The Brisbane Synagogue

Archive for May, 2020

In light of the easing of Covid 19 Federal and Qld State restrictions, many of our members and friends have been requesting information regarding the re-opening of the Brisbane Synagogue for onsite services. You may be aware of the recent ruling of the Sydney Beth Din in this regard for NSW. We wish to assure you that the health and wellbeing of our congregants and community is paramount and our main priority and therefore we and the board of management take this matter very seriously. Over the next week, the Shul board will consider our specific circumstances, in consultation with local medical practitioners, and information in this regard will be distributed to you  s about this in the coming week.

What a nachas (pleasure) it was to be part of the historical Lag Ba’omer unity event this past Monday evening.  Usually our respective Lag Ba’Omer celebrations are limited by space, however this year the cyberspace venue afforded us all the amazing opportunity to unite together with virtually no limits.

The feedback from this unprecedented event in ANZ Jewish history and has been tremendous and how lovely it was to see and hear about the participation of so many of our local community members in this event.

An immediate follow-up initiative has been launched urging the Jewish communities of Australia and New Zealand to collectively commit to 18,000 acts of kindness. “We cannot allow the inspiration to dissipate without translating it into making this world a better place,” said a spokesperson for the organizing committee. “We must allow the spiritual high we’ve all felt over the past 24 hours to inspire our acts of altruism and to strengthen our Jewish traditions.”

Please consider taking upon yourself an additional Mitzvah in this regard, particularly in the lead-up to Shavuot, the festival of the Torah, and Bikurim, the Biblical Temple times tradition of presenting our first fruits to Hashem.

In this week’s Pirkei Avos, (ethics of the fathers) we read of the ten miracles in the Bet Hamikdash – ancient Temple, among them is the phenomena: Omdim tz’fufim u’mishtachavim re’vachim, “They stood crowded but had ample space in which to prostrate themselves.” According to one of the famous commentators, known as the Rashbatz (R. Shmuel Betzalel Sheftel), although this was miraculous, the concept must have already existed within nature, because “there’s nothing new under the sun.” He likens it to pouring water into a bucket of sand; the bucket seems full to capacity, but miraculously there is room for the water. Virtual reality is an even better example: A 60cm mobile phone screen can contain thousands of people from all over the world, participating together in a single event!

This week we conclude the third book of the Torah, Vayikra – Leviticus, following which we traditionally pronounce Chazak Chazak Venitchazek – ‘be strong, be strong, let’s be strong’. The English translation of the word Vayikra is ‘and He called’. As we begin to transition back into society, from of our collective physical isolation, let this whole experience serve as a calling to us all, with the help Hashem, to remain healthy and emerge stronger and wiser than the manner in which we entered Covid 19 towards the end of the book of Exodus, and be inspired by a new sense of Covod – respect towards Hashem and to each other.

Please join us for our weekly Erev Shabbat Zoom session this afternoon at 4.15pm.  Please be aware that, in order to participate you need to download the Zoom app to your computer or mobile phone. All welcome!

We wish all those in need of a Refuah Shlemah – speedy recovery, much good health and long life.

We wish you and your family Shabbat Shalom .

Levi and Dvorah Jaffe

Today is Pesach Sheni – the second Pesach – Passover, which takes place exactly one month after Pesach (Passover), reminding us that it is never too late and, if we fail to achieve success the first time round, we always have another opportunity to improve and make things right. It is customary to eat Matzah on this day and to reflect on the message of the day.

In the spirit of Pesach Sheni, for those of you who missed the opportunity to join our informative and enlightening ‘Judaism at Home’ Zoom JLI course, which commenced last Wednesday, we are offering another opportunity for you to join this course, as we are conducting a repeat lesson this Sunday evening at 7.30pm. Please note that the remaining four sessions of this class will take place on Thursday evening instead of Wednesday. Please see information below regarding this course and a second inspirational course entitled ‘Positivity Bias’, which commences this coming Monday evening at 7.30pm.

Last Motzoey Shabbat – Saturday evening, during a zoom Farbrengen with a few colleagues from around Australia and NZ an idea was floated to have Jews from across Australia and New Zealand come together for an epic Lag Ba’omer event. What better time to arrange such an event with everyone quarantined at home.

With only nine days to go, a dynamic team of communal activists began planning, and within a few days a ground swell of traction began to emerge, attracting support from over 150 Australia and New Zealand Jewish organisations, spanning the entire spectrum of Jewish life, including Synagogues, Schools, Youth Groups,  Social Groups, Women’s Organisations, Sports Clubs, and more, all enthusiastically coming on board, and encouraging their members, communities and subscribers to become part of this historic event.
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The aim of this project is to bring together at least 18,000 Jews online, for 18 minutes of unity on Lag Ba’omer, which is celebrated on the 18th day of the month of Iyar at 18:00 (AEST- 6pm). The significance of ’18’, in Hebrew, Chai, meaning ‘life’ is apt, as bringing together so many Jewish people in unity on such a day will surely invigorate our community.with much added life and energy in these trying times.
Please join this unprecedented historical event and spread the word among your family and friends.

Lag Baomer is about Jewish Unity. let us all together make this Lag Boomer the most unifying and uplifting one in ANZ Jewish history.

In light of the State Government’s easing of Covid 19 restrictions from this weekend, please ensure that you adhere to the various regulations in this regard for the safety of everyone.

Please join us for our weekly Erev Shabbat Zoom session this afternoon at 4.15pm via the following link: https://zoom.us/j/ Please be aware that, in order to participate you need to download the Zoom app to your computer or mobile phone. All welcome!

We wish all those in need of a Refuah Shlemah – speedy recovery, much good health and long life.

We wish you and your family Shabbat Shalom and happy Pesach Sheni.

Levi and Dvorah Jaffe