Thursday, August 31, 2017

What's Wrong with Lefties?

We have a shul for you this High Holydays
 FREE SEATS or FULL MEMBERSHIP see flyers below
Limited space book now HERE

Question of the Week:
 
The word 'sinister' is Latin for 'left-handed.' Many ancient cultures saw left-handedness as a handicap, and would try to "convert" lefties to righties. What does Judaism have to say about being left-handed? 
 
Answer:
 
There is clear proof from the Torah that being left-handed is not an imperfection, and on the contrary can even be an advantage.
 
There was a judge who served in the high court in Jerusalem for eighty years. His name was Ehud ben Gera. The Book of Judges (3:15) describes him as being left-handed. The reason this personal detail is mentioned is that it is relevant to a fascinating story told there.
 
The Israelites were being oppressed at the time by the Moabite nation. Ehud came up with a plan to shake off the invaders. As leader of the Jewish people, he paid a visit to Eglon, king of Moab, supposedly to bring him a tribute from the Jewish people. But Ehud had a small sword hidden beneath his cloak. Because he was left-handed, his scabbard was on his right thigh, while most people being right-handed would have the scabbard on the left. As Eglon's guards did not see a bulge on his left side, they assumed he was unarmed and allowed him a private audience with the king. Ehud drew his sword and killed Eglon, then escaped out the window, thus ending the brutal Moabite oppression of the Jewish people in one left jab. 
 
Ehud's left-handedness came to good use. But incidentally it teaches an interesting fact. Ehud was a judge. Jewish law stipulates that a person with any defect that may diminish the respect and dignity of his position in the eyes of the community cannot be appointed a judge. The fact that a left-handed man was a judge for eighty years shows that being a lefty was in no way seen as a defect. In Ehud's case, it made him a hero.
 
Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Moss





SHABBOS SERVICES TIMES AND COMMUNITY INFO 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday, 1 September, 2017 |10 Elul 5777
Candle Lighting................. 5:19pm 
Mincha............................. 5:30pm
Friday Evening Service....... 6:00pm
Kiddush sponsored in honour of the Yortzeit of Hedy Weider, Chava bat David on 18 Elul/ 9 September- Long Life
 
Shabbos, 2 September, 2017 | 11 Elul 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 2
followed by Seudah Shlishis ........... 5:15pm
Gematria and story by Rev Amzalak. 5:35pm
Shiur with Rabbi Moss.......... ..........5:55pm
Shabbos ends and Maariv............... 6:15pm
Followed by Havdalah
 
WEEKDAY SHACHARIS SERVICES
Sunday ............................... 8:00am
Mon - Fri...............................7:00am
Latest Shema this week.......... 9:02am
 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO
Mem Eichenblatt..... 14 Elul/ Tuesday 5 September
Kevin Smaller......... 15 Elul/ Wednesday 6 September
Claude Sandler.. .....15 Elul/ Wednesday 6 September
Judi Redelman........ 17 Elul/ Friday 8 September
 
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO
Daniel & Stephanie Nadel...... 15 Elul/ Wed 6 Sept
 
LONG LIFE TO
Beth Lipovic for her late mother
Ruth bat Avraham... 11 Elul/ Saturday 2 September
Mildred Stocks and Tanya Stocks for their late husband 
and father Alfred (Freddy) Stocks
Avrom ben Hiam..... 14 Elul / Tuesday 5 September
Fester family for their late father Mendel Fester
Mendel ben Michael 16 Elul/ Thursday 7 September
 
To make a donation for a birthday, an Aliyah, a Yahrzeit or anything else, 
please click here
KIDDUSH SPONSORSHIP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRIDAY NIGHTHerring & L'Chaim-$60 (+ B.Y.O Whisky) | HOT SOUP $75 
Basic $120 | Deluxe $200

SHABBOS DAY: Herring & L'Chaim- $90 (+ B.Y.O Whisky) | Standard $350

KIDS KIDDUSH & SHABBOS PROGRAM : $180
 
CURRENT DATES AVAILABLE:

Friday night 8 Sept
Shabbos Day 9 Sept

Friday night 15 Sept

Just email office@nefesh.com.au to book a kiddush




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

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Is There Family Without Religion?

We have a shul for you this High Holydays
 FREE SEATS or FULL MEMBERSHIP see flyers below
Limited space book now HERE

Question of the Week:
  
I am an atheist. I dropped my faith a while ago. To be honest, I don't feel I am missing anything with G-d out of my life. If anything I am more free. It has made me wonder, if I lose my religion, have I really lost anything worthwhile?
 
Answer:
 
People often make the mistake of thinking that if you take away religion, you just get rid of G-d. This is not true. You lose much more than G-d when you drop religion. Something else you lose when you drop religion is the idea of family.
 
Family is a concept that cannot be taken for granted. The family is built and sustained on a belief system, a set of values, a worldview that sees marriage as a sacred covenant and parenthood as a moral responsibility. Without these supporting beliefs, the family is a baseless ideal that will erode with time. And these beliefs are religious.
 
Only religion can provide a meaning to life that is higher than me. I was created with a purpose that is beyond myself. I am here to serve. I was given the gift of life, and I should share it with others. Without these beliefs, there is no ideological base for the concept of family. No secular argument is strong enough to inspire you to give up your own freedom, get married and have children. 
 
Look around at secular societies. The less religious the society, the weaker its families. Marriage is replaced with casual relationships, and having children is optional, as long as it doesn't interfere with career and living my life my way. In a godless world the lonely, unattached individual is idealized. The disintegration of family life in the west is a direct result of its secularization.
 
Of course there are atheists and secularists who make devoted husbands and 
loving wives, dedicated mothers and attentive fathers. But this is in spite of their atheism, not because of it. People often do things that are not consistent with their beliefs. A secular family is one example. Having a family is an act of faith no less religious than attending prayer services.
 
You may not see the full of impact of secularism in one generation. But fifty years from now, the family unit as we know it will be the exclusive domain of the religious. The children of today's atheists, if they have them at all, are less likely to get married and have children of their own.
 
We need G-d in our lives, not for His sake, but for the sake of our children. By rejecting religion, secularists are throwing out their babies with the bath water.
 
Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Moss




SHABBOS SERVICES TIMES AND COMMUNITY INFO 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday, 25 August, 2017 |3 Elul 5777
Candle Lighting.............. 5:14pm 
Mincha...........................5:25pm
Friday Evening Service.....6:00pm
Kiddush sponsored by Shirley, Jeffrey, Brian and Steven Sher and Rolene Markson in honour of the yortzeit of their late husband and father Hilton Sher (Yona Ben Avraham) on 30 Av- Long Life

L'Chaim in honour of Beth & Bronco Lipovic, in appreciation of their amazing contribution of fresh produce for the Shabbaton!
 
Shabbos, 26 August , 2017 | 4 Elul 5777
In depth Parsha class................ 9:00am
Children's program.................. 10:45am
Shabbos Morning Service ........ 10:00am- 12:20pm 
Followed by Kiddush sponsored by Alethea Gold in honour of the yorztheit of her late father Bernie Lazarus, Berel ben Avraham on 5 Elul, and by Nefesh Shabbaton participants in honour of the yahrzeit of Michoel Ben David (Michael Hyam) the first settler of Jamberoo (Sarah's Valley)
 
Mincha with Pirkei Ovos Ch 1
followed by Seudah Shlishis ............  ..... 5:10pm
Gematria and story by Rev Amzalak......... 5:30pm
Shiur with Rabbi Moss.......... ................ .5:50pm
Shabbos ends and Maariv.................. .... 6:10pm
Followed by Havdalah
 
WEEKDAY SHACHARIS SERVICES
Sunday .......................... 8:00am
Mon - Fri......................... 7:00am
Latest Shema this week.... 9:08am
 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO
Lexi Berkovits........................ 4 Elul/ Saturday 26 August
Danny Lessem........................ 6 Elul/ Monday 28 August
Yossi Segre....................... 8 Elul/ Wednesday 30 August
Paloma Rochat................... 09 Elul/ Thursday 31 August
Deborah Graham................ 10 Elul/ Friday 1 September
 
LONG LIFE TO
Michelle Brenner for her late mother Stella Brenner
Esther Chaya bas Dovid....... 2 Elul / Thursday 24 August
Linda Zilber for her late father Horst Illing
Yitzchak ben Kalman............. 4 Elul/ Saturday 26 August
Larnce Gold for his late grandfather Bernie Lazarus
Berel ben Avraham.................. 5 Elul/ Sunday 27 August
David Stern for his late wife Linda Frances Stern
Leah bat Yosef....................... 6 Elul / Monday 28 August
Mrs Tauba Tanchum for her late father Tevia Kaplan
Tevia ben Eliezer.............. 8 Elul/ Wednesday 30 August
 
To make a donation for a birthday, an Aliyah, a Yahrzeit or anything else, 
please click here
KIDDUSH SPONSORSHIP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRIDAY NIGHTHerring & L'Chaim-$60 (+ B.Y.O Whisky) | HOT SOUP $75 
Basic $120 | Deluxe $200

SHABBOS DAY: Herring & L'Chaim- $90 (+ B.Y.O Whisky) | Standard $350

KIDS KIDDUSH & SHABBOS PROGRAM : $180
 
CURRENT DATES AVAILABLE:

Shabbos Day 2 Sept

Friday night 8 Sept
Shabbos Day 9 Sept

Friday night 15 Sept

Just email office@nefesh.com.au to book a kiddush


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

Thursday, August 17, 2017

Why Can't My Husband TELL ME He'll be Late?

NEFESH MEMBERSHIP OPEN NOW register and book seats HERE

Question of the Week:
 
My husband just doesn't seem to get it. He came home over an hour late last night without so much as calling to tell me that he won't be on time. This is the fifth time he has done this and we are only married three months! It may seem petty but it upsets me greatly. I don't want him to see me as a nagging wife. What should I do?
 
Answer:
 
There is something you need to know about men. They are loners. Being in a relationship is unnatural to them. They do not automatically think about how their actions affect someone else. The default emotional state of a man is loneliness.
 
This is not true of women. A woman has an innate sense of relationship, of connection to others. A woman naturally shares of herself and bonds with others, a man does not. She is a relationship being, he is a lonely being.
 
Of course, it is a huge generalisation to say that all men are loners and all women are connectors. Generalisations are never accurate. But to say generalisations are never accurate is itself a generalisation, and thus not accurate either. 

So let's generalise: Man's natural state is to be single. Woman's natural state is to be in a couple.
 
There is a solid base for this theory. It stretches all the way back to the beginning of time, to the first man and the first woman, Adam and Eve. 

Adam was created alone. His original state was that of a bachelor. But Eve was created from Adam. She was never single. Eve by her very nature was a relationship being, because she was created with her partner next to her. She had an inborn sense of interconnectedness, she intuitively knew that we are not alone in this world, that our actions impact others and that we must be sensitive to those around us. This was innate to her psyche, for she was never alone. 

But all this was new to Adam. He had to learn what a relationship means, and how to be aware of another, for at his core he was a lonely being.
 
Adam is the essential man, and Eve the essential woman. And so until today women are relationship beings and men are lonely beings. Not that all women are good at relationships, and not that all men are hopeless hermits. Rather, women are more likely to know how to bond with others, and men are more likely to need to learn how to connect.
 
So your husband has no idea why you are upset when he comes home late. He may be thinking, "Why can't she occupy herself until I get there? Is she so insecure that she can't look after herself for an extra hour or so?" What he doesn't yet understand is that while he is a loner, you are a connector. You don't need him to be physically with you all the time, but emotionally, he must be with you all the time. If he would just call to say he is late, you will not be feel alone, because he showed that he cares, he has bonded with you.
 
Eve's mission was to help Adam come out of his isolation and learn how to connect. You need to do this too. Explain to your husband that it is not his lateness that upsets you, it is that he wasn't considerate enough to communicate his lateness to you. Help him understand that he is no longer alone, and show him how beautiful the world is when shared with someone else. 

Give it time. You can't cure existential loneliness overnight. But if you persevere, with gentleness and love, he will open up that lonely place inside him and let you in. Then you can share your lives in your own Garden of Eden, and never be lonely again.
 
Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Moss


To subscribe CLICK HERE or email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au 



SHABBOS SERVICES TIMES AND COMMUNITY INFO 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday, 18 August, 2017 |26 Av 5777
Candle Lighting................... 5:09pm 
Mincha............................... 5:20pm
Friday Evening Service......... 6:00pm 
with special guest speaker Rabbi Michoel Gourarie
Followed by Kiddush.
 
Shabbos, 19 August , 2017 | 27 Av 5777
(No Parsha Class this week)
Children's program................. 10:45am
Shabbos Morning Service ........ 10:00am- 12:20pm 
with special guest speaker Rabbi Chida Levitansky
Followed by Kiddush.
 
Mincha with Pirkei Ovos Ch 6
followed by Seudah Shlishis ........ 5:05pm
Shabbos ends and Maariv............ 6:06pm
Followed by Havdalah
 
WEEKDAY SHACHARIS SERVICES
Sunday .......................... 8:00am
Mon - Fri......................... 7:00am
Latest Shema this week.... 9:13am
 
NEW MOON/MOLAD
TUESDAY 22 AUGUST | 10:44:15am
ROSH CHODESH ELUL | TUES-WED 22-23 AUGUST
 
MAZAL TOV TO
Wayne and Michelle Kaplan on the Bat Mitzvah this weekend of their twin daughters Jaime and Taylor. Mazal Tov to Grandparents; Fiona Kaplan, Margaret and Steve Serda and the entire family.  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO
Liorah Kessel.......... 28 Av/ Sunday 20 August
Carmelle Hedges..... 28 Av/ Sunday 20 August
Romy Lessem......... 29 Av/ Monday 21 August
Ruth Gold  ............ 29 Av/ Monday 21 August
Anu Shem..............30 Av/ Tuesday 22 August
Pia Ink.................. 03 Elul/ Friday 25 August
Joshua Waine......... 03 Elul/ Friday 25 August
 
LONG LIFE TO
Rene Bermeister for her late father
Yaakov ben Natan.... 28 Av/ Sunday 20 August
Leslie Tanchum for his late father Benzion Tanchum
Benzion ben Natan Nota.... 30 Av/ Tuesday 22 August
Shirley, Brian, Steven and Jeffrey Sher & Rolene Markson for their late husband and father Hilton Sher Yona Ben Avraham.... 30 Av / Tuesday 22 August
 
THANK YOU TO
Rabbi Michoel Gourarie, Rabbi Levi Gourarie and Rabbi Chida Levitansky for their help at Nefesh over Shabbos whilst we are away at the Nefesh Shabbaton in Jamberoo. 
 
To make a donation for a birthday, an Aliyah, a Yahrzeit or anything else, 
please click here
KIDDUSH SPONSORSHIP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRIDAY NIGHTHerring & L'Chaim-$60 (+ B.Y.O Whisky) | HOT SOUP $75 
Basic $120 | Deluxe $200

SHABBOS DAY: Herring & L'Chaim- $90 (+ B.Y.O Whisky) | Standard $350

KIDS KIDDUSH & SHABBOS PROGRAM : $180
 
CURRENT DATES AVAILABLE:

Shabbos Day 26 August
 
Shabbos Day 2 Sept

Friday night 8 Sept
Shabbos Day 9 Sept



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