Parashat Bamidbar / Shavuot
Rabbi’s Drosh
Our hearts and prayers are with Am Yisrael and Midinat Yisrael - Friends, Family, Soldiers, Civilians - all our brothers and sisters. May Hashem protect them and strengthen them.
The name of this week’s Parasha is Bamidbar, or ‘in the desert’. This is the Parasha that always falls immediately before Shavuot.
We read in Jerimiah, “I remember the kindness of your youth, that you followed me into the desert“. This beautiful verse acknowledges the trust that the people of Israel had for Hashem in being willing to go into the desert and face total uncertainty and vulnerability.
Is it really true that as we get older we become less willing to try new things?
The bad news is the research shows that we do in fact become less willing to try new things as we get older. The good news is that - according to a Norwegian study in 2020 - the tipping point is around 53 years old! The key to overcoming this, says reearcher Professor Sigmundsson, is to force yourself to keep trying new things. He explains it is case of “if you don’t use it, you lose it!“.
This year’s line up of speakers for Shavuot contains a variety of people and topics. For some of them it is their first time speaking in front of the community! Want to learn something new? Come join us - I guarantee you will!
We are never too old to learn Torah. The great Rabbi Akiva only began to learn the Hebrew alphabet at the age of 40. Our inspiring new member Shirley only started learning Hebrew and Jewish law in her late 70s! Yet for those studying Torah their whole lives, there is always still more to learn.
The Jewish people followed Hashem to the desert in their youth, and yet the fact that we are still here today flung in every corner of the earth, shows that we are still following Hashem into metaphorical deserts in our old age as a nation as well!
We have a long and often tragic history of being forced to learn new things. In every few generations we have had to start again. We have to learn new languages and cultures, reinvent ourselves and try new things. Yet in every place we have gone, even at the end of the world in New Zealand, Jews build little oases of community.
There is an interesting Midrash which says that Hashem said to the Jewish people, “How can you even call this a desert with all I provided you with“. By the times the Jewish people had all their needs provided for and divine protection, along with closeness to Hashem, it was no longer a desert!
If we keep learning together and keep trying new things, we can turn any desert into an oasis!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Friedler
The Friedlers’ Highlights
Getting Geared Up for LIMMUD!
We have been getting ready for this year’s LIMMUD, preparing our sessions and looking forward to an exciting line up of speakers and topics. To register and for more details, click the link below.
Celebrating with Mike and a Surprise!
We celebrated Mike Silverman’s Bar Mitzvah Anniversary this week with a special surprise visit from Mia and the boys! Mazel Tov Mike!!!
If you have a Bar Mitzvah anniversary coming up and would like to celebrate, please get in touch! You can have a call up, read the Haftorah, and/or host a Kiddush.
Chatan and Kallah Classes
We completed our Zoom learning this week for our brides and grooms. If you or someone you know is getting married, don’t forget to book in your classes! Class content includes how to prepare for the chuppah, the structure of the ceremony, to the obligations included in the katuba, to practicalities of the Jewish wedding and marriage , and details about family purity and married life.
A Mezuzah for Your Business!
This week I visited AO Air on a very special mission…to put up a Mezuzah! It is not just our homes that can do with the divine protection of a Mezuzah, but our offices and businesses too. May the new Mezuzah bring blessings and success for AO Air.
Silver Club
It was wonderful to be with our friends from Silverclub and Shalom Court this week. A huge thank you to Maxine for organising this. If you would like more information about upcoming Silverclub speakers and events, you can contact Maxine via the link below.
Yom Yerushalayim
Deb presented about Yom Yerushalayim this week! To see an amazing clip from the presentation about the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967, please click on the link below.
Robbie, Mark and Grant Sign their Katubot
This was the first time in my life I had the honour of preparing three Katubot for one day! When preparing the marriage contracts which we use for weddings at the AHC, I have the privilege of working with the Sydney Beit Din to ensure all the documentation meets the halachic standards. Thank you to Rabbi Gutnick for his guidance and support.
A Triple Simcha - The Power of Three!
The number three is powerful in Judasim:
There were three patriarchs
Jews pray three times a days
Abraham was visited by three angels following his circumcision at the age of 99
The Torah was given in the third month.
The Tanach is made up of three parts.
There are three parties in a Jewish Marriage - The bride, the groom and Hashem!
Words cannot describe the power of the celebration for the White, Mackie and Benedicto families this week as we joined together for three back-to-back weddings at one giant simcha! Mazel Tov! Mazel Tov! Mazel Tov!