Torah Portion:	Mishpatim
Synagogue:	BINA (Orthodox, Chabad influence)
Walking time from home:	Under 10 mins (from my accommodation)
Reason for going:	Bat Mitzvah
Kiddush:	Catered, large kiddush

SYDNEY: For the second time in two weeks, I am in Sydney for a Bat Mitzvah, but this time the service related to the celebration was on Shabbat morning at BINA. In some ways, BINA is a unique Sydney institution because in Melbourne, there are numerous shules and learning centres that are all separate, whilst in Sydney, BINA is a centre on its own that combines daily Jewish classes for men and women, services during the week and on Shabbat, and Jewish inspiration for all ages and backgrounds under the lite auspices of Chabad. It is not a Chabad institution per se, but all the teachers are affiliated with Chabad, even if almost none of the students or congregants are. It started as a learning institution just before I moved to Sydney initially, and in fact will be celebrating its 25^th anniversary at a gala event later this week. About a decade ago it moved to a more central location that is beautifully appointed, with lots of classrooms upstairs. The main hall is relatively small, but certainly large enough to host celebrations like Bat Mitzvahs.

The truth is that at the shule part of the Bat Mitzvah, there were not too many guests associated with the celebration. Most will be at the party on Sunday. There were probably a little under 50 in total on the men's side, with the majority being regulars, and maybe even a few more on the women's side considering that many of the girls' friends were in shule as well. The relatively small space was quite full. Some people had planned to come to shule late, but ended up not doing so, and lucky for them because this was one of the quickest orthodox Shabbat services I have ever been to, and that is despite the fact that it was Rosh Chodesh (a new lunar month) with an extra Torah reading and an extra prayer (Hallel).

One of the proofs that this shule is not really a Chabad shule is that it starts at 8:45am (most Chabad shules start at 10) and usually finishes at around around 10:30. This week it finished at 10:45 because of the additions, but the rabbi still considered that very 'efficient', and very much prides himself on the efficiency of the shule, though it never felt rushed. That efficiency is also partly why my friends and so many others come to BINA despite the fact that there are a number of other shules in the vicinity, including one almost next door. In its efficiency it has found its niche. But we didn't all leave before 11am, though some regulars did. The Bat Mitzvah girl spoke after the official conclusion of the service, then there was the rabbi's sermon and then the kiddush where the parents also spoke, meaning that the vast majority of the crowd left at 12 or a little after - the same time as most other shules finish.

The efficiency meant that nothing was explained during the service, though there were occasional announcements of page numbers. But it also meant that there was almost no time between call ups during the Torah readings, and generally no time wasting or dead space between sections of the service, as sometimes happens in other shules. And whilst it wasn't always clear who was given an honour or what their relationship was to the family, if it all, it also didn't seem to matter. People come there for the service, not for the extraneous parts.

The portion of the week is about the details of many of the laws of the Torah and other explanations, following the giving of the Ten Commandments last week. The rabbi and the parents all said - in their own different ways - that whilst the giving of the laws and the having of a Bat Mitzvah is clearly important, it is what happens next, and how those details are put into practice, that truly matters. That is after all what defines your life and actions. It was wonderful for me to celebrate with the family in this efficient shule, and to be back in Sydney for such a lovely occasion.