Question of the week:
In the Purim story, Mordechai the Jew refuses to bow down to the wicked Haman. As a result, Haman enacts a decree to annihilate the entire Jewish nation. Did Mordechai do the right thing? Technically, bowing to a dignitary is not forbidden by Judaism. So even if Haman thought he was god, shouldn't Mordechai have bowed down to him rather than risk the lives of the entire Jewish people?
Answer:
In my youth I attended a non-Jewish school. Jews made up about ten percent of the student body, and we felt quite comfortable there. But sometimes we stood out.
It wasn't a particularly religious school, but on occasion they did hold prayer services, in a big hall with a huge cross at the front. At a certain point during the service, everyone was told to kneel and bow before the cross. So everyone did.
But I didn't. I don't know why, but as everyone else went down on their knees, I just sat there. I was a little nervous that I would be caught not kneeling. But then I realized that anyone who saw me not kneeling was themselves not kneeling, so I was safe.
Here's the funny thing. Looking around I saw I was not alone. Scattered around the hall were others who did not bow. In fact, about ten percent of the room were sitting upright. None of the Jewish kids would bow down. It was quite a sight - a sea of bowed heads, with a few Jewish heads sticking out like protruding icebergs. Or maybe Goldbergs.
On reflection, this is astonishing. Where did we get this defiance from? We were all from irreligious homes and were for the most part completely uneducated in Judaism. No one ever told us not to bow down. In fact, for some of those boys, this non-bowing may have been the only public statement of being Jewish they ever made. So what inspired us to be different?
I believe we got it from Mordechai, the Jew who refused to bow down. Somehow his story of defiance has permeated the Jewish psyche, to the point that even two and a half thousand years later, Jews know in the depth of their soul that we don't bow down to anyone but G-d.
When Mordechai stood up to Haman, he wasn't putting the Jewish people at risk. On the contrary, he was saving countless Jews in all future generations who will be inspired by his singular act of bravery, refusing to bow to the forces that try to compromise our identity.
Our enemies will hate us for not bowing to them, and they will hate us even more if we do bow to them. But when we stand tall and proud, unabashedly stating our Jewishness, then like Mordechai, we will see the downfall of evil and the triumph of the good.
Good Shabbos and Happy Purim!
Rabbi Moss
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MEANINGFUL MOTHERHOOD
Mother as teacher - stages of development and when to teach what
Mondays 10am at Nefesh with Nechama Dina Moss and Shterny Dadon
SERVICES AT NEFESH
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SHABBOS SERVICES
Earliest Candle Lighting 6:15 pm
Candle Lighting 7:17 pm
Mincha 6:15pm
Friday night Shabbos Service 6:30-7:15pm followed by Kiddush by Nissim Chai Ben Yaakov in honour of the yahrtzeit of Jullet Bat Rachel A'H.
Shabbos Day, 28 February 2015 | 9 Adar 5775
Parshas Tetzaveh
The Chassidic Parshah Class 9:00am
Shabbos Service 10:00 am-12:15pm TORAH READING PARSHAS ZOCHOR - MITZVAH FOR EVERYONE TO HEAR starts 11am
Followed by Kiddush in honour of the wedding and aufruf of Doron Milner and Lia Garfagnini - Mazal Tov!
Mincha 7:15pm followed by Seuda Shlishis and words of Torah by Larnce Gold
WEEKDAY SERVICES
Shacharis
Sunday 8:00 am
Monday-Friday 7:00 am
PURIM TIMES
Wednesday (Fast of Esther) - 4th March
Fast Begins 5:29am
Fast Ends 7:54pm
6:30 - 7:30pm Children's Party (see flyer)
Maariv and Megilla - 7:30pm
Thursday (Purim) - 5th March
Shacharis and Megilla 6:45am
Second Megilla reading 10:00am
8pm till late - Farbrengen at Mosses home - all welcome
Latest Shema this week 9:54am
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO
Craig Deubler for 8 Adar/ 27 Feb
Yasmin Dabscheck 8 Adar/ 27 Feb
Lee-Anne Whitten 9 Adar/ 28 Feb
Elana Castle 10 Adar/ 1 March
Daniel Lowinger 11 Adar/ 2 March
Vicki Lever 12 Adar/ 3 March
Lisa Peles 12 Adar/ 3 March
Keshet Kessel 14 Adar/ 5 March
LONG LIFE TO THE FOLLOWING WHO HAVE YOHRZEITS THIS WEEK
Rev Amzalak for his brother Chaim ben R Yitzchak a"h on 9 Adar
Rosie Stern for her late father Elias Friedman on 10 Adar/ 22 Feb
Leslie Tanchum for his late mother Esther Tanchum (Esther bat Hirsch Hillel) on 10 Adar/ 22 Feb
Les Regos for his mother Mariska Regos (Miriam) on 13 Adar/ 4 March
Donald Levy for his father Noel David Levy (Daniel ben David) on 13 Adar/ 4 March
