Nobel Prize Anyone?

Dear [first_name],

For many, the issue of Torah and Science is one of confrontation. You either subscribe to the traditionalism (some would call it, superstition) of the past, or you are open to the vast vistas of a scientific future. There is no way of truly synthesising the two.

Unfortunately, even among religious Jews there is often a dissonance between their professional lives as scientists and their religious lives as loyal Jews.

I addressed this issue at relative length this past Friday night and Shabbat morning. Here I want to briefly emphasise the following:

True Science and True Religion are not only not at odds with each other, they compliment each other beautifully. It is not at all coincidental that this year alone no fewer than six Jewish scientists one the Nobel Prize, two in Medicine, three in Chemistry and one in Physics. They come from a tradition which holds science in the highest esteem. The Talmud says that our knowledge of astronomy glorifies us among the nations. Many of our greatest rabbis were also physicians, mathematicians, astronomers, logicians and general scientists. Some of the more well-known among them are Maimonides, Nachmanides and Gershonides.

On Shabbos I quoted the famous physicist and Nobel Laurette, Werner Heisenberg - after whom the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle is named - as saying:

"The first gulp from the glass of natural sciences will make you an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass God awaits you!"

Let me share with you another of his other observations:

"In the history of science, ever since the famous trial of Galileo, it has repeatedly been claimed that scientific truth cannot be reconciled with the religious interpretation of the world. Although I am now convinced that scientific truth is unassailable in its own field, I have never found it possible to dismiss the content of religious thinking as simply part of an outmoded phase in the consciousness of mankind, a part we shall have to give up from now on. Thus in the course of my life I have repeatedly been compelled to ponder on the relationship of these two regions of thought, for I have never been able to doubt the reality of that to which they point."

And as to the importance of Religion, this is what Heisenberg has to say:

"Where no guiding ideals are left to point the way, the scale of values disappears and with it the meaning of our deeds and sufferings, and at the end can lie only negation and despair. Religion is therefore the foundation of ethics, and ethics the presupposition of life."

This last statement of Heisenberg's is a very powerful introduction to our new course on Medical Ethics which you can read more about in the next section of eNews.

The surgery was necessary to separate conjoined twins; however, only one of the twins could survive. Which twin should be saved? Should Dr. Koop decide? Should it be a team decision?

Dr. Koop said, “The ethics and morals involved in this decision are too complex for me. I believe they are too complex for you as well. Therefore, I referred it to a rabbi on the Lower East Side of New York [Rabbi M. Feinstein, obm]. He is a great scholar, a saintly individual. He knows how to answer such questions. When he tells me, I too will know.”

As Jews, we believe in the value of life, and we go to great lengths to improve the quality of life for all living beings. However, in the process of tending to our health and to the medical needs of others, we sometimes encounter scenarios so ethically complex that we could use a little extra wisdom.

That is why I’d like to invite you to participate in a fascinating new course on Jewish medical ethics called Life in the Balance: Jewish Perspectives on Everyday Ethical Dilemmas. It will begin on Monday evening Oct-28th and Wednesday morning Oct-30th

Life in the Balance addresses questions of critical importance, such as how to decide what to write in your living will or DNR directive, and whether to undergo genetic testing to determine your risk for diseases that could be avoided by taking preventive measures.

We’ll get into hot-button debates about fetal reduction—like whether we have the right to forfeit the life of one to save many—and about whether we should legalize the sale of organs to save the lives of those who might otherwise die on a waiting list.

The course will tackle the ethical considerations that surround some of the most astounding medical breakthroughs in recent history, such as uterine transplants that now allow women without a womb to become pregnant, and new imaging techniques for performing non-invasive autopsies, enabling us to preserve the dignity of the body in death.

Every day, men and women around the world face many of the challenges addressed in this course without having the advantage of exposure to the insights and wisdom that it offers. This is why we are so fortunate to be able to present this rare opportunity.

I believe you will gain a lot from Life in the Balance and I am so excited to take this journey together with you.

I expect Life in the Balance to be one of our most popular courses. Please call Helen on 9371 7300 ext 4 or email  secretary@southhead.org as soon as possible to reserve your place. 

On behalf of the Rebbetzin and all of us at South Head I wish you a Good & Peaceful Shabbos.

Rabbi Benzion Milecki OAM

through our history.

---

Trust in Me
Mrs Golda Jacobs

---

Read here of how the Rebbe gently steered a precocious young teen to aduthood - while making her feel good about herself and her decision.

---

Brookie Reports

---

We are very excited to bring some fantastic new programs to South Head Youth.

The Battle Between Faith and Logic is the latest JLI Course for Teens and young adults. (Full details below)

We have Weekly Kollel for boys 12+ every Thursday evening  as well as Father & Son Learning on Sunday mornings both starting very soon - stayed tuned! Contact Yacov for details 0412-482-770 or Yisroel 0412-542-770
 

Mummy and Me returns for Term 4 on Oct-17th with play, dance, socialising, arts and crafts and a whole lot more (see below)

We all look forward to seeing you in Shule and wish you Shabbat Shalom!

Brookie and the Youth Crew

---

t) Contact Yisroel Kievman for information and bookings: 0421-542-770 or email youth@southhead.org

---

For information & bookings contact Brookie: 0404-055-346 or email youth@southhead.org or visit our homepage

---

Parasha Sheet
Lech Lecha

---

Welcome to this week's Parasha Sheet - Lech Lecha. 

Q. In Jewish tradition who has the naming right, the father or the mother? In this week's Parasha we read that Avram named his son Ishmael. Later on in the Torah however, we find that Rachel and Leah named all of the twelve tribes, except for Binyamin. So who has the naming rights?

A. Kabblah explains that the name given to a child at birth is very important as one's life-force and the blessings one receives are channeled through one's Hebrew name. Therefore when a child is born, the parents experience a minor prophecy and Hashem puts into the mouth of the parents a name that is essential for that particular soul. This name becomes the Jewish identity of the child. It is what connects the child to his/her Neshama and to the entire Jewish nation.  The sages tell us that Hashem endowed our foremothers with a greater measure of prophetic vision than their husbands. This is why Leah and Rachel were the ones to name their children.

Today the custom that is most commonly followed is that the father has the naming rights to the first child; the mother chooses the name of the second child, after which they alternate. 

To learn all about the Parasha, download our Parasha sheet!

---