Thursday, May 6, 2010

I Can't Answer This!

 ALL NIGHT LEARNING - see below
 
Question of the Week:
 

My kids keep asking me theological questions I can't answer. Yesterday my five year old insisted he wanted to know "What does G-d look like?" I had no idea what to say....

Answer:

Sometimes the best thing you can tell your child is "I don't know." You teach your much child more by being  open about your inability to answer a question, than if you would give a half-baked answer just to get off the hook.

If you don't know something, but fudge an answer, you teach a child that it is more important to look like you know something than to be honest and look ignorant. That's a bad message. Saying I don't know teaches that it is alright not to know everything, and it's ok to be honest about it.

Also, by saying you don't know, it shows your child that when you do have an answer, that answer is a real one. Your answers have more credibility when you only say what you really know.

But even more importantly, by saying, "Great question, I don't know the answer, let me try and find out," you teach your child that learning never stops, and everyone can learn more, even a parent. This is the greatest lesson you can teach your child. You may not have given him an answer, but you will have inspired him to ask more questions.

Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Moss
PS. My answer to your child's question, "What does G-d look like?": Great question, I don't know.
 

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ALL-NIGHT LEARNING AT NEFESH

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Celebrate the giving of the Torah at our all night learning program. Come for part or come for the whole night, there will be coffee and cake and plenty of inspiration

First night Shavuos, Tuesday May 18 at Nefesh 54 Roscoe St Bondi

 

9pm - 9:45pm Stories That Won't Let You Sleep with R' Aaron Amzalak


10pm - 10:45pm The Ten Commandments of the Secular World and why we shouldn't keep them with Rabbi Moss


11pm - 11:45pm The Rebbe Revolution with Rabbi Yosef Braun


12am - 12:45am A Kabbalistic Wedding Canopy with Chazan Isser Feiglin

 

1am - 2:30am Mass Conversion at Mt Sinai a guided Talmudic study

 

2:30am - 4am Ask the rabbi - no holds barred


4am - 5am Short speeches from community members (volunteers needed)

 
NEFESH SERVICES - 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach 
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Friday
Mincha 5:00pm followed by shiur in Likkutei Torah
6:30pm - 7:15pm Shabbos Service with kids program
 
Saturday
9am Class on Weekly Parsha
10am -12:15pm Morning Service with kids program followed by Kiddush in honour of the upcoming wedding of Larnce Gold and Ruth Peterson
 

Mincha 4:45pm folllowed by Seuda Shlishis in honour of the yohrzeit of Mrs Esther Malka Caustil 

 
Sunday
8am Shachris 
 

Thursday

7am Shachris

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nefesh office | 45 bellevue rd | bellevue hill | NSW | 2023 | Australia

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