Tisha B’Av
When a temple is destroyed we have to ask ourselves who built the bulldozers.
Tisha b’av, which is Hebrew for the 9th of Av, is a major fast day during the Jewish month of Av. The ninth of Av commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, as well as a series of other tragic historical events that befell the Jewish people on Tisha Bav. In addition to the fast on Tisha B’av, there are other laws and customs of observing the day such as observing other mourning customs, reading Eicha (the book of Lamentations), and reading Kinot. The Meaningful Life Center offers deep, yet accessible, insights into Tisha B’av. Our archive of videos and essays will help you to learn not just what the 9th of Av events were, but what their spiritual and mystical ramifications were and how the spiritual dimension of the 9th of Av can enhance your life. Based on the mystical teachings of Chassidus, the insights offered by The Meaningful Life Center about Tisha B’av offer a hopeful vision of the future redemption.
Where Is G-d?
A correspondence between Rabbi Jacobson in response to a self-proclaimed agnostic.
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Comfort My People
Left with no one else to blame, the child erroneously sees himself as the culprit. And this self-loathing and sense of inadequacy further erodes the child’s confidence. It’s not your fault. Don’t allow yourself to be invalidated. You have all the strength necessary to pick up the pieces and rebuild your life.
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Three Weeks of Pain, Seven of Comfort, & Two of Return
Cracks in our systems shake us up; but a crack also exposes what lies within. We can be demoralized by the cracks or we can attempt to look between the cracks and see an emerging larger picture.
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Five Roots of Trauma Revisited
Using the concepts of The Five Roots of Trauma, this article looks at the five tragic events that took place on the 17th of Tammuz..
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The Five Roots of Trauma
The three weeks between the first attack on the Holy Temple and the final destruction are a time concentrate on healing by addressing the root of the issue.
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Tisha B’Av: A Letter From Rabbi Jacobson
Simon Jacobson’s letter from New York reflecting upon Tisha B’Av and the endurance of Jerusalem and the Jewish people…
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Tisha B’Av: Pain and Pleasure: The Birth of the Future in the Belly of the Beast
Tisha B’av at the Western Wall: Do we see the light at the end of the tunnel? will we have the courage and strength to solve the problem at its root?
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Rebuilding Life After Trauma: A Six-Step Plan
Repair your own life; help to repair the lives of others; strive to champion the entities which supply dignity and purpose to you and to the world.
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I am so very honored to have the privileged of attending your class. Your thoughts and words really enhance my spirit, and revolutionized my perspective on life. You have taught me about love and pain, about happiness and sadness, and given me the tools to utilize these opposing energies as driving forces in my own life. Your words never fail to enter in my heart and tears always come out. I pray that l will be able to continue using your teaching to guide me in a life of true happiness.
-Richelle Simms