ESSAYS| 2017

ESSAYSss| English

A Shidduch as Illuminated by the Teachings of Chassidus

By Esther Rochel Elkaim

Essays 2017 / Finalists

MyLife Essay Contest 2017 Shidduchim have been become increasingly difficult in many parts of the Jewish community during the last few years, including in Chabad circles. In this essay, I will humbly attempt to present a number of Chassidic teachings on the subject of shidduchim and the importance of marriage, as well as highlight how

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You Are Here

By Avi Lowell, Jerusalem, IL

Essays 2017 / Finalists

MyLife Essay Contest 2017 It was negative twenty six degrees outside (a warm day for Smolensk in the winter).  We were on our way to Lubavitch, Russia.  At the crack of dawn we stepped off the bus to reach the birthplace of Chabad, by foot.  The Rabbi had warned us about the traditional hike —

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Dealing with Hate Issues

By Tonni Shmuckler, Montreal, QC

Essays 2017 / Finalists

MyLife Essay Contest 2017 Have you ever been annoyed by someone really obnoxious? Far too many people deal with irritating and exasperating situations daily. In this essay, I will try to offer, G-d willing, a solution to the far-too common problem of being annoyed, otherwise known as baseless hatred. This essay is based off the

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The Present: The Greatest Gift of All

By Mendy Levitin, Seattle, WA

Essays 2017 / Finalists

MyLife Essay Contest 2017 Smartphones, tablets, and of course the internet. Some of the most defining inventions of the modern era. All of these aforementioned tools have contributed to an unprecedented level of communication and information-sharing in our world. We can hear of news taking place across the world with the chime of a notification.

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The Olympic Theory

By Shneur Zalman Ives, Brooklyn, NY

Essays 2017 / Finalists

MyLife Essay Contest 2017   Introduction  Many misconceptions plague the concept of redemption and the personality who will usher it in. Possibly the most widespread and fundamental misconception is the view that the purpose of redemption is to extradite the Jewish people from a difficult situation, be the said difficulty physical or spiritual. The truth

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Adjusting to Distressing “New Normals”

By Malky Bitton, Vancouver, BC

Essays 2017 / Finalists

MyLife Essay Contest 2017 Introduction This essay addresses the concern of how to pick oneself up and carry on when faced with a frightening new normal, a distressing shift in the status quo. Through developing the concepts of אין מזל לישראל and כבשה אחת בין שבעים זאבים as explained by the Rebbe, we will demonstrate

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To Find Meaning One Must Make Meaning

By Bentzi Avtzon, Bala Cynwyd, PA

Essays 2017 / Finalists

MyLife Essay Contest 2017 About this there’s no question: In today’s digital age the average person is exposed to more information than ever before. What happens across the globe is known before it can be referred to in past tense. Even when we don’t seek it, when we begin the morning insistent that this time

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All Fun and No Joy: The Paradox of Life in the Postmodern Era

By Yossi Grossbaum, Folsom, CA

Essays 2017 / Finalists

MyLife Essay Contest 2017  We have more conveniences today than ever before. Forgot to buy some household supply or ingredient? You can have it delivered to your doorstep in less than an hour. Looking for information about any obscure subject? The answer is instantly accessible using a device that almost everyone carries in their pocket.

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Love: The Basis of the Torah

By Rochel Cohen, Leeds UK

Essays 2017 / Finalists

MyLife Essay Contest 2017 Life issue: Low self esteem. Children sing it. Teacher’s discuss it. Parents enforce it. Day after day we recite the same verse of ‘Hareini’ – I take upon myself the positive commandment of ‘and you should love your fellow as yourself’. Rabbi Akiva states that this above statement is the basis

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