Can You Be a Good Person Without G-d?

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WINTER FRIDAY NIGHT SERVICE 6pm from now on SELL YOUR CHAMETZ ONLINE NOW Archeological evidence for the Exodus? Movie night tomorrow night! - details below Watch one minute trailer: Question of the Week:    It seems that dipping is an important part of the Seder of Pesach. We dip the vegetable in salt water, and we dip the bitter herb in Charoset. I know the salt water represents the tears shed by the Israelite slaves, and the Charoset represents the cement they were forced to make. But I am looking for something deeper about the dipping. Any leads?   Answer:   The Israelites in Egypt suffered greatly. And while we can never fully understand the meaning of suffering, the Kabbalists have taught that sometimes we suffer in one lifetime in order to correct something from a past life. And this was the case with the Jews in Egypt.   The great Kabbalist known as the Arizal taught that the Israelites in Egypt were reincarnations of two previous generations - the generation of the Great Flood and the generation that built the Tower of Babel. This is why we see clear parallels between them. Just like the generation of the flood, Israelites were drowned in the Nile River. And just like the builders of the Tower of Babel, the Israelites had to make bricks and build buildings.   Reincarnation is the system of correcting past wrongs. Those two generations did evil, but in different ways. In the times of the flood, people were violent, dishonest and corrupt. Their sins were primarily against their fellow human being. In the times of the Tower of Babel, however, they treated each other kindly. Their sin was against G-d. They believed that humanity can exist without a higher cause. Their tower was intended to take over the heavens and supplant divine power with human power.   These two mistakes are still made today. There are those who believe that you can be a good person without being religious. As long as you are nice to people, as long as you don't hurt anyone, you are a good person and don't need a higher authority in your life.   There are others who believe that as long as you pray to G-d and follow religious rituals, it doesn't matter how you treat other people. You can be religious without being good.   Both are wrong. Being religious without being good makes no sense at all. If you love G-d, then you love His children. Every human is made in G-d's image, and so you cannot honour G-d if you dishonor humanity. You can't pray to the G-d that tells you to love your fellow as yourself and then treat your fellow like dirt.   But the other way is wrong too. You can't be good without G-d, because without G-d, the word 'good' is meaningless. There can be no such thing as absolute good without an absolute source. If morality is relative, then it can be defined however I want it to be. There can be no objective definition of right and wrong, only opinions. And without absolute morality, without an ultimate definition of good and evil, we each just fit morality into our preconceptions. Anything can be justified.   The Israelites were the first to recognize that living a divine life means living a good life, and to know what good is you need G-d. Unlike the generation of the flood who disregarded human decency, and unlike the generation of the Tower of Babel who rejected divine authority, the Israelites survived Egypt to establish a new society based on G-d-given goodness.   And so we have at the Seder table a reminder of these two misguided generations, the salt water that commemorates the floodwaters, and the Charoset that represents the bricks that built the tower. We have seen the tragic consequences of dividing between G-d and good. We must ensure that the two never part.   Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss Source: Arizal Shaar Hapsukim Shmos To ask your question, or to subscribe, CLICK HERE or email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au THE DEPTH OF THE HAGGADAH AUDIO CLASSES:  Ma Nishtana - the Rebbe's kabbalistic explanation why we lean  Sitting at G-d's Seder - a spiritual take on the beginning of the Haggadah VIDEO CLASSES: The Secret of Elijah's Cup Reincarnated Souls in the Haggadah Is there archeological evidence for the Exodus from Egypt?   Does Pesach celebrate a historical event or just a nice folk tale?   This award winning documentary presents all sides of the debate with a new twist   Don't miss this one-time showing that every Seder will be talking about: SERVICE TIMES AND COMMUNITY INFO ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday, 15 April, 2016 | 7 Nissan 5776 Candle Lighting......................................... 5:14 pm   Mincha....................................................... 5:20 pm Friday Evening Service......................... 6:00-6:50 pm Kids program.............................................6:15 pm Followed by Kiddush sponsored in honour of the yorzheit of Peter Kantorovich A"H. Shabbos, 16 April, 2016 | 8 Nissan 5776 Chassidus Class..................................... 9:00 am Shabbos Morning Service........ 10:00 am-12:15 pm Children's program................................11:00am Followed by Kiddush sponsored in honour of the yorzheit of Peter Kantorovich A"H. Mincha...................................................... 5:10 pm Seudah Shlishis Gematria and Story by Rev Amzalak............ 5:30 pm Haggadah Insights for the Seder......................5:50 pm Shabbos ends and Maariv............................. 6:08 pm Followed by Havdalah.   WEEKDAY SHACHARIS SERVICES Sunday ................................................................ 8:00 am Mon- Fri.............................................................. 7:00 am Latest Shema this week..................................... 9:04 am WEEKDAY CLASSES Chassidus..................................... Monday 8:00-8:45am   HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO Natalie Cromer .................................. 7 Nissan/ 15 April Nisya Richman................................... 9 Nissan/ 17 April HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO Elana Castle & Grant Smuts............... 8 Nissan/ 16 April David & Joanna Landau....................... 9 Nissan/ 17 April Sarah & Matt Michael........................ 9 Nissan/ 17 April LONG LIFE TO Jaqueline Eliovson for her late mother Bessie Behrman, Basha Bat Yaacov 7 Nissan/ 15 April Nina Mekler, Arianne and Brent Maksimovich and Dan Mekler for their husband, father and grandfather Alexander Mekler Alexander ben Yaacov v'Sima 8 Nissan/ 16 April David and Rene Bermeister for their late son Wayne Bermeister, Zeev ben David 9 Nissan / 17 April Gail Simpson for her late mother Freda Kloss, Fruma Hannah bat Avraham 9 Nissan/ 17 April Judi Berman for her late mother Ellen Schuftan, Leah Bat Yehuda  11 Nissan/ 19 April Leslie Tanchum for his late brother Nathan Tanchum, Natan Nota ben Bentzion               12 Nissan/ 20 April Adam Pisk for his late grandfather Erich Pisk, Yitzchak ben Shmuel Ha'Levi 13 Nissan/ 19 April PESACH TIMES  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ EREV PESACH Friday, 22 April 2016 | 14 Nissan  Shacharis 7:00 am  Followed by Siyum for Fast of the Firstborn Eat Chometz until 10:03 am Burn and sell before 10:58 am Candle Lighting 5:06 pm Mincha 5:15 pm Pesach/Shabbos Evening Service 5:30-6:20pm PESACH, DAY 1 Shabbos, 23 April 2016 | 15 Nissan Morning Service 10:00 am - 12:45 pm Children's Program 11:00 am Priestly Blessing 12:30 pm Mincha followed by words of Torah 5:15 pm Earliest Candle Lighting 6:01 pm - No second Seder preparations before this time. Evening Service 5:50-6:40 pm Begin counting the Omer  PESACH, DAY 2  Sunday, 24 April 2016 | 16 Nissan Morning Service 10:00 am - 12:45 pm Children's Program 11:00 am Priestly Blessing 12:30 pm Mincha followed by words of Torah 5:15 pm  Yom Tov ends and Maariv 5:59 pm  CHOL HAMOED SHACHRIS Monday (Public Holiday) 25 April - 8am Tuesday-Thursday, 26-28 April 2016 - 7:00 am EREV YOM TOV Thursday, 28 April 2016 | 20 Nissan Eruv Tavshilin Candle Lighting 4:59 pm  Mincha 5:10 pm Pesach Evening Service 5:45-6:15 pm SHEVII SHEL PESACH (DAY 7)  Friday, 29 April 2016 | 20 Nissan Pesach Morning Service 10:00 am - 12:45 pm Children's Program 11:00 am Priestly Blessing 12:30 pm Candle Lighting not before 4:58 pm Mincha followed by words of Torah 5:10 pm Shabbos/Yomtov Evening Service 6:00-6:40 pm ACHARON SHEL PESACH (DAY 8) Shabbos, 30 April 2016 | 22 Nissan Pesach Morning Service 10:00 am - 12:45 pm Children's Program 11:00 am Yizkor Memorial Service 11:30 am Priestly Blessing 12:30 pm Mincha 4:45 pm  Seudas Moshiach  Yom Tov ends and Maariv 5:54 pm Please allow half an hour before eating chometz that was sold.

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