Mazel tov to Izzi & Batsheva Goldman and families on the birth of their son.

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

Shabbat starts on Friday at 8:06pm and ends on Saturday at 9:12pm. The weekly Torah portion is Toldot and Mevarchim Chodesh Kislev. Rosh Chodesh is Sunday & Monday.

Mincha is now in recess for the summer. There is usually a minyan at L1 Capital on Thurs at 1.45pm following lunch & learn. Join the WhatsApp group for any updates.

Weekly sushi & shiur continues Wed at 1.20pm at A-P GF/459 Collins – and via zoom. Current topic: strata titles. Details here and on the WhatsApp group.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Isaac Balbin.

“And [Yitzchak] dug anew the wells of water that had been dug in the days of Avraham, his father … and he named them by the same names that his father had given them.” (Bereishis 26:18)

Rav Soloveitchik explained that Yitzchak sought to follow the precise mesorah (tradition) of his father. Thus, during a time of famine, he travelled to Gerar with the intention of continuing to Egypt, just as his father had done. However, G-d forbade Yitzchak from leaving Israel, due to his unique level of holiness, which required him to remain in the Land. The mesorah did not change; the circumstances did. Yitzchak was a distinct individual with his own set of rules.

Some mistakenly claim that the mesorah for Torah scholars requires them to remain in the study hall, even during times of war. They point to examples of their teachers, who unyieldingly continued their Torah learning under all conditions. However, the true mesorah is to ensure that Torah study, especially for those dedicated to this path, is upheld and supported. Yet, when circumstances change, the demands of the mesorah also shift. In times of danger, this same mesorah obligates closing the books to defend the people and the land at all costs.

G-d reassured Yitzchak that he was indeed upholding his father’s tradition, even though he did so within a different set of circumstances.