T
Appeal for 'Torah as a Way of Life'
Made at Anniversary of Chabad
---
At the Chabad dinner are (from left) Julius Rotenberg, Mrs. Emma
Schaver, Harry Schumer, Rabbi Zalman Posner, Mrs. Rachel Kurtz-
man, Avern Cohn, Mrs. William Hordes and Charles E. Feinberg.
*
Rabbi Zalman Posner of Nash-I to the devotion of her late hus-
ville, Tenn., principal speaker at band, Morris Schaver.
the 25th anniversary dinner of the
Julius Rotenberg made the Ham-
Detroit Chabad-Lubavitch Hassidic otzi and the Benshen was led by
movement, at the dinner Monday Isadore Starr.
at Latin Quarter, made an appeal
for "Torah as a way of life." He
substituted for Senator Wayne
Morse of Oregon who was prevent-
ed from coming to Detroit to ad-
By SAUL KLEIMAN
dress the dinner because he was
The total activities that consti-
to preside over the Senatorial com- tute Judaism are termed "Torah
mittee's hearings scheduled to Vaavodah;" the study of the Bible,
help prevent a walkout of airlines' the Talmud, and the other ancient
employees.
Hebrew classics, constitute Torah;
Rabbi Posner outlined basic con- and the daily recitations of the
cepts of ethical living and descri- prescribed liturgy, morning, eve-
bed the effects of Lubavitch teach- ning and night, especially on the
ings upon the many pupils who holy days of the year, constitute
come under the movement's in- Avodah.
fluence.
The current increase in strength-
Commending Chabad's accom- ening the institutions of Jewish ed-
plishments on a worldwide scale, ucation and in the building of new
in Israel and in the Michigan area, synagogues are welcome phenom-
the chairman of the dinner, Ay- ena to both Torah and Avodah.
ern Cohn, commended local lea-
While both phases are equally
dership for effective work at indispensible to the preservation of
Camp Gan Israel, in its school and Judaism, one is tempted to ask:
Which one of the two excels the
synagogue.
other in significance. In fact the
Cohn took occasion to com-
writer of this article has been ask-
mend the work here of Rabbi
Berl Shemtov, the director of ed this question. He reffered the
inquirers to the rabbis of, their
the movement in Detroit.
respective
congregations for the
A message from the Lubavitch-
er Rebbe, Rabbi Schneersohn, the reply; but they insisted on getting,
head of the Chabad movement, was the answer from a layman. I ac-
cepted the "challenge," not only
brought to the gathering by Rabbi
on account of that insistance but
Posner who asked that the gather-
rather because of my belief that it
ing remain standing while the
would interest the readers, espe-
message was being read.
cially this time of the year when
Bibles were presented by Cohn
we are on the threshold of cele-
to five Detroiters who were hon- brating Shavout, the "Festival of
ored at the dinner — Charles E.
the giving of the Torah".
Feinberg and Harry Schumer and
The answer to this very signifi-
MeSdames William Hordes, Rachel
cant question is to be based not on
Kurtzman and Emma Schaver.
contemporary personal opinions but
The three ladies responded with
rather on that of the greatest au-
brief talks. Mrs. Schaver outlined thority on Judaism — the Talmud,
her family's interest in the Hassidic
in which it is given indirectly. For
movements and referred especially this purpose the following passages
Inquiry
Beth Aaron Appoints
Executive Director
Joseph Sulkes, president, a n d
Samuel Loberman, president-elect,
announce the appointment of Paul
S. Dennis as new executive director
for the Beth Aar-
on Synagogue.
Dennis, of
Cleveland, is a
specialist in busi_
ness administra-,
tion. He studied
at Fenn College
and Ohio State
University, serv-
ed as assistant
- executive direc-
tor of the Jewish Dennis
Orthodox Home for the Aged in
Cleveland for the past five years
and is past president of the Jew-
ish Recreational Council of Cleve-
land. He will assume his new of-
fice on June 1.
Dennis is married and the father
of three children.
U.S. Air Force Grants
$65,000 to Israeli Scientist
TEL AVIV (JTA)—Prof. Yuval
Ne'eman, chairman of the physics
department at Tel Aviv Univer-
sity, received a $65,000 grant
from the United States Air Force
for continuing research in his
work on the basic particles of
matter.
Prof. Ne'eman'S researches re-
ceived much attention from world
scientists last year, when he was
hailed for his work on the "omega
minus" theory.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
22—Friday, May 20, 1966
Rabbi E. Conrad
to Be Honored
at Dinner June 1
Chancellor D. B. Varner of Oak-
land University will join other
leaders of religious and civic organ-
izations at a testimonial dinner lion-
oring Rabbi Ernst J. Conrad of
Temple Beth Jacob, Pontiac, at
Franklin Hills Country Club,
June 1.
Rabbi Conrad has served his con-
gregation since 1962. He is a mem-
ber of the boards of the Pontiac
Urban League, the Religious As-
sistance and Protective Services
Inc. of Oakland County, the Pon-
tiac Citizens Committee on Youth,
and the Oakland County Economic
Opportunities Commission. He has
been active in the Pontiac area's
Pastor's Association and in 1964
was cited by the Pontiac Council
of Churches as "personifying the
spirit of ecumenicity in the com-
munity." Be is chaplain of the Pon-
tiac Civitan Club and counselor to
Jewish students at Oakland Uni-
versity, where he also teaches a
course in Biblical archaeology for
the department of continuing edu-
cation. He has taught courses in
the Bible at the Birmingham Com-
munity House and at St. Stephens
Church, Birmingham, and serves as
chaplain to Jewish patients at Pon-
tiac State Hospital.
In Detroit, Rabbi Conrad is an
active member of the internal re:.
lations committee of the Jewish
Community Council and partici-
pates in the professional division
of the Allied Jewish Campaign.
Other speakers will include Dr.
Leon Fram, president of the Mich-
igan Association of Reform Rabbis;
and Jack H. C. Clark, Pastor, First
Christian Church, Pontiac, execu-
tive secretary, Pontiac Area Coun-
cil of Churches. Shelby Newhouse
of Station WWJ-Detroit will be
toastmaster.
Rabbi Conrad was born in Ber-
lin, Germany, and came to the
United States shortly before World
War II. He studied at the Univer-
sity of Cincinnati and took his
Master of Hebrew Letters degree
at Hebrew Union College, Cincin-
nati. Following his ordination in
1947, he held pulpits in Hagers-
town, Md., Winston-Salem, N. C.,
and Baltimore. He is married and
the father of a son and daughter.
Those -serving as honorary mem-
bers of the dinner committee in-
clude Judge Donald E. Adams,
Airs. Morris Adler, Rev. Charles
A. Colberg, Father James L. Hayes,
Rev. Emil Kontz, State Senator
Sander Levin, James M. McNeely,
Dr. Harry L. Riggs, Rev. Carl R.
Sayers, Pastor, and Meyer Simon.
Area residents active in arrang-
ing this tribute include Messrs. and
Mesdames Howard L. Green, Mar-
tin J. Kabcanell, Louis H. Golden,
Morris Mersky, Raymond N. Rapa-
port and Julian Scott.
Shavuot Quiz
BY RABBI SAMUEL J. FOX
(Copyright, 1966, JTA, Inc.)
What events does the festival
of Shavuot commemorate?
There are two features which the
festival of Shavuot is best known
for. In the days of the Temple in
Jerusalem it was the occasion for
bringing the first fruits to the tem-
ple. Historically, it is best known
as the festival -Which commem-
orates the Revelation at Mount Si-
nai which took place on that date.
The first of these two features
characterizes the festival as "hag
Habikkurim" (the festival of the
first fruits). The second classifies
it as "Zeman Matan Torateinu"
(the season of the Revelation of
our Torah). However, there are
other significant events which oc-
curred on the date of the festival
of Shavuot which some authorities
believe are also commemorated on
this holiday. According to Rabbi
Joshua, the offerings of Cain and
Abel took place on the date of the
Shavuot holiday. (Seder ,Eliyahu
Zuta). According to the Book of
Jubilees (6:1), the offering of
Noah was accepted on that date,
and that was the day on which the
Almighty established His covenant*
with Noah and his descendants
never to bring a destructive flood
on the whole universe again. Enoch
was- said to have been born on that
day. He also was taken to heaven
on that day. According to the Book
of Jubilees (22:1-23), the Patriarch
Abraham celebrated the festival . of
Shavuot. According to the Midrash
(Aggadath Bereshith, 29) (Midrash
Shmuel 1:23) Hannah, the prophet
Samuel's mother, appeared at the
Holy Sanctuary to pray for a child
on that day, with her husband. It
is also related that King David
was born and died on Shavuot.
Somehow, most of the aforemen-
tioned events were occasions when
the Almighty revealed himself to
his mortal subjects with favorable
results. It thus becomes a day on
which man and God meet with
great satisfaction.
What are "Azharoth"?
"Azharoth" is the name given to
a type of poetry which has been
composed and assigned as additions
to the Shavuot liturgy. It is usually
in the form of poetic renditions as
the 613 commandments. These
are affixed by some communi-
ties to the Musaf liturgy and
by some to the Minhah lit-
urgy. The term "Azharoth" is
taken either in the context of the
term "warning," in the tense that
the people were warned to observe
the commandments, or it is taken
in the context of the word "to
shine," referring to the contention
that the commandments and the
Torah in general make the people
of Israel shine, or that they were
given to use by revelation of shin-
ing light. Some contend that the ex-
pression "Azharoth" has the nu-
merical equivalent of 613, which is
the number of commandments a
Jew was given to observe on that
historic day of the Revelation.
Rafi's First Convention
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The first
national convention of the Israel
Workers Party (Rafi), formed by
former Premier Ben-Gurion in a
challenge to the Mapai Party and
national leadership of Premier
Levi Eshkol, opened Wednesday in
the presence of 1,200 delegates and
2,000 guests.
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A NEW SHOP WITH A NEW OUTLOOK
GIFTS AND CLOTHES FROM•EUROPE AND ISRAEL
from the Babylonian Talmud are
given here.
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1. When Jeremiah, a pupil of
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and Brush Sets, Disneyland Rugs, Animal
Rabbi Z'ayra, wanted to discon-
Chairs and Hangers.
tinue the study of Torah and start
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to recite prayers, the Rabbi walked
Your Child's Room.
up to him and quoted verse 9 from
chapter 38 of the Book of Proverbs:
"He that turns away from learning
IMPORTED
Torah, even his prayers are an
ITEMS FROM
abomination" — Tracate Sabbath
VARIOUS COUNTRIES
page 10b.
AROUND THE WORLD
2. When Rava saw Rabbi Hani-
nah prolonging his prayers, he said:
Snap beans were a $2,100,000
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"Haninah is one of those who ne- crop for growers in Michigan last
glects doing that which insures year, placing the state fourth in
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everlasting life (study of Torah) snap beans for the fresh market.
and indulge in doing what is of
temporary help (prayers). — Trac-
tate Sabbath page 10a.
ft
3. In the 9th year of the reign
of Zedekia, king of Judah, came
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,
with all his army against Jerusalem
and burnt the House of the Lord,
and all houses; even every great
(man's) house.
Said Rabbi Joshua hen Levi: "By
the expression 'great h o u s e' is
FOR YOU and YOUR FRIENDS on
meant a house where the study of
Torah is developed". Said Rabbi
Jochanan: 'a great house" is meant
a house where the study of prayers
9c
is developed.—The Talmud, trac-
tate Megillah, 27a.
• Heated Swimming Pool
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4. Rabbi Joshua ben Livi said:
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Large
Buildings
•
It is permissable to change a syna-
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gogue (beth hakeneset) to a Bet
Hamidr ash (a house of Torah-
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study). — Tractate Megillas, 27a.
5. Ray Pappi said in the name of
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Rabba: It is permissable to change
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a house of prayer to a house of
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Right 1 /2 Mile to West Road, Turn Right to Camp
change the latter for the former-
5
p.m.
12
In case of rain, please come on Sunday, May 29th,
Tractate Megillah, 25b.
6. Anything sacred should be
For Further Information Call LI 8-0864
promoted not demoted — Tracate
Y01110, 12b.
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