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

Shabbat starts on Friday at 8:09pm and ends on Saturday at 9:08pm. The weekly Torah portion is  Beshalach and Shabbat Shirah. Tu b’Shvat is on Thursday.

Mincha is now in recess for the summer and will resume after DST ends. Join the WhatsApp group for any updates.

*NEW* Parsha discussion group for men & women led by Yudi New on Tues at 1.15pm at A-P GF/459 Collins Details here and on the WhatsApp group.

Weekly sushi & shiur continues on 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 Gaby Silver

It doesn’t get much bigger than this. The splitting of the Red Sea is arguably the most pivotal event in Jewish history and the undisputed world champion of G-d’s miracles and wonders.

Once the nascent Jewish nation was safely on dry land, the Torah states that the sea returned “l’eitano” – to its original strength. The Midrash notes that this hebrew word is written with the same letters as the term “litnao” – to its stipulation. The implication is that the entire episode was pre-ordained from the time of creation, with the sea’s creation occurring on the condition that it part for the Children of Israel, then resume its prior state.

The same could be said of the entire episode of Egyptian subjugation and subsequent salvation. All had been foretold to our forefather Avraham centuries earlier.

Rather than a series of events driven by personalities and human endeavour, it appears that these epic events were all literally written into the very constitution of the world. However, this is not quite the entire puzzle. The Jews still needed to play their part.

Today, Jews around the world, and inexplicably here in Australia, face a stern test of our resolve, unity and faith in our creator. Like the Egyptian slavery and exodus, all this has been written into the fabric of the world’s continuum. However, like our ancestors, who stood terrified when trapped between the sea and the mighty Egyptian army, G-d is waiting for us to provide the missing piece. Our faith in G-d, commitment to His Torah and Mitzvot, and love of our fellow Jew are the critical catalyst to illicit our own revelation of G-d’s might and usher in a new era of freedom, safety and holiness.

May we see it speedily!