Couch Surfing Wipeout

Some straight talking about Nefesh: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   Question of the Week:   I have been homeless for a month now. The lease on my apartment expired, the place I wanted to move into fell through at the last minute, so I searched and searched and came up with nothing. After a frazzling week of sleeping in my car I found myself "couch-surfing" and relying on friends. I am a self-reliant and independent guy who never needed anyone, so this is torture. I still have my faith in G-d that has kept me sane, and I know things will work out. But it's taking a bit too long what does He want from me?    Answer:   Sounds like you are going through a time of flux. Not sure where you are going, what to try next. This can be frustrating and exhausting.   And yet, it is important to know that being temporarily homeless is also cleansing. It shakes off the dust that has gathered on your soul. That's why Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden of Eden after the sin, Cain was banished after killing his brother Abel, and the Jewish people were exiled from their homeland to wander the world when the Temple was destroyed. In all these cases, the trauma of misplacement served as a means of shaking away negative energy.   But not only evildoers need exile. We even find great tzaddikim - holy souls and saintly individuals - who chose to roam from city to city, having to depend on the kindness of others, for they too sought the cleansing power of homelessness. Exile is not always a punishment. It may be a gift.   I am not saying it is a walk in the park to sleep in the park. But needing a little help from your friends can certainly build character. The humility that it takes to be on the receiving end of others' goodwill can sometimes do more for your spirit than being the giver.   This is most challenging for an independent free spirit. But maybe that's exactly what you need to learn, the ability to receive and the humility to be helped.   The only way to get out of your exile is by getting out of it what you are supposed to get out of it, then you'll get out of it. Get it? I hope you get there soon.   Wishing you all the best, Rabbi Moss   To subscribe email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au   KIDS TOYS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     We are looking to improve our kids area by acquiring the following toys and equipment. If you have anything in this list in good condition that you would like to donate, or would like to buy anything for the shul, please contact Nechama Dina, nechamamoss@yahoo.com :   Toy Kitchen              Outdoor jungle gym Kitchen toys             Dress ups Ride ons                    Jewish books Lego                          Dolls and prams Pretend play toys   Pretend torah Pretend ark   Thanks on behalf of the Nefesh kids! SOCCER AND BBQ - NEFESH vs CHABAD DOUBLE BAY Sunday December 4 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~    NEFESH SERVICES - 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     Friday night Candlelighting 7:27pm (not before 6:16pm)   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 Stuart Shaw in honour of his birthday- Mazal Tov! Shiur 6:30pm - Understanding Rashi - a glimpse into the genius of Rashi's commentary on the Parsha as explained by the Rebbe   Mincha 7:30pm followed by Seudah Shlishis and Maariv Shabbos ends 8:28pm    Sunday Rosh Chodesh Kislev 8am Shachris followed by breakfast and beginners' Talmud   Monday and Thursday Shachris 7am followed by Chassidus 8am-8:45am

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Can Love Reach Beyond the Grave?

Question of the Week:   My son recently died in an accident. I would like to know if he can see or hear us here on earth. Is he still aware of us now that he is in Heaven? Your comments would be appreciated. Mum missing her son.   Answer:   The mystery of death is one that we cannot truly understand. Why some souls come down here for so short, only to be taken away from us, is beyond us.   But we know that only the body dies, not the soul. And it is the soul of a person whom we love. Our connection with our loved ones is not with their physical presence, but their person, their love, their energy, their spirit. And that relationship never goes away. It just takes another form.   The Rebbe once spoke to a mother who was inconsolable after the loss of her son. He said to her: "What if I told you that your son isn't dead? Rather he has gone away to a place where he is safe and happy. He feels no pain, he has no fear, he has no regrets. You can't see him. But you can send him love packages, and he will receive them and enjoy them. If I told you this, would things be different?"   She thought about it and said, "Well, I guess the pain would not be quite so unbearable if I knew he was safe and I could tell him I love him."   "Well," the Rebbe said to her, "this is the case. Your son is in heaven where he is at peace. And he can still feel your love. The love packages you send to him are the mitzvos, the good deeds you do in his memory and in his honour. When you give a coin to charity, say a prayer, light a candle, be kind to those in need, and you have him in mind, he receives a flow of love from you every time. His soul up there is elevated when down here you do good inspired by his memory. Channel your grief into a positive force. Let the vacuum caused by the loss draw more light into the world."   Nothing can replace the physical touch of a hug, the pleasure of seeing your child grow and learn and play. But he is still with you. And he knows that he is blessed with a loving mother who will always think of him.   We don't know why it has to be this way. But one day, we will be reunited with the souls of our loved ones, and we will understand it all.   Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss   To subscribe email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au    NEFESH GOLF DAY Thursday November 24 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~    SOCCER AND BBQ - NEFESH vs CHABAD DOUBLE BAY Sunday December 4 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~    NEFESH SERVICES - 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     Friday night Candlelighting 7:20pm (not before 6:10pm) 6:10pm Mincha   6:30pm - 7:15pm Shabbos Service followed by Kiddush sponsored in honour of the Batmitzvah of Talia Gokyildirim- Mazel Tov!   Shabbos day 9am Class on Weekly Parsha 10am -12:15pm Morning Service with kids' program followed by Kiddush Shiur 6:20pm - Understanding Rashi - a glimpse into the genius of Rashi's commentary on the Parsha as explained by the Rebbe   Mincha 7:20pm followed by Seudah Shlishis and Maariv Shabbos ends 8:21pm    Sunday 8am Shachris followed by breakfast and beginners' Talmud   Monday and Thursday Shachris 7am followed by Chassidus

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Lost Tribe in New Guinea?

NEFESH GOLF DAY November 24, book now - see below   Question of the Week:   Did you see the video of the tribe in Papua New Guinea singing the Shema in Hebrew? It is just amazing! Are they a lost tribe of Israel? How else can you explain these natives in tribal dress singing Jewish prayers in perfect Hebrew?    Answer: It is a very cute clip. But don't be fooled. Their ability to sing Hebrew songs doesn't make them Jewish. I can sing Awimbawe, that doesn't make me a long lost African. And anyway, a few features of their song just don't add up. If indeed they were a lost tribe of Israel, clutching on to their traditions for thousands of years in spite of their dislocation from other Jews, why do they chant the Shema in a distinctively modern European tune? Why do they sing it in English after singing it in Hebrew? And what is the explanation for the placards they display with English quotes from the Bible? The explanation is a simple. These tribesmen are not performing an ancient rite, but rather singing the Hebrew songs that Christian missionaries have taught them. For hundreds of years the missionary work in places such as Africa and Papua New Guinea has introduced biblical ideas to native populations. So we shouldn't be so surprised to find a witch doctor in Burma wearing a tallis or a hut in the Sahara Desert with menorahs painted all over it. It is probably just the result of our Christian friends teaching our bible (and theirs) to the locals. Jews do not missionise. We don't believe in converting the world to our ways. But we certainly believe that ethical monotheism, the belief in one G-d Who expects us to live morally, can improve the lives of all peoples around the world. If that is what the missionaries teach, we say Amen.  Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss To subscribe email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au    ANGER AND ITS ANTIDOTE - MEANINGFUL MOTHERHOOD  Discussion group for mothers and babies with Nechama Dina Moss and Shternie Dadon Mondays 10:00am-11:00am at Nefesh 54 Roscoe St, Bondi NEFESH GOLF DAY Thursday November 24 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~    GLOBAL DAY OF LEARNING this Sunday at Coogee Synagogue ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~    Sydney is one of 300 leading Jewish communities around the world participating in the Global Day of Jewish Learning. The program celebrates Rabbi Adin "Even-Israel" Steinsaltz's motto, "Let my people know"...the core Jewish ideas and texts. Program:   9:30am: Registration and Welcome   10:00am: Shema - a model for relationships (Rabbi Michoel Gourarie, BINA)   10:50am: The Body and Soul of the Jewish People (Rabbi Danny Eisenberg, JLC)   12:00 noon: Various Chabura learning groups (Torah Mitzion Kollel Students, JLC)   1:00pm: For the Sake of Heaven: Diversity within Rabbinic Judaism (Simon Holloway, Sydney University)   2:00pm: Unique Stories, Timless Messages: 5 Special Stories, each with a unique message (Rabbi Yaacov Chaiton, BINA)   2:50pm: The Story of Joseph and His Brothers and its Message for Jewish Unity Today (Rabbi Simcha Jacob, Or Chadash)   3:45pm: Have We Met Before? Reincarnation and Judaism (Rabbi Aron Moss, Nefesh) All at Coogee Synagogue, 121 Brook St Coogee NEFESH SERVICES - 54 Roscoe St Bondi Beach  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     Friday night Candlelighting 7:13pm (not before 6:05pm) 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 NEW Shiur every week one hour before mincha, this week 6:10pm - Understanding Rashi - a glimpse into the genius of Rashi's commentary on the Parsha as explained by the Rebbe   Mincha 7:10pm followed by Seudah Shlishis and Maariv Shabbos ends 8:13pm    Sunday 8am Shachris followed by breakfast and beginners' Talmud   Monday and Thursday Shachris 7am followed by Chassidus

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Can a Viking Be Jewish?

Question of the Week:

I feel like I am a Jewish soul born in a non-Jewish body. I have always been surrounded by Jewish friends, loved the religion, and after years of study I just fulfilled my dream and converted to Judaism. My family has no Jewish roots whatsoever, I descend from Vikings on both sides, so it is all a bit of a mystery. Any explanation?

Answer:

Many people from all different walks of life have reported feeling an affinity to Jews and Judaism. Some leave it at that. Others take it further. For them, it is more than just a curiosity with Jewish things or a taste for Jewish cooking. It is in their soul.

The first Jewish couple, Abraham and Sarah, were married for decades before they were blessed with a child. But the Kabbalists say that although no physical children had been born to them, they had given birth to many spiritual children.

Every time husband and wife are together a soul is born. Sometimes that soul comes down into a body, and is born as their child. Other times, the soul remains in the heavens. Abraham and Sarah for all those years were in fact giving birth to souls without bodies. Those souls were then distributed among the nations of the world and spread over history.

These are the souls of converts to Judaism throughout the ages.

When a non-Jew feels within them a pull towards the Jewish faith and the Jewish people, it may be a latent Jewish soul wanting to return to its community, a long lost child of Abraham and Sarah reuniting with its family.

This is why when a convert to Judaism chooses a Hebrew name, they are called the son or daughter of Abraham and Sarah. This is describing a true fact, their Jewish soul came directly from the first Jewish couple. While a born Jew is a distant descendant of Abraham and Sarah, a convert is their actual child.

Now there are plenty of non-Jews who have Jewish taste. Just because you like Jewish humour, enjoy Jewish food and shop at Costco, doesn't mean you have a hidden Jewish soul.

But someone such as yourself, who studies Judaism and is enthralled by it, keeps the laws of Torah and just wants to do more, felt a deep calling to join the Jewish people and made the long and hard journey to do just that - it must have been Abraham and Sarah calling you home.

Good Shabbos,

Rabbi Moss

Stop Acting Like a 40 Year Old!

Question of the Week:

Can you explain why Genesis describes the lifespan of the early generations as being incredibly long? Adam is said to have died at age 930, Noah was almost 500 when he started building the ark (not bad!) and Methuselah lived a world record 969 years! So what happened? Why don't we live that long anymore?

Answer:

The longevity of our patriarchs raises several questions. What does it feel like to hit 900? When did they have their mid-life crisis? Were centenarians getting up to teenage mischief? Did parents tell their children, "Stop acting like a forty year old!"?

Whatever the case, we find that the first few generations lived extremely long, and then after Noah's flood the average lifespan reduced dramatically, with people living about as long as we do today.

The main difference between the earlier generations and the later is that in the first generations of humanity, they were all new souls. The souls of Adam and Eve, their children and grandchildren were coming into this world for the first time. Not so the following generations, who possessed souls that had been here before and were sent back in another incarnation.

Each soul comes down into this world to fulfill a set of missions, and it is given a lifespan that is long enough to complete these missions. But if for whatever reason a soul does not complete all the work it needs to in one lifetime, it is given more chances. A reincarnated soul is a spark of an earlier soul that comes back to earth in a new body to complete unfinished business from its previous life.

The earlier generations had big souls and long life spans, because they were fresh and new and had a lot of work to do. But things didn't always work out as planned, and so their souls had to come back and tidy things up. These big souls were spread out among thousands and millions of reincarnations, smaller souls with less work to do, and thus shorter life times to do it.

None of us know how much time we have, but we do know that we don't have centuries. We don't have the luxury to start building our ark when we are 500. Better start now.

Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Moss

Why Are You Waving Branches Around?

Question of the Week:

Someone asked me why we wave the Lulav in six directions - right, left, forward, up, down, backward. I didn't really know how to answer. Is there a simple way to explain this?

Answer:

The four species that we bless on Sukkos correspond to the four letters in G-d's Hebrew name. Waving them in all six directions signifies our faith that G-d is everywhere. Specifically, we are saying that on every level, at every stage of life, in all that happens to us, G-d is there.

Right and left represent Chesed and Gevurah, the power of love and the power of discipline. G-d, like a parent, can be loving and can also be strict. Sometimes G-d's light shines on us, other times we feel left in the dark and have to find our way through on our own. Whether things are good in life or things are tough, it is all coming from G-d. He knows exactly what we need, and that's what we get.

Up and down symbolize the highs and lows of life. When we feel we are on top of the world, we need to remember that G-d put us up there. When we feel down in the dumps, we need to have faith that G-d is with us there. There is no success without help, and there is no failure without hope.

Forward and backward stand for the future and the past. We don't know what tomorrow holds, but we have faith that G-d will guide us through whatever lies ahead. And as for the past, all that has happened to us is a part of the plan. All our past experiences, even those that we would rather forget, made us who we are today. We are where we are now because that is exactly where G-d wants us to be. Our entire past was a lead up to this moment. G-d brought you here for a reason.

So the four species are waved around, to recognise that G-d is everywhere, in the good and the bad, in the ups and the downs, in the uncertain future and the turbulent past. And in the middle of all that is you. You are doing the waving. Because ultimately, G-d will be there for you in all you do, if you only let Him in.

Good Yomtov,

Rabbi Moss

Pregnant and Fasting?

Question of the Week:

I am five months pregnant and was told that I definitely don't have to fast on Yom Kippur. But then someone told me that I definitely do. So what is it? Do I fast or not?

Answer:

As a mother to be, you want the best for your baby. You want to do anything possible to give your child everything he or she needs for the future. So if you can, you should at least try to fast.

This is what Jewish mothers have been doing for thousands of years. They withhold food from their unborn babies for one day, and then spend the rest of their life over-feeding them to make up for it.

Of course, if you have a specific medical condition or there are any complications with your pregnancy, you may be forbidden to fast, and a doctor and a rabbi should be consulted. But in normal circumstances, pregnancy is not a medical condition, it is a natural state, and fasting once will have no negative effect on you or the baby whatsoever. In fact, the opposite may be true.

The Talmud tells of a pregnant woman who smelt food on Yom Kippur and craved to eat it. They reminded her that it was a fast day, and she refrained. The child she bore grew to become the saintly leader Rabbi Yochanan. His greatness was partly credited to his mother's fasting even when it was not easy.

You have to be practical. Drink a lot of fluids beforehand, and rest on the day itself. If staying home in bed will make it easier, then that's what you should do. Fasting is more important than going to shul. And watch yourself as you fast. If you feel faint or lightheaded or anything unusual, you may need to break the fast. Don't be overly strict. But don't dismiss the fast entirely. Plan to complete the fast, and see how you go.

May you have an easy fast, an easy birth, and a child who will appreciate that it's worth being uncomfortable for things we believe in.

Good Shabbos and Good Yomtov,

Rabbi Moss

Note: The specific laws pertaining to fasting for a woman close to her due date, in labor or immediately after childbirth vary. A competent rabbi should be consulted in all cases.