Mazal Tov to Shmuel and Miri Loebenstein and families on the birth of a baby boy!

JBD – Jews of the Melbourne CBD is now on LinkedIn. Follow us here.

Shabbat starts on Friday at 4:49pm and ends on Saturday at 5:51pm. The weekly Torah portion is Bamidbar. 

Shavuot starts on Tuesday night: candlelighting at 4:49pm, then Wednesday after 5:50pm; Yom Tov ends on Thursday at 5:51pm.

Mincha 1pm is in recess next week and will continue the following week at Ainsworth Property – GF/459 Collins Mon-Wed. Join the WhatsApp group where we take a count to confirm each day.

Weekly sushi & shiur will continue next Wed at about 1.10pm (after mincha) at A-P GF/459 Collins – and via zoom. Current topic: paying employees in a timely fashion. Details here and on the WhatsApp group.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Yudi New.

The Torah was given in the midbar – desert. Not by chance, Bamidbar is also the name of this week’s portion which is always read in the week before Shavuot and a word which can also mean speech. The key principle we read about is the commandment for Moses to count the Jewish nation.

Rav Shaul Alter weaves these concepts together to help us prepare for Shavuot and to actively internalise our receipt of Torah.

Deserts are arid and barren. The opposite of life and spirituality. By giving the Torah there, G-d is directing us to utilise our Torah speech to bring life and vitality to every place and situation we encounter, no matter how challenging.

This mission is not theoretical. Jeremiah beautifully prophesies of G-d fondly recalling the fledgling Jewish nation who, driven by their boundless love, loyally followed Him into the barren desert. Our role is to continue that tradition. 

Finally, in counting the people individually, Moses teaches that every Jew has an intrinsic value and their own individualised relationship with the Torah. Each one of must stand and be counted for ourselves but also the environment we find ourselves in 

Wishing everyone a Shabbat Shalom and a meaningful and happy receipt of the Torah. 

With thanks to Rabbi Efram Goldberg.