TheYeshiva.net - Rabbi YY Jacobson

Moses' Worst Crisis: How We Inspire the People Who Inspire Us

Sigmund Freud’s Advice to the Lubavitcher Rebbe in 1903

52 min

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Class Summary:

It was the worst crisis in Moses' life. Incited by the 'mixed multitude', the Israelites complain about the food: 'If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost; the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna.

It was an appalling show of ingratitude, but not the first time the Israelites had behaved this way. Three similar episodes occurred previously and are recorded in the book of Exodus. Yet Moses' reaction this time is dramatically different: “I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me! If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now - if I have found favor in Your eyes - and do not let me face my own ruin.”

What triggered this despair? And how did G-d respond and comfort him? And if Moses felt that the burden of leadership was unbearable, what gave him the strength to continue? One possible answer to these questions provides a simple but moving lesson in the importance for a student or disciple to give feedback and express appreciation to his mentor, even when the student thinks that his successes are completely insignificant in the shadow of his teacher’s greatness. A fascinating encounter between the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Sholom Dovber Schneerson, and Dr. Sigmund Freud in 1903.

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Please leave your comment below!

SAL
Shirley Anne Lindberg -2 years ago
Prophecy, not "prophesizing."
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טק
טל קפלן -7 years ago
מסרתי אתמול את השיעור במקום השליחות שלי בבית כנסת בראשון לציון, מסרתי אותו בנוי וערוך ממש כמו שמסר אותו הרב ג'יקובסון, וזה היה אחד השיעורים הטובים והמענינים!
ישר כח עצום לרב גיקובסון
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YB
yeshoshua ben-eliyahu -11 years ago
thank you
It was a beautiful lecture. Thank you.
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M
Meir -12 years ago
Question regarding the Meat Supply
Why did the Jews ask for meat

- if they had cattle, and plenty of it, as when many requested of Moses before they entered the Land of Israel to remain on the East bank of the Jordan River with plenty of good grazing area - for the sake of their many cattle?
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- M
  Meir -12 years ago
  Re: Question regarding the Meat Supply
  Found the answer - in Rashi (Bamidbar 11:22)!
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A
avi -12 years ago
THANKS!!!
thank you so much for all your shiurim!
the Rebbe laments a few times why is it that people come to me only with their problems but yet when things work out they don't come to tell me...
please if you can make the; being played on mobile phones to have the ability to review and forward...
as well if you can make it detect that it is mobile and have a text only of shiurim links such as in learntorah dot com would be relly useful for the multitudes trying to listen on their mobile devices
thank you
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