Mylife: Chassidus Applied

Chassidus Applied to Parshas Ki Teitzei and the 5th Week of the Shiva D’Nechemta Marriage lessons from Elul 13 Did the Rebbe say anything about free speech when it offends others? How do we know that Judaism is the true religion? My mother is constantly harassing my wife - what to do? Is there any advice about snoring? How to be a good parent? Continued Chassidus question: What is the difference between the Kabbalah of the Rama”k and the Kabbalah of the Arizal? Part IV My Life 2018 essays: How to S.T.A.Y. Inspired and Live Your Truth, Rivky Wilansky, 31, Moscow, Russia The Chassidic Response to Skepticism, Sholom Dovber Moscowitz, 22, Brooklyn, NY Say Goodbye to Negative Emotions and Begin Living Redemption, Chana Ruth Abraham, 47, Kfar Yonah, Israel

Lessons from the 2nd day of Rosh Chodesh Elul Chassidus Applied to Parshas Shoftim and the 4th Week of the Shiva D’Nechemta If Adam and Eve are the ancestors of all mankind, how do we explain all the diversity of their descendants’ physical appearance? Is the Rebbe’s position on Zionism different than that of the Rebbe Rashab and the Rebbe Rayatz? How to deal with loss? Why does the Torah speak only of Yaakov's devastation and inability to recover from losing Yosef, and not his applying the lessons of להשכילך בינה to recognize a higher power and השגחה פרטית at work? Follow-up: Life insurance (episodes 224) Bullying (episode 224) Psychology and Chassidus (episode 224) Writing pidyon to other Rebbes (episode 223) How to be a good parent? Continued Chassidus question: What is the difference between the Kabbalah of the Rama”k and the Kabbalah of the Arizal? Part III My Life 2018 essays: Is it Dark in Here? Yechiel Ruderman, 24, Jerusalem, Israel; How Not to Hurt the People You Love, Aryeh

Chassidus Applied to Rosh Chodesh Elul Lessons from the 3rd Week of the Shiva D’Nechemta How to turn the experience of being bullied into a positive? Art therapist asking: Which psychological streams are aligned with Judaism? What is the Rebbe’s opinion on buying life insurance? Follow-up: Off the derech (episodes 220-221) Can we establish policy based on a chassidishe hergesh? (episode 219) Writing pidyon to other Rebbes (episode 223) Chassidus question: What is the difference between the Kabbalah of the Rama”k and the Kabbalah of the Arizal? Part II My Life 2018 essays: The Greatest Female Power: Not the One Hollywood Tells, Sara Spielman, 38, Brooklyn, NY; Making Your Grass Greener, Shmuel Wagner, 25, Brooklyn, NY; Despair as Catalyst for Change, Shmuel Lepkivker, 23, United States

• Chassidus Applied to Chof Av 7:28 • Lessons from the 2nd Week of the Shiva D’Nechemta, Parshas Eikev and Shabbos Mevorchim Elul 18:30 • Can I write a pidyon to other Rebbes, or only to my own Rebbe? 22:31 • If a school is doing things counter to the Rebbe's directives, is it considered a Lubavitch school? 28:55 • If my soul is Jewish (born to a Jewish mother), does that automatically make my body Jewish, even if my father is not Jewish? 35:44 • Follow-up: o Lunar eclipse (episode 222) 40:51 o Moshiach’s birthday (episode 222) 42:50 o Secular sources (episode 218) 49:36 • Chassidus question: What is the difference between the Kabbalah of the Rama”k and the Kabbalah of the Arizal? 55:47 • My Life 2018 essays: 1:11:59

Chassidus Applied to the Tisha B’Av Nidche and the 15th of Av What is the significance of the longest lunar eclipse of the century? Lessons from Parshas Vaetchanan and Nachamu What are practical tools and techniques for growing through negative experiences Loneliness: How can I find friends? Grieving sisters seeking comfort: Can we do anything to extend the “allotted time” given to an individual in this lifetime? Understanding Hashem in light of tragedies: Why do we praise G-d for taking us out of difficulties, since he was the one who put us there in the first place? Follow-up: July 4th (Episode 219) Chassidus question: How do we apply to our lives Moshiach’s birthing on Tisha B’av My Life 2018 essays: Energy and its Expression — The Perfect Balance, Mendi Crombie, 38, Givatayim, Israel; A Look at the Power of Visio

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 the Nine Days, 5 Av and Shabbos Chazon 0:20 • Do I need to say the entire kinus on Tisha B’Av when I don’t understand it and it’s uninspiring? 17:36 • What can a person do when his dignity (malchus) was broken in childhood? 26:04 • Can we say that trauma is a cause for people to become Baalei Teshuva and drastically change their lives? 33:20 • Follow-up: o Secular sources – letter – attached (episode 218) o What causes people to change their life in drastic ways (episode 220) o Pushed off fast (episode 220) 45:34 • How to be a good parent? 49:41 • Do the Rebbe's sichos about television also apply to the unfiltered internet? • Chassidus question: Please explain the meaning and personal relevance of the Berditchever Rebbe’s teaching that we are all shown the Third Temple on Shabbos Cha

Chassidus Applied to Rosh Chodesh Av and the Nine Days Lessons from Parshas Matos-Masei Summer tznius: Until what age is it acceptable for a boy to wear open shoes without socks? What's our role and goal with summer camp? What are reasons why one would "go off the derech" and how can we influence him/her in a positive way?Is Yiddish a lost language? Do we celebrate our English birthdays? What does the Rebbe and Chassidus say about climate change and environmentalism? Follow-up – Episode 219: Pushing off the fast Did the Rebbe say anything about July 4th? Who is our true parent: The Rebbe or our biological parents? Chassidus question: Is it an absolute that Moshiach must come in the next 221 years before the 7th millennium? My Life 2018 essays: Not On Our Own, Shlomo Sherman, 42, Las Vegas, NV; The Positive Side of Atheism and the Way to Reveal It, Dovid Rub, 28, Chaifa, Israel; The Struggle is Real: Using Chassidus to Reframe Challenges, Chana Colin, 28, Philadelphia, PA

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 Shiva B’asser B’Tammuz Nidche • Lessons from the Three Weeks and Parshas Pinchas • Did the Rebbe say anything about July 4th? • Can we establish policy based on a chassidishe hergesh? • As converts we feel isolated in our community and can’t find a mashpia. What can and should we do? • What can we say to parents who were hurt by their child telling them that a chassid farbrenged with his class and said that not they, but the Rebbe is his true parent? • Chassidus question: If keeping the 613 mitzvohs is the recipe to make a dirah b’tachtonim why does the Tanya chapter 15 say that only a person who struggles is an oved Elokim? • My Life 2018 essays: Tools for Dealing with the Temptations of the Internet, Malkie Alperovitch, 22, Migdal Haemek, Israel; Freeing Oneself from Depression and the Path.

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 Beis-Yud Gimmel Tammuz • Lessons from the 17th of Tammuz and Parshas Balak • Should we use the Ziy”a title on the Rebbe? • What are your thoughts about the border and immigration debate? • Should children ever be separated from their parents? • How to trust and become a tougher person? • Is it acceptable to read quality secular books, or must we resign ourselves to Jewish books of poor literary quality? • Follow-up (episodes 215-216): o Does it make sense to spend Shabbos at the Ohel? o Recording the events of Gimmel Tammuz • Chassidus question: Beautifying mitzvot: Why at times do we beautify mitzvot and at other times insist on keeping them simple, saying that the mitzvah itself is beautiful without frills? Is a Mitzvah itself beautiful or does beauty come from a higher place?

Chassidus Applied to Chukas What takes precedence: Supporting local mosdos or supporting shluchim? How do I improve my relationship with my mother? Is it okay to date and establish a home before fully dealing with my own self-esteem and dependency issues? How can I control the unspoken urge? Follow-up (episodes 215-216): Does it make sense to spend Shabbos at the Ohel? How does the Rebbe answer us today? What can we do to improve our yeshiva system to work for all our students? OCD Chassidus question: Is energy physical or spiritual? My Life 2018 essays: How to Be a Warrior, Not a Worrier, Devorah Block, 19, San Antonio, TX; Finding a Geulah-Life of Bliss & Joy, In a Place Called Golus, Levi Ginsberg, 22, Brooklyn, NY; Rectifying Chaotic Marriages, Yonason Johnson, 39, Melbourne, Australia

Addressing the Personal and Emotional Needs of Our Community and Answering the Most Pressing Questions of Our Lives — from the Perspective of Chassidic Thought MP3 recording of this class are available free of charge to members and $0.99  for non-members. Sign up HERE for your free membership. Topics: Chassidus Applied to Gimmel Tammuz and Korach Lessons from Chof Ches Sivan Why don’t we speak about the details of Gimmel Tammuz as we do about Yud Shevat, Beis Nissan, Chof Dalet Teves etc.? Why don’t we appoint a new Rebbe? Did the Rebbe take responsibility for shluchim? How does the Rebbe answer us today? What is the meaning of going to the Ohel or writing into the Igros? Follow-up (episodes 213-215): What is the difference between a sicha and a maamar? What can we do to improve our yeshiva system to work for all our students? Chassidus question: How do we understand the different statements the Rebbe made about Moshiach, the dor h

Addressing the Personal and Emotional Needs of Our Community and Answering the Most Pressing Questions of Our Lives — from the Perspective of Chassidic Thought MP3 recording of this class are available free of charge to members and $0.99  for non-members. Sign up HERE for your free membership. Topics: Chassidus Applied to Shelach Why recite a Maamar Chassidus when most people don’t understand? What is the difference between a sicha and a maamar? Is our yeshiva system – what we learn, how we learn, when we learn – based on the Rebbe’s guidelines? If so, what can we do if it isn’t working for many of our students? Why did the Rebbe not intervene to improve our yeshiva system? Is the main focus today on kabolas ol or on making Chassidus understandable and relevant? Follow-up (episodes 213-214): Despicable in the name of Torah My teenage friends are drowning: What can we do? Teaching students music Chassidus question: Parso’os – What is the concept of parso’os in Chassidus, its sources,

Chassidus Applied to Behaalotecho 118th anniversary of the Rebbe’s parents How can someone consider himself a chassid and not be careful with halacha? Is life in our hands or Hashem’s hands? Are special children deprived? Follow-up (episode 213): My teenage friends are drowning: What can we do? How to deal with religious OCD No intimacy in marriage Chassidus question: Why is the Omer counting not from malchus to chesed? My Life 2018 essays: What if You Cannot do a Mitzvah? Naomi Zirkind, 57, Baltimore, MD; “That’s How it Is” — Absolutely Not! How Torah Teaches Us to Think Out of the Box, Hillel Raskin, 22, Germany; Chassidus and Technology, Shiloh Yechezkel Betzalel, 20, Rechovot, Israel

Chassidus Applied to Bamidbar and Shavuos My teenage friends are drowning: What can we do? How to deal with religious OCD Are we sure that everyone has a soulmate? How to educate children about intimacy? How do we explain the words in Tanya that one has to let go of everything, including wife and children, for G-d? Follow-up (episode 212): Blessings on trees (episode 209) Giving years to the Rebbe No intimacy in marriage Healthy interaction with the opposite gender Chassidus question: What does Atzmus U’Mhus Ohr Ayn Sof mean? If we can’t define Atzmus how can we call it Ohr Ayn Sof? My Life 2018 essays: Chassidut, Polarization and the Opioid Crisis, Avrohom Karp, 22, Spring Valley; Chassidus: Revealing the True Me, Yosef Yitzchak Marneitz, 29, Beitar Illit, Israel; Overcoming Technology Addiction, Yisroel Cotlar, 36, Cary, North Carolina

Chassidus Applied to Behar-Bechukosei Is there any truth to the idea of chassidim and family members “giving” of their years to the Rebbe? Is the Torah always sensitive to people’s feelings? How can a spouse handle a relationship when there is absolutely no intimacy? What is the healthy way for a teenager to interact with the opposite gender? Follow-up (episodes 210-211): Butterflies Yarmulka Does G-d accept us for who we are? Moshiach and Geulah Was the holocaust a punishment? Chassidus question: According to this week’s Likkutei Torah, why does the Torah still call sheep כשבים (shin before beis) after Yaakov’s avodah of והפריד את הכשבים? My Life 2018 essays: Retroactive Healing: It’s in Our D.N.A., Nechama Dina Zwiebel, 45, Kingston, Pennsylvania; Is Man Superior to the Beast? Chani Tzaitlin, 34, Israel; The Chassidic Perspective on the Well-Being of the Elderly, Dror Yahav, 36, Ramat Gan, Israel

• Chassidus Applied to Chof Beis Shevat: 30th yahrzeit of the Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka 0:16 • Lessons from Parshas Mishpotim and Shekalim 14:40 • More tips for writing a winning MyLife: Chassidus Applied essay 18:53 • How do we determine the validity of a Torah teacher? 25:58 • Why did G-d create the world for His pleasure at our expense? 40:25 • How can we get men to be more refined in their approach to marriage and family? 46:07 • Follow-up: Chabad shul (episode 199) 53:22 • Why Don’t We Daven the Way Chassidus Expects of Us? Prayer continued 55:52 • Chassidus Question: Does the inanimate world “feel” things? 01:02:11

• Chassidus Applied to Purim 2:50 o How was Esther allowed to be married to Achashverosh? 4:08 o Why do we make noise when Haman's name is mentioned, giving him more attention than to Esther and Mordechai? 15:01 • Evaluating hundreds of great essays in this year’s MyLife: Chassidus Applied essay contest 1:42 • How do we avoid passing on our trauma to our children? 20:57 • Should one wait for a stable parnassa before getting married? 23:41 • What constitutes healthy eating according to the Torah? 29:49 • Wall of shame forever? If a person has paid his dues for violating others should he be shamed for the rest of his life? 34:00 • Follow-up: o Parental abuse (episodes 201-202) 48:56 o Recent school shootings (episode 202) 50:06 o Secular books (episode 202) 53:45 o Prayer (episode 201) 55:56 o Lying (episode 85) 56:50 o General comments 58:14 • Chassidus Question: How does Chassidus explain G-d’s “anger” and “punishment”? 59:26

• Chassidus Applied to Parshas Vayikra and Rosh Chodesh Nissan 1:33 • Lessons from the 25th and 27th of Adar 17:54 • We have reached the second tier of evaluating the essays in this year’s MyLife: Chassidus Applied essay contest 25:20 • What will the world look like when Moshiach comes? 27:35 • What is the Rebbe’s opinion on bariatric surgery and laser surgery? 38:51 • What to tell children about an absentee father? 45:09 • How to deal with the feeling of lost opportunities of my youth? 53:39 • Follow-up: o Home birthing (episode 204) 1:00:32 o G-d’s goodness (episodes 201-204) 1:05:32 o Shaming someone for their crimes? (episodes 202-204) 1:04:46 • Chassidus Question: Is the world of thought more real than the world of action? 01:08:39

• Chassidus Applied to Shabbos HaGadol and Parshas Tzav 10:48 • Lessons from Beis Nissan 3:23 • Final stages of evaluating this year’s MyLife: Chassidus Applied essays 18:03 • Why are we holding on to new chumros which don’t seem to be part of the original Torah? 37:56 • U’ldovka bo: to what extent does cleaving to the Rebbe attach one to G-d? 20:56 • What special powers does the Rebbe have? 32:09 • Follow-up: o Absentee parent (episode 205) 55:28 o Bariatric surgery (episode 205) 58:46 o Are Lubavitchers who live in Crown Heights second class citizens (episode 204) 1:03:40 • Chassidus Question: How do we apply the Chassidic example of a king in our modern age when we no longer have monarchs? 01:09:26

• Chassidus Applied to the month of Adar 6:05 • Lessons from Parshas Terumah and Shabbos Hafsokeh 13:57 • Closing days of the MyLife: Chassidus Applied essay contest 3:20 • Abuse issues: o Does a survivor need to show respect to an abusive parent 30:35 o How can a survivor avoid seeing Judaism as horrific when the abuse came from a Jewish role model? 32:25 • Why is Isaac referred to as Abraham’s only son? 45:44 • Why does a divorced woman have to cover her hair? 48:51 • What is the spiritual meaning of colors? 56:33 • Is it inappropriate for a bochur to earn parnossa before marriage? 51:42 • Follow-up: o More refined men (episode 200) 57:36 o Prayer (episode 199-200) 01:01:16 • Why Don’t We Daven the Way Chassidus Expects of Us? Prayer continued 01:03:50 • Chassidus Question: If the hidden good is greater than the revealed good, why do we wish each other revealed good? 01:07:12