Times: Tomorrow is Anzac Day – Lest We Forget. Candlelighting is Friday 5:23pm; Shabbat ends Saturday 6:20pm. The weekly Torah Portion is Kedoshim. Rosh Chodesh Iyar is Wednesday and Thursday.

Mincha in the CBD: Mincha continues at our usual location at Level 5 South, 459 Collins St, at 1.00pm Mon-Thurs. 

Study: The Wednesday shiur at Billing Bureau is changing format. The Talmud shiur will continue after mincha at about 1.15pm as usual. The pre-mincha shiur will switch to a special topic every 3-4 weeks. Mon 12.30 @ East Melb Shule; Wed 1.15 @ Billing Bureau.

What’s New:
Introducing … the “Minyan Maven” mobile app.  The app lists all the minyanim and also includes “smart” additions such as “Favourites”, map view, next minyan in bold, add to calendar, as well as always displaying today’s minyanim with any applicable changes based on the day of the week, time of the year and special days.  Each minyan also includes an information page with contact details, distance from the user and weekly times.  It is available free of charge on iTunes for Apple iOS and Android.

Kosher Food in the CBD: Kosher sandwiches and snacks provided by Sidewalk Cafe under Kosher Australia hashgacha are available at the following locations:
-CBW Express- 181 William Street (Open late until 9pm)
-Pronto on Flinders – 335 Flinders Lane
Kosher sandwiches and snacks delivered daily to the CBD.
SANDWICHES: egg mayonnaise and tomato, tuna mayonnaise and pickles, smoked salmon and herbed cream cheese, crisp lettuce, sliced cheese, tomato, cucumber and salad. SNACKS: natural berry yogurt with oat cluster crumble, fresh fruit salad, mixed berry muffin

Thought of the Week with thanks to Ezra May. The Parsha begins, “You shall be holy, for I, Hashem your G-d, am Holy. What does this mean? What is the actual commandment? Normally a mitzvah is very specific. Do something, like eat matza, shake a lulav or not do something like don’t steal, eat chametz on Pesach etc. This mitzvah to “be holy” however seems most unspecified, generic & even abstract.

The Rambam in his Sefer HaMitzvos doesn’t count “You shall be holy” as a separate mitzvah, but rather views this as referring specifically to the preceding stated mitzvos regarding the forbidden relationships. The Rambam’s view is that this is a sub-category for them as it is by maintaining these mitzvos that you guard against immorality, and then by default you are Holy.
The Ramban does state that “You shall be holy” has a much wider application. That it is an overarching principle, applicable to every other mitzvah. It is a specific command to moderate your behaviour, specifically where the Torah allows or even encourages you to do things like eat, drink etc then “You shall be holy” and only act in a Holy manner.
According to the Ramban, if not for this Mitzvah, a person could conceivably be a “naval berishus haTorah” – someone who lives a lifestyle within the technical parameters of the Torah, yet simultaneously is obnoxious, arrogant & rude. “You shall be holy” highlights that it is personal behaviours that determines whether someone is truly Holy.

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