Times: Shabbat starts tonight with candle lighting at 7:41pm, and ends Saturday night at 8:37pm. The weekly Torah portion is Ki Tisah. Shushan Purim is today. Have an extra drink!

Mincha in the CBD: Mincha has successfully resumed and will continue next week at 2:03pm using the SMS system to confirm numbers.

Study: The Wednesday shiur & lunch takes place at the new time of 1.30pm at Billing Bureau, followed by mincha.

Kosher Food in the CBD: Glicks delivery in the CBD: We are thrilled to announce Glicks online. We now come to you! Whether it’s for one person or corporate catering for 100, we have a delicious range of filled bagels, fruit, danish, muffins, drinks and club sandwiches. The food is beautifully presented and we deliver twice a  day anywhere in Melbourne including the CBD. Gluten free choices are also available.We are offering a huge 20% off all orders till end February (excluding delivery). Go to www.glicks.com.au and enter promo code glicks2018 to receive the discount. 

SUSHI: Kosher sushi delivery coming to the city soon … watch this space for more details.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Rafi Goodman. In this week’s Torah reading, we continue learning about the mishkan (tabernacle).

Upon entering the mishkan and before performing the regular service the kohen (priest) had to purify himself by washing his hands and feet with the kiyor (bronze laver). Analogous to this, our own spiritual refinement is a process that comprises various stages.

The kiyor teaches us that whenever we leave our mundane affairs in order to enter our own personal mishkan of spiritual renewal and growth, we must first clean ourselves of any residual materialistic orientation that may be lingering on us.

If washing is a prerequisite to entering the mishkan, why isn’t the kiyor located on the outside of the mishkan rather than inside it?

The kiyor’s location inside the mishkan teaches us that the purification from materiality really begins when we are still outside the mishkan, and still involved in our mundane pursuits. If we approach our mundane affairs from the Torah’s perspective, we can sanctify them. Washing from the laver inside the mishkan then serves to complete this cleansing process that we begin while even in the midst of our day to day existence.