Times: Shabbat starts tonight with candlelighting at 7:27pm; ends Saturday night at 8:27pm. The weekly Torah portion for Shabbos is Lech Lecha.

Mincha in the CBD: Mincha will continue Mon-Thu at 1.45pm at Level 5, South Tower, 459 Collins St, using the SMS reminder system to confirm numbers.

Study: Wed shiur @ Billing Bureau: about 1:15pm

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  Rafi Goodman. In this week’s Parsha Lech L’cha, we see the first references and testimonies to Avraham’s settling and residing in the Land of Israel, including cities such as Jerusalem and Hebron and demonstrating the strong Jewish connection to the land. The Kabbalah explains that the name Hebron is related to the word “to connect”. The city of Hebron both metaphorically and physically, expresses the unity of the Jewish people as a unit as well as their unity with God.

Sadly, these cities have been targets of Arab terrorism in the last few weeks. As Jews, it’s an imperative that we fully appreciate the historical significance and centrality of Israel and its cities to our religion and beliefs and ensure that the narrative is reflective of this. When all parties recognise the heritage of Israel, it will be easier to make progress and achieve true peace in Israel.