Friday, 16 January 2026

Tzetl: Shabbos Va'eira & Mevarchim Shevat

7:17pm - Early candle lighting
8:26pm - Candle Lighting, Friday
9:28pm - Havdalah, Saturday
(Melbourne Australia)
Eruv Status: TBA cosv.org.au/eruv/
Good Shabbos!


Laws and Customs

This Shabbat is Shabbat Mevarchim ("the Shabbat that blesses" the new month): a special prayer is recited blessing the Rosh Chodesh ("Head of the Month") of upcoming month of Shevat, which falls on Monday of next week.

Prior to the blessing, we announce the precise time of the molad, the "birth" of the new moon. Click here for molad times.


Please click here to view the Yeshivah Shule Tzetel for Shabbos Mevorchim Shevat Parshas Voera. Please click here to view the PDFs of Weekly Publications.


LAMPLIGHTER

ZICHRON YAAKOV

PARSHAH IN A NUTSHELL
Exodus 6:2–9:35
The name of the Parshah, "Va'era," means "and I appeared" and it is found in Exodus 6:3.

G‑d reveals Himself to Moses. Employing the "four expressions of redemption," take out the Children of Israel from Egypt, deliver them from their enslavement, redeem them, and acquire them as His own chosen people at "Mount Sinai"; He will then bring them to the land He promised to the Patriarchs as their eternal heritage.

Moses and Aaron repeatedly come before Pharaoh to demand in the name of G‑d, "Let My people go, so that they may serve Me in the wilderness." Pharaoh repeatedly refuses. Aaron's staff turns into a snake and swallows the magic sticks of the Egyptian sorcerers. G‑d then sends a series of plagues upon the Egyptians.

The waters of the Nile turn to blood; swarms of frogs overrun the land; lice infest all men and beasts. Hordes of wild animals invade the cities; a pestilence kills the domestic animals; painful boils afflict the Egyptians. For the seventh plague, fire and ice combine to descend from the skies as a devastating hail. Still, "the heart of Pharaoh was hardened and he would not let the children of Israel go, as G‑d had said to Moses."


HAFTORAH IN A NUTSHELL
Ezekiel 28:25-29:21
This week's haftorah begins with a mention of the ingathering of the exiles, echoing G‑d's promise mentioned in the Torah portion: "I will take you out of the suffering of Egypt." The prophet then goes on to discuss the decimation of Pharaoh and Egypt, reminiscent of the primary theme of the Torah portion—the devastation G‑d wrought upon Egypt.

Ezekiel begins with a description of what will occur during the ingathering of the exiles. "When I gather in the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they have been scattered, and I have been sanctified through them in the eyes of the nations, then shall they dwell on their land that I gave to My servant, to Jacob. And they shall dwell upon it securely..."

The prophet then proceeds to convey a prophecy regarding Pharaoh and Egypt, foretelling the fall of the Egyptian empire. Egypt merited this punishment for two reasons: a) They had reneged on their promise to come to Israel's aid against the attacking Babylonians. b) They had incredible arrogance, considering themselves un-reliant on G‑d, instead attributing their success to the bounty their deified Nile afforded them. Therefore, Ezekiel warns: "And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and in ruins, and they shall know that I am the Lord! Because he [Pharaoh] said, 'The river is mine, and I have made it.'" G‑d warns that the land of Egypt will be empty and desolate for forty years, after which G‑d will return the people to the land to reinhabit it, but it will no longer be an important nation to be reckoned with.

The haftorah ends with another prophecy wherein G‑d informs Ezekiel that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, will be the one to conquer Egypt and take its spoils. This as a reward for his effort in defeating the wicked nation of Tyre.


SAGES ON THE PARSHAH

G‑d spoke to Moses, and said to him: "I am G‑d. I revealed Myself to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob" (6:2–3)

G‑d said to Moses: I regret the loss of those who have passed away and are no longer found. Many times I revealed Myself to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; they did not question My ways, nor did they say to me, "What is Your name?" You, on the other hand, asked from the start, "What is Your name?" and now you are saying to Me, "You have not saved Your people!"

(Talmud, Sanhedrin 111a)

You questioned My ways, unlike Abraham, to whom I said, "Isaac shall be considered your seed," and then I said to him, "Raise him up to Me as an offering"—and still he did not question Me.

(Rashi)

more

https://w2.chabad.org/media/pdf/177/MdyY1778315.pdf




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Thursday, 15 January 2026

Jewish Childcare/Kinder

Taking Enrolments For Chabad Malvern for 2026/2027


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Employment: Office Assistant

Seeking a part time (0.6 FTE working daily if possible) office assistant for a new religious organisation (Melbourne Sofer Centre).

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For further information including job description and remuneration, please contact david@werdiger.com with a brief cover note and CV.

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Tuesday, 13 January 2026

Handyman Services

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No call out fees. Over 40 years experience in property repairs and building trade (ex UK).

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Shabbat with Chavi Israel-Block

Saturday 17 January 2026, 12pm
Shabbat with Chavi Israel-Block
Come to hear from Chavi Israel-Block, the educator, writer and founder of the empowered Jew about her personal experience at the Bondi Terror Attack after kiddush.
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Monday, 12 January 2026

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Sunday, 11 January 2026

Noach Car Rental in Israel

Get a quote here:

noachcar.co.il/form

 
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Saturday, 10 January 2026

50% Off Everything!

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Thursday, 8 January 2026

Tzetl: Shabbos Shemot

7:18pm - Early candle lighting
8:27pm - Candle Lighting, Friday
9:31pm - Havdalah, Saturday
(Melbourne Australia)
Eruv Status: TBA cosv.org.au/eruv/
Good Shabbos!


PARSHAH IN A NUTSHELL
Exodus 1:1–6:1
The name of the Parshah, "Shemot," means "Names" and it is found in Exodus 1:1 - 6:1.

The children of Israel multiply in Egypt. Threatened by their growing numbers, Pharaoh enslaves them and orders the Hebrew midwives, Shifrah and Puah, to kill all male babies at birth. When they do not comply, he commands his people to cast the Hebrew babies into the Nile.

A child is born to Yocheved, the daughter of Levi, and her husband, Amram, and placed in a basket on the river, while the baby's sister, Miriam, stands watch from afar. Pharaoh's daughter discovers the boy, raises him as her son, and names him Moses.

As a young man, Moses leaves the palace and discovers the hardship of his brethren. He sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, and kills the Egyptian. The next day he sees two Jews fighting; when he admonishes them, they reveal his deed of the previous day, and Moses is forced to flee to Midian. There he rescues Jethro's daughters, marries one of them (Tzipporah), and becomes a shepherd of his father-in-law's flocks.

G‑d appears to Moses in a burning bush at the foot of Mount Sinai, and instructs him to go to Pharaoh and demand: "Let My people go, so that they may serve Me." Moses' brother, Aaron, is appointed to serve as his spokesman. In Egypt, Moses and Aaron assemble the elders of Israel to tell them that the time of their redemption has come. The people believe; but Pharaoh refuses to let them go, and even intensifies the suffering of Israel.

Moses returns to G‑d to protest: "Why have You done evil to this people?" G‑d promises that the redemption is close at hand.


HAFTORAH IN A NUTSHELL
Isaiah 27:6–28:13; 29:22–23
This week's haftorah parallels the week's Torah reading on many levels. One of the parallels is the message of redemption conveyed by Isaiah—"and you shall be gathered one by one, O children of Israel"—that is reminiscent of the message of redemption that G‑d spoke to Moses at the burning bush, a message that Moses then communicated to Pharaoh.

The haftorah vacillates between Isaiah's prophecies concerning the future redemption, and his admonitions concerning the Jews' drunken and G‑dless behavior. Isaiah starts on a positive note: "In the coming days, Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom, filling the face of the earth . . ." He mentions G‑d's mercy for His nation, and the measure-for-measure punishment He meted out upon the Egyptians who persecuted them. And regarding the future redemption: "You shall be gathered one by one, O children of Israel. And it will come to pass on that day that a great shofar will be sounded, and those lost in the land of Assyria and those exiled in the land of Egypt will come, and they will prostrate themselves before the L‑rd on the holy mount in Jerusalem."

The prophet then proceeds to berate the drunkenness of the Ten Tribes, warning them of the punishment that awaits them. "With the feet they shall be trampled, the crown of the pride of the drunkards of Ephraim . . ."

The haftorah ends on a positive note: "Now Jacob will no longer be ashamed, and now his face will not pale. For when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst, who shall sanctify My name . . . and the G‑d of Israel they will revere."


SAGES ON THE PARSHAH

Joseph died, and all his brothers, and all that generation (1:6)

Joseph, who lived 110 years, was the shortest-lived of the brothers; Levi, who lived 137, was the longest-lived. Hence, the enslavement of Israel, which began after Levi's death, was no longer than 116 years (the period from Levi's passing to the Exodus), and no shorter than 86, the age of Miriam at the time of the Exodus (Miriam, meaning "bitterness," was so named on account of the bitterness of the exile).

(Seder Olam)

"Loathe positions of authority" (Ethics of the Fathers 1:10), for they bury those who hold them. Was not Joseph among the youngest of his brothers? Yet he was the first of them to die.

(Avot d'Rabbi Natan)

https://w2.chabad.org/media/pdf/60496.pdf




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Pesach in the Yarra Valley

B"H

Join us for Pesach in Yarra Valley (1 hour drive from Melbourne), surrounded by lush greenery, Vineyards and a beautiful golf course, catered by International Chefs Aviv Moshe and Zachi Moyal and the full hotel team including its head Chef. 

Special Programs: Medical and Legal Conferences. 

24 Hour Security.

For more info call/whatsapp Udi Antian +61499770940



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Wednesday, 7 January 2026

Property: Room rental

Room rental in North Caulfield 

Room rental available from end of January for a few months (maybe longer).

Must be male occupant who keeps shabbos and kashrus.

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Tuesday, 6 January 2026

Handyman Services

For all your handyman jobs I am your man. No job too small or too big. Leaking taps, blocked gutters, joinery, kitchen doors and units, broken fences, Brocken locks? I can fix it.

No call out fees. Over 40 years experience in property repairs and building trade (ex UK).

Moshe Sadia 0451930432, 0406698353 jackiesadia@yahoo.co.uk

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Thank you to our sponsors: see emmanuelsemail.com.au/p/publicityextras.html

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Sunday, 4 January 2026

Safari Pesach Retreat 2026

Rabbi Ari & Batya Kievman
The Pesach Retreat Team
📱 +27 72 801 7491 | +27 79 434 1293

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Personal Driver




Ari Ayzenbach
Mobile: +61499738179
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Saturday, 3 January 2026

Join Sar-El... Volunteer on an IDF army base!

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Go to www.sarelaustralia.com to find out more information and apply.
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Tel. 0409374831 or WhatsApp
sarelaustralia@gmail.com

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