ESSAYS| 2017

ESSAYSss| Finalists

Committing to Your Purpose in a World of Cheap Substitutes

By No'a Bat Miri, Milford, CT

Essays 2017 / Finalists

MyLife Essays Contest 2017 Many parents loathe the day their little one discovers the word “why.” It’s not simply that children can be quite indefatigable in their exploitation of this subtle weapon that bothers a parent, but the thought that this is where her failure begins: after feeding, cleaning, and giving all of the other

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The Heart of the Matter

By Gale Levin, New Haven, CT

Essays 2017 / Finalists

MyLife Essay Contest 2017 It is a basic tenet in Judaism that everything in the physical world is a reflection of the spiritual world. This makes sense since G-d looked to the Torah as a blueprint to create the world. (Midrash Beraishis Rabbah 1:1) So, in order to understand the workings of our soul, it

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Retroactive Healing: It’s in Our D.N.A.

By Nechama Dina Zwiebel, Kingston, Pennsylvania

Essays 2017 / Finalists

MyLife Essay Contest 2018 Contemporary Issue: Challenges and Healing in all relationships “Been there, done THAT!” “I wish I could go back to before that happened!” “If only I could do it all over again!” “I wish we could still be friends.” “I wish that never happened…!” This is wishful thinking, but not reality –

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Getting Past Depression by Getting Past Yourself

by Aryeh Gurewitz 

Essays 2015 / Finalists / Winning Essays

First Place Winner of the MyLife Essay Contest One of the most famous aspects of Chassidic life is its emphasis on the importance of joy. Less well known but equally fundamental is its negation of depression. In line with this, Chassidus provides a wide variety of insights that can help avoid depressed moods(1). However, many

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