Times: Shabbat starts on Friday at 4:50pm and ends on Saturday night at 5:51pm. The weekly Torah portion is Naso.

Mincha in the CBD: Mincha is still virtual as we await people returning to work in the city. That means we all daven at an agreed time, which is 1.00pm. Details at the WhatsApp group.

Study: Weekly Shiur continues on Wednesday at 1:10pm via zoom, following mincha at 1.00pm. BYO lunch. Details here.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Rabbi Kennard. Cohanim are commanded to bless the Jewish people each day with the “Priestly Blessing” (though today, outside Israel, only on festivals), which are mentioned in this week’s Torah reading. The singular grammatical form of the blessings shows that they are directed to each and every individual Jew, irrespective of their character or conduct. Even though Cohanim in the temple had to deal with those seeking atonement for wrongdoing, they may not choose to bless the people only “good Jews” but must give the blessing freely and willingly to all.

Before pronouncing the blessing in shul, the Cohanim preface their words with a blessing of their own – thanking G-d for giving them the commandment to perform this act. They declare that they, uniquely, have been empowered by their pedigree to bless the people of Israel, “with love”. The blessing is worthless, unless it is accompanied by genuine and sincere love for each Jew.