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Question of the Week:
The Secret of Elijah's Cup
The Secret of Elijah's Cup
  
I am confused about the maror, the bitter herbs eaten at the Seder. I always thought you are supposed to use horseradish. But then I heard that we should use cos (or romaine) lettuce leaves, with a spoonful of fresh horseradish. I eat lettuce with my salad all year round, and it is not bitter. If anything it is quite sweet tasting. So why eat lettuce to commemorate the bitterness of Egyptian slavery?

Answer:

Your sweet lettuce is a sneaky little vegetable. Its nature very closely parallels the Egyptian slavery experience.

Indeed, lettuce has a gentle and pleasant taste. That is because we pick it when it is young. But leave the lettuce stalk in the ground for a bit longer, and it turns bitter and pungent. What starts off sweet turns sour in the end.

This was the exact course of events in Egypt. When the Israelites first arrived, they were warmly welcomed and made to feel at home. Pharaoh invited them to assimilate into Egyptian culture and society, to participate in the economy and become fully-fledged citizens.

The trusting Israelites accepted his offer with relish (another reason we eat horseradish). They felt honoured to be accepted by such an illustrious nation as Egypt. And this was their downfall. They had been duped. The friendliness was a façade. Once Pharaoh had seduced the Israelites into a false sense of security, he could easily manipulate them. Before long, the welcome turned bitter, and the Israelites were enslaved. Like the lettuce stalk, it all seems sweet at first, but given some time it turns bitter.

So at the Seder we eat lettuce. Not the mature and embittered type, but rather lettuce that is still tasty and sweet. Because the sweet lettuce is the bitterest of them all.
The Egyptian slavery did not start when the Egyptians turned on the Israelites. It began when the Israelites felt comfortable in Egypt. That country, the superpower of its day, was renowned for its low moral standards. When the Israelites became impressed by Egypt's grandeur and lured by its sweet welcome, they lost something of themselves. When they took pride in the attention they received from a tyrant, they lost their freedom. 

The same is true to this day. When as Jews we measure our self-worth by how much our neighbours accept us, when we fawn for the approval of those whom we deem more powerful than us, when we shape our identity to conform with what others expect of us, we have sold our souls into slavery.

We eat lettuce to remind us that not all that tastes sweet is indeed sweet. A bitter herb, no matter how sugar-coated, is still a bitter herb. There's nothing as bitter as selling your soul to be accepted, and there's nothing as sweet as the freedom to be yourself.

Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Moss  

Sources:
Shulchan Aruch Harav 473:30, Shu"t Har Tzvi 119

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Well well well! What a productive week it's been!
All the formwork has been stripped from the ground floor level, and work is progressing at a pace that would make the horses at Randwick Racecourse envious. A really really big thank you to our block layers who have been super-efficient and productive this week. 
Shabbat Shalom
Brent



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SHABBOS TIMES & COMMUNITY INFO: METZORA (Pesach times below)
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Friday, 12 April 2019| 7 Nissan 5779
Candle Lighting........................................ 5:19pm
Mincha.................................................... 5:30pm
Shabbos Service (NEW WINTER TIME)... 6:00-6:50pm
Kids Program ........................................... 6:00pm
Kiddush sponsored by Jenny Kantorovich in honour of the Yortzheit for her late father, Pinchus ben Shlomo on 16 Nissan / 21 April , and by Robyn Weinberg in honour of the 60th Yortzheit for her late father Hyman Bando, Chaim Be'er Ben David on 6 Nissan- Long Life.
 
Shabbos Day, 13 April 2019 |8 Nissan 5779
In depth parsha class ...................... 9:00am
Shabbos Service............................ 10:00am-12:20pm
Kids Program ............................... 10:30am
Kiddush sponsored by the Shnier family in honour of Kirsty's birthday- Mazal Tov!
 
Mincha followed by Seudah Shlishis ............5:15pm
Gematria and Story by Rev Amzalak........... 5:45pm
Shiur with Rabbi Moss.............................. 6:00pm
Shabbos ends.......................................... 6:13pm
Followed by Havdalah
 
WEEKDAY SERVICES
Sunday..................................................... 8:00am
Mon - Thurs.............................................. 7:00am
Latest Shema this week .............................. 9:03am
 
MAZAL TOV
Andrew Binstock and Keren Small for their wedding on Sunday
Joshua Goodman and Dana Small for their wedding on Sunday
 
HAPPY JEWISH BIRTHDAY
Nisya Richman............... 9 Nissan/ Sunday 14 April
 
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
David & Joanna Landau... 9 Nissan/ Sunday 14 April
Sarah & Matt Michael...... 9 Nissan/ Sunday 14 April
Lara & Shaun Klein......... 9 Nissan/ Sunday 14 April
Monique & Daniel Krochmalik......12 Nissan/ Wednesday 17 April
Gaby & Dylan Shatter............... 13 Nissan/ Thursday 18 April
 
LONG LIFE
Brent Maksimovich for his late grandfather Alexander Mekler
Alexander ben Yaacov v'Sima... 8 Nissan/ Saturday 13 April

David and Rene Bermeister for their late son Wayne Bermeister
Zeev ben David... 9 Nissan/ Sunday 14 April

Charlene Klein for her late father Zelig Ber... 9 Nissan/ Sunday 14 April

Judi Berman and Martine Springer for their late mother Ellen Schuftan
Leah Bat Yehuda... 11 Nissan/ Tuesday 16 April

Leslie Tanchum for his late brother Nathan Tanchum
Natan Nota ben Bentzion... 12 Nissan/ Wednesday 17 April

Adam Pisk for his late grandfather Erich Pisk
Yitzchak ben Shmuel Ha'Levi... 13 Nissan/ Thursday 18 April

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PESACH TIMES 
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EREV PESACH
Friday, 19 April 2019 | 14 Nissan (Public Holiday)
Shachris                  8:00am 
Followed by Siyum for Fast of the Firstborn
Eat Chometz until      10:01am
Burn and sell before 10:57am

Candle Lighting        5:10pm
Mincha                    5:20pm
Pesach/Shabbos Evening Service 5:45-6:30pm
 
PESACH, DAY 1
Shabbos, 20 April 2019 | 15 Nissan
Morning Service        10:00am - 12:45pm
Children's Program    11:00am
Priestly Blessing        12:30pm
 
Mincha                    5:20pm
Earliest Candle Lighting 6:05pm - No second Seder preparations before this time.
Evening Service 6:00-6:30pm
Begin counting the Omer 
 
PESACH, DAY 2 
Sunday, 21 April 2019 | 16 Nissan

Morning Service        10:00 am - 12:45pm
Children's Program    11:00am
Priestly Blessing        12:30pm
Mincha followed by words of Torah 5:20pm 
Yom Tov ends and Maariv 6:03pm 

CHOL HAMOED SHACHRIS
Monday - Thursday (22-25 April) - 8:00am

EREV YOM TOV
Thursday, 25 April 2019 | 20 Nissan
Eruv Tavshilin
Candle Lighting        5:03pm 
Mincha                    5:15pm
Pesach Evening Service 5:45-6:15pm

SHEVII SHEL PESACH (DAY 7) 
Friday, 26 April 2019 | 21 Nissan
Pesach Morning Service       10:00am - 12:45pm
Children's Program             11:00am
Priestly Blessing                 12:30pm
 
Candle Lighting        5:02pm
Mincha                    5:15pm
Shabbos/Yomtov Evening Service 6:00-6:50pm
 
ACHARON SHEL PESACH (DAY 8)
Shabbos, 27 April 2019 | 22 Nissan
Pesach Morning Service       10:00am - 1:00pm
Children's Program             11:00am
Yizkor Memorial Service       11:30am
Priestly Blessing                 12:45pm
Mincha                             4:30pm 
Seudas Moshiach 
Shabbos & Yom Tov ends and Maariv        5:57pm

Please allow half an hour before eating chometz that was sold.