Why Do Mourners Tear their Clothes?

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Question of the Week:   What is the reason for the custom of mourners ripping their clothing on the death of a loved one?   Answer:   The experience of loss arouses several emotions. On the one hand, death is a tragedy. A loved one is lost to their family and friends, who are left feeling a profound sense of separation and distance that seems beyond repair. For this reason, we observe a seven day intense mourning period, during which the family sits at home and feels the pain and loss, followed by a year of mourning. This helps them slowly accept the new reality, that their loved on is gone.   But often, the mourners feel that it isn't really true, it didn't really happen, they haven't really gone. This is not just denial. In a way they are right. Death is not the end. Our souls existed before we were born, and they continue to exist after we die. The souls that have passed on are still with us. We can't see them, but we sense they are there. We can't hear them, but we know that they hear us. On the surface, we are apart. On a deeper level, nothing can separate us.   So we tear our garments. This has a dual symbolism. We are recognising the loss, accepting the reality, our hearts are torn, and there is a hole in our lives that can never be healed. But that is only true on the bodily level. The loss is a physical one. But the soul lives on. The body is no more than a garment that the soul wears. Death is when we strip one uniform and take on another. The garment may be torn, but the essence of the person, the soul, is still intact.   From our worldly perspective death is indeed a tragedy, and the sorrow experienced by the mourners is real. But as they tear their garments we hope that within their pain they can sense a glimmer of a deeper truth: that souls never die.   Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss To subscribe CLICK HERE or email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au        CLICK HERE TO BOOK NOW - last few spots! PREMARRIAGE COURSE - CLICK HERE TO BOOK   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ALL SERVICES AT NEFESH    1 FRANCIS ST BONDI BEACH   (OFF CAMPBELL PDE, BEHIND NOAH'S BACKPACKERS)   SHABBOS TIMES & COMMUNITY INFO: SHABBOS LECH LECHA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday, 19 October 2018 | 10 Cheshvan 5779 Candle Lighting............ 6:53pm (Not before 5:53pm) Mincha........................ 6:15pm Shabbos Service.......... 6:30-7:20pm Kids Program............... 6:30pm Followed by Kiddush   Shabbos Day, 20 October 2018 | 11 Cheshvan 5779 In depth parsha class ......................9:00am Shabbos Service............................ 10:00am-12:20pm Kids Program ............................... 10:30am Kiddush sponsored anonymously in honour of the Yorztheit of Helen Kleinlehrer this Sunday. We wish Mr Aron Kleinlehrer and family long life.   Lechaim sponsored by Tzvika Berhman in honour of his Bar Mitzvah anniversary - Mazel Tov!   Mincha followed by Seudah Shlishis ........6:50pm Gematria and Story by Rev Amzalak....... 7:10pm Shiur with Rabbi Moss........................... 7:30pm Shabbos ends...................................... 7:53pm Followed by Havdalah   WEEKDAY SERVICES Sunday............................................... 8:00am Mon- Fri.............................................. 7:00am Latest Shema this week........................ 9:23am   MAZEL TOV Mike and Sophie Stern and their families on the birth of a baby boy!   MAZEL TOV Julian and Tal Levin on the birth and naming of their baby girl!   HAPPY BIRTHDAY Iliana Lavecky... 13 Cheshvan/ Monday 22 October   HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Rob & Lana Goldshaft..... 14 Cheshvan/ Tuesday 23 October Carly & David Zalcberg... 16 Cheshvan/ Thursday 25 October   CONDOLENCES   Darren Zelazne and family on the passing of his father Norman Zelazne    LONG LIFE Stephen Etkind for his late sister, Michelle Holzman... 11 Cheshvan / Saturday 20 October   Diane, Ruth, David and Jonathan Shteinman for their late husband and father Boris Lazarus Shteinman, Boruch ben Eliazar... 11 Cheshvan/ Saturday 20 October   Aron Kleinlehrer for his late wife Helen Kleinlehrer Esther Bat Yaacov...12 Cheshvan/ Sunday 21 October   Gilda Cohen-Shapira for her late sister Brenda Maraney Batya Ita bat Moshe Ya'acov... 16 Cheshvan/ Thursday 25 October

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What If You Swim Against the Tide?

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Question of the Week: If you really believe the Torah to be the ultimate truth and the word of G-d, how do you explain the fact that the story of Noah's ark and the flood is replicated in myths of almost every culture around the world? Does G-d copy and paste? Answer: Let me follow your logic. If a book claims that an event happened all over the world to the common ancestors of every nation, and then every nation has a version of this event among their folk tales, this proves that the book is a forgery. Huh? Peoples as diverse as Sumerians and Siberians, Maoris and Masai, Chaldeans and Cherokees all tell a strikingly similar story: the world was destroyed by a massive flood, leaving a few survivors to start the human family again. Either they all copied and pasted, or it really did happen. I would think this tradition shared by all peoples testifies to its own validity. But the one thing distinguishes the Torah's account from all others is the reason Noah survived. In all the flood tales from around the world, the survivors lived on because they were mighty warriors, or powerful kings, or they just happened to make it through the flood for no apparent reason. In the Torah, Noah and his family survived because they were moral people in an immoral world. The story is not a tale of the survival of the fittest, but the survival of the righteous. The message is clear. Our world may be flooded with false ideas and evil ideologies. I don't have to subscribe to the beliefs of a foolish majority. Noah teaches us, if just one good family has the guts to go against the tide, they can rebuild the world. Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss To subscribe CLICK HERE or email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au      CLICK HERE TO BOOK NOW - LAST YEAR'S SOLD OUT IN 4 DAYS! PREMARRIAGE COURSE - CLICK HERE TO BOOK   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ALL SERVICES AT NEFESH    1 FRANCIS ST BONDI BEACH   (OFF CAMPBELL PDE, BEHIND NOAH'S BACKPACKERS)   SHABBOS TIMES & COMMUNITY INFO: SHABBOS NOACH ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday, 13 October 2018 | 3 Cheshvan 5779 Candle Lighting............ 6:48pm (Not before 5:49pm) Mincha........................ 6:15pm Shabbos Service.......... 6:30-7:20pm Kids Program............... 6:30pm Followed by Kiddush   Shabbos Day, 14 October 2018 | 4 Cheshvan 5779 In depth parsha class ...................... 9:00am Shabbos Service............................ 10:00am-12:20pm Bar Mitzvah of Tyler Menachemson Kids Program ............................... 10:30am Followed by Kiddush in honour of Tyler's Bar Mitzvah- Mazel Tov!   Mincha and Seudah Shlishis ........................ 6:45pm Gematria and Story by Rev Amzalak............. 7:05pm Shiur with Rabbi Moss................................. 7:25pm Shabbos ends............................................ 7:44pm Followed by Havdalah   WEEKDAY SERVICES Sunday.................................................... 8:00am Mon- Fri................................................... 7:00am Latest Shema this week............................. 9:28am   CONDOLENCES Long life to Henny Reuben on the passing of her sister Helene Violet Nasiem, Helene Violet Bat Julet in Indonesia. Long Life as well to Jack Reuben and the extended family. MAZEL TOV  Jack & Charlene Klein, Brad & Daniella Menachemson and the entire extended families on Tyler's Bar Mitzvah. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Lucia Meyer... 8 Cheshvan/ Wednesday 17 October   HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Karen & Roger Berman... 28 Tishrei/ Sunday 7 October   LONG LIFE Les Pozniak for his late mother Elisabeth Pozniak... 9 Cheshvan/ Thursday 18 October

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Why Don't My Kids Respect Me?

Question of the Week: Can you explain my children to me? I have dedicated my life to looking after their every need. But if I ask one of them to get me a glass of water they moan and groan. Why is it that one parent can care for thre children but three children can't seem to care for one parent? Answer: We are all descendants of Adam and Eve, the first human beings. We have inherited from them the basic ingredients of human nature. They didn't have parents. They were created, not born. They had no umbilical cords. They probably didn't even have belly buttons. So any normal human being has an innate desire to look after their children. But looking after our parents (and our belly buttons) is a skill that doesn't always come naturally. The genes we pass on to our children are not enough. We must pass on to them a moral code too. If they are raised to think of themselves as mere intelligent animals, then they will follow their instincts, which program them to care for themselves and their young, not their parents.   But if we teach our children that they are moral beings that can go beyond their genetic programming, then we raise them to know that life is about doing what is right rather than what feels right, what is good rather than what feels good. We are not just apes with intelligence, but ethical beings with a belly button. Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss To subscribe CLICK HERE or email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ALL SERVICES AT NEFESH    1 FRANCIS ST BONDI BEACH   (OFF CAMPBELL PDE, BEHIND NOAH'S BACKPACKERS)   SHABBOS TIMES & COMMUNITY INFO: SHABBOS BERESHIS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday, 5 October 2018 | 26 Tishrei 5779 Candle Lighting.................................... 5:42pm Mincha................................................ 5:50pm Shabbos Service................................... 6:00-6:50pm Kids Program....................................... 6:00pm Followed by Kiddush sponsored by the Tartour family in honour of Arnaud's recent Bar Mitzvah anniversary- Mazal Tov!   Shabbos Day, 6 October 2018 | 27 Tishrei 5779 In depth parsha class ..................... 9:00am Shabbos Service............................ 10:00am-12:20pm Kids Program ............................... 10:30am Followed by Kiddush Mincha followed by Seudah Shlishis ................ 5:40pm Gematria and Story by Rev Amzalak..... 6:00pm Shiur with Rabbi Moss......................... 6:20pm Shabbos ends.................................... 6:39pm Followed by Havdalah   WEEKDAY SERVICES Sunday.............................. 8:00am Mon- Fri............................. 7:00am Latest Shema this week....... 8:33am New Moon/ Molad............... Tuesday 9 October 9:01:11pm Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan...... Tues - Wednesday 9-10 Oct   HAPPY BIRTHDAY Levi Weisz................... 28 Tishrei/ Sunday 7 October Yehezkel-Yoel Ezekiel.... 28 Tishrei/ Sunday 7 October Asher Waine................ 29 Tishrei/ Monday 8 October Tom Cromer.................. 2 Cheshvan/ Thursday 11 October Monique Klein................ 3 Cheshvan/ Friday 12 October   HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Karen & Roger Berman... 28 Tishrei/ Sunday 7 October   LONG LIFE Peppi Glick for his late father Ruby Glick... 2 Cheshvan/ Thursday 11 October Les Pozniak for his late step-mother Joan Pozniak Chai Bat Leah... 2 Cheshvan/ Thursday 11 October Roy, Steven and Kim Eckowitz for their late mother Alma Eckowitz Chana bat Kalman... 2 Cheshvan/ Thursday 11 October

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