Rabbi Jacobson will discuss the following topics: Why does Rosh Hashana offer us new opportunities and possibilities? Erev Rosh Hashana • Why is it customary to visit the gravesite of the righteous before Rosh Hashana? • Please describe how to write a letter to the Rebbe at the Ohel. Or do you write to G-d in merit of the Rebbe? • What is the connection to the Tzemach Tzedek’s birthday on Erev Rosh Hashana? Chassidus Applied to Rosh Hashana • What is the personal significance of this day? • What is the connection between Rosh Hashana being the birthday of the human race and it being the Day of Judgment? • What does Judgment mean? • What does it mean to be written in the Book of Life? • Why don’t we always see the fulfillment of our prayers? • How can we create the proper containers for G-d's blessings? • Are we allowed to ask for physical success and wealth? • Is there one prayer to focus on? • Why do we read on Rosh Hashana the story of Chana praying for a child? • What do we learn from Chana about how to pray? • Why is praying for our needs not a lack of faith in G-d's plans for us? • How do we balance both extremes of focusing on coronating G-d as King and our own needs? • How can we mere mortals crown G-d as our King when G-d is completely beyond us and our comprehension? • Is there truth to the story with the Rebbetzin asking that blessings for the new year should be directed to Klal Yisroel instead of to her personally? • What is the meaning of the Alter Rebbe saying that he davened on Rosh Hashana with his “shtender”? • Why is parnasa for the year determined during the reading of the "Mizmor L’David" recited on Rosh Hashana evening? • Can I dip my apple in sugar? Rosh Hashana 5786 • What is the significance of Rosh Hashana falling on Tuesday? • What acronym can be suggested for the year Tov Shin Peh Vav? Shofar • Is there a connection between the commandment to make and sound trumpets to the shofar that we blow today on Rosh Hashana? • What is the difference between a regular shofar and "the great shofar"? • Why does the sounder of the shofar look at the community after blowing the shofar? • Was it important to look at the Rebbe when he sounded the shofar? • What is the connection of Rosh Hashana with the Baal Shem Tov hearing that Moshiach will come when his wellsprings are spread outward?What can we do to ensure that Hashem will have mercy on the remaining hostages and have them all safely freed?What is the connection of Rosh Hashana with the Baal Shem Tov hearing that Moshiach will come when his wellsprings are spread outward?

Rabbi Jacobson will discuss the following topics: Preparing for the New Year • What should be our focus during these last days of Elul? • What do we learn from the creation of the universe on the 25th of Elul? • Looking back at 5785 can we say it was a good year? • How can we prepare for the New Year if we feel empty and alone due to family separations? • Can a person prepare for the New Year while remaining emotionally unhealthy? • How can I prepare properly for Rosh Hashana when I am struggling financially and it's taking a toll on my shalom bayis? • Just as we need time to prepare for the coronation of the king, can we say that the 31 years since Gimmel Tammuz was needed to prepare for the coronation of Moshiach? Netzavim • Why do we always read this Parsha before Rosh Hashana? • What lessons can we learn from this week’s Parsha? • Unity • Redemption • Torah’s personal relevance • Choose life • What did this covenant add to the Sinai covenant? • How does Tanya explain the verse ki karov ey’lecha ha’dovar me’od b'picha u'blvovcha la’soso?How can I find a trustworthy and competent mashpia? How should we react to the assassination of Charlie Kirk? • Should we be supportive of him though he advocated Christianity? • How should we respond to his enemies mocking him? What does the Torah mean when it says that after the Geulah our mouths will be filled with laughter?

Rabbi Jacobson will discuss the following topics:
 What should be our focus as we begin the third week of Elul?  

• What is unique about the month of Elul? 
• Why is the entire month of Elul not a holiday due to the revelation of the Divine compassion during this month? 
• Why does Elul include V’Dodi Li (from above), which seems to be primarily during the holidays in Tishrei? 
• Why am I not seeing the blessings that I asked for from the “king in the field”? What else can I do to help reveal these blessings?
• Did the Rebbe say that the parable of the “king in the field” teaches us that influential people need to go into the fields to greet regular people and make sure they have everything they need physically and spiritually? 
• Is there a correlation between the king leaving his palace and going into the field to the concept of dira b'tachtonim, the king leaving the higher worlds and dwelling in the lower worlds? 
• If we are meeting the “king in the field” why do we wait an entire month to coronate Him? 
• Is there a connection between Elul and education? 
• How can an emotionally unhealthy person prepare for the New Year?
• What can be done about the dissonance between being extremely religious in certain areas and despicable in human relationships? 

• What is the significance of this day? 
• How did Chassidus come to address the abovementioned dissonance? 
• How does Chai Elul infuse more life into Elul to help us get ready for the new year? 
• Do we know of other “new” souls besides the Alter Rebbe? 

• What lessons can we learn from this week’s Parsha? 

Chai Elul Ki Tavo 

Rabbi Jacobson will discuss the following topics:
 What should be our focus as we begin the second week of Elul?  

• How can Elul practically help us in our daily struggles? 
• Since we can do teshuva in the “blink of an eye” why do we need thirty days of Elul and ten days of teshuva? 
• How do we apply the Alter Rebbe’s example of the “king in the field” in our daily lives? 
• What did the Rebbe add to this example? 
• Is there value in just wanting to be better, even if no action is taken? 
• How can we ensure that we are creating the proper containers in Elul to receive the Divine blessings? 
• Can we tap into Elul’s energy all year round? 
• How does sof maaseh b'machshava techila relate to the month of Elul as the last month of the year leading into the new year? 

• What personal and global lessons can we learn from this week’s Parsha in how to fight our life battles? 
• How do we explain the Torah allowing taking a “beautiful woman” captive during war? 
• What are the practical applications of remembering what Amalek did to us? 
• Can we apply Amalek to the war against Hamas? 
• Why aren’t more religious Jews joining this war? 
• Why are sin offerings brought in the holy temple relevant for us to read today, as well as after the geulah when evil will be eradicated? 

• Are we davening properly? 
• What impact should prayer have on us and our emotional intelligence? 
• How can we make davening a more transformative experience? 

Ki Teitzei Prayer What can Chassidus teach us about trichotillomania (hair pulling)? 
As a non-Jew, will learning Hebrew and studying Torah make my life happy? 

Rabbi Jacobson will discuss the following topics:
 What should be our focus as we begin the month of Elul?  

• What is unique about this month? 
• What journey did Moshe take on Rosh Chodesh Elul? 
• How do we recreate that journey in our lives? 
• Why does the name Elul, adopted from Babylonian, carry so much weight?  
• Is there a connection between Elul and hilula? 
• What are the thirteen divine attributes of mercy, how are they more revealed in this month and how can we benefit from them? 
• Why do we blow shofar during this month? 
• Why don’t we begin on the 15th of Av? 
• What did the Rebbe suggest we do during Elul to ensure we have a sweet and successful new year? 

• What personal and global lessons can we learn from the judges and law enforcers we appoint at our gates? 
• What are these gates referring to? 
• Why did the kohen speak to the troops before they went to war? 
• Why is sorcery prohibited? 
• What can we learn from eglah arufah? 
• Can it be applied to the responsibility of those that allowed October 7th to happen? 

• How can we learn Chassidus not just conceptually but as a practical guide for life? 
• What is Ahavas Hashem and how is it expressed in our daily lives? 

Shoftim Is Chassidus impacting our lives? What takes precedent – mental health or religious commitment? 
What is Zionism? 
How should we relate to people of other faiths? 

Rabbi Jacobson will discuss the following topics:
 What should be our focus as we move from the month of Av into the month of Elul?  

• How does the Jewish calendar mirror our life cycles? 
• How does it help us navigate the ups and downs of our lives?  
• How do we apply the acronym of Elul in our personal lives? 
• What is the significance of the rose in the verse I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me, he who grazes among the roses? 

• Why is the path of the opposite of blessing considered a gift? 
• What is the message of Re’eh – vision? 
• What personal and global lessons can we learn from this week’s Parsha? 
• If the weekly Torah portion captures the energy of the corresponding time period, can the Parsha in which I was born tell me about my life mission? 
• If prayer replaced the temple offerings, and they were only allowed to be brought in the temple, then why are we allowed to pray at home? 

• Are there people whose personalities and characters have been refined and transformed by Chassidus? 
• Why is Chassidus not inspiring many of us?  
• How can we improve how Chassidus is being taught in our schools and ensure that it inspires and is internalized into the next generation? 
• How can we learn Chassidus not just conceptually but as a practical guide for life? 

Re’eh Is Chassidus impacting our lives? 

MyLife Chassidus Applied: Where YOUR questions are answeredDonate now: https://mylife500.comFor recording visit the archive page or your favorite podcast carrier.Rabbi Jacobson will discuss the following topics: What should be our focus as we go forward from the 15th of Av? • What is the significance and the virtue of the nights getting longer? 02:02 • What do we learn from the full moon – when it reflects the sun in its entirety? 04:43 • What is the meaning of yichud shimsha v’sihera, the union of sun and moon? • How is this connected to increasing in Torah study? 08:46 • What are its lessons to our personal lives? Chof Av • What is the relevance of this day to us all? • Is there a connection between this day to the coming New Year? • What is a timely teaching from Reb Levi Yitzchak that we can all learn from? • How does a mezuzah reflect peace at home between husband and wife? • Why do we begin wishing each other a happy new year starting on the 15th of Av? • Why is Yom Kippur considered a joyous holiday? • What is its connection to the 15th of Av? Va’etchanan • What do we learn from Moshe’s 515 prayers to enter the Promised Land? How should we react to negative predictions about the future? Is Chassidus impacting our lives? • Are there people whose personalities and characters have been refined and transformed by Chassidus? • Why is Chassidus not inspiring many of us? • How can we improve how Chassidus is being taught in our schools and ensure that it inspires and is internalized into the next generation? What guidelines should be followed in publicizing private materials of the Rebbeim?

Rabbi Jacobson will discuss the following topics:
 Chassidus applied to Tisha B’Av 

• How does this day capture the paradox of a Jew? 
• Why are we still grieving? 
• What is the healthy way of mourning over loss while not being defined by it? 
• Should the main focus of this day be the sadness and grief over the destruction of the Holy Temple, or should it be the joy and happiness that the third Temple will be revealed and be greater than the first two? 
• Why was Moshiach born in the darkest moments of this saddest day of the year? 
• Why did the other sages not laugh like Rabbi Akiva; were they not aware of the future prophecy? 
• Is there a custom to do a “prank” on Tisha B’av as in the story with Reb Yisroel Ruzhiner? 
• Are we supposed to continue the mourning on the 10th of Av? 
• How important is unity in repairing the wounds of Tisha B’Av? 
• And how does that apply today to winning the battles with our enemies? 
• Can we apply Tisha B’av to healing from all forms of illness? 
• What is a balanced Torah approach to healing and medicine? 
• Should we listen to doctors who only medicate and do not address the soul? 

• What is the significance of Shabbat Nachamu? 
• Why the double Nachamu Nachamu Ami? 
• Why is the 15th of Av such a great holiday comparable to Yom Kippur? 
• What can we learn from the joyous events that occurred on this day to give us hope that we will endure and thrive despite the latest demonstrations of antisemitism? 
• Did the Rebbe say that the breaking of the axe also symbolizes that we have finished our work of refining the world? 
•  Why was public dancing permitted on this day? How is it consistent with strict standards of modesty followed today?

Nachamu/15th of Av How should we respond to questions about the recently publicized photo of the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin? Follow-up 

Rabbi Jacobson will discuss the following topics:

 Why are we still mourning? 
The inside story of the Nine Days: A Chassidic perspective 
 
Rosh Chodesh Av 

• What lessons do we learn from Aaron’s yahrzeit? 
• What is the significance of him passing away on Har HaHar? 

• What lessons do we learn from the Arzial’s yahrzeit?  

• Chassidus Applied: What are the spiritual roots of pain, dissonance and unhappiness? 
• How does this relate to the tzimtzum harishon, (cosmic concealment) sheviras ha’keilim (shattering of the containers) and the reshimu (cosmic trace)? 
• Can we connect the “big bang” theory with sheviras ha’keilim? 
• How can there be evil in the world created by a good G-d? 
• What psychological lessons do we learn from this period in dealing with our own challenges? 
• What can I do about my insecurities, self-consciousness and self-centeredness? 
• What is the Chassidic perspective on pain and suffering?
• Is the Rebbe angry with me? 

5 Av Nine Days How should we respond to questions about the recently publicized photo of the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin? 
 
How can I channel my artistic talent toward transcendent goals? 

Rabbi Jacobson will discuss the following topics:
 Three Weeks and Moshiach 

• What powerful psychological lessons do we learn from this period in dealing with our own setbacks and difficulties? 
• How do we look at today’s events in the Middle East through the lens of the Three Weeks? 
• Are they a sign of the imminent redemption? 
• After all the signs and promises that Moshiach is about to come, how do we avoid being skeptical that it will happen now? 
• What did the Rebbe mean when he said that the birurim were completed? 
• How do we receive and greet Moshiach? 
• How to achieve geulah consciousness? 
• Will the Third Temple be a physical structure or a spiritual state of consciousness? 
• What does it mean that we are not “obligated to finish the job, but we are not free to abandon it” either? 
• The Rebbe said: “do all you can.” What more can we do? 
• Should we be trying any “trick” methods to bring the geulah? 
• Should we be quitting our jobs and just be focusing on the work to prepare ourselves and the world for Moshiach? 
• Does the geulah have to come by the year 6000? 
• How can we integrate the geulah paradigm into our daily lives and routines?