Do you have a habit that you find increasingly difficult to break? Or is there a good habit that you wish to incorporate into your daily routines but you can't seem to make it stick?Very often we resolve to stop a certain obsessive behavior - overeating, biting our nails, being attached to our phone etc., or to begin a new commitment - spending more time with family, going to the gym, starting a new project etc. Armed with determination and enthusiasm, we set out on our way with gusto and a positive mindset, ready to tackle the challenge. And yet, despite our good intentions, af ..read more

Some dance to remember, some dance to forget… Despite the sentiment, in most areas of life most of us would like to be less forgetful and more retentive. But how? What causes us to forget things? And what is the secret to remembering? Please join Rabbi Jacobson in this, well, memorable workshop as he shares his experiences as a “chozer” (remembering hours upon hours of the Rebbe’s talks) and discover the five secrets to a better memory: Absorb, Listen, Be Humble, Concentrate and Review. Learn surprising facts about how your mind works, and counterintuitive ways to engage the mind in retaining ..read more

Truthfulness Responsibility Understanding Security Tenacity How important is trust in our lives and relationships? Do we appreciate the crucial role it plays? Are we aware of the impact trust has -- for good and for bad -- on virtually every decision we make? Trust is the heartbeat of our existence, a beacon that guides our decisions and relationships. It’s a pivotal force, often underestimated, yet it shapes every aspect of our lives. Like the sturdy foundations supporting a skyscraper, trust endows us with unwavering security, affirmation, and self-worth, enabling us to reach our full p ..read more

The root of many problems and disagreements in life is arrogance. But what exactly is arrogance? And how do you deal with it; both with your own personal arrogance and with the arrogance of others? Ostensibly, we think of arrogance as a result of an overinflated ego. Take a gifted individual who is endowed with unique qualities and virtues. Instead of humbly recognizing them as a blessing to share, the person feels superior to others, resulting in a pompous, condescending attitude. Or someone who has grown up with a sense of entitlement and snobbery, being told repeatedly that he is better tha ..read more

Were you ever in a situation where you wished a miracle would happen in your life? Someone close to you may have been ill or suffering in some way, or you may have experienced a setback, or faced a difficult predicament. You really hoped and prayed for a miracle to happen. All of us at some point will have moments when we wish for a miracle to save us from a seemingly helpless and hopeless circumstance.  But here's the question: is there even such a thing as a miracle? Or is it simply wishful thinking, a nice escape into fantasy, as skeptics and cynics would have us believe? Is it&nb ..read more

Can you find joy in difficult times? Is it possible to find happiness during dark days? Joy and happiness are critical for a healthy life. We all know what it feels like when we're happy, when we're joyous and celebrating; experiencing the joy not just externally but also internally. Inner joy creates a state of peace and calm, a sense of belonging and serenity: life just feels right.But it's one thing to experience joy in good times, when things are going well. What about when things are not going so well? Can you find joy amidst tragedy, grief, loss or setbacks? This ques ..read more

What is intelligence? Human beings are considered to be the most intelligent of creatures; we value the mind, education, smart people... But as is often the case, we use a word without defining the axioms and assumptions that define the concept behind that word?What exactly is intelligence? Is it IQ - the intelligent quotient , or is it EQ - the emotional quotient? Intellectual intelligence vs. emotional intelligence. Book smart vs. street smart. Knowledge vs. common sense. Facts vs. imagination.We often see brilliant geniuses lacking basic life and people skills. And vice versa, those conside ..read more

With the current war raging in Israel, the big question returns. Why is it that this region - more than anywhere else in the entire world - has had so many battles and fought so many wars over the last three millennia? From the beginning of Biblical times with the war over the land of Canaan and the land of Israel, to the wars waged by the Assyrians, Babylonians and the Romans (just to name a few), to the rise of the major religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam battling over control of Jerusalem and the promised land - the Middle East is in a perpetual state of war.Today's war is noth ..read more

What do Jews really think of gentiles? With Jews in the news yet again, dominating headlines as they so often do -- the war in Israel, rising antisemitism -- all the big timeless questions rise to the surface: Why is the world so obsessed with Jews? What are the roots of antisemitism? Why are Jews hated so much by some people, and respected by others? But a question that's less often asked is the other way around: what do Jews really think about non-Jews? Ostensibly, one would naturally expect that the Jews developed tremendous fear, animosity and hate toward the nations of the world due to ..read more

One of our greatest enemies is a silent enemy. It's called fear. Its power lies not in aggression, not in violence and not in sheer fire power. Its power lies in its inconspicuous and insidious ability to paralyze us; to hold us back and prevent us from moving forward.What effect does fear have on your life? And what can we do to counter it? Being that it's not an overt enemy you really can't measure its consequences in a tangible way. But how many decisions do we not make, how many moves do we not take and how many elements in our lives would be different if fear was not holding us ..read more