Torah Portion:	Bamidbar
Synagogue:	Young Yeshivah, Chabad
Walking time from home:	10 mins
Reason for going:	Close to home in the rain
Kiddush:	Large sit-down Kiddush with multiple courses

It is said that there are 61 synagogues in Melbourne, but that belies the fact that there are actually a lot more Minyanim on a Shabbat morning. Within some of the complexes there are 2, 3 or even more services, often simultaneously. 

This week, on a rainy Saturday morning, I wanted to go somewhere close and somewhere a little nostalgic, so I went to Yeshivah, which is actually an umbrella term for all the services that are on the complex of the Yeshiva Centre. Many years ago, whilst still in high school, I would occasionally go to the Yeshivah main shule, so I intended to go back there for a bit of nostalgia. But when I arrived, I discovered that Young Yeshivah – one of three services that run at the same time as the main shule – was celebrating a milestone this week, I decided to go there.

This week marked the tenth anniversary since the founding of Young Yeshivah – a grouping that is not necessarily so young anymore, but is certainly young at heart. Unlike Daminyan – on the other side of the complex – this one is distinguished by the fact that it is more old school, less Chabad lite, and despite its name, it attracts numerous people who would certainly not fit into any definition of youth.

But it tries to feel young and fresh. At least this week, all the different parts of the service were led by people who are relatively young, and though it meets in a converted old school gym, the vibe was relatively welcoming and vibrant.  

Being the tenth anniversary, the kiddush was more of a lunch, with many courses and even more speeches. But from the moment the service ended, chaos ensued. In fact, I’m not even entirely sure when the service ended because suddenly tables were being moved around, chairs were being stacked and re-stacked, and trolleys of food began arriving. It was somewhat organised chaos with a few people seemingly in charge, but for 10 minutes or so, I wasn’t quite sure what was going on or even where I was supposed to sit. Eventually the tables were all in place, the food was set out and people began to sit down. Some never sat because they kept bringing more food, but for the rest of us, there were somehow enough seats for everyone, and certainly enough food.

During the service there were close to 150 people on the men’s side, and maybe 50 or more on the women’s. Suddenly for lunch, those numbers swelled significantly, but that didn’t seem to faze the organisers. On a few occasions, more tables and chairs were set up and everyone was catered for. My only issue was that neither during the sermon nor during lunch was the women’s curtain opened, which seemed quite surprising. Usually in most shules, even if women are behind a curtain (mechitzah) they are included when people speak, but that didn’t happen here. The women didn’t seem to mind since it was probably too noisy anyway and they were enjoying their own company, but it felt unusual to me.

As for the fact that the shule is called ‘Young’, one of the speakers said that when something is new, it is automatically fresh and vibrant, but as it ages, it becomes staid and unexciting. The portion of this week was largely about a census, which in many ways is also boring and unexciting. But the important thing to do is to find meaning in the numbers and meaning in the mundane. Each day therefore should be lived with purpose and each year should therefore also be celebrated for its achievements. For a shule or for any institution, the goal is to make sure that this can be fulfilled, but one should never simply expect things to happen as they always have. This was a great lesson for me and for all of us, and though it is not a congregation that I was very familiar with before, I’m glad I was there for this lesson and for the celebration this week.