JBD – Jews of the Melbourne CBD is now on LinkedIn. Follow us here.

Shabbat starts on Friday at 7:36pm and ends on Saturday at 8:38pm. The weekly Torah portion is Noach. Rosh Chodesh is today & tomorrow.

Mincha continues at 1.45pm at Ainsworth Property – GF/459 Collins Mon-Wed. Join the WhatsApp group where we take a count to confirm each day.

Weekly sushi & shiur continues Wed at 1.20pm (mincha 1.45pm) at A-P GF/459 Collins – and via zoom. Current topic: strata titles. Details here and on the WhatsApp group.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Rafi Goodman.

In this week’s Torah reading, we are introduced to Avram (later to be renamed Avraham), and Rashi comments that until Avram’s birth, G-d’s anger lingered in the world, even during the time of Noah. What unique quality did Avraham possess that Noah did not?

Avraham’s greatness lay in his compassion and dedication to uplifting others. He prayed for his contemporaries and sought to inspire them toward belief and positive actions. Because of this, G-d showed mercy to humanity, despite its continued rebellion.

Similarly, the achievements and challenges of past and present generations have prepared the world for Moshiach, when the purpose of creation will come to fulfilment. Having faced many “floods” throughout history, our task now is to emulate Avraham—befriend others with love and help awaken their inner connection to G-d. In doing so, we guide the world toward its ultimate purpose: the true and complete redemption.