Condolences to Gary Spitalnic and family on the passing of Sol Spitalnic OAM.
Times: Shabbat starts tonight with candlelighting at 5:12pm, ends Saturday night at 6:12pm. The weekly Torah portion for Shabbat is Pinchas and Shabbat Mevarchim Av. Rosh Chodesh is next Friday 5/8.
Upcoming Event: Ora II: An evening of cantorial, operatic and Israeli music. Featuring renowned cantor ZEV MÜLLER from the West Side Institutional Synagogue Manhattan New York. Special Guests include Aaron Max, Rabbi David Rubinfeld, Didi Levin, David Brykman, and Shimon Walles. Sunday 28th August at 7.30pm. Toorak Shule- 2/10 Toorak Road, South Yarra. To book tickets click here.
Friday Mincha in the CBD: Mincha on Friday is on this week at 1.00pm at 5/459 Collins (not at St James) with herring, kugel & whisky. Numbers have been consistently good, so we will just send a SMS reminder.
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 1.00pm, and 1.15pm for this week.
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, specialising in individual and board room lunches. 10% Discount on your first website purchase. Enter promo code “FIRST TIME”. For further details visit www.nifla.com.au
IN A RUSH CAFE-616 St Kilda Road-(Ground Floor-Lowe Lippmann Building)
Thought of the Week with thanks to Rabbi Leon Anaf. Pinchas lived during a miraculous and glorious time for the Jewish people. The Torah was new, everyone had heard G-d’s voice and had seen His handiwork. Everything appeared perfect. Yet, somehow some strange negative behaviour crept into Jewish culture and somehow that behaviour became acceptable. An outrageous situation developed but there was no outrage! No one protested, not Moshe, not Aharon and not Yehoshua. Only one man, Pinchas was jarred and shaken by the wrong that was being done. He didn’t ask any questions, nor did he question his own sense of right and wrong. He picked himself up and acted. He made a change, he made a difference, and G-d blessed him and his children for all generations.
The lesson of Pinchas is to be able to draw energy from deep within ourselves to do what is right at the moment, no matter what everyone around us thinks. It is inspiring that one person can, from within his or her individuality change all of history. It only takes an individual to make things better. Because Pinchas took the difficult and unpopular route G-d blessed him with shalom – peace.
May G-d gives us shalom and may He give us the strength to always pursue shalom and may we have shalom.