HIGH HOLYDAYS SERVICES - Nefesh will again offer two venues for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur - Flood St Bondi and Dover Rd Rose Bay. Membership and seating will be open for booking next week 

Question of the Week: 

Our baby boy was born yesterday and we are deliberating whether to do a traditional Bris with a mohel, or have it done by a surgeon in hospital. Now the question I have is, would you accept me and my son into your shule if he is not snipped by a mohel?

Answer:
 
Mazel tov on becoming a father! I hope your wife is doing well and wish you both only happiness and much nachas!

Let me say outright, you and your son will always be welcome, no matter what you choose. I don't put any barriers up for someone to be a part of our community. 

As a parent, you need to make many decisions that will impact your child's future. This is one of them. Here are the things you need to know before deciding what to do: 

- A surgical circumcision is not a Bris. Apart from the missing blessings and prayers, the actual cut may be different. Which means one day when your son realizes that he didn't have a Bris, he may need a rather unpleasant procedure to get it fixed. At the very least he will require some blood to be drawn and a blessing said. No big deal when you are a baby, but not quite as easy later on.

- A Mohel is not an amateur. Quite the opposite. The average surgeon might do a few of these every now and then. An experienced mohel does them almost daily, and has performed thousands over the years. 

- Many Mohels are also medically qualified. Some are themselves surgeons, who will perform a Bris in their rooms if you prefer. 

- The risks involved with either procedure are minimal, but surgical circumcision could arguably be riskier than a traditional  Bris, as more complications can arise from giving a baby an anaesthetic  than from a clean cut.  

- The Bris is a tradition that stretches back almost four thousand years. Through it we connect our child with all past generations of Jews, who gave their children a Bris under all circumstances. Your son will enter the covenant that started with the first Jew, Abraham, and continues to this very day. The spiritual power of a Bris cannot be matched by a clinical medical procedure. 

Think it through carefully. You don't want your son turning to you years from now and asking "Why didn't you give me a Bris with a Mohel? Now I have to go and do it properly!" On the other hand, if you do it the right way now, he will never turn to you and say, "Why didn't you circumcise me in hospital under anaesthetic? Now I have to go and do it medically!"

Give your son a Bris, and you give him four thousand years of Jewish identity that will stay with him forever. Don't leave it for him to fix later. This is one of those things you only want to do once. 

Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Moss


To subscribe  CLICK HERE or email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au     
 

High Res Icon for Rabbi's email
And now for the roof!
Shabbat Shalom to all,
Brent

 

 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ALL SERVICES AT NEFESH 
 
1 FRANCIS ST BONDI BEACH
 
(OFF CAMPBELL PDE, BEHIND NOAH'S BACKPACKERS)

 
SHABBOS SERVICE TIMES & COMMUNITY INFO: Re'eh
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday, 30 August 2019| 29 Av 5779
Candle Lighting.................................. 5:17pm
Shabbos Service ................................ 6:00-6:50pm
Kids Program .................................... 6:00pm
Kiddush sponsored by Shirley Sher, Rolene, Jeff, Sandy, Brian, Steven, Karen and all her grandchildren in honour of the yortzheit for their late husband and father Hilton Sher (Yona Ben Avraham) on 30 Av- Long Life.
 
Shabbos Day, 31 August 2019 | 30 Av 5779
Chassidic Meditation class...............9:00am
Shabbos Service......................... 10:00am-12:20pm
Kids Program ............................. 10:30am
Followed by Kiddush
 
Mincha after Kiddush............ Pirkei Avos Ch.6
No Shiurim or Maariv services this week

Shabbos ends............................... 6:13pm
 
WEEKDAY SERVICES
Sunday......................................... 8:00am
Latest Shema this week.................. 9:04am
 
MAZEL TOV
Daniel and Stephanie Nadel on the birth of a baby boy!
Steven & Martine Lockstone on the birth of a baby girl!
 
HAPPY JEWISH BIRTHDAY
Pia Ink.................... 3 Elul/ Tuesday 3 September
Joshua Waine .......... 3 Elul/ Tuesday 3 September
Lexie Berkovits ........ 4 Elul/ Wednesday 4 September
Danny Lessem.......... 6 Elul/ Friday 6 September
 
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
Reverend & Mrs Amzalak..... 1 Elul/ Sunday 1 Sept
Kerry & Sean Kramer......... 5 Elul/ Thursday 5 Sept
 
LONG LIFE
Shirley Sher, Rolene, Jeff, Brian & Steven in honour of the yortzheit for their late husband and father Hilton Sher,(Yona Ben Avraham) ... 30 Av/ Saturday 31 August

Michelle Brenner for her late mother Stella Brenner
Esther Chaya bas Dovid.... 2 Elul/ Monday 2 September

Linda Zilber for her late father Horst Illing,
Yitzchak ben Kalman... 4 Elul/ Wednesday 4 September

Larnce Gold for his late grandfather Bernie Lazarus
Berel ben Avraham... 5 Elul/ Thursday 5 September

David Stern for his late wife Linda Frances Stern
Leah bat Yosef... 6 Elul / Friday 6 September
 
If you would like Nefesh to include your Birthday, Anniversary or Yortzheit in our newsletter and send you an email reminder, just fill in this quick  ONLINE FORM.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sponsor a Kiddush 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRIDAY NIGHT 13 September :
 
SHABBOS DAY  7 September: 
Email office@nefesh.com.au with any questions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~