ד"בס

Mizrachi Matters can now be found on the Mizrachi website at http://mizrachi.com.au/mizrachi-matters/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MizrachiMelb

MIZRACHI MATTERS – PARSHAT VAYETZE Friday, 6 December (8 Kislev)

Mincha & Ma’ariv: 6:45pm1 Candle Lighting: 7:05-7:10pm Dvar Torah: R’ Danny Mirvis

Mincha & Ma’ariv: 7:15pm3 Later Candle Lighting: 8:12pm

Dvar Torah: R’ Mottel Krasnjanski

This week’s newsletter is generously sponsored by Alan Shnider on the occasion of his daughter Natalie Chana’s engagement to William Charles Cubbison (Will) in Israel.

Friday 6 December

8 Kislev

Saturday 7 December

9 Kislev

Sunday 8 December

10 Kislev

Monday 9 December

11 Kislev

Tuesday 10 December

12 Kislev

Wednesday 11 December

13 Kislev

Thursday 12 December

14 Kislev

Friday 13 December

15 Kislev 1. Beit Yehuda 2. Kehillat Ohr David 3. Beit Midrash (Beit Haroeh Shabbat Morning) 4 . Bnei Akiva 5 . Elsternwick 6 . Midrashah 7 . Goldberger Hall

Shacharit 6:30am1; 7:00am2

7:30am1 7:30am1

9:30am1,2,3,4 7:00am1; 8:00am1:

9:00am4

6:20am1; 7:00am2 7:30am1

6:30am1; 7:00am2 7:30am1

6:30am1; 7:00am2 7:30am1

6:20am1; 7:00am2 7:30am1

6:30am1; 7:00am2 7:30am1

Dawn 4:40am 4:40am 4:40am 4:40am 4:40am 4:40am 4:40am 4:40am Tallit & Tefillin 4:49am 4:49am 4:49am 4:49am 4:49am 4:49am 4:49am 4:49am Sunrise 5:52am 5:52am 5:52am 5:52am 5:52am 5:52am 5:52am 5:52am Sh'ma (גר״א) 9:31am 9:31am 9:31am 9:31am 9:32am 9:32am 9:32am 9:32am Earliest Mincha 1:48pm 1:49pm 1:49pm 1:50pm 1:50pm 1:51pm 1:51pm 1:51pm Mincha Early Shabbat Candles

6:45pm 7:05-7:10pm 6:50pm

7:10-7:15pm Mincha / Maa'riv 7:15pm3 8:00pm1 6:55pm1 6:55pm1 6:55pm1 6:55pm1 6:55pm1 7:15pm1 Plag HaMincha (גר״א) 6:59pm 6:59pm 7:00pm 7:01pm 7:02pm 7:02pm 7:03pm 7:04pm Sunset 8:30pm 8:31pm 8:32pm 8:33pm 8:34pm 8:35pm 8:35pm 8:36pm Night/Shabbat Ends 9:18pm 9:19pm 9:20pm 9:21pm 9:22pm 9:22pm 9:23pm 9:24pm Second Ma'ariv 9:30pm 9:30pm 9:30pm 9:30pm 9:30pm

DAF YOMI Niddah 44 Niddah 45 Niddah 46 Niddah 47 Niddah 48 Niddah 49 Niddah 50 Niddah 51 8:15am 8:45am 8:15am 8:15am 8:15am 8:15am 8:15am

SHIURIM

R’ Leor Broh 9:00am

R’ James Kennard 9:30am6 Drashot

R’ Chezy Deren1 R’ Danny Mirvis2

R’ Leor Broh3 Emunah Rina

Pushett Shiurim R’ James Kennard

6:00pm Parashat

HaShavua Shiur R’ James Kennard

6:50pm Daf Yomi with R’ Krasnjanski

7:00pm

“(Trying to) Truly Understand

Rashi” shiur for students & young

adults with R’ James Kennard

8:30pm

Kli Yakar on the Parsha for women

R’ Danny Mirvis 9:30am6 Tzurba

Communal Shiur R’ Yehoshua

Asulin for men & women

8:30pm Sefer Devarim

for women Michal Kaufman

9:00pm

Lunch and Learn R’ Danny Mirvis

1:00pm6

Gemara B’Iyun Shiur R’ Yehoshua Asulin

8:30pm

“Following in the Footsteps of our

Fathers” 11:00am

11 Morrice Street Sara Rosenfeld Gary’s Gemara

Shiur @ 8:30pm **Geoff Bloch**

Exploring Emunah Shiur Klali – “Can We Live Decently

Without Religion?” 8:30pm

Beginners Gemara Shiur for

Women with Rabbanit Ahuva

Tsykin at 8:30pm6

Lunch and Learn R’ Danny Mirvis

Lvl 28, 101 Collins St 1:00pm

Parasha Shiur (Ivrit Kala)

R’ Yehoshua Asulin 8:30pm

Advanced Gemara Shiur for

Women with Rabbanit Ahuva

Tsykin at 8:30pm6

MISHNAH YOMIT

Zevachim 14:3-4

Zevachim 14:5-6

Zevachim 14:7-8

Zevachim 14:9-10

Menachot 1:1-2

Menachot 1:3-4

Menachot 2:1-2

Menachot 2:3-4

6:35pm 7:50pm Between Mincha and Ma'ariv

Between Mincha and Ma'ariv

Between Mincha and Ma'ariv

Between Mincha and Ma'ariv

Between Mincha and Ma'ariv 6:40pm

EVENTS

MizKidz 10:45am

Bnei Akiva 5:30pm

Seudah Shlishit Tamara Bruce &

R’ James Kennard Shteigin Night

(see flyer) 10:30 – 11:30pm

Holy Bagel 9:00am

MizBubs 10:00-11:30am6

This week: Mini Rockers with Lisa

Chill n Cholent 9:45pm

YAHRZEITS

David Cook (Mother)

Mary Winter (Father)

Rosanna Leibler, Renata Gilbert,

Hanna Friedman, Ruth Gershov, Eva

Slonim and Martha Wise

(Sister) Rita Tugendhaft

(Mother)

Gloria Blau (Mother)

If you have an occasion or milestone event that you would like to be mentioned in Mizrachi Matters, please email it to office@mizrachi.com.au by 12:00pm on Thursdays

We wish a hearty Mazal Tov to:

Rebbetzin Chaya & Rabbi Chaim Cowen on the birth of their baby girl, Tova.

Mazal tov to her grandparents: Rabbi Shimon & Miriam Cowen and Yehoshua & Tzivia Israel (Sydney)

Mazal tov to her great-grandmothers: Lady Anna Cowen, Mrs Sybil Solden (Sydney) & Mrs Helen Israel (Sydney)

Leah & Benji Levy on the birth of their baby boy.

Mazal tov to his grandparents: Megan & David Levy and Janice & Jeffrey Lederman

Laurelle & Gilad Ritz on the birth of their baby son, Levi.

Mazal tov to his grandparents: Morris Ritz and David & Helen Kobritz Mazal tov to his great-grandparents: Minnie Ritz, Jack & Esther Shnaier

Natalie Shnider & Will Cubbison on the occasion of their engagement in Israel.

Mazal Tov to their parents: Helen Shnider, Alan Shnider and Pam & Jim Rehbock (USA) Mazal Tov to their grandparents: Millie Shnider, Rae & Mack Snider & Bill Pollack (USA)

To the incoming Federal Bnei Akiva leadership team for 2020: Merakezet: Leah Jones Rosh Chinuch: Sarah Winthrope Gizbarit: Cohava Rubenstein Sturgess Rosh PR: Alex Miller Rosh Machane: Ellie Moskow Rosh Shnat: Dinah Di Veroli

BAR / BAT MITZVAH ANNIVERSARIES: Mark Epstein, Eitan Schachna, Shmuli Wenig, Daniel Bierenkrant, Yehonatan Dodge, Michael Slonim, Ariel Elbaum, David Waysman

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Saturday: David Felman

Sunday: Caylee Werdiger Monday: Rimi Gluck

Tuesday: Hayley Rosenbaum, Mikey Teller, Shosh Kloot, Benjamin Lazar (HBD), Elliot Blau (HBD) Wednesday: Sonia Greenberger, Sharona Lindell (HBD)

Thursday: David Greenberger, Florence Pyke, Yehuda Karp, Rachel Gottlieb (HBD) Friday: Ezra Jaffe (HBD)

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES: Sunday: Karen & Peter Kacser

Monday: Miriam & Adam Feldman, Andrea & Jeremy Leibler Tuesday: Tory & Ilan Kraus

The podcasts of Rav Doron Podlashuk's weekly Tzurba shiurim are available on

Spotify, Apple podcasts and Google podcasts.

From the Gush Rav Moshe Taragin Parshat Vayetze - The Value of a Work Ethic

Prior to fleeing his murderous brother, Ya’akov’s life was peaceful and serene. He reveled

in the “tents” of study exploring God’s word and pondering the deeper meaning of life.

However, life had other plans in store for this quiet scholar. Hurriedly traveling to his

mother’s homeland, Ya’akov is quickly put to work by his future father in law. Constantly

tussling with his swindling father in law, he successfully shepherds flocks of sheep for

upwards of twenty years. Despite his father in laws dishonesty, Yaakov displays integrity

and decency. In the section of his sefer “Yad Chazakah” which details the laws of labor

and the workplace (Hilchot Sechirut), the Rambam presents Ya’akov as the paradigm of

honesty and fairness in the workplace. Though constantly manipulated by his employer,

Ya’akov remains honorable and principled. Given the fact that in the modern economy we

spend half our day in the workplace, it is critical to extend our religious values to that

realm. If we experience our Judaism solely in our homes, shuls and study halls, we are

living a shrunken or contracted religious experience.

In addition to integrity, Ya’akov displays an extraordinary work ethic. After toiling seven

long years to wed to marry Le’ah, he doesn’t miss a beat and works another seven to wed

Rachel. Toward the end of this entire twenty-year saga he defends his work record against

Lavan’s false accusations: “I worked through both sweltering heat and freezing cold; I

labored through fatigue and sleeplessness.” Ya’akov doesn’t just model honesty in the

workplace; he also typifies the value of a work ethic.

Developing a healthy work ethic is pivotal for character improvement. Man was

placed in Eden and tasked with working and preserving this world- “l’ovdah

u’leshamrah”. Even under the ideal conditions which existed before his great sin,

Man was expected to work. Without question, after the sin the conditions of labor

became more antagonistic and harsh- as a punishment for that disobedience. At its

essence though, work isn’t a punishment as much as a foundational element of

human identity.

A work ethic is central to moral identity for several reasons. Firstly, because the alternative

– laziness and idleness is morally perilous. Chazal were quite aware of the dangers of

inactivity or languor. The Mishnah in Ketuvot (59) excuses a married woman from

domestic chores based on the number of servants the family possesses. As the family

acquires more servants her domestic workload decreases. However, even an exorbitantly

wealthy woman, with unlimited resources, isn’t fully acquitted from basic domestic chores.

That condition would yield aimlessness and transgression. Parallel statements in Chazal

underscore the danger of indolence for men.

In a scathing critique, Rav Tzadok Hacohen – the great 19th century Polish Hassidic Rebbe-

traced the moral dysfunction of the generation of the flood to their excessive amount of

leisure time. Their world was abundantly fertile and one year’s labor produced harvest to

last forty years. Laden with leisure time but without the wisdom to productively utilize

this resource, they tumbled into a moral abyss. The question of leisure time is certainly

one which haunts modern Man, as technology has alleviated us from much of work-load

which our ancestors bore. It is obvious that society hasn’t properly exploited this leisure

time in a constructive or beneficial fashion.

However, a healthy work ethic is vital not only because it protects a person from the

dangers of indolence and idleness. Hard work and successful completion of tasks ennobles

human character and develops several vital qualities. Firstly, it steers us away from

personal interest and selfishness toward selflessness and generosity. Ideally, our hard

work assists others while our leisure is self-serving. Hard work can often develop generous

spirit and self- sacrifice. Secondly, work – at almost every level- demands some degree of

creativity. Even manual labor calls upon Man’s innate desire and ability to create

something new. Our creative capacity is a Divine gift and when that creativity is

squandered God’s gift is wasted. Additionally, work allows us to taste self-sufficiency – a

profoundly satisfying experience. The gemara in Bava Metzia (38) highlights the obvious:

everyone prefers benefits personally earned over gifts which are freely lavished without

any personal effort. We prefer the product of ou own handiwork even if those benefits are

more modest than the potential gifts of others. The ability to be self-sufficient and to

successfully perform and complete tasks provides self-esteem and personal confidence.

Finally, hard work allows us to “produce” rather than ‘devour’. The modern world of bounty

has redefined humans as “consumers”. Our economy is calibrated based upon the

“consumer” price index while the market gyrates based on “consumer” confidence levels.

Human beings aren’t meant to be “consumers” but rather “producers”. The bizarre

cultural frenzy surrounding “Black Friday” showcases the dangers of unbridled

consumerism. Of course, to successfully produce we must also consume but production,

and not consumption should form the heart of our identity. Work assures that we view

ourselves primarily as producers and not consumers. In addition to avoiding the dangers

of idleness work refines and perfects numerous qualities of human experience.

Finally, hard work reinforces a “pact” between God and Man. Infinite and perfect, God

could easily have created a perfect world without defect and without dependence upon

human participation. However, He intentionally left his world imperfect, inviting human

efforts to complement Divine creation. God invites us to become His partner and through

our hard work we fortify that partnership. Perhaps no venture better underscored this

desired partnership than the mishkan project. You would think that a building so holy

should be crafted in Heaven and delivered supernaturally to the Jewish people. Yet the

presence of God could only dwell amongst humans as a product of a human effort and the

partnership between man and his Creator. Working hard clinches our role as human

complements to an intentionally designed imperfect world.

R E F L E C T I O N S

O N T H E E M U N A H

M I S S I O N T O I S R A E L

Sat 7 Dec 2019  •  9:30 PM

21 Aroona Road

J O I N U S F O R A F U N N I G H T A S W E S H A R E T H E I N S P I R A T I O N

D R I N K S A N D S N A C K S

Inviting all parents and Grandparents to bring their 0 - 3 year olds.

STARTING SOON!TUESDAY MORNINGS | 10-11:30AM | MIDRASHA, MIZRACHI | 81 BALACLAVA ROAD

for more details, please contact Lauri Goodhardt on 0401 437 044or Rae in the Mizrachi Office

COME JOIN US!

5$ DONATION

בס’ד

Inviting all parents and Grandparents to bring their 0 - 3 year olds.

STARTING SOON

Tuesday Mornings | 10-11:30am | Midrasha, Mizrachi | 81 Balaclava Road

26NOV

Yoga withDafna

10DEC

Mini-Rockerswith Lisa

03DEC

Debra theZebra

for more details, please contact Lauri Goodhardt on 0401 437 044or Rae in the Mizrachi Office

19NOV

Charlene from YavnehMini-Rockers with Lisa

בס’’ד

DATES FOR THE 2020 BAT MITZVAH PROGRAM

Sessions will be held in the Mizrachi Midrasha (81 Balaclava Rd)Sundays 6:30pm - 7:30pm

FEB09

FEB16

FEB23

MAR01

MAR08

MAR15

MAY16

Bat Mitzvah Seudah ShlishitShabbat Parshat Behar Bechukotai שבת פרשת בהר בחוקותי

MAR22

MAR29

APR26

MAY03

LEARNING, EXPLORING AND EXPERIENCING WAYS TO CONNECT TO YOUR SPECIAL DAY

THE MIDRASHA’S BAT MITZVAH PROGRAM

LEARNING, EXPLORING AND EXPERIENCING WAYS TO CONNECT TO YOUR SPECIAL DAY

THE MIDRASHA’S BAT MITZVAH PROGRAM

בס’’ד

We are excited to announce MissMiz, the Midrasha’s Bat Mitzvah Program for 2020.

Your daughters will participate in a series of exciting sessions that aim to strengthen their love for Judaism, build their knowledge of Tanach and Halacha and connect with their Jewish roots and community.

For more information and to enroll please callAvital on 0423471992

COSTThe program costs $200 for Mizrachi Members and $250 for Non-Mizrachi Members- inclusive of materials.

DATESSee the attached calendarfor dates and time.