As mentioned in a previous email, this time of year is home to a few special Shabbatot. We have already mentioned Shabbat Shkalim (the census), this week is Shabbat Zachor. Traditionally, the maftir, "זכור את עמלק" - "remember Amalek" is attended by many people, who make an effort to come to Shule specifically to hear the maftir and to take full advantage of a delicious kiddush. There are many token events that have become very popular in contemporary Judaism. Why Shabbat Zac

The plot of this week's Parsha pales in comparison to the awe-inspiring stories of Exodus and the census. Parshat Termuah is the world's first fundraiser, with Moses requesting of the people to donate portions so that Bnei Yisrael can build the Mishkan, the mobile house of God. This is an incredibly complex process which involves walls, curtains, gold, silver etc. Parallel to the parsha is the Hafotrah whose theme is always connected to the reading. In the case of this week's

This week's parsha, Mishpatim, is the first of four "special" Shabbatot in which we read a different maftir in honour of the particular week. The next four weeks we will attempt to explore how we can understand these four special weeks within our contemporary society. The Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh Adar is referred to as Shabbat Shkalim. The Sabbath of Shekels. Rather than referring to the latest atrocity in Israel in which Cofix hiked up the price of their items from 5 to 6