How Many Nemi Years Are There?

Creation'sQuality Tempered by God's Mercy

By DR. SIMON GREENBERG

Vice Chancellor,
'Jewish Theological Seminary

There is a widespread but
wrong impression that there is
only one New Year's Day. In
reality there are many New
Year's days in the life of every
people.
July 4 is New Year's day
for American Independence,
and every official act of the

government is dated according-
ly. July 1 is the beginning of
our fiscal year. Jan. 20 is the
New Year for the president's
term of office, and so on.
The tractate in the Talmud
dealing with • the laws of Rosh
Hashanah opens with the fol-
lowing statement: "There are
four New Year's days. 1. The
first day of Nisan was the be-

Holiday Greetings

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Pure Oil Products Company
of Michigan

"BeSure With Pure"

15091 LaSALLE CT.

UN. 1-2000

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Best Wishes on the New Year

T. H. BREHM• COMPANY -

INCORPORATED

Heating Contractors and Distributors

Member Detroit Air Conditioning Institute

21380 COOLIDGE HWY.

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Oak Park, Mich.

Best Wishes for A Happy New Year

FULLER

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Greetings on the New Year

HERZBERG. & KEYSTONE,

ginning of the New Year for
Kings of Israel, regardless of
what day of the year they had
ascended the throne • . • 2.
The first day of Elul was the
the New Year for the cattle
tithe . . . 3. The first day of
Tishre was the New Year for
the reckoning of the years of
foreign Kings and for the Sab-
batical and Jubilee years . .
4. The • fifteenth day of Shevat
was the New Year for the
trees."

FINE FURS

19179 Livernois

UN. 1-5442

L'SHONA TOVO

The two dates that com-
peted for first place in the
affection of the people were
the first day of Nisan and
the first day of -Tishre. Nisan
was favored by many because
in the month of Nisan our
forefathers were emancipat-
ed from. their slavery in
Egypt, and Israel started on
its career as a people. Hence
one school of thought was in-
clined to • associate all other
significant events in history
with that month.

5 717

Thus Rabbi Joshua (who
lived in Palestine sometime be-
tween the years 40 and '125
A.C.E.) maintained that since
Israel was the people through
whom Torah was revealed to
man, "The world was created
in Nisan, Isaac having been
born on Passover. Though our
forefathers ceased their slave
labor on the first day of Tishre,
their actual redemption from
Egypt took place in Nisan.
Moreover our future redemp-
tion from exile will also take
place in Nisan."
His contemporary, Rabbi El-
eazer, however, maintained that
"The world was created in the
month of Tishre, that Abraham
and Jacob were born and died
in Tishre, but that Isaac was
barn on Passover. Though our
forefathers were redeemed from
Egypt in Nisan, our future re-
demption will take place in
Tishre."

DRAKE PRINTING, CO.

2000 WEST EIGHT MILE ROAD

FERNDALE, MICHIGAN

Erw....28..wwinimizgoxmitxciEciapoirsmiapiniailwgimigimsin.+Ey
1956
5717

A Happy

and Prosperous

A.

NEW YEAR

to all our

_ many friends

The great European Tal-
mudic authority, Rabbi Sam-
uel Eliezer Edels, known as
the Maharsha, who died in
1631, finds the key to their
differences in the very point
. furniture company
in which they both agree,
namely that Isaac was born
on Passover, and that Isaac
Downtown — Washington Boulevard near Grand River
represents among the Patri-
WO. 5-6500
•
archs the quality of justice.
Northland — Greenfield Road Entrance "E"
Rabbi Joshua in giving pri-
• EL. .6.-2300
macy to the month of Nisan
thus maintains that the qual- i..10:taftWIRW3MKINCKTKIIMVtWWITAWK4ED;r407•775.
ity of Justice is supreme in the
world. Just as Israel was re-
deemed in the past through
the justice which punished the
wicked, thus Israel's and man-
kind's future redemption de-
pend primarily upon the de-
struction of. evil.
Rabbi Eliezer however, main-
tains the supremacy of the
quality of mercy. It is true he
says, that in • the past Israel's
redemption was achieved
through justice. Therefore that
redemption was only tempor-
ary. But when God created the
world, he called upon His mer-
cy rather than upon His jus-
tice to bring the world into be-
ing. Hence Israel's future re-
demption, and the redemption
of all mankind will come about
through mercy and loving kind-
ness in the month of Tishke.

116‘.

Robinson

May We Extend

Our Best Wishes

to Our Many Mends

,

Best Wishes to the Community

on the New Year

and Customers

at This

Serta

RESTOKRAIFT

Makers of

"Perfect Sleeper"

SMOOTH-TOP MATTRESS

you sleep ON it . . . not IN it !

Note that neither school
of thought maintains that
God is only just, or only
merciful. Judaism teaches
that the Lord is both merci-
ful and just.

Joyous Holiday

Season

The problem of the relation-
h i p s between God's justice
and God's mercy is one of the
most important in all religious
hought. It •is one of the per-
e nnial points of discussion be-
ween Judaism and Christian-
ty. Later generations accepted
Rabbi Eliezer's point of view.
We mark the creation of the
world on the first day of Tishre
r ather than Nisan, thus ex-
p ressing the hope that God
may be Merciful rather 'than

J ust towards us.

■ Milmowill111111.

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