Behar
In order to reap in a healthy manner, there are times when one must stop sowing.
Upon the elevated state of Sinai – the Mountain – the Creator conveys the laws and cycles of the land to Moses. Every seven years a sabbatical, when we cease to cultivate. Every seven sabbaticals, a shofar is blasted and the jubilee is proclaimed. This fiftieth year, all objects and subjects return to their originals state. Real estate requires many laws, meant to preempt fraud and usury, also meant to show us the true purpose of land: to make the estate truly real.
Discovering Your Inside Story
Discover the hidden choreography of your life narrative. Empower yourself to fully partake and partner in the unfolding drama of your life story.
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How to Turn Liabilities Into Assets
Failure and loss can bring out either the best or the worst of us. Learn how our true character and strengths emerge when faced with an obstacle.
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The Kabbalah of Curses
To understand the deeper meaning of these blessings dressed up in the “garments” of “curses” requires a penetrating look into the forces that lay beneath the surface of existence in general.
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Special Children
An email exchange between Rabbi Jacobson and the mother of a bi-polar son illuminates the concept of special children and their unique strengths.
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In Pursuit of the Divine
The commandment of shemittah, which dictates that every seven years the land must rest, captures the essence of all mitzvot.
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Making it Count
The Counting of the Omer, which tracks the number of days between Passover and Shavuot, is a useful tool for recalling our gifts.
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The Eighth Dimension
The natural and spiritual dimensions of the numbers seven and eight are discussed from a Kabbalistic point of view.
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Destroying the World
Drawing on the wisdom of the Oral Torah and the Zohar, the ten utterances which created the world and the perfection of the number ten are expounded.
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Woman’s Work
The Rebbe’s leadership spanned forty-four years, in which he delivered many speeches. This is a transcript of a speech delivered to six Worcester women.
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Behar-Bechukotei: Jerusalem 2009
Take the “scoundrel” by its throat and strangle it. Not with your hands or with violence, but with light. Strangle darkness with light. Asphyxiate pain with joy.
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Behar: Israel’s Secret Weapon
Since Israel’s birthday is in the news, it’s hard to ignore the relevance of this week’s Torah portion, which defines in succinct and pointed terms the purpose of the Land of Israel.
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Behar Bechukotai: Global Dimming
Present day conflict has a direct source in biblical schisms of our forefathers, and in the ongoing war between the spiritual and the material.
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Behar: How Do I Find a True Rabbi? Part 2
In part two of the answer to how one finds an authentic educator, Rabbi Simon Jacobson tells a personal story and discusses the shortcomings of modern education.
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