Wednesday, September 23, 2009

There's A Dust Storm in Your Soul

SERVICE TIMES FOR YOM KIPPUR AND SUKKOS - see below
 
Question of the Week:
 
I think I can give Yom Kippur a miss this year. I know it is supposed to cleanse your soul, but I was thinking, I'm really not so dirty.  I didn't rob a bank, I am not a mass murderer. Over all I am a decent and honest person. If I haven't done any major sins do I need to fast on Yom Kippur too?

Answer:

What do you say about the freak dust storm in Sydney this week? The entire city was covered by a huge blanket of dust, blown in by unusually high winds. Flights were cancelled, highways closed, schools evacuated, and people were coughing and spluttering all over the place. Now the storm has passed, but the whole town is filthy.

Meteorologists are dumbfounded. No one has seen anything like it before, and no one saw it coming. But I think it is perfect timing. A dust storm is just what we needed to see now, a few days before Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur is a day of spiritual cleansing. Every immoral act is a stain on our soul, and on this day it gets wiped clean. We look back at the year that went by and analyse our actions, trying to identify the things we have done wrong. Through fasting, deep prayer and a true inner turnaround, we clean off the stains and regain our purity.

But many of us feel that we have little to regret. We make the mistake of thinking that if we haven't murdered anyone, if we haven't committed any big sins, we are fine. The truth is, it's not only the big evils that need to be cleansed on Yom Kippur. There is a far more pervasive evil that needs our attention. Not the big blotches on our soul, but the little specks of dust.
There is a spiritual dust that accumulates in our souls. This is the dust of little evils, those seemingly harmless acts that are in fact very damaging. We tend not to take these minor transgressions so seriously, but we should.

You may not be a murderer, but have you never participated in a character assassination? Deriding or disparaging someone, either to their face or behind their back, is not murder, but it is the dust of murder.
You are not a liar, but you may have on occasion massaged the truth to protect your own pride, or adjusted a story to suit yourself. You may have never robbed a bank, but it is perceivable that you may have cut corners here and there in your business, and made money through slightly deceptive means.

These are not dramatic acts of evil, they are the dust of evil, simple ordinary activities that many of us fall for every day. A speck of dust may seem completely insignificant. But as we witnessed in Sydney this week, when millions, billions and trillions of such particles move together they can bring an entire city to a standstill.

So too with the dust of evil. A tiny bit of gossip here, a little joke there, a small stretch of the truth over there - in isolation they seem trivial and harmless, but every bad word said is another speck of dust. Over time they accumulate to create a thick cloud of darkness over our soul.
 
So now is time to clean up. Apologise to those you have hurt, and ask G-d to wipe away the thick layer of dust that has built up over your soul. And remember, if little specks of dust can cause such darkness, imagine what little sparks of goodness can do.

Good Shabbos and Gmar Chasima Tova - an easy fast and a year of blessing,
Rabbi Moss
 
To subscribe email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au
HIGH HOLYDAYS WITH NEFESH fully booked
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Services:

Yom Kippur fast begins 5:36pm Sunday, ends 6:32pm Monday (Sydney times)
 
Sunday, 27th September - Kol Nidrei: 5:45pm - 7:45pm
Monday, 28th September: 9:30am - 2:30pm, 4:00 - 6:32pm
Yizkor Monday 10:45am
 
All Services will be held in the Games Room, 2nd floor, Hakoah Club.
 
Childminding will be in the play area upstairs, for those who have booked their kids in.
 
Please note: there is a different service for the Russian community in the Goldstar Room on the first floor. We are one floor above them - don't be confused!
 
If you would like to sponsor or part-sponsor the breaking of the fast after Yom Kippur, please contact the office on 9363 5543 or office@nefesh.com.au.


SUKKOS AT NEFESH 
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NOTE: We are not changing our clocks for daylight saving until after Yomtov on Sunday night. 
 
Sukkos:
 
Friday October 2, Mincha 6pm, Shabbos and Yomtov service 6:30pm followed by Kiddush in Sukkah
 
Shabbos October 3, 10am service followed by Kiddush in Sukkah
Mincha 5:35pm, Maariv 6:30pm
 
Sunday October 4, 10am service followed by lunch in the Sukkah, all welcome, no charge, donations appreciated
Mincha 5:45pm.
 
Shmini Atzeres and Simchas Torah:
 
Friday October 9, Mincha 6:10, Shabbos and Yomtov service 6:30pm with Kiddush and dancing
 
Shabbos October 10, service 10am followed by Kiddush
Mincha 6:40pm, Maariv, Kiddush and dancing with the Torah 7:30pm till late
 
Sunday October 11, service 10am, Kiddush, dancing with the Torah, followed by lunch, $15 per person, to book email office@bina.com.au 
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nefesh office | 45 bellevue rd | bellevue hill | NSW | 2023 | Australia

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Tradition, Modernity, Apples and Honey

SERVICE TIMES FOR NEFESH AT HAKOAH see below
 
Question of the Week:
 
Why do we eat apples and honey on Rosh Hashanah? I know it is supposed to symbolise a sweet new year, but there are plenty of other sweet foods we could eat. I imagine in times gone by that was the only sweet food that was readily available. But these days we have much more choice, so why do we still dip apples in honey?
 
Answer:
 
The biggest question Judaism faces today is how to respond to modernity. How can Judaism appeal to a new generation? What will ignite the Jewish soul in the 21st century? Does Judaism need an update, or should we try to go back in time and recreate the lost world of Jewish life that existed in times gone by?
 
There are two common answers, the traditionalist and the modernist.
 
The traditionalist says that whatever was done in the past is right, and anything new is evil. What was good for our great-grandparents is good for us too. We need to go back to the good old days. Modernity can go jump.
 
Then there is the modernist. The priests of progress say that whatever is old is out, and whatever is new is in. We are not our grandparents, and we are not living in their world. We need to update Judaism to fit into the latest fads, the newest of new-age ideas, the most recent cutting edge worldview. This view claims that Judaism needs to move with the times.
 
In truth, they are both wrong. Traditionalism won't work, because it doesn't deal with the unique challenges and blessings that we face today. Modernism won't work either, because it has no roots, no eternal truths, it is fickle and flimsy, superficial and empty.
 
There is as third approach, one that I believe is the authentic Jewish approach. This is the apples dipped in honey approach. Not traditionalism, not modernism, but applehoneyism.
 
Both apples and honey are sweet foods. This they have in common. But where they differ is in their shelf life. An apple goes bad very quickly.  Even after a few minutes left exposed, a slice of apple will go brown and soft, and soon be inedible. Leave an apple in a fruit basket for a few weeks, and it will shrivel up and become mushy and rotten. Apples need to be eaten fresh.
 
Not so with honey. Honey does not decompose. In fact, the ancients used it as a preservative. Jars of honey were found in the pyramids in Egypt, unspoiled after thousands of years. Honey never goes bad.
 
Apples represent the modern world, the here and now, that fleeting moment in time we call the present. It is fresh today, stale tomorrow. Honey on the other hand represents tradition, a force that is unchanging and constant, timeless and stable.
 
Jewish spirituality is a delicate marriage of these two forces. For our spiritual life to be dynamic and alive, it must change and keep up with the times. But to have substance and meaning, it has to present a truth that is above change, that is timeless.
 
The true way to achieve this balance is by not making up new traditions, but rather finding new depth in the old traditions. The laws and rituals of Judaism are as compelling and inspiring today as they ever were. But their message needs to be communicated in a way that speaks to today's world. Maintain the beliefs and rituals of our grandparents, but bring to them a new vitality, by exploring deeper reasons and explanations that talk to our generation. You don't need to change our traditions to make them relevant. All you need to do is dig deeper into their meaning. In the infinite well of Judaism you will find the message for today.
 
The apple alone will go rotten fast, as will every spiritual fad not based on truth. Dip your apple in the honey of our eternal tradition, and it will be preserved forever.
 
Nechama Dina and I wish you a sweet new year, may you be inscribed and sealed for a year of blessing and goodness,
Rabbi Moss
 


 
HIGH HOLYDAYS WITH NEFESH fully booked
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Services:

Rosh Hashanah
 
Friday, 18th September (mincha 5:40pm) - 1st Night 6:30 - 7:15pm
Saturday, 19th September - 1st Day 9:00am - 1:00pm
                                Mincha 5:30pm Maariv 6:30pm
Sunday, 20th September - 2nd Day 9:00am - 1:00pm
 
Yom Kippur
 
Sunday, 27th September - Kol Nidrei: 5:45pm - 7:45pm
Monday, 28th September: 9:30am - 2:30pm, 4:00 - 6:32pm
 
All Services will be held in the Games Room, 2nd floor, Hakoah Club.
 
Childminding will be in the Monash Room, next to the Games Room, for those who have booked their kids in.
 
Please note: there is a different service for the Russian community in the Goldstar Room on the first floor. We are one floor above them - don't be confused!
 
If you would like to sponsor or part-sponsor the breaking of the fast after Yom Kippur, please contact the office on 9363 5543 or office@nefesh.com.au.


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This email was sent to shmuly77d@gmail.com by rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au.
nefesh office | 45 bellevue rd | bellevue hill | NSW | 2023 | Australia

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Why Do All Rabbis Wear Glasses?

NEW SEFER TORAH, SYDNEY-WIDE CELEBRATION - see below
 
Question of the Week:
 
Why do all rabbis seem to wear glasses? Obviously you do a lot of reading and studying Torah, which must strain your eyes. But I am sure there is some deeper significance to the fact that all rabbis and their students seem to be bearded and bespectacled...

Answer:

There is a great advantage in always wearing a hat, a beard and glasses. Your picture can never be defaced. No one can squiggle anything on it, because you've left nothing for them to add.

But you're right, there must be something significant about rabbis wearing glasses. Maybe it's this.

Wearing glasses doesn't actually change anything. If you look at a scene without your glasses, and then look at the very same scene with your glasses on, it is exactly the same scene. Nothing has been added. The scene hasn't changed, but your view of it has changed completely.

Without glasses the world is all fuzzy and blurred. You don't recognise people, you can't read signs, and there are many obstacles that you may bump into on your way, simply because you didn't see them coming.

Then you put on your glasses, and a new world opens up to you. Everything's clear, you recognise things for what they are, and you foresee the bumps and obstacles before you stumble upon them. It was all there before, but now you have vision and perspective, now you can see it.

The Torah is like a pair of glasses. Its divine wisdom gives us clarity of vision. It develops our ability to identify good and evil, and differentiate between truth and falsehood. It teaches us to recognise the good in people, even when that good is not so apparent. And it sensitises us to the subtleties of life, to see beyond the superficial and find deeper meaning in our everyday experiences, to read the signs that point us in the right direction, to avoid moral pitfalls and behold the beauty of the world around us.

The Torah student lives in the same world as everybody else. He faces the same challenges, suffers from the same weaknesses, experiences the same pain and is plagued by the same questions. The Torah does not provide some magical relief from the vicissitudes of life. But it does provide perspective and clarity, direction and inspiration, which allow us to see those challenges in a new light, and face them with a deeper resolve.

Perhaps that's why students of Torah end up wearing glasses. Their vision is sharpened as they wear spiritual spectacles. Until you try them on, you don't know what you're missing.

Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Moss
 
To subscribe email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au  

 
CLASSES - www.bina.com.au
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
NEW - The Kabbalah of Evil with Rabbi Moss, Tuesdays 1 - 15 September 8:15-9:30pm at Nefesh
 
**NEW VENUE** Lunch in the City
with Rabbi Moss, Thursdays, 1-2pm
The Atheist Delusion - A response to modern attacks on faith in G-d 
at Arnold Bloch Leibler, Level 24, Chifley Tower, 2 Chifley Square, Sydney CBD  
and many more classes
 
Meaningful Motherhood
Discussion group for mothers with their babies
with Nechama Dina Moss and Shterny Dadon
Mondays 10:00am
at Nefesh, 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach  
 
See www.bina.com.au     

 
HIGH HOLYDAYS WITH NEFESH fully booked
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Services:

Rosh Hashanah
 
Friday, 18th September - 1st Night 6:30 - 7:15pm
Saturday, 19th September - 1st Day 9:00am - 1:00pm
                                Mincha 5:30pm Maariv 6:30pm
Sunday, 20th September - 2nd Day 9:00am - 1:00pm
 
Yom Kippur
 
Sunday, 27th September - Kol Nidrei: 5:45pm - 7:45pm
Monday, 28th September: 9:30am - 2:30pm, 4:00 - 6:32pm
 
All Services will be held in the Games Room, 2nd floor, Hakoah Club.
 
Childminding will be in the Monash Room, next to the Games Room, for those who have booked thier kids in.
 
Please note: there is a different service for the Russian community in the Goldstar Room on the first floor. We are one floor above them - don't be confused!
 
If you would like to sponsor or part-sponsor a Kiddush for the days of Rosh Hashanah or the breaking of the fast after Yom Kippur, please contact the office on 9363 5543 or office@nefesh.com.au.


Simons Sefer Torah
NEFESH SERVICES 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Friday
Mincha 10 mins after candlelighting time, followed by Halocha Shiur
6:30pm - 7:15pm Shabbos Service with kids program and Kiddush sponsored anonymously
 
Saturday
9am Class on Weekly Parsha
10am -12:30pm Morning Service with kids program and kiddush sponsored by Rev Amzalak in honour of his mother's yorzheit
 
Mincha 5 mins before candlelighting time, followed by Sholosh Seudos and Maariv
 
Sunday
8am Morning service followed by breakfast and Beginners Talmud Class
 
 
ALL WELCOME 
 
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nefesh office | 45 bellevue rd | bellevue hill | NSW | 2023 | Australia

Thursday, September 3, 2009

The Power of a Flower

Question of the Week:
My wife tells me that it is tradition to give the women in your life flowers before Shabbat - is this true and what is the significance? And secondly, why give something that dies like cut flowers - and not a pot plant?
Answer:
Flowers are useless. They are impractical, temporary, and they are not an investment. But that's precisely their power. You buy them for no reason other than because your woman likes them. You do it just for her.

This is the very definition of romance - doing something pointless, just to express love. Nobody needs flowers, they won't be around forever, but someone you love likes them, so you buy them.

That's why our relationship with G-d is so romantic. He needs nothing from us humans, and we won't be around forever. But He gets a kick out of it when we do a mitzvah, and act that He has commanded. So we do it. Not for what we get out of it, and not for what He gets out of it, but just because He likes it.

The moment we do something that makes no sense to us but makes our loved one happy, we have truly transcended ourselves and connected with someone else.

Stop thinking about yourself and think about her. That's the power of the flower.
Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Moss

To subscribe email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au

Guest Speaker at Meaningful Motherhood
Discussion group for mothers with their babies
Teaching Kids the Meaning of Success with Mrs Dina Gourarie
Monday Sep 7 10:00am
at Nefesh, 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach