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This class was presented on Tuesday, Parshas Behar - Bechukosai, 18 Iyar, 5783, May 9, 2023, at Bais Medrash Ohr Chaim in Monsey, NY.

This class was presented on Monday, Parshas Behar - Bechukosai, 17 Iyar, 5783, May 8, 2023, at Bais Medrash Ohr Chaim in Monsey, NY.

This is a text-based Zoom class on a "sicha," an address of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, presented by the Rebbe on Sunday, 14 Iyar, Pesach Sheini, 5725, May 16, 1965, at the 10th annual convention of Nshei U'bnos Chabad, the women and girls of the Chabad movement.

Rabbi YY Jacobson presented this class on Pesach Sheini 5783, May 4, 2023, in tribute to Mattel Labkowski's 70th birthday.

This class was presented on Thursday, Parshas Emor, 14 Iyar, 5783, May 4, 2023, at Bais Medrash Ohr Chaim in Monsey, NY.

This class was presented on Tuesday, Parshas Emor, 11 Iyar, 5783, May 2, 2023, at Bais Medrash Ohr Chaim in Monsey, NY.

In the fourth chapter of the Ethics of the Fathers, we read the following Mishna: Elisha the son of Avuya said: One who studies Torah as a child, to what is he compared? To ink written on fresh paper. And one who studies Torah as an old man, to what is he compared? To ink inscribed on erased paper.

There are a few questions on this Mishnah. First, what’s the novelty? This is self-evident. Second, I can understand encouraging parents to teach Torah to their children when they are young and their minds are fertile. But what’s the point of the final clause in the Mishnah? If I am an elderly man or woman, and I never had the opportunity to study Torah, why would the Mishnah try to discourage me and make me give up before I even begin?!

Finally, there is something else amiss here. Of the more than one thousand Rabbis cited in the Talmud, only one became a heretic. His name was Elisha ben Avuya.  Due to this tragedy, his ideas and teachings are never quoted in the Mishnah. Save in this Mishnah. What happened suddenly? Why did this Mishnah decide to quote him? And why was this particular idea the one chosen to be conveyed to all generations in his name?

He was, by all accounts, one of the outstanding Jewish sages of the second century, a contemporary of Rabbi Akiva, and the teacher of Rabbi Meir, the leading scholar of his generation. Elisha moved so far from Jewish tradition that his colleagues stopped referring to him by his name but rather called him Acher, “the other”, the outcast, the renegade. Only his student Rabbi Meir remained loyal to the man who had once been his master, sought out his company, and still believed that he might one day repent.

Against this backdrop, we find a deeply moving scene in the Talmud. It is Shabbat, and Elisha ben Abuya is publicly desecrating the holy day by riding on a horse. Walking alongside him is Rabbi Meir. Heretic teacher and faithful disciple travel together along the road arguing and debating Jewish law. Rabbi Meir, the pious Jew, has become so immersed in the conversation that he has not noticed they are nearing the limits beyond which one may not walk on Shabbat. “Acher”, the apostate, realizes this and says: “Meir, turn back. I have measured the distance we have walked by the paces of my horse, and we have reached the Shabbat limit. Beyond here, you are forbidden to walk.

Meir replied: “You too turn back.”

“I cannot turn back,” says Elisha. “One day I was riding on my horse. It was Yom Kippur, which in that particular year fell on Shabbat. I was roaming behind the Holy of Holies, when I heard a heavenly voice saying: ‘Turn back to me, O lost children, except for Acher... ’”

What is the message of this story? That G-d indeed does not forgive all humans who want to repent? That some must truly be condemned forever? This would contradict a fundamental idea in Judaism that nothing stands in the way of repentance.

Furthermore, if G-d did not want Elisha to repent, why did He communicate with him at all? Why did the heavenly voice begin with words of love and encouragement “Turn back to me, O lost children,” and end with the fearful decree “except for Acher”?

This class will analyze the tragic story of Acher, the mysterious call to him on Yom Kippur, and his misinterpretation of it. We will explore the moments before his death, and why he had only one student who remained with him even after his betrayal of his faith. It will teach us about the pain and destiny of our own lives, how to view our own brokenness and wounds, and those of the people around us.

Rabbi & Raizel Schusterman interview Rabbi YY Jacobson in a powerful conversation. They discuss the importance of staying connected with your children through parenting.

In this episode, they explore the difference between woke liberalism’s approach to parenting and Chassidus approach and how to differentiate between the two. They also delve into the significance of choosing connection over behavior when dealing with challenges with our loved ones Throughout the conversation, Rabbi Jacobson provides insights into the spiritual teachings of Chassidus and how they can be applied to modern parenting. He explains why connected parenting is not "woke" but instead, the essence of Chassidus. Additionally, he sheds light on how some of the new approaches to parenting are rooted in the ancient teachings of the Baal Shem Tov.

If you are curious to learn more about Chassidus and its relevance to relationships , this episode is a must-listen. To set up your free consultation with Raizel schusterman you can reach out through her website www.apositivecoach.com A positive podcast is powered by OKclarity.com. OKclarity.com is THE place for any Jew - no matter how religious you are - to find a top notch therapist, psychiatrist, coach, or nutritionist. And its completely free! OKCLARITY.com’s professionals are vetted and have extensive experience working with the Jewish community. If you’re in the market for a therapist, Coach, nutritionist, psychiatrist or the like - or if you ARE a therapist, coach, psychiatric medication provider or nutritionist, you must go check them out at OKclarity.com.

To get their other podcasts and content go to A Positive Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

This class was presented on Tuesday, Parshas Acharei-Kedoshim, 4 Iyar, 5783, April 25, 2023, at Bais Medrash Ohr Chaim in Monsey, NY.

We learn in the third chapter of Pirkei Avos: Rabbi Chaninah, deputy to the kohanim, would say: Pray for the welfare of the government, for were it not for the fear it inspires, every man would swallow his neighbor alive. Rabbi Chaninah son of Tradyon would say: If two sit together and there are no words of Torah [spoken] between them, then this is a session of scorners  ... Two who sit and exchange words of Torah, the Divine Presence rests amongst them...

The basic meaning of (the first) Rabbi Chaninah's words is that for a society to be civilized its members must submit to the rule of government and law. The need for "fear of authority" may seem an insult to our sophistication and intelligence, but the fact remains that without it there would be nothing to check the worst in man, and the anarchic rule of the jungle would prevail.

The question, though, is how this passage made it into Pirkei Avos, the Ethics of the Fathers, which is a book of character-building, of going “beyond the letter of the law.” In these chapters you will not find a prohibition of murder, theft, deception, or adultery. For that we have the Torah and the other tractates of Mishnah. Yet here we have an astounding exception. Suddenly the Mishnah tells us that we must do what we can to avoid people eating each other alive!

A second enigma is this. The Mishnah rarely if ever employs poetic language. It is not a book of poetry, but of law. Why does the Mishnah use this phrase, “every man would swallow his neighbor alive,” not the ordinary and straightforward term in Torah and Tanach, “every man would kill his neighbor.”

There is a third enigma. Rabbi Chanina was not only addressing the non-Jewish world, but also the Jewish world. In the words of Maimonides in his commentary on this Mishnah: “If not for the fear of government we would swallow each other alive.” But this seems unfair and harsh. Jews, who are born and bred with the values and mitzvos of the Torah, have rarely been involved in murder. Till today, no Jewish school in the world where Torah is taught has a metal detector. Is it really true that if we had not fear of government, we would murder each other?

Finally, what is the juxtaposition between this clause of the Mishnah and the following one: “Rabbi Chaninah son of Tradyon would say: ... Two who sit and exchange words of Torah, the Divine Presence rests amongst them.” They seems disjointed. Why were they put together in one Mishnah?

It was at a farbrengen Shabbos Parshas Shlach 1975, when the Lubavitcher Rebbe offered a marvelous and extremely relevant explanation into this Mishnah which answers all the above questions—and teaches us how to live.

We also tell the story of a horse by the water, two groceries in Crown Heights, the arrogant scholar, the dignity of a child, and Rabbi Lau’s Bar mitzvah. 

Sunday, 2 Iyar, April 23, Rabbi YY addressed an event which was at the Beis Yaakov High School in Boro Park on 15th Avenue and 45th Street to celebrate the Siyum Harambam.

The year was 1984, when the Lubavitcher Rebbe, zt”l, introduced a revolutionary project which would change the world. He sets his sights on the possibility of Klal Yisroel mastering the Rambam’s Mishneh Torah by instituting an annual cycle. Gedolei Yisroel from every denomination lauded the program throughout the years, seeing in it the potential for every Yid to master the entirety of Torah Sheb’al Peh which is covered in these fourteen volumes in a clear, concise, and organized style. Since that time, tens of thousands of Yidden throughout the world learn the daily Rambam—bringing the blessing of Torah into their lives. The one-perek-a-day track completes the Rambam every three years, while those who learn three perakim a day complete the entire Rambam every year. This sunday marks the beginning of the 43rd cycle of the 3-perek cycle, and the 15th cycle of the one-perek cycle—as well as the siyum of the previous cycle.

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This class was presented on Tuesday, Parshas Tazria-Metzorah, 27 Nissan, 5783, April 18, 2023, at Bais Medrash Ohr Chaim in Monsey, NY.