Is it Immoral to be Overweight?

With thanks to G-d we announce the birth of our daughter this past Tuesday. She is named Golda, after her mother's mother's mother. All are doing well b"H. May we always share good news, Rabbi Aron and Nechama Dina Moss    Question of the Week:   As a fitness trainer, I wonder: Do health and fitness have a place in Judaism? It seems that the secular world encourages a healthy life far more than the Jewish world does. I hear rabbis talk about spiritual matters, but find it hard to listen to them if they themselves are overweight. Is physical well-being not important?   Answer:   In our modern world, we are seeing health is the new morality. Good and bad are now measured in calories. My cereal box invites me to "Taste the goodness" - not a moral value, but rather a nutritional value. The scales of merit are not found in heaven anymore but are right there on the bathroom floor, and the daily judgment is pronounced in kilos and pounds.   This all makes sense if you see the human being as just a body without a soul. If the flesh is all there is, health becomes the highest ideal. But from the Jewish perspective, the soul is our true self, and the body its vehicle. The body and its health are important only because through it we express our higher self.   The great Jewish thinker, Maimonides, wrote in the 12th century:      "Caring for the health and well-being of the body is one of the ways of serving G-d."    And he immediately explains why:      "One is unable to think clearly and comprehend truth if he is unwell."   If your mind is cloudy, you may lack moral clarity to know what's right. While battling with illness, we may not find the stamina to battle the ills of the world. That's why we need to look after our bodies. A healthy body is not in itself our life's purpose; it helps us fulfil our purpose. It is a vehicle that transports us towards goodness, it is not the destination.   Jewish tradition provides no excuse for being unhealthy. On the contrary, it gives the best reason possible to live healthy: Life has meaning and purpose, and each day is precious. Only if life has meaning is it worth taking care of. The risks of high cholesterol, heavy smoking and drug use are only a concern to one who values life. The threat of a shorter life span means nothing to someone who sees life as pointless.   We are the healthiest generation in history, and our life expectancy is reaching biblical proportions. This means we have more time and energy to fulfil our purpose - to elevate our corner of the world, and tip the scales towards true goodness.   Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss     To subscribe email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au   You are invited to Mendel Moss' first haircut Click mendel's invitation for details NEFESH SERVICES - 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Friday Candlelighting 7:52pm (not before 6:41pm)   6:10pm Mincha  6:30pm - 7:15pm Shabbos Service followed by Kiddush    Shabbos day No Class on Parsha this week 10am -12:15pm Morning Service with kids program followed by Kiddush in honour of the wedding of Ata Gokyldirim and Robyn Pakula and Lechaim in honour of the birth of Michelle Arcane's daughter, Zahara Esther - Mazel Tov! Yud Shvat Farbrengen after Kiddush No Shiur this week Mincha 7:45pm folllowed by Sholosh Seudos and Maariv Shabbos ends 8:52pm Sunday 8am Shachris    Monday and Thursday 7am Shachris

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Jews and Tattoos

Question of the Week:   I am considering getting a tattoo. A very small one, but a tattoo none the less. It is a very meaningful one for me, and is even quite spiritual. I don't believe I am disrespecting my body by putting it there, quite the opposite. I also see my body as being transient and impermanent, and ultimately will be recycled back into the earth, while my "soul" will live on in some fashion. With this kind of logic, a tattoo on the skin doesn't seem so terrible. I however must first deal with the Jewish guilt aspect. Is getting a tattoo a sin, or just not recommended? What should I be considering before making this decision?   Answer:   I think it is a great idea to decorate your body with spiritual art. There's nothing more beautiful than being covered head to toe with meaningful adornments. But not a tattoo.   Tattooing is clearly prohibited by the Torah. "You shall not place a tattoo on yourself, I am the Lord" (Lev. 19:28). The body is not ours to deface. It is loaned to us in order to fulfil our mission. Indeed, a part of this mission is to decorate our body, not with physical paint from a tattoo parlour, but with a spiritual imprint from our soul.   The soul didn't come down into this world for itself. Rather, the soul came down for the body's sake - to elevate and refine the body. We are sent into this world to transform darkness into light, to take an unG-dly universe and make it into a home for G-d, and to take our untamed and animalistic body and align it with G-d's will. For the soul to be holy is no big deal - after all, it is a soul, it always was holy, it is spiritual already. But for a body to become holy - that is an amazing achievement. And that's our mission.   This is why the Torah speaks little about heaven or other worlds, and focuses on this life in this world. And that's why the mitzvos of the Torah are all physical - put on Tefillin, light Shabbos candles, eat Kosher, blow a Shofar, put up a Mezuzah. Even prayer and study are done with our physical minds and physical mouths. We are here to elevate the material, not escape it. We are here to make this world holy, not run away to some world that is holy already. We are here to refine our body, along with its physical urges and course character traits; not belittle the body and focus on our soul which is holy anyway.   For this reason, the body should not be taken lightly. It is a sanctuary, a temple, a holy home for the soul. The Kabbalah even says that in the future we will understand that body is really higher than soul. The soul is a ray of G-d's light; the body is a reflection of G-d's very essence.   At the end of our lives we are expected to return our body to its Maker, not in the same form we got it, but rather as a refined work of art. This is not achieved with dyes and needles, but with the hard work of changing negative personality traits, conquering bad habits, sensitising ourselves to others, subduing evil urges, training ourselves to do good and becoming in tuned with our divine purpose. There is no quick or easy path to do this. It is the work of a lifetime. And that's what we are here to do.   Think it all through very carefully. A tattoo is something irreversible. You will have to live with it forever. What may seem like a good idea now may seem quite stupid down the track. It may be hard to explain to your grandparents, and even harder to explain to your grandchildren. I have met too many people who regret getting tattoos because they didn't understand the seriousness of it at the time. What is meaningful to you now may change. The Torah doesn't.    I believe your desire to get a tattoo is coming from a pure place within you. So I recommend you get a different type of tattoo. Tattoo your body with mitzvos, cover it with holiness, decorate it with true spirituality. To do so is a decision you will never regret.   Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss   To subscribe email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au   You are invited to Mendel Moss' first haircut Click mendel's invitation for details NEFESH SERVICES - 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Friday Candlelighting 7:52pm (not before 6:40pm)   6:10pm Mincha  6:30pm - 7:15pm Shabbos Service followed by Kiddush sponsored by Maggie Kurta in honour of her father's Yorzheit and a Lechaim sponsored by Elli Bobrovizki in honour of his mother's Yorzheit   Shabbos day 9am Class on Weekly Parsha 10am -12:15pm Morning Service with kids program followed by Kiddush in honour of Jocelyn Lowinger's birthday and Lechaim to farewell Tzally Hasofer Shiur 7:00pm Mincha 7:45pm folllowed by Sholosh Seudos and Maariv Shabbos ends 8:53pm Sunday 8am Shachris    Monday and Thursday 7am Shachris followed by Chassidus

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Why Smash a Glass?

Question of the Week:   I understand the reason I will be breaking a glass under my foot at the end of the wedding ceremony is to commemorate the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem some 2000 years ago. This indeed was a significant event in Jewish history, but it doesn't seem to have any personal relevance to me. What does a destroyed building have to do with my wedding?   Answer:   The destruction of the Temple has extreme personal relevance. It happened to you. The shattering of the glass commemorates not only the fall of Jerusalem, but also a cataclysmic shattering that happened to your very own temple, your soul.   Before you were born, you and your soulmate were one - a single soul. Then, as your time to enter this world approached, G-d shattered that single soul into two parts, one male and one female. These two half souls were then born into the world to try and find each other and reunite.   At the time, the split seemed tragic. What was once a peaceful unit had become fragmented and incomplete. Why break something just so it should be fixed? If you were meant to be together, why didn't G-d leave you together?   Only when standing under the Chuppah do you find the answer to this question. At the wedding, these two halves are becoming whole, reuniting never to part again. And you can look back at the painful experience of being separated, and actually celebrate it. For now you realise that the separation brought you closer. Only by being torn apart, living lives away from each other, were you able to develop as individuals, mature and grow, and then come together in a true relationship, a deeper oneness than you had before, because it is created by your choice. Had you never been separated, you would never appreciate what it means to be together, because it wasn't earned. At the wedding you realise that your soul was only split in order to reunite and become one on a higher and deeper level than before.   And so we break a glass under the Chuppah, and we immediately say Mazel Tov. Because now, in retrospect, even the splitting of the souls is reason to be joyous, for it gave your connection depth and real meaning.   So you see, your personal story and the story of Jerusalem's destruction are inextricably linked. The shattering that happened to Jerusalem happened to your soul; and the joy you are experiencing now will one day be experienced by Jerusalem too.   The Temple was not a mere building, it was the meeting place of heaven and earth, ideal and reality, G-d and creation. When the Temple was lost, with it went the open relationship between G-d and the world. Our souls were ripped away from our Soulmate.   The only antidote to fragmentation is unity. And the deepest unity is experienced at a wedding. Every wedding is a healing, a mending of one fragmented soul, a rebuilding of Jerusalem in miniature. Our sages teach us, "Whoever celebrates with a bride and groom it is as if he rebuilt one of the ruins of Jerusalem." When soulmates reunite in holy marriage, an energy of love and oneness is generated, elevating the world and bringing it one step closer to mending its broken relationship with G-d.    And one day soon, when the Temple in Jerusalem is rebuilt, our souls will reunite with G-d, our Soulmate, in a true relationship that we built ourselves. We will no longer mourn the destruction, but looking back we will finally understand its purpose, and we will celebrate. Then, even the shattering will deserve a Mazel Tov.   Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss   To subscribe email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au Summer Learning Experience Mon January 3, 11am-12:15pm The Truth About Charity - A Rabbinical Forum Three fifteen minute presentations on the sensitive issues around fundraising and philanthropy, followed by question time Shysters and Schnorrers - can we ever say no? - Rabbi Gourarie Does Israel Come First? Priorities in Tzedakah - Rabbi Chaiton Robin Hood and the Rabbis - can a Shul receive tainted money? - Rabbi Moss Followed by BBQ   NEFESH SERVICES - 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Friday Candlelighting 7:51pm (not before 6:39pm)   6:10pm Mincha  6:30pm - 7:15pm Shabbos Service followed by Kiddush sponsored by Elias Reuben in honour of his birthday   Shabbos day 9am Class on Weekly Parsha 10am -12:15pm Morning Service with kids program followed by Kiddush in honour of the wedding of Brad Melman and Avital Vittenberg  Shiur 7:00pm Mincha 7:45pm folllowed by Sholosh Seudos and Maariv Shabbos ends 8:53pm Sunday 8am Shachris followed by breakfast and Beginners Talmud Class   Monday  8am Shachris Thursday 7am Shachris

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Whose Birth Are You Celebrating?

Question of the Week: As a believing Christian, I made a recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I was profoundly disturbed by the Jewish state and its criminal occupation of the West Bank. How can you justify usurping land that belongs to others? Answer: You are entitled to your opinion on the matter. But I hope you are consistent in your beliefs. Being that you oppose a Jewish presence on the West Bank, I assume you will not be participating in any celebrations during the coming days. According to your view, there is no reason to be merry on December 25. The Christian holidays celebrate an event that you have named a criminal act - the birth of a Jewish baby to a Jewish family living in the West Bank town of Bethlehem. Your views should not allow you to have any part in this cheer, for if you did you would be giving retroactive approval to a Jewish settlement on the West Bank that dates back more than two thousand years. Perhaps you will be joined by the UN and other humanitarian organizations around the world condemning any celebrations this week that are connected with this controversial birth, as such events would be recognizing the rights of a Jewish family to live on what you see as occupied territory. However I must warn you, by espousing this view and not celebrating, you will be vastly outnumbered. Not that it's so bad to be in the minority, I personally have been all my life. But keep in mind, while you accuse Israel of occupying land, there will be two billion Christians around the world celebrating the fact that the West Bank has always been the home of the Jewish people. Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss To subscribe email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au Summer Learning Experience Mon 27 Dec - Mon 3 January 2011 A week of stimulating classes on contemporary Jewish issues First Session: 10am - 11am For Men and Women  at 47 Bellevue Rd Family room TWISTED JUDAISM with Rabbi Moss Mon Dec 27: The Sabbateans and the tragedy of false messianism Tue Dec 28: The Sadducees and the rejection of Talmudic tradition Wed Dec 29: The Samaritans and the dangers of insincere conversion Thur Dec 30: The Frankists and the corruption of Kabbalah Fri Dec 31: The Maskilim and the lure of modernism Women's Shiurim - at 47 Bellevue Rd in the Dining room Mon Dec 27: Parsha insights with Mrs Dina Gourarie Tue Dec 28: The Secret of Lot with Mrs Nechama Dina Moss Wed Dec 29: Jewish strategies for anger management with Renee Mill Thu Dec 30: "Ayin Hara" The Evil Eye - should we worry? with Rabbi Chaiton Fri Dec 31: The Power of a Song with Mrs Miriam Dolnikov Men's Textual Shiurim - at the Shtiebell 49 Bellevue Rd Gemora Sanhedrin Mon 27 Dec - Fri 31 Dec with Rabbi Gourarie or Monday: Miracles - their place in Jewish Law Tuesday: "Ayin Hara" The Evil Eye - should we worry? - Intermarriage - How bad is it? How could Moshe marry a non-Jewish woman? with Rabbi Chaiton    Second Session 11am - 12pm at the Shtiebell, 49 Bellevue Rd Topical lectures for Men and Women Mon Dec 27: Kaddish - its meaning and its power with Rabbi Moss Tue Dec 28: The Price of an Israeli Soldier with Rabbi Chaiton Wed Dec 29: Exploring the holiest site -A multimedia presentation discussing the secrets underneath the Temple Mount with Rabbi Yitzchak Barber Thu Dec 30: A call to prayer - Understanding response triggers in our daily prayers with Rabbi David Freedman Fri Dec 31: Don't Be Forgetful - Ancient Talmudic practices that damage or improve your memory with Rabbi Michoel Gourarie Mon January 3, 11am-12pm The Truth About Charity - A Rabbinical Forum Three fifteen minute presentations on the sensitive issues around fundraising and philanthropy, followed by question time Shysters and Schnorrers - can we ever say no? - Rabbi Gourarie Does Israel Come First? Priorities in Tzedakah - Rabbi Chaiton Robin Hood and the Rabbis - can a Shul receive tainted money? - Rabbi Moss BBQ at 12pm NEFESH SERVICES - 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Friday Candlelighting 7:48pm (not before 6:36pm)   6:10pm Mincha  6:30pm - 7:15pm Shabbos Service followed by Kiddush   Shabbos day 9am Class on Weekly Parsha 10am -12:15pm Morning Service with kids program followed by Kiddush sponsored by Michelle Brenner in honour of the Yorzheit of her father Alexander ben Moshe a"h Shiur 7:00pm Mincha 7:45pm folllowed by Sholosh Seudos and Maariv Shabbos ends 8:51pm Sunday 8am Shachris followed by breakfast and Beginners Talmud Class   Monday to Thursday 8am Shachris

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The Dating Challenge

Question of the Week: Why is dating so hard these days? Never in history have people struggled with relationships so much. So many of my friends are still single and looking. And even my married friends seem to have to work hard to keep it together. What's wrong with us?   Answer: We are a generation of complicated souls. Some of it is our own doing, but some of it is the destiny thrust upon us. The knotty world of modern dating is partly a reflection of the complex nature of the modern soul. The search for a soulmate will be made easier or harder depending on what type of soul you have. The master kabbalist Rabbi Isaac Luria taught that only new souls have an easy time finding their soulmate. When your soul comes to this world for the first time, you are fresh and unencumbered. Your vision is clear and your heart is open, and it is easy to recognise your soulmate. But for those souls who have been here before, reincarnated souls, it doesn't come so easily. Reincarnated souls come to the world with the baggage of their previous life, and though every soul is born pure, a reincarnated soul is born complicated. So while a new soul will meet and recognise their soulmate immediately, an old soul will have to work harder. They may have to meet many others before they meet the right one. They may need to do a lot of growing and inner development before being ready to recognise their soulmate. There is a lot of stuff to get over first - like unrealistic expectations, over-specific requirements, exaggerated self-images, superficial hang-ups and the residue of relationships of the past. And even when soulmates do find each other, they will have to work hard to make things work. The kabbalists declared that almost all souls these days have been here before. Very few new souls are coming down. So we can expect the search for soulmates to be more challenging now than ever. Our souls are carrying baggage - some we have inherited and some our own doing - and only by working through those layers do we remove the barriers that stand between our soul and our soulmate. The best way to bring about meeting your soulmate is to be more in touch with your own soul. When your soul is pulsating with inspiration and clarity, when you are spiritually grounded and bringing goodness to your surroundings, then you are most prone to meeting your soulmate. It may take some effort, but that is your destiny. Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss To subscribe email rabbimoss@bina.com.au Summer Learning Experience Mon 27 Dec - Mon 3 January 2011 A week of stimulating classes on contemporary Jewish issues First Session: 10am - 11am For Men and Women  at 47 Bellevue Rd Family room TWISTED JUDAISM with Rabbi Moss Mon Dec 27: The Sabbateans and the tragedy of false messianism Tue Dec 28: The Sadducees and the rejection of Talmudic tradition Wed Dec 29: The Samaritans and the dangers of insincere conversion Thur Dec 30: The Frankists and the corruption of Kabbalah Fri Dec 31: The Maskilim and the lure of modernism Women's Shiurim - at 47 Bellevue Rd in the Dining room Mon Dec 27: Parsha insights with Mrs Dina Gourarie Tue Dec 28: The Secret of Lot with Mrs Nechama Dina Moss Wed Dec 29: Jewish strategies for anger management with Renee Mill Thu Dec 30: "Ayin Hara" The Evil Eye - should we worry? with Rabbi Chaiton Fri Dec 31: The Power of a Song with Mrs Miriam Dolnikov Men's Textual Shiurim - at the Shtiebell 49 Bellevue Rd Gemora Sanhedrin Mon 27 Dec - Fri 31 Dec with Rabbi Gourarie or Monday: Miracles - their place in Jewish Law Tuesday: "Ayin Hara" The Evil Eye - should we worry? - Intermarriage - How bad is it? How could Moshe marry a non-Jewish woman? with Rabbi Chaiton    Second Session 11am - 12pm at the Shtiebell, 49 Bellevue Rd Topical lectures for Men and Women Mon Dec 27: Kaddish - its meaning and its power with Rabbi Moss Tue Dec 28: The Price of an Israeli Soldier with Rabbi Chaiton Wed Dec 29: Exploring the holiest site -A multimedia presentation discussing the secrets underneath the Temple Mount with Rabbi Yitzchak Barber Thu Dec 30: A call to prayer - Understanding response triggers in our daily prayers with Rabbi David Freedman Fri Dec 31: Don't Be Forgetful - Ancient Talmudic practices that damage or improve your memory with Rabbi Michoel Gourarie Mon January 3, 11am-12pm The Truth About Charity - A Rabbinical Forum Three fifteen minute presentations on the sensitive issues around fundraising and philanthropy, followed by question time Shysters and Schnorrers - can we ever say no? - Rabbi Gourarie Does Israel Come First? Priorities in Tzedakah - Rabbi Chaiton Robin Hood and the Rabbis - can a Shul receive tainted money? - Rabbi Moss BBQ at 12pm NEFESH SERVICES - 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Friday Candlelighting 7:45pm (not before 6:33pm)   6:00pm Early Mincha for fast day, please be on time! 6:30pm - 7:15pm Shabbos Service     Shabbos day 9am Class on Weekly Parsha 10am -12:15pm Morning Service with kids program followed by "the Daniels Kiddush" and lunch to farewell David Avraham before his Aliyah to Israel Shiur in Modern halacha 6:40pm Mincha 7:40pm folllowed by Sholosh Seudos and Maariv Shabbos ends 8:47pm Sunday 8am Shachris followed by breakfast and Beginners Talmud Class   Monday 7am Shachris Chassidus Shiur 8am-8:45am   Thursday 7am Shachris Chassidus Shiur 8am-8:45am

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