Nefesh will be offering various ways to celebrate Rosh Hashana with us this year, both in shul and at home.
You will be able to choose the option that suits you best. Look out next week for details.
Question of the Week:
I feel like an absolute idiot. I wanted to give some charity, as I have been a bad boy recently. And I fell for a scam. This guy was supposedly helping orphans who live on the street and I felt so bad for them. But turns out this fellow is living it up off other people's stupidity. People like me. So it seems even when I try to do a good deed it turns out bad. What does that say about me?
Answer:
This is the best news you could possibly hear right now. You see, it is important to make sure that your charity goes to worthy recipients. But if by mistake it didn't, then you are the recipient of Jeremiah's curse. Which is a great blessing.
Let me explain.
The prophet Jeremiah was persecuted by the people of his home town, Anatot. So he cursed them, but in a rather strange way: "When you give charity, it should be to unworthy recipients!"
Seems an unusual choice of curse. I could think of some worse evils to wish upon your enemies. There are some great old Yiddish curses, like: "You should lose all your teeth except one. And then you should get a toothache." That's what I call a curse. What's the big deal if they give charity to people who don't deserve it?
But Jeremiah was a holy man. With this cryptic curse he was in fact offering his enemies a blessing.
There is a spiritual law of reciprocity. G-d mirrors our actions. When we give charity to the needy, G-d reciprocates and gives us our needs. Fill the lack in the lives of others, and G-d will fill your lack.
If we are careful to only give to those who truly deserve, G-d does the same and only gives us according to our worthiness. However, when we carelessly give to an unworthy recipient, G-d is a little careless too, and He gives us even if we are not deserving.
Jeremiah understood this. He looked at these men who had treated him so badly, and knew they were not deserving of any goodness from above. But being a true leader, Jeremiah loved his people, even those that hurt him. So he prayed that they give charity to unworthy recipients. This way, unworthy as they may be, they too will be looked after by G-d.
Who knows? Maybe being scammed just before Rosh Hashana means you'll be blessed beyond what you deserve. Next time be careful who you give to. But let misplaced generosity be your biggest sin. So you were scammed. May that be your proverbial toothache.
Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Moss
Sources:
Talmud Bava Basra 9b. It states there that misplaced generosity is not rewarded. For indeed a reward needs to be earned. Here you receive blessing unearned.
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SHABBOS SERVICES & COMMUNITY INFORMATION: Shoftim
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Here are some instructions for praying at home. Page numbers are from the blue Chabad Siddur.
Don't have one? You can download it here and print it.
We will hold services for those who would like to attend, 5:30pm Friday and 10am Shabbos morning.
PLEASE REGISTER HERE.
Friday 21 August – 1 Elul
Light Candles............ 5:12pm
Before 5:30pm:.........Mincha p101
After 5:56pm........... Shabbos evening service p154
Kiddush................... p179
Saturday 22 August – 2 Elul
Morning Service for Shabbos:
p5-25, p181-219, Torah reading for Shoftim, Mussaf p234, Kiddush p248.
Kiddush sponsored by Shirley Sher in honour of the recent yortzheit for her late husband Hilton Sher, Yona Ben Avraham on 30 Av- Long Life.
Before 5:30pm ... Mincha p253
Pirkei Avos .........Chapter 6 p291
After 5:51pm ......Maariv p161
Shabbos Ends...... 6:08pm
Havdala p297
Latest Shema this week...... 9:10am
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Pia Ink............... 3 Elul/ Sunday 23 August
Joshua Waine...... 3 Elul/ Sunday 23 August
Lexie Berkovits.... 4 Elul/ Monday 24 August
Danny Lessem..... 6 Elul/ Wednesday 26 August
Yossi Segre......... 8 Elul/ Friday 28 August
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
Kerry & Sean Kramer... 5 Elul/ Tuesday 25 August
Michelle & Ronny Haughton... 8 Elul/ Friday 28 August
LONG LIFE FOR YORTZHEITS
Michelle Brenner for her late mother Stella Brenner,
Esther Chaya bas Dovid...2 Elul/ Saturday 22 August
Linda Zilber for her late father Horst Illing,
Yitzchak ben Kalman...4 Elul/ Monday 24 August
Larnce Gold for his late grandfather Bernie Lazarus
Berel ben Avraham... 5 Elul/ Tuesday 25 August
David Stern for his late wife Linda Frances Stern,
Leah bat Yosef... 6 Elul/ Wednesday 26 August
Tauba Tanchum for her late father Tevia Kaplan,
Tevia ben Eliezer... 8 Elul/ Friday 28 August
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