Mazal Tov to Jennifer Huppert OAM for her King’s Birthday honour

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Shabbat starts on Friday at 4:49pm and ends on Saturday at 5:51pm. The weekly Torah portion is Beha’alotcha.

Mincha continues at 1pm at A-P GF/459 Collins Mon-Wed, and Thu 1.45pm at L1 Capital using the WhatsApp group to confirm numbers.

Weekly sushi & shiur continues on Wed at 1.10pm (after mincha) at A-P GF/459 Collins – and via zoom. Current topic: King Herod. Details here and on the WhatsApp group.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Isaac Balbin.

Rav Kook explains: when Miriam was afflicted with tzara’at, Moshe offered a notably brief prayer for her healing, simply saying, “Please G-d, please heal her.” This concise plea drew attention where Rabbi Eliezer used it to illustrate the appropriateness of both lengthy and short prayers, depending on the situation.

In contrast to Moshe’s forty day prayer after the sin of the golden calf, his short prayer for Miriam showed that effectiveness in prayer is not determined by its length but by its relevance to the moment. Rabbi Eliezer defended both prolonged and swift prayers by comparing them to different episodes in Moshe’s leadership.

The differing lengths of Moshe’s prayers reflect two distinct functions of prayer. One purpose is transformative — aimed at refining character and bringing about inner change, which demands time and persistence, as seen in the Israelites’ spiritual renewal.

The other function is expressive — when the soul is already purified and the prayer merely gives voice to existing emotions or spiritual readiness. Since Miriam had already acknowledged her mistake, her healing required no prolonged plea, only the Divine act of mercy. Therefore, Moshe’s brief but heartfelt prayer was entirely sufficient and deeply effective.