ESSAYS| 2017

ESSAYSss| English

The Supernatural Power of Supra-Rational Commitment

By Nathaniel-Yitzchak Grynpas, Sderot, Israel

Essays 2017

MyLife Essay Contest 2017 My wife and I are fighting for our lives. Chassidus is to us a source of life energy and joy through understanding. The teachings of the Rebbe have sweetened our existence. They have equipped us with invaluable strength and perspectives desperately needed to face the incredible hardships that Hashem has decided

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Eliminating Jealousy with the Chassidic Masters

By Chaya Sara Gurewicz, Petach Tikvah, Israel

Essays 2017

MyLife Essay Contest 2017 JEALOSY IN THE TORAH It’s one of the Ten Commandments.  You learn it from a very young age.  The Zohar states: (1) ‘the last commandment is against Coveting, for this principle incorporates all the other nine…….’ Pirkei Avos, Ethics of the Fathers brings several warnings and instructions regarding Jealousy: (2) ‘Rabbi

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Conquering Sadness

By Betzalel Evenchik, University Heights, Ohio

Essays 2017

MyLife Essay Contest 2017 In everyday life there are many challenges that we face, Chassidus can help us overcome these challenges, these challenges are sadness, depression and discouragement. These challenges can sometimes impede one’s self refinement through Chassidus.The entire goal of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic Movement was to refine one’s self and to

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Making a Living

By Yosef Zukin, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Essays 2017

MyLife Essay Contest 2017 Abstract Pursuing livelihood is very hard and extremely intense for most people. It is one of the main life issues in history. Much has been taught, advised, explained etc. on this theme, in Torah and elsewhere. Although the key to making a living1 is reserved to G-d alone, many factors have been related

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3 Steps to Uproot Apathy

By Yehuda Ertel, Pittsburgh, PA

Essays 2017

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

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Winners of the 2017 MyLife: Chassidus Applied Essay Contest

Essays 2017

$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

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Being of Two Minds: Chassidus and Neuroscience

By Mike Perkins, Columbia, Missouri

Essays 2017

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

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Hoarding vs. Letting Go

By Vicky O'Brien, Albany NY

Essays 2017

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

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Avoiding Failure

By Mendy Gollub, Longbeach, CA

Essays 2017

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

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Living with the Times

By Anonymous 

Essays 2017

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

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