Mazal Tov to Daniel & Tali Houseman on the birth of their baby girl.

Condolences to Sam Alter and family on the passing of his father, Mr Maurice Alter.

Times: Shabbat starts tonight with candle lighting at 5:29pm, and ends Saturday night at 6:25pm. The weekly Torah portion is Tazria-Metzora.

Sushi Mondays: With thanks to our generous sponsor, we will now have sushi every Monday before (and after) mincha at 1.00pm.

Mincha in the CBD: Whisky and Kugel Fridays (with a side of mincha) are back!! Today 1pm with the SMS system to confirm numbers. Mincha (Mon-Thu but not Wed) will continue this week at 1.00pm with the SMS reminder.

Study: The Wednesday shiur & lunch and mincha are in recess this week because of Anzac Day.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Rabbi Menachem Wolf. Parshat Tazria- Metzora: Lover or Soulmate

This week’s Torah reading is the source of the discussion in the Zohar on soulmates – one of the most misunderstood concepts in life. Often when a couple come to speak with me about their upcoming marriage, they will inevitably mention to me that they are soulmates. Being open minded I am OK with the possibility but I am unsure if what they are telling me is in fact the reality (and I will never know).

A soulmate is a person that contains the other half of your soul. The coming together of two such people isn’t just about a loving or fun relationship, it is about completion and wholeness. The soulmate is everything you are not within yourself, they are not opposites, they are complementary strengths to your weaknesses (and likewise you to them) within a similar frame of common values and interests. To discover whether you are with your soulmate requires sensitivity and time, and even then you may never really know.

What we experience with the person at the beginning of our love life is passion. Love is a development within a relationship that glues one to the other. but ‘the other’ may not necessarily be our soulmate – not that the relationship will suffer because of this little fact. It is important to explore each other’s interests and strengths and weaknesses prior to committing- just to see if this person is indeed complementary or just plain old fun to be around.

So, if you are married, don’t change your status- it is very possible you are married to your soulmate, Fate brought you together for a reason. If you are not married yet start looking (into your ‘lover’ or look) for a person who is similar but different in a complementary way. Good luck.