Times: Shabbat starts tonight with candlelighting at 5:03pm, ends Saturday night at 6:01pm. The weekly Torah portion for Shabbat is Kedoshim.
Upcoming Event: Wednesday, 25 May: Lunchtime lecture with Rabbi Davey Blackman at 12:30pm-1:30pm with mincha following lecture. Wingate, Level 48, 101 Collins Street. RSVP for catering purposes to events@jbd.org.au by COB Monday, 23rd April.
Friday Mincha in the CBD: Mincha on Friday is at 1.00pm at 5/459 Collins (not at St James) with kugel & whisky and using the SMS reminder system to confirm numbers.
Mincha in the CBD: Melbourne CBD’s minyan factory is continuing, with an amazing three minyans per day, every day. Thank you for your attendance and participation.
Buffet Lunch from 12.30pm-2.00pm.
Mincha at 12.50pm, 1.00pm, and 1.15pm.
Melbourne Room of St. James complex near the corner of Little Collins Street and Church St. Click here for a map. For more information click here.
Email stjames.mincha@gmail.com to be added to the list for any daily updates.
Study: Wednesday shiur will take place after the 1.15pm mincha at St James.
Kosher Food in the CBD: Nifla Kosher Catering (KA Hechsher)
Offers Corporate Catering, specializing in individual and board room lunches. For further details visit www.nifla.com.au
10% Discount on your first website purchase. Enter promo code “FIRST TIME”.
Kosher sandwiches, muffins and salads are available at the following locations:
IMPORTANT NOTE: the two CBD locations are not reliably stocking kosher products due to low demand. One of two things will happen: either they will stop carrying them, or more people will start buying and it will be worthwhile for them.
1932 Café- Ground floor –Manchester Unity Building- 220 Collins Street. Melbourne.
CBW EXPRESS-181 William Street.(Entrance Little Bourke St)
IN A RUSH CAFE-616 St Kilda Road-(Ground Floor-Lowe Lippmann Building)
Thought of the Week with thanks to Gaby Silver. This week’s Torah reading of Kedoshim opens in perplexing fashion, with G-d exhorting us to “be holy”. Why? “Because”, as He clarifies, “I the Lord Your G-d am holy”. By drawing this parallel, does an omnipotent, all-powerful deity really expect that His people can be holy like Him?
The remainder of the parshah details a withering list of commandments, including directives regarding the ways we eat, dress, treat our parents and fellow people, conduct business, treat our bodies, engage in intimacy and numerous other everyday activities. Then, just in case we forgot, we are urged in almost identical language, to “Be holy”. Again, we can ask, does G-d really care about such mundane matters? Is the way that I cut my hair or the fruit that I eat really of any consequence to the universal plan for creation?
The answer to both these questions is an emphatic “Yes!”. By bringing G-d into the most mundane and everyday aspects of our lives, we are given the opportunity to infuse every moment of every day with meaning and elevate it to a level of holiness. By working on ourselves and ensuring that we choose the G-dly way to think, speak and act at all times, we can indeed lead holy lives in emulation of our Creator, who is perfectly holy.