Mylife: Chassidus Applied

Addressing the Personal and Emotional Needs of Our Community and Answering the Most Pressing Questions of Our Lives -- from the Perspective of Chassidic Thought. TOPICS • Chassidus Applied to 22 Shevat and Mishpatim 0:14 • Please explain the mitzvos of slavery in this week’s Torah portion. How could the Torah sanction slavery? What eternal relevance does it have? 10:07 • How do I choose between personal spiritual growth and commitment to home and family? 23:35 • What do the Rebbeim say about a fire, G-d forbid? 33:38 • Are the Rebbe’s words and images copyrighted? 41:24 • Did people understand the Rebbe’s words during Farbrengens? 53:51 • How to deal with paraphilia? 59:58 • Chassidus question: Explain the difference between the terms the Torah uses for mitzvos:  mishpatim, eidus and chukim? 01:05:26 • My Life 2018 essays:      o A New Perspective on the Inexplicable Challenges of Our Times, Yoel Baron, 35, Israel 01:12:51     o Dealing with Sadness, Dori Gal

• Chassidus Applied to Tu B’Shevat and Yisro 0:31 • How do you answer this question: If G-d gave the Torah today, would it be very different than the one given 3300 years ago to primitive people? 13:05 • Does a Torah abiding Jew need therapy? 20:31 • How do we even begin relating to a G-d that seems so beyond us? 29:13 • How should we be promoting the Seven Noachide laws? 36:54 • After a major life crisis, how do you begin living again? 43:15 • Explain a seeming contradiction whether the Holocaust was a punishment for Jewish sins. 48:58 • Follow-up (episodes 242):     o Nursing 56:18     o Singing 56:18 • Chassidus question How does Chassidus explain why Mattan Torah at Sinai happened only after Yisro acknowledged G-d, and what is its application to life today? 58:43 • My Life 2018 essays:     o Escape Consumerism Before IT Consumes YOU, Liad Braude, 27, Jerusalem, Israel 01:02:00     o The Right Balance between Matter and Spirit,

Addressing the Personal and Emotional Needs of Our Community and Answering the Most Pressing Questions of Our Lives -- from the Perspective of Chassidic Thought. TOPICS • Chassidus Applied to Yud Shevat and chapter 9 of Basi L’Gani 0:09 • Chassidus question: What lessons do we learn from chapter 9, especially in connection with it being the beginning of the 70th Year of the Rebbe’s leadership? 5:01 • Why does Abraham get credit for discovering and promoting one G-d? 24:17 • I’m having difficulties coping with the tragedies and hardships in my life. Can you give me some inspiration and direction? 27:01 • There is probably no more than one Benoni (according to Tanya) for every 100 million people on earth. How could G-d create a world with expectations that are clearly not attainable? 33:25 • Response to request for mental health specialist references 38:48 • Is The Emotion Code in line with Judaism and Chassidus? 42:56 • Follow-up (episodes 241-242):     o Teenagers drowning 45:43  &nb

Addressing the Personal and Emotional Needs of Our Community and Answering the Most Pressing Questions of Our Lives -- from the Perspective of Chassidic Thought. TOPICS • Chassidus Applied to Shevat and Parshas Bo 0:17 • How should we react to the recent Mezuzah controversy? 21:45 • Is there an intrinsic value to keeping Chassidus in its pristine state and not trying to apply it to specific situations? 37:28 • What did the Rebbe mean by calling someone a “plain-clothed chassid”? 43:05 • Mazel: Do Jewish people have luck? 46:30 • Why is 770 not kept neater? 49:56 • Request: References for mental health specialists  54:31 • Follow-up (episodes 241-242):     o What defines a Chabad Chassid? 56:32     o Government intervention in our schools 57:34 • Chassidus question: Is G-d inside or outside of us? 59:29 • My Life 2018 essays:     o The Value of Our Constant Struggles, Sara Schwartz, 32, Granada Hills, CA; 01:05:51     o Trans

Addressing the Personal and Emotional Needs of Our Community and Answering the Most Pressing Questions of Our Lives -- from the Perspective of Chassidic Thought. TOPICS • Chassidus Applied to 24 Teves and Parshas Vaeirah 7:18 • What do you say to a teenage girl who refuses to accept tznius guidelines because she finds it degrading to cover yourself in order not to be objectified? 18:11 • What defines a Chabad Chosid? 26:54 • Is it wrong to listen to and enjoy classical music? 36:59 • J-screen: Are we obligated as parents? 38:33 • Did the Rebbe say anything about natural vs. bottle feeding a baby? 46:03 • Follow-up (episodes 238; 241)     o Revealing one’s past in shidduchim 49:31     o Fitbit 53:34     o Government trying to change our education system 54:18     o Singing in restroom 56:46     o Social justice 57:32 • Chassidus question: Explain the different ways we “describe” Atzmus 01:00:40 • My Life 2018 e

Addressing the Personal and Emotional Needs of Our Community and Answering the Most Pressing Questions of Our Lives -- from the Perspective of Chassidic Thought. TOPICS • Chassidus Applied to 20 Teves and Parshas Shemos 8:11 • How can we understand and want to emulate Yaakov Avinu’s troubling life? 19:29 • How would the Rebbe approach the current issue of government trying to change our education system? 30:46 • Is it appropriate to sing niggunim in the restroom? 36:47 • Is it proper for a chosid to use a fitbit to track his exercise accomplishments? 40:28 • Questions about G-d 43:54 • Follow-up (episodes 238-239):     o Empowering women 50:31   • Chassidus question: Is G-d’s “desire” (nisaveh) to have a home in the lowest of worlds rooted in Atzmus or in giluiim? 01:01:26 • My Life 2018 essays:     o You Are A Gift, Gitel Chana Levin, 62, New Haven, CT 01:06:22     o Live Every Moment Anew, Yosef Yizchak Shlome Pevzner, 20, Beitar Illit,

• Chassidus Applied to 10 Teves and Parshas Vayechi 0:21 • Why has Chalukas haShas not gained traction in Chabad? 24:04 • What aspect of a Jewish mother determines the Jewishness of her child – conceiving, carrying or both? 33:22 • Should we insist that our 8-year-old son go to Shul on Shabbos? 39:50 • What should be our goals when we go on mivtzoim? 50:28 • How should we speak to non-Jews about sheva mitzvos? 45:29 • Follow-up (episodes 238-239): o Empowering women 55:52 o Buying a car 01:03:01 • Chassidus question: How does machsoveh (thought) relate to midos? 01:04:09 • My Life 2018 essays: o Overcoming Challenges, Ga’m Zu l’Tova, Emunas Hashem and Bitachon, Mindle Lerner, 18, Woodmere, NY 01:10:15 o The Rebbe’s Leadership after Gimmel Tammuz, Nechama Dina Turk, 44, Chicago, IL 01:12:10 o To Understand A Convert, Aliza Elisheva Garvin, 26, Brooklyn, NY 01:13:45

TOPICS • Chassidus Applied to Zos Chanukah and Parshas Vayigash 0:17 • Are we doing all we can to empower women today? 22:57 • How does someone know what he’s capable of? 36:19 • If one’s “containers” are not aligned with their spiritual “light” (due to a chemical imbalance, as an example), can the container be trained to regulate and adjust itself to its spiritual capacity? 42:45 • Is there a difference how one would treat depression in a Jew and in a non-Jew? 47:44 • What can I do about same gender attraction? 51:07 • Follow-up (episode 235): Homosexuality 55:49 • Chassidus question: What can we learn from Yosef’s mistake by relying on the butler to mention him to Pharaoh, instead of just trusting Hashem? Aren’t we supposed to make a vessel for G-d’s blessings? 57:34 • My Life 2018 essays: o Peripheral or Primary: Two Paradigms for Life, Yossi Grossbaum, 38, Folsom, CA 01:05:18 o Attaining Inner Happiness, Sara Chyrek, 16, Brooklyn, NY 01:07:02 o Unknown Identity Syndrome, Mendel Brackman, 20, Westm

Addressing the Personal and Emotional Needs of Our Community and Answering the Most Pressing Questions of Our Lives -- from the Perspective of Chassidic Thought. TOPICS • Chassidus Applied to Chanukah and Parshas Miketz 0:11 • What does Chassidus teach us about darkness and its illumination? 12:12 • Is Judaism democratic? What is the Torah view on forced observance? 26:19 • Am I still a Lubavitcher if I learn Daf Yomi? 37:02 • Why is Taharas HaMishpacha so obsessed with details? 47:02 • What kind of car should a Chassid drive? 54:07 • Follow-up (episodes 235-237): o Woman rabbi 1:00:00 o What can we do to help speed up Moshiach’s coming? 58:54 • Chassidus question: How do we explain the existence of evil in face of an omnipresent good G-d? 01:02:05 • My Life 2018 essays: o The Choice of Chassidus, Yehuda Simcha Tanenbaum, 20, Baltimore, MD; 01:09:19 o Motivation = The Power of the Essence, Esther Stern, 26, Brooklyn, NY 01:10:27 o Who is G-d? Eli Soble, 43, Brooklyn, NY 01:12:29

• Chassidus Applied to the 19th of Kislev and Vayeishev 0:18 • What can we do to help speed up Moshiach’s coming? 21:02 • What did the Rebbe mean when he said that avodas habirurim has concluded? 30:41 • Will we be able to converse with G-d after Moshiach comes? 37:22 • After Moshiach comes how will understand all the Torah verses and references that address a pre-Moshiach golus world? 39:46 • Why don’t revealed miracles happen today as they did in earlier generations? 49:46 • Follow-up (episodes 234-236): o How much to reveal about a potential shidduch? 54:53 • Chassidus question: How does Chassidus explain the dislocation of Jacob’s hip socket and what is its practical application to our lives? 01:03:10 • My Life 2018 essays: o The Journey Out of Depression, Leah Piekarski, 18, Brooklyn, NY 01:11:34 o The Answer Within, Shmulik Fogelman, 25, Worcester, MA 01:12:38 o Identity-Driven Circumstances, Shmuel Shuchat, 32. Montreal, Canada 01:13:25

Addressing the Personal and Emotional Needs of Our Community and Answering the Most Pressing Questions of Our Lives -- from the Perspective of Chassidic Thought. TOPICS • Lessons from the 10th of Kislev and Vayishlach 1:07 • Chassidus Applied to the 90th anniversary of the Rebbe and Rebbetzin on Yud Daled Kislev 15:20 • What are the most vital things to look for in a potential shidduch? 28:36 • What was the Rebbe's view on dealing with the Arabs? 36:38 • Am I allowed to attend an Orthodox shul with a female rabbi? 43:38 • Follow-up (episodes 234-235): o Pittsburgh massacre 47:17 o How much to reveal about a potential shidduch? 56:08 o Conservative synagogue 55:02 Chassidus question: What does Chassidus add to the understanding of marriage? 01:01:32 • My Life 2018 essays: o The Power of Speech and Emotion, Helena Peiser, 20, Memphis, TN 01:07:04 o Precious Gems, Chaya Mushka Litzman, 16, Spring Valley, NY 01:08:40 o Beyond the Thought to Instinct, F. Chedva Shagalov, 19, Brooklyn, NY 01

• Chassidus Applied to Vayeitzei and Tes Kislev 2:35 • What attitude should one have to Conservative and Reform Judaism? 20:36 • What is the Rebbe’s opinion about creating an endowment? 35:36 • Homosexuality: How can it be prohibited if it is innate? 40:23 • Why does Judaism reject the messiah that other religions have embraced? 49:47 • Follow-up (episode 230-234): o Stuck in marriage 56:35 o Shlichus 01:01:57 • Chassidus question: Does Abraham have the power to refine kelipah? A seeming contradiction in Torah Ohr Parshat Toldos 01:04:14 • My Life 2018 essays: o Letting Go, Chana Naparstek, 20, Brooklyn, NY; 01:12:41 o Tricky Reality, Aviv Aharon Illoz, 22, Morristown, NJ 01:14:39 o Are You Missing a Leg? Getting to the Root of Negative Emotions, Sara Blau, 29, Brooklyn, NY 01:15:51

• Tragedy in Pittsburgh – follow-up 15:33 • Chassidus Applied to Rosh Chodesh Kislev and Toldos 8:44 • Lessons from the Kinus HaShluchim 0:52 • What can I do about my fears and anxieties? 37:58 • How much to reveal about a potential shidduch? 43:28 • Can we erase negative memories? 51:30 • What is the Rebbe’s approach to celebrating a bas mitzvah? 55:30 • Chassidus question: Does the concept of shlichus have a source in Chassidus? 01:01:19 • My Life 2018 essays: o The Land of Israel, 71, Bitzalel Malamud, Pittsburgh, PA 01:06:48 o I Am HAMAN, Tzvi Schwartz, 32, Granada Hills, CA 01:08:15 o The Ultimate King, Rochel Cohen, 21, Brooklyn, NY 01:08:58

TOPICS • Tragedy in Pittsburgh: How should we react? 0:18 • Chassidus Applied to Chof Cheshvan and Chayei Sarah 10:27 • What is the Rebbe’s view on buying a lottery ticket? 24:04 • Is there a spiritual significance and lesson to be learned from a huge amount of wealth offered in a lottery? 26:23 • After finishing Yeshiva I am not sure what I should be doing? I am feeling resentful that I was not trained to make a living? What would the Rebbe say about first making a living and then getting married? 29:34 • Why do we respect university trained professionals in our community, but frown upon yeshiva bochurim going to college? 32:48 • Follow-up (episode 230-232): o Couple who fight after going out 37:50 o Diminishing generations 42:20 o Chagas Chassidus 45:06 o She’lo osani isha 53:41 o Non-religious therapist 51:11 • Chassidus question: What is the connection between the Rebbe Rashab and Keser, as indicated in the date of his birthday – Chof Cheshvan in the year Kisr”a (5621)? 57:24 • My Life

• Chassidus Applied to Vayeira 0:35 • Do we need secular sources to teach us how to understand and raise our children? 11:52 • What should our attitude be to “non-official” shluchim? 26:10 • How do you explain the blessing of “she’lo osani isha” (not making me a woman)? 37:56 • Hiding Sarah in a… box? 49:35 • Are controversial verses in the Torah being taught to our children in the proper way? 49:28 • Chassidus question: What is the attitude of Chassidus Chabad to the Ramchal and his Mesilas Yisharim? Why are they not heavily accepted? 55:14 • My Life 2018 essays: Guide to Imperfection, Moshe Goldstein, 19, Brooklyn, NY; Da’as – Power For Change, Meir Arad, 36, Israel; Change Begins in the Mind, Zev Weinstein, 49, Brooklyn, NY 01:01:28

• Chassidus Applied to Lech Lecha and 7th of Cheshvan 0:13 • We are a happy and loving family. Yet, for some unknown reason, every time we come back from somebody's house, or an event, or after hosting guests, my spouse and I start a fight. What could be the reason for this? 14:35 • How do I find myself when I feel lost? 21:28 • Why is there more focus on chitzoniyos (externals) in the dor ha’shevii? 26:46 • Is learning and teaching Chassidus Chagas considered “spreading the wellsprings”? 36:59 • What is the difference between the “law of attraction” and bitachon? 39:59 • G-d’s desire for a dirah b’tachtonim (home in the lowest of worlds) (follow-up to episode 200) 43:41 • Follow-up (episode 230): o Ignoring family on Simchas Torah 48:57 o Pre nuptial agreement 50:45 • Chassidus question: What does Achdus Hashem mean – Part II: How does evil (kelipot) fit into Divine Unity? 52:14 • My Life 2018 essays: The Real Life Challenge, Alte Raskin, 26, Brooklyn, NY; l’m Gonna Need That …. Yesterday, Devorah Amse

Chassidus Applied to the Post-Holiday season Lessons from Parshas Noach Do fathers have to ignore their families on Simchas Torah? I feel stifled in my ultra-religious home. What can I do? Can I balance my secular interests with my spiritual/religious life? How can I get beyond a past relationship and move toward marriage? How do I return to Chabad after being away? What is the Rebbe's view regarding a prenup? Follow-up: Another Chassidus project thanks to this MyLife program Chassidus question: What does Achdus Hashem mean? My Life 2018 essays: “Third Person” Terminology: the Empathetic Approach of Chassidus, Toby Lerner, 19, Jerusalem, Israel Does the Mind Really Control the Heart? Ofir Raz, 22, Kiryat Ata, Israel Letting Stress Roll Away, Yehoshua Rubin, 27, Brooklyn, NY

Chassidus Applied to Yom Kippur and Sukkot How can I show G-d that I truly repented? What exactly is simcha? Naïve faith vs. skepticism: Can we ask about the “whys” and the “hows” of Torah and mitzvos, or do we have to accept it all without questions? Why should one be observant? What if I feel like I don’t want Moshiach? Follow-up: Rigidly doing mitzvot by rote (episode 228) Chassidus question: Do we need someone outside of ourselves to build our self-worth, just as G-d’s romimus is stimulated from outside His Essence? My Life 2018 essays: Whichever Way You Do It, Baila Lesches, 20, Brooklyn, NY; If You Love Someone, Don’t Let them Go, Chaya Gutnick, 20, Melbourne, Australia; Maintaining a Buoyant Disposition, Shaina Ezagui, 17, Brooklyn, NY

Chassidus Applied to Re’eh and Mevarchim Elul Rambam study: End of 37th cycle (Elul 20) and beginning of 38th (Elul 21) Chassidus Applied to the 25th of Elul and Rosh Hashana Lessons from the last and 7th Week of the Shiva D’Nechemta Standing in the month of Elul when we increase in prayer, what can we practically do to pray a bit better? Should I be concerned about speaking loshon hora when I am working through with my mentor the hurt I have experienced at the hands of another? For the sake of sholom bayis should I do something my spouse prefers that I would normally refrain from doing? Does the Torah expect the same from people regardless of their vital childhood experience? Is there any value in rigidly doing mitzvot by rote even if it does not refine me and help me personally grow? Follow-up: Religious OCD (episode 227) Chassidus question: What does it mean that we need to stimulate G-d’s desire to recreate existence on Rosh Hashana? If we did nothing would the world cease to be?

Chassidus Applied to Chai Elul, Parshas Ki Tavo and the 6th Week of the Shiva D’Nechemta Lessons from Elul 15: Establishment of Tomchei Temimim 121 years ago How can I balance hiddur mitzvah without becoming obsessive compulsive? Are the Rambam’s dietary directives the proper halachic and chassidic way to eat? As a ger I wonder at times whether my mitzvos have any effect Follow-up: Writing pidyon to other Rebbes (episode 223) Zionism (episode 225) Snoring (episode 226) Learning with your wife (episode 177) Chassidus question: Elaborate on the difference between the diminished energies and abundant containers of tikkun (Arizal) and abundant energies and diminished containers of Tohu (Ramak) My Life 2018 essays: The HeART of Chessed: Giving, without Giving too Much, Chaya D. Nelken, 19, Brooklyn, NY How to Stay Focused in A World of Distractions, Sophia Katz, Brooklyn, NY Wonder, Renewal and Faith, A. Tzvi Spalter, 72, Jerusalem, Israel