Mylife: Chassidus Applied

• 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

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