JBD - Jews of the (Melbourne) CBD

Shabbat Shalom v 16 #33 [5th June 2026]

Shabbat starts on Friday at 4:50pm and ends on Saturday at 5:51pm. The weekly Torah portion is Beha’alotcha.

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: God, Satan & Job. Details here and on the WhatsApp group.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Asher Seifman

This week's Torah reading begins with the command to Aharon to clean and light the menorah daily. It follows the dedication offerings of the mishkan, the tabernacle, by the prince of each tribe. Rashi, quoting the midrash, says that Aharon was despondent due to the fact that each tribe had their own day to bring a personal, large and elaborate gift to the mishkan, while his own tribe, Levi, was excluded. G-d immediately commands him regarding the daily lighting of the Menorah as if to say "Your lot is greater than theirs, for you get to set up and light the candles."

The question is raised, how does the menorah service allay Aharon's feelings? If it is that he gets to actually perform the service while the princes merely bring donations, wouldn't something comparable to what the princes brought be a better way to placate Aharon? Or another service requiring greater effort and equipment?

One answer is that the Menorah represents the light of G-d, the light of Torah, which begins in the Mishkan and emanates out, whereas the sacrifices and donations represent things coming in, from the people to G-d. G-d is telling Aharon, "you're my representative in this place." You bring My word and blessing (in last week's reading - the priestly blessing used in davening and by parents) to the people, that is a truly great and unique thing, it wouldn't make sense for you to bring the gifts in since you are already "in!"

This can serve as a reminder to us to always treasure the value of learning Torah (symbolised by light). Whereas other displays of religious devotion may sometimes attract more attention and honour, learning Torah, though perhaps more discreet, is our special ‘in’ to G-d and a duty we should tend to every day.

Shabbat Shalom v 16 #33 [5th June 2026] – Jews of the CBD Shabbat Shalom v 16 #33 [5th June 2026] June 5, 2026June 5, 2026 admin JBD – Jews of the Melbourne CBD is now on LinkedIn. Follow us here. Shabbat starts on Friday at 4:50pm and ends on Saturday at 5:51pm. The weekly Torah portion is Beha’alotcha.   Mincha continues at 1.00pm at A-P GF/459 Coll...

Shabbat Shalom v 16 #32 [29th May 2026]

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

Shabbat starts on Friday at 4:53pm and ends on Saturday at 5:53pm. The weekly Torah portion is Nasso.
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.

Shabbat Shalom v 16 #32 [29th May 2026] – Jews of the CBD Shabbat Shalom v 16 #32 [29th May 2026] May 29, 2026 admin JBD – Jews of the Melbourne CBD is now on LinkedIn. Follow us here. Shabbat starts on Friday at 4:53pm and ends on Saturday at 5:53pm. The weekly Torah portion is Nasso. Mincha continues at 1.00pm at A-P GF/459 Collins, using the WhatsApp ...

Shabbat Shalom v 16 #31 [21st May 2026]

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

Shavuot starts on Thursday night: make an Eiruv Tavshillin; candlelighting at 4:57pm, then on Friday at 4:55pm; Yom Tov ends on Sarturday at 5:56pm.

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 Geoffrey Bloch.

The Torah reading on Shavuot relates how the Ten Commandments were given orally by G-d to the Jewish people at Mt Sinai.

While those commandments gave us the essential, objective moral code to live by, we can also gain an insight into the Divine will, from how those commandments were subsequently given to the Jews in physical form, in two tablets of stone.

The Ten Commandments were actually delivered by G-d, in physical form, twice.

The first set of tablets was made of stone both hewn by G-d and written on by G-d. They were wholly the creation of G-d. And they lasted, figuratively, for five minutes. Moshe descended Mt Sinai and smashed the tablets at the foot of the mountain when he saw the Golden Calf.

The second set of stone tablets was very different. They were hewn by Moshe and written on by G-d. The second set of tablets was created in a partnership between Man and G-d.

Those tablets have lasted for an eternity as their moral message has resonated down through the ages, providing the moral foundation of civilised society.

What endures in this world is where Man and G-d work together in harmonious partnership.

From the very beginning of scripture, it is clear that this is what G-d desires of us. For example, after creating the world, G-d, dismayed at mankind’s inclination to evil, resolves not only to wipe out mankind from the face of the Earth, but all other forms of life as well. G-d resiled from His resolution only because “Noah found favour in G-d’s eyes,” proving that the whole purpose of creation is that we, too, forge our own harmonious relationship with Him.

Shabbat Shalom v 16 #31 [21st May 2026] – Jews of the CBD Shabbat Shalom v 16 #31 [21st May 2026] May 21, 2026 admin JBD – Jews of the Melbourne CBD is now on LinkedIn. Follow us here. Shavuot starts on Thursday night: make an Eiruv Tavshillin; candlelighting at 4:57pm, then on Friday at 4:55pm; Yom Tov ends on Sarturday at 5:56pm. Mincha continues at 1....

Shabbat Shalom v 16 #30 [15th May 2026]

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

Shabbat starts on Friday at 5:01pm and ends on Saturday at 6:00pm. The weekly Torah portion is Bamidbar and Mevarchim Chodesh Sivan. Rosh Chodesh is on Sunday. Today is Yom Yerushalayim.

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: dividing common property. Details here and on the WhatsApp group.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Gaby Silver.

In this week’s Torah reading of Bamidbar, the Jewish people are counted individually before beginning their journey through the wilderness. On the surface, a census seems like a bland, administrative function. However, delve a little deeper and we can start to see that the Torah’s counting of every Jew reveals something far more profound: every single soul possesses infinite value and an irreplaceable earthly mission.

The Midrash compares G-d’s counting of the Jewish people to a person repeatedly counting a treasured possession. Furthermore, the counting took place specifically in the desert, a barren and lifeless wasteland. Spiritually, the wilderness represents moments in life that feel confusing, spiritually dry, or directionless. Yet it is precisely there that the Jewish people received their structure, their flags, their camps, and their sense of purpose.

Holiness and a fiery love for Torah and Yiddishkeit are rarely created in ideal conditions. A Jew’s task is to transform the imperfect, dry “midbar” (desert) itself into a dwelling place for G-d. Even in environments that seem spiritually empty, a person can bring Torah, kindness, dignity, and light through actualising their love for G-d and passion for Torah and Mitzvot.

Bamidbar reminds us that no Jew is anonymous. Every person is counted. Every soul matters. And every journey through the wilderness contains the potential to reveal holiness.

Shabbat Shalom v 16 #30 [15th May 2026] – Jews of the CBD Shabbat Shalom v 16 #30 [15th May 2026] May 15, 2026 admin JBD – Jews of the Melbourne CBD is now on LinkedIn. Follow us here. Shabbat starts on Friday at 5:01pm and ends on Saturday at 6:00pm. The weekly Torah portion is Bamidbar and Mevarchim Chodesh Sivan. Rosh Chodesh is on Sunday. Today is Yo...

Shabbat Shalom v 16 #27 [24th April 2026]

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

Shabbat starts on Friday at 5:24pm and ends on Saturday at 6:20pm. The weekly Torah portion is Acharei-Kedoshim.
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: dividing common property. Details here and on the WhatsApp group.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Avi Gordon.

One of the mitzvos listed in this week’s Torah reading is that of kisuy hadam, covering the blood of a bird that had just been slaughtered.

What is the reason behind this mitzvah? A fascinating Midrash relates that when Kayin killed Hevel, G-d sent birds to help bury him, ensuring that he was buried in an honourable manner. In reward for this, the birds merited to have the mitzvah of kisuy hadam, and each time one slaughters a bird, he must ensure that its blood is covered, an honourable burial. (Bereishis Rabbah 22).

We see from this Midrash that out of gratitude for burying Hevel, the birds received an eternal reward of kisuy hadam. This really sheds light on the far-reaching effects of hakaras hatov – gratitude.

This can be a model for all of us. We benefit from others in so many ways. Even long after, we should strive to always remember and appreciate what they have done for us, and to try and do something to express our heartfelt appreciation.

Shabbat Shalom v 16 #27 [24th April 2026] – Jews of the CBD Shabbat Shalom v 16 #27 [24th April 2026] April 24, 2026April 24, 2026 admin JBD – Jews of the Melbourne CBD is now on LinkedIn. Follow us here. Shabbat starts on Friday at 5:24pm and ends on Saturday at 6:20pm. The weekly Torah portion is Acharei-Kedoshim. Mincha continues at 1.00pm at A-P GF/459...

Shabbat Shalom v 16 #26 [17th April 2026]

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

Shabbat starts on Friday at 5:33pm and ends on Saturday at 6:29pm. The weekly Torah portion is Tazria-Metzora.
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: dividing common property. Details here and on the WhatsApp group.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Yudi New.

The key theme of this week’s double portion – Tazriah/ Menorah is Tzara’as, a spiritual malady which appears as coloured markings on one’s skin, clothes and home. There are no internal symptoms.

The primary trigger for Tzara’as is gossip and slander which demonstrate a lack of sensitivity towards peers and community.

Perhaps, this is why it impacts externalities only because the process is about reassessing our respect towards others.

Tzara’as reminds a person that they have veered off course morally and need to spend time outside the community to recalibrate spiritually.

While inconvenient, Tzara’as does not impact a person’s health or wellbeing. Rather than being a punishment, it is an opportunity to return to one’s true self and values.

There is also an internal spiritual component.

The impacted person is called “Adam” which represents humankind’s holiest level in which we are “adameh” – similar to our Creator and before humankind failed its first test.

At our core we are pure good and only want to do good for others. Occasionally, we lose focus and cloak ourselves in externalities which desensitises us to others’ needs and acting with kindness. Even then, the tzara’as process sends us physical reminders to remember who we truly are – created in the image of G-d.

Wishing everyone a meaningful Shabbat and Chodesh Tov.

403 Forbidden Please be advised that LiteSpeed Technologies Inc. is not a web hosting company and, as such, has no control over content found on this site.

Shabbat Shalom v 16 #25 [10th April 2026]

Shabbat starts on Friday at 5:42pm and ends on Saturday at 6:38pm. The weekly Torah portion is Shmini and it's Shabbat Mevarchim Iyar. Rosh Chodesh is on Friday & Shabbat.

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

Weekly sushi & shiur resumes on Wed at 1.10pm at A-P GF/459 Collins - and via zoom. Current topic: dividing common property. Details here and on the WhatsApp group.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Rafi Goodman.

Over Pesach, we spoke so much about freedom—but the real question is what happens after the time passes.

In this week’s Torah reading, Shemini, we see the moment the Mishkan is finally inaugurated. After all the preparation, the work begins—and then, unexpectedly, tragedy strikes with Nadav and Avihu. It’s a powerful reminder that closeness to G-d isn’t just about inspiration, but about channelling it in the right way.

Chabad Chassidus explains that Nadav and Avihu had a deep yearning to connect so intensely to G-d that it went beyond the boundaries that G-d had set. True connection is running forward with passion, and then returning to live that connection within the structure of everyday life.

That’s the message after Pesach.

We’ve experienced our own “Exodus”—a lift, a clarity, a moment of freedom. But now comes the work: to bring that inspiration into real life, with balance and consistency.

Because real freedom isn’t escaping life. It’s elevating it.

Good Shabbos

Shabbat Shalom v 16 #25 [10th April 2026] – Jews of the CBD Shabbat Shalom v 16 #25 [10th April 2026] April 10, 2026April 17, 2026 admin JBD – Jews of the Melbourne CBD is now on LinkedIn. Follow us here. Shabbat starts on Friday at 5:42pm and ends on Saturday at 6:38pm. The weekly Torah portion is Shmini and it’s Shabbat Mevarchim Iyar. Rosh Chodesh is ...

Shabbat Shalom Chag Kasher v’Sameach v 16 #24 [27th March 2026]

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

Shabbat starts on Friday at 7:03pm and ends on Saturday at 7:59pm. The weekly Torah portion is Tzav and it’s Shabbat HaGadol. Ta’anit Bechorot is on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, last time to eat chametz is 11:25am, burn chametz by 12:24pm.

Pesach begins on Wednesday night (1/4). Candle lighting after 6:55pm, then on Thursday night (2/4) light candles from an existing flame after 7:51pm. On Friday (3/4), light Shabbat candles from an existing flame at 6.51pm. Shabbat ends at 7:52pm.

Move the clock one hour back to end DST.

Second Days of Pesach begin on Tuesday (7/4) with candle lighting at 5:47pm. Then on Wednesday night (8/4) light candles after 6:43pm. Pesach ends Thursday night (9/4) at 6:41pm.

Mincha will resume on 13 April after Pesach. See the WhatsApp group for further info.

Weekly sushi & shiur will resume on Wed 15 Apr at 1.10pm at A-P GF/459 Collins – and via zoom. Current topic: dividing common property. Details here and on the WhatsApp group.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Rabbi Dovid Gutnick.

We cleave to an illusion of control.

We pursue that facile master called certainty. Our weakness drives us to insist on knowing, on controlling. We retreat into comfortable echo chambers where everything is designed to reinforce our narrow dogmas, censoring voices that might introduce even the slightest fissure of alternative. And yet, beneath it all, something deeper stirs: an irrepressible human instinct to be free and embark on the journey into the vast unknown; to appreciate the wonder of uncertainty.

Ironically, the more we grasp for control, the weaker we become. Study after study confirms it: the stronger the need for control, the greater the anxiety and uncertainty. The tighter we hold the wheel, the less secure we feel.

The great thinkers sensed this long ago. Shakespeare: “Come what come may. Time and the hour runs through the roughest day. One way or another, what’s going to happen is going to happen.” Ralph Ellison: “Life is to be lived, not controlled.” Epictetus: “Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.” Doris Day: “Que sera, sera — whatever will be, will be.”

But the Torah offers a perspective deeper still.

At the dawn of redemption, as the journey to emancipation and the birth of our peoplehood is about to unfold, Moshe asks G-d for His name, possibly as a way to anchor faith amidst uncertainty. And G-d responds:

“Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh.”

Some translate this as “I am who I am.” Others render it more accurately: “I will be who I will be.” Or, as Robert Alter suggests: “I am He who endures.”

The Jewish people are about to step into the unknown. They are leaving behind a reality that, while oppressive, was at least predictable. Facing the great journey into uncertainty, some could not take the leap. The Midrash suggests that four-fifths remained behind.

Because to be born as a free people requires conviction in the face of our greatest fears – to take those first eddying steps into the uncertain. The very root of that phrase ה־י־ה (to be) means being or presence. What is God’s name? Presence – enduring, non-abandoning presence.

It is worth noting that in response to the Divine presence and calling, Moshe makes his famous declaration: “Hineni” – I am present

Perhaps this is the resounding truth at the heart of Pesach, and indeed of our personal journey toward freedom and transformation: When our “Hineni”(presence and conviction) meets Hashem’s “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh” (enduring presence), redemption is at hand.

Shabbat Shalom Chag Kasher v’Sameach v 16 #24 [27th March 2026] – Jews of the CBD Shabbat Shalom Chag Kasher v’Sameach v 16 #24 [27th March 2026] March 27, 2026 admin JBD – Jews of the Melbourne CBD is now on LinkedIn. Follow us here. Shabbat starts on Friday at 7:03pm and ends on Saturday at 7:59pm. The weekly Torah portion is Tzav and it’s Shabbat HaGadol. Ta’anit Becho...

Shabbat Shalom v 16 #23 [20th March 2026]

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

Shabbat starts on Friday at 7:14pm and ends on Saturday at 8:09pm. The weekly Torah portion is Vayikra.

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

Weekly sushi & shiur continues on Wed at 1.30pm at A-P GF/459 Collins – and via zoom. Current topic: dividing common property. Details here and on the WhatsApp group.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Ya’akov Waller.

The weekly Torah reading of Vayikra introduces the korban chatat, which was the sin offering for inadvertent transgressions. There are four categories of people who may need to bring a chatat offering: the anointed priest (4:3), the entire congregation (4:13), a nasi (i.e. a tribal leader) (4:22), and the ordinary individual (4:27).

It is notable that for the priest, the congregation, and the individual, the Torah uses the conditional “im” — if he shall sin. For the nasi, however, the Torah substitutes “asher” — when he shall sin. The grammatical shift suggests that for political leaders invested with power, there is a certain inevitability about sinning. Recognition of this reality is one example of many where the Torah addresses itself, not to an artificial utopia that could never exist, but to the real world as it is.

The other notable distinguishing feature is that the nasi is the only category of sinner whose offering must be a male goat. By mandating that the nasi’s offering must be different to the offerings of all other categories, there is no possibility for the nasi to remain anonymous. One can imagine how news of such an offering would attract public attention and become widely known. In this way, the Torah can be seen to strongly endorse the value of public accountability.

Rashi deepens the point. He connects the word “asher” to “ashrei”, and says “fortunate is the generation whose rulers bring sin offerings”. Of course, sinning itself cannot be cause for praise. But once it is recognised that the sinning is inevitable, Rashi’s comment is readily understood: leaders who bring the sin offering, thereby submitting themselves to public accountability, demonstrate the very qualities of leadership that are both valuable and rare — humility and the capacity for introspection.

Shabbat Shalom v 16 #23 [20th March 2026] – Jews of the CBD Shabbat Shalom v 16 #23 [20th March 2026] March 20, 2026 admin JBD – Jews of the Melbourne CBD is now on LinkedIn. Follow us here. Shabbat starts on Friday at 7:14pm and ends on Saturday at 8:09pm. The weekly Torah portion is Vayikra. Mincha is now in summer recess until the end of DST in early Ap...

Shabbat Shalom v 16 #22 [13th March 2026]

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

Shabbat starts on Friday at 7:24pm and ends on Saturday at 8:20pm. The weekly Torah portion is Vayakhel-Pekudei and Parshat HaChodesh and Shabbat Mevarchim Nissan. Rosh Chodesh is on Thursday.

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 recess for next week, and will resume the following on Wed at 1.30pm at A-P GF/459 Collins – and via zoom. Current topic: dividing common property. Details here and on the WhatsApp group.

Thought of the Week with thanks to Jeremy Herz.

The end of book of Shemot can be read not merely as the completion of a building project, but as the moment when the story of the Exodus is able to get back on track. The sin of the Golden Calf had shattered the relationship between G-d and the Jews. Yet, as Rav Menachem Leibtag explains, the completion of the Mishkan marks a return to G-d’s original plan after the Exodus: first, the giving of the Torah; and second, the journey to Israel.

That helps explain the slightly peculiar framing of the final verses of Shemot. They describe the glory of G-d filling the Mishkan and the Cloud of Glory covering it, as well as the function of the Cloud to guide Jews on their journey.

It’s clear that with G-d’s presence returning to dwell among the people, there is a reformation of the covenant. But the closing verses point in two directions at once. They point to the Book of Vayikra, which begins with G-d calling to Moshe from the Mishkan. Now that G-d’s presence fills the Mishkan, He can continue giving the laws to Moshe after the post-Golden Calf hiatus. And they also point forward to the Book of Bamidbar, because the same Cloud resting on the Mishkan will now lift to signal when the Jews must travel through the wilderness toward Israel.

The end of Shemot is therefore a pivot. The covenant is restored, and the two tracks of the Exodus story can resume – revelation of the Torah and the journey to the Land of Israel.

Shabbat Shalom v 16 #22 [13th March 2026] – Jews of the CBD Shabbat Shalom v 16 #22 [13th March 2026] March 13, 2026 admin JBD – Jews of the Melbourne CBD is now on LinkedIn. Follow us here. Shabbat starts on Friday at 7:24pm and ends on Saturday at 8:20pm. The weekly Torah portion is Vayakhel-Pekudei and Parshat HaChodesh and Shabbat Mevarchim Nissan. Ros...