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Shabbat starts on Friday at 5:56pm and ends on Saturday at 6:54pm. The weekly Torah portion is Nitzavim.

Rosh Hashana starts on Monday night at 5:58pm. On Tuesday night, light candles after 6:56pm from a pre-existing flame. Yom Tov ends on Wednesday at 6:57pm.

Thursday is Tzom Gedalia – fast begins 4:47am and ends at 6:51pm.

Mincha will be at 1pm at A-P GF/459 Collins on Thu using the WhatsApp group to confirm numbers.

Weekly sushi & shiur is in recess until after Sukkot. Current topic: tax exemption for Torah scholars. Details here and on the WhatsApp group.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Yehuda Gottleib.

This week’s Torah reading is Nitzavim and is also the last portion of the Jewish year. The portion begins with a covenant that God is entering into with the Jewish people. The verse first states that everyone, as a collective (“kulchem“) is standing and entering into the covenant. However, the end of the verse then delineates individual groups – namely, “leaders, tribes, elders, enforcers and all of Israel…”

We know the Torah does not waste any words. In that case, why do we need to have the nation addressed collectively and then by group? Also, what exactly was the purpose of the covenant that the Jews were entering into?

The commentator Ohr Hachaim states that the covenant being made here was one of “arvut” or responsibility for one another – “kol yisrael areivim zeh b’zeh“. This means that it is the responsibility of all of us as a collective to ensure that we are following God and his mitzvot.

However, the scope of our involvement and responsibility can feel quite overwhelming due to the limitations of our influence and reach. For this reason, the end of the verse outlines the individual groups that make up the Jewish people to show that there is a greater level of expectation and responsibility on those who are leaders.

Therefore, leaders must take responsibility for all the nation, head of tribes must influence their tribes, elders their students and each man who must take responsibility for his family. It is through this concept of ‘arvut‘ that all of the Jewish people can collectively lift each other up and be a source of inspiration for our own people and through these actions a light unto the whole world.

Shana Tova