Times: Shabbat starts tonight with candlelighting at 7:12pm, ends Saturday night at 8:11pm. The weekly Torah portion for Shabbat is Vayelech and Shabbos Shuva. Yom Kippur starts on Tuesday night with candlelighting and fast beginning at 7:16pm; Fast ends 8:15pm.

Friday Mincha in the CBD: Friday “mincha & kugel” at Billing Bureau will be at 1.45pm, using the SMS reminder system to confirm numbers.

Lunch & Mincha in the CBD (Monday-Thursday): 
Next week, mincha will continue at St James (one minyan) as follows: Mon 10th, Tue 11th, Thurs 13th @ 1.45pm
Note: After Sukkot (i.e. from Wed 26th), daily mincha at 1.45pm will revert to Billing Bureau – 5/459 Collins – until late December.
St. James address: Melbourne Room of St. James complex near the corner of Little Collins Street and Church St. Click here for a map.

Study: Wednesday shiur is in recess until after Sukkot.

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 Yudi New. One of my favourite Divrei Torah as a parent is drawn from this week’s Torah reading.

Parents are commanded to bring their children to the Holy Temple for the once in seven year show of Jewish unity known as Hakhel. Rashi explains that the reason for bringing small children is “to give reward to those who bring them”. Anybody who has been to Shule knows that bringing children is a noisy disruptive business. What then is the reward?

R’ Nassan Adler (the Chasam Sofer’s first teacher) says this provides an important lesson in education. Whilst the service would no doubt be more meaningful if we left the children at home – the experiential learning for them in being part of the atmosphere is so great and important that it outweighs all the disruption it necessarily causes! This is the reward – that we get to pass on our beautiful and vibrant tradition to the next generation in exactly the way it was given to us.

Wishing everyone a Gmar Chasima Tovah and well over the fast. May all our prayers be meaningful and accepted.