Times: Shabbat starts tonight with candlelighting at 6:01pm; ends Saturday night at 6:59pm. The weekly Torah portion for Shabbos is Ha’azinu. Sukkot starts Sunday night (27/9) with candlelighting at 6:02pm; Second night of Sukkot light candles Monday night after 7:00pm; Second day Sukkot ends Tuesday night at 7:01pm. Chol Hamoed Sukkot is Wednesday (30/9) – Sunday (4/10).

Mincha in the CBD: Mincha will take place at 1.00pm on Wednesday and Thursday on the roof this week.

Study: Wed shiur @ Billing Bureau: No Shiur (will resume 7th October)

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:
CUPP- Manchester Unity Building- Ground Floor-220 Collins Street
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 Ezra May. A midrash in Parshas Ha’azinu (Devarim Rabbah 10:1) strangely asks whether you may treat somebody suffering an earache on Shabbos with answer that you may, as saving a life takes precedence over the laws of Shabbos. What is the connection between this law as brought in the Midrash, and Parshas Ha’azinu?

The Chasam Sofer explains by noting the dispute whether a person is permitted to confess his sins on Shabbos. Some maintain you are, as it gives pleasure to repent and atone for your transgressions. Others however forbid it because the emphasis on misdeeds causes anguish. Therefore, the argument continues, it is questionable whether it is permissible on Shabbos to rebuke others. For even if they need reproof and it is effective in inspiring them to improve, doing so on Shabbos may be forbidden because it can cause them pain acknowledging their faults.

Therefore the midrash is indeed teaching us the law. Based on Tosefos (Menachos 30a d.h. mi’kan) that Moshe died at mincha time on Shabbos, and on his final day, Moshe rebuked the people harshly as contained in Parshas Ha’azinu. So obviously Moshe considered the admonishment to be life-saving and allowable on Shabbos.

When discussing a person whose ear hurts, the midrash isn’t referring to a medical condition, but rather someone who suffers anguish upon hearing words of rebuke and whether specifically it is permissible to “ear-bash” them through rebuke on Shabbos. The midrash answers that this is a case of pikuach nefesh as hopefully this rebuke will “cure” them to change their ways and be life-saving for them.