Torah Portion:	Tetzaveh
Synagogue:	Glen Eira Chabad
Walking time from home:	Almost 40 minutes
Reason for going:	An invitation to lunch nearby
Kiddush:	Large and diverse

Although I believe I have been to every synagogue in Melbourne at least once, there are some that I go back to more often than others. Then there are others, like Glen Eira Chabad, that I rarely go to on Shabbat. I have been there recently for an event, but my last Shabbat service at Glen Eira Chabad was almost a decade ago for a Bar Mitzvah. So this week, with a lunch invitation nearby, it was a good opportunity to revisit this community. And I know the shule well. My nieces go to Hebrew classes there, and because of that relationship, during Covid lockdowns and since, the shule has been delivering packages to their house before every festival for the last three or four years despite the fact that my sister’s family are not members of the shule. My sister talks warmly of the rabbis and often attends special events at the shule, so I know they are very caring and active.

That caring relationship manifested as soon as I walked in. The rabbi – who I barely know – effusively shook my hand and welcomed me like a regular. Then one of the other rabbis did the same. On top of that, I was immediately welcomed by a regular congregant who directed me to a seat, and then throughout the morning I kept seeing familiar faces, some of whom I haven’t seen for ages. Like it is in most shules for me, it was very comfortable and familiar.

By the end of the Torah reading, the shule was heaving, in large part because apart from the portion of the week, this week was also Zachor – a special reading for the Shabbat before Purim, and one that many people make an effort to hear. As the rabbi explained, although it is about the obliteration of the Amalekites, it is also about the fulfilment of prophecies and commandments, and thus has an important lesson.

As for the portion of the week itself, this is the first one since the birth of Moses that he isn’t mentioned. The usual explanation is that after the sin of the Golden Calf, Moses asked for the people to be forgiven, and if they were not forgiven, he asked for his name to be removed from the narrative, so this is one section where his name is missing. In a sense this shows his humility and shows how much he cares about the people. But another explanation is that when Moses is referred to by name, it is only ever in the third person. In this portion he is referenced by the word ‘you’, which is actually more direct and maybe more profound. So although his name is missing per his request, the character of Moses still looms large as he is the ultimate leader looking after his people.

As the same time, part of the portion is about the garments of the priests. One of the questions asked is why do priests needs special garments, and why is so much Torah real estate taken up with the intricacies of the garments? The truth is that clothing for humans – according to tradition – was only instigated after the sin of Adam and the apple. Before that, Adam and Eve (and others) happily walked around naked. After the sin, because they betrayed the word of G-d, humans became clothed, and thus in Hebrew, the words for clothing and betrayal are grammatically connected. So clothing in general, and priestly garments in particular, are a way of covering up and atoning for sins of the past.

In the week of Purim, being in such a caring shule and reading about such a caring leader was inspiring. But more than that, as we prepare to don costumes for Purim, maybe the purpose of them is to see beyond the exterior and look at the essence of a person. Maybe that is what Glen Eira Chabad has been doing for a long time, which is why it has such a caring reputation.