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One with the Source of Life

Even the Finitenss of My Life Can Become a Conduit for Intrinsic Life

1 hr 16 min

Class Summary:

This is a text-based class by Rabbi YY Jacobson, on a Maamar, a Chassidic discourse by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Maamar V'hikrisem, presented by the Rebbe on Shabbos Parshas Matos-Masei, 26 Tammuz, 5712, July 19, 1952.

The class was presented on Thursday, Parshas Matos-Masei, 24 Tammuz, 5780, July 16, 2020, streaming live from Rabbi Jacobson's home in Monsey, NY 

Please leave your comment below!

  • S

    Sara -4 years ago

    How important it is to stay positive

    To experience bittul, to discard all your fears, anxieties, stresses, addictions and be aligned with Gd to live a true and meaningful life is where we all want to be I think. To remember and internalize the fact that each of us is a part of GD and HE is part of us seems to be the ultimate goal. For some it’s easier to do, to feel this and to get there at least at some level. For others it hugely difficult and challenging. As Moshe commented in yesterday’s shiur, staying positive is the key. And again, it’s easier for some than for others. Aharon suggested jumping in the lake, good idea. I’m thinking that like the writer of the message said yesterday to Rabbi YY that starting off the day asking GD what does HE wants me to do today is a great beginning to every day.

    In today’s world, and in modern psychology, there is a lot of talk about staying positive and how to do it. Positive self-talk has become a popular way to help people stay positive. People are told that when negative events or mistakes happen, because they are bound to happen, no?, we should have an internal dialogue.  Positive self-talk isn’t necessarily about knowing all the answers or thinking that you are amazing and great. Its about reframing how you view things, removing negative bias, and approaching life with the idea that you CAN tackle things (GD gave us free choice and the ability to tackle things and HE is with us all the time, right?)  And even if the positive self-talk doesn’t go perfectly, maybe we can learn from it for the next time.

    It’s so very interesting to me that these ideas and insights were around  many years ago, before modern psychology, specifically in Tanya when the Alter Rebbe wrote about them and where he showed us tools to use to rid ourselves of all negative emotions, not only in a spiritual way, but on a very practical level too.  The saying that comes to mind is, “think good and it will be good”, such a great example of Positive self-talk. So, we do have and have had tools to discard our fears, anxieties, etc. and get to a state of bittul. We just have to use them.  Easier said than done.

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  • R

    Rachel -4 years ago

    Just finished Sunday chassidus.
    Aleph, beis of existence!
    Not knowing this truth of existence is like driving a car without ever learning how to drive and never reading a driving manual. Crashing is inevitable.....
    I can only experience God’s love when I can remain present with who I’m. Being able to recognize both, my strengths (nefesh Elokus) but also my shortcomings with honesty. In that space I can experience the unconditional love of God and become so grateful for all the good He gave me in my life. But also at the same time have introspection in the areas that needs avoidah and own them. When the view of who I’m is distorted and all I experience is non existence, it’s unbearable to remain in the presence of so much pain. I must distract myself with anything that promises me any hope of existence and it doesn’t matter how short lived that might be. Often in that painful state I can’t experience God. What I experience is my own infinite pain and that becomes my experience of who God is. It doesn’t matter how good God is, my pain is all I experience. I have lost the perspective of reality. You can have it in a marriage as well. One spouse can suffer from so much past  trauma and hurt that their sense of self is so distorted that no matter how loving and caring the other spouse is with them, unfortunately, all they are able to experience coming through from the spouse is pain. In reality they are only experiencing their own pain.
    Thank you so much.....

    Listened to Monday’s chassidus. Wow, wow!!!
    When I live in a state of bitul, there is only one question to ask every morning when I wake up:
    God show me where you need me to express and shine my infinite light today? And then remain present and open for that guidance. When we live with that perspective of bitul we have entered into conversation with the Divine.
    When I live enslaved by my will then the questions about how to conquer each new day are infinite and the clashes between my will and God’s plans for me causes so much untold suffering. I see life through the lens of the survival of the fittest....
    What a painful existence to have to take on the world every morning.....When I’m not aligned with Infinity, I feel abandoned in a wrestling match against the Universe. My life is then filled with fear, anxieties, jealousy and a whole other hosts of pains.I often remain a bottomless pit of unfulfilled needs, wants and frustrations.....
    How liberating to wake up in the morning with only one question......

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  • S

    Shulim -4 years ago

    A maamar: The greater they are, the more we have an urge to cancel them

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  • M

    Moshe -4 years ago

    Real reason for anti-semitism is because of what we represent

    And then there's jealousy, inadequacy, feelings of  inferiority,  etc.

    But on truth the honest educated gentile should see that st as the yid is  doing his job, fulfilling his shlichus wurb Torah and mitzvos and chesed, so too the gentile should fulfill his bias the 7 noahude laws. No reason to  feel.jeolous because fulfills their G'dly given task.

      There's a second reason not to hate: the door to converge is open, at least for  now. This is not an exclusive country club. Anyone is free to  join by following the  rules for admission. 

      Why hate a group that has a different job to do? 

      Why hate a group that welcomes  you? 

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  • Anonymous -4 years ago

    Did you give a class on the mitzvos?

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Chassidus: Maamer V'hikrisem, Matos-Masei 5712 #6

Rabbi YY Jacobson

  • July 16, 2020
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  • 24 Tamuz 5780
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  • 706 views

Dedicated in the memory of Harav Akiva ben HaRav Avraham Binyamin Zilberberg, in honor of his yartzeit, 23 Tammuz

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