Sydney: Rain and Flood Chaos

The rain is coming down like I've never seen before....

 

 Story at: News.com

Sydney's Sun Halo

The effect, known as the 22-degree halo, occurs when the sun's rays pass through a particular type of ice crystal in the upper atmosphere.

Read more: SMH

Eastern Australia: Towns Evacuated

Many towns either under water or under threat.

Residents of four towns have been evacuated as floodwaters covering an area the size of France sweep across NSW.



The Warragamba Dam in western Sydney, the catchment that provides Sydney's drinking water, is quickly nearing capacity and expected to overflow.

House Swap: Israel / Sydney

A Sydney family is looking for a house swap Israel / Sydney anytime between June 3rd and third week June. Preferable around Ranana or Tel Aviv area but open to options. House is 'kosher' but probably not acceptable for ultra-orthodox..... speak to owner for more information. Close to shule, shops, beaches, parks, transport. If you know anyone who wants a Sydney holiday please forward this post to them. To contact advertiser please email me [devorahjane at gmail dot com] and I will forward on.

Spectacular Storm

What a storm.... absolutely fantastic !

Wild storms swept through the central west and Sydney last night, dumping rain and providing a spectacular light and thunder show.

More at: Wild Storms hit Sydney

Rain causes Sydney chaos

Expect to be drenched.

Read more: Sydney Morning Herald

Finally some blue sky....

Sydney celebrates its first sunny day - so far - this summer. Rain expected to return tomorrow.

Bondi Beach

Erev Sukkot: Sunshine.....

....but rain predicted for the rest of the week.... as soon as Sukkot begins, the rains come too.

The view from Vaucluse, Sydney

"During these seven days you must live in Succahs. This is so that future generations will know that I (G●d) had the Israelites live in Succahs when I brought them out of Egypt." [Leviticus 23:42-43]

One year, in the holy community of Kitov, it poured with rained on the first night of Succos. Rabbi Chaim, a great Torah scholar and opponent to the fledgling Chassidic movement ("the Sect"), was slightly aggravated that he would not be unable to enjoy the first night in the Succah.

While waiting in his house for the rain to abate, R. Chaim saw one of his acquaintances casually walking down the street as if he had already finished his Yom Tov meal in the Succah. When Rabbi Chaim inquired as to where he was going, the man told him that he was returning from having dinner in the Succah of Rabbi Gershon Kitover.   "And Rabbi Chaim," he continued, "there was a miracle there because not a single drop of rain was falling through the schach."

Rabbi Chaim asked his son to go to Rabbi Gershon's Succah and see if it really wasn't raining there. When his son came to the Rabbi Gershon's Succah, he looked in and sure enough, everyone was sitting, talking and eating. There was not a single drop of rain coming through the schach into the Succah. Rabbi Gershon invited Rabbi Chaim's son to join them but he refused, explaining that he had to return to have Yom Tov dinner with his father.

When the son returned, he told his father, R. Chaim, that it was true. "Father, Rabbi Gershon was sitting in his Succah, and I saw with my own eyes that there was not even a single drop of rain coming into the Succah."

Rabbi Chaim rolled his eyes. Of course he believed his son's report but he wasn't that impressed. The rain finally relented and Rabbi Chaim and his son went into their own wet Succah for Kiddush and the Yom Tov meal. Naturally, they discussed the miracle of Rabbi Gershon's dry Succah and other miracles that the so called Tzaddikim of the Sect were able to do. Rabbi Chaim said, "In my opinion, creating such miracles, as obviously done by our friend Rabbi Gershon, is against the spirit of the Torah."

Early the next morning, Rabbi Chaim and Rabbi Gershon met on their way to the mikveh, in preparation for fulfilling the mitzvah of the lulav and esrog.

"Rabbi," said Rabbi Gershon to Rabbi Chaim, "I understand that you were sitting in your Succah last night and speaking loshon hara about me."

Rabbi Chaim answered with astonishment, "How did you find out about what I said in my Succah? I was sitting there completely alone with my son. And I'm sure he didn't tell you what I said. The only logical answer is that a Heavenly angel told you. But that seems impossible because an angel does not have the authority to speak loshon hara."

Rabbi Gershon answered, "Our Sages teach us that 'Whoever fulfills one mitzvah acquires one angel to speak up in his defense, and whoever does one transgression acquires one prosecuting angel to speak against him.' So it was that prosecuting angel who you created last night by your loshon hara about me who came and told me what you said."

And so it was.

Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane (Howard M. Cohn, Patent Attorney) from a story found in TREASURY OF CHASSIDIC TALES ON THE FESTIVALS by Rabbi S.Y. Zevin

Sydney Storm Chasers: Prepare

Just in time for Sukkot....

Sydney's storm season is about to strike, with a ferocious four months of intense lightning activity predicted.

During Sydney's lightning season peak last year, about 7500 strikes were recorded in November and December.

"The season starts in October and goes through to February........." [love it!]

Show of nature ... lightning strikes over the Tacking Point lighthouse at Port Macquarie / Pic: Nathan Edwards Source: The Daily Telegraph

Read more: The Season Storm Nuts Chase Bolts of Lightning

Blue skies, blue seas....

.... a perfect day to sit and watch the waves rolling in

Bondi Beach, Sydney

Click to enlarge

Reporting Abuse

Do not go to your local rabbi, go to the appropriate authorities. Your local rabbi may or may not be sympathetic, as shown by the attitude of  Sydney Rabbi Yosef Feldman who, after immense pressure from other rabbis, has now stood down from his position as President of the Rabbinical Council.

Based on the recent discussions by Rabbinic organizations in the US and Canada regarding reporting child abuse, and the recent standing down of a rabbi in Sydney ...... this article is reprinted from Rav Aviner.com

One's Duty to Immediately Report Child Abuse, at all Costs

When children are battered, whether sexually or "just" physically, anyone who knows about it has to report it to the authorities. The child, after all, is helpless and has no defenses. According to Jewish law, the primary loyalty of anyone who knows what is happening must be to the battered child, and this duty is absolute. Allow me to add that from a legal standpoint, if the person who knows about it is a professional in an associated field, for example a social worker or psychologist, and he does not report it, he is liable to go to prison for half a year.

Cruelly hitting children is alien to the world of Jewish law. Our halachic authorities viewed the matter so gravely that Ha-Rav Ha-Gaon Yosef Shalom Elyashiv ruled that outside of Israel in the case of a battered child, one must assist the authorities to remove him from his home – even if the child will be moved to a non-Jewish family. The reason is that such treatment could threaten the child's life (see Shut Tzitz Eliezer 19:52 who discusses abused children in Israel and considers the abuser a "Rodef – pursuer" who must be stopped).

The desire not to report it in order to spare the perpetrator may derive from sincere motives, but one must first take pity on the helpless child. His fate comes before all else. In the Crisis Center for Religious Women, it is reported that there are more children who suffer from beatings and sexual abuse among the religious public than among the secular public. This is not because the religious are more violent, but because more often the religious public avoids reporting such incidents, and they make reports only when the matter goes to extremes. Until then, the battered child suffers terrible harm.

It is important to note that there is only one situation in which one is exempt from reporting. If the perpetrator is aware of his problem, is willing to go for appropriate treatment, steadfastly shows up for treatment sessions, and the responsible authorities supervise this process, then the perpetrator is doing what he would be ordered to do anyway. In all other instances, without exception, there is an obligation to report abuse, and quickly. The child's fate depends on us.

I recall a story in which I was personally involved. Someone saw his neighbor kick his small daughter in the head when she was lying on the floor. The man hesitated about whether or not to report what had occurred, when it was clear that he would pay for his deed with a fight with the neighbor. I ruled that he was obligated to report it, and immediately. During the talk it became clear to me that the person asking the question was a social worker. I had trouble believing this and I asked him, "How can it be that you, as a social worker, would ask me such a question?"

He did report what he had seen, and as he feared, he got into a fight with his neighbor, as well as with much of the neighborhood in which he lived, since the violent father incited them against him. I heard about that and I talked to him. I told him, "It will all be worth it. Think about the fact that you saved a Jewish life."

Blown Away

Sydney: Cyclonic winds and rain - for a week.
Read more at: Sydney Morning Herald

Wild Winds batter Sydney

Ferocious windstorms have left a trail of battered homes, trains and blackouts across the Blue Mountains near Sydney.

Severe weather and damaging winds have battered Sydney and surrounding areas.

Felled trees wreaked havoc - blocking roads and rail lines, damaging homes and trains and temporarily cutting water supply.

Read more: Snow on the way and a bedroom in ruins

The View from Above

Yesterday was pretty chaotic for me, but I did have a couple of hours of sanity where I sat on someone else's roof deck, and took these photos.

Looking down towards Bondi Beach

Planets Align Sydney [photo]





Sydney: Friday 13 March 6:00am

Photos: Trev and Steve

Summer!

Bondi Beach

Oprah at the Sydney Opera House

For all the Oprah fans, here she is, at her first Sydney Opera House gig today.

"This experience for me has been really of divine order. It has been heaven sent.
"More power and love to you Australia," she said to the crowd, who gave her a standing ovation.
And she thanked Australians for teaching her to "work to live, not live to work".

Full article click here: Oprah in Sydney

Oprah is in the House !

It may not mean much to most of you, but Oprah Winfrey's visit to Australia this week has mesmerized Australians.  She's climbed to the top of the Harbour bridge, had lunch at Bondi Beach, dropped in to a couple of surprised locals for dinner (un-announced), spent a night at Uluru.... thrown a party for 450 private guests at a harbourside location, and is generally having the "best time of my life!"

Tomorrow she will be recording her shows at the Opera House (re-named the Oprah House for her visit), to be shown in the US next year. 

It's official: Sydney loves Oprah, and Oprah loves Sydney.  Even the weather changed for her visit: after days of rain, we now have blue skies and sunshine. 

Sydney Harbour Bridge lit up with a Pink O and fireworks



Sydney Harbour: The view

To read more to go: http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/television/oprah-winfrey-climbs-sydney-harbour-bridge/story-e6frfmyi-1225969667959

Under the Jacaranda Tree

Springtime in Sydney

Feldman's Firey Friday Night

by Henry Benjamin 

A planned Shabbat dinner for twenty ended with unexpected guests for Rabbi Pinchus Feldman and his family…members of Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs Fire Brigades.

The remains of the kitchen

As the family was preparing to welcome special guests from London, a smell of smoke pervaded their Penkivil St home in Bondi…followed by billowing black smoke as an an inferno engulfed their special Pesach kitchen.

When the fire was put out, Rabbi Feldman was amazed to discover that in the charred remains of the special kitchen, the haggadas and siddurs on the bookshelved had escaped unscathed.

Rabbi Feldman told J-Wire: “It seems my granddaughter had wandered into the kitchen and had played with knobs setting the stove alight. It was covered in polythene and paper as the kitchen is in use only at Pesach. The family was in a state of panic for a few miunutes as Rosie could not be found but we found her unharmed in another part of the house. I cannot explain why the Haggadat were not damaged…I will have to leave that to others. We were waiting for our special guests Rabbi Rappaport and his family from London. They are in Australia is here for their son’s wedding in Melbourne this week. We smelled smoke and thought it might have been the food burning but suddenly there was this huge billowing cloud of black smoke. My daughter Chana closed the door to the back of the house. The fire brigade told us that her actions delayed the fire spreading by about five minutes…just enough time for them to get it under control. Otherwise, it would have engulfed the whole house. If the brigade had taken ten minutes longer, the house would have been gone.”

It will be some time before Rabbi Feldman and his family can move back into their home. Rabbi Feldman said: “The only serious damage was in that room but the rest of house had heavy smoke penetration. But it is just amazing that in that room everything was destroyed…except the Haggadahs and the siddurim…simply amazing.”

Rabbi Feldman with the Haggadahs

The Rappaports had their Shabbat dinner with their host, the Central Synagogue’s Rabbi Levi Wolff while the Feldmans relocated to family homes nearby. No-one was injured in the blaze.

In the meantime, they expect to have their kitchen replaced and functional in time for Pesach… but the Haggadahs are ready for action.