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Shabbat starts on Friday at 4:55pm and ends on Saturday at 5:57pm. The weekly Torah portion is Chukat.

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: fencing law. Details here and on the WhatsApp group.

Thought of the Week with thanks to David Werdiger.

This week’s Torah reading discusses the red heifer – a blemish-free, perfectly red cow that is burned, then its ashes mixed with water and used to purify someone who has come in contact with a corpse.

The section opens with the words “This is the statute of the Torah” which connotes something very general, but then goes on to discuss a very specific law. What is the connection between the red heifer, and “Torah”?

The laws of the red heifer are paradoxical: while the ashes mixture purifies someone, the person who administers the formula is themselves rendered impure, and must dip in a ritual bath.

This paradox is paralleled in the Torah itself: if one studies Torah and becomes haughty and self-important about it, it can be used to justify all kinds of things, which is a road to ruin. On the other hand, if one studies with genuine humility, the Torah is a channel for all of God’s blessings.