JBD – Jews of the Melbourne CBD is now on LinkedIn. Follow us here.
Shabbat starts on Friday at 8:19pm and ends on Saturday at 9:26pm. The weekly Torah portion is Miketz.
Mincha at Ainsworth Property – GF/459 Collins is in recess for the summer. Join the WhatsApp group for updates.es.
Weekly lunch & shiur continues on Wed at 1.20pm at A-P GF/459 Collins – and via zoom. Current topic: verbal contracts. Details here and on the WhatsApp group.
Thought of the Week with thanks to Rafi Goodman.
Today is the last day of Chanukah, known as Zos Chanukah – the pinnacle of Chanukah.
The unique power of the Chanukah lights is linked to the nature of the miracle they commemorate. The miracle of Chanukah took place in a time of darkness, when the Asyrrian-Greeks, who had conquered the Land of Israel, sought to impose their culture upon its inhabitants. Despite the assimilatory influence of Jewish Hellenists, the Maccabees were able to instil in the Jewish people a spirit of mesirat nefesh (self-sacrifice) and teshuvah (return to G‑d). This inspired them to fight the and defeat the enemy, and rededicate the Temple. Since the Jewish victory involved the transformation of darkness into light, the Chanukah lights which commemorate it also have this power.
And they teach us that when confronted with darkness, we must not resign ourselves to it. Nor may we remain content with lighting up our own homes. Instead, we must reach out and spread light as far as we possibly can, until the public domain too is illuminated. The message for today is clear. We are in dark times, but we have the strength to endure and in the end, Israel will prevail, and the light that ensues will be grander than ever.