A Radical New Solution to the Middle East Wars

October 30th, 2023

How can we solve the upheavals we are facing?

What do wise people do at times like this, when our very humanity is under attack and our leaders seem lost — and especially when all this is happening in the name of religion?

They go back to the drawing board for a reality check.

At times like this the first step we must take is to return to our point of departure, to our collective “mission statement:” to define the very core of our humanity and freedom, what makes us human in the first place and what is our mandate and purpose in life.

When a world has gone crazy, the logical and vital thing to do is to retrace our steps to the roots and origins of faith in the first place, as well as the roots of our freedoms and inalienable human rights. And then, by studying the contrast between the roots of faith and how it devolved into distorted faith, we come to understand what needs correction and how to correct it.

Those roots go back over three thousand years ago to Sinai. The single most important event in history occurred at Sinai: the human race received its mandate how to build a civilized world.

This great gift was given for all of mankind, however at the time the nations of the world rejected it. As our sages tell us that the children of Esau and the children of Ishmael both were offered the Torah and they rejected it after seeing that they could not live up to its laws, namely the prohibition on murder, theft and sexual transgressions.

The children of Ishmael are still struggling with the message given at Sinai.

What was it at Sinai that the children of Esau and Ishmael rejected, and what is its message today that they need to embrace?

Two major revolutions took place at Sinai

The first Sinai revolution was the bestowal of freedom on all human beings.

Notwithstanding all history’s “growing pains,” at Sinai the universe received the mandate of freedom and the blueprint of civilization. Over three thousand years ago Sinai set in motion a series of events that would change the world forever, and continues to impact our lives today.

The second revolution was the power to spiritualize the material, and to make our lives sacred, not just ethical.

Before Sinai there was an impenetrable rift between heaven and earth, between matter and spirit. An invisible wall separated between the transcendental and the material. At Sinai the world changed. Heaven was unplugged. Sinai opened a door, never again to be closed, that allows mortals in a material world to become Divine. For the first time the human race was given the opportunity to bridge heaven and earth – to fuse spirit and matter.

The time has come for the children of Ishmael to accept Sinai

The Middle East is a breeding ground – a platform – for terrorism, for genocide (I don’t even have the right word for it). The schools are educating the children with certain ideas that are allowing for mass terror as a viable option to be exercised – or tolerated – in order to advance a cause. That simply is unacceptable.

The time has come to finally call them on it.

Over three thousands years ago the children of Esau and Ishmael rejected the Torah. Perhaps G-d could not impose it on them. But we can.

SOULGYM I MASTERCLASS
Live with Rabbi Simon Jacobson
The Case for War Against Iran
Wednesday, March 11, 2026 @8:30pm
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Tags: anti-semitism, Islam, Mt. Sinai, Islamism, war
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Lech Lecha: Abraham’s Vision – Roots of Today’s Conflict

October 25th, 2023

The Birth of Ishmael and Isaac
Tracing the Roots of Today’s Global Conflict

Living with the times – with the Torah portion read this week – has never seemed more appropriate.

Israel – and the world at large – is now in the painful throes of facing an assault from a terrifying enemy. In the face of such fear, nothing can be more empowering than gaining a better understanding of the forces affecting our lives today.

Unfortunately, we’ve been here before.  In American with the attacks on September 11, in Syria with the brutality of Isis, in Israel too many times to count… And of all of these have something in common; they all stem from a certain part of the world that it is dressed in religious garb – one filled with passionate extremism. But what else do we know? Can we get to know more about this ongoing global war?

The answer is yes. This week’s Torah portion, Lech Lecha, illuminates the roots of the tremors shaking our lives today. In this chapter a process begins that leads to the events of our times.

Abraham gives birth to Ishmael, father of the Arab/Muslim world, and then later to Isaac, father of the Jewish people. Isaac would later bear Esau, father of the Roman/Christian world (referred to as Edom). These individuals and their interactions set the stage for the events to come.

But let us step back for a moment and read the dialogue in our Torah portion between G-d and Abram [later his name would be changed to Abraham]. This dialogue takes place before the birth of Ishmael or Isaac and is part of one of the most fundamental events in history: G-d’s covenant with Abram, called “Bris bein Ha’Besorim,” “the covenant between the halves.”

“G-d’s word comes to Abram in a vision, saying: ‘Fear not, Abram, I am your shield. Your reward is very great.’ Abram said: ‘O, G-d what will you give me if I remain childless’?…

“Suddenly G-d’s word came to him: “… One born from your own body will inherit what is yours. He then took him outside, and said: “Look at the sky and count the stars. See if you can count them… that is how [numerous] your descendants will be. Abram believed in G-d and he counted it as righteousness.

“[Abram] said: ‘G-d, how can I really know that it will be mine?’ [G-d] said to him: ‘Bring for Me a prime heifer, a prime goat, a prime ram, a dove and a young pigeon.’ Abram brought all these for Him. He split them in half, and placed one half opposite the other. The birds, however, he did not split. Vultures descended on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

“As the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and a deep dark dread fell upon him. [G-d] said to Abram: ‘Know for sure that your descendants will foreigners in a land that is not theirs for 400 years. They will be enslaved and oppressed. But I will finally bring judgment against the nation who enslaves them, and they will then leave with great wealth…’

“The sun set, and it became very dark. A smoking furnace and a flaming torch passed between the halves of the animals. On that day G-d made a covenant with Abram, saying: ‘To your seed I have given this land (The Land of Israel), from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates’.” — Genesis 15:1-21

What was the “deep dark dread” that befell Abraham? The Midrash explains that Abraham was shown the future great empires that would control the world and bring terror to it, each in their own way: the Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman and Ishmaelite empires.[1]

The great Kabbalist, Rabbi Isaac Luria (known as the holy Arizal) explains[2] that these empires – that extend over the entire span of history – represent the different stages of refinement (birur) that we achieve throughout the generations. Everything in our material existence contains Divine ‘sparks,’ i.e. spiritual energy, and we are charged with the mission to redeem and elevate these sparks, and thereby refine the material universe and transform it into its true purpose: a vehicle for spiritual expression.

Beginning with the enslavement by the Egyptian empire – the archetype and root (‘head’) of all the exiles and empires – each subsequent empire symbolizes another stage of refinement in integrating G-dliness into the material world. The process concludes with the refinement of the last two powers, Edom (Esau) and Ishmael, which leads to the Messianic age – a world where there is no more destruction and terror and all children of Abraham serve the One G-d of Abraham in peace and harmony.

Why was Abraham shown this vision? In order for him to share it with his children, so that we, at whatever point in history we may be living, should know that the events in our lives are part of a long historical process.[3] Even ‘as the sun sets’ and a ‘deep dark dread’ strikes us, we must always hold onto Abraham’s vision, that all our journeys and challenges are part of a bigger process and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

This vision and promise is what the Jewish people held onto during their long hard years in Egyptian slavery. This dream is what they held onto during all other forms of persecution, and it is this vision that allowed them to prevail and thrive.

Abraham’s vision gives us not only strength and fortitude during difficult times, it also gives us direction how to proceed. Understanding the different dynamics of each empire/exile empowers us to be proactive and take action in order for us to refine that particular dimension of experience.

As we shudder in the shadow of Hamas’s brutal massacre and its aftermath, and we stand uncertain with what lies ahead if us, now is the time to embrace and connect to Abraham’s vision. Faith is the most powerful resource you can access when our security is threatened. Faith – to firmly hold onto G-d’s words that we shall prevail and “come out with great wealth.”

So, the first thing we can do in these trying times is to truly live with the times by reading, studying and living with the words in this weekly portion, personalizing and integrating them into our lives. By doing so we can connect to Abraham’s strength and G-d’s promise to him.

The second thing that we can do is not be a passive bystander waiting for something to happen. By recognizing that we are in the final steps of a process – a process that was shown to our great grandfather Abraham – we must discover what action is required of us in this particular step of the process, and then we must act. Being proactive means taking control of the situation rather than allowing it to control us.

What can and must we do in these particular times?

The Arizal (cited above) explains that the refinement of Edom and Ishmael – our work today – corresponds to the two emotions, netzach and hod, endurance and humility/acknowledgment. What does that mean in practical terms?[4]

Netzach (literally “victory”) is the sheer determination to forge ahead despite the unknowns and doubts. That energy comes from a deep rooted belief in who you are and what you need to accomplish. Netzach means embracing what you believe in and not allowing anything to stop you from getting it. Hod (from the root of the Hebrew word “hoda’ah”) is the suprarational acknowledgment and commitment to that which is beyond us. Humility is modesty; it is recognizing how small you are which allows you to realize how large you can become. And that makes humility so formidable.

We are being terrorized with a negative netzach and hod (netzach and hod of kelipah) – a demonic force beyond rational that is ready to blindly die and kill innocent people in the name of its distorted faith, a passionate onslaught on our freedoms. The only long term way to counter this force is with positive netzach and hod – an equal if not stronger passionate embrace of our inner values.

This, is in addition of course, to the obvious need to defend ourselves and uproot any form of terrorism and those that support it. But defense is not enough. We must go on the offensive. Long term, the only solution for the birur of netzach and hod, the final steps before the revelation, is to transform it into a passionate spiritual revolution.

The work of earlier generations was more internal. Spiritually they were more evolved and naturally gravitated to G-d. Their minds and hearts were more attuned to spiritual experience, and they served G-d with deeply felt emotions.

Today our work is such, that even when we don’t have a revealed sense of G-dliness – our minds don’t easily relate to G-d and our hearts don’t naturally feel G-dliness, and on top of it all we live in a highly evolved materialistic world – we obstinately commit with suprarational tenacity and acknowledgement to fulfilling our mission to refine the world.

We may be small midgets relative to Abraham and the giants of history, but when we connect to their vision and climb onto their shoulders, we can see farther than they – like a midget on the shoulders of a giant.

After all the refinement accomplished by previous generations, we have the last part to do. Indeed all our ancestors wait and watch in Heaven for us to finish the last touches of what they began.

And when we do our job, we bring about the realization of Abraham’s vision, and from the “deep dark dread” Moshiach will sprout, ushering in a world of unity, where all of Abraham’s children serve one G-d, and serve in the way that Abraham taught them.

Suggested Actions

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WHAT IS THE MOST POWERFUL THING YOU CAN DO IN RESPONSE TO TERRORISM?

Join us in creating a passionate spiritual revolution for the good.

As passions of violence have been released on us, against humanity, our most powerful response is to counter with a passionate revolution of purpose, with no less passion and drive than the evil being waged against us.

This is our mission at the Meaningful Life Center.

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💡Add light to the world! Do a Mitzvah for our Israeli brethren

This life skills article is one of many services that we are providing in response to the atrocities perpetrated against humanity. We want you to know that all of us here at The Meaningful Life Center are working overtime to provide solace and clarity in these trying times. As people everywhere are undergoing a new soul search for finding meaning in life, we are redoubling our dedication to our mission to offer insight and direction to appreciate the deeper meaning of our lives and build security with all the uncertainty brewing around us.

If you or anyone you know has any specific needs or questions, please contact us. We are committed to doing everything we can to serve you.

We need to join together as never before to nourish the grass roots awakening that has consumed our world and its gravitation to faith and G-d, and transform it into a permanent spiritual transformation. Our calling today is to demonstrate leadership and light up the way in which to forge ahead amidst this tragedy, and these new, challenging times.

Tags: Netzach, Hod, fear, Arizal, Islamism, war
Posted in Operation Iron Swords, Lech-Lecha, Social, Articles | 1 Comment »

Chapters Podcast: The Israel-Gaza War, Hamas, Pain, Faith Fear, Social Media, Anti-Semitism, Unity. What Can I Do?

October 17th, 2023

In this episode, Rabbi Simon Jacobson addresses the Israel-Gaza War and answers some difficult questions that have stifled the Jewish nation over the past week. The pain is so great, the unity is so strong, the anti-Semitism on social media feels blinding. We need guidance during this time, what was the Rebbe’s response and what is our call to action?

Tags: indepedence, founding fathers, democracy, july 4
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Fighting Evil with Good

October 17th, 2023

SOULGYM I MASTERCLASS
Live with Rabbi Simon Jacobson
Fighting Evil with Good
Wednesday, June 25, 2025 @8:30pm
Live Stream | Podcast

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Tags: good deeds, hope, anti-semitism, transcendence, survival, Jewish history
Posted in Good & Evil, Operation Iron Swords, Soul Gym, Israel, Articles, Terrorism, Current Events | 1 Comment »

War In Israel: What We Must Do

October 17th, 2023

Behold, the guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps – Psalms 121:4

The eyes of G-d are upon it [the land of Israel] from the beginning of the year until the end of the year – Deuteronomy 11:12

As a wave of brutal killings and atrocities swept across Israel, attacking innocent men, women and children, can any person of integrity stand on the sidelines ignoring these inhumane events? Can we hide behind the excuse that there is nothing we can do?

Basic decency dictates that we call out and act. Because terror against even one human is terror against all humanity.

Especially after witnessing the deafening silence of an indifferent world to the cries of 1.5 million Jewish children and 6 million Jews just 70 years ago…

Some may argue that why is this worse than all the other brutality taking place around the world. Why should Israel get more attention than other victimized nations?

And even more outrageous argument is that Israel is (partially) to blame for its treatment of the Arabs living in its territories.

Anyone making this claim is simply ignorant of history, willingly or unwillingly, or even worse: just plain anti-Semitic.

This is not just a Jewish issue. History bears the greatest testimony to the fact that an attack on Jews always leads to attack on all peoples. Like the miners’ canary, the Jewish people, for some reason (here is not the place to elaborate), are the first sensitive ones to bear the brunt of mans’ cruelty and injustice, often in most horrific forms.

No, murders and massacres of innocent Jews did not begin in 1948, or 1967 or 1981. They began long before Israel became a modern state and long before Jews controlled the land. Take the 1929 Chevron pogrom. Or the murder of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Tzoref in 1851, among the many other sacred Jewish martyrs (kedoshim) killed over the ages in the Holy Land, simply because they were… Jews.

When Arabs are roaming Israeli streets to kill any Jew they target — and no one protests — rest assured, dictates history, that those knives are coming our way (G-d forbid). When innocent blood is flowing in Israeli cities — and we don’t react — make no mistake: this is a war against us all as much as it is against the citizens of Israel.

Up until 9/11 — September Eleventh 2001 — the USA did not directly feel on its soil the full volcanic potency of the Middle East (perhaps a tremor or two, but not more). But then on that fateful Tuesday morning, those eruptions traveled thousands of miles and shook up this country and the entire world, waking everyone up to a reality that remains very much alive, continuing to spew its venomous lava (even after Bin-Laden’s killing).

Of course, we can choose to go into denial, but does anyone really think that what happened then was an anomaly? That the issues were resolved and we now have eliminated the threat of Islamist radicalism? Are the forces that brought on the terror back them in any weaker today?

If anything, how many more children have grown since indoctrinated into believing that killing innocents is “moral” and “divine”?!

Just listen to some ex-terrorists, who describe in frightening detail how they were programmed from early age to kill Jews and Westerners, and thereby be rewarded with heaven. As we speak millions of Muslim children are conditioned from young age with a radical vision of a secular, Western world of infidels that must be destroyed and replaced with Islam. Martyrdom is deified. Children are brainwashed that the greatest thing they can do is give their lives for Islam against the infidels.

As much as we don’t want to hear it, this is a profoundly religious and ideological war, deeply rooted in centuries-old beliefs and battles.

Our obligation — the responsibility of every single one of us, wherever in the world we may live — is to come out with a loud and unambiguous voice declaring that the attack on one innocent person is an attack on all of us — on our children and families.

We must unequivocally declare that we hold responsible not just the perpetrators, not just their leaders, but the entire Muslim world for allowing the creation of this breeding ground of terror. For cultivating, or at least tolerating, violence to alleviate frustration and remedy injustices (even if they were legitimate).

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. The only way out is through.

And the task at hand is: to challenge the Muslim world to live up to the true Abrahamic principles of virtue and justice. To embrace a policy of zero tolerance for Muslims who defy these divine laws. To begin a new era of education and inspiration of their youth — one that permeates their homes, schools and mosques — how to honor the dignity of every and all human beings created in the Divine image, even if you may disagree with them.

Nations of the world must unite and demand of the Muslim world to embrace the principles established by Abraham, father of all nations, to promote the deepest values of virtue and integrity, all with love and inspiration. To fight the pagan forces of the universe, not with violence, but with spreading light and warmth.

Today’s war must be waged with a powerful moral vision. It is not just a defensive war against terrorist attacks; it is an offensive battle for the ambitious vision of a world that will live in peace, while respecting the diversity of nations, cultures and faiths. We are fighting a war for a vision – first delivered at Sinai – which guided the Founding Father: That all people are created equal, with inalienable rights granted by virtue that we are all G-d’s children. Everyone has the right to practice and believe in their unique way. The enemy is anyone who breaches the universal and absolute law of preserving human dignity’ of violating another person’s right to exist; of hurting or killing another person; of denying and robbing any person of their fundamental, G-d given rights.

* * *

Though there is no silver lining around this horrific wave of terror, it does illuminate for us the glaring fact that Israel is at war. Not just today or yesterday, but for the decades, indeed centuries if not millenia. Clarity is a great blessing, knowing thy enemy, even if it comes at a high price. Because when things are clear you cannot bury your head in the sand; you have no choice but to act.

A tremendous lesson from the Torah portion Bereishit — the beginning of the Genesis — drives the point home about our personal responsibility for events happening in Israel today.

In this chapter we read perhaps the most famous story of all — the creation of Adam and Eve, the first human beings, and their being placed in the Garden of Eden to “serve and protect” the divine laws of refining and elevating the universe.

Why was the human being created as an individual and singular entity, unlike all the other creatures and forces in the words which were created in batches as species? And why are we told about this individualistic creation of man?

Says the Mishne (Sanhedrin 37a):

Man was created alone, to teach thee that whosoever destroys a single soul is [as guilty] as though he had destroyed a complete world; and whosoever preserves a single soul is [as guilty] as though he had preserved a complete world… When one sheds the blood of another he is] responsible for his blood and the blood of his [potential] descendants until the end of time… Therefore every single person is obliged to say: the world was created for my sake.

“The world was created for my sake” meaning that despite the fact that there are millions and billions of other people, I am solely responsible for the life of another and for the universe as a whole!

Is there any more poignant statement describing the individual responsibility we each carry for another and for the world at large?

Most people today feel, frankly, insignificant. With over seven billion people on our planet, and an increasingly depersonalized life, the prevalent sentiment is that: “I don’t matter that much. With so many people out there how can my one act possibly make any difference? Anything I do is like a paltry drop in a vast ocean.”

That is why, at the beginning of the New Year, we read the story of Adam and Eve in the opening chapter of Genesis — compelling each of us to ask: how would I lead my life if I were the only man or woman populating this world? Because each one of us is just like Adam and Eve, created as unique individuals, with total responsibility over our environment, as if no on else existed. Each of us needs to envision ourselves as Adam and Eve, carrying responsibility over the future of the world.

And if you are wondering: how can one action of a single person affect and change events at the other end of the universe? — today we need not look further than basic physics (no need for faith) which teaches us how every action has a reaction, how the most microscopic particle contains enormous energy and about the “butterfly effect,” how a butterfly flapping its wings in Kansas City can create a typhoon in Singapore.

But long before modern physics, the Torah teaches us this message through the lens of the first human being — a single creature carrying the responsibility of the entire universe.

When you personify Adam and Eve you become emboldened with the power to define your own destiny, instead of having others define it for you, and indeed shape the entire universe, instead of it shaping you.

Is there a more appropriate way to describe our — each and every one of our — responsibility for events in Israel today?

* * *

What then can each of us practically do?

We were thankfully are blessed with the Torah which teaches us what each of us can do to help our brethren in Israel.

• Wage a spiritual war against all forces of moral apathy and ignorance. As mentioned above, take a firm and unwavering stand against any atrocity.
• Strengthen the three pillars which holds up world – both personal and global: Torah, Prayer, and Kind deeds.
• Intensify your commitment to Torah study – study a new text, and designate additional time to your study.
• Say additional prayers for the safety of people facing danger, especially for the Israeli police and Defense Forces.
• Give additional amounts of charity. Charity has a special energy to counter perilous situations.
• Engage your family and friends in meaningful dialogue. Reach out to your sphere of influence and inspire them with spiritual awareness. Encourage everyone to study Torah and add a new mitzvah – a good deed. The Bible tells us that through Torah study and performance of mitzvahs G-d promises: “You will dwell securely in your land. I will provide peace in the land. You will sleep without fear” (Leviticus 26:5-6)
• Initiate a gathering in your home or office, promoting additional goodness and kindness.
• Jewish men should be encouraged to put on Tefillin each weekday morning. Tefillin has faculties that add in protection in threatening times.
• Women and girls should be encouraged to light Shabbat and Holiday candles, 18 minutes before sundown leading into Shabbat or the Holiday. It is also customary to give some charity before lighting the candles.
• Encourage children to say holy verse and prayers and add in charitable and kind deeds. Children play a particular role in time of crisis. As the verse states, “out of the mouths of babes and sucklings You have established the strength…to destroy an enemy and avenger” (Psalms 8:3).

* * *

In sum:

The greatest and most powerful response to the terror around us is by doubling and tripling our effort in helping those around us. As much as you have done until now, go out of your way and lend your hand to another – financially, emotionally, spiritually – in whatever way possible.

Do something to save a life, and you save not just that life but the life of the entire universe.

Do not stand by as an observer on the sidelines. Act. Do your thing today to help another person. Add an additional mitzvah. Keep Shabbat and Kashrut. Light a Shabbat candle tonight before sundown. Study Torah. Pray. All people – commit to the universal Divine laws that transform this world into a holier place.

We are not victims or mere observers. Our actions matter now and forever.

Our blood boils when we hear about those that were silent during the Holocaust. When we will be asked one day: “What did you do about the tragic events happening around you?” what will your answer be?

I for one do not want to be left with no answer, or worse yet, an answer that I did nothing. I want to know that I did everything in my power. I hope you feel the same.

Let us create a true revolution. Let us reconnect to our Divine mission. Let us move heaven and earth with our actions. We have been promised that when we do, we will save the universe – literally.

May our actions honor the Kedoshim (sanctified ones) that were killed in Israel. May our actions bring home the hostages safely. May our actions protect the entire nation and land of Israel.

Tags: Garden of Eden, new year, Islamism, war, Adam and Eve, responsibility
Posted in Weekly Parsha, Bereishit, Operation Iron Swords, Bereishit, Israel, Religion, Social, Spiritual, Torah, Articles, Terrorism, The Inside Story, Current Events | No Comments »

Toward a Meaningful Life in Hebrew Survives a Bombing

October 12th, 2023

Meaningful Moment

Toward a Meaningful Life in Hebrew survives a bombing… and leaves us with an eternal message

“In Ashkelon, after a missile attack, wait until the end of the video to see the miracle and the message.”

WATCH NOW: https://www.facebook.com/reel/867907751139277

Translation of the Hebrew narration: Look at the damage caused by one missile. But then [continue looking and] you’ll see a great wonder… Look closely. Amidst all the carnage, see what we find intact: A holy book that was not burned (except by the edges). And here is what it reads…

Tags: Israel, war, Hamas, current events, global, tml
Posted in Operation Iron Swords, The Spiritual War | Join the WhatsApp Group, YouTube Playlist, Meaningful Mitzvah Wall, Social, Meaningful Moments | No Comments »

Our Response to Tragedy

October 12th, 2023

SOULGYM I MASTERCLASS
Live with Rabbi Simon Jacobson
What Are You Willing to Fight For?
Wednesday, October 18, 2023 @8:30pm
Live Stream | Podcast

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Tags: hope, anti-semitism, transcendence, survival, Jewish history, good deeds
Posted in Operation Iron Swords, Good & Evil, Israel, Faith, Soul Gym, Religion, Moshiach & Redemption, Articles, Pain & Suffering, Racism, Terrorism, Current Events | No Comments »

A Personal Note from Simon Jacobson

October 12th, 2023

Dear friend,

First and foremost, our hearts, souls and prayers go out to all the holy souls that were so brutally ripped away from us, and to their shattered families and loved ones; to all those injured and taken hostage. May they be freed quickly and without harm. Our hearts, souls and prayers go out to all the holy soldiers sacrificing their lives to protect and defend the innocent Jewish lives in the Holy Land.

We are all one. One organism. one body, one soul. When one of us is hurt we are all hurt. When one of us is strong, it adds strength to everyone else. At a time like this, when we’re being tested in ways we could never have previously imagined, it is more important than ever to know how deeply connected we really are. The enemy may have murdered some of our bodies but they can never murder our souls. Our hearts are broken, but our resolve is stronger than ever.

While our brave heroes – the soldiers and citizens of Israel – continue to wage the physical war on the front lines, what can the rest of us do? In times like this we need to become soldiers ourselves — spiritual soldiers, mobilized to fulfill our life mission. Every war that we have ever waged — and indeed, the very survival of the Jewish people — has always been dependent on fighting on the spiritual front side by side with the physical one. The physical protection of each one of us — and our very collective destiny — is intrinsically connected to our spiritual activism.

When we pray or dedicate a good deed to our brothers and sisters in Israel, we create a spiritual defense shield for them that will help them through difficult and dangerous times.

In simple terms the spiritual war means — digging deeper and deploying our spiritual “weapons”: Finding emotional, psychological and spiritual resources that provide us with clarity, confidence and moral conviction. It offers us strength and courage and to forge ahead knowing with absolute certainty that we are fighting for higher values, for freedom, for the rights of innocent people to live in peace. Without this conviction the strongest armies will fail.

In these times, we need to each recognize our mission and enlist in the battle of truth over lies, good over evil, light over darkness. Yes, we will be challenged whether to stand passively on the sidelines, or worse, cower in fear and retreat. Or whether we rise to the occasion, and stand up to our enemies and let our souls shine forth in the best and most beautiful way they can.

I am confident that both you and I will choose correctly.

So while we are reeling from atrocities never before seen in our lifetime, we must become more soulful than ever. We must build up our inner and intimate lives – our love and connection with our families and loved ones, our inner fortitude and values system. As abominable as war may be, it reminds and compels us to crystallize what we stand for and are ready to fight for. Despite the darkness around us, now more than ever, we embrace being agents of light. We must stand together. To connect and unite, bringing us closer together than ever before, until we merit to see the personal and global redemption of the entire world.

In this spirit of camaraderie I share with you that we are here for you and with you. We will neither slow down nor curtail any of our activities. On the contrary, we have chosen to accelerate them like never before – by launching a spiritual offensive, focusing and unleashing our resources toward providing everyone we can reach with empowering, life-affirming messages and tools, offering clarity, strength, hope and inspiration in these challenging times.

I encourage you to do the same. Do your part! Become a spiritual soldier. Speak up for Israel. Educate yourself about the facts. Stand in solidarity. Donate to causes that support Israel. Say a prayer and increase in acts of kindness. Do an extra good deed, a mitzvah. Bring light to this dark world. Illuminate everyone you can reach!

The current attack on Israel may be the defining event of our lives: how we respond today will be etched into the annals of history for eternity. Together let us declare for now and for generations to come, that we were not silent in the face of such atrocities. When this story is told by our children and grandchildren, let us ensure that we will be remembered as having done everything humanly possible to defend and protect innocent lives, emerging a much stronger people in the process, and demonstrating a shining example to the world at large what it means to be human – how to vanquish darkness with light, evil with good and lies with truth.

We will prevail.

We shall see the sun rise and our land celebrate its greatest glory.

With blessings and prayers for peace in Israel and peace in the entire world.

With love and warmth,

Simon Jacobson

Tags: Israel, war, Hamas, current events, global
Posted in Operation Iron Swords, Social, Articles | 3 Comments »

The Immaculate Reception: Are Miracles Possible?

September 14th, 2023

I awoke Tuesday morning to find the following email in my inbox: “Dear Rabbi, as we approach Rosh Hashana, I feel compelled to make a confession. As q die-hard skeptic, I was ready to honor the New Year with the usual resigned, even sarcastic attitude. Yeah, I’ll probably go to Synagogue, but mostly out of guilt (my parents, grandparents, the Holocaust), mixed with a little tradition and a lot of superstition (what’s there to lose, let me make my annual deal with God to be sealed in the book of life for a blessed year). I’ll do my routine praying, but for me (and so many others) it’s more like lip-service, by-rote, mechanical faith.

“But then, after watching the miraculous Jets win Monday night against the Buffalo Bills, I could not help but think: Are there indeed miracles in life? Was this God’s hand? I mean, Garrett Wilson’s absurd, logic-defying catch to basically tie the game in the last minutes (when all seemed lost); Xavier Gipson’s amazing punt return touchdown to win the game, in overtime no less; and all this on the heels (no pun intended) of Aaron Rodgers season (career?) ending devastating injury just four plays into his highly anticipated first game with the Jets! Is this a Divine sign? Is this some form of wakeup call (to all of us, but especially to the doubters) – just days before the High Holidays – that perhaps there is an invisible hand behind the scenes choreographing the narrative of our lives?

“Yes, I know that, as we speak, young children are dying of cancer, innocent people are suffering, and the world has plenty of problems, and we sure can use some miracles. But one thing does not negate the other. Sure, one winning game in football doesn’t mean much in the scheme of life challenges. But should we ignore an incredible event that makes our eyes rub in disbelief? If such an unlikely scenario can happen in front of millions, how many more unlikely miracles can take place in our lives? Can prayer help?”

My dear friend, I replied, allow me to share with you the timeless words of the great mystic and founder of the Chassidic movement, the Baal Shem Tov: The difference between a miracle and a natural event is only one thing: frequency. Were the sun to rise once in our lifetimes, we would all be rushing outside with our families and friends, with camera crews and media attention, gazing at the heaven and saying: “Awesome. Look at that flaming ball in the sky rising in the horizon” (just look at the attention a solar eclipse attracts). But since it happens every day without fail, we take it for granted and seek out other novelties (healthy or unhealthy) that will provide us with a new rush of excitement. That is human nature.

Every moment new, healthy children are born. Is that not a miracle? Think, a seed fertilizes an egg, and a new life is conceived. One cell. One single cell splits into two, then into four, then into eight, and over nine months a full and complete child with over 40 trillion cells emerges from its mother’s womb. That is you – with all your beauty and complexities, with all your nobility and neuroses. Is that not a miracle?

But since children are born all the time, we lose sight, and get distracted by the superficial, impermanent experiences of our lives.

How many things must work right for every breath we inhale? A healthy adult takes around 12 to 20 breaths per minute. Do you even notice But then when you see someone on a respirator struggling to breathe, you suddenly realize the miracle of just one breath.

Life is a miracle. And miracles abound everywhere, if you only choose to look. From time to time, the invisible hand does reveal itself to remind us of the miracles that are already there, just waiting for us to embrace them, to channel them into our lives. When asked “where is God?” Reb Menachem Mendel of Kotzk said: “Wherever you let him in.” If I may, side by side, irreverently cite Michaelangelo: When he was asked how he sculpts those beautiful angels in the marble, he purportedly replied: “I see the angel trapped in the marble, so I carved and carved to set it free.”

The Jets miraculous win, in the days when we prepare to enter a New Year and celebrate the collective birthday of the human race on Rosh Hashana, reminds us of the miracles and angels trapped in our material, distracted lives, and the call of the Shofar awakens us to do our part in unleashing them. Our prayers and good deeds carve away the outer excess allowing our souls to emerge and shine. On Rosh Hashana, after Adam had sinned, God cried out to Adam: “Where are you?” and this is the question we are all asked on this day: “Where do you stand in your life? Have you betrayed yourself and your destiny? Are you present, serving as My partner to transform this world into a spiritual garden? Are you living up to your mission and calling?”

I recall a cynical guy asking me at one of my classes: “Hey, can a tzaddik – a pious God-fearing person – fly?” I replied simply: “I don’t know if he can fly. But I can tell you that for him (or her) walking on earth is as miraculous as flying…”

Every step we take, every breath we make, every fiber of existence is brimming with enormous energy and potential.

If anything, the Jets improbable win opens our eyes and ears to seeing the miracles in every moment; to see (in Blake’s words) a world in a grain of sand and a heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour. To experience the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Posted in Tishrei, Rosh Hashanah, Months & Holidays, Trending, Social, Current Events | No Comments »

The King is Paying a Visit

August 9th, 2023

The Hebrew month of Elul is explained with the following metaphor: The king’s usual place is in the capital city, in the royal palace. Anyone wishing to approach the king must go through the appropriate channels in the palace bureaucracy and gain the approval of a succession of royal secretaries and ministers. He must journey to the capital and pass through the many gates, corridors and antechambers that lead to the throne room. His presentation must be meticulously prepared, and he must adhere to an exacting code of dress, speech and mannerism upon entering into the royal presence.

However, there are times when the king comes out to the fields outside the city. At such times, anyone can approach him; the king receives them all with a smiling face and a radiant countenance. The peasant behind his plow has access to the king in a manner unavailable to the highest ranking minister in the royal court when the king is in the palace.

The month of Elul  is when the king is in the field.

For eleven months of the year, our lives alternate between the mundane/field and the holy/palace, between the material endeavors of life and the sublime moments in which we enter into the royal presence.

In the month of Elul, however, the king comes to the field.

What happens when the king comes to the field? The field is not transformed into a palace, yet neither is the king any less a king when he greets the farmer in his soiled overalls. Back in the throne room, however, in the aura of sanctity that surrounds the king, the sweat and mundane toil of the field seem a million miles away. How do these two worlds meet and what happens when they do?

The king is the heart and soul of the nation, the embodiment of its goals and aspirations. The king, though sequestered behind the palace walls and bureaucracy, though glimpsed, if at all, through a veil of opulence and majesty, is a very real part of the farmer’s field. He is the “why” of his plowing, the reason for his sowing, the object of his harvest. No farmer labors for the sake of labor. He labors to transcend the dust of which he and his field are formed, to make more of what is. He labors for his dreams. He labors for his king.

The king in the field is making contact with the source of his sustenance, with the underpinnings of his sovereignty. And the field is being visited by its raison d’être, by its ultimate function and essence.

When the farmer sees the king in his field, does he keep on plowing? Does he behave as if this were just another day in the fields? Of course not. Elul is not a month of ordinary workdays. It is a time of increased spiritual study, more fervent prayer, more generosity and charity. The very air is charged with holiness. We might still be in the field, but the field has become a holier place.

In the month of Elul, the essence and objective of life becomes that much more accessible. No longer do the material trappings of life conceal and distort its purpose, for the king is paying a visit.

Tags: Elul, love of G-d
Posted in Weekly Parsha, Month of Elul, Devarim, Torah, Ki-Tavo, Soul Gym | No Comments »