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Shabbat starts on Friday at 8:22pm and ends on Saturday at 9:29pm. The weekly Torah portion is Miketz, and Rosh Chodesh, and Shabbat Chanukah.

This newsletter is going into summer recess until Jan. 23, 2025. Wishing everyone a restful, safe and enjoyable break.

Mincha is now in summer recess until the end of DST in early April. See the WhatsApp group for further info

Weekly sushi & shiur is in summer recess and will resume on 28 Jan at 1.30pm at A-P GF/459 Collins – and via zoom. Current topic: rewards for giving charity. Details here and on the WhatsApp group.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Michelle Coleman

At the beginning of the weekly Torah reading of Vayeshev, Yosef is introduced to us as a “naar” – a young dreamer with a price ticket on himself. So much is evident from how Yosef speaks in the first person about his first two dreams which he relates to his family. In the first dream he tells of his brothers’ sheaves bowing down to “my” sheaf and in the second, how the sun, moon and stars bow down to “me”.

But by the end of the portion, Yosef has transformed from a “naar” to a “tzaddik”. He is still a dreamer but without any price ticket on himself at all. When interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh’s butler and baker, Yosef takes no personal credit for his gift of prophecy: to the butler and the baker he says “God will provide the solution.” Similarly, at the beginning of Miketz, next week’s reading, when Yosef interprets Pharaoh’s dreams of the 7 fat cows and the 7 thin cows and the 7 fat ears of corn and the 7 thin ears, Yosef says to Pharaoh: “Interpreting your dreams is beyond me… God will provide the answer.”

If Yosef, who had ruach hakodesh, disclaimed any personal achievement in so profound a gift as prophecy, how much more so should we, with our relatively limited talents and abilities, always view our achievements and any good fortune, as gifts from God.

We should have the same appreciation when viewing the masterful achievements of our people and our miraculous geopolitical ascension in the Middle East over the past two years.

In contrast to the decline of Western societies elsewhere, God, together with the IDF and IAF, now seem to be working in harmonious partnership which will hopefully usher in a prolonged period of peace and prosperity.

Again and again, Joseph redirects attention away from himself and toward G-d. Even at his most vulnerable moment, he refuses to hide who he is and in Whom he believes.

This week our community experienced a horrific attack that has left us reeling and trying to balance difficult emotions of grief coupled with the mitzvah to celebrate Chanukah. Let’s take a lesson from Joseph and hold our heads proud as Jews and not allow terror to succeed. Let’s own who we are with pride.