Precious Stones in the Bible Happy Passover To Our Customers and Friends Holiday Good Wishes JACK'S CARPET CLEANERS MR. and MRS. BY RABBI DR. H. RABINOWICZ SAM KLETTER and FAMILY (Seven Arts Feature Syndicate) Our Work Is Quaranteed 13251 Irvine, Oak Park LI 3-6860 19730 Chesterfield Detroit 21, Michigan i PASSOVER GREETINGS 1 1 Happy Passover To All I Leo g- Liala Juniors Corned Beef-'N-Rye Downtown Delicatessen Party Tray Catering 112 Clifford ci," ! PHOTOGRAPHY 1 i • Weddings • Bar Mitzvahs 1 a Portraits ! • Movies 17590 Wyoming UN 1-7018 ii,....---,.....„----....,.....,------.7 i WO 1-0756 Passover Best Wishes McN ICHOLS HARDWARE Dishmaster Sales & Service 13320 W. McNichols UN 3-0838 Happy Passover Happy Passover Herbert W. Kaufman & Co. Harvey M. Dubin Agency MAGIC TEXTILE WEAVERS • We Reweave . Moth Holes — Cuts — Tears Burns — Rugs Upholstered Furniture 17534 W. McNichols Rd. Detroit 35, Michigan 17395 Livernois PASSOVER GREETINGS Happy Passover MAJOR'S CAFE LASTAR ELECTRIC CO. "Fine Food for Fine People Bring the Family REASONABLE PRICES Electrical Contractors 268 Oakwood Blvd. VI 3-2013 TE 4-8860 8626 Lyndon UN 2-2988 HAPPY HOLIDAY . Holiday Best Wishes Lift Parts Service Company Manufacturers Steel Company 7127 East Davison TW 3-6979 2162 Clay TR 5-5676 1 32.9-12.52.519JULLSULJULSULISLIULAS_SI Sincere Best Wishes On the Passover HAPPY PASSOVER LLOYD'S MENDELSON EGG CO. HARDWARE and PATIO FURNITURE 15410-30 Fenkell at Greenfield VE 6-3070 4100 Joy Rd. • TY 6-2772 Cirtf Passover Best Wishes to Our Friends and Customers Best Wishes on the Passover MERRILL PHARMACY HY. LOPATIN Kosher Meat and Poultry Market Choice Quality Products 15500 Puritan BR 3-3390 (Corner Greenfield) Free Delivery 20434 W. 7 Mile KE 5-8888 Free Delivery Happy Happy Passover to Our Friends and Patrons Holiday Metropolitan Typewriter Co., Inc. Exclusive Distributor of the World Famous Imperial Typewriter 18050 James Couzens 342-2211 Happy Holiday SOBERMAN & MILGROM Manufacturer of Mercury Paints 7741 Lyndon Ave. UN 4-7530 LOANS UP TO $1,000.00 IN ONE DAY SIGNATURE on your CAR HOUSEHOLD Phone Now for Quick Service Victory Loan & Investment Company There's an Office Near You 10316 Woodward 12230 Livernois 866-2900 931-2600 The earliest biblical reference to precious stones occurs in Genesis II. A river issued from Eden as a single stream, then divided into four branches. "The name of the first is Pishon; that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havi- lah, where there is gold; and the gold of that land is good; and the bdellium and the onyx stone." Many scholars identify the land of Havilah with north-eastern Arabia. The technique of gem engraving was known in Mesopotamia as early as 4,000-3,000 B.C.E. Hence Abra- ham, the rabbis tell us, wore around his neck a precious stone with the power of healing the sick who gazed upon it. He bestowed upon Hagar's children huge pearls "their lustre more brilliant than the light of the sun." In wooing Rebekah for his master's son Isaac, Eliezer gave her "a golden ring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold." A fully developed gem engrav- ing industry flourished in Egypt at the time of the Eighteenth Dynasty (1580-1350 B.C.E.) and the Israelites despoiled their task- masters of many precious stones, a fitting reparation for . genera- tions of bitter slave labour. Geological surveys indicate that, apart from the fabulous King Solo- mon'.,s mines, Palestine and Syria are lacking in gem deposits. The Israelites received most of their precious stones from other lands and from other peoples. They were brought by merchant caravans travelling from Babylonia to Persia and to Egypt, from Saba and from Tyre. The Queen of Sheba gave King Solomon "a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones." The navy of Hiram brought to Solomon from Ophir "plenty of sandal-wood and preci- ous stones." These were needed for the adornment of the Temple, and the throne of King Solomon was surely one of the wonders of the ancient world with respect to dec- ocation. The sapphire and the emerald can be readily recognized but many of the stones named in the Bible can- not be identified today with any certainty. Like other ancient peo- ples the Hebrews did not classify the precious stones according to composition. They named them in accordance with brilliance, colora- tion, usage or origin. A verse in First Chroncles (29.2) covers many categories in its reference to "stones to be set, glistening stones, and of divers colours, and all man- ner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance." Most of the precious stones in the Bible are listed in connection with the breastpiece of the High Priest "the work of the skillful workman . . . of gold, of blue, and purple and scarlet and fine twined linen . . . and thou shalt set in it settings of stones, four rows of stones . . . and they shall be in- closed in gold in their settings. And the stones shall be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, every one according to his name, they shall be for the twelve tribes." The Urim and the Thummim—"The Lights and the Perfections" — a medium of Divine communications, were according to tradition one of the five objects lacking in the Sec- ond Temple. Josephus. declares that "this oracle had been silent for two hundred years . . . but as to those stones of which we told you, the High Priest bore on his shoulders . . . the stone of them shined out when God was present at their sacrifices . . . bright rays darting out thence; and being seen even by those that were most remote; which splendour yet was not before nat- ural to the stone." Both ancient and modern trans- lators and commentators differ on the identification of the 12 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 44—Friday, April 16, 1965 gems. They were probably beryl, carnelian, chalcedony, chrysolite, chrysopras, diamond, emerald, hyacinth, jasper, Lapis Lazuli, onyx, sapphire, sardonyx, topaz and turquoise. Passover Greetings COBURN STUDIO INTERIOR DECORATORS Draperies—Furniture Re-Upholstering—Slip Covers 3143 W. McNichols Road UN 1-7100 The Prophet Ezekiel in Chapter 28 laments over the Prince of Tyre who lived "in Eden the garden of Season's God every precious stone was thy Most Cordial Greetings covering, the carnelian, the topaz, and the emerald, the beryl, the on- DETROIT MILL yx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the carbuncle, and the smaragd, SUPPLY CO. and gold; the workmanship of thy 1595 Alger settings and of thy sockets was in 871-6011 thee, in the day that thou wast cre- Mr. and -Mrs. Abe Weisnutn ated- they were prepared." His robe was adorned with nine precious stones identical with those set in LQ.sutszizszstssits.suss. three of the four rows on the High PASSOVER GREETINGS Priest's breastplate. It is clear that the Hebrews en- CONSUMERS dorsed the aphorism of Pliny that PAPER CO. "Gems are the concentrated beauty of the world." 5170 Vermont Rabbi Sheshet, in such a case, would drag logs, saying: "Great is labor, it warms up the laborer." — Sabbath TY 7-1287 0111 ■ 041111.11.0.111 ■ 0 ∎ 0.M.11011M01111011.11•M ■ 041111110.0 ∎ 04 ∎ 0 HOLIDAY GOOD CHEER Happy Passover to Our Friends and Patrons CHARLES M. CLAPSADDLE CONTI N ENTAL HAIR FASHIONS 33 Vernier Road Grosse Pointe Shores TU 4-3980 19191 Livernois UN 1-1900 Passover Greetings HOLIDAY GREETINGS Edith Eckstat, R.E. Davison Auto Parts Albert Wolgin, R.E. 4238 E. Davison TW 2-0100 and Hair Removed Forever WO 3 - 3047 WO 3 - 0922 1309 David Broderick Tower Holiday Good Cheer COCOANUT GROVE CAFE Specializing in Cantonese Food Take-Out Service Happy Passover Dr. McArthur Colton 1111 Griswold, over Kinsel's WO 2-1779 7638 Woodward TR 5 - 3191 1 Block from New Center Bldg. GREETINGS Greetings on Passover CURTIS DRUGS CHRISTINA'S DINING ROOM 18201 Wyoming corner Curtis WE DELIVER 5007 Woodward TE 2-8537 DI 1-2450 -AVINft00 %..."141•01•10%••• ■ ••••• ■■ Happy Passover to Our Relatives and Friends Best Wishes for a Happy Passover EIDELMAN BROS. INC. DAVIS IRON WORKS, Inc. Wholesale Floor Covering 5875 Concord WA 5-4181 Happy Passover To All LOUIS COHEN AND SON KOSHER MEATS 12939 West 7 Mile Rd. DI 1-1607 We wish, to take this opportunity to extend to our friends and patrons our greetings and best wishes for a very Happy Passover. CAPITOL WASTE PAPER CO., Inc. Hy. Lipsitz—Ted Wise Harold Lipsitz—Lee Horwitz Best Wishes For A Happy Passover NATIONAL REPRODUCTIONS CORPORATION Microfilming Services & Systems Microfilm Supplies & Equipment Duplicating & Offset Printing Blue Printing & Photographic Reproductions Xerographic Reproductions 17500 Wyoming 318 Penobscot 429 E. Jefferson UN 3-0210 WO 3-0457 WO 1-5252 27900 Groesbeck — PR 2-4530 Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Rosenberg and Family Wish Their Friends and Customers a Happy Passover CLEAN - RITE INC. ROSENBERG VACUUM SERVICE Specializing in Hoover Servicing All Makes of Vacuums 20443 W. 7 Mile Rd. KE 5-7772 - EL 6-8671