Times: It’s Purim today! Shabbat starts on Friday at 7:44pm and ends on Saturday night at 8.41pm. The weekly Torah portion is Terumah and it’s Shushan Purim. There will be a megillah reading and lunch today at East Melbourne Shul at 12pm.

Mincha in the CBD: Mincha is in recess for the summer. We look forward to opening up when people return to their offices and we have sufficient numbers. Details at the WhatsApp group.

Study: Special Weekly Shiur on Wednesday at 12:30pm at Daneli’s to celebrate the completion of chapter 5 of Bava Metzia! Details here.

Thought of the Week with thanks to David Prins. This Friday is Purim, and this Shabbat we will read Parashat Tetsaveh.

G-d is clearly acting behind the scenes in Megillat Esther. The events in the Megilla do not occur randomly or accidentally; they form part of a grand plan. However, while in the Torah G-d acts overtly, in the depths of the Babylonian exile in the kingdom of Achashverosh, G-d’s face is hidden. The name Esther itself comes from the root word “hidden”. In keeping with G-d’s hiding of His face, G-d’s name is missing – it does not appear anywhere in the Megilla.

Similarly, in Parashat Tetzaveh, Moshe is a primary actor in receiving communication and commands from G-d throughout the Parasha. But Moshe is also missing – his name appears nowhere in the text of Parashat Tetzaveh.

We too live in an age where G-d’s presence is hidden. We have to find meaning in nature and events to perceive G-d’s presence. Similarly, nowadays the greatest of people are also often hidden. Those who shout loudest are generally not the best role models. Collectively and individually, we must put effort into finding and appreciating worthy human role models, as well as finding and appreciating the presence of the Divine.