From the Senior Vice President
Max Freedman
e: admin@greatsynagogue.org.au
Dear Friends,
It was wonderful to be able host 130 Israeli tourists who attended shabbat service last week. With well over 200 in shul it was lovely to see and hear everyone joining in the service, admiring our beautiful building and adding to the life of our community. Our thanks for their sponsorship of the kiddush and to the Women's Auxiliary who did a tremendous job with the catering.
Judaica Stamps: Call for a keen philatelist’s assistance.
Our museum holds a large collection of some 700 stamps (1948-1980s) with Jewish themes. Some are new issues, some used & stamped, in countries of the world, incl. Israel, Poland, former Czechoslovakia, Germany, France…
Visually, they are united by a clear theme of Jewish history, religion, architecture, art, objects and architecture. Many stamps feature commemoration of important events of Jewish past.
We are looking for a keen volunteer familiar with the Excel program to type up a simple catalogue and scan the images.
If you can help, please contact the office on admin@greatsynagogue.org.au or call 9267 2477.
Mazel Tov to Arnold Shroot who is celebrating his 80th birthday. We thank him for his contribution to this week's kiddush and invite you to join us with a "l'chaim" to Arnold. Also marking their birthdays are Sharon Schach and Gary Elsass.
Congratulations to Adele & David Rosalky who are marking their wedding anniversary this shabbat along with Gary Elsass and Stephen Marks who are marking their bar mitzvah anniversary.
To our members who are unwell we wish you Refuah Shlema and those marking a yahrzeit Long Life.
Shabbat Shalom.
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From The Rabbi
Rabbi Dr Benjamin Elton
e: admin@greatsynagogue.org.au
DVAR TORAH – Vayechi 5785
Hinda and I send good wishes from Thailand where we are halfway through our family holiday. As we are not in shule in person we wish mazal tov to all those celebrating a happy occasion and long life to those marking a yahrzeit.
We will not only finish a book of the Torah this week, the Book of Bereshit, but also a whole cycle of the narrative of the Torah. Vayechi is clearly not a proper ending, because the Israelites are in Egypt. We have to wait until next week, and the start of the Book of Shemot, before events truly take a turn for the worse and the Israelites are enslaved, but even now we know that something is not quite right. Jacob and his sons are living outside Canaan, what will become the Land of Israel. They are not in the land promised to their ancestor Abraham as the home for his descendants, and therefore the story cannot be at an end. Rabbi Sacks remarked on this feature of biblical books: they never end at the end.
Nevertheless, there is an element of completion. All twelve of Jacob’s sons gather round his deathbed for their father’s final words to them, sometimes described as blessings, but also insights, guidance, warnings and encouragement. This is the first time there has been family unity in the Book of Bereshit, and it takes until the very end to get there. If we review the events of the Book, this becomes clear. Adam’s son Cain killed his brother Abel. Ham assaulted his father Noah, and was cursed. Abraham parted ways with his nephew Lot and his son Ishmael. Jacob fled form his brother Esau and even after they were reconciled they parted ways.
Joseph and his brothers fell out, but in Jacob’s final moments we see not only formal forgiveness but also physical unity, as they all stood together with their father. We do not know exactly how warm the feelings were between the brothers. It is clear that Joseph’s brothers were still worried about his attitude towards them, so there was clearly some wariness, but they were able to manage those feelings sufficiently to get along.
Nachmanides explains that one of the functions of the Book of Bereshit is to teach proper conduct which precedes the detailed and formal requirements of the Law, if so what is this closing scene of the Book teaching us?
First, that we should always aim for reconciliation. It might take a long time, but we should never give up and always work towards it. If we do that conscientiously then maybe it won’t take so long after all. Secondly, even if that reconciliation is not complete, even if there are still wrinkles and rough edges, it is still worth while. Nothing human is ever perfect and no wound disappears without a scar, but we can live with scars, and they fade over time, but we cannot function with gaping wounds.
Finally, what we do today is not only for ourselves but has an impact on the future. The Israelites, the descendants of those twelve brothers, were about to go through the most testing time as they were enslaved. Could they have survived it as a divided nation? The peace that was made before their father died enabled their descendants to endure their sufferings in Egypt and remain intact, able to be redeemed. Every time we make peace amongst ourselves we do not just make life better for ourselves in the present but for everyone who follows us, and that should be an incentive to do all we can to work in that direction.
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