Dear [first_name],

It was with great sadness that I inform our community of the tragic and untimely death of one of our congregants, Michael Emanuel in a car accident in the United States. Michael had been living and working in San Diego with his wife Ingrid and children Jonah 7 and Carmen 2. Our deepest condolences to them, to Michael’s parents Robert and Mary, to his sister and brother-in-law Rebecca and Neil Reicher and their children and to Ingrid’s parents, Steven and Megan Tierney. Michael was a devoted member of South Head Synagogue and together with his sister Rebecca one of the very first youth leaders at our shule back in the 1990’s. Michael’s loss and the family’s pain is shared by many, many in our community and in the San Diego community. We wish them G-d’s strength at this impossibly difficult time. Michael’s funeral will be in Sydney next week at a time to be announced.

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Rabbi Sebban Makes Aliya!
Rabbi Dovid Sebban has been my Assistant Rabbi for well over a decade in a role that he has served with total devotion and loyalty. Always happy and smiling, he is loved by many in our community. Rabbi and Rutti Sebban have decided to make Aliya and will be leaving for Israel on December 15th. Rabbi Sebban was the ultimate “can do” man, always ready and willing to assist at even a moment’s notice and for me personally his departure will be a great loss. Please join us on Friday Evening, December 9th, for a Kiddush after the Shul service as we express our thanks and farewell Rabbi Sebban and his family.

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Last Shabbos South Head held it’s first Project Linda Shabbos Mevorchim Luncheon. The entire community was invited to partake in three delicious catered courses and enjoy the spirit of Shabbos together while Kevin delivered a thoughtful talk on the significance of Sarah’s age. A special thank you to Kevin and Bev Bermeister for initiating this project in honour of Kevin’s mother, Linda, Leah bas Dov Ber, ע׳ה. The next Shabbos Mevorchim lunch will be on the 24th of December - Special Guest Speaker to be announce. We hope to see the entire community there.

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On Sunday, South Head hosted the annual Friendship Circle toy drive where community members volunteered to wrap presents for special needs children. The presents where then delivered to the children at their schools as end of year Chanukah gifts.

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What's Pulling Your Needle 
In this week's parasha we read something really quite shocking: Isaac has become old (senile?), his eyes have become dim (perhaps with cataract?), and as a result he wishes to bless his older son Esau - a man whose values are far removed from those of his father Isaac and grandfather Abraham.

The obvious implication is that because Isaac has become old, senile and blind, he really doesn't know what he is doing. But hold on! Firstly, we are not talking about just any "old geyser" - this is our holy forefather Isaac! Secondly, what value could there be in the blessing of someone who is so past it that he doesn't know what he's doing?

Rashi therefore explains that he became blind because of the incense that his daughters-in-law burnt to honour their idols. This is no ordinary blindness, says Rashi. This is a spiritual malaise brought about his proximity to idol-worshippers.

Rashi is telling us that in spite of Isaac's greatness - he was affected by his environment. When you live in a spiritually negative environment, no matter how holy you are, it is impossible for your judgement to remain unaffected. That is why he wished to invoke blessings on Esau instead of on the more spiritually deserving Jacob.

Indeed, Ramban says the same thing when discussing Abraham's spiritual decline upon approaching Egypt.

If even these spiritual giants are so affected - what can we possibly say? We may not always be able to extricate ourselves from a spiritually negative environment - but we should at least be cognisant of its effects on our thinking. If we begin seeing things differently it may not be because we have "matured" or "grown". It may simply be the effects of our environment subtly pulling the needle of our moral compass.

On behalf of the Rebbetzin and all of us at South Head, wishing you a peaceful, happy & inspiring Shabbos.

Rabbi Benzion Milecki OAM

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President's Message
Rabbi Dovid Sebban

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Rabbi Dovid Sebban was born in Lyon France in 1967. His parents, Esther and George, are Sephardic Jews from Algeria (Esther was born there, George was born in France but his parents came from Algeria). Together with his older brother (now an eye surgeon in Sydney) and older sister (now an optometrist in Brisbane), the family moved to Israel in 1970, living mainly in Beer-Sheva. Life was tough and in 1974 the family moved to Brisbane. George had lots of different types of work over the years; after coming to Brisbane he worked mainly as an air-conditioning and refrigeration mechanic for Queensland government bodies.

The Sebban family was a traditional and religious one. Brisbane has a small Jewish community and Dovid and his siblings went to public schools. When he was about 15 years old be became active in Betar and decided to start wearing a yarmulke all the time; this public identification as a Jew made it important for him to know more about being Jewish and explaining things to others. After graduating high school he went to Israel for a gap year, spending a few months at a machon camp (for aspiring Jewish leaders) and more time studying at a Sephardic yeshiva. After returning to Brisbane and studying electrical engineering at university, he decided to change course, moving to Sydney to study at the Yeshiva Gedolah and then go to Crown Heights in 1990-1991, where he received smicha. Read More

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Kiddush Sponsor
Sher Family

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This weeks Friday night Kiddush has been kindly sponsored by Steven and Shelley Sher in celebration of Dean turning Bar Mitzvah and having his first Aliyah in shul this week - Mazel Tov!

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

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JLI
How Success Thinks

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This focus of this weeks JLI course was Finding Your Signature Strength and building success around it. Next week the Success series continue on Monday night at 7:45pm and Tuesday Morning at 7:45am.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Youth News
Register for Camp Shalom!

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While we are very busy with Camp Shalom and Chanukah preparations, we can't forget about all the children in our community that are celebrating their hebrew birthdays! We would like to take this opportunity to wish Kayla Carr and Ariella & Leora Badler Mazal Tov and a very Happy Hebrew Birthday. It was great fun celebrating your birthday's together with you!
If you would like for us to visit your child on their jewish birthday please call us on 0434-811-770

Don’t forget to sign up for Camp Shalom Summer Day Camp, with just over 2 weeks to go and limited spots available. to register visit us @ www.southhead.org/campshalom

 

Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos!
Elimelech & Shimi

 

 

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"She Can See You"
Rabbi Mordechai Sufrin

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Living in London, I was not able to see the Rebbe in person as often as I would have liked, but I continued to write to him on a regular basis. The Rebbe always answered. And sometimes he wrote even when I had not written to him. I remember one letter that came from the Rebbe’s secretary which read, “The Rebbe hasn’t heard from you for a long time and hopes that all is well.” Can you imagine how many people wrote to him, and yet he kept every single individual in mind. He paid attention to everyone and everything. Read More

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Parasha Sheet
Parashat Toldot

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Q. The Parasha begins with the words, ‘And these are the generations of Yitzchak the son of Avraham; Avraham was the father to Yitzchak’. Why the repetition in the opening of verse of this week’s Torah portion? Since Yitzchak was the son of Avraham, it follows that Avraham was his father. What moral could there be implied by this repetition in the Torah? Read More

 

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