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Shabbat starts on Friday at 4:52pm and ends on Saturday at 5:54pm. The weekly Torah portion is Sh’lach and Shabbat Mevarchim Tammuz. Rosh Chodesh is next Shabbat and Sunday.

Mincha 1pm continues 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 on 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 Josh Wasbutzki.

Bertolt Brecht in Life of Galileo describes a scene, where a Roman Senator looks through a telescope. Rather than observing the sky, moon and space, effectively confirming Galileo’s theory of the Earth being round, the Senator views a manifestation of what is his myopic view of life, spotting something rather insidious.

In this week’s Torah reading, Shlach Lecha, 12 spies are somewhat controversially sent to assess the land of Israel to determine whether a military conquest will be successful, survey the land etc.

Upon arriving, the spies notice a plethora of funerals. They report back to the people, alluding to the fact that the land is one that “eats its own people”. The commentators note that this sin – an ayin rah – is what resulted in the wondering of the Jews in the desert for another 40 years.

Using Brecht’s words, it was the gawking, not seeing, that resulted in our punishment. The imperative of having an ayin tov here is elucidated in contrast – looking at things positively, always seeing the good that G-d does for us, and the great that is bestowed upon us.