Weekly Email by Rabbi Moss

Aren't I Jewish Enough Already?

Sunday, December 27, 2020 - 8:15 PM

Question of the Week:

I have to admit, I am angry. I was brought up Jewish, attended a Jewish school, and have only known Judaism as my religion. Now I am told I have to convert, because my mother never formally became Jewish. Isn't it a little unfair that all my life I was more Jewish than my friends, was subjected to anti-Semitism, and then I am told I need to convert?

Answer:

I completely understand your frustration. It can't be easy to hear that you need to convert to your own religion. But please don't take it personally. This is not a reflection on you. The entire Jewish nation went through exactly what you are going through now.

After leaving Egypt, where they suffered as slaves and were tormented for being Jewish, the Is… Read More »

How To Heal A Broken Heart

Sunday, December 20, 2020 - 6:40 PM

Question of the Week

This has been my worst Chanukah ever. My relationship has ended and I am alone again. I really trusted this time, and I was let down. I don't think I can go through this any more. How many times can a heart be broken before you just say enough!?

Answer:

I'm so sorry to hear that you are going through this pain. Just don't give up now. It's Chanukah. And the story of Chanukah is a beginner's manual on surviving heartbreak.

I'm sure you are familiar with the tale. The Syrian-Greeks, who had conquered Israel and contaminated the Temple, had just been defeated by the Jewish rebels called the Maccabees. The victorious Jews went about rededicating the Temple, but could not find any pure olive oil with wh… Read More »

My Head is Spinning

Sunday, December 13, 2020 - 9:09 PM

Question of the Week:

We are having a cultural day at work where people share their religious customs. I have three minutes to talk about Chanukah and wanted to talk about the dreidel (someone else is speaking about the Menorah). Is there a deeper meaning to spinning the dreidel on Chanukah that I could easily present?

Answer:

Take a dreidel and spin it. Let everyone watch. It's fascinating. You never know which side it will land on. It could fall on the Gimmel, which means you win all, or the Shin, which means you lose all. It may land on Heh, and you win half the pot. And sometimes it ends up on Nun, and nothing happens.

It all seems totally random. But really it isn't. Every spin has an e… Read More »

Is Someone Controlling Your Mind?

Sunday, December 6, 2020 - 7:48 PM

Question of the Week

I have been studying the Book of Tanya and find it fascinating. But I am stuck on one idea expressed there. Tanya says that we can control our behaviour, which includes our thoughts, speech and action. I don't agree. We can usually control what we do, and also what we say. But can we control what we think? I can't help what pops into my head!
(just resending this question I wrote to you two weeks ago. I didn't hear back so maybe you didn't receive it the first time?)

Answer:

Apologies for not responding sooner to your message. I actually did receive it the first time. But I ignored it. I didn't even open it. And it was deliberate.

I decide which messages I open, and which I don't. Just because an… Read More »