ESSAYS| 2016

ESSAYSss| English

Apathy: The Incurable Disease

By Hadassah Silberstein, Brooklyn, NY

Essays 2016

MyLife Essay Contest 2016   It’s the challenge that makes every parent throw up their arms in defeat. It’s the question that the teacher is hoping no one will ask. It’s the nagging voice in the back of our minds that holds us back from the changes we wish to make. “What if I don’t

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“Flow”: The Chassidic Approach to Harnessing

By Ian Taylor, Wilmington, Delaware

Essays 2016

MyLife Essay Contest 2016   I.  Understanding the Challenges of Divine Service Chassidic philosophy speaks in uncompromising terms about how to truly serve G-d. Indeed the beginning student of Chassidus quickly learns to identify the phrase “kabbalat ohl malchut shamayim” (lit. “accepting the yoke of Heaven”), as a fundamental descriptor of how the Jewish people

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Deciphering the Code

By Yaakov Wagner, Morristown, NJ

Essays 2016

MyLife Essay Contest 2016   Introduction The doors of the Yeshiva where I teach are constantly swinging open to welcome guests and visitors from all walks of Jewish life and all backgrounds of practice. Religious and secular alike are coming for an authentic Jewish experience through delving into the timeless teachings of Torah. Surprisingly the

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Addressing Low Self Esteem

By Joanne Zagnoev, Johannesburg, South Africa

Essays 2016

MyLife Essay Contest 2016   In this essay, I address a common emotional ailment – low self esteem.  I will present two models of building self esteem.  The one inheres in the structure of the self.  The other, in the structure of the soul.  I will argue that while the first is important, the second

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The Growing Estrangement of Teenagers

By Levi Teleshevsky, Victoria, Australia

Essays 2016

MyLife Essay Contest 2016   Introduction  Many of you will know a teenager in your family, community or neighborhood, who actively strayed from his or her path. A misfit, an overly energetic youth, an addict; these kids all follow a similar trend of solitude and rebellion. In desperate attempts to keep such kids in line,

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Netzach, Addiction and the Broken Window Theory

By Yekusiel Kalmanson, Los Angeles, California

Essays 2016

MyLife Essay Contest 2016   Objective The subject of this dilemma is widespread and warrants guidance. The issue? Addiction. Although most people tend to associate addiction with lethal destructive actions such as drugs, alcohol, pills, etc. It really commands a broader spectrum and therefore needs a more refined definition. The term addiction in our context

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Netzach, Addiction and the Broken Window Theory

by Yekusiel Kalmanson

Essays 2016

MyLife Essay Contest 2016   Objective The subject of this dilemma is widespread and warrants guidance. The issue? Addiction. Although most people tend to associate addiction with lethal destructive actions such as drugs, alcohol, pills, etc. It really commands a broader spectrum and therefore needs a more refined definition. The term addiction in our context

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Chassidic Artistry

By Yisroel Arye Gootblatt, Brooklyn, NY

Essays 2016

MyLife Essay Contest 2016   Achieving a Life of Harmony,  Joy & Inspiration A few years ago, I visited a local music store to browse through their extensive collection of sheet music.  For some reason, I have always been inspired by music notation; sounds and rhythms frozen in time on the page, waiting for the

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