Dear Friends,
Here's your weekly reminder of what we're doing here on the Gold Coast to celebrate this week:
- Friday evening at the Southport Community Centre, Room F5, at 6.30PM. Service to welcome Shabbat, followed by an Oneg featuring everybody's culinary offerings. $15 per person requested donation and bring a dish to share.
- Saturday at the Levy home. 11.00AM Service followed by lunch provided. Then, after lunch a bit of Pirkei Avot. $15 per person requested donation.
- Sunday at the Levy home. TIsha B'Av - the Fast of the Ninth of Av. The fast will take place from sunset on Saturday, 25 July through sunset on Sunday, 26 July. Fasting or not, we invite you to come to the Levy home on Sunday afternoon at 3.00PM for study, special prayers, and breaking the fast. A light evening meal of soup, salad and bread will be provided. We're asking a $15 donation as with most of our services. Please let us know if you're coming! (This special gathering on Sunday will be in addition to the regular Shabbat gatherings Friday and Saturday.)
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Thank you so much for those who have agreed to sponsor the shipping for siddurs. Over half of them have now been sponsored. Who else will step forward? The cost is AUD $18 per book. If you want to have a book of your own, we're asking $50. This siddur is Mishkan T'filah for Weekdays and Festivals. As an example of their usefulness, we will use them for our afternoon/evening prayers on Sunday.
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We haven't yet set a new date for the Yard Sale, but we're still willing to take your second-hand treasures that are taking up your space, off your hands. Let me know if you have anything for us to pick up, or just bring it when you attend.
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Please see the attached letter from Gordon Graham, Chairman of Jewish Journeys. It's about membership in Jewish Journeys, an option we're making available at this time. If you have any questions at all about it or cannot read the attachment, feel free to contact me personally. (Note...letter's text will be posted here in a separate post.)
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We're now in a series of weekly thoughts in the area of Shemirat Lashon, literally 'Guarding the Tongue' but referring to the vast body of Jewish law concerning forbidden communications via speech or writing of any kind.
Almost every day, somebody in the Jewish community - including our little circle and the larger community - says something to convince me that this is THE problem in the Jewish community today. It is a Hillul Hashem - a desecration of G-d's Name - and makes a mockery of all our claims of the mantle of Torah. The essence of the laws is that we are forbidden to convey any adverse information about someone else except in very limited, rare circumstances.
I'm bringing to you the teachings of the Chofetz Chaim, Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan (1839-1933), who published extensively on the subject and indeed is considered the all-time master teacher on what the Torah has to say about the laws of permitted and forbidden speech.
Rabbi Kagan teaches: It is forbidden to relate derogatory information about someone even when the subject has made it known that he doesn't mind such things being said of him.
Now why would someone actually let people know that he doesn't mind people talking derogatorily of him? Perhaps he is truly sorry about this behavior, has turned away from it, and wants others to benefit from his experience. An example that immediately comes to mind, is if someone has been addicted to drugs, turned his life around only after hitting bottom, and wants to serve as an example for others to avoid drug addition. This is a noble sentiment; when someone is willing and even eager to tell his story of downfall and rebound, it makes us want to discuss it. After all, that's the subject's express wish.
Here's the problem. Even one who has serioously erred and wants to serve as a negative example to others, is still made betzelem Elokim - in the Image of G-d. He may go public with his former failing for a good purpose, but he is still an exalted creature by nature. Even though repeating the derogatory information about him is as he wishes, he cannot really make the choice of defaming G-d by extension, which will be the unintended consequence of people talking about him in this manner. So, even when such a person has given express permission to speak of his negative acts, we must speak of him only in the positive. Not "Ploni was a drug addict two years ago," but "Ploni has worked hard and succeeded in living cleanly in the past two years." Not "Ploni turned his life around after his being jailed for embezzlement," but "Ploni has, in past two years, championed a number of causes that made our city a better place." I think you get the idea.
I hope that everybody is having a great week and look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on Shabbat!
Rabbi Don
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