Rabbi Jacobson will discuss the following topics:

• What are our responsibilities in time of war? 


• How have Jews won their battles throughout history? 


• How do the physical and spiritual components of the war complement each other? 


• What does the spiritual war entail? 


• How do you fight and win a war against a sworn enemy? 


• Why are we empowered by knowing that this conflict is part of the geulah process? 


• How do we respond to the global wake-up call? 


• What strength and lessons do we gain from Yud Dalet Kislev – the 95th anniversary of the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin? 

• What are some practical steps we can take to change our daily mindset from the negativity of golus to the positivity of geulah? 


• How should I avoid despair? 


• How do we build up betachon? 

• How beautiful is it to see Jews celebrating the return of the hostages? 


• What would the Rebbe’s view be on the latest hostage deal? 


• Does negotiating with terrorists over hostages create a dangerous precedent and further encourages its enemies to view hostage-taking as a weapon?  


• Are freeing hostages worth putting the war with Hamas on a four-day hold? Does Israel appear to be giving in to an enemy it has vowed to destroy? 


• Is it right to exchange terrorists for Jewish hostages, let alone three Palestinian prisoners for every hostage returned? Does that risk allowing violent prisoners to go free? 


• Is this hostage return a microcosm of the future ingathering of the exiles? 


• Can we compare Hamas to Pharoah in their persistent shifting positions regarding releasing the hostages? 

• Why did the Alter Rebbe emphasize the impact of his redemption on the nations of the world? 


• What lessons do we learn from the Alter Rebbe supporting the victory of Russia over France? 


• Why is spreading Chassidus important for all people in the world? 

• What does this weekly parsha teach us about today’s events? 


• What can we learn from Jacob wrestling with the angel? 


• And from his hip displacement? 


• What is the significance of Yaakov’s name being changed to Yisroel and our country being called Eretz Yisrael instead of Eretz Yaakov? 


• How does Jacob and Esau’s reunion help us understand where we are headed? 


• Can we find connections between names of people today and names in the Torah? 


• Can we learn from Shimon and Levi how to deal with Gaza? 

Strength and direction Hostage return How to ensure that a war brings peace?  
What can we learn from Yud Tes Kislev during this time of war? Empowering Torah Portions