Torah Portion:	Bereshit
Synagogue:	Blake Street (Orthodox, moderate)
Walking time from home:	40 minutes, in the rain
Reason for going:	Speaker from overseas
Kiddush:	Plentiful and delicious with two cakes!

The first Torah portion of the year is a good opportunity to start something new, and thus I am starting this blog, where each week before Monday morning I will be posting about the synagogue I went to and the experience I had there. For me, going to synagogue has become a weekly obligation, particularly on a Shabbat morning, but as a result of my experiences and pursuits over the last decade or so here and abroad, I now go to a different synagogue each week irrespective of the denomination. Sure, the majority are and will always be orthodox, but that is largely because I live in Melbourne, Australia, where the majority of shules in all of our major cities are orthodox, though of varying degrees.

This week I went to Blake Street, one of the moderate orthodox ones with a very modern and dynamic young rabbi who is American and not Chabad. His sister was in town from Israel, and it is often guest speakers that draw me in. The shule however is also one of the ones I like because the rabbi and assistant rabbi are friendly and engaging, the shule always makes an effort to include women within orthodox strictures, and most importantly, the people are friendly and welcoming.

The sermon was delivered by Atarah Eis from Nishmat in Israel, who for all intents and purposes is the female equivalent of a rabbi and is actually called a Yoetzet. She teaches, sermonises and gives religious advice, but does so mostly to women and specifically on issues related to female sexuality. She does however teach other elements of Torah to everyone and her address was largely about the concept and centrality of water, and why it is so critical not just in life, but in the first Torah portion of the year. 

It was particularly poignant to hear this sermon about water given that most people walked to shule in the rain. Though it cleared up later in the day, it was raining in Melbourne most of the morning and this past week has seen record flooding north of the city, with more rain on the forecast. Her words about water and rain were equally noteworthy and jarring, in part because during the festival of Shmini Atzeret last week, the prayer for rain (for the northern hemisphere) was inserted into the service, and this was the first Shabbat when that prayer was recited, whilst the rain was coming down outside. 

The portion of Bereshit is always exciting because it is nice to open the Torah book on the first page and follow along right from the start. The first reading was read by a 15-year-old who missed his  bar mitzvah two years ago so this was his first opportunity to celebrate with his family and friends. As such, the kiddush was bigger than usual, and by late in the service, when the rain cleared, so was the crowd.

It was nice for me to be in synagogue for a celebration, and in such a welcoming one. It was also nice to hear a learned  woman address a relevant topic from the pulpit in an orthodox environment. This week, like most weeks, I have lots of events and activities, and thus I am already looking forward to a new synagogue experience next Shabbat.