ESSAYS| 2016

ESSAYSss| English

A Framework for the Fragmented

By Yosef Bronstein, New York, NY

Essays 2016

MyLife Essay Contest 2016   My life is extremely fragmented.  As an adjunct college professor towards the end of a long process of doctoral studies who is involved in Jewish college-campus work and is a hired hand for a research project, I feel that I am a person with many masters.  Not to mention that

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Annoyed? Good.

By Shayna Alevsky, New York, NY

Essays 2016

MyLife Essay Contest 2016   We all know we can’t change others. We’ve been told enough times, the only person you can change is yourself. But what about that annoying co-worker? Or my nosy neighbor’s questions, her peer pressured friends, his messy eating habits…? There are plenty of things that can drive us crazy about

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Chassidus Applied: Depression

By Natalie Ling, Brooklyn, NY

Essays 2016

MyLife Essay Contest 2016   i. This essay will briefly explore the approach Chassidus takes to depression. It will use Tanya as a basis to explain that depression is a mental state characterized by lethargy intended to denigrate a person. With this understanding, it will offer a simple, yet effective behavioral solution. ii. Depression is

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Unity

By Tzipora Elberg, New York, NY

Essays 2016

MyLife Essay Contest 2016   Unity.  Harmony. A concert. An orchestra. A thriving business. A flourishing school or camp. A lovely functional family. A happy home. A successful organization. A friendship that lasts. What’s the common thread that calls to and breeds success? Utter confusion, darkness; a mess! Only Hashem all alone! No tranquility nor

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Perfectly Imperfect

By Faigy Schwei, Brooklyn, NY

Essays 2016

MyLife Essay Contest 2016   How many of us have attempted to accomplish something great only to give up after a short while?  How often do we find ourselves feeling worthless, full of despair, and unmotivated? Oftentimes this comes from the “all or nothing” mindset of perfectionism. By  applying the teachings of  Chassidus that each

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True Love

By Basya Feldman, Brighton, MA

Essays 2016

MyLife Essay Contest 2016   What is true love, really? How can we implement a Torah inspired love that does not reflect some of the unhealthy “romantic” or crass material that bombards us everywhere we turn? This is a sometimes confusing yet very important question. What is real love? Not clouded by cravings for self-gratification,

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Olympic Dreams: Goals for Gold

By Esther Kosofsky, Longmeadow, MAKosofsky

Essays 2016

MyLife Essay Contest 2016   For as long as Terry remembered, she had one dream; one goal in life. Terry wanted to be an Olympic athlete.  Terry loved to run and as a young girl, she would train, running around the neighborhood no matter the weather, hot or cold, dry or rainy.  Terry built up

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I Am a Soldier in the Army of Hashem

By Benjamin Newmark, Naples, FL

Essays 2016

MyLife Essay Contest 2016   The dynamics of rank, structure, and modality of different types of soldiers is very unique and diverse much like the structure of every Yid whom is a soldier in a sense in the army of Hashem. —- The military structure of any nation has supreme Commander in Chief or even

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Leave The Past, Live the Present

By Yehoshua Herzfeld, Clifton, NJ

Essays 2016

MyLife Essay Contest 2016   Time is in constant movement, yet sometimes people choose not to move on with it. They refuse to let go of past mistakes they might have made, or negative/traumatic experiences they have fallen victim to. Rather than being happy in the present, their past is ultimately dictating their immediate situation.

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Da’at: The Key to Emotional Freedom

By Dalya Holder, Chashmonaiim, Israel

Essays 2016

MyLife Essay Contest 2016   “Elokai, neshama shenatata bi, tehorah hi” – “My G-d, the soul that you gave within me is pure.”[1] G-d breathes this pure soul from His innermost being into us, and it is this pure soul that determines who we truly are in our essence. We are brought into the world

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