ESSAYS| 2018

ESSAYSss| English

Making Your Grass Greener

Anonymous, Brooklyn, NY

Competition / Essays 2018

This essay will address feelings of jealousy and consequent despondency, demonstrating how through using a fundamental concept in Chasidic teachings called “Sovev” and “Memalei”, one can apply a method of thinking to increase satisfaction and happiness in one’s life. The challenge: Already in the Ten Commandments, G-d addresses one of the great challenges to human

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The Greatest Female Power: Not the One Hollywood Tells

Sara Spielman, Brooklyn, NY

Essays 2018

Jewish women are often seen as “inferior” or “second class citizens” by the world, since their innate roles are more often inside the home and they are obligated to fulfill fewer Mitzvahs than their male counterparts. This can be a major issue for people when considering a Chassidic lifestyle. However, quite the opposite is true.

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How to Deal with Difficult People

by Hadassah Silberstein

Essays 2017 / Student Winners / Winning Essays

MyLife Essay Contest The sound of her unnecessarily aggressive chewing drives you crazy. You cringe every time he opens his mouth. You cannot remain in one room with her for too long before you get irritated. More often than not, your conversations with him turn into arguments. When you aren’t with her, you find every

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Trees and Maps: How to Stop Being a People Pleaser

by Moishe Chakoff

Essays 2017 / Student Winners / Winning Essays

MyLife Essay Contest 2017   The expression “people-pleaser” may seem like an innocuous phrase to describe a very nice person. In truth, it describes a psychological disorder wherein individuals feel they must say “yes” when they really want to and should say “no”. The Giving-Tree by Shel Silverstein illustrates the mentality of people-pleasing very clearly. 

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ADD: The Key to Living A Productive Life

By Sara Blau, Brooklyn, NY

Essays 2017 / Student Winners / Winning Essays

MyLife Essay Contest   Contemporary Issue: There are many challenges that make up the gamut of the human experience, from depression and anxiety, to lust and obsessions, from feelings of loneliness and doubts, to issues in a relationship. How does one live a productive, functional life, when the mind is bogged down by the above

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A Different Kind of Success

By Chony Milecki

Essays 2017 / Finalists

MyLife Essay Contest 2017   The nature of the human-being is to strive for more. Whether in our relationships, art, business or personal struggles, we strive to do better and be better. But striving for success is really a shallow exercise without a clear picture of what we are really after. Somebody who strives for more

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Chassidus as an Eclectic Psychological Approach

By Shraga Crombi, Edison, New Jersey

Essays 2017 / Winning Essays

MyLife Essay Contest 2017 Originally in Hebrew, translated by Rabbi Yonah Pruss A number of central schools dominate today’s world of psychology. In recent years many attempts have been made to present an integrated approach to overcome existing deficiencies in each of them, based on the understanding that none of the existing approaches provide an adequate

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