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Rabbi YY Jacobson

News and updates about Rabbi YY Jacobson

Three Versions of a Song:

Are our leaders afraid to empower their students?

Do you know how to make your disciple shine?

Are our leaders afraid to empower their students?

Depressing Time, productive Time, and redemptive Time

Is Time a storm in which we are all lost?

Depressing Time, productive Time, and redemptive Time

The First Commandment: Find the courage to heal

"Let My People Go!" But Can They Let Themselves Go?

The First Commandment: Find the courage to heal

The Burning Bush and the Tanya

To experience bliss even within our challenges.

The Burning Bush and the Tanya

Concluding Genesis:

Why does Genesis end on such a low note?

The transformative power of holding space for the pain of another.

Why does Genesis end on such a low note?

"I am who I am because you sold me"

Letting go of my expectations. Letting go of the notion that life must look a certain way.

"I am who I am because you sold me"

Miketz:

Why was Pharaoh blown away by Joseph?

The State of the Jewish Nation means navigating paradox.

Why was Pharaoh blown away by Joseph?

The Jewish heart is beating stronger than ever

No, we have not betrayed our mission: Yehudah, Tamar and a Hanukkah Drama.

The Jewish heart is beating stronger than ever

Rachel's last lecture

Why did Jacob and Rachel argue about a name moments before her death?

Rachel's last lecture

Vayetze:

The omission of a blank space in the Torah-the Story of a People

No missing links.

The omission of a blank space in the Torah-the Story of a People

We fed the crocodile for too long: Israel's mission today

Rivkah didn't want to deceive her husband, She Just wanted Jacob to display another side.

We fed the crocodile for too long: Israel's mission today

What comes first: Love or Marriage?

What is unique about the marriage of Rebecca and Isaac? And why is this sort of description never repeated in the Torah?

What comes first: Love or Marriage?

Don't run away from your past

Abraham's search for truth was also part of truth.

Don't run away from your past

One man heard G-d's call - and the rest is history

Spending a lifetime polishing my coping mechanisms, how do I hear the call?

One man heard G-d's call - and the rest is history

Noach:

The hero for the simple people

Thank goodness, Noah was no saint

The hero for the simple people

How can we dance this Simchas Torah?

Joshua Bell’s violin—and the music of Jewish History: The story of a Stradivarius which escaped Nazism.

How can we dance this Simchas Torah?

The energy of the Sukkah: Lean in to the Divine embrace

My love will be stronger than your defiance, says G-d, the parent of all of us.

The energy of the Sukkah: Lean in to the Divine embrace

Yom Kippur:

A small step for man; A giant step before G-d

It's never all or noting.

A small step for man; A giant step before G-d

How a Rabbi convinced Simon Wiesenthal to pray

The world is not deaf to your prayers.

How a Rabbi convinced Simon Wiesenthal to pray

When G-d wants you to compliment yourself

Before I confess my sins, I must confess my greatness.

When G-d wants you to compliment yourself

Embracing the parts of myself that I utterly despise

Holding space for alll my parts, while anchored in my divinity, brings me a double portion of Llght.

Embracing the parts of myself that I utterly despise

If Judaism Is immutable, how can It be relevant?

A Tale of Two Torahs: The timeless and the timely.

If Judaism Is immutable, how can It be relevant?

Re'eh:

The Complainer

When all you can see is carcasses, there is something wrong with you.

The Complainer

Breaking the Tablets was Moses' greatest accomplishment

Don't be afraid to visit your broken places. "There are times when G-d wants your mitzvos," the Rebbe said, "and other times when He wants your ‘broken tablets.’"

Breaking the Tablets was Moses' greatest accomplishment

Ashamed to defend their home

Joseph, not Moses, was Buried in the Holy Land. Why? A Tale of Two Leaders and Their Relationship to Israel.

Ashamed to defend their home

The Arab-Israeli conflict is not territorial

Why are we afraid to speak truth?

The Arab-Israeli conflict is not territorial

The first marriage counselor in history

The only Yartzeit mentioned in the Torah is Aaron’s. Why?

The first marriage counselor in history

The Mission Statement of Judaism

"One sheep you shall offer in the morning and the second sheep in the afternoon." The verse that says it all.

The Mission Statement of Judaism

Stalin vs. Schneersohn

97 years later: Who won?

Stalin vs. Schneersohn

A finger on the pulse of our generation

Why was Moses denied The Promised Land?

A finger on the pulse of our generation

Where others saw the end, he saw the beginning

In Tribute to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, for his 30th yartzeit.

Where others saw the end, he saw the beginning

Three Jewish revolts and the response of a Jewish leader

In Tribute to the 30th Yartzeit of the Rebbe

Three Jewish revolts and the response of a Jewish leader

Why are people afraid of the truth?

The Anxiety Inside of You is Testimony to Your Search for Authenticity,

Why are people afraid of the truth?

Did our parents brainwash us?

The corruption of universities Is a call to reinvigorate Jewish Education.

Did our parents brainwash us?

Saying goodbye to your old perception of G-d

Sometimes being close means feeling far.

Saying goodbye to your old perception of G-d

"My Contract Preceded His Contract"

In your life "it ain’t over" until G-d says it’s over—and G-d says it’s not over until you win.

"My Contract Preceded His Contract"

Don't be silent about the Antisemitism

The Holocaust began with propaganda.

Don't be silent about the Antisemitism

O Dry Bones, Can you hear the Word of G-d?

The historical and psychological meaning of Ezekiel's vision.

O Dry Bones, Can you hear the Word of G-d?

Seder gems

This Passover, discover your true light. 3333 years later, we still remember.

Seder gems

How to bring out the best in your loved ones

If You Don’t Love Me, Don’t Expel Me,

How to bring out the best in your loved ones

10-7 and 9-11: Hitler, Hamas, and a Historic Diary

G-d wants you to be good, but He also wants you to shine. Creating ambitious and confident children does not guarantee their moral uprightness and integrity.

10-7 and 9-11: Hitler, Hamas, and a Historic Diary

The only job where you start at the top is digging a hole

Good morning, soul.

The only job where you start at the top is digging a hole

The truth about Antisemitism is hard for Jews to accept

October 7th demonstrates the cause of Jew-hatred.

The truth about Antisemitism is hard for Jews to accept

Our relationship with money

The day Moses became a bookkeeper.

Our relationship with money

A cover-up of Biblical proportions

A tribute to my dear student Nadiv.

A cover-up of Biblical proportions

Breaking the Tablets was Moses' greatest moment

"The world breaks everyone, and afterwards some are stronger in the broken places.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Breaking the Tablets was Moses' greatest moment

Are you a sun or a moon?

The Jewish Leap Year Challenges Us to Integrate Creativity and Consistency.

Are you a sun or a moon?

In a dark exile, whispering trees

A father plants saplings 210 years early, offering solace to his children.

In a dark exile, whispering trees

The Hassidic definition of trauma

When my reptilian brain goes wild, I need to help it see its owner

The Hassidic definition of trauma

Behind the War on Hamas

The two great evils of history: The Islamists and Hitler.

Behind the War on Hamas

Rabbi Elkana Vizel's last letter

Jewish History Is a study of the future: “Moses and the Children of Israel will sing”.

Rabbi Elkana Vizel's last letter

Depressing Time, Productive Time, Redemptive Time

Is time a storm in which we are all lost?

Depressing Time, Productive Time, Redemptive Time

The First Commandment: Find the Courage to Heal

“Let My People Go!” But Can They Let Themselves Go?

The First Commandment: Find the Courage to Heal

We need to get rid of the inferiority complex

Why Our First and Greatest Leader Never Ate Schmaltz Herring.

We need to get rid of the inferiority complex

Reuben and Judah: A psychological profile

What does it mean to be a leader?

Reuben and Judah: A psychological profile

The State of the Jewish Nation: Navigating paradox

Why was Pharaoh blown away by Joseph?

The State of the Jewish Nation: Navigating paradox

The Jewish Heart is beating stronger than ever

No, we have not betrayed our mission: Yehudah, Tamar and a Hanukkah drama

The Jewish Heart is beating stronger than ever

We fed the crocodile for too long: Israel's mission today

Maybe Rivkah didn't want to deceive her husband, she just wanted Jacob to display another side.

We fed the crocodile for too long: Israel's mission today

16 million Jews waiting for marching orders

Let's nor forfeit a historic opporunity. The world is on fire.

16 million Jews waiting for marching orders

A simple guide to understanding the Hamas-Israel War

Read the answer to the question: What do I tell my friends about Israel's actions in Gaza?

A simple guide to understanding the Hamas-Israel War