22—Friday, April 12, 1968
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Why They're Called 'Matzos'
By DAVID SCHWARTZ
(Copyright 1968, JTA Inc.)
Many are puzzled about the
name Matzos. They could have
been called so many things. Why
are they called Matzos?
It is a difficult question. The
best answer seems to be the old
one. They look like Matzos, taste
like Matzos and are Matzos, so
why shouldn't they be called
Matzos?
Matzos are bread for the soul,
as well as for the body. They
recall the haste with which the
Israelites took their leave from
Egypt in the days of Moses. They
had resided in Egypt for four
hundred years and when Pharaoh
finally acquiesced to their leaving,
many said, what's the hurry now.
We have been here four centuries.
Another day or two won't matter.
We can stay up late, see the late
show on television, get a good
night's rest. Wake up in the
morning, have a shower and a
good breakfast and leave.
But Moses insisted on leaving
as soon as possible. "I expect . all
Israelites to be assembled on the
main boulevard of Goshen and
ready to leave promptly at the
stroke of midnight."
"But we have no bread for the
journey and the supermarket is
closed," said some of the Israel-
ites.
"Just throw together some flour
and water and you'll have the true
bread of freedom with all the vi-
tamins intact," said Moses. •
So the Israelites departed prompt-
ly at the hour of midnight. The
next morhing Pharaoh wakes up.
His first question: "Where are the
children of Israel?" Left during
the night, he was told.
"Darn those aggressors !" said
Pharaoh. "They didn't even say
goodnight."
Pharaoh couldn't believe it. He
sent his officers to look around to
see if it was really true. They
came back saying all the Jewish
stores had closed and had signs
on them reading:
MOVED TO TEL AVIV
Pharaoh felt faint and his chief
of staff gave him a cos (cup)- of
gin (Ko-sy-gin) to calm him. Then
Pharaoh felt a little better. "We
will start 'Russian' after them,"
he said.
"Be careful," advised his chief
of staff. "I have heard they have
a secret weapon. I don't know
what it is; but think they call it
Matzos."
Today in the United States,
40,000,000 pounds of Matzos are
consumed during Passover week.
Many use it the year around.
In addition to Matzos, there are
several other requirements for a
Seder. Some bitter herbs, sym-
bolic of the bitterness of bondage;
and Haroseth, a mixture of ground
nuts and grated apples, symbolic
of the mortar which the Isrealites
used to make bricks as slaves in
Egypt.
Required also, of course, is a
boy to ask the Four Questions.
There are a good many other ques-
tions that could be asked. There
are the questions about Moses him-
self. You might expect a leader
like Moses to be a great orator. He
wasn't. He even had a speech im-
pediment. He stammered. How did
that come about?
All of us have read the Bible
story of how Moses fell into the
water and how he was saved by
the King's own daughter.
Actually Moses didn't fall in.
The Egyptians sought to drown
all the Israelite male children,
but Pharaoh's daughter rescued
him and took him home to the
palace where he was raised.
One time Pharaoh's crown was
lying on the table and little Moses
reached out and began to play
with it. The soothsayers were dis-
turbed. Was this an omen that
some day, Moses might snatch the
crown from the head of Pharaoh?
A test was decided on. • Before
Moses on a platter was set a jewel
and a lump of coal.
If little Moses reached out for
the lump of coal, then no signifi-
cance was to be attached to his
doings, but if he perchance
reached for the jewel, then it was
ominous and the best thing was to
get rid of the child.
Little Moses' hand reached out
and was about grasp the jewel
when the Angel Gabriel, looking
on, swerved it away with such
force as to bring about a con-
cussion of Moses' speech organs.
So -does the Midrash account for
his speech difficulty.
Anyway, it didn't hurt the
Israelites. A great rabbi once said
that if Moses had been a speech
maker, the chances are the Jews
still would be slaves in Egypt.
Houston Baptist College
Eyes Arab Studies Center
HOUSTON (JTA)—A $2,000,000 to
$3,000,000 center for Arabic studies
will be established at the Houston
Baptist College, it has been an-
nounced by Dr. William Hinton,
president of the college, who pre-
dicted that the center "will exert
great influence and could be the
turning point in reshaping Ameri-
can foreign policy toward the Arab
states."
The American Arab Society will
provide funds to construct the cen-
ter on a 10-acre site which the
college will provide. According to
Atef Gamel El-Dinx, secretary
general of the society, the money
will come from contributions by
Arab-Americans and from "inter-
ested companies." The center will
teach history, economics, archaeol-
ogy, music and art of the Arab
people. Houston Baptist College
was established five years ago and
has 900 students.
Israel's Philharmonic
The Israel Philharmonic Orches-
tra gave its first performance in
1936 under the baton of the late
maestro Arturo Toscanini.
With Passover Greetings to
Separatism in Jewish Tradition Evaluated
Dr. Leah Bronner, lecturer at
the University of Witwatersrand at
Hebrew Teachers' Seminar y,
Johannesburg, South Africa, pro-
vides valuable data on religious
Separatism in Judaism in a schol-
arly work, "Sects Separatism Dur-
ing the Second Jewish Common-
wealth," published by Bloch.
Dealing extensively with the
various sects in ancient Israel, de-
fining Pharisees, Essenes, Sad-
ducees, outlining the rabbinic at-
titudes towards asceticism and se-
tarianism as well as separatism,
Dr. Bronner explains Naziriteship,
dating to the early pristhood and
to Samuel and states that "the
Nazirite may be regarded as the
true forerunner of the idea of
ritual separatism." She describes
the Nazirite rules of refraining
from use of a razor to cut the
hair, abstention from intoxicating
drinks, avoiding ceremonial defile-
ment.
Frequent references to separa-
tion—to badal—is made in quot-
ing from Ezra and Nehemiah in
describing the Ame Haaretz—the
people of the land—and it is and
in emphasis on avoiding contact
with heathens. In this connec-
tion there is also offered a defi-
gressive religious elements of the
Hasidic party."
The obscure origin of the Essene
brotherhood is explained and their
role is shown to be "that of ab-
solute separation not only ritual
but also physical."
Minor factions in ancient
Israel and their relation to the
major theme also are reviewed
and the rabbinic attitudes
towards all parties are noted and
the author deals with the status
of the Qumran community, utiliz-
ing Josephus' texts in explaining
the various groups.
"Only because Pharisaic Rab-
binic Judism was separatist in
doctrine and practice did it suc-
ceed in preserving and perpetuat-
ing the Jewish faith for all times,"
she declares. "However, it should
be remembered that Rabbinism
had universal aspirations as well,
and awaited anxiously the coming
nition of Hared, to denote a God
fearing man in dealing with
Haredim and Separatists in des-
cribing the "Early Hasidim"—
the men of piety.
The "Company of Hasidim" is
the group that fought zealously for
the law and the fervor that was
passed on to the Pharisees. The
Haber, who was moved by an ideal
of didelity, is contrasted with the
Am Ha-Aretz, "the man who is
ignorant of the law and lax in its
observance."
Dr. Bronner's study is especially
valuable for its definitive ap-
proaches to an understanding of
the Parisees, Sadducees and Es-
senes and the various other groups
who were related to the Separatist
movements. She emphasizes that
"Pharisaism emerged triumphant,
while all its opponents disappeared.
Pharisaism continued to shape the
character of Judism, and the life
and thought of the Jew for all
time." The Pharisee is portrayed
as representing "the more pro-
of the Kingdom of God, when ell
nations would recognize the on _ e
God and unitedly worship Him.*
ONCE AGAIN
It is our privilege
Musaf
to provide our Jewish
By RABBI SAMUEL FOX
Customers with
(Copyright 1968, JTA Inc.)
The word "Musaf" comes from
the Hebrew root meaning "to add."
By this very name that section is
known as the "additional" prayer
("or set of prayers") for the Sab-
bath morning service. Since the
morning and afternoon prayers
correspond to the sacrifices of-
fered every morning and after-
noon in the temple of old, the "ad-
ditional" prayers on Sabbath
morning thus correspond to the
"additional" sacrifice offered in
the temple of old every Sabbath
morning "in addition to" the lamb
which was sacrificed every morn-
ing of the week including the
morning of the Sabbath. Each day
on the Hebrew calendar which was
endowed with a special signifi-
cance, which attributed to it a
higher degree of holiness, had an
additional sacrifice added to the
morning sacrificial ritual. Thus,
not only the Sabbath, but the major
festivals, the intermediate days of
the festivals (Hol ha-Moed) and
Rosh Hodesh (the first day of the
Hebrew month) also had additional
sacrifices, and thus an additional
prayer (or group of prayers) is
added to represent this additional
sacrifice. Both the additional sac-
rifices and the additional body of
prayers are called "Musaf" (i.e.
Addition).
WED DAIRIES
Homogenized _Milk
Sour Cream and Butter
FOR THE
PASSOVER 1101.1DAY
The Detroit Council of Orthodox Rabbis will supervise
the bottling and distribution of United Dairies Passover
Products, a duty they have undertaken for many years.
It will be most helpful to us if you will let us know
NOW what your Passover requirements will be. Place
your orders immediately with your United Dairies Milk-
man, Grocer—or phone
UN 1-2800
Thank you for making
us your milkman
May we take this oppor-
tunity to wish our many
friends and patrons—
A HAPPY PASSOVER
_
UN ITED DAIRIES
INC.
THE DETROIT COUNCIIL OF ORTHODOX RABBIS
Will Again Conduct the Supervision of
KOSHER MILK & DAIRY PRODUCTS
FOR PASSOVER
AT
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Our Community .. .
You need not be a regular customer of TWIN PINES
to avail yourself of these Kosher Passover Products.
We express continued hope of
NOW AVAILABLE . . . COTTAGE CHEESE, MADE IN DETROIT
SUPERVISION OF OUR OWN VAAD HARABONIM
freedom for all peoples.
INSPECTION
CORDIALLY
INVITED
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INSURANCE
24361 GREENFIELD ROAD
SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN 48075
Call TE 4-1100
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