Rabbi's Message

Dear [first_name],

"See, I give before you this day blessing and curse. The blessing WHEN you will listen to G-d...and the curse, IF you will not listen..."

So begins this week's parasha.

What comforting words!

Doing right and experiencing the resultant blessings is not a matter of if, but when! No matter what our situation now, spiritually or materially, we are assured that ultimately it will all be good – we will do right, and we will be blessed.

What this means is that good and blessing are the very fabric of our nature. They are always there, just bursting to get out. And get out, they most certainly will!

In contrast, bad behaviour, and curses, are external to us. They may or may not eventuate – but even if they do, they never define who we truly are or what will eventually become of us.

As such, even if we suffer, let's not be discouraged. Never forget that as dark as the tunnel is, it will come to an end. Not so the infinite G-dly light which lies beyond it, which with just a little push on our part, will burst forth from within us.

How enormously empowering to know that we are are in essence good people and blessed people, and that the world is essentially a good and blessed place. All we need do is reveal the inner good and the inner blessing that is at the core of our existence and at the core of the world.

An important thought to keep in mind as we commence the month of Elul, a month of introspection and self-evaluation, in preparation for the High Holiday period. So often we associate introspection with searching out our faults, and discovering where we have fallen short. While there’s value in this, let’s also give equal weight to becoming more fully aware of who and what we really are: good and beautiful souls seeking ways to connect to G-d.

On behalf of the Rebbetzen and all of us at South Head, I extend you our very best wishes for a good and happy Shabbos and a fruitful and meaningful month of Elul, as we discover the great power and potential that resides within each and every one of us.

Rabbi Benzion Milecki OAM

P.S This past Monday night South Head and AIJAC (the Australia Israel Jewish Affairs Council) jointly hosted an evening with Simon Henderson, international expert on Saudi affairs. Well over 120 people attended the highly successful function, where Simon Henderson elaborated on the budding relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Special thanks to Dr Colin Rubenstein AM, Jeremy Jones AM, Helen Brustman OAM and all the crew at AIJAC for giving us the opportunity to host this prestigious speaker. And thanks to Shmuly Kleiner for so successfully co-cordinating the event.

President's Message

South Head will have the great pleasure of welcoming Julian Leeser as guest speaker at our Friday night Shabbos service on September 16th. Julian was recently elected as the Member of Parliament for the Federal seal of Berowra. He is the first Jewish member in the House of Representatives from the Liberal Party in New South Wales.

I have known Julian almost all of his life. His younger brother, Lindsay, and my older son, Adam, started school at Cranbrook together and have been best friends ever since. When other children when asked what they wanted to do when they grew up said that they wanted to be an astronaut or fireman or doctor, Julian always knew that he wanted to be Australia’s first Jewish prime minister. He is recognised as a person of great talent and potential: several months ago in his column in The Australian, Peter Reith cited Julian as someone who could go straight into a ministerial position. Read More

This weeks Friday night Kiddush has been kindly sponsored by Dale & Natalie Carr.

If you would like to sponsor a Kiddush in honour of a Simcha or a Yahrtzeit please contact Shmuly on 0401 558 223 or shmuly@southhead.org.

When challenged on Israel in the workplace, on campus, or amongst your non-Jewish associates do YOU know how to respond?

To help YOU develop the tools for these difficult conversations Dr. Ron Weiser will present a 3 part series; Israel - Questions, Dilemmas & What We Need To Know.

Click here to book or contact Shmuly on 0401 558 233.

"My third and final audience with the Rebbe took place when I had completed my studies and was about to return to Israel. I had handed him a note on which I jotted down a request for his blessings of success in my continued studies. He responded, “May G-d grant the wishes of your heart, both for the things which you included in your note and for the things which you failed to include in your note.” Read More

Q. This Shabbat is Rosh Chodesh Elul. Elul is the month immediately proceeding the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. The month of Elul is compared to a businessman who periodically takes inventory, balances his accounts and determines where he stands financially. How is this so?

​A. The month of Elul is a month of introspection, stock taking and spiritual accounting. Just as the businessman is required to perform regular periodic accounting procedures to keep the business on the right track, we too need to follow similar procedures in our service of G-d, which is our ‘business’. During the 'business year' we ‘deal’ in Torah and Mitzvot, and in the month of Elul we do our general accounting. Read More