Mazal Tov to Levi & Dina Rosenbaum and family on the birth of a daughter!
JBD – Jews of the Melbourne CBD is now on LinkedIn. Follow us here.
Sukkot starts on Wednesday16th, light candles at 7:20pm. On Thursday night, light candles after 8:20pm from a pre-existing flame. On Friday light Shabbat candles at 7:22pm from a pre-existing flame, and Shabbat ends on Saturday at 8:22pm.
Last days: Shmini Atzeret starts on Wednesday23rd, light candles at 7:27pm. On Thursday night, light candles after 8:28pm from a pre-existing flame for Simchat Torah.
On Friday 25th light Shabbat candles at 7:29pm from a pre-existing flame, and Shabbat ends on Saturday at 8:30pm. The weekly Torah portion is Bereshit and it’s Mevarchim Chodesh Cheshvan.
The Juilliard Sukkah at 459 Collins will be open Mon-Wed
Mincha continues at 1.45pm at Ainsworth Property – GF/459 Collins Mon-Wed. Join the WhatsApp group where we take a count to confirm each day.
Weekly sushi & shiur is in recess until after Sukkot and will resume on on Wed 30 Oct at 1.20pm (mincha 1.45pm) at A-P GF/459 Collins – and via zoom. Current topic: strata titles. Details here and on the WhatsApp group.
Thought of the Week with thanks to Yehuda Gottleib.
There is a famous law that states if someone who is suffering or troubled, they are exempt from sitting in the sukkah. This is the basis for the exemption for us to sit in the sukkah when it is raining, which seems to be a common occurrence in Melbourne around the time of the chag.
The author the Beit Yaakov asks an interesting question – although there is a clear directive that someone who is suffering is exempt from the mitzvah of sukkah, we see that there are many tzadikim, rabbanim and chasidim that continue to stay outside in the sukkah despite the rain and the unpleasant conditions. What is the source for them to continue to eat in the sukkah despite their apparent exemption?
The answer is that there are certain people who look forward all year to the mitzvah of sukkah.
Where they are transported to a place where they are so close to G-d that they are able to feel protected in a mere hut and even the apparent bother of rain does not deter them from sitting in the sukkah and retaining that closeness with G-d. Rather, the Beit Yaakov states, the fact that they have to remove themselves from the Sukkah will cause them more hardship and pain, rather than sitting and eating their meal in the rain!
Therefore, since the moving into the home would cause even more pain for these individuals, they should not be seen as exempt from sitting in the Sukkah and they can continue sitting outside despite the rain and terrible conditions. In fact, it is the sitting outside in the presence of G-d that gives them the greatest pleasure of all!