Yosef Yitzchak Jacobson

Yosef Yitzchak "Yossi" Jacobson (Hebrew: יוסף יצחק יעקבסון or ג'ייקובסון) (born June 11, 1972), also known as YY Jacobson, is an American Chabad rabbi and speaker from Monsey, New York.

Jacobson served as editor-in-chief of the Algemeiner Journal, and as a choizer (transcriber) for Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson.

Early life and career[edit]

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Chabad (Rebbes and Chasidim)
Rebbes of Chabad Shneur Zalman of Liadi (Alter Rebbe) Dovber Schneuri (Mitteler Rebbe) Menachem M. Schneersohn (Tzemach Tzedek) Shmuel Schneersohn (Rebbe Maharash) Sholom Dovber Schneersohn (Rebbe Rashab) Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (Rebbe Rayatz) Menachem M. Schneerson (the Rebbe)
Schneersohn family Chaim S. Z. of Liadi (1814–1880) Yitzchak Dovber of Liadi (1833–1910) Chana Schneerson (1880–1964) Chaya M. Schneersohn (d. 1860) Chaya M. Schneerson (1901–1988) Levi Y. Schneerson (1878–1944) Moshe Schneersohn (ca. 1784–before 1853) Sheina Horenstein (d. 1942) Shlomo Zalman Schneersohn (1830–1900) Shmaryahu Noah Schneersohn (1842–1924) Yehuda Leib Schneersohn (1808–1866)
Rabbonim Avraham Osdoba Chaim Gutnick Avraham Chaim Naeh Meir Ashkenazi Mordechai Ashkenazi Mordechai Gutnick Moshe Gutnick Pinhas Hirschprung Shneur Z. Fradkin Yaakov Schwei Yehuda K. Marlow Abraham Hecht Yitzchak Hendel Yosef Heller Yosef Y. Braun Zalman Dworkin Zelig Sharfstein Shmuel L. Medalia Shmarya Y. L. Medalia Sholom Rivkin
Mashpiim and scholars Aaron of Staroselye Herman Branover Yehuda Chitrik Manis Friedman Mendel Futerfas Yitzchak Ginsburgh Menachem Z. Greenglass Moshe Gutnick Moshe Havlin Zalman M. HaYitzchaki Aizel Homiler Simon Jacobson Yisroel Jacobson Yosef Y. Jacobson Yoel Kahn Abraham Y. Khein Yehoshua Mondshine Avraham C. Naeh Nissan Neminov Hillel Paritcher Ezra Schochet Adin Steinsaltz Shais Taub Shlomo Y. Zevin
Mazkirus and other leaders Leib Groner Jacob J. Hecht Chaim M. A. Hodakov Yehuda Krinsky Nissan Mindel Dovid Raskin Abraham Shemtov
Shluchim Menachem Brod Azriel Chaikin Shlomo Cunin Pinchus Feldman Gershon Garelik Yitzchok D. Groner Hanoch Hecht Gavriel Holtzberg Berel Lazar Shimon Lazaroff Chezki Lifshitz David Masinter Zalman I. Posner Menachem S. D. Raichik Aaron Raskin Arie Z. Raskin Shlomo Sawilowsky Mordechai Scheiner Abraham Shemtov Levi Shemtov Yehudah Teichtal Simcha Weinstein Manis Friedman
Other notable figures Shmuley Boteach Avraham Fried Benny Friedman Aharon Gurevich Joseph Gutnick Moshe Hecht Shea Hecht Bernard Levy Hendel Lieberman Michoel Muchnik Mendy Pellin Zvi Yair
Controversies Chabad messianism Chabad offshoot groups Barry Gurary Public menorah The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference
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Yosef Yitzchak Jacobson was born to Gershon Jacobson, a journalist, in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. His family was Chabad Hasidic. He began his studies in Oholei Torah, later moving on to Tomchei Temimim,^{[citation needed]} a yeshiva located in Chabad's World Headquarters ("770").

In 1990, at the age of 17, Jacobson was recruited by his older brother Simon to join the team that prepared the public addresses of Menachem Mendel Schneerson for publication. ^{[citation needed]} Orthodox Jews being prohibited from using recording devices on Shabbat and Jewish Holidays, they were charged with memorizing these 5 hour long talks and later transcribing them, in a role known as choizer or meiniach.^[1]

As a senior fellow, Jacobson taught Talmud, Kabbalah, and Hasidic philosophy at Chabad Lubavitch Rabbinical Seminary Chovevei Torah.^[2]

Jacobson was initially tested on his semikhah (rabbinic ordination) by Pinhas Hirschprung as well as by Zalman Labkowsky. Having to still complete a last part of his test, Jacobson returned to 770 in 2011 to get tested and receive his rabbinical ordination through Labkowsky.^[3]

In 2005, Jacobson followed in the footsteps of his father, becoming editor-in-chief of the Yiddish weekly Algemeiner Journal, which he contributed to for a number of years.^[2] He was a mashpia (spiritual mentor) at the Chovevei Torah Yeshiva in Crown Heights, and a teacher at the Ohr Chaim Learning Center in Monsey, New York.^{[citation needed]}

Talks[edit]

Jacobson holds public talks on many subjects. Some noted talks included:

• The role of religious leaders in today's world.^[4][5]
• The Rebbe and the Rav.^[6]
• Spiritual Leadership in Persistent Conflict^[7]
• 2008 keynote address at the annual US military Chief of Chaplains Senior Leadership Training Conference, as the first rabbi to give this keynote^[8]

Works[edit]

Jacobson authored the following series

• "A Tale of Two Souls" on the Tanya^[9]
• "A Journey Through the fundamentals of chassidus" in conjunction with Mayan Yisroel of Flatbush^[10]
• Emunah Series^[11]
• Captain, My Captain^[2]

Personal life[edit]

Jacobson lives with his family in Monsey. His siblings are author Simon Jacobson, Boruch Sholom Jacobson—a Chabad shliach at Hunter College, Freida Hecht of Norwalk, Connecticut, and Chana Krasnianski of Manhattan.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• TheYeshiva.net