Should We Relish the Approval of Others?

Sell Your Chametz - Seder Early Bird Ends TODAY

Early bird closes today!!! NEW WINTER SHUL TIME - TONIGHT 6PM SELL YOUR CHAMETZ NOW click here and fill out an easy online form BOOK FOR SEDER, SEE PESACH TIMES, HELP THE NEEDY all at www.nefesh.org.au/pesach   Question of the Week: The Secret of Elijah's Cup    I am confused about the maror, the bitter herbs eaten at the Seder. I always thought you are supposed to use horseradish. But then I heard that we should use cos (or romaine) lettuce leaves, with a spoonful of fresh horseradish. I eat lettuce with my salad all year round, and it is not bitter. If anything it is quite sweet tasting. So why eat lettuce to commemorate the bitterness of Egyptian slavery? Answer: Your sweet lettuce is a sneaky little vegetable. Its nature very closely parallels the Egyptian slavery experience. Indeed, lettuce has a gentle and pleasant taste. That is because we pick it when it is young. But leave the lettuce stalk in the ground for a bit longer, and it turns bitter and pungent. What starts off sweet turns sour in the end. This was the exact course of events in Egypt. When the Israelites first arrived, they were warmly welcomed and made to feel at home. Pharaoh invited them to assimilate into Egyptian culture and society, to participate in the economy and become fully-fledged citizens. The trusting Israelites accepted his offer with relish (another reason we eat horseradish). They felt honoured to be accepted by such an illustrious nation as Egypt. And this was their downfall. They had been duped. The friendliness was a façade. Once Pharaoh had seduced the Israelites into a false sense of security, he could easily manipulate them. Before long, the welcome turned bitter, and the Israelites were enslaved. Like the lettuce stalk, it all seems sweet at first, but given some time it turns bitter. So at the Seder we eat lettuce. Not the mature and embittered type, but rather lettuce that is still tasty and sweet. Because the sweet lettuce is the bitterest of them all. The Egyptian slavery did not start when the Egyptians turned on the Israelites. It began when the Israelites felt comfortable in Egypt. That country, the superpower of its day, was renowned for its low moral standards. When the Israelites became impressed by Egypt's grandeur and lured by its sweet welcome, they lost something of themselves. When they took pride in the attention they received from a tyrant, they lost their freedom.  The same is true to this day. When as Jews we measure our self-worth by how much our neighbours accept us, when we fawn for the approval of those whom we deem more powerful than us, when we shape our identity to conform with what others expect of us, we have sold our souls into slavery. We eat lettuce to remind us that not all that tastes sweet is indeed sweet. A bitter herb, no matter how sugar-coated, is still a bitter herb. There's nothing as bitter as selling your soul to be accepted, and there's nothing as sweet as the freedom to be yourself. Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss  Sources: Shulchan Aruch Harav 473:30, Shu"t Har Tzvi 119 To subscribe CLICK HERE or email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au      Well well well! What a productive week it's been! All the formwork has been stripped from the ground floor level, and work is progressing at a pace that would make the horses at Randwick Racecourse envious. A really really big thank you to our block layers who have been super-efficient and productive this week.  Shabbat Shalom Brent ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ALL SERVICES AT NEFESH    1 FRANCIS ST BONDI BEACH   (OFF CAMPBELL PDE, BEHIND NOAH'S BACKPACKERS)   Sponsor a Kiddush  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FRIDAY NIGHT  3 or 10 May: $120 Basic Kiddush      $200 Deluxe Kiddush    SHABBOS DAY 4 or 11 May:  $350 Standard Kiddush  Email office@nefesh.com.au with any questions SHABBOS TIMES & COMMUNITY INFO: METZORA (Pesach times below) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday, 12 April 2019| 7 Nissan 5779 Candle Lighting........................................ 5:19pm Mincha.................................................... 5:30pm Shabbos Service (NEW WINTER TIME)... 6:00-6:50pm Kids Program ........................................... 6:00pm Kiddush sponsored by Jenny Kantorovich in honour of the Yortzheit for her late father, Pinchus ben Shlomo on 16 Nissan / 21 April , and by Robyn Weinberg in honour of the 60th Yortzheit for her late father Hyman Bando, Chaim Be'er Ben David on 6 Nissan- Long Life.   Shabbos Day, 13 April 2019 |8 Nissan 5779 In depth parsha class ...................... 9:00am Shabbos Service............................ 10:00am-12:20pm Kids Program ............................... 10:30am Kiddush sponsored by the Shnier family in honour of Kirsty's birthday- Mazal Tov!   Mincha followed by Seudah Shlishis ............5:15pm Gematria and Story by Rev Amzalak........... 5:45pm Shiur with Rabbi Moss.............................. 6:00pm Shabbos ends.......................................... 6:13pm Followed by Havdalah   WEEKDAY SERVICES Sunday..................................................... 8:00am Mon - Thurs.............................................. 7:00am Latest Shema this week.............................. 9:03am   MAZAL TOV Andrew Binstock and Keren Small for their wedding on Sunday Joshua Goodman and Dana Small for their wedding on Sunday   HAPPY JEWISH BIRTHDAY Nisya Richman............... 9 Nissan/ Sunday 14 April   HAPPY ANNIVERSARY David & Joanna Landau... 9 Nissan/ Sunday 14 April Sarah & Matt Michael...... 9 Nissan/ Sunday 14 April Lara & Shaun Klein......... 9 Nissan/ Sunday 14 April Monique & Daniel Krochmalik......12 Nissan/ Wednesday 17 April Gaby & Dylan Shatter............... 13 Nissan/ Thursday 18 April   LONG LIFE Brent Maksimovich for his late grandfather Alexander Mekler Alexander ben Yaacov v'Sima... 8 Nissan/ Saturday 13 April David and Rene Bermeister for their late son Wayne Bermeister Zeev ben David... 9 Nissan/ Sunday 14 April Charlene Klein for her late father Zelig Ber... 9 Nissan/ Sunday 14 April Judi Berman and Martine Springer for their late mother Ellen Schuftan Leah Bat Yehuda... 11 Nissan/ Tuesday 16 April Leslie Tanchum for his late brother Nathan Tanchum Natan Nota ben Bentzion... 12 Nissan/ Wednesday 17 April Adam Pisk for his late grandfather Erich Pisk Yitzchak ben Shmuel Ha'Levi... 13 Nissan/ Thursday 18 April If you would like Nefesh to include your Birthday, Anniversary or Yortzheit in our newsletter and send you an email reminder, just fill in this quick ONLINE FORM. PESACH TIMES  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ EREV PESACH Friday, 19 April 2019 | 14 Nissan (Public Holiday) Shachris                  8:00am  Followed by Siyum for Fast of the Firstborn Eat Chometz until      10:01am Burn and sell before 10:57am Candle Lighting        5:10pm Mincha                    5:20pm Pesach/Shabbos Evening Service 5:45-6:30pm   PESACH, DAY 1 Shabbos, 20 April 2019 | 15 Nissan Morning Service        10:00am - 12:45pm Children's Program    11:00am Priestly Blessing        12:30pm   Mincha                    5:20pm Earliest Candle Lighting 6:05pm - No second Seder preparations before this time. Evening Service 6:00-6:30pm Begin counting the Omer    PESACH, DAY 2  Sunday, 21 April 2019 | 16 Nissan Morning Service        10:00 am - 12:45pm Children's Program    11:00am Priestly Blessing        12:30pm Mincha followed by words of Torah 5:20pm  Yom Tov ends and Maariv 6:03pm  CHOL HAMOED SHACHRIS Monday - Thursday (22-25 April) - 8:00am EREV YOM TOV Thursday, 25 April 2019 | 20 Nissan Eruv Tavshilin Candle Lighting        5:03pm  Mincha                    5:15pm Pesach Evening Service 5:45-6:15pm SHEVII SHEL PESACH (DAY 7)  Friday, 26 April 2019 | 21 Nissan Pesach Morning Service       10:00am - 12:45pm Children's Program             11:00am Priestly Blessing                 12:30pm   Candle Lighting        5:02pm Mincha                    5:15pm Shabbos/Yomtov Evening Service 6:00-6:50pm   ACHARON SHEL PESACH (DAY 8) Shabbos, 27 April 2019 | 22 Nissan Pesach Morning Service       10:00am - 1:00pm Children's Program             11:00am Yizkor Memorial Service       11:30am Priestly Blessing                 12:45pm Mincha                             4:30pm  Seudas Moshiach  Shabbos & Yom Tov ends and Maariv        5:57pm Please allow half an hour before eating chometz that was sold.

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