True Freedom to Choose
תחפושת בחירה או בחירה חופשית?

By מנחם מענדל פרומר, Kiryat Shmuel, Israel

MyLife Essay Contest 2017 תפיסה מהפכנית של מושג הבחירה וההחלטה שתשנה את חייכם!   החופש לבחור – תרמית התקופה המודרנית כיום בתרבות המערבית, נתפס מושג חופש הבחירה כיכולת האדם לבחור מתוך מקסימום אפשרויות הנמצאות בידו בזמן נתון; ככל שלאדם יש אפשרויות מגוונות יותר ויכולת לבחור ביניהם ללא כפיה – הוא נמצא גבוה יותר בסולם החופש.

Read More

3 Steps to Uproot Apathy

By Yehuda Ertel, Pittsburgh, PA

MyLife Essay Contest 2017 Depression, melancholy, dejection, despondency. We all struggle with it, no matter what you call it, no matter if it is a psychiatric problem or just a simple case of the blues everyone, at some point in their lives grapples with depression in some form or another. It is characterized by a state of heavy-heartedness

Read More

Winners of the 2017 MyLife: Chassidus Applied Essay Contest

$10,000 First Place Winner Moishe Chakoff, 27, Miami, Florida – Topic: Trees & Maps: How to Stop Being a People Pleaser $3,600 Second Place Winner Shraga Crombi, 35, Edison, New Jersey – Topic: Chassidus as an Eclectic Psychological Approach (Hebrew). English translation. $1,000  Third Place Winner Hadassah Silberstein, 24, Brooklyn, NY – Topic: How to Deal With Difficult People Bonus $1,000 Fourth Place Winner Sara Blau, 26, Brooklyn, NY

Read More

Making Time Count
. . . בעין הזמן – כשאין זמן

By אוריה צור, Beit Shemesh, Israel

MyLife Essay Contest 2017 הקדמה כולנו מכירים את הסיפור על האדם שבא לרב והתלונן שצפוף לו בבית ואין לו מקום. הרב המליץ בחום להכניס עז הביתה. אחרי כמה ימים שאל הרב את האיש האם נהיה לו יותר נוח, האיש ענה: “המצב קטסטרופלי, העז מתרוצצת ממקום למקום אין לה לנו רגע דל…”. הרב חייך בשביעות רצון וכעבור

Read More

Being of Two Minds: Chassidus and Neuroscience

By Mike Perkins, Columbia, Missouri

MyLife Essay Contest 2017 Our Dilemma One of the great questions is how we should live our life. No matter how we decide that question, the outcome will be dependent on the choices we make. In fact, the choices we make ultimately are the answer. Each day provides us with a bewildering amount of choices from which

Read More

Hoarding vs. Letting Go

By Vicky O'Brien, Albany NY

MyLife Essay Contest 2017 Searching for the proper attitude toward acquisition, using lessons from leaving Egypt and Chassidus Depending on the context, hoarding may be either a problem or a necessary resort. We live in a consumeristic society which encourages buying and collecting. Animals, humans included, have hoarding instincts to survive harsh times like winter

Read More

Avoiding Failure

By Mendy Gollub, Longbeach, CA

MyLife Essay Contest 2017 Nobody likes failure. It’s heartbreaking to really want something and put in effort and still not reach your goal. However, if you look in Chassidus, it lays out there are formula for success. In Chassidus we find instruction for how to properly invest ourself in something in a way that we

Read More

Living with the Times

By Anonymous 

MyLife Essay Contest 2017 Bereishis “A decent for a greater accent” In the beginning, I didn’t know what it meant that I was Jewish let alone know what Chassidus was. I didn’t know that I had inherited the greatest gift. Growing up in a secular family, this was my reality. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t trade my past for

Read More

Jungle or Garden?

By Talya Portnoy

MyLife Essay Contest 2017 We are living in a time where man desires an inner peace which will extend into every area of his/her life. People are constantly searching for self-contentment, for tips on overcoming challenging times, and for a purpose in life. A study which was done on college students showed how seventy six

Read More

Who? or What?

By Fraida Glassner, Crown Heights, NY

MyLife Essay Contest 2017 As a program coordinator and party planner I find that planning a program includes so many details, Pink flowers actually the coral with the green contrast looks way better, what the menu should be? Stuffed chicken or grilled? Lace edging or just keep the rustic vintage look? The color table cloths,

Read More