Times: Candlelighting is Friday 5:42pm; Shabbat ends Saturday 6:37pm. The weekly Torah Portion is Acharei and Shabbat Hagadol.

Pesach Times – first days: Monday, erev Pesach: Eat Chametz until 10:28am; Burn Chametz before 11:24am. Candlelighting is Monday night 5:37pm, then Tuesday night (not before) 6:32pm; Yom Tov ends Wednesday at 6:32pm

Shabbat Chol HaMo’ed Candlelighting is Friday 18th 5:33pm; Shabbat ends Saturday 6:33pm.

Last Days of Pesach: Candlelighting Sunday night 20th April 5:29pm; then Monday night (not before) 6:24pm; Pesach ends Tuesday night 6:24pm

Mincha in the CBD: Mincha has returned to our usual location at Level 5 South, 459 Collins St, at 1.00pm Mon-Thu.
During Pesach, Mincha will only take place next week on Thursday, April 17th and our SMS will be used to ensure numbers.

Study: Mon 12.30 @ East Melb Shule; Wed: No Shiur due to Pesach. Will resume April 30th.

Kosher Food in the CBD: Please note food will not be delivered to the CBD during Pesach. Food will resume after Pesach on Wed. April 23.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Gaby Silver. This week’s parsha details G-d’s code of moral conduct regarding physical relationships between genders. It’s no secret that this is an area of great challenge, and perceptions of acceptable behaviour in this regard are declining alarmingly. Those not employing Torah as their guide shout “It’s natural! It’s normal!”. Our challenge is to distinguish between our two natures: one driven by our G-dly soul, the other by our animal soul. Both are part of our “nature”, but only one expresses the Almighty’s will in this world.

This Shabbos is Shabbat HaGadol. As Pesach approaches we re-enact the exodus from slavery in Egypt by tearing ourselves free of slavery to our animal souls to celebrate in freedom of our G-dly soul’s connection with its divine origin. In this way, may we merit to celebrate the ultimate freedom by offering the Pesach sacrifice with Moshiach in the Beit HaMikdash this Pesach!