Happy New Year! Welcome back (whatever that means for you).

Times: Shabbat starts on Friday at 8:26 pm and ends on Saturday night at 9:29 pm. The weekly Torah portion is Beshalach.

Mincha in the CBD: Mincha is in recess for the summer. We look forward to opening up next year when people return to their offices and we have sufficient numbers. Join the WhatsApp group to stay across the latest details.

Study: The Weekly Shiur returns next week on Wed 19th at Warlow’s Legal – 2430 Lt Collins St – and via zoom. Details here and on the WhatsApp group.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Levi Rosenbaum. Imagine seeing a miracle like the splitting of the sea! You would probably think that it was a CGI movie scene or some computer system designed to alter your perception of reality. However, this is exactly what made this event so miraculous and why kriyat yam suf is the “reference miracle” when describing the world with Moshiach. The uniqueness comes from God using forces within nature, including an irregular strong wind, to generate a supernatural event. There was an illusion that it was a natural event, yet everyone present marched forward, regardless of their prior beliefs, understanding that it was a miracle from above.

The lesson from this story is that nature itself is a miracle and every moment of our lives contains Divine providence. Reading this story twice a year reminds us to appreciate the positives in our lives and that our challenges are growth opportunities. Our mission is to bring the shechina – the Divine presence – back into this world, to refine nature itself and use the mundane for holiness.

Good Shabbos!