Why Do I Suffer from Mental Illness?

Amazing documentary May 20

Question of the Week:     Can you tell me why G-d gave me a mental illness? Why has he made me suffer? I am not a bad person.   Answer:   Every soul journeys down into this world with two suitcases. One is full of the challenges the soul has to face during its lifetime. The other is full of the talents and strengths necessary to withstand those challenges. The first suitcase is opened for you; the second you have to open yourself.    Your soul's challenge is mental illness. I don't know why. But I do know that your mission is to use your talents, to turn the pain and frustration into a positive force.    Because of your openness and willingness to share your experiences, you are an inspiration to others who have mental illnesses. You bring hope and light to those who are not as strong as you, by showing them just how much they can achieve if they focus on their abilities.    You can also bring understanding and insight to those who have not themselves experienced the pain of mental illness. I for one have learnt an invaluable lesson from speaking to you.    Do you remember our conversation, when I asked you what was the hardest thing about having a mental illness? You said it was the silence. When people discover that you suffer from mental illness, they don't know what to say, and the conversation comes to an abrupt and awkward end.    So I asked you, What would you like them to say? Your answer amazed me.    You said, "I wish they would ask me questions about my illness. I wish they would show an interest to understand what I am going through. I wish they would give me the chance to share what I am experiencing, rather than let me suffer alone."   I'm sure not everyone is as willing to talk as you are, but I suspect that for many the stigma of mental illness hurts more than anything else. Thank you for letting me see it from your perspective. I promise to pass on the lesson. G-d has presented your soul with a challenge, but He has also given you a bright and warm personality, and a strength of character that can stand up to the challenges you face. This is a gift that I hope you will share with the world.   Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss To subscribe CLICK HERE or email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au  AUDIO SHIURIM: The Background of Yedid Nefesh (2 mins) The Kabbalah of Clicking Fingers - Parsha CLICK HERE TO BOOK NOW CLICK HERE TO BOOK NOW SHABBAT SERVICES TIMES AND COMMUNITY INFO  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday, 5 May, 2017 | 9 Iyar 5777 Candle Lighting................ 4:53pm   Mincha............................ 5:00pm Making Sense of the Siddur  (a class with Rabbi Moss)...5:30-6:00pm Friday Evening Service...... 6:00pm Kiddush sponsored by Jacqui and Andrew in honour of the birthdays of Linda, Daniel and Jett Weinman- Mazel tov!   Shabbos, 6 May, 2017 | 10 Iyar 5777 In depth Parsha Class.............. 9:00am Children's program................. 10:45am Shabbos Morning Service ........ 10:00am- 12:20pm  Kiddush sponsored by Stuart Shaw in honour of his grandfather's yahrzeit, Leib Yehuda ben Yehoshua on 11th Iyar- Long Life.   Mincha with Pirkei Ovos Ch 3 followed by Seudah Shlishis ...............   4:45pm Gematria and story by Rev Amzalak........ 5:10pm Shiur with Rabbi Moss.......................... 5:30pm Shabbos ends and Maariv..................... 5:48pm Followed by Havdalah   WEEKDAY SHACHARIS SERVICES Sunday.............................. 8:00am Mon- Fri............................. 7:00am Latest Shema this week......... 9:10am   MAZAL TOV TO Shimon Weiss and Talia Quittner on their engagement!   HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO Nathan Peles........ 12 Iyar/ Monday 8 May Carol Melman....... 13 Iyar/ Tuesday 9 May Jonathan Isdale.... 13 Iyar/ Tuesday 9 May Layla Bando......... 14 Iyar/ Wednesday 10 May   LONG LIFE TO David Bermeister for his late father Yitzchak Ben Zeev........................ 11 Iyar/ Sunday 7 May Frank Dreyer for his late mother Eva Dreyer Chava bat Avraham.................... 12 Iyar/ Monday 8 May Anne Sarzin for her late grandfather Rev Abraham Levy...................... 12 Iyar/ Monday 8 May Jack Klein for his late father Shimon Klein.............................. 13 Iyar/ Tuesday 9 May KIDDUSH SPONSORSHIP If you have a birthday, yorzheit, special occasion or just because, we'd love you to sponsor a kiddush. Just tell us the date and kiddush type you'd like and we look after the rest. CURRENT DATES AVAILABLE Friday Night 12 May Friday Night 19 May Friday Night 26 May   FRIDAY NIGHT KIDDUSH OPTIONS Herring & L'Chaim-$60 + B.Y.O Whisky HOT Soup kiddush- $75 | Basic Kiddush - $100   Deluxe Kiddush - $180 SHABBOS DAY KIDDUSH OPTIONS Herring & L'Chaim- $90 + B.Y.O Whisky   Standard Kiddush - $300    Simply email office@nefesh.com.au    For special or larger kiddushim, we recommend you engage an external kosher caterer to provide all the food, drinks and disposables. Just email the office for assistance with this option.

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Scientific Proof of the Torah

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Question of the Week:    Do you still hold on to the belief that the Torah is divine? Literary experts and historians have compared the Bible to other writings of 3000 years ago (when the Torah was supposedly given by G-d) and said that its style doesn't fit in to the literature of that time frame, and must have been written much later. How can you ignore a fact that has been scientifically proven?   Answer:   Did you hear about the recent study on frogs? Scientists took a sample of over one hundred frogs of various species and did the following test:   They placed each frog on a table, crept up behind it and shouted, "Jump!" The frog jumped.   Then they cut off one leg, and again shouted jump. It jumped, although not as far.   They then cut off a second leg and told it to jump, and then a third, each time observing that the frog responded, but jumped smaller distances.   Finally they cut off the fourth leg and again shouted "Jump!" They were amazed to find that in every case the result was the same. The frog did not move at all.   The conclusion: When you cut off a frog's legs, it goes deaf. It is scientifically proven.   We all come to the conclusions that we want to believe. When the experts find that the Torah is too advanced for its time, they conclude it must have been written later than claimed. When I study Torah, I conclude that it is still ahead of its time, because it was written by G-d for all times and all places. Even the parts that seem archaic and outdated, when explained on a deeper level, have powerful messages that I often feel are speaking directly to me. They are relevant and inspiring to me, right here, right now.   Many have tried to either prove or disprove the Torah's divinity. Neither attempt will be successful. G-d wants us to have free choice. If we listen to His word, it is not by force. To maintain balance, there will always be valid arguments to discredit Him and His Torah. We can choose to buy those arguments, or see beyond them. Then, when we open ourselves to the Torah's message, the choice to do so is coming from within.   G-d has given you a mission. How you respond is totally up to you. You can be as deaf as a legless frog, or you can take a leap in response to your higher calling.   Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss To subscribe CLICK HERE or email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au  SHABBAT SERVICES TIMES AND COMMUNITY INFO  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday, 28 April, 2017 | 2 Iyar 5777 Candle Lighting................ 5:00pm   Mincha........................... 5:10pm Making Sense of the Siddur 5:30-6:00pm Friday Evening Service...... 6:00pm HOT soup Kiddush sponsored by Alethea, Taryn and Larnce Gold in honour of the yortzheit of their grandmother, Noami Frere (Nechama bas Ester) on 8 Iyar- Long Life.   Shabbos, 29 April, 2017 | 3 Iyar 5777 In depth Parsha Class............ 9:00am Children's program............... 10:45am Shabbos Morning Service ..... 10:00am- 12:20pm  Followed by Kiddush in honour of the Yortzheit of Jack Reuben's father, Joseph Reuben (Yosef Ben Reuven) on 4 Iyar; and the Yortzheit of Danny, Jesse and Dov Meguideche's mother Sarah Meguideche on 4 Iyar- Long Life. Mincha with Pirkei Ovos Ch 2....................   4:50pm Seudah Shlishis Gematria and story by Rev Amzalak.............5:15pm Shiur with Rabbi Moss............................... 5:35pm Shabbos ends and Maariv.......................... 5:55pm Followed by Havdalah   WEEKDAY SHACHARIS SERVICES Sunday.............................. 8:00am Mon- Fri............................. 7:00am Latest Shema this week........ 9:07am   MAZAL TOV TO Nefesh's own Julie in honour of the birth of her grandson!   HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO Benjamin Hoch.......... 5 Iyar/ Monday 1 May Sheryl Deubler.......... 6 Iyar/ Tuesday 2 May   LONG LIFE TO Jack Reuben for his late father Joseph Reuben,  Yosef Ben Reuven... 4 Iyar/ Sunday 30 April Danny, Jesse and Dov Meguideche for their late mother Sarah Meguideche... 4 Iyar/ Sunday 30 April Larnce Gold for his late grandmother Naomi Frere  Nechama bas Ester...8 Iyar/ Thursday 4 May Marlene Franks for her late father Aaron Jacob Wolman Aharon Yaakov...10 Iyar/ Saturday 6 May KIDDUSH SPONSORSHIP If you have a birthday, yorzheit, special occasion or just because, we'd love you to sponsor a kiddush. Just tell us the date and kiddush type you'd like and we look after the rest. CURRENT DATES AVAILABLE Shabbos Day 6 May Friday Night 12 May Friday Night 19 May Friday Night 26 May Shabbos Day 27 May   FRIDAY NIGHT KIDDUSH OPTIONS Herring & L'Chaim-$60 + B.Y.O Whisky HOT Soup kiddush- $75 | Basic Kiddush - $100   Deluxe Kiddush - $180 SHABBOS DAY KIDDUSH OPTIONS Herring & L'Chaim- $90 + B.Y.O Whisky   Standard Kiddush - $300    Simply email office@nefesh.com.au    For special or larger kiddushim, we recommend you engage an external kosher caterer to provide all the food, drinks and disposables. Just email the office for assistance with this option.

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Haunted by the Holocaust

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Question of the Week:   I am a grandchild of Holocaust survivors but I feel haunted as if I went through it myself. I regularly see images of Auschwitz in dreams and flashes. I am sometimes even scared to tell people I am Jewish.It seems so ridiculous to be this way here in Australia in 2017. Am I crazy?   Answer:   You are not crazy. You are a sensitive Jewish soul, and what you are experiencing is not uncommon. You are experiencing the vertical connection.   All Jewish souls are connected. We are more than one family, we are one soul continuum. No matter what affiliation a Jew has or hasn't, every Jewish soul is connected. This connection transcends both time and space. We are horizontally connected to every Jew alive today, and we are vertically connected to the Jews of times gone by.   We have all felt the horizontal connection. When something happens to a Jew on the other side of the world, it affects me as if it happened to me personally. When a Jewish athlete wins a gold medal, every Jew walks around as if it was their own victory. And the athlete himself feels as if he has won on behalf of the entire Jewish people. When we hear news of a tragedy in Israel, or a Jewish community anywhere in the world, it hits us deeply. And the victims are uplifted by our feelings of empathy and prayers of support. This is our horizontal soul connection to all Jews alive today.   But we are also vertically connected to the Jews of previous generations. Like a pyramid of souls, with Abraham and Sarah, the first Jewish couple, standing at the top, each ensuing generation lying below them, and we, the souls of the present generation, at the very bottom, beneath layers and layers of souls of the past. The victories and challenges, celebrations and tragedies of those souls who came before us are on our shoulders.   The images that haunt you are the collective experiences of the souls which you are carrying. This is the challenge of living in our generation. It can be a heavy burden, living so soon after the worst tragedy of Jewish history, in which the lives of so many Jewish souls were cut short. It is not an easy place to be, underneath the weight of all those souls.   We have a choice. We can buckle under the weight of this pillar of souls, it can overwhelm us and we can collapse. It may seem to us that being Jewish is just too heavy, and we can try to relieve ourselves of its weight. Or we can take another path. We can rise to the challenge and elevate the entire pyramid of souls. For we have a gift that was taken from all those souls before us. We are alive. We live in the world of action, where we can still do good and raise ourselves spiritually. And then, from our position on the bottom of the pyramid, we can lift the entire structure and elevate the souls of those on high.   All previous generations are looking to us. Their time in this world has ended, but through us, their unfinished lives can be continued. By living a proud Jewish life, by creating vibrant Jewish homes and communities, by bringing more Jewish children into the world, not only can we fulfil our own purpose, but we can fulfil the hopes and dreams of those souls who never had the chance to do so themselves.   You are not crazy, and you are not doomed to be haunted by the images of pain that weigh you down. Let them drive you to do more good, to be more Jewish, and to continue the light of those holy souls.    Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss To subscribe CLICK HERE or email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au  SHABBAT SERVICES TIMES AND COMMUNITY INFO  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday, 21 April, 2017 | 25 Nissan 5777 Candle Lighting................... 5:07pm   Mincha.............................. 5:20pm Friday Evening Service......... 6:00pm Kiddush sponsored by Simone and Darryl Green in honour of their second wedding anniversary- Mazal Tov!   Shabbos, 22 April, 2017 | 26 Nissan 5777 In depth Parsha Class............... 9:00am Children's program................. 10:45am Shabbos Morning Service ........ 10:00am- 12:20pm   Followed by Kiddush.   Mincha with Pirkei Ovos Ch 1 followed by Seudah Shlishis ............   5:00pm Gematria and story by Rev Amzalak..... 5:25pm Shiur with Rabbi Moss...................... 5:45pm Shabbos ends and Maariv.................. 6:02pm Followed by Havdalah   WEEKDAY SHACHARIS SERVICES Sunday............................ 8:00am Mon, Wed- Fri................... 7:00am Tuesday (Public Holiday)..... 8:00am Latest Shema this week...... 9:05am   NEW MOON | MOLAD WEDNESDAY 26 APRIL 7:48:11am ROSH CHODESH IYAR WED-THURS 26-27 APRIL   HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO Meir Moss... 24 Nissan/ Thursday 20 April Elad Ziv...... 27 Nissan/ Sunday 23 April   HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO Simone & Darryl Green... 30 Nissan/ Wednesday 26 April   LONG LIFE TO Pauline Berns for her late father Samuel Glasser Shmuel ben Yosef... 28 Nissan/ Monday 24 April #REMEMBERTHEYOM RememberTheYom is a brand new project created to help remember & honour Yom HaShoah, 'Holocaust Remembrance Day' & to inspire others to create & to view meaningful related images. Yom Hashoah falls on the night of April 23rd and the day of the 24th. Please help: upload, repost & share these images and hashtag #remembertheyom to your instagram accounts and Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/remembertheyom https://www.instagram.com/remembertheyom Pic ref: 28 people lying in the sand at Bondi Beach recreating the late Joseph Pakula's Auschwitz tattoo number B-7656, by Larnce Gold.

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