Times: Shabbat starts Friday night with candlelighting at 8:18pm and ends Saturday night at 9:24pm. Early Shabbat candlelighting (between) 7:05pm-7:10pm The weekly Torah portion is Vayeshev. Chanukah starts Tuesday night (Dec 16) and the last night of Chanukah is Wednesday night (Dec 24). Look out for the JBD menorah in the window of 440 Collins St!

Mincha in the CBD: We thought mincha would go into recess after this week, but people just keep showing up! We will continue at 1.53pm next week using the SMS alert system to confirm numbers.

Study: Mon 12.30 @ East Melb Shule;
Wed 1.15 @ Billing Bureau

Kosher Food in the CBD: NEW!!! Nifla Kosher Catering (KA Hechsher)
is proud to offer Corporate Catering, specializing in individual and board room lunches. For further details visit www.nifla.com.au
Kosher sandwiches, muffins and salads are available at the following locations:
-Lowe Lipman building- In a Rush –  616 St Kilda Rd
-Toby’s Estate in Flinders Lane -325 Flinders Lane
-Cupp-220 Collins Street (in the Manchester Unity building)
Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable Sandwiches, Salmon and Salad Bagels, Continental Cheese and Tomato sandwiches, and Sushi Platters

Sidewalk Cafe (KA Hechsher)
Kosher sandwiches and snacks 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 Isaac BalbinSmall acts leading to big consequences: In Parshat Vayeshev, the Torah relates that after Rachel’s death, Ya’akov’s bed was in Bilha’s tent (because Bilha was Rachel’s handmaiden and Ya’akov’s concubine). Reuven, the eldest son, was upset, feeling that his own mother, Leah, should have been afforded this privilege as she was Ya’akov’s first wife and also the one who bore him and most of the sons. Reuven unilaterally moved his father’s bed to his mother Leah’s tent; an act stemming from respect for his mother’s honour. The act itself was not earth shattering, however, its effect was cataclysmic. It signified that the eldest child was prepared to over-rule the overt wishes of a father – the father of all his brothers.

Rav Soloveitchik suggested that this is why the brothers indirectly felt empowered with the chutzpah to commit the regrettable act of selling Yosef, their father’s favourite son. They also assumed a level of individual empowerment. Reuven realises that he is responsible for this ill-advised empowerment. He repents, fasting and praying. What seemed like a small act of moving beds led to a rolling set of momentous events.

The moral is clear. We are all observed microsopically by our children, our friends and our relatives, and society. A seemingly innocuous act may lead to an unconscious outcome of unintended education or even profanation of God’s name. In contradistinction, a seemingly innocuous positive act can be eminently efficacious, leaving a subconscious impression that potentially influences micro and macro history, present and future.

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