Times: Shabbat starts tonight with candle lighting at 5:57pm, and ends Saturday night at 6:55pm. The weekly Torah portion is Ha’azinu. Sukkot begins on Sunday night at 5:59pm, and ends Tuesday night at 6:58pm. Light candles on Monday night after 6:57pm from an existing flame. Shemini Atzeret begins the following Sunday night 30/9 at 6:05pm and ends Tuesday night at 7:04pm. Light candles next Monday night 1/10 after 7:03pm from an existing flame.

Mincha in the CBD: Whisky and Kugel Fridays is on today at 1.00pm using the SMS system to confirm numbers. Mincha (Wed & Thu) continues next week at about 1.00pm in the Juilliard Sukkah with the SMS reminder.

Study: The Wednesday shiur & lunch is in recess next week for Sukkot.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Avi Gordon. This week’s Torah reading starts with the words: “Listen oh heaven and I will speak and let the earth listen to the utterance of my mouth”.

This reading always comes immediately after the month of Elul where we have tried to refine ourselves and the lofty High Holidays where we have spent a lot of time in shule praying, introspecting and committing to being better versions of ourselves.

The opening verse teaches us a message for life. Of course it is wonderful that we are fully committed to our Judaism and to self-improvement in the period when we can say “Listen oh heaven” – metaphorically during the high holidays, However, “let the earth listen to the utterance of my mouth” – when we come back to earth afterwards to continue the mundane year-long schedule of life – that’s when it really counts!