Media Category: Rabbi Richard Jacobs
2024-08-06 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Pain is so Close to Pleasure / Sewing the Seeds of Love
This time of year, the three weeks, the nine days and Tisha B’Av can be very challenging to relate to. In this shiur we explore a meaningful way of relating to the pain and mourning, and develop a paradigm shifting perspective on the Churban.
2024-07-30 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – More Than Words
We often relate to nedarim (vows) on a very detailed micro level – focusing on the words and the detail. In this mussar shiur we take a more macro approach, taking a broader perspective and pulling out three different practical lessons and applications. The shiur includes a more detailed discussion of whether whether everything is either one of the two extremes – a mitzva to do or prohibited to do – or whether there are three sides to every story and there is a world of rishus (permission).
2024-07-02 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – How Private is What We Do in Private?
Based on the Gemara in Chagiga 16a
2024-06-25 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Rainbows and Sinning in Private (Better to Not Have Been Created Than…..)
2024-06-04 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – The Physical Spiritual Shavuos
Exploring the reasons for the essential physical component to our celebration of the essentially spiritual festival of Shavuos.
2024-05-30 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Journey – Don’t Stop Toilin’
2024-05-22 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs -Read the Headlines: Pesach Sheni and the Miracle of the Succahs
2024-05-14 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Eretz Yisrael: Why Do We Have a Land?
The Jewish people have an eternal connection with Eretz Yisrael – why do we need to have a land?
2024-04-02 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Ya’ale v’yavo – A Journey Across the Seven Heavens
2024-02-13 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Na’ase v’nishma
Exploring five different explanations and leaving us with some food for thought.
2024-02-06 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Mussar on the Telephone
2024-01-22 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Darchei Pele: The Ways of Wonder
2023-12-5 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – The Chanukah Succos Connection
On the eighth day of……. – there are a number of parallels between Chanukah and Succos. What is the underlying meaning? And what does that mean for us practically in our avodah on Chanukah?
2023-11-21 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – The Ups and Downs of Life’s Ladder
2023-11-07 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Looking Back
2023-10-31 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – We’ve ALL Been Called Up
Check out the Bircas HaTorah Page – www.360000hours.org//ambassador/362
Or the main page – www.360000hours.org
2023-10-24 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – The Roots of War and the Foundation of Civilization
2023-08-24 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Seder and Elul
2023-06-20 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – This is the Torah: When one dies in a tent…
2023-06-06 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Why Learn Mussar?
Based on the shiurim of Rav Gershon Edelstein ztz”l
2023-05-02 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Creation and Uncreation in the Buildup to Matan Torah
2023-03-21 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Sheer Lunacy: the Power of the Sun
2023-03-17 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Parshas HaChodesh
2023-02-14 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Eradicating Amalek Today
This week, in an attempt not to mention the upcoming yeshiva raffle we discussed Parshas Zachor, Amalek, Purim, Esther, Shaul HaMelech, Mordechai, Haman, Klal Yisrael at Achashverosh’s seuda, Moshe, Yehoshua and of course the raffle.
2022-02-07 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Bread Wars
2023-01-31 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – A Brief Thought About Time
Short, sweet, and to the point – this week we revisited time – the power of five minutes, the inner workings of zman and the time when people actually wrote letters.
2023-01-24 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Carry On at Your Convenience
2023-01-17 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Dial I for Idolatry
2022-09-20 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Rosh Ha-Shana
Often, we look straight through the completely obvious, disregard it as completely obvious, and as a result, miss a tremendous chiddush. There is an intrinsic contradiction in the name Rosh Hashana – what is it? how can we resolve it? and what practical difference does it make?
2022-09-13 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Long to Reign Over Us
Last Shabbos the nusach ha’tefillah changed for the first time in 70 years in dozens, if not hundreds, of shuls around the world. This is only one of the small changes that happened with the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. For some this was the end of an era. For others it seemed almost like the end of history. During her reign there were 14 American Presidents, 15 British Prime Ministers and 23 Israeli Knessets. In this short mussar shiur we touch on the impact of the monarchy and reflect on some lessons for us, in particular with respect to the upcoming Rosh Hashana.
2022-09-06 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Don’t Plough with an Ox and a Donkey Together
It’s a matter of Life or Deaf!
2022-06-28 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – The Mouth: Appetite for Destruction or Kiss of Death
Death is a reality, for we are but mortal, and mortals can only die. In Parashas Korach and Chukas we see two different aspects of death, each connected to different characteristics of the mouth, and each with potentially profound impact on our daily lives.
2022-06-14 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Reservoir Blue: The Color of Emunah
Roses are red, violets are blue. Emunah is pink? or is it techeles too?
2022-06-07 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – The Shortest Book in the Chumash
How many books are there in the five books of the Chumash? Five you might say, but the Gemara in Shabbos tells us that there are really seven! The shortest of them is only two verses long. Think about that – you could write a book review on a book that’s only two verses long!! So what can we learn from this, the shortest book in the Chumash.
2022-05-31 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Freedom
Pesach is zman cheiroseinu, the time of our freedom. Shavuos is zman matan Toraseinu, the time of the giving of our Torah. What is the connection? And is there not an inherent contradiction between the concept of freedom and Torah (which after all means laws, teachings, rules and regulations)? Understanding how this is not a contradiction teaches a life lesson in how we express our freedom.
2022-05-24 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Count and Be Counted
2022-05-10 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Never trust atoms; they make up everything.
Using science as a moshel for Torah, these three brief observations highlight the nature of the world we live in – Olam Hasheker. Never trust atoms; they make up everything.
2022-05-04 – Rabbi Richard Jacobs – Remember, Stay Focused
What are the six remembrances? Why do some people say them after davening each morning? And what practical lesson can we learn from them to apply to our everyday lives?