Scientific Proof of the Torah

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Question of the Week:    Do you still hold on to the belief that the Torah is divine? Literary experts and historians have compared the Bible to other writings of 3000 years ago (when the Torah was supposedly given by G-d) and said that its style doesn't fit in to the literature of that time frame, and must have been written much later. How can you ignore a fact that has been scientifically proven?   Answer:   Did you hear about the recent study on frogs? Scientists took a sample of over one hundred frogs of various species and did the following test:   They placed each frog on a table, crept up behind it and shouted, "Jump!" The frog jumped.   Then they cut off one leg, and again shouted jump. It jumped, although not as far.   They then cut off a second leg and told it to jump, and then a third, each time observing that the frog responded, but jumped smaller distances.   Finally they cut off the fourth leg and again shouted "Jump!" They were amazed to find that in every case the result was the same. The frog did not move at all.   The conclusion: When you cut off a frog's legs, it goes deaf. It is scientifically proven.   We all come to the conclusions that we want to believe. When the experts find that the Torah is too advanced for its time, they conclude it must have been written later than claimed. When I study Torah, I conclude that it is still ahead of its time, because it was written by G-d for all times and all places. Even the parts that seem archaic and outdated, when explained on a deeper level, have powerful messages that I often feel are speaking directly to me. They are relevant and inspiring to me, right here, right now.   Many have tried to either prove or disprove the Torah's divinity. Neither attempt will be successful. G-d wants us to have free choice. If we listen to His word, it is not by force. To maintain balance, there will always be valid arguments to discredit Him and His Torah. We can choose to buy those arguments, or see beyond them. Then, when we open ourselves to the Torah's message, the choice to do so is coming from within.   G-d has given you a mission. How you respond is totally up to you. You can be as deaf as a legless frog, or you can take a leap in response to your higher calling.   Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss To subscribe CLICK HERE or email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au  SHABBAT SERVICES TIMES AND COMMUNITY INFO  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday, 28 April, 2017 | 2 Iyar 5777 Candle Lighting................ 5:00pm   Mincha........................... 5:10pm Making Sense of the Siddur 5:30-6:00pm Friday Evening Service...... 6:00pm HOT soup Kiddush sponsored by Alethea, Taryn and Larnce Gold in honour of the yortzheit of their grandmother, Noami Frere (Nechama bas Ester) on 8 Iyar- Long Life.   Shabbos, 29 April, 2017 | 3 Iyar 5777 In depth Parsha Class............ 9:00am Children's program............... 10:45am Shabbos Morning Service ..... 10:00am- 12:20pm  Followed by Kiddush in honour of the Yortzheit of Jack Reuben's father, Joseph Reuben (Yosef Ben Reuven) on 4 Iyar; and the Yortzheit of Danny, Jesse and Dov Meguideche's mother Sarah Meguideche on 4 Iyar- Long Life. Mincha with Pirkei Ovos Ch 2....................   4:50pm Seudah Shlishis Gematria and story by Rev Amzalak.............5:15pm Shiur with Rabbi Moss............................... 5:35pm Shabbos ends and Maariv.......................... 5:55pm Followed by Havdalah   WEEKDAY SHACHARIS SERVICES Sunday.............................. 8:00am Mon- Fri............................. 7:00am Latest Shema this week........ 9:07am   MAZAL TOV TO Nefesh's own Julie in honour of the birth of her grandson!   HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO Benjamin Hoch.......... 5 Iyar/ Monday 1 May Sheryl Deubler.......... 6 Iyar/ Tuesday 2 May   LONG LIFE TO Jack Reuben for his late father Joseph Reuben,  Yosef Ben Reuven... 4 Iyar/ Sunday 30 April Danny, Jesse and Dov Meguideche for their late mother Sarah Meguideche... 4 Iyar/ Sunday 30 April Larnce Gold for his late grandmother Naomi Frere  Nechama bas Ester...8 Iyar/ Thursday 4 May Marlene Franks for her late father Aaron Jacob Wolman Aharon Yaakov...10 Iyar/ Saturday 6 May KIDDUSH SPONSORSHIP If you have a birthday, yorzheit, special occasion or just because, we'd love you to sponsor a kiddush. Just tell us the date and kiddush type you'd like and we look after the rest. CURRENT DATES AVAILABLE Shabbos Day 6 May Friday Night 12 May Friday Night 19 May Friday Night 26 May Shabbos Day 27 May   FRIDAY NIGHT KIDDUSH OPTIONS Herring & L'Chaim-$60 + B.Y.O Whisky HOT Soup kiddush- $75 | Basic Kiddush - $100   Deluxe Kiddush - $180 SHABBOS DAY KIDDUSH OPTIONS Herring & L'Chaim- $90 + B.Y.O Whisky   Standard Kiddush - $300    Simply email office@nefesh.com.au    For special or larger kiddushim, we recommend you engage an external kosher caterer to provide all the food, drinks and disposables. Just email the office for assistance with this option.

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Haunted by the Holocaust

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Question of the Week:   I am a grandchild of Holocaust survivors but I feel haunted as if I went through it myself. I regularly see images of Auschwitz in dreams and flashes. I am sometimes even scared to tell people I am Jewish.It seems so ridiculous to be this way here in Australia in 2017. Am I crazy?   Answer:   You are not crazy. You are a sensitive Jewish soul, and what you are experiencing is not uncommon. You are experiencing the vertical connection.   All Jewish souls are connected. We are more than one family, we are one soul continuum. No matter what affiliation a Jew has or hasn't, every Jewish soul is connected. This connection transcends both time and space. We are horizontally connected to every Jew alive today, and we are vertically connected to the Jews of times gone by.   We have all felt the horizontal connection. When something happens to a Jew on the other side of the world, it affects me as if it happened to me personally. When a Jewish athlete wins a gold medal, every Jew walks around as if it was their own victory. And the athlete himself feels as if he has won on behalf of the entire Jewish people. When we hear news of a tragedy in Israel, or a Jewish community anywhere in the world, it hits us deeply. And the victims are uplifted by our feelings of empathy and prayers of support. This is our horizontal soul connection to all Jews alive today.   But we are also vertically connected to the Jews of previous generations. Like a pyramid of souls, with Abraham and Sarah, the first Jewish couple, standing at the top, each ensuing generation lying below them, and we, the souls of the present generation, at the very bottom, beneath layers and layers of souls of the past. The victories and challenges, celebrations and tragedies of those souls who came before us are on our shoulders.   The images that haunt you are the collective experiences of the souls which you are carrying. This is the challenge of living in our generation. It can be a heavy burden, living so soon after the worst tragedy of Jewish history, in which the lives of so many Jewish souls were cut short. It is not an easy place to be, underneath the weight of all those souls.   We have a choice. We can buckle under the weight of this pillar of souls, it can overwhelm us and we can collapse. It may seem to us that being Jewish is just too heavy, and we can try to relieve ourselves of its weight. Or we can take another path. We can rise to the challenge and elevate the entire pyramid of souls. For we have a gift that was taken from all those souls before us. We are alive. We live in the world of action, where we can still do good and raise ourselves spiritually. And then, from our position on the bottom of the pyramid, we can lift the entire structure and elevate the souls of those on high.   All previous generations are looking to us. Their time in this world has ended, but through us, their unfinished lives can be continued. By living a proud Jewish life, by creating vibrant Jewish homes and communities, by bringing more Jewish children into the world, not only can we fulfil our own purpose, but we can fulfil the hopes and dreams of those souls who never had the chance to do so themselves.   You are not crazy, and you are not doomed to be haunted by the images of pain that weigh you down. Let them drive you to do more good, to be more Jewish, and to continue the light of those holy souls.    Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss To subscribe CLICK HERE or email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au  SHABBAT SERVICES TIMES AND COMMUNITY INFO  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday, 21 April, 2017 | 25 Nissan 5777 Candle Lighting................... 5:07pm   Mincha.............................. 5:20pm Friday Evening Service......... 6:00pm Kiddush sponsored by Simone and Darryl Green in honour of their second wedding anniversary- Mazal Tov!   Shabbos, 22 April, 2017 | 26 Nissan 5777 In depth Parsha Class............... 9:00am Children's program................. 10:45am Shabbos Morning Service ........ 10:00am- 12:20pm   Followed by Kiddush.   Mincha with Pirkei Ovos Ch 1 followed by Seudah Shlishis ............   5:00pm Gematria and story by Rev Amzalak..... 5:25pm Shiur with Rabbi Moss...................... 5:45pm Shabbos ends and Maariv.................. 6:02pm Followed by Havdalah   WEEKDAY SHACHARIS SERVICES Sunday............................ 8:00am Mon, Wed- Fri................... 7:00am Tuesday (Public Holiday)..... 8:00am Latest Shema this week...... 9:05am   NEW MOON | MOLAD WEDNESDAY 26 APRIL 7:48:11am ROSH CHODESH IYAR WED-THURS 26-27 APRIL   HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO Meir Moss... 24 Nissan/ Thursday 20 April Elad Ziv...... 27 Nissan/ Sunday 23 April   HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO Simone & Darryl Green... 30 Nissan/ Wednesday 26 April   LONG LIFE TO Pauline Berns for her late father Samuel Glasser Shmuel ben Yosef... 28 Nissan/ Monday 24 April #REMEMBERTHEYOM RememberTheYom is a brand new project created to help remember & honour Yom HaShoah, 'Holocaust Remembrance Day' & to inspire others to create & to view meaningful related images. Yom Hashoah falls on the night of April 23rd and the day of the 24th. Please help: upload, repost & share these images and hashtag #remembertheyom to your instagram accounts and Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/remembertheyom https://www.instagram.com/remembertheyom Pic ref: 28 people lying in the sand at Bondi Beach recreating the late Joseph Pakula's Auschwitz tattoo number B-7656, by Larnce Gold.

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Pesach in Prison

Friday night start time 6pm

SELL YOUR CHAMETZ NOW click here for online form Question of the Week: I need a quick, punchy and inspiring story to tell at the Seder. It's a tough crowd so it's gotta be a good one. Can you help?   Answer:   Try this one.   The saintly Rabbi Aryeh Levin was known as the Father of the Prisoners. In the 1930's, when Israel was under British rule, the prisons were full of Jews, mostly members of the Jewish underground organizations. They all knew that this kindly Jerusalem rabbi would regularly visit them, offering support and strength, a listening ear and a soft word of encouragement. Even the most hardened criminal would warm to his gentle nature and sincere love for his fellow.   One time during Pesach, Rabbi Aryeh went to visit his beloved inmates. They greeted him warmly and he asked, "Tell me friends, how was your seder?"   One of the inmates replied, "We had a fantastic Seder! We did all of the traditions and followed all of the customs, except one. There was one tradition that the prison guards did not let us perform."   The rabbi was taken aback. According to British law, even prisoners are allowed freedom of religion and can practice as they please. So he asked, "Which tradition did they not let you do?"   The prisoner responded with a bitter smile, "We ate the Matzah with no problems, and we had plenty of bitter herbs. But when it came to opening the door for Elijah the Prophet, we wanted to do it, but we weren't allowed...   "I guess," continued the inmate, "even on the Festival of Freedom, some people aren't free."   With a sympathetic smile, the rabbi said, "True freedom comes from opening the doors of your heart. It doesn't matter where in the world you're sitting, if your heart is open you are free. Our souls are stuck in a prison of materialism, of selfishness, pettiness and emptiness. When you liberate your soul and allow yourself to connect to G-d, to do good in the world and to be your true holy self, then no matter how many doors are locked in front of you, you are truly free."   This is the power of the Seder. It has kept us free, because no matter what else may be happening in our lives, no matter what doors may be closed to us, the doors to our heart are always ours to open.   Wishing you a Good Shabbos and happy and liberating Pesach, Rabbi Moss  To subscribe CLICK HERE or email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au  AUDIO CLASSES ON THE HAGGADAH: How Did 430 Become 210? The Kabbalah of Ma Nishtana Kids Are Hard Work Reincarnated Souls in the Haggadah Why Was Batya's Hand 60 Amos? SHABBAT SERVICES TIMES AND COMMUNITY INFO (Pesach times below) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday, 7 April, 2017 | 12 Nissan 5777 Candle Lighting.......................... 5:25pm   Mincha..................................... 5:35pm NEW TIME Friday Evening Service.. 6:00pm Kiddush sponsored by Judi Berman in honour of the yortzheit of her mother, Ellen Schuftan (Leah Bat Yehuda) on 11 Nissan- Long Life. Followed by Friday Night Dinner- Bookings Closed.   Shabbos, 8 April, 2017 | 13 Nissan 5777 In depth Parsha Class............... 9:00am Children's program................. 10:45am Shabbos Morning Service ........ 10:00am- 12:20pm   Kiddush sponsored by The Morris family in honour of Rachel's conversion and Aviva's birthday - Mazal Tov! Shabbos Lunch - Bookings Closed.   Mincha followed by Seudah Shlishis....   5:20pm Gematria and story by Rev Amzalak...... 5:40pm Shiur: The Lost Haggadah................... 6:00pm Shabbos ends and Maariv.................... 6:18pm Followed by Havdalah   WEEKDAY SHACHARIS SERVICES Sunday................................ 8:00am Monday................................ 7:00am Latest Shema this week.......... 9:02am PESACH SERVICES TIMES  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ EREV PESACH Monday, 10 April 2017 | 14 Nissan  Shacharis 7:00am Followed by Siyum for Fast of the Firstborn Eat Chometz until 10:00am Burn and sell before 10:58am Candle Lighting 5:21pm Mincha 5:30pm Pesach/Shabbos Evening Service 6:00-6:30pm   PESACH, DAY 1 Tuesday, 11 April 2017 | 15 Nissan Pesach Morning Service 10:00am - 12:45pm Children's Program 10:45am Priestly Blessing 12:30pm   Mincha followed by words of Torah 5:30pm Earliest Candle Lighting 6:15pm No second Seder preparations before this time. Pesach Evening Service 6:15-6:45pm Begin counting the Omer   PESACH, DAY 2  Wednesday, 12 April 2017 | 16 Nissan Pesach Morning Service 10:00am - 12:45pm Children's Program 10:45am Priestly Blessing 12:30pm   Mincha followed by words of Torah 5:30pm  Yom Tov ends and Maariv 6:13pm   CHOL HAMOED Thursday, Friday and Sunday, 13, 14 and 16 April 2017 Shacharis 8:00am   EREV SHABBOS | Chol Hamoed Pesach Friday 14 April 2017 | 18 Nissan (Public Holiday) Candlelighting 5:16pm   Mincha 5:30pm Friday night evening service  6:00pm -6:50pm   SHABBOS | Chol Hamoed Pesach Saturday 15 April 2017 | 19 Nissan  Morning service 10:00am-12:45pm Children's Program 10:45am Mincha 5:10pm followed by words of Torah Maariv and Shabbos Ends 6:10pm   EREV YOM TOV Sunday, 16 April 2017 | 20 Nissan Candle Lighting 5:13pm  Mincha 5:25pm Pesach Evening Service 6:00-6:30pm   SHEVII SHEL PESACH (DAY 7)  Monday, 17 April 2017 | 20 Nissan Pesach Morning Service 10:00am - 12:45pm Children's Program 10:45am Priestly Blessing 12:30pm   Candle Lighting not before 6:07pm Mincha followed by words of Torah 5:25pm Pesach Evening Service 6:00-6:30pm   ACHARON SHEL PESACH (DAY 8) Tuesday, 18 April 2017 | 22 Nissan Pesach Morning Service 10:00am - 12:45pm Children's Program 10:45am Yizkor Memorial Service 11:30am Priestly Blessing 12:30pm   Mincha 4:45pm  Followed by Seudas Moshiach  Yom Tov ends and Maariv 6:06 pm Please allow half an hour before eating chometz that was sold. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO Gilda Cohen-Shapira........... 15 Nissan/ Tuesday 11 April Asher Rosenberg............... 17 Nissan/ Thursday 13 April Bluma Moss....................... 19 Nissan/ Saturday 15 April   HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO Gaby & Dylan Shatter......... 13 Nissan/ Sunday 9 April   CONDOLENCES TO Shiran Garber on the passing of her grandmother in Israel- Long Life.   LONG LIFE TO Leslie Tanchum for his late brother, Nathan Tanchum Natan Nota ben Bentzion..... 12 Nissan/Saturday 8 April Adam Pisk for his late grandfather, Erich Pisk, Yitzchak ben Shmuel Ha'Levi. 13 Nissan/ Sunday 9 April Charlene Klein for her late father Zelig Ber............................. 15 Nissan/ Tuesday 11 April

Nefesh Shul, 54 Roscoe Street, Bondi Beach, NSW 2026 Australia SafeUnsubscribe™ shmuly77d@gmail.com Forward email | Update Profile | About our service provider Sent by rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au in collaboration with Try it free today