Mazal Tov to Ari Bendet & Meg Gorley and families on their engagement.

Times: Shabbat starts on Friday at 7:41 pm and ends on Saturday night at 8:43 pm. The weekly Torah portion is Toldot.

Mincha in the CBD: We will seek to resume mincha at L2/430 Lt Collins on summer schedule (1.45pm) once there is demand. Join the the WhatsApp group to stay across the latest details.

Study: The Weekly Shiur continues in hybrid in-person and zoom, on Wednesday at 1.20pm at Warlows Legal, 2/430 Lt Collins, and the lunch part is back! Current topic: amazing tales of R Elazar ben Shimon. Details here.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Jeremy Herz. At the beginning of this week’s Torah reading, we learn of the birth of Yaakov and Esav and are immediately introduced to their stark differences. Whereas Yaakov is an “ish tam” (wholesome man), Esav is described as an “ish sadeh” (man of the field).

The meaning of “a man of the field” is unclear. It could reasonably be interpreted as someone engaged in agriculture or farming, yet Rashi interprets it as referring to Esav’s hunting prowess – “a person who is idle and hunts beasts and fowl with his bow.” When the description of Esav is viewed in context, Rashi’s interpretation is logical, since Esav is described elsewhere as a hunter.

Rav David Silberberg nonetheless suggests that the ambiguity in the phrase “a man of the field” serves as a metaphor for life itself. Everyone enters their own proverbial field and has the choice to either cultivate and develop it as would an agriculturalist, or alternatively seek to extract bounty from it for one’s own indulgence, as would the hunter for sport who ‘idles’ his time. Each person must ultimately decide whether they will contribute to and build, or simply use and benefit from, the world around them.