Meaningful Life Skills with Rabbi Simon Jacobson

Vision is one of our most powerful senses. It impacts every aspect of our lives. It has the power to stimulate, captivate, mesmerize and seduce us -- for good or for not -- in overwhelming ways. And yet, how much of reality do we actually see? What percentage of the bigger picture do our eyes of flesh perceive? Indeed, considering all the different existing forms of manipulation and deception, our...

Are social media and technology improving your personal life? Are they enhancing your relationships? With all of technology's breathtaking advancements, connecting us in unprecedented ways, why do we feel more disconnected than ever? Despite the thousands of "friends" we may have on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok, why have we not become closer and more intimate? People today, perhaps more...

Do we live in a beautiful world or an ugly one? I will never forget a conversation I had with two individuals. We were talking about life. One of the people began sharing, in a very warm and kind way, the beautiful life she grew up in. Her loving home, a supportive family, a welcoming community; her childhood and journey into adulthood was filled with light, warmth, nobility and dignity. The other...

Life is replete with change. Processes, transitions, maturation, growth and setbacks -- life is synonymous with movement, and movement is all about change. The journey of life with all its twists and turns, and ups and downs. Why then are we afraid of change? And if you fear change it's inevitable that it will play a major role and impact every juncture of your life (whether you know it or not). E...

As the curtain comes down on the year 2022 and we prepare for the new year of 2023, we all wish for each other and for our loved ones a very blessed new year. A year filled with joy, happiness, inner peace and world peace; a year of serenity, success and the fulfillment of all our hearts desires, all in good health and in a very obvious and revealed way. The intentions for an amazing, transfo...

What is the single most important ingredient for a healthy and successful life? Many answers have been offered and discussed. Is it love; wholesome relationships and healthy attachments? Is it religion; faith in a higher power that we answer to and a code of laws to follow? Or conversely, is it simply the pursuit of pleasure; enjoying the moments and living it up? While all of these are certainly...

Psychology is a force that impacts every one of us. We are all in some way dealing with struggles of the human condition. Being alive means we are dealing with the vicissitudes — ups and downs, twists and turns — and many complexities of life’s journey.  Hence, the trillion dollar therapy and medicinal industries, serving us for good or for bad. But what exactly is psychology? The actual defi...

How do you deal with adversity? When facing a challenge in life, how do you react? There are the conventional approaches of fight or flight; do you retreat out of fear of confrontation; escape your reality? Or do you stand up and fight, waging a battle with the enemy within and without? Others might turn to prayer; do you beseech G-d to interfere and show you the way? Or do you follow the approach...

Do you ever feel that there is a battle being waged within your psyche? That you have conflicting drives tugging you in opposite directions? It may be a struggle between your reflective mind and impulsive heart, or between your responsibilities at home and at work, between your personal values and the outside pressures that may compromise your standards, or between being a taker or a giver, betwee...

We all can appreciate the personal and universal message of Thanksgiving. The importance of gratitude resonates deeply, and its power has been demonstrated to increase happiness, lower stress and anxiety, and overall improve our mental and emotional lives. Recent psychological studies show how gratitude frees us from our self-contained, self-interest driven egos, how it teaches us to appreciate ou...

Everything in our material world will naturally age, erode, deteriorate, break down... and perish. Is there anything that lasts forever? Can we touch the infinite; experience the eternal? Enter your soul. Your body ages and ultimately dies. But how about your soul? Is it subject to the natural laws of erosion? Is its potential limited and confined by the parameters of material existence? Where doe...

A clever cynic once said: We must believe in free will. We have no choice. Do we have free choice or is everything in our lives predetermined? Am I wired like a machine -- programmed and predictable, or can I change the course of my destiny? That is the big, age old question that has sparked many debates, research and countering arguments. In 1814, French philosopher, mathematician and scientist P...

Can you be a pioneer? Do you consider yourself a leader or a follower? Do you have the confidence and inner strength to form your own choices and direction in life? Or are you hesitant to take charge and navigate uncharted waters? Many people feel that they are just not wired to be a leader.. they feel they are lacking the traits necessary to step up and have their voice heard. But the honest and...

How many of the things you do are driven by other people's expectations, demands and attitudes? How much do outside influences impact your life's choices and direction? Is your identity defined by you or by others? Whether it be our parents and their approach to things that shaped us in our informative years, or by our colleagues and their opinions; whether it be by our education system, culture a...

Are you bored? Do you find your life to be a monotonous routine, going through the motions, often feeling stuck in a rut? How do you relieve the tedium? Lethargy is lethal for the human spirit. We will do anything -- sometimes healthy, often not so healthy -- to get a new rush of excitement, a high, that will lift us out of the doldrums. Would you be surprised to know that there is a millennia-old...

How do you experience renewal in your life? How do you truly move forward, away from all your old baggage, your past experiences? Can you truly let bygones be bygones and forge ahead into a new future? Every one of us, no matter what situation we find ourselves in, are always seeking to improve our life, but often our past haunts us, holding us back from growth. Is there a way out of tha...

We human beings pride ourselves on our intelligence; how we are far superior to all other species with our minds, our innovations, scientific breakthroughs and technologies. With our intellect we have learned to tame the elements and conquer the universe. Yet, what exactly is intelligence? And what defines intelligence? Is a powerful mind the only contributing factor? Is dominance over other force...

Do you live to work or work to live? If someone asks you who you are, do you show them your business card? Is your identity defined by your work? Shouldn't it be the other way around? But many us have become so consumed by our jobs and careers, that who we are has become an extension of what we do. Shouldn't we be directing our vehicles and instruments where to go instead of them telling us where...

Love. One simple word that is far from simple. Love contains volumes upon volumes. Everyone uses the word, but does anyone know what it means? No matter what culture, race, religion or nationality, love -- or the lack thereof -- is everywhere. From the beginning of time, authors, poets, songwriters and artists have tried to define love; the simple word connoting longing, passion, connections, comp...

One of the greatest compliments you can give a person is to call them a visionary. But what is a visionary? And who is a visionary? We often think the title is reserved for the geniuses, the rare individuals that were blessed with unique foresight, prescience, wisdom and strength -- a guiding light and presence. But the truth is that every single person - you and I included - i...

Details, details, details.. All of our lives are comprised of so many minute specifics, obligations to our home, family, friends, work and even to ourselves. We often get overwhelmed simply by the pressure, expectations and demands of these daily routines, known as the daily grind for a reason. It sounds nice in theory to be told that we must step back and see the forest for the trees, get beyond...

"Life breaks all people but some are stronger in the broken places." Ernest Hemingway During the course of our lifetime, every one of us is going to inevitably experience hurt -- a loss, a setback, trauma, grief, death, etc. At one point or another, we will all face difficulties along our journey, tested with heartbreak and challenges. Now, this is not meant to paint a dark picture and negative ou...

When was the last time you cried? I will never forget the day when a gentleman in his mid 40s came to see me. Taking one look at him, without even uttering a word, I could sense the extreme tension in his body. He was so wound up, clearly carrying a very heavy weight on his shoulders. When we finally began to speak, he shared with me that throughout his entire life he was bullied, loathed, hated.....

Is your life made up of many disjointed and fragmented pieces? Or is there a larger narrative that's unfolding, connecting all the dots and moving parts of your daily life?  Sadly, most of us live our lives from moment to moment, often in survival mode - just getting by and through each day. Some moments are ups, some are downs; and there are twists and turns along the way. But is there an un...

When asked, "What would you hope to witness in your lifetime?" , world peace might be the most common -- and cliched -- response. But what does this really mean on a practical level? What is the secret to achieving global peace, and how can I, one of billions of people that make up this world, make a difference - or even a slight dent - in achieving this monumental objective? So many world leaders...