Shabbat Vaetchanan
Shabbat takes precedence over mourning
Sivan Rahav-Meir
“All the holidays on the Jewish calendar are happy occasions. Hanukkah, Pesach, Sukkot, Shavuot, Purim - even Yom Kippur, a day of purification and forgiveness. But there is one annual occasion that is not happy - Tisha B'Av, the 9th of Av. We fast, read the book of Lamentations, sit on the floor, and recite kinot (elegies). This day, on which the Holy Temple was destroyed, is the climax of the period known as Bein HaMeitzarim ("Between the Straits"), three weeks when many customs associated with mourning are observed.
But this year, everyone will eat and drink and be happy on the 9th of Av. This is because the 9th of Av will fall on Shabbat, and Shabbat postpones the fast until the 10th of Av. Thus, the fast will commence on Motzei Shabbat, when Shabbat is over, and will conclude on Sunday night.
This is not just a technical detail. It is a halacha (Torah law) that reveals a deep truth: The holiness of Shabbat overrides the pain of the destruction. We prefer to delay mourning and give priority to happiness. Holiness triumphs over sadness.”
UPCOMING EVENTS- SAVE THE DATES!
Hebrew Club is back! After a very successful first class we are excited to continue teaching the wonderful Kadimah students conversational Hebrew.
COMMUNITY LUNCH- THIS SHABBAT! Bring your loved ones and join a delicious lunch with our very loved community members. Please sign up via THIS LINK- https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ahc-community-lunch-1308-tickets-390928857737
Lunchh & Learn At Shalom Court- On Thursday the 18th we will be visiting Shalom Court for a fun Lunch and Learn and look forward to seeing all the Shalom Court residents and visitors. Please spread the word to anyone who may be interested.
BAR IVRIT- If your 18+ and haven’t been finding the right program to join, BAR IVRIT is for you! Join us for a night filled with laughter, beer and conversations in Hebrew (which will be awesome once we have all had some beers). Please RSVP at the Shlichim if you are planning on attending.
BogSem 2022- With 8 signups NZ will be ATTENDING BIG TIME this years BogSem in Melbourne. We are very excited to be sending some of the most amazing Bogrim and look forward to hearing about all their fun experiences when they return.
Limmud 2022 - Wellington!
This year’s Limmud will be in Wellington, August 27-28. We can’t wait to participate and have enjoyed being part of the programme planning. We encourage you all to attend Limmud - a Shabbat together in Wellington as a community sounds great to us!!
Last weeks first Hebrew class!
It was a fun and exciting first Hebrew class this week!
With a great group of kids, we learnt how to use our Hebrew while baking Hebrew letter cookies.
Together we learnt the Hebrew names of the ingredients, how they are used in sentences and then baked Hebrew letters!
It was yummy, fun and most important, filled with Hebrew!
Celebrating our classes being back, we handed out a fun surprise, courtesy of JNF-KKL-yoyos! (yup, they still exist).
Looking forward to seeing this sweet group every week and hoping to have some great conversations IN HEBREW by the end of the term.
Refuah Shlema to all community members feeling sick or needing extra care. We have loved visiting some of you this week and are hoping to visit all of you when suits and when everyone is well enough. Until we see you again, know we are thinking of you all and missing seeing your faces in our community!
Wishing you all a Shavua Tov and Shabbat Shalom!
The Fogels
If you haven’t joined the community’s WhatsApp group to be updated about all the upcoming events, youth activities, Shabbat programmes, bravery notices and more - now’s the time!!
Mikveh Notice:
Please note you can book the mikveh through Rachel at the office. If you require a Balanit, please reach out to Elisheva in advance.
Generously supported by the Joyce Fisher Charitable Trust