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Yud Shevat Farbrengen with Rabbi YY Jacobson - Wednesday Evening, 5783, February 1st at 7 Galileo Court, Pomona

The 73rd yartzeit of the rebbe rayatz. On Yud Shvat 1950, the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, passed away. Exactly one year later, the seventh Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, accepted the leadership of the movement, and set about transforming the face of world Jewry.

This is the eighth of a series of a text-based class on a Chassidic discourse, a Maamar, presented by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, on 10 Shevat, 5723 (1963), Basi L'Gani 5723.

Rabbi YY Jacobson taught this class on Wednesday, 10 Shevat, 5783, February 1, 2023, in Bais Medrash Ohr Chaim, 18 Forshay Road, downstairs.

In Honor of Yud Shevat, Yartzeit of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe

This class was presented on Tuesday, Parshas Beshalach, 9 Shevat, 5783, January 31, 2023, at Bais Medrash Ohr Chaim in Monsey, NY.

This is the seventh of a series of a text-based class on a Chassidic discourse, a Maamar, presented by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, on 10 Shevat, 5723 (1963), Basi L'Gani 5723.

Rabbi YY Jacobson taught this class on Tuesday, 9 Shevat, 5783, January 31, 2023, in Bais Medrash Ohr Chaim, 18 Forshay Road, downstairs.

Preparing for Yud Shevat, world-renowned teacher Rabbi YY Jacobson, presented to the Monsey community part six of the incredible and revolutionary Maamar Basi Legani 5723 (1963), said by the Rebbe exactly 60 years ago. 

The theme of the 6th class of the maamar is how all matter, all chemistry, science and physics is the embodiment of Divine light. The distinct worlds are diverse ways in which we define matter. 

Preparing for Yud Shevat, world-renowned teacher Rabbi YY Jacobson, presented to the Monsey community part five of the incredible and revolutionary Maamar Basi Legani 5723 (1963), said by the Rebbe exactly 60 years ago, at the Yud Shevat Farbrengen.

The theme of the fifth class of the maamar is the teaching of the Maggid of the Mezritch that the angels can't begin singing before the souls begin singing. Because souls represent the "back-end program" of the universe, like the thoughts that constitute the source of words. The class explores the true definition of great Jewish leader, who show people the greatness lurking inside of them. We also discuss how souls can tune in to the thoughts and consciousness that is the core and engine of the universe.

This is the fourth of a series of a text-based class on a Chassidic discourse, a Maamar, presented by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, on 10 Shevat, 5723 (1963), Basi L'Gani 5723.

Rabbi YY Jacobson taught this class on Thursday, 4 Shevat, 5783, January 26, 2023, in Bais Medrash Ohr Chaim, 18 Forshay Road, downstairs.

Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D. is a distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University where he is the founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium. He is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina.

He served as president of the Society for Psychophysiological Research and the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences and is a former recipient of a National Institute of Mental Health Research Scientist Development Award. He has published more than 400 peer-reviewed papers across several disciplines including anesthesiology, biomedical engineering, critical care medicine, ergonomics, exercise physiology, gerontology, neurology, neuroscience, obstetrics, pediatrics, psychiatry, psychology, psychometrics, space medicine, and substance abuse. In 1994 he proposed the Polyvagal Theory, a theory that links the mammalian autonomic nervous system to social behavior and emphasizes the importance of the physiological state in the expression of behavioral problems and psychiatric disorders. The theory is leading to innovative treatments based on insights into the mechanisms mediating symptoms observed in several behavioral, psychiatric, and physical disorders.

He is the author of The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation (Norton, 2011), The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe, (Norton, 2017), co-editor of Clinical Applications of the Polyvagal Theory: The Emergence of Polyvagal-Informed Therapies (Norton, 2018) and author of Polyvagal Safety: Attachment, Communication, Self-Regulation (Norton 2021). Dr. Porges is the creator of a music-based intervention, the Safe and Sound Protocol ™ (SSP), which is used by therapists to improve social engagement, language processing, and state regulation, as well as to reduce hearing sensitivities.

The Fresh Start Retreat is an intensive 7-day retreat designed for men and women who want to understand, process, and heal from unresolved trauma, neglect, and abuse. To learn more about Fresh Start Retreat Center please visit https://www.jewishfreshstart.com or call 248-301-9997

This class was presented on Tuesday, Parshas Bo, 2 Shevat, 5783, January 24, 2023, at Bais Medrash Ohr Chaim in Monsey, NY.

It is a fascinating law in this week’s portion. If I am eating the Afikoman and I fall asleep, when wake up I can’t continue eating it. Because it is as though I am beginning a new, second meal, and the Passover offering meal, as well as the Afikoman, have to be eaten in one single uninterrupted meal.

The above law applies if a person was conducting a seder alone. But what if he or she is eating the Passover offering or the afikomen with a group of other Jews, then even if he or she falls asleep, they can continue eating after they awake, as long as some members of the group remained awake. 

The logic is clear. If I am eating in your company, then even if I fell asleep, my meal has not been interrupted, because you are awake. As long as you guys are awake, when I resume consciousness, I am right back in the game. The fact that I took a nap for an hour or two does not mean that my meal has ceased.

At first glance, it seems like a technical law, even if quite fascinating and also a bit of a stretch. It was on the 20th of Teves, 5750, January 17, 1990, when I heard from the Lubavitcher Rebbe the deeper emotional and historical meaning of the above law.  I still recall how emotional and moving the Rebbe’s explanation was, including of how marvelous it was to see a seemingly technical law reflecting such a splendid insight into Jewish history. It also contains timeless lessons on how we view our brothers, sister, and children, who at some point feel detached from the story of Judaism and the Jewish people.