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THE JEWISH NEWS

of July 20, 1951
Incorporating the Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue

Member American Association of English—Jewisb Newspapers, Michigan Press Associations, National
Editorial Published
Association.
every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17100 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit 35,
Mich., VE 8-9364. Subscription Se a year. Foreign $7.
cond Class Postage Paid At Detroit, Michigan

PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

Editor and Publisher

SIDNEY SHMARAK CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ HARVEY ZUCKERBERG

Advertising Manager

Business Manager

City Editor

Sabbath Scriptural Selections

This Sabbath, the second day of Teveth, the following Scriptural selections will be read in our
synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion: Mi-kez; Hanukkah, Eighth Day, Gen. 41:1-44:17, Num. 7:54-59. Pro-
phetical portion, I Kings 7:40-50.

Licht Benshen, Friday, Dec. 28, 4:50 p.m.

VOL. XLII. No. 18

Page Four

December 28, 1962

A New Year—and Many Resolutions

A civic new year is ushered in differ- —remove fears and lead us to greater
ently from the spiritual Rosh Hashanah amity with all our neighbors.
As Jews we have very serious duties
we observed three months earlier. It does
not have the solemnity, and it is marked • to assume, and we must, therefore, make
by noisemakers, by hilarity, by "ringing resolutions of great solemnity. We must
strengthen community life. We must
out the old and ringing in the new."
During the more solemn moments, strive for increased spirituality and for
cultural advancement. We must provide
there
is a slight
between
the two
new years.
Our kinship
spiritual
one marks
the the best educational opportunities for our
children.
beginning of a period of repentance, and
We must aid the needy. We must make
accompanying it are the inner vows not sure that the tens of thousands of new-
to
repeat
errors
the past.
the corners to Israel will have proper housing,
civic
new the
year,
it is of
common
to On
make
new resolutions for a new and better life. good
schools
for their
children, oppor-
tunities
to become
self-sustaining.
The resolutions could be multiplied,
Many resolutions are in order at this
time. We could pledge to abandon our but the major needs, great as they are,
fears, and at the same time to be so are well understood and therefore emerge
readied for emergencies that we should in immense proportions to urge us on to
be less affected by fears. This applies to live up to our obligations.
Surely, we shall know how to face the
the world situation whose threats to all
issues that will confront us in 1963, and
mankind remain most serious.
We should pledge to be less discrim- we shall meet the challenges honorably.
mating, in the hope that an abandonment Dignity and honor thus will mark all of
of racial hatreds will—in this sphere, too us for a very Good Year.

A New Campaign: A Time for Reckoning

Anything resembling a competitive
With the adoption of the formula for
budgeting of Allied Jewish Campaign in- effort to the Allied Jewish Campaign
come for the coming year and with the should be ended automatically, and every
impending selection of the 1963 campaign consideration should be given to the dire
leaders, our community now goes forward needs which call for increased serious-
with its traditional solicitation of funds ness in the task of making our current
for the continuation of relief, rehabilita- drive an assured * success;
*
tion, health, education, social welfare and
Allied
Jewish
•
Campaign activities
recreation in many areas—local, national
always begin with pre-campaign solicita-
and overseas.
The campaign this year commences tions for the enrollment of the larger
on the heels of so many appeals that have contributors. While this task is under
been made for funds for a variety of way, all efforts should be made to enroll
causes that the preparatory stages for the participation in the work of mercy, relief
great drive becomes a time for reckoning. and rehabilitation by a community that
Concededly, all the appeals that have will be as close to total coverage as can
been directed to our community in the possibly be achieved.
Much will be said during the drive,
past few weeks were for worthy causes.
which
unofficially must be viewed as
Some of the drives conducted in recent
weeks were traditional appeals, repeated having commenced with the selection of
annually, for movements of great merit. campaign personnel and the setting forth
Several new — equally worthy — appeals of principles by which we are to be
have been added to the variety of requests guided in the allocation of funds, about
the major beneficiary—the United Jewish
for financial aid.
Appeal—and the overseas needs. The 25th
of the UJA will be honored
. The numerous independent drives for anniversary
in
the
course
the drive and we will be
funds are far from ended. They will con- alerted about of
the
tragedies of Algerian
tinue and recur, and at times they may Jews who must be cared
for, Jews seeking
present problems. The services rendered escape from Moslem countries,
and Is-
by the causes for which appeals are made rael's security needs on the economic
repeatedly continue to call for the com-
munity's participation. But the commence- front.
*
*
ment of the Allied Jewish Campaign
While
taking
these
things into consid-
renews a duty resting upon us to make
the causes represented in the major drive eration, our local needs will retain a
supreme in our thinking and not to permit place of great importance for us and
anything that preceded or may follow it there will be an urgent obligation to keep
to interfere with devoted efforts to make the entire community fully informed
the over-all community drive uppermost about the priority that must be given in
our planning to our educational pro-
in our thinking and planning.
Indeed, the many drives that already grams, to the provisions that must be
have been conducted here, the numerous made for our aged, to our health and
appeals that have been directed to our recreation agencies.
community, the propaganda that has
Indeed, we have reached a period of
flooded our homes and offices, must not serious reckoning—to establish in our
stand in . the way of giving priority to the thinking the obligation not to permit the
major fund to suffer because we have
Allied Jewish Campaign.
* * *
been burdened with so many minor ap-
There is need for serious considera- peals for funds. In our generosity, we
tion of what may happen to a community must not be blinded by the minute and
thereby become indifferent to the great
from a plethora of drives which may
backfire and may harm all of the causes needs that place serious obligations upon
that have a claim upon our generosity. all of us.
That is why, now that the major fund-
The commencement of the Allied Jew-
raising effort is about to commence, a
ish Campaign is a time for action by all
halt should be called to appeals for the
overabundant causes that have formed of us. None dares to shirk his duty in this
serious period in history.
fund-raising groups in our community.

'A Thought for Each Day'

Raskas' 'Heart of Wisdom'

Rabbi Bernard S. Raskas of St. Paul, Minn., has compiled
an interesting book. Intended as "a thought for each day of the
Jewish year," published under the title "Heart of Wisdom," by
Burning Bush Press (1109 5th, N.Y. 28), the contents of his
new book will provide inspiration, enthusiasm, enlightenment and
comfort on many occasions.
Rabbi Marvin S. Wiener, director of the National Academy
for Adult Jewish Studies of the United Synagogue of America,
under whose editorship this book was published, states appropri-
ately, in a foreward: "There are various ways of bringing home to
modern relevance and insight of an ancient tradition. One - is
to begin with its classical texts and seek to relate them to the
current existential situation. Another is to start with a current
concern and go back into the tradition to find guidance and
direction." Rabbi Raskas has fulfilled both requirements.
A preface by Rabbi Raskas commences with the selection
from Psalm 90:12—"Teach us to number our days, that we may
attain a heart of wisdom"—whence comes the title for his book.
The author states that Jewish tradition binds together "a unity
of the divine purpose and integrity of human character"—a
premise upon which his book is based.
Following the Hebrew calendar—except that the extra month
for the Jewish leap year was eliminated—the recorded wisdom
in the hook is for a 12-month period, commencing with the first
day of Tishre. A typical sample of Rabbi Raskas's collection of
wisdom is the following selection from his book, for the 25th
day of Kislev—the first day of Hanukah. • Under the heading
"The Abiding Miracle" he offers the following:

"Hanukah, recalling the rededication of the ancient Temple

in Jerusalem, following the victory of the Maccabees over the

Syrians, is celebrated for eight days. According to the ancient
legend, this is because only one clean jar of oil was found for
the Eternal Light and it was sufficient for only one man.. But by
a ?miracle it lasted eight days. An old Yiddish jest, based upon
this explanation asks, 'For such a little bit of oil, such a big
festival is celebrated?'
"The reason that so much emphasis is placed upon the
Hanukah festival is that it commemorates the first successful
revolt in history on behalf of religious liberty. The abiding mir-
acle of this festival as stamped in. Jewish observance reminds
us of the value of religious freedom in our lives. The spirit of
Hanukah animates the Magna Carta, and the Declaration of the
Rights of Man, and there is parallel to the Maccabean revolt in
the Declaration of Independence. For without the willingness of
early Jews to fight for their religious rights and the inspiration
of Hanukah, these great 'movements on behalf of human freedom
might never have been born.
"Not only Jews, therefore, but all mankind, must be grateful
for the abiding miracle of Han•kah!"

In this fashion, as in all his other selections, Rabbi Raskas
quotes a story or an anecdote or an historical incident and applies
it to the day of the year for which it was chosen. And on the
bottom of each page there is another quotation. To the above is
appended this quotation from the Hanukah hymn "Rock of Ages":
"Yours the message cheerful that the time is nearing

Which will see all men -free, tyrants disappearing."

There are some stories used by the author of this book that
are very ordinary, yet he manages to apply them well. As another
instance, for a day in Tammuz, Rabbi Raskas shows that "faith
can never be a substitute for the responsibilities of life"; that
"faith can only do - so much and the rest must be accomplished
by skill, training, work and study which, of course, are based
on a faith in a good and provident God." He concludes by stating
that "serving God and mankind, through the inspiration and
instrument of faith, forces us to involve ourselves, to give of
ourselves, and if need be to offer up our lives." To back it up
with a traditional principle, he quotes, at the bottom of this page,
Avot 2:21:
"It is not incumbent upon you to complete the work,
But neither are you free from doing all you possibly can."
And in such fashion the entire year is covered—often giving
food for thought, providing inspiration, creating good reading
for a brief period each day. "Heart of Wisdom" thus emerges
as a book of considerable merit.