ESSAYS| 2020

ESSAYSss|

A Soul; A Flame

Shaina Rochel Goldstein

Creative 2020 / Finalists

LEARNING a FOUNDATIONAL LESSON in CHASSIDUS from BEREAVEMENT  After my father’s passing at a young age, darkness seemed to surround me from all sides. For me, his neshama seems to have left this world too soon, even though I know his soul is content because he has joined his infinite source on high. This sudden

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“Just Not Feeling It”

Chani Herzog

Essays 2020 / Finalists

In a generation heavily plagued by the desire for instant gratification, there is something everyone is still fighting for – Happiness. That elusive word so often spoken about, and so often misunderstood.  On a global scale, millions of dollars are spent on various methods in the pursuit of happiness. For so many, these are all

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A Journey from Fear and Suffering to Control and Serenity

Countess Rivka Elkaim

Essays 2020 / Finalists

In this essay, we will explore OCD, first from a medical vantage point and then as illuminated by the teachings of Chassidus, specifically the Tanya and Igros (letters) of the Rebbe. As a disclaimer, the author is neither a therapist nor a licensed medical professional, and the contents of this essay are not intended to

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Tefillah to the Heavens

Tanni Cohen

Creative 2020 / Finalists

Stuck in the mud. You might know this as being an enjoyed children‘s game, or maybe you associate it with difficult situations in life, and the helplessness of it. What happens when we are stuck in the mud– when Hashem has stuck us into a rough situation? How do we change the ‘muddy‘ decrees or the

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Tapping into our True Selves

Mushky Ezagui

Essays 2020 / Finalists

We tend to be really hard on ourselves. Low self-esteem is a major challenge in this day and age, across the board. Often, we define ourselves by our actions as opposed to who we really are. We conclude that we are bad, that we are hopeless cases, and that we will never succeed, based on

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Let’s Take it Easy?

Shalom Lipovenko

Creative 2020 / Finalists

Everybody talks about having a hard life. And modern life made our lives easier, around the same time Chassidus (knowledge of G-d) was revealed. Life is supposed to be easy and full of enjoyment. Life isn’t supposed to be hard. But life has many issues. And this contest aims to solve them through the lens

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The Power of Imagery

Yehuda Shmotkin

Essays 2020 / Finalists

Yetzias Mitzrayim Yetzias Mitzrayim in Chasidus means to leave our own personal Meitzar and Gvul. Leave our boxes. Get out of our comfort zones and enter a space of Merchav. Broadness. Expansiveness. How do we attain this? One way is to simply do those things that are difficult. Getting out of ourselves. Doing the hard,

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The Anatomy According to Chassidus

Chaya Youngworth

Creative 2020 / Finalists

Brief explanation of the drawing: At the top of the drawing, we have a verse, which means: “water going down from a high place to a low place.”  This is a reference to the Torah brought by the Alter Rebbe in the fourth Chapter of the Tanya. Just as the water is the same coming

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The BT Approach: Ways to Move Past Barriers to Growth

Michoel Moshel

Essays 2020 / Finalists

Have you ever felt like you’re too far gone, that you’ve deviated too far from the path and the way back is clouded and uncertain? How about starting a resolution only to look back two months later and not understand why you stopped? Perhaps you’ve felt so unable to shake a nagging sense of dissatisfaction

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