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David Sacks Bio
Born and raised in New York City, David Sacks
attended Harvard College, graduating with a degree in
Government in 1984. While there he began his comedy writing career as an editor
of the school's humor magazine, The Harvard Lampoon. Upon graduating, David
moved to Los Angeles
and began writing for television.
Among the shows he's
worked for are "The Simpsons", where he won an Emmy Award, and
"Third Rock from the Sun" for which he won a Golden Globe Award and
"Malcolm in the Middle". David is the co founder and Senior Lecturer
of The Happy Minyan of Los Angeles. David is married
and raises his family in Beverly Hills,
CA.
Articles
by David Sacks
Jewish
Impact Films
Audio Classes of David
Sacks (
to download to
disk , right click download and save )
Living with God Series – Spiritual Tools for an
Outrageous World
Newest and Most Timely
Talks
Favorite Talks
The Myth of Separateness
|| download
Creating the World You Live In || download
A Guide to Success -
Based on the Life of Avraham || download
My Son Moshe’s Car
Accident 2006 || download
Jewish Spirituality - A Deeper Look ||
download
You , Me, God and Everything || download
Learning How to Receive
|| d
Parasha
Acceptance vs.
Holy Chutzpah - Korach 2008 || download
|| Given On June 29,2008
Korach led a rebellion in the desert against Moshe. He seemingly had everything and yet he lost
it all. Pinchas
was denied the priesthood among the Jews, remained silent, and then was
miraculously granted it by G-d. When do
we accept what Hashem is sending our way graciously
and not put up a fight? When do we stand
up and not let the matter drop? It's a
very fine line, and one we explore in today's talk. The format for today is a little different. Today's class is a question and answer
session.
Serving G-d Amidst Confusion || download
|| Given On
June 22, 2008
Our Rabbis teach that Avraham was tested with ten tests, and that the Jews in the
desert were also tested ten times. The
big difference is that Avraham passed all ten and we
seem to have failed all ten! Rabbi Wolfson notes that in both instances the tenth test was the
same. For Avraham
it was the Akeidah, also known as the binding of
Isaac. For the Jews it was the sin of
spies. Rabbi Wolfson
says in both instances the test was, how do we serve G-d
when we are in a state of confusion. In
this talk we examine both tests and see how we can learn tools to apply to the
confusing moments in our own lives.
I named this series of talks
"Living with G-d: Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World" partly
because of a teaching I heard from Rabbi Green.
He said that most romantic movies end when the man and the woman finally
get each other. But what happens after
that? How do they live a happy life
together? "That's the part I want
to know!" We have G-d! G-d most certainly has us! Now what??
In this talk we continue to look into this "now what??"
dynamic -- or what it means to see all of life as an ongoing conversation with
G-d -- and how we can make the most of it.
There is an amazing Gemara in Shabbos 89a, where
Moshe is in Heaven standing before Hashem and Hashem says to Moshe, "Don't they greet each other in
your city?" In other words, Hashem chastens Moshe for just standing there and not
saying Hello! What does this mean and
what can it teach us about interacting with Hashem on
a day to day basis? Clearly, Moshe was
standing in silence out of respect and yet Hashem
clearly wanted more from him -- what exactly?
We look into this question and others in today's talk.
The Torah is so deep. It's working on an infinite number of
levels. So could it possibly be that the
word "Sinai" doesn't contain within it a picture of the Sinai experience
itself? In today's talk we go letter by
letter through the word and revisit that great event that is still happening.
Fame,
Immortality and the Denial of G-d || download
|| Given On May 25, 2008
A recent survey asked kids what they
want to be when they grow up. Amazingly,
the top answer was "famous".
We live in a time that is currently in the grip of a cult of
celebrity. The question is, why? In this talk, I look at some of the spiritual
underpinnings to this phenomenon, especially with regard to the immortality of
the soul.
How Can I Be
Wrong When I Know I'm Right? || download
|| Given on May 18, 2008
One of the maddening aspects of the
human condition is being put in the position where it seems pretty clear that
we know better than G-d. On the one
hand, we know this is absurd! On the
other hand, it sure looks like our take on the situation is better than the one
the Torah says we should take in the moment.
In this talk we discuss this dynamic and some ways of rethinking it.
Pesach Sheni
|| download
|| given on May 11, 2008
This talk is about one of the greatest
days in the Jewish Calendar -- Pesach Sheni -- the day
that celebrates how Hashem gives all of us second
chances --- and as Reb Shlomo
says, "Who among us doesn't need a second chance?" I also discuss the tension that exists
within all of us between perfection and imperfection, between our G-dly souls, and the human aspect of us that somehow never
gets it quite right. Appropriately, the
tape stops about 25 minutes into the talk!
I will recap the missing pieces in the next talk. Meanwhile, have a great week, and if you can,
try and eat some matzah on Sunday night the 18th for
Pesach Sheni -- it's a Holy custom.
I had kind of a crazy adventure
finding a mikvah to go to before Pesach in the Catskill mountains. Contained is the story, plus an analysis of
one of the most famous verses in the Torah -- love your neighbor like yourself!
Everybody
knows the word Seder in Hebrew means "order". And yet anyone who has participated in one, knows that this most "ordered" process seems
to be riddled with chaos! Drawing from a
new Haggadah from the Lubavitcher
Rebbe zt'l, we look into
the how the Holy Arizal arranged his seder plate and how this holds a key to understanding what
we are trying to accomplish this most special of nights!
The Jewish concept of time is
so deep. In Hebrew the word for year is shana which also means to
repeat. The word for month is chodesh which also means to make new. These two ideas are contradictory. On the one hand, we seem to be stuck in the
repetitive aspect of nature. On the
other hand, there is an aspect of time which promises something completely new. The Jewish leap year, reconciles these two
competing dynamics. How? Drawing from the teachings of the great Rabbi
Moshe Shapiro, we delve into these questions and more!
Money || download || given
on March 30, 2008
What is
the Jewish view of money? In today's
talk we take a look at the prayer we say for our livelihood three times a day
and discover that it doesn't mention money once! What are our holy Sages trying to teach us?
Why
is "belief" so fleeting? This
talk is another in a series of attempts to outline some of the basic principals
of what I've come to call the "Physics of Spirituality". In this talk I look into some of the reasons
why Hashem created the world in a way
that belief must be constantly renewed, and some of the ways that we can be
successful in staying on the right side of things with Hashem's
help!
Correcting
Fatalistic Tendencies in Serving Hashem – 2008 || download
given on March 2nd, 2008
What Does it Mean to be a Letter in the
Torah?" || download
|| given on Feb. 24
The
Belly of the Snake || download
|| given on Feb. 17
Turning The
World into a Dwelling Place
for Hashem || download
|| given on Feb. 10
Hashem's Constant Guidance of Creation || download
|| on Feb. 3
Until Hashem Helps" - Yisro 2008. || download
|| on Jan. 27
Integrating
the Mind and the Heart - Tu B'Shvat
2008 || download
|| given in Los Angeles
on Jan. 13
A Deeper Look at Mezuzahs
|| download
|| given in Los Angeles
on Jan. 6
The Link Between Names and
Freedom - Shemot 2007 ||
download || given in Los
Angeles on Dec. 30, 2007
Vayechi - The Closed Parsha
2007 || download
|| given in Los Angeles on Dec. 23, 2007
The Jew and Exile – vayigash || download
|| given in Los Angeles
on Dec. 16, 2007
It contains a pshat of Rebbe Nachman's "Tainted Grain" story. David has been
trying to figure this story out for years .
How Will I Ever Know For
Sure??" - Lech Lecha || download
spoken in Los Angeles
on Oct. 14, 2007 - 5768
Being
Something Before You're Nothing - Rosh Hashana 2007 || download spoken in Los Angeles
on Sept. 9, 2007 elul 26, 5767
Living In Real
Time vs. Movie Time 2007 KiTavo || download spoken in Los Angeles
on Sept. 2, 2007 elul 19, 5767
given on August 26, 2007
Elul 12, 5767
A Guide to Divine Light based on the
Letters of Hashem's Name || download mono ( 7 or so meg ) or download stereo version ( about 40 meg )
spoken in Los Angeles on August 5th, 2007.
Head in the Clouds Feet on the Ground Balak
|| download or download the stereo version
spoken in Los Angeles
on July 1, 2007
Permissible-Arrogance-Chukas2007.mp3
|| download
Permissible-Arrogance-Chukas2007high.mp3
|| download
Saying-Yes-to-the-Truth-of-Torah-Korach2007.mp3
|| download
Saying-Yes-to-the-Truth-of-Torah-Korach2007-big.mp3
|| download
The-Command-of-Optimism.mp3
|| download
The-Command-of-Optimism-big.mp3 || download
Lusting-after-Lust.mp3
|| download
Lusting-after-Lust-stereo.mp3
|| download
The-Story-of-Elisha-ben-Abuya-Acher.mp3
||
5767-03-03-seventh-name.mp3
|| download
Your-True-Self.mp3
|| download
Second-Chances-Pesach-Shani2007.mp3
|| download
The-Journey-of-the-Soul-of-Israel-AchrayMos2007.mp3
|| download
Holding-on-to-the-Light-of-Pesach-Shmini5767.mp3
|| download
Pesach - Keys to Freedom
2006 || download
Pesach - The Seder As Meditation 2006 || download
Truth-and-Redemption-Bo
2007 || download
Free Choice Bo2006 || download
Matza download
What-was-the-Test-of-The-Golden-Calf-Ki-Tisa2007.mp3
|| download
What-is-the-Mishkan-Terumah2007.mp3
|| download
Transcending-Self-Love-Mishpatim2007.mp3
|| download
The-Crowns-of-Mount-Sinai-Parshas-Yitro2007.mp3
|| download
Becoming-Spiritually-Mature-Beshallach2007.mp3
|| download
Truth-and-Redemption-Bo
2007 || download
Time-of-Our-Awakening-Shovavim-Shvat || download
We-are-Formed-from-Forgiveness-Shemos2007
|| download
The-Letters-Within-Your-Name-Shemos2006
|| download
The-Five-Garments-Yoseph-Gives-Benyamin-Vayigash-2006
|| download
The-Menorah-Map-of-the-Cosmos-2006-Vayigash || download
The-Light-Behind-the-Light-Chanukah2006
|| download
Holding on to Shabbos - 2006.mp3 || download
Live-Forever-Now-Vayatze-2006
||
download
Keeping The Torah Before it was Given Toldos
2006 || download
Who Taught Adam to Pray
|| download
With-Torah-Even-When-We-Lose-We-Win
|| download
Unconditional Love Lech-Lecha || download
Walking-Through-the-Art-Gallery-of-Your-Life-Noach-2006.mp3
|| download
Bereishis Begin Again Now
|| download
Elul -The Essence of
Action || download
When G-d feels Far Away
but is Actually Very Close Elul || download
Fixing What's Right Elul || download
Life is Confusing || download
The Mysterious Thing We
Call Satisfaction || download
given on Aug. 13, 2006
Opening Ourselves Up to
Miracles || download
given on Aug. 6, 2006
Falling in Love || download
– given on July 23, 2006 to a packed room at the Happy Minyan
The Book of Mistakes || download
The Torah, Star Wars and
You || download
The Myth of Separateness
|| download
We Were Led by Broken
Tablets || download
Packing Instructions for
Life || download
On Human Dignity || download
Question and Answer
Session on Spiritual Issues || download
Creating the World You Live In || download
Uprooting the Idol
Worship of Time || download
Desire The Vessel for Truth || download
You Are Not Alone
Combating the Power of Amalek 2006 || download
Free Choice Bo2006 || download
My Son Moshe’s Car
Accident 2006 || download
The Beginning of Exile Parshas Shemos2006 || download
Relating to the Ups and
Downs of Life || download
Turning Belief into
Knowledge || download
The Strength in
Silence Vayetze 5766 || download
Toldos You Can Change The
World 2005 || download
A Guide to
Success Based on the Life of Avraham Avinu || download
Lech Lecha
– Heaven || download
The First Question We're Asked in Heaven | download
Bereishis In The Beginning 2005 5766 || download
With the Letters Yud and Hay Hashem Created the
World || download
Halacha: Ensuring That My Actions Remain
Good Forever | download
Being In Sync with the
Ultimate Reality | download
Jewish
Spirituality A Deeper Look || d
You Count: The Torah's
Ideal of Numbering || d
given on June 5, 2005 ( Iyar 5765 )
Father’s Day
Talk Managing the Difficult Transitions in Life || d
given on June 12, 2005 – 5765
56 0406 Chukas Moshe Hitting the Rock or Living in a Spiritual
World | d
Tools || d
Learning How to Receive
|| d
Holidays
Rosh Hashanah - You , Me, God and Everything || download
Rosh_Hashanah - Your Role in Creation || download
From Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur || download
Succos 2 5766 Envy among
Scholars Increases Wisdom || download
Tu B'Shvat
and the Power of Sixty 2006 || download
Purim 5766 Garments || download
Pesach - Keys to Freedom
2006 || download
Pesach - The Seder As Meditation 2006 || download
The Nine Days - Parents
Inheriting from their Children | download
Tisha B’Av -
Taking Responsibility 2006 || download
given on July 30, 2006
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being Jewish is Greatest Thing that happened to You!
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