JBD – Jews of the Melbourne CBD is now on LinkedIn. Follow us here.

Times: Shabbat starts on Friday at 7:57 pm and ends on Saturday night at 8:55 pm. The weekly Torah portion is Ki Tisa.

Mincha in the CBD: Mincha is in recess for the 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. Current topic: can employees eat on the job? Details here and on the WhatsApp group.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Rabbi Dovid Gutnick. To look or look away? The Torah says Moshe spoke to God “panim el panim” -” face to face”. Yet just a few verses later Moshe asks God to see his face and the request is refused…”for no mortal shall see my face and live.”

And but a few verses later, after descending the mountain on Yom Kippur with the second set of tablets, Moshe’s face is glowing to the point that he has to wear a veil. No one could gaze at his face.

At a Jewish wedding, the highest moment of human intimacy, the bride and groom don’t face each other, or even see each other. They stand alongside each other with the veil blocking the face of the bride.

Another example (there are many): at the holy priestly blessings the, kohen covers his face and the congregants look away.

There are times that intimacy can be achieved by gazing. There are times that intimacy is achieved by averting our gaze. Indeed, oftentimes only through averting our gaze can we truly see. And only when we truly see can we truly be intimate.