Times: Shabbat starts on Friday at 8:05 pm and ends on Saturday night at 9:04 pm. The weekly Torah portion is Tetzaveh.

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. Join the WhatsApp group to stay across the latest details.

Study: The Weekly Shiur continues on Wednesday at 1.20pm at Warlow’s Legal – 2/430 Lt Collins St – and via zoom. Details here and on the WhatsApp group.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Jeremy Herz. In this week’s Torah reading of Tetzaveh, we are introduced to the four vestments worn only by the High Priest. One of these is the robe. The hem of the robe is adorned with alternating fabric pomegranates and bells of gold. The Torah explains that more than merely being an adornment, the bells of gold are needed so that when Aharon the High Priest comes into and leaves the Sanctuary, he will not die.

Ramban explains that the bells served as notice to God that Aharon was approaching the Sanctuary and therefore gave appropriate respect to God and the Sanctuary. He learns this from the palace of Achashverosh, where attending unannounced warranted the death penalty.

In contrast, Rashbam explains the function of the bells as notice to the Jewish people, who were prohibited from being present in the Tent of Meeting when Aharon entered the Sanctuary on Yom Kippur. When the Jews heard the bells ring, they knew they had to leave.

A fundamental difference between these explanations is whether the function of the golden bells was bein adam la’makom (a mitzvah between people and God) or bein adam le’chaveiro (a mitzvah between people). The lesson we may take is that regardless, our actions will typically have consequences in both of these spheres, and it is therefore important to make our decisions by reference to both of these paradigms.