Thursday, March 3, 2011

Is It a Crime to be a Non-Jew?

PURIM PARTY - stand-up comedy, catered dinner, Sunday March 20 - see below

  

Question of the Week:
 
 

My girlfriend is Jewish. I am not. I just want to know what crime I have committed by being a non-Jew. All her friends and family are trying to convince her out of this relationship. I think I am a nice guy. What do they have against me?

Answer:

Let me tell you a story that happened just last week.

My children were waiting to catch the school bus in the morning. But the bus never arrived. Apparently the bus driver missed a turn and didn't go past my kids' stop to pick them up. They are usually the last ones to get on the bus, but today he was going straight to school without them.

All the other school kids on the bus realised what was happening and started screaming at the bus driver. "You missed the turn! The Moss kids! You have to turn around! Go back and pick up the Moss kids!"

The driver, feeling somewhat helpless, called back to the busload of screaming Jewish kids, "I can't turn back in this traffic. It will be an hour before we get to school. There's nothing I can do."

The school children were not satisfied. "But the Moss kids!" they shrieked. "You left them behind!"

One quick thinking girl pulled out her phone and frantically called her mother. "Mum, the bus made a wrong turn and missed the Moss kids. Call their parents to tell them!" And so she did, which is how I heard the story.

My wife and I later reflected on what a special little episode this was. That's what it means to belong to a community. People know who you are, people care if you miss the bus. Within minutes of the wrong turn, we heard about it and were able to look after the situation. We felt very much cared for.

That bus represents the Jewish people. We are an extended family on a big bus of history that has been travelling along for four thousand years. And if a Jewish child might miss the bus, the whole nation starts screaming. We can't allow even one Jewish soul to be lost to the Jewish family.

My friend, you have done nothing wrong, and no one has anything personal against you. But there are a lot of people out there who sincerely care for the future of the Jewish people. And for that future every soul counts. Your girlfriend is a part of a community that spreads over the globe, she is the next link in a chain that spans generations. We can't just stand by and let her miss the bus.

Ever since that incident, the bus driver has been extra careful to make the right turn and never leave behind a Jewish child. He had better. He is driving bus number 613.

Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Moss

Note: 613 is the exact number of commandments in the Torah, the portable Jewish homeland, our national bus


To subscribe email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au 

PURIM COMEDY NIGHT at Nefesh Sunday March 20 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Purim Party

SAVE A LIFE SUNDAY at Nefesh March 13

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savelife

Classes www.bina.com.au

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Meaningful Motherhood for MOTHERS and BABIES with Mrs Nechama Dina Moss and Shternie Dadon

Discussion group for mothers

10:00-11:00am Mondays 7 Feb - 4 April Nefesh 54 Roscoe St, Bondi Beach

 

 

Kabbalah - Song of the Soul for MEN and WOMEN with Rabbi Moss

A mystical approach to prayer

8:15-9:30pm Tuesdays 8 Feb - 8 March Nefesh 54 Roscoe St

 

Ethics for Life for MEN and WOMEN with Rabbi Yaacov Chaiton

Artificial Insemination, Test Tube Babies, Surrogacy, Gender Assignment and more...

8:15-9:15pm Wednesdays 9 Feb - 30 March

 

 

Character Development: De-Stressing for WOMEN with Rabbi Gourarie

Understanding the sources of stress and practical strategies to overcome it

9:20-10:15am Thursdays 3 Feb - 31 March 45 Bellevue Rd

 

Lunch in the City: STOP IN THE NAME OF THE LAW for MEN and WOMEN with Rabbi Moss

Cases of conflict and collaboration between Jewish and secular law

Thursdays 1:00-2:00pm Arnold Bloch Leibler Level 24 Chifley Towers Sydney

 

And much more, see www.bina.com.au  

NEFESH SERVICES - 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach 

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Friday

Candlelighting 7:11pm (not before 6:09pm)

 

6:10pm Mincha 

6:30pm - 7:15pm Shabbos Service followed by Kiddush sponsored anonymously by a friend - Thank you! Lechaim in honour of the Yorzheit of Felix Feuermann

 

Shabbos day

9am Class on Weekly Parsha
10am -12:15pm Morning Service with kids program followed by Kiddush in honour of the Shloshim of Ewaz Barukh z"l

Shiur 6:20pm

Mincha 7:05pm folllowed by Sholosh Seudos and Maariv

Shabbos ends 8:06pm

Sunday

8am Shachris followed by beginners' Talmud and breakfast 

 

Monday 

7am Shachris followed by Chassidus

Thursday

7am Shachris 

 

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

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