Is There a Simple Answer to This?

GOLF DAY THIS THURSDAY

Question of the Week:   My non-Jewish friends and colleagues often ask me: What is Judaism? They are not looking for a complicated thesis, just a simple response. How would you sum up a 4000 year old culture in a few words?   Answer:   'Judaism' and 'simple' are not often found in the same sentence. But to attempt to answer this, we first need to define what Jews are, then we can define what Judaism is.    The Jewish people can best be described as a spiritual family. We are connected by our souls, and every Jew is a part of this invisible web by virtue of our Jewishness. You can either be born into the family or join by choice. But once you are in, you are family, no matter what.   If Jews are a family, the Torah is the family rules. It recounts the family history, defines the family identity, and lays out the expectations of how members of the family should behave and the good they can contribute to the world.    Some of the Torah is universal, but much of it is about our particular family and its relationships - with our brothers and sisters, our ancestors, our homeland and the Head of the family - G-d.   If you break the rules, you are still a member, because family is family. But those who keep the rules keep the family together. Those who reject the rules usually find their children or grandchildren will drift away from the family entirely, not even knowing what they are leaving behind. But they can always come back. You can never really leave the Jewish family.   So if the Jewish people are a family, and the Torah is the family rules, what is Judaism?   Judaism is a story. The story of a family.   Every family has its story - its joys and its conflicts, its high moments and its not so high moments. Parents are sometimes proud of their kids or disappointed at them; children follow their parents' ways or rebel against them. But throughout the family dramas, they remain a family.   Judaism is our family story. But not a story to just read, a story to live. We are the characters of the story. The story is bigger than you or me or any one person. But it is about you and me and every individual Jew. Each one of us, through our relationship with G-d and the Jewish people, continues the story that is Judaism.   Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss To ask your question, or to subscribe, CLICK HERE or email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au NEFESH BUILDING UPDATE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Things are moving ahead with our plans to build. We are finalising the drawings to show builders so they can quote. After that things should move along quite quickly. On the fundraising front we have reached half of the total we will need for the build. Our goal is to raise another $400k in the next two months, at which point we will have enough money in the bank to start. GOLFERS AND WOULD-BE GOLFERS click on flyer below NON-GOLFERS can you donate a prize or money? Email libbymoss2002@yahoo.com.au SERVICE TIMES AND COMMUNITY INFO ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday, 19 February, 2016 | 11 Adar I 5776 Candle Lighting............. 7:26pm (*Earliest 6:22pm) Mincha...................................................6:10 pm Friday Evening Service......................... 6:30-7:15 pm Children's program................................6:45pm  Followed by Kiddush.   Shabbos, 20 February, 2016 | 12 Adar I 5776 Chassidus Class................................................ 9:00 am Shabbos Morning Service........ 10:00 am-12:15 pm Children's program....................................... 11:00am Followed by Kiddush sponsored by Ivan and Carole Basserabie in honour of their 55th wedding anniversary- Mazal Tov!   Mincha.....................................................7:20 pm Seudah Shlishis Gematria and Story by Rev Amzalak............ 7:40 pm Shiur: Vandalising an Illegally Parked Car.... 8:00 pm Shabbos ends and Maariv............................. 8:22 pm Followed by Havdalah.   WEEKDAY SHACHARIS SERVICES Sunday .........................................................8:00 am Mon - Fri.......................................................7:00 am Latest Shema this week................................. 9:51 am TANYA CLASS Monday.....................................................8pm   HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO Daniel Lowinger.............................. 11 Adar I/20 Feb   LONG LIFE TO Rosie Stern for her late father Elias Friedman 10 Adar / 19 Feb Les Regos and Susan Josef for their late mother, Mariska Regos Miriam bat Gershon     13 Adar/ 22 Feb Paul Ereira for his late mother, Ida Ereira, Ida Bas Mordechai    16 Adar/ 25 Feb

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Why No Mourning for a Stillborn?

TANYA BACK ON THIS MONDAY

SUSHI KIDDUSH TONIGHT TO WELCOME BACK Moss FAMILY TANYA CLASS - Music and Out of Body Experiences - THIS MONDAY 8PM at Nefesh all welcome Question of the Week:   Why don't we observe mourning customs for a stillborn? A friend recently lost her baby full term and was told there is no funeral, no Kaddish[1], no sitting shiva[2], no yorzheit[3]. Are we supposed to pretend nothing happened? Why not acknowledge the loss and mourn as we would for any other death?   Answer:   The loss of an unborn baby is a terrible tragedy, and of course it needs to be acknowledged. But it is not the same as losing a child (G-d forbid), and so it is not mourned in the same way.   Jewish mourning customs serve a dual purpose. They help the departed soul on its journey to the next world, and they help the mourners come to terms with their loss.    The soul of the departed has a difficult journey. After being in this physical world it has to now adjust to the other world, the world of souls. Similarly, the mourners have to adjust to a new reality, a life without a loved one who is no longer among us.   By sitting shiva, reciting the Kaddish prayer, studying Torah and observing the yorzheit every year, the mourner helps elevate the soul of the departed to higher places of rest, and helps himself, by channeling the void created by loss into positive action. It is a comfort to both the living and the dead.   None of this applies to a stillborn. Their soul never fully descended into this world, never truly entered the physical realm. A stillborn soul didn't make the crossover to this world, and so doesn't need our assistance to cross back.   So the first reason for the mourning customs, to help the departed soul, does not apply to a stillborn.  Neither does the second reason, to help the mourners deal with the loss. It can't be called a loss, because we never had it in the first place. We were not given this soul, it never entered our realm. It is sad, it is hard, it will take time to heal. But it simply cannot be compared to the loss of a loved one.   This in no way negates the pain experienced by parents of a stillborn. Each individual has to deal with the tragedy in their own way.  But they should not to feel guilty if they eventually move on. While it is proper and good to perpetuate the memory of a departed soul and keep their presence with us always, it may not be so for a soul that was never among us in the first place.   All souls come from heaven. Some never really leave heaven. Such souls don't need any assistance to get back home.   Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss [1] Prayer recited by mourners [2] Seven days of mourning [3] Observance of anniversary of passing To ask your question, or to subscribe, CLICK HERE or email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au GOLFERS AND WOULD-BE GOLFERS click on flyer below NON-GOLFERS can you donate a prize or money? Email libbymoss2002@yahoo.com.au SERVICE TIMES AND COMMUNITY INFO ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday, 12 February, 2016 | 3 Adar I 5776 Candle Lighting............ 7:34 pm (*Earliest 6:28pm) Mincha.......................................................6:10 pm Friday Evening Service......................... .......6:30-7:15 pm Followed by Sushi Kiddush to welcome back the Moss family!   Shabbos, 13 February, 2016 | 4 Adar I 5776 Chassidus Class............................................9:00 am Shabbos Morning Service.............................. 10:00 am-12:15 pm Children's program....................................... 11:00am Followed by Kiddush sponsored by Moshe and Lucy Greengarten in honour of the birth and naming of their daughter- Mazal Tov! Mincha...................................................... 7:30 pm Seudah Shlishis Gematria and Story by Rev Amzalak............ 7:50 pm Shiur:....................................................... 8:10 pm Shabbos ends and Maariv............................. 8:30 pm Followed by Havdalah. TANYA CLASS Monday nights 8pm   WEEKDAY SHACHARIS SERVICES Sunday ........................................................8:00 am Mon - Fri...................................................... 7:00 am Latest Shema this week................................. 9:48 am

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Sneeze, Schmeeze

Golf Day Book NOW!

Question of the Week:   I have a question for you ..... it's a little trivial but here goes anyway....  A non-Jewish colleague refuses to say 'Bless-you' after I sneeze. He says it's because I am Jewish. Where did the 'bless you' ritual originate from and is it purely a Christian thing?  What is the Jewish equivalent?   Answer:   Your friend may have a point. The bless you response to a sneeze was enacted by one of the popes during the bubonic plague. So it definitely has non-Jewish undertones.   But long before that, Jews blessed each other upon sneezing. The Talmud records that in the earlier generations, people didn't get sick before they died. They simply sneezed and their souls left their bodies. So it was customary to wish a sneezer "To Life!", for fear that their sneeze was a herald of death.   Things changed in the times of our forefather Jacob. He prayed that one should rather get sick some time before dying, in order to have a little warning and time to prepare for leaving this world. His request was granted, and so sneezing no longer meant impending death. But it still could be a symptom of illness. And so the custom became to wish a sneezer good health - Assuta in Aramaic, Tzu gezunt in Yiddish, or Labriyut in modern Hebrew.   Fascinatingly, one source says that after being blessed with health, the sneezer himself should respond to the one who blessed him "Bless you!" (Baruch tihyeh in Hebrew). Another interesting note: the sages taught that one does not respond to a sneeze while in the middle of studying Torah. Torah study is too holy to be interrupted, and anyway its power will protect the sneezer from all harm.   Indeed these days most people survive a sneeze without any major consequences. But that doesn't mean we should no longer wish each other good health. Words have power. The more we bless each other the better. A sneeze is as good an excuse as any to bless someone.   G-d bless you, Rabbi Moss To ask your question, or to subscribe, CLICK HERE or email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au GOLFERS AND WOULD-BE GOLFERS click on flyer below NON-GOLFERS can you donate a prize or money? Email libbymoss2002@yahoo.com.au SERVICE TIMES AND COMMUNITY INFO ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday, 5 February, 2016 | 26 Shevat 5776 Candle Lighting............ 7:40 pm (*Earliest 6:32pm) Mincha............................................................. 6:10 pm Friday Evening Service......................... 6:30-7:15 pm Followed by Kiddush.   Shabbos, 6 February, 2016 | 27 Shevat 5776 Chassidus Class................................................ 9:00 am Shabbos Morning Service........ 10:00 am-12:15 pm Children's program....................................... 11:00am Followed by Kiddush in honour of the yortzeit of Ewaz Barukh z'l.     Mincha............................................................. 7:35 pm Seudah Shlishis Gematria and Story by Rev Amzalak............ 7:55 pm Shiur:................................................................ 8:15 pm Shabbos ends and Maariv............................. 8:37 pm Followed by Havdalah.   WEEKDAY SHACHARIS SERVICES Sunday ............................................................. 8:00 am Mon - Fri........................................................... 7:00 am Latest Shema this week................................. 9:45 am   NEW MOON/MOLAD MONDAY 8 February 8:47:14AM   ROSH CHODESH ADAR I TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY 9/10 FEBRUARY   HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO Michelle Kaplan............................... 26 Shvat/ 5 Feb Amiell Gold....................................... 28 Shvat/ 7 Feb Linda Isdale...................................... 29 Shvat/ 8 Feb   WE WISH LONG LIFE TO Michael Besser for his late father, Wolf Besser (Zev Ben Koppel) 30 Shvat/ 9 Feb Kathy Barukh for her late husband Ewaz Barukh z'l

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