Is Intermarriage Good for the Jews?

Question of the Week:   I have always felt an affinity to Queen Esther from the Purim story. Just like me, she married a non-Jew. And because of it she saved the Jewish people. Isn't the message that intermarriage can be good for the Jews? Answer: Esther is a tragic hero. Unlike many people's misconception, she was not happy to be queen. She was dragged away from her family and people, against her will, and forced to marry a grotesque and uncouth tyrant, the king of Persia, Achashverosh. This was no romantic courtship. Having executed his previous queen for not obeying his wishes, Achashverosh ordered that every woman in the kingdom present herself before him. Esther, a sweet Jewish girl, was deemed the most beautiful candidate, and so she was taken to the king's palace. She had no choice - to resist meant death. When an evil decree was made to annihilate the Jewish nation throughout the kingdom, Esther used her position to beg for the salvation of her people. She succeeded, but there was no happy ending for her. The Jews celebrated their victory in the streets, but Esther was stuck in the palace. She remained chained to her despotic husband till the end. Esther is not a model of intermarriage. You can't compare her forced marriage to yours. But if you would like to take a lesson from Esther's life, perhaps it is this: Being married to a non-Jew in no way diminishes your responsibility to your people. Esther's marital situation was never used as an excuse for her to weaken her ties to Judaism. A Jew, no matter how far they think they have strayed, remains a Jew. All the tasks and obligations expected of a Jew apply to you. The fact that you don't observe one law - the law forbidding intermarriage - does not exempt you from observing all the others. Intermarriage is never good for the Jews. Esther was good for the Jews, because she never gave up her Jewishness. Neither should you. Good Shabbos and Happy Purim, Rabbi Moss     For last week's question - "Love is All You Need?!" - click here     To subscribe email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au

CLASSES www.bina.com.au   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   New Kabbalah Series - Getting to Know Your Ego - who is me?  For Men and Women with Rabbi Moss Tuesdays March 2 - 23, 8:15 - 9:30pm at Nefesh, 54 Roscoe St Bondi   Character Development - Family Changes - How to handle changes in family dynamics such as: in-law relationships, adult children, elderly parents, grandparents and grandchildren Thursdays 9:20am - 10:30am, 4 February - 18 March for women with Rabbi Gourarie at 45 Bellevue Rd Lunch in the City - Jewish Views on the News - A Torah outlook on current events Thursdays 1:00pm - 2:00pm Begins 4 February For Men and Women with Rabbi Moss Arnold Bloch Leibler, Level 24, Chifley Tower, 2 Chifley Square, Sydney CBD   and much more at www.bina.com.au     PURIM AT NEFESH 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   Motzoei Shabbos (Saturday night)  Feb 27 8:30pm Megillah Reading (after maariv) followed by hotdogs ($5 each)   Sunday Feb 28 8:00am Shachris and Megillah reading (around 8:30am)   4:45pm Megillah reading   Fancy Dress Purim Banquet BOOKED OUT        Shabbos Dinner - Nefesh and Network SOLD OUT   NEFESH SERVICES - 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Friday Mincha 6:10pm 6:30pm - 7:15pm Shabbos Service with kids program and Kiddush to celebrate Kara Borecki's Bat Mitzvah   Saturday PARSHAS ZACHOR - everyone should hear special Torah reading today 9am Class on Weekly Parsha 10am -12:15pm Morning Service with kids program followed by Kiddush sponsored by the Barukh family in honour of the yorzheit of their father Moshe Barukh Early Mincha 1:30pm, no Seuda Shlishis Shabbos ends 8:15pm, say "Boruch Hamavdil ben Kodesh Lechol" and then get ready for Purim Maariv and Megillah 8:30pm, followed by Havdalah   ALL WELCOME

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Love Is All You Need?!

A Message from the Nefesh Team: Rabbi Moss loves hamantaschen, those little triangular biscuits eaten on Purim. As a reader of his weekly emails, we thought you might like to help buy some for him. Click the PayPal link below to make sure Nefesh can feed the rabbi.       Question of the Week:   My relationship is moving ahead. We certainly love each other, and we have from the start, but we do have our differences. All my friends say the main thing is that you are in love, and everything else will fall into place. But is this true?   Answer:   All you need to know about relationships you can learn from making model airplanes.    A common mistake when making a model airplane is to start by putting glue all over the parts. That just creates a mess. The wrong bits get stuck together, wings get stuck to the floor, windows stuck on your fingers. It only complicates things when you introduce the glue too early.   The way to build a model airplane is to first organise the parts. Make sure the pieces fit together and nothing is missing. Then gradually apply the glue, and join the various parts, piece by piece, until it starts to take shape.   The parts may not fit perfectly at first. You may have to shave off some rough edges, or bend some parts into shape before they click. Minor imperfections can be overlooked - a dollop of glue can fix them up. With a bit of work it all comes together.   But if you find that there are parts missing, or they don't fit, then you don't have what it takes to make an airplane. You can't use glue to join mismatched pieces, and certainly not to replace missing parts. Don't even try, just look for a better model.   Your relationship is a model airplane. You and your partner are the pieces, and love is the glue that sticks you together. Without the binding power of love, two individuals could never become one. But that power, like glue, is indiscriminate. It must be applied carefully, because it could stick just about anything together; you can love someone who is simply not for you.   Before opening our hearts, we must ensure we have the right pieces to build a relationship. The building blocks of a solid relationship are shared values and common purpose. Our priorities in life, beliefs and visions for the future must fit together. We can have different opinions, different tastes and different ways of expressing ourselves; as long as we can share those differences respectfully, we can become one. But if our values are not in synch, then we simply have different futures - we are not going in the same direction.   This all may sound unromantic. The Beatles would never have made it big by singing:   "All you need is love, and shared values and commitment and a wholesome view of what a relationship really is - da dada dada."    But they should have. Model airplanes are not exactly poetic. But what's better - romantic dating that gets sticky, or a sticking together for a lifetime of romance?     Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss   Agree? Disagree? Join the discussion here    For last week's question - "Is Your Religion the True One? - click here     To subscribe email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au

CLASSES www.bina.com.au   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   The History of Kabbalah The evolution of the study of mysticism, controversy around the Zohar, was Maimonides for or against Kabbalah? Mondays 8:15pm - 9:15pm  8 February - 15 March at 49 Bellevue Rd For Men and Women with Rabbi Yaacov Chaiton     Meaningful Motherhood Discussion group for mothers with their babies with Nechama Dina Moss and Shternie Dadon Starts Feb 1, Mondays 10am at Nefesh, 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach     Kabbalah - The Miracle of Being Human - four features of human life that make us unique For Men and Women with Rabbi Moss Tuesdays 8:15 - 9:30pm at Nefesh, 54 Roscoe St Bondi   Character Development - Family Changes - How to handle changes in family dynamics such as: in-law relationships, adult children, elderly parents, grandparents and grandchildren Thursdays 9:20am - 10:30am, 4 February - 18 March for women with Rabbi Gourarie at 45 Bellevue Rd Lunch in the City - Jewish Views on the News - A Torah outlook on current events Thursdays 1:00pm - 2:00pm Begins 4 February For Men and Women with Rabbi Moss Arnold Bloch Leibler, Level 24, Chifley Tower, 2 Chifley Square, Sydney CBD   and much more at www.bina.com.au     PURIM AT NEFESH ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   Motzoei Shabbos (Saturday night)  Feb 27 8:30pm Megillah Reading (after maariv) followed by hotdogs ($5 each)   Sunday Feb 28 8:00am Shachris and Megillah reading   4:45pm Megillah reading   5:30pm Fancy Dress Purim Banquet, featuring Purim Play and Jam Session, adults $25, children $5, sponsor $100, LAST CHANCE TO BOOK office@nefesh.com.au         Shabbos Dinner - Nefesh and Network  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   "The Grass Isn't Always Greener - in life, love and gardening"   An inspiring discussion over dinner with Rabbi Moss Friday March 5, after 6:30pm service at Nefesh, 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach   $35 per person, numbers strictly limited  Book now at www.network.org.au     NEFESH SERVICES - 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Friday Mincha 6:10pm 6:30pm - 7:15pm Shabbos Service with kids program and Kiddush sponsored anonymously in honour of Rev. Danny Miller's birthday   Saturday 9am Class on Weekly Parsha 10am -12:15pm Morning Service with kids program followed by Kiddush in honour of Nissim Chai Nasiem in honour of the yorzheit of his mother Jullet Nasiem 6:20pm Halacha Shiur, laws of Purim 7:20pm Mincha followed by Sholosh Seudos and Maariv   Sunday 8am Morning service followed by breakfast and Beginners Talmud Class   Thursday 7am-7:45am morning service     ALL WELCOME

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Is Your Religion the True One?

Question of the Week:   Due to my business, I travel a lot and meet many people from different religions. I have met Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Christians of all denominations, and each and every one believes that their religion is the one true religion and it is the right one to follow.   We can't all be right. So how are you so convinced that you are not going to burn in hell by not following Catholicism? Or get Allah angry by not being a good Muslim? Ultimately should we pick a religion like we choose our lotto numbers; just hoping that when it all comes to an end we have made the right choice?   Best regards and may the right god be with you.   Answer:   Imagine there was one belief that Jews, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus all accepted as true. Wouldn't that be amazing? For these very different religions to agree on something - anything - is nothing short of a miracle. If all the major religions would concur on one divine revelation, there could be no stronger indication that this revelation is true.   Well, it exists. There is one revelation that all believe to be true. All religions agree that the Torah was given to the Jewish people at Mt Sinai. This fact is written clearly in the Christian and Muslim scriptures. And the eastern masters have veneration for the Torah and its divine wisdom, to the point that they actually send Jewish seekers back to Judaism. The Dalai Lama is known to have told Jews who come to him "Why do you come to me? Go home and study Torah!"   So all major religions believe in the divine origin of Judaism. The same cannot be said for any other belief system. This is an incredibly significant point. It means that while so many Jews walk around unsure of their beliefs, most of the world today believes that G-d gave the Torah to the Jews.   But there's more. Believing Judaism is true does not mean negating other spiritual paths. Judaism teaches that while Judaism is the way for Jews, it is not for everyone. We are not out to convert the world to Judaism. Unlike almost every other religion, Jews do not missionize. This is because we believe not everyone needs to be Jewish.   A non-Jew can be close to G-d, go to heaven, and lead a moral and meaningful life, all the while remaining a non-Jew. Spiritual paths other than Judaism can be valid, as long as they conform to the seven basic laws for all humanity, known as the Laws of the Children of Noah (Noah being the father of all humankind). The seven laws are: do not serve idols, do not curse G-d, do not murder, do not commit acts of sexual immorality, do not steal, set up a fair justice system, and treat animals mercifully.   This is amazing. All religions believe in Judaism, and yet Judaism leaves room for other religious expressions. I am proud to be part of a belief system that can accept others, and is accepted by others. Not that this is the basis of my faith. Judaism doesn't need outside confirmation to be acceptable. But this is a strong argument against those who think that faith is a zero-sum game. And it provides a vision for how the world can live in harmony - many paths, one divine truth.   Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss   To subscribe email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au

CLASSES www.bina.com.au   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   The History of Kabbalah The evolution of the study of mysticism, controversy around the Zohar, was Maimonides for or against Kabbalah? Mondays 8:15pm - 9:15pm  8 February - 15 March at 49 Bellevue Rd For Men and Women with Rabbi Yaacov Chaiton     Meaningful Motherhood Discussion group for mothers with their babies with Nechama Dina Moss and Shternie Dadon Starts Feb 1, Mondays 10am at Nefesh, 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach     Kabbalah - The Miracle of Being Human - four features of human life that make us unique For Men and Women with Rabbi Moss Tuesdays 8:15 - 9:30pm at Nefesh, 54 Roscoe St Bondi One-on-one Learning Study the topic of your choice, all levels, contact me to arrange a partner rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au Starts February, Monday and Wednesday Nights 8:30 - 9:30pm Character Development - Family Changes - How to handle changes in family dynamics such as: in-law relationships, adult children, elderly parents, grandparents and grandchildren Thursdays 9:20am - 10:30am, 4 February - 18 March for women with Rabbi Gourarie at 45 Bellevue Rd Lunch in the City - Jewish Views on the News - A Torah outlook on current events Thursdays 1:00pm - 2:00pm Begins 4 February For Men and Women with Rabbi Moss Arnold Bloch Leibler, Level 24, Chifley Tower, 2 Chifley Square, Sydney CBD   and much more at www.bina.com.au     PURIM AT NEFESH ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   Motzoei Shabbos (Saturday night)  Feb 27 8:30pm Megillah Reading (after maariv) followed by hotdogs ($5 each)   Sunday Feb 28 8:00am Shachris and Megillah reading   4:45pm Megillah reading   5:30pm Banquet, featuring Purim Play and Jam Session, adults $25, children $5, sponsor $100, book now office@nefesh.com.au         Shabbos Dinner - Nefesh and Network  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   "The Grass Isn't Always Greener - in life, love and gardening"   An inspiring discussion over dinner with Rabbi Moss Friday March 5, after 6:30pm service at Nefesh, 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach   $35 per person, numbers strictly limited  Book now at www.network.org.au     NEFESH SERVICES - 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Friday Mincha 6:10pm 6:30pm - 7:15pm Shabbos Service with kids program and Kiddush sponsored by Moshe David in honour of the shloshim for his late mother Flora David   Saturday 9am Class on Weekly Parsha 10am -12:15pm Morning Service with kids program followed by Kiddush in honour of Ron Moss' Bar Mitzvah anniversary 6:30pm Halacha Shiur, laws of Shehecheyanu 7:30pm Mincha followed by Sholosh Seudos and Maariv   Sunday 8am Morning service followed by breakfast and Beginners Talmud Class   Thursday 7am-7:45am morning service     ALL WELCOME

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The Frantic Friday Rush

Question of the Week:   I am a little confused about when Shabbos starts. This week the advertised time for candle lighting in Sydney is 7:40pm, which is 18 minutes before sunset. But you start your Shabbos service at 6:30pm, ending at 7:15pm, before Shabbos starts! So what's the story? Can you say the Shabbos prayers when it isn't even Shabbos yet? Answer: The Jewish day begins at sundown. This is based on Genesis' description of a day as "it was evening and it was morning" - night first, then day. And so the Shabbos, the seventh day, begins at sundown on Friday. However, Jewish law allows us to bring in Shabbos early. We can extend the borders of holiness, and accept the Sabbath upon ourselves while it is still Friday afternoon. There is a certain window of time before dusk during which we can usher in the Shabbos, though the weekday sun still shines. During the summer months, when the days are long and dusk is very late, many communities choose to bring in Shabbos early, so those who cannot stay up late can participate. This explains why services may end even before Shabbos officially begins. For those who attend such services however, it is Shabbos already. This has cosmic significance. The sages of old predicted that the world as we know it will only last for six thousand years. The seventh millennia will usher in a new age, the times of Moshiach, a time of peace and spiritual awakening, a time when all the world will join forces to serve G-d and live in harmony. Just as the week is divided into the six working days and the seventh day of rest, so too history is divided into six millennia of work and effort, perfecting the world, vanquishing evil and promoting goodness, culminating in the seventh millennia, a world of Shabbos, when the hard work will have been done and the world will come to rest. We are now in the year 5770 from creation. According to this reckoning, we are toward the end of the sixth millennia, late on the Friday afternoon of history. We are in the middle of the frantic rush to get everything ready for Shabbos, which explains why the world moves so fast these days. These are amazing times. As the era of Shabbos approaches, there is a shift in the spiritual mood. We are edging toward a more spiritual way of living, where the soul is as obvious as the body, goodness is more tempting than evil, and the mysteries of life are solved. But we need not wait until the seventh millennia to live on this higher plain. Just as we can bring in Shabbos early and accept it upon ourselves on Friday afternoon, so too we can start living by higher principles right now, on the Friday afternoon of history. We can open ourselves to a soulful life right now, by seeing beyond the emptiness and superficiality of the material world, and connecting to the Shabbos way of thinking. Don't wait for Shabbos to come to you, bring it in early. Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss   To subscribe email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au

CLASSES www.bina.com.au   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   Bina welcomes new lecturer to the team, Rabbi Yaacov Chaiton, with an exciting new series:   The History of Kabbalah The evolution of the study of mysticism, controversy around the Zohar, was Maimonides for or against Kabbalah? Mondays 8:15pm - 9:15pm  8 February - 15 March at 49 Bellevue Rd For Men and Women with Rabbi Yaacov Chaiton     Meaningful Motherhood Discussion group for mothers with their babies with Nechama Dina Moss and Shternie Dadon Starts Feb 1, Mondays 10am at Nefesh, 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach     Kabbalah - The Miracle of Being Human - four features of human life that make us unique For Men and Women with Rabbi Moss Tuesdays 8:15 - 9:30pm at Nefesh, 54 Roscoe St Bondi One-on-one Learning Study the topic of your choice, all levels, contact me to arrange a partner rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au Starts February, Monday and Wednesday Nights 8:30 - 9:30pm Character Development - Family Changes - How to handle changes in family dynamics such as: in-law relationships, adult children, elderly parents, grandparents and grandchildren Thursdays 9:20am - 10:30am, 4 February - 18 March for women with Rabbi Gourarie at 45 Bellevue Rd Lunch in the City - Jewish Views on the News - A Torah outlook on current events Thursdays 1:00pm - 2:00pm Begins 4 February For Men and Women with Rabbi Moss Arnold Bloch Leibler, Level 24, Chifley Tower, 2 Chifley Square, Sydney CBD   and much more at www.bina.com.au     Shabbos Dinner - Nefesh and Network  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   "The Grass Isn't Always Greener - in life, love and gardening"   An inspiring discussion over dinner with Rabbi Moss NOTE DATE CHANGE: Friday March 5, after 6:30pm service at Nefesh, 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach   $35 per person, numbers strictly limited  Book now at www.network.org.au     NEFESH SERVICES - 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Friday Mincha 6:10pm 6:30pm - 7:15pm Shabbos Service with kids program and Kiddush sponsored by Dita Farhy in honour of the birth of her granddaughter Aviv   Saturday 9am Class on Weekly Parsha 10am -12:15pm Morning Service with kids program followed by Kiddush in honour of Levi Meltzer's Bar Mitzvah 6:35pm Halacha Shiur, laws of Shehecheyanu 7:35pm Mincha followed by Sholosh Seudos and Maariv   Sunday 8am Morning service followed by breakfast and Beginners Talmud Class   Thursday 7am-7:45am morning service     ALL WELCOME

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