Thursday, June 24, 2010

Jews Without Shoes

Question of the Week:

 

My grandmother always told me not to walk around the house in just socks and no shoes. Is there anything to this or is it a bubbemaise superstition?

Answer:

There is no law that forbids you to walk around in socks. But our sages teach us to never ignore the sayings of our grandmothers, for there is always some wisdom in them. Indeed, your grandmother's aversion to shoelessness does have some basis.

Jewish law states that one who is mourning the loss of a loved one removes their shoes. Thus walking around in socks makes you look like a mourner, and we don't even want to look like a mourner. This is part of a general Jewish attitude to death. We don't like it. We do whatever we can to stay away from it.

There are many Jewish customs that stem from the desire to avoid anything associated with death. Some people don't sleep with their feet facing the door, because that is how a corpse lies before burial. We don't speak about what will happen when someone dies, but rather what will happen "after 120 years." We wash our hands after attending a funeral, to rid ourselves of the impurity of the cemetery.

This dislike of death is not so much a superstition as an allergy. Our tradition trains us to love life and be allergic to death. Unlike some traditions that venerate death as an ideal and view life as a wretched curse, the Jewish tradition cherishes life as a blessing. Through customs that distance us from death and its trappings, the Jewish people has inculcated a worldview that is life-affirming and this-world focused.

Your grandmother had a point. Death is a part of life. But it need not be given any more space than necessary. Keep your shoes on.
 

Good Shabbos,

Rabbi Moss

 
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Friday
Mincha 4:50pm followed by shiur in Likkutei Torah
6:30pm - 7:15pm Shabbos Service followed by Kiddush
 
Shabbos day
9am Class on Weekly Parsha
10am -12:15pm Morning Service with kids program followed by Kiddush sponsored by Lowinger family in honour of Eli's bar mitzvah anniversary and the birthday of their daughter, Miriam. The L'chaim is sponsored by Justin Rosenberg in honour of his bar mitzvah anniversary
 
Mincha 4:30pm folllowed by Seuda Shlishis and Maariv 
 
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8am Shachris followed by breakfast and beginners Talmud
 
Thursday
7am Shachris
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Thursday, June 17, 2010

Palm Reading and Horoscopes

Question of the Week:

 

What is Judaism's take on looking into our future? I've always been under the impression that it is forbidden for us to consult with spiritual 'mediums', but more and more I'm hearing of people who are paying big money to find out what their future may hold. Is it possible to know our destiny?
 

Answer:

 

The Torah forbids looking into the future, not because it isn't possible to do, but because it isn't a good idea.

 

There are indeed ways to divine the future. There are Jewish sources that speak of things like horoscopes and palm reading. The problem is not that these are false (though many practitioners of them are), it is that there is a danger when they are used to predict the future.

 

These readings can do nothing more than predict someone's destiny based on current circumstances. The way things stand now, if all variables remain unchanged, this is your fate. What they can't predict is human free choice.

 

We have the ability to choose our path, to change our destiny and to outsmart fate. We are not bound to a future that is out of our control. While we can't change the forces of destiny, we can change ourselves. When a person improves themselves, becomes a better person, then they are now a new being with a new destiny. The human power to change is a variable no seer can predict.

 

This is why we are better off not knowing what is in store for us. Because once we hear it, we may become stuck in the belief that our future is set. And this itself may affect our future negatively, as our will to change and freedom to choose becomes paralysed.

 

If I am told that my future is all good, I will have wealth and love and happiness, this knowledge may make me complacent and lazy, expecting these things to just come on their own. But they will not. If I want wealth I need to work, if I want to find love I need to meet people, if I want happiness I need to live a life of meaning. G-d may want to bestow much good upon me, but it won't happen without my effort.

 

So too if I am given a negative prognosis, if I am told that I am destined to suffer and be sick, then the worry and anxiety caused by such a prediction can itself lead to the suffering and sickness I am dreading. The prediction becomes self-fulfilling, as I give in to a fate that need not be mine.

 

For these reasons and more, you are better off leaving the future for tomorrow and focusing on today. If you do that, I predict good things in store for you.

 

Good Shabbos,

Rabbi Moss

 
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NEFESH SERVICES - 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach 
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Friday
Mincha 4:50pm followed by shiur in Likkutei Torah
6:30pm - 7:15pm Shabbos Service followed by Kiddush sponsored by Adam Pisk in honour of his bar mitzvah anniversary
 
Shabbos day
9am Class on Weekly Parsha
10am -12:15pm Morning Service with kids program followed by Kiddush in honour of the wedding of David Marishel  and Jade Muhlmann 
 
Mincha 4:30pm folllowed by Seuda Shlishis and Maariv 
 
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8am Shachris followed by breakfast and beginners Talmud
 
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Thursday, June 10, 2010

Why I'm Not a Plumber

Question of the Week:

 

Many thanks to you and your wife for Friday night dinner. We had a great time. I just had one question. I noticed you have a huge picture of your Rebbe, Rabbi Schneersohn, on the wall. I don't mean to be rude, but is this type of reverence appropriate? Isn't he just another human being?

 

Answer:

 

Yes, the Rebbe was just a human being. That's exactly why I revere him.

 

Here was a man who was at the same time a world leader and a personal confidant. He received up to one thousand letters a day and opened each one himself, advised concerned parents of unwell children and singles searching for life-partners with the exact same love and attention as he advised presidents and prime-ministers on matters of state, had the vision to set up a global web of institutions to rebuild Jewish life after the Holocaust, promoted family values and moral living for the non-Jewish world, was as fluent in the sciences as he was in Torah wisdom and found G-d in both, healed the sick with his blessings, and answered people's questions before they even asked them, took the responsibility of the world on his shoulders, but had time to respond to the questions of a child.

 

These are just a sample of his qualities. And what makes the Rebbe so special was that he was human. For a superhuman to achieve all the above is no big deal. They don't have to work hard to become heroes. But for a human being of flesh and blood to reach such heights is nothing short of amazing.

 

That's why I have a picture of the Rebbe on my wall. It always reminds me of what a human can achieve. I will never be a Rebbe, but I can certainly strive to do more than I am presently doing to better myself and the world. The Rebbe inspires me to do this.

 

I only saw the Rebbe once. But it is due to his influence that I am today an active and proud Jew. His profound teachings and compelling vision inspired me to become a rabbi. Otherwise, who knows, I may have been a B-grade trapeze artist or struggling plumber's assistant. The very fact that I am writing these words and you are reading them is thanks to the Rebbe and his vision.

 

From the Rebbe's teachings I have learnt what G-d is. From his life I have learnt what humans can be.

 

Good Shabbos,

Rabbi Moss

 
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Lunch in the City - Snippets of Jewish Genius - brilliant ideas from the greatest Torah minds
Thursdays 1:00pm - 2:00pm at Arnold Bloch Leibler, Level 24, Chifley Tower, 2 Chifley Square, Sydney CBD, lunch included, all welcome
 
And much more at www.bina.com.au
NEFESH SERVICES - 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Friday
Mincha 4:50pm followed by shiur in Likkutei Torah
6:30pm - 7:15pm Shabbos Service followed by Kiddush
 
Shabbos day
9am Class on Weekly Parsha
10am -12:15pm Morning Service with kids program followed by Kiddush and lunch in honour of the Rebbe

Mincha 4:30pm folllowed by Seuda Shlishis and Maariv 

 
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Thursday, June 3, 2010

A Flotilla of Falsehood and the Tedious Truth

Question of the Week:
 
What do you say to this Gaza flotilla episode? Did you see the real story behind it on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/idfnadesk ? As usual the media and world opinion condemns Israel for defending itself. When will truth prevail?
 

Answer:

In the battle for truth, there is an important lesson we can learn from the Hebrew language.

The word for truth in Hebrew is Emet. The word for falsehood is Sheker. Both words are made up of three Hebrew letters. The difference is that the three letters of Emet are the first, middle and last letters of the alphabet (aleph, mem, tav), while the letters that make up Sheker (shin, kuf, reish) are consecutive letters, bunched together in the alphabet.

The holy tongue is here giving a profound insight into the difference between truth and falsehood. Truth is a broad and all-encompassing perspective, while falsehood is no more than a misleading and narrow snapshot.

To know the truth you need to know the full picture, from beginning to end. You cannot understand a situation without knowing the background, the events that led to it. And you don't know whether an event is a victory or a defeat until its consequences unravel.

On the other hand, to view a scene in isolation, out of context, ignorant of the facts and unaware of the backdrop, will invariably lead to false impressions.

Sadly, modern mainstream media is prone to falsehood. Catchy sound bites, dramatic images, angry reactions and loose accusations are far more newsworthy than lengthy explanations, detailed analysis and historic perspective. In the grab for airtime, a tedious truth will not compete with a flotilla of falsehood.

But in the end truth will prevail. This crisis, like others before, will pass. People of good will and integrity around the world are already seeing beyond the false headlines. Newspapers are disposable, and for good reason. Truth is not.

Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Moss

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Date: Tues June 8
Time: 8pm
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Men & Women welcome

Rabbi Lewis will be available after the talk for private consultations.

For more info contact Chana Warlow-Shill on 0413 125 521
Two New Classes 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
New Kabbalah Series A Modern-Day Mystic - kabbalistic teachings from the Rebbe
Tuesdays June 1-22, 8:15pm - 9:30pm at Nefesh, 54 Roscoe St
 
Lunch in the City - Snippets of Jewish Genius - brilliant ideas from the greatest Torah minds
Thursdays 1:00pm - 2:00pm at Arnold Bloch Leibler, Level 24, Chifley Tower, 2 Chifley Square, Sydney CBD, lunch included, all welcome
 
And much more at www.bina.com.au
NEFESH SERVICES - 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Friday
Mincha 4:50pm followed by shiur in Likkutei Torah
6:30pm - 7:15pm Shabbos Service followed by Kiddush sponsored by Jonathan Shapira in honour of the yahrzeit of his father, Meir ben Yosef/Miron Shapira z"l
 
Shabbos day
9am Class on Weekly Parsha
10am -12:15pm Morning Service with kids program followed by Kiddush in honour of the upcoming wedding of Arian Neiron and Michelle Levin

Mincha 4:30pm folllowed by Seuda Shlishis and Maariv 

 
Sunday
8am Shachris followed by breakfast and beginners Talmud
 
Thursday
7am Shachris
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nefesh office | 45 bellevue rd | bellevue hill | NSW | 2023 | Australia