and devoted servant, he can dream of nothing greater than Isaac becoming his son-in-law. But Eliezer is not a relative of Abraham; on the contrary he is a descendant of Canaan, the son that Noah who was cursed. However hope is not lost. Abraham tells Eliezer that if the girl in Charan refuses to return to Israel, the condition is off, he is not responsible to fulfill his oath and bring a girl from Charan." Thus, it is with mixed emotions that Eliezer embarks on his mission. His profound devotion to Abraham wants him to succeed, but his own selfish hopes for his daughter undermine his mission. Yet, unlike Lot, Eliezer overcomes his inner inhibitions and succeeds in the mission placed upon him. Whereas Lot became paralyzed and had to be dragged out of Sodom, Eliezer smoothly and confidently succeeds remarkably well. It is clear that unlike Lot, Eliezer has resolved his own ambivalence and overcame his inner inhibitions. How? We learned last week about the ambivalence and deep psychological conflict expressed by the cantorial shalsheles note. There is a shalsheles in Vayeira, and now there is another one in Chayei Sarah. In Vayeira, the torn character, the owner of the shalsheles, was Lot, in Chayei Sarah it is Eliezer, the servant of Abraham. A powerful Chassidic insight teaches us the key to this type of self-transcendence. It also allows us to discover the patterns of psychoanalysis so prevalent in the book of Genesis.

Vayeitzei Class: It is one of the great visions of the Torah. Jacob, alone at night, fleeing from the wrath of Esau, lies down to rest, and sees not a nightmare of fear but an epiphany: He came to a certain place and stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream. He saw a ladder resting on the earth, with its top reaching heaven. And behold! There were Angels of G-d going up and down the ladder. And there above it stood G-d. Just what exactly were the angels doing? Were they going up or going down? It sounds like both. But why? For what purpose? The Talmud tells us: The angels ascended to gaze upon the visage of Jacob above; then they descended to gaze upon the image of Jacob below. What is the meaning of this cryptic Talmudic interpretation? What are these two images? Why were the angels scrutinizing them? The image of Jacob observed by the angels surfaces in the story of Joseph, his son. Joseph, sold as a slave to an Egyptian nobleman, attracts the lustful imagination of his master's wife. She desperately tries to engage Joseph in an immoral relationship. As the union between them was about to materialize, the visage of his father, Jacob, suddenly appeared to Joseph. This caused him to reject the urge and flee outside. What was it about Jacob's visage that inspired Joseph to deny such an intense temptation? Each of us, the Talmud is suggesting, professes two imagestwo faces, two personalities, two identities, a heavenly image and an earthly one. There is who you are, and who you can be. There is the you experienced in your own mind, and the you the way it is envisioned by G-d. But only in Jacob were both images one: the image below was an authentic reflection of his image above. It is here that the Torah is eloquently portraying one of the greatest tragedies of Darwinism: the loss of true self-esteem.

An Ode to the Ego -- Torah Or Megilas Esther Maamar Vayikach Haman. Part One: You Cant Start Serving G-d If You Dont Believe In Yourself

How To Talk To Your Children- The Power the Words You Use Have on Your Children. Class 1 of 4

The Story of My Life -- How To Build Your Child's Self Esteem- We Are the Stories That We Tell, and the Stories Others Tell About Us. Lecture 2 of 4

Rewriting the Script of Your Life: Labels Make Us Feel that We Are All of Whatever the Label Says We Are. But We Are Not All of Anything. Class 3 of 4

The Conclusion of the Series on Narrative Therapy. Class 4 of 4

Farbrengen 11 Nissan, 5771/2011, honoring the 109th birthday of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Talk One The Beilis Trial: One hundred years ago, in April 1911, a 13-year-old Ukrainian boy Andrei Yushchinsky was murdered. In one of the most infamous blood libels in history, Mendel Beilis, a Jew from Kiev, was charged with the murder, supposedly motivated by the desire to use the boys blood for matzah. The Bailis trial brought forth a truth about the Jewish people, articulated long ago in the Midrash, and embodied in daily life by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, whose birthday is commemorated tonight. Talk Two The Meaning of Freedom: 150 years ago, Abraham Lincoln cast his Inaugural Address as a last-ditch effort to win back the South. A single thorny issue divided the nation, he declared: "One section of our country believes slavery is right and ought to be extended, while the other believes it is wrong and ought not to be extended. This is the only substantial dispute." Civil war broke out and it cost 600,000 lives. Slavery in the US was abolished. The slaves experienced their Passover. Many a Muslim nation battle today to acquire their freedom from tyranny. But freedom in Judaism is more than the absence of slavery and oppression. A reflection on two forms of liberty, one called chofesh, the othercharus. One is negative freedom; the otherpositive freedom." Talk ThreeThe Challenge of the Ego: The difference between the egotist and the humble human being is the difference between Chametz and Matzah, the inflated dough vs. the humble dough. It is the difference between the letter Hay and the letter Ches. Both types of people fall. One knows how get back into the circle of life; the other remains stuck in the abyss. This Passover, try an exercise. Talk Fourthe Crisis of Ignorance: Why is the rebellious child, the Rasha, counted as number two in status, right below the wise son, while the ignorant child is on the bottom of the list? Because ignorance is in many ways far worse than rebelliousness. How the four sons represent the four generations of Jewish immigrants to the free and open countries.

If not dealt with, molestation can ruin marriages, and affect one's functioning -- Lecture 1 of 6

Child Abuse in Our Communities. Lecture 2 of 6

Child Abuse In Our Communities. Lecture 4 of 6

Child Abuse In Our Communities. Lecture 5 of 6

Likkutei Torah Chukas Maamare Vayaas Moshe Nachash Nechoshes

Likkutei Torah Bamidbar -- Einyan Shenetnah Torah

Likutei Torah Balak Maamar Lo Hebet Aven B'Yaakov -- Part 4

The Wrestling Match -- Part 2: The Root of Narcissism. Torah Or Vayishlach -- Maamar Yayeavek. Class 2 of 2

3 Stories of the Lubavitcher Rebbe: 1) The Fold on the Page. 2) Thank You. 3) The Photo & the Painting. A presentation of music & inspiration at a children's rally.

Yud Tes Kislev Farbrengen 5774 (2013), in the home of Reb Abish Mandel, in Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY. Can You Love G-d If You Hate Yourself? Understanding the Conflict Between Yehuda and Yosef; Tools to Build an Intimate Relationship with G-d. Yud Tes Kislev Farbrengen, Celebrating the "Rosh Hashanah of Chassidism"

Lecture Great Synagogue, Jerusalem : This lecture was presented by Rabbi YY Jacobson, in the Great Synagogue, in Jerusalem, on 21Kislev, 5774, November 24, 2013.The lecture exploressome of the Torah paradigms forpsychology and the human psyche. The event was organized by Chabad of Talbiya.

Shemos -- Does Religion Destroy People? The Secret of the Burning Bush.

The beginning of this discourse maps out the route one takes in confronting instant gratification, addiction, and destructive behaviors.

An informal workshop presented by Rabbi YY Jacobson to a group of single moms, on February 12, 2014, at the Jewish Children Museum, in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY. (To protect the privacy of the attendees, many questions and comments were deleted, and only the answers were left.)

A speech given to mental health professionals at the Amudim Conference on February 18, 2015.

The partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge transformed the vocabulary of the human race. Prior to the sin of the tree, the prism used by man to classify cravings, events and ideas was whether they were false or true. If they were true he embraced them; if they were false, he rejected them. In the aftermath of the sin, a paradigm shift occurred in the psyche of man: Now the primary barometer of the significance of things became dependent upon them being bad or good, not true or false. The class explores three ways of dealing with our addictions, bad habits and immoral instincts: Subjugation, repression and transformation. It also explains the true meaning of Tznius, or modesty.

Henry Kissinger may have been the worlds most famous Jewish diplomat, but he certainly was not the first.The Purim Megillah, named for Queen Esther, paints a picture of a smart, resourceful, courageous woman of faith. But a close reading of the story, and a proper analysis of her actions in the story also reveal her to be a masterful tactician and diplomat that even Kissinger would be blown away by. The simple question is the purpose of Esthers two banquets. What was the point of the first? And why wasnt one enough? Why couldnt she have asked what she needed the first time?These questions are answered in the Megillah by the change of a single word. According to the Maharil, the main Purim miracle took place when Achashverosh had trouble falling asleep, yet his insomnia seem to have had no really influence on the Purim story. What actually happened that night? Why could he king not fall asleep? The classexamines the relationship between Joseph Stalin and the ruthless Lavrentiy Beria, and uses it as a parallel for that of Achashverosh and Haman. Understanding this relationship and an in-depth analysis of Achashverosh will help expose the brilliant maneuvering of Queen Esther and the purpose of her two banquets. This class was presented on Sunday morning, 10 Adar, 5775, March 1, 2015, at Beis Medrash Ohr Chaim, Monsey, NY.

This radio show aired on March 7, 2015. What is the best way to deal with mistakes we have made in life? How to rid ourselves from paralyzing guilt? How do we forge ahead knowing how much damage we wrecked?

One set of sacrifices, set out in detail in the portion of Vayikra is the chatas, the sin offering, which was offered for an inadvertent transgression. But why should unintentional sins require atonement? What guilt is involved? The sinner did not mean to sin. Had the offender known the facts and the law at the time, he would not have done what he did. Why then does he have to undergo a process of atonement? The class explores four perspectives, which present the Torahs approach to the moral life and the human soul. It culminates with a penetrating insight into the Torahs appreciation of the subconscious personality and its impact on our behavior. The Freudian Slip originates in Vayikra.

Sefas Emes Pesach: Who are the four children of the Haggadah? Why are they central to our Passover experience? What are their questions and why are these questions so important? The premise to answer all of these questions is that these the four children are not external to us; they are within each of us: within each of our hearts, there are four children who ask four distinct questions. What are the four biggest questions on Judaism? 1) The strange laws that we simply cannot wrap our brains ahead. I get the justice aspect of Judaism, but black boxes on my head? 2) How can small people really believe that G-d cares about their actions? 3) I lead my own life and define my own destiny. I dont need G-d. In our world of science and technology, the old needs are gone. 4) I simply dont care.

There were two mitzvosterumas hadeshen and hotzaas hadeshen. The first consisted of taking each morning one shovel filled with charcoal ash and placing it near the altar; the second consisted of cleaning the altar from all its ashes and removing it from the Jewish camp. Yet the first mitzvah seems completely futile? Whats the purpose of filling a shovel with charcoal ash and placing it near the altar? The class explores two approaches. One is a guide to deal with the sadness that is born from your spiritual fire; the other represents the delicate balance in Jewish history of cherishing the past while constructing a future.

This radio show was recorded on Motzaei Shabbos 8 Nissan 5775, March 28,2015, one week after the horrific tragedy of seven children of the Sassoon family perishing in a blaze that broke out in their home Friday night, March 21. On Tuesday, March 24 a German pilot crashed a plane into the French Alps. On Thursday, Britain reburied King Richard III.

This Chabad Chassidic discourse, Ashrei Tivchar Utekarav, was delivered by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in his office in Brooklyn at a "vach nacht," to Rabbi Ephraim Eliezer Yoles, chief Rabbi of Philadelphia, on the "vach nacht," the evening before the Bris of his grsndson, 16 Cheshvan 5716 (1955). It explores the three souls within each Jew, his or her four levels of consciousness, and the parallel to the four worlds.

This radio show, broadcast on May 2, 2015, explored the theme of forgiveness. Drawing on the stories of Simon Wiesenthal in Sunflower, of Nelson Mandela, and of the German Jewish Foreign Minister Walther Rathenau, it wonders when to embrace forgiveness and when to deny it to your enemy.

In a class presented to women in 2011 (5771), we explore a rather perplexing verse in the Parsha of Behar. When a Jewish slave is sold to a non-Jew, the relatives listed in Torah to redeem him are his brother, uncle, and other relatives. The father is omitted! This class dissects the nature of an addict and who can help him/her out of addiction.

Behaaloscha Class: This class was presented onSunday Parshas Behaaloscha, May 31, 2015, in Ohr Chaim, Monsey, NY

In this radio show, aired on June 6, 2015, Rabbi YY Jacobson interviewed Rabbi Manis Friedman on the subject of self-esteem and religion.

On July 29, 2015, Rabbi YY Jacobson delivered a lecture on a cruise for sales people of Fidelity Payment Services. The speech, addressed to mostly observant and Chassidic Jews, spoke of methods to maximize business potentials and cultivating a perspective on ones self that allows one to expand horizons and operate without fear.

Vayeishev/Ki Seitzei: A levirate marriage has at first glance to practical relavance. This class explores the psycological relavance of this complex law to our every day lives.

A lecture, presented at a JCW event in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, NY.

This class, presented to women, Noach 2011/5772, explores apeculiar story in the Midrash Rabah on Noach. Alexander the Great visiting the King of Keitza to see how he runs his country. He observes how the monarch deals with two people coming to the king because one found a treasure in a newly bought filed and wants to return it. The seller refuses to accept it. The story may serve as an allegory to appreciate the tension in the human psyche between the two souls within us.

In a text based class, on Likkutei Sichos vol. 10 Noach, we explore the Torah's choice of language when describing Shem and Yafes covering the father's nakedness. We go on to explain the words of the Baal Shem Tov that the other person is always a mirror of you. If you are pure, you see purity in others. But is this true? Cant I be pure and see the filth in the other person? It depends what you see. A blueprint for dealing with difficult people and judging compromised behavior.

This class was presented Lech Lecha 5774 (October 2013) to seminary students of Beth Rivkah in Brooklyn, NY.What is the genesis of Judaism? How did our faith begin? What was the first conversationbetween Gd and the first Jew, Abraham? Go for yourself from your Land, from your Birthplace, and from your Fathers House to theLand I will show you. But what a strange way of phrasing this eviction notice! If you had to packup your bags and leave the Country, the realities of Geography dictate that you would have tofirst leave the house, then leave your birthplace, and only then could you leave your country. Sowhy phrase this command in the reverse order? By reversing the geographical order, the Torah reveals that Gd is commanding far more than just Abraham's physical departure from his country. He was challenging Abraham to make adeparture from his inner stories that might obstruct the full realization of his true I, of histrue existence.

This class, presented to women in Lech Lecha 5770 (October 2010), explores a strange verse: "And G-d took Abraham outside, and He said, 'Please look heavenward and count the stars, if you are able to count them.' And He said to him, 'So will be your children.'" What do these words mean? Do they mean that the Jews will be uncountable, just like the stars? Well this interpretation is contradicted by the reality of history. In every generation, the members of the Jewish nation could be counted. Before the Holocaust we were 18 million; today we are around 14 million. Yet there are far more than 14 million stars!

Rashi says that trying to impress and deceive his father Isaac, Esau would ask his father: How does one tithe the salt and the straw? Yet this seems strange. For this question implies not extra piety, but absolute ignorance! For it is a clear law that these items are exempt of all tithing obligations. The class goes on to explore this Rashi on two levelsthe literal and the mystical. In the first we discover the intelligence and depth of Eisavs question, considering the unique properties of salt and straw. Then we go on to explain this question from a deeper perspective, analyzing the majesty and tragedy of Eisav, whose struggles were unique and who attracted the deep love and empathy of his father. The prophet says that G-d loathes Eisav. But the Kabbalists show us how easy it is to miss the real message of the verse. The class aims at liberating us from the erroneous notion that struggling with evil is evil. It is the other way around: Our struggle with evil is where our unique spiritual potential and greatness lay.

The Emunah Series: Basics of Emunah #3: Five Features of a Faith-Based Life: Confidence, Integrity, Divine Intimacy, Joy and Love

Meor Einayim Vayishlach: Do you feel you have obstacles in life which hinder your emotional and spiritual wholesomeness? This class can change that forever. It maintains one of the fundamental ideas of Chassidus: Your life has no obstacles, only opportunities to experience intimacy with yourself and G-d. But to internalize this, we need to experience a paradigm shift. We have to put on a new pair of glasses through which to view our world. This class, studying a text of Maor Einayim by the Chassidic master, Rabbi Nachum of Chernobyl (1730-1797), explores the tragic story of King Manasseh who ridicules two biblical verses, one from Vayishlach and one from Vayeitzei. We explore the stories of Timnah, King Menasseh, Yosef, and how to view all thoughts, instincts, emotions, encounters, and experiences as messages from G-d trying to bring us closer to the core of reality.

In this text based class on Likkutei Sichos vol. 30 Vayishlach we explore the unique relationship between Dinah and her mother Leah as extroverted women.

This class to women explains the strange fact that the most explosive expressions of passion and emotion emerge in the story of Shechem's criminal abduction and violation of Dina. What does this teach us about passions and addictions of all sorts.

Two Roads Diverged in the Woods of History: The Path of Enlightenment & the Path of Surrender. Which One Will Triumph?

In the opening of this weeks portion, Vaeira, G-d tells Moses: "I, too, have heard the moans of the children of Israel, from the slavery that the Egyptians are enslaving them, and I remembered My covenant. The verse is raddled with questions. First, what is the meaning of the words And I too have heard the moans? Second, the words from the slavery that the Egyptians are enslaving them seem superfluous. Finally, we are puzzled by the final words of the verse, and I remembered My covenant, as though to say that if not for the outcry of the children of Israel He might have not remembered His covenant. Today we will share an incredible insight by one of the greatest Kabbalists of all time, Rabbi Shimson of Astropole, murdered by the Cossacks in 1648. Rabbi Yochanan, compiler of the Jerusalem Talmud, was one of the greatest teachers of the Talmudic era. Living an extraordinary long life, from 180 CE till 279 CE, one century after the destruction of the second Temple, his teachings are studied in depth to this very day, His life was also filled with enormous pain. His father died before his birth, and he was orphaned of his mother soon after. Tragedy would mark the rest of his years with the death of each of his ten children in his lifetime. And yet this great man never lost his equilibrium, his faith, optimism, joy and focus. He was a master, a teacher, a leader and a spiritual giant. In one place in Talmud, Rabbi Yochanan discussed pain. And when such a man discusses pain, we ought to listen. Pain, he taught, elevated a human being to a unique plateau. People in pain live in a different realm. Their perspectives on life, death, love, meaning, truth, faith profess a depth and sensitivity of different proportions than the rest of humanity. Yet, while Reb Yochanan compared pain to the tooth and eye of the slave, Reish Lakish compared pain to salt. The disagreement is profound. Pain transforms people forever. It takes them to places the rest of us never visit. But does this demand of them that the pain has a purpose? This was the great argument between the two Talmudic sages. In Egypt, G-d embraced one opinion. We often look at our generation and wonder how can Moshiach come to our generation, seemingly so lowly and distant? We fail to recognize, the incredible holiness embedded in our people as a result of all the pain our people has endured. We are ready and worthy of Moshiach.

Class Parshas Bo/Vaeschanan: The question is obvious: Why the change in the blessing before the tefilin we wrap on the arm and the one we place on our head? Why does the arm tefilin get the blessing to put on tefilin, and the head tefilin, for the mitzvah of tefilin? Both tefilins are put on, and both of them are a mitzvah! So why this distinction? Rabbi Yosef Engel (1858-1920) and Rabbi Yosef Rozen (1858-1936), the Ragatchover Gaon, answer this question in a novel fashion. Take for example a bride getting dressed for her wedding. We all understand that the ultimate objective is not for her to put on the wedding gown; the objective is for her to be wearing the gown. It is just that in order to wear the gown, she needs to put it on. Is the same true about tefilin? Is the mitzvah to have the tefilin on you (if even for a short while), or perhaps the mitzvah is simply to put them on? Which part of the two components makes you fulfill the mitzvah? Which one of the two is the ultimate objective? Is it the act or the result of the act? Is it the act of wrapping tefilin on your arm and head, or is it the result of the wrapping, namely, that you are wrapped by tefilin? Rabbi Engel and Rabbi Rosen prove that in each one of the two boxes of tefilin, the definition of the mitzvah is completely different. Which brings us to the deeper question: Why this strange distinction mitzvah between the tefilin on the arm vs. the tefilin on the head? Why would G-d desire different things for the two tefilins we wear? Why two different objectives for the arm tefilin and head tefilin?It was the Lubavitcher Rebbe who explained the novel approach of the Ragatchover from a deeper psychological and spiritual perspective. Essentially the distinct definition of the mitzvah in each one of the tefilin boxes reflect the stunning path of Judaism toward living a serene, wholesome, happy and maximized life, in which we learn to create peace between the mind and the heart.

The Emunah Series: Basics of Emunah #9: Where is G-d when it hurts?

Class Kedoshim: And a man who takes his sister and he sees her nakedness it is a chesed, kind act, and they shall be cut off the Torah states in Kedoshim, in Leviticus 20. This is beyond strange. Incest is a kind act?! Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov (1698-1760), the founder of Chassidus, revealed the unconscious dimension of Judaism, conferring upon it a new depth and sophistication. One of his most fundamental teachings was that G-d was not a force above the world controlling it, but rather G-d is the very truth and essence of Reality. Therefore, in every thought there was meaning, in every experiencejoy, in every encounterDivine energy. You can find G-d in all. This class takes us on a journey into one of the Baal Shem Tovs teachings on how to deal with alien and destructive thoughts that inundate us during prayer and meditation. 150 years before the birth of psychoanalysis, the Baal Shem Tov taught us how the external manifestation of a thought may eclipse its inner meaning, how the egg may contain live chick. Every thought needs healing and sublimation. Yet there are exceptions. To be able to perceive in the spirituality in your addiction, you must be free from its toxic entanglement.

Likkutei Torah Baal Hatanya Einyan Shenetnah Torah: Likkutei Torah Bamidbar/Shavuos Maamar Einyan Shenetnah Torah