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Mincha continues at  1.00pm at A-P GF/459 Collins, using the WhatsApp group to confirm a minyan each day.

Weekly sushi & shiur continues on Wed at 1.10pm at A-P GF/459 Collins – and via zoom. Current topic: laws of Torah scrolls. Details here and on the WhatsApp group.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Michelle Coleman.

This week’s Torah reading of Naso reads like a patchwork of unrelated ideas: the roles of the Levites, the sotah, the nazir, the priestly blessing, and the tribal offerings. At first glance, there seems to be no obvious thread connecting them.

But the answer, says Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, lies in the final word of the priestly blessing: shalom. It’s not just the absence of conflict, but a deeper sense of completeness, where different elements come together in harmony.

Each section of the portion reflects this in its own way. The Levites show how a society functions when everyone has a defined role.

The sotah reminds us that restoring peace between people is so important that even something as sacred as G-d’s name can be erased for it. The nazir represents the work required to bring inner balance. And the repeated offerings of each tribe show that unity does not mean sameness, but shared purpose.

Peace is not about removing difference; it’s about holding it all together. When each part is given its place, something greater emerges: a world that feels whole.