Rabbi Moss: A Cure for Your Screen Addiction

Question of the Week:

I am 16 years old and I am an atheist. I attend a Jewish High School, and we have compulsory prayers every morning for about twenty minutes. I have argued that there is no point in me taking part due to my lack of faith, so I should be allowed to read a book. My teacher said I should ask you this question - is there any benefit for me to say the prayers? If you can somehow convince me that I am not wasting my time, I will consider it...

Answer:

I challenge you to try this.

When it's time for prayers, sit with your prayer book open and start reading. For the next twenty minutes, try not to take your eyes off the book. See if you are able to maintain focus and concentration for the entire duration of the prayers.

I don't mean to have mystical intentions or to meditate on anything in particular. Just look at the letters on the page without lifting your eyes.

It will be excruciatingly hard. At first you might only be able to do a minute or so. But over time, if you persist, you will be able to hold focus for the entire twenty minutes.

This is an amazingly powerful brain exercise. In our generation of minimised attention spans and over-stimulated screen addictions, the ability to maintain focus on one thing for an extended time is a precious and much needed gift. By doing this exercise daily you will get a huge head start in life. Because focus, discipline and persistence are tools that every successful person must have. You will not learn these skills from your phone. You will learn them from your prayer book.

Now you might argue, if I'm going to spend twenty minutes focusing on one thing, why not focus on a book that I'm interested in reading, rather than a prayer book that doesn't interest me at all? Well that's the whole point. The idea is to focus on something that is not your thing. It's not your interest, it's not what your mind is curious about it, it is something completely beyond and outside of you. The discipline and self-control required to do something you are not in the mood of doing is itself an achievement, and a vital skill in life.

This is actually the true purpose of prayer. To transcend yourself for a few moments a day. It will not only make you a better reader, it will make you a better person. Believe it or not.

Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Moss

Source:
See Tanya Chapter 28

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

Mission complete! We have now completed shotcrete in the basement. Hopefully next week we will get back on to footings and plumbing in the basement. Have a wonderful weekend! Brent

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ALL SERVICES AT NEFESH POP-UP

1 FRANCIS ST BONDI BEACH

(OFF CAMPBELL PDE, BEHIND NOAH'S BACKPACKERS)

SHABBOS TIMES & COMMUNITY INFO

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SHABBOS SERVICES

Friday, 13 April 2018 | 28 Nissan 5778

Candle Lighting............................................. 5:17pm

Mincha.......................................................... 5:30pm

Shabbos Service (NEW TIME)........................ 6:00-6:50pm

Kiddush sponsored by Simone and Darryl Green in honour of their third wedding anniversary- Mazal Tov!

L'Chaim in honour of Jesse Gothelf's Bar Mitzvah- Mazal Tov!

Shabbos Day, 14 April 2018 | 29 Nissan 5778

In depth parsha class .................................... 9:00am

Shabbos Service............................ 10:00am-12:20pm

Kids Program .............................................. 10:30am

Communal Lunch sponsored by Jack Reuben in honour of the yortzheit for his father Joseph Reuben, Yosef Ben Reuven, on 4 Iyar/ 19 April; and by Danny Meguideche in honour of the yortzheit for his mother Sarah Meguideche, Sarah Bat Esther on 4 Iyar/ 19 April - Long Life.

Mincha with Pirkei Ovos Chapter 1

followed by Seudah Shlishis ....... 5:10pm

Gematria and story by Rev Amzalak.... 5:30pm

Shabbos ends................................... 6:11pm

Followed by Havdalah

WEEKDAY SERVICES

Sunday ...................................... 8:00am

Monday-Friday............................. 7:00am

Latest Shema this week................ 9:03am

NEW MOON/MOLAD | SUNDAY 15 APRIL 4:37:5PM

ROSH CHODESH IYAR | SUN/MON 15/16 APRIL

MAZAL TOV

Jesse Gothelf and his extended family on his Bar Mitzvah this Shabbos

Jacob Parker and his extended family on his Bar Mitzvah this Sunday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Benjamin Hoch............ 5 Iyar/ Friday 20 April

LONG LIFE

Jack Reuben (father) Joseph Reuben, Yosef Ben Reuven......4 Iyar/ 19 April

Danny Meguideche (mother) Sarah Meguideche..................4 Iyar/ 19 April

SPONSOR A KIDDUSH

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friday night: Soup $75 | Basic $120 | Deluxe $200

Shabbos Day: Basic $350 Lunch $450-$1200

Dates available:

Fri 20, Fri 27, Sat 28 April, Fri 4, Sat 5 May.

To arrange, just email office@nefesh.com.au

REMEMBER THE YOM

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Remember The Yom team of Robyn Pakula and Larnce Gold have teamed up again to create another powerful image for Yom Hashoah 2018.

On March 18th 2018, over 70 survivor family, friends, and the great survivor himself Tuwia Lipson, 92, descended upon Victoria's Cranbourne East to create a powerful image in honour of Yom Hashoah.

The goal was to make a standing formation of a Magen David over an unused railway line. Everyone was given yellow t-shirts and yellow hats to wear, which signified the yellow Star of David that the Nazis forced all Jews to wear.

Once the formation of the Magen David was complete, the remarkable Tuwia Lipson was carried out to the train line in his wheel chair to sit in the middle of the Shield of David.

RememberTheYom is a project created to help remember & honour Yom Hashoah, 'Holocaust Remembrance Day' and to inspire and encourage others to create a meaningful and relevant dialogue to help them process and engage in remembering the day.

For more images search for #remembertheyom on Facebook and Instagram