Pain & Suffering
The real question we must ask is not just why we sometimes feel such acute pain, but what we are meant to learn from it.
What have I done to deserve this? And how can I make it stop? Sometimes the pain seems to be insurmountable, the suffering cruel in its intensity. But why – I am a good person! I try so hard and yet I am hit again and again with such hurt – the loss of a loved one, a broken relationship, a suffering child. Why would a good G-d allow something like this to happen? Does G-d not cry, as I do? Does G-d not feel pain, as I do? What can I do to make it go away?
Your Choice: Light or Darkness
Theme: The Dark Side
Psychologically speaking, we need to achieve two things in dispelling the darkness in our own psyches and lives.
When You Can’t Turn Back the Clock
Theme: You Cannot Turn Back the Clock
What can you do when you have regrets but cannot turn back the clock?
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Explaining Corruption to Children
When the day comes that our children are old enough to be confused by the dissonance around us, and they approach us with their questions, here are some words that we can offer.
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The Power Of Human Touch
The destruction of the second temple was caused by baseless hatred. Can we begin to repair this through the power of the human touch?
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Lonely Man
Moses left us a legacy of facing our deepest questions and coming back stronger from it. He had faith even when there seemed to be no basis for it.
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The Talking Donkey
The talking donkey in Parshat Balak reveals a phenomenon new to modern psychology— listening to our body’s voice, which carries messages, memories & power.
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Learning From Your Body’s Sensations
Feeling pain or other sensations in your body are opportunities to challenge the way you look at life. They can bring you to the edges of life, allowing you to view it from a new, revealing angle.
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A Secret Formula for Protection
Many protective measures and defensive strategies have been posited over the ages to shield us from harm. The Torah’s approach is that the best defense is offense – wise offense.
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When No is Greater than Yes
Avoiding the wrong thing is better than doing the right thing; protecting is better than serving (Samech Vav) as seen in Parshat Naso and the wilderness.
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Why It Is Good That Life Is a Struggle
As much as we may prefer an “easy” life, and no matter how “perfect” other people’s lives look, the truth about life is that it is a struggle — and that’s healthy.
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Although I am not Jewish, I always enjoy Simon Jacobson’s material. I am terribly dismayed to see that so many people can not look past the “religion” to see the deep, complex universal teachings that are practically relevant to every human life. I have learnt so much from this amazing modern scholar!
-Ismiallh