Times: Shabbat starts tonight with candlelighting at 4:53pm, ends Saturday night at 5:53pm. The weekly Torah portion for Shabbat is Behar.
Upcoming Event: Wednesday, 8 June: Lunchtime lecture with Rabbi Davey Blackman at 1:00pm with mincha at 1:50pm. Wingate, Level 48, 101 Collins Street. RSVP for catering purposes to events@jbd.org.au by COB Monday, 6 June.
Friday Mincha in the CBD: Mincha on Friday is at 1.00pm at 5/459 Collins (not at St James) with kugel & whisky and using the SMS reminder system to confirm numbers.
Mincha in the CBD: Melbourne CBD’s minyan factory is continuing, with an amazing three minyans per day, every day. Thank you for your attendance and participation.
Buffet Lunch from 12.30pm-2.00pm.
Mincha at 12.45pm, 1.00pm, and 1.15pm.
Melbourne Room of St. James complex near the corner of Little Collins Street and Church St. Click here for a map. For more information click here.
Email stjames.mincha@gmail.com to be added to the list for any daily updates.
Study: Wednesday shiur will take place after the 1.15pm mincha at St James.
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:
IMPORTANT NOTE: the two CBD locations are not reliably stocking kosher products due to low demand. One of two things will happen: either they will stop carrying them, or more people will start buying and it will be worthwhile for them.
1932 Café- Ground floor –Manchester Unity Building- 220 Collins Street. Melbourne.
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 Avi Gordon. In this week’s Torah reading, we are introduced to the mitzvah of shmitta- the obligation to observe a sabbatical year in the land of Israel.
However the actual wording of the Torah is quite puzzling as the verse says “When you come into the land.. the land will rest”. This implies that as soon as the Jews come to Israel, shmitta will apply that first year, when in fact it didn’t apply until six years later.
Perhaps the answer is that for thousands of years the land of Israel suffered through the indignation of being possessed by idol worshippers and pagans. No spirituality, no holiness no kedusha. Finally when the Jews entered, bringing about the land’s very purpose, its whole essence was transformed, elevating it in a similar vein as the shmitta year elevates the land each cycle.
May be all merit to see the ultimate redemption of Eretz Yisroel speedily.