Thursday, November 24, 2016

Husbands Are Not Mindreaders

Question of the Week:
 
I have a problem with organised religion. Light candles, go to shul, eat this, don't eat that etc etc. What sort of G-d demands these things from us? Surely we can find our own path to G-d within ourselves without being told what to do. Why does it make someone better or worse by just following instructions? It all seems crazy to me...
 
Answer:
 
I recently addressed a group of women on the topic of relationships. I told them that they should not be ashamed to tell their husbands exactly what makes them happy. Don't leave the guys guessing. If you do, they will never get it right.
 
A man cannot read a woman's mind. Even if he loves you deeply and is devoted to you with all his being, he needs to be told what you like. Women would prefer men to just take the initiative and do things spontaneously without being asked. But if you leave it up to him, he will do what he thinks a woman wants. And a man's view of what women want, without female input, is clouded by male thinking.
 
One woman said, "But my husband does do things for me without me asking, and he knows exactly what I want..."
 
I responded, "Your husband is a very kind man. But he only knows what you want because at some stage you have told him. Left to his own devices, he would give you many things and do many favours for you, but not necessarily what you wanted. Think back to the early stages of your marriage, before he learnt what makes you happy. Like the time he kindly put the washing away, not realizing the importance of folding the clothes before stuffing them into the drawers. And what about that surprise birthday gift he bought you. As sweet and unexpected as it was, a pet rodent was not really an ideal present."
 
She agreed.
 
If a man cannot read the mind of a woman, certainly a human being cannot read the mind of G-d. Unless we are told exactly what G-d wants from us, we are clueless. That is why we have mitzvos. A mitzvah is a command, a clear and direct instruction from G-d as to what He wants us to do and not do. Without it, our attempts to connect to G-d may be sincere and pure, but they don't reach beyond the limits of human experience. We are doing what we think G-d wants, and that is something we have no idea about.
 
When we do a mitzvah, no matter how small it seems in our eyes, we are doing what He asked us to do, and we are connecting to Him. Any other spirituality is a pet rodent - a lovely gesture, but a mitzvah is all He really wants from us.
 
Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Moss

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SHABBAT SERVICES TIMES AND COMMUNITY INFO
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SPRING CLEAN
Next week our cleaners have been instructed to take all clothing left in shul to a charity bin. If you may have left any personal belongings in shul, please look through the bags near the urn and remove anything that is yours by this Sunday.  

Friday, 25 November 2016 | 24 Cheshvan 5777
Candle Lighting................ 7:28 pm (*Earliest 6:21pm)  
Mincha............................ 6:10 pm
Friday Evening Service .... 6:30 pm
Followed by Kiddush sponsored anonymously in honour of a special birthday- Mazal Tov!

Shabbos, 26 November, 2016 |25 Cheshvan 5777
Chassidus Class........................ 9:00 am
Shabbos Morning Service........ 10:00 am-12:20 pm
Children's program.................. 11:00am
Followed by Kiddush in honour of Michael Martin's barmitzvah anniversary and Michael and Karen's upcoming Chuppah - Mazal Tov!

Shiur: Ball Games on Shabbos.................6:30pm 
Mincha...............................................   7:20 pm
Seudah Shlishis
Gematria and Story by Rev Amzalak...... 7:40 pm
Shiur:.................................................. 8:00 pm
Shabbos ends and Maariv...................... 8:29 pm
Followed by Havdalah.
 
WEEKDAY SHACHARIS SERVICES
Sunday ........................................... 8:00 am
Mon- Fri........................................... 7:00 am
Latest Shema this week................... 9:08 am
 
NEW MOON/MOLAD
TUESDAY 29 NOVEMBER 4:08:6PM
ROSH CHODESH KISLEV THURSDAY 1 DECEMBER
 
WEEKDAY CLASSES
Chassidus............................. 8:00-8:45am
 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO
Arlene Schwartz.................... 30 Cheshvan/ Wed 30 Nov
 
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO
Peter & Richelle Goldshaft...... 28 Cheshvan/ Tues 29 Nov
 
LONG LIFE TO
Eva Schlesinger for her late mother Ilona Gold, Aidel bat Shlomo Hacohen 28 Cheshvan/ Tuesday 29 Nov
Anne Sarzin for her late sister, Fanny Faye, Feige bay Aaron Halevi 28 Cheshvan/ Tuesday 29 Nov
Gilda Cohen-Shapira for her late father Maurice Jacob Cohen, Moshe Ya'cov ben Haim Dovid Hacohen 1 Kislev/ Thursday 1 Dec
 



Nefesh Shul, 54 Roscoe Street, Bondi Beach, NSW 2026 Australia
Sent by rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au in collaboration with
Constant Contact

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Is That an Angel On Your Shoulder?

Question of the Week
     
I have been looking into the topic of angels and I have a question. Are there new angels being born every day, or were all angels created once by G-d and that's it?
 
Answer:
 
Angels are not only made by G-d. You make them too. All the time.
 
Every action we do elicits a spiritual reaction. When a person does a good deed, a pocket of positive energy is released into the universe. An angel is born. My deed may have taken only a second, but the world is changed forever for the better, as the angel of my deed lives on.
 
But the same applies for bad deeds. When an evil act is committed, a bad angel is created. The sinful act becomes personified in a negative force that corrupts and taints the world, an angel of destruction.
 
These angels follow us around. We made them, so we bear them. Our good angels stay with us, protect us and help us do more good.  And our bad angels haunt us, pollute our spiritual surroundings and pull us down.
 
But we need not be alarmed. We can rid ourselves of these spooky beings. If we truly regret our misdeeds, take responsibility by admitting our wrong, apologizing where needed, and resolve not to repeat them, we suck the life force out of those negative angels and they disappear. They can only survive if we let them.
 
Not so for the good angels. They live forever. Because evil is just a necessary evil, a conditional existence that is only there so we have free choice. It can be vanquished. But goodness is forever. Your good deeds can never be taken away, and your good angels stay with you for eternity. So what angels have you made today?
 
Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Moss
 
Source:
Tzemach Tzedek Derech Mitzvosecha 38b


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SHABBAT SERVICES TIMES AND COMMUNITY INFO
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Friday, 18 November 2016 | 17 Cheshvan 5777
Candle Lighting............ 7:21 pm (*Earliest 6:16pm)  
Mincha......................... 6:10 pm
Kids program ............... 6:30 pm
Friday Evening Service...6:30pm
Followed by Kiddush.

Shabbos, 19 November, 2016 |18 Cheshvan 5777
Chassidus Class........................ 9:00 am
Shabbos Morning Service........ 10:00 am-12:15 pm
Children's program................. 11:00am
Followed by Kiddush sponsored by Stuart Shaw in honour of his birthday, 15th November, 29th Cheshvan- Mazal Tov!

Special kids' dessert in appreciation of Morah Rivka on her last Shabbos with the children's program- thank you!
 
Mincha.....................................................7:15 pm
Seudah Shlishis
Gematria and Story by Rev Amzalak............ 7:35 pm
Shiur:.......................................................7:55 pm
Shabbos ends and Maariv............................ 8:22 pm
Followed by Havdalah.
 
WEEKDAY SHACHARIS SERVICES
Sunday ................................... 8:00 am
Mon- Fri................................... 7:00 am
Latest Shema this week........... 9:09 am
 
WEEKDAY CLASSES
Chassidus................................ 8:00-8:45am
 
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO
Tahnya & Jonathan Seifman..... 19 Cheshvan/ Sun 20 Nov
Michelle & Jeremy Saunders ....  23 Cheshvan/ Thurs 24 Nov
 
LONG LIFE TO
Anne Sarzin for her late husband Dr Barney Sarzin, Dov ben Zwi on 23 Cheshvan/ Thursday 24 Nov; late aunt Elise Kaplan, Elisheva bat Harav Avraham Halevi on 27 Cheshvan/ Monday 28 Nov and late uncle Dr Isidore Kaplan on 27 Cheshvan/ Monday 28 Nov.

Nefesh Shul, 54 Roscoe Street, Bondi Beach, NSW 2026 Australia
Sent by rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au in collaboration with
Constant Contact

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Who Listen Better, Men or Women?

PRESENTING FOUR SHORT VIDEOS 
IN HONOUR OF THE SHABBOS PROJECT
An Initiative of www.BINA.com.au 
What Was Rabin's Secret?
What Was Rabin's Secret?
Who Are Better Listeners, Men or Women?
Who Are Better Listeners, Men or Women?
A Gift that Falls from Heaven
A Gift that Falls from Heaven
Eating When You Can Eat No More
Eating When You Can Eat No More




























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SHABBAT SERVICES TIMES AND COMMUNITY INFO
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday, 11 November 2016 | 11 Cheshvan 5777
Candle Lighting................ 7:15 pm (*Earliest 6:07pm)  
Mincha............................ 6:15 pm
Kids program .................. 6:30 pm
Friday Evening Service . .. 6:30-7:20 pm
Followed by Friday Night Dinner (SOLD OUT)

Shabbos, 12 November, 2016 |12 Cheshvan 5777
Chassidus Class........................ 9:00 am
Shabbos Morning Service........ 10:00 am-12:20 pm
Children's program................. 11:00am
Followed by a communal Shabbos Lunch proudly sponsored by the UIA. (SOLD OUT)
 
Special JNF communal Kids program, Mincha, Seudah Shlishis and Havdalah concert at Mizrachi Shul ALL WELCOME.............. 5:00 pm- 8:15pm (No Mincha at Nefesh)
 
WEEKDAY SHACHARIS SERVICES
Sunday ................................. 8:00 am
Mon- Fri................................. 7:00 am
Latest Shema this week.......... 9:10 am
 
WEEKDAY CLASSES
Chassidus......................... 8:00-8:45am
 
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO
Rob & Lana  Goldshaft.... 14 Cheshvan/ Tuesday 15 Nov
Carly & David Zalcberg... 16 Cheshvan/ Thursday 17 Nov
 
LONG LIFE TO
Stephen Etkind for his late sister Michelle Holzman......... 11 Cheshvan/ Saturday 12 Nov
Diane, Ruth, David and Jonathan Shteinman for their late husband and father Boris Shteinman Boruch ben Eliazar.......................... 11 Cheshvan/ Saturday 12 Nov
Gilda Cohen-Shapira for her late sister Brenda Maraney...16 Cheshvan/ Thursday 17 Nov
 
HUGE THANK YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEERS WHO HELPED SETUP THE SHUL, COOK AND PREPARE FOR OUR SHABBOS PROJECT EVENTS!

Nefesh Shul, 54 Roscoe Street, Bondi Beach, NSW 2026 Australia
Sent by rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au in collaboration with
Constant Contact