TONIGHT light Chanukah candles followed by Shabbos candles after 6:36pm, then:

Question of the Week:

I fear for the future of the Jewish people. When I look at my family and where they are headed it is not very promising. My grandfather was a rabbi, but I am not sure my grandchildren will even be Jewish. What is the secret to keeping Judaism alive?

Answer:

I can't tell you how often I hear, "My grandfather was a rabbi." I once read that 87% of the Jewish population today have at least one rabbi in their family tree. I also read that 93% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

It's impossible that three generations ago everyone was a rabbi. What people probably mean is that their grandfather was an observant Jew. He may have had a beard, he prayed every day, and was knowledgeable in Torah. He could have been a cobbler or merchant or baker, not a rabbi. But he was a committed Jew.

Anyone who identifies as Jewish today only need go back three or four generations to find observant Jews in their family. And from there an unbroken chain of observance that goes back three thousand years.

Not that everyone has always been observant. There have always been unobservant Jews. But we don't know their grandchildren. They have been lost to the Jewish community.

Jewishness without Jewish observance cannot last more than a couple of generations. Unless they rebel and turn to Judaism, the children of unobservant Jews will stop being Jewish altogether and assimilate. A family of unobservant Jews will lose one or the other - either the Jewishness, or the unobservance. You can't have both.

This is not a new phenomenon. Throughout Jewish history there have been individuals and groups who tried to keep a Jewish identity without Jewish practice. It has never worked. A vague Jewish ethnic feeling, devoid of any spiritual purpose and with no compelling message that is relevant to life, cannot last long. Only proud and authentic Judaism, that offers relevance and meaning, direction and inspiration, will stand the test of time.

In the Chanukah story, a small band of faithful Jews stood up against the assimilationist forces of Hellenism. They were overwhelmingly outnumbered, not just by the enemy, but among their own people. The vast majority of Jews subscribed to Hellenism, and wanted to assimilate. We celebrate Chanukah today because we descend from the faithful few.

The solution to Jewish continuity is no secret, it's obvious. Living breathing Judaism produces living breathing Jews. Do for your grandchildren what your grandfather did for you - be a living example of what it means to live an actively Jewish life. They don't need their grandfather to be a rabbi, but they need him to be a proud and practicing Jew.

Good Shabbos and Happy Chanukah,
Rabbi Moss
 
To subscribe  CLICK HERE or email  rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au 
   
 
 
Shabbat Shalom everyone!

I thought this week I will give you a few fun facts about the piles we are digging. Currently we have dug more than half a kilometre of piles into the ground, using 11 tons of steel and 150 tons of concrete. It has taken us so far 10 days or 50 man days to get this far. G-d willing, our estimated completion date will be Wednesday, 10 January next year.

Today we have had our second delivery of steel, 11 tons of it! It took us approximately 1.5 hours to offload it and bring it on site. Hard hard work! 

Have a great weekend everyone and Chag Sameach!!!!
SHABBOS SERVICES & COMMUNITY INFO
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ALL SERVICES AT NEFESH POP-UP
1 FRANCIS ST BONDI BEACH
(OFF CAMPBELL PDE, BEHIND NOAH'S BACKPACKERS)
 
SHABBOS SERVICES
Friday, 15 December 2017 | 27 Kislev 5778
Candle Lighting .................. Earliest 6:36pm
No Mincha this week
Special Menorah Lighting with Latkes and Doughnuts!... 7:00pm
Sponsored by Shirley Sher in honour of her late mother Rivkah Samuels bat Jane's yortzheit on 27 Kislev - Long Life
 
Followed by Shabbos Service..... 7:30pm  
Kids Program........................... 7:30pm
Teen Boys Davening..................7:30pm
 
Shabbos Day, 16 December 2017 | 28 Kislev
In depth Parsha Class............ 9:00am
Shabbos Service.................. 10:00am-12:45pm
Kids Program ........................10:45am
Communal Lunch in honour of Shabbos Chanukah - all welcome!
 
Mincha followed by Seudah Shlishis ........ 7:40pm
Gematria and story by Rev Amzalak........ 8:00pm
Shiur with Rabbi Moss........................... 8:20pm
Shabbos ends and Maariv...................... 8:41pm
Followed by Menorah Lighting and Havdalah
 
WEEKDAY SERVICES
Sunday........................... 8:00am
Monday-Friday................. 7:00am
Latest Shema this week......9:12am
 
MOLAD/ NEW MOON: MONDAY 18 DEC 1:41:1PM
ROSH CHODESH TEVES: MONDAY/TUESDAY 18/19 DEC
 
MAZEL TOV TO
Guy and Karli Lazar and their families on the birth of Netanel Yehudah!  
 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO
Aviv Farhy......... 2 Tevet/ Wednesday 20 December
Amber Lessem... 3 Tevet/ Thursday 21 December
 
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO
Julia & Jarred Rubin..... 27 Kislev/ Friday 15 December
Rachael & Brett Kaplan. 29 Kislev/ Sunday 17 December
Adam & Jodi Karpas..... 29 Kislev/ Sunday 17 December
Jack & Leyat Reuben...... 2 Tevet/ Wednesday 20 December
Lina & Richie Barel......... 3 Tevet/ Thursday 21 December
 
LONG LIFE TO
Reverend Amzalak for his late brother Avraham ben Yitzchak 28 Kislev / 16 December
Gavin Krawchuk for his late grandfather David Sandler David ben Mordechai 3 Tevet / Thursday 21 December

To make a donation for a birthday, an Aliyah, a Yahrzeit or anything else, 
please click here. 
Kiddush options:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday night: Soup $75 | Basic $120 | Deluxe $200
Shabbos Day: Basic $350 Lunch $750-$1200 
 
Dates available:
Fri 22 Dec , Fri 29 Dec, Sat 30 Dec, Fri 5 Jan, Sat 6 Jan.
 
To arrange, just email office@nefesh.com.au