38—Friday, February 1, 1974 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Solving Energy Crisis With L'Hayims
By DAVID SCHWARTZ
Advise Me .
(Copyright 1974, JTA, Inc.)
• •
To help answer questions of a personal nature we have
called upon counselors from the Jewish Family and Chil-
dren's Service. Other resources will be called upon as prob-
lems arise in other areas. Address confidential queries to
"Advise Me," care of The Jewish News, 1751.5 W. Nine Mile,
Southfield 48075.
*
We strongly disagree with
your answer to Worried
Mother, and feel that your
answer could help to make
problems! (Worried Mother
was afraid her son might use
drugs.)
My husband and I consulted
a so-called expert several
years ago because we, too,
were concerned about our
boy. The person we consulted
said he couldn't see that we
had anything to worry about
(our son was doing very well
in school, in fact). We be-
lieved him . . . That is why
our son is just now starting
Rrth,s
Jan. 28—To Mr. and Mrs.
Marshall Anstandig (Nancy
Fishman), 24220 Ithaca, Oak
Park, a daughter, Beth Ellen.
* *
Jan. 27—To Mr. and Mrs.
Paul Wasser •(Varda Rauch-
er), 20410 Winchester, South-
field, a son, Jeffrey Howard.
* * *
Jan. 23 — To Mr. and Mrs.
Mark A. Chupack (Judy
Weiss), 14440 Vernon, Oak
Park, a son, Jeremy Michael.
* * *
Jan. 12 — To former De-
troiters Mr. and Mrs. Thomas
G. Harris (Jackie Cook) of
Malvern, Pa., a son, Michael
Joseph.
* * *
Jan. 11 — To Mr. and Mrs.
Marvin Mailer (Gaile Ross of
Detroit) of Gaithersburg,
Md., a daughter, Betsy Re-
becca.
Jan. 6—To Mr. and Mrs.
Gerald Blanke (M ar sha
Fleischer of Detroit) of Hal-
landale, Fla., a son, David
Maxwell.
•
RABBI LEO
GOLDMAN
Expert Mohel
e'rving Hospitals and Hoines
LI 2.4444
LI 1-9769
RABBI' S. ZACHARIASH
A Persian came to a cer-
tain rabbi and said: "Will
you teach me the Torah?"
The Rabbi agreed and
showed him the letter aleph
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Dear Parents,
Young people give us clues
to themselves by how they
manage the daily issues, re-
sponsibilities, and opportun-
ities of their lives; we have
to evaluate what is happening
on the basis of those clues
rather than by making as-
sumptions that everyone of a
certain age does such-and-
such.
We do hot advise Worried
Mother to ignore her con-
cerns — your son is indeed
fortunate that you did not
ignore yours — but there is
a difference between being
worried because drugs in
general are a hazard and
being worried because your
child is showing evidence of
using drugs or moving in that
direction.
We agree with you that ex-
perts make mistakes; at the
same time, we think it is a
good idea to check our your
concerns — to go over the
evidence — with trained
mental health professionals
(such as the staff at Jewish
Family and Children's Serv-
ice) before you act on the as-
sumption that there is a
problem.
We did not mean to imply
that it is "all right to use"
marijuana. Certainly it is
illegal and some people do
go from marijuana to other
substances. We do mean to
say that it is important to
have hard facts, as well as
opinions, before we talk about
this matter — otherwise, we
tend to preach rather than
to teach.
There is by now a consider-
able body of information on
marijuana and other drugs
available to concerned citi-
zens through publications as
w e 11 as consultations (al-
though the experts are by no
means in agreement about
over-all, long-term effects)!
Proselyte's Lesson
Specialized
REV. SIDNEY
to recover after being on
drugs for years to the point
where he finally even left
school.
You are not helping people
when you tell them to ignore
their concerns. We also feel
that you are not helping when
you hint that marijuana is
different from other drugs,
so it is all right to use it. Not
only is it illegal, but our boy
got started on marijuana!
Parents Who Had
Reason to Worry
4
The Persian said: "How
can you prove to me that this
is an aleph?"
The Rabbi pulled his ear,
and the other cried: "0, my
ear! my ear!"
"And how will you prove
to me that this is your ear?"
asked the Rabbi.
"Everyone knows that."
"By the same token every-
one knows that this is an
aleph," was the Rabbi's re-
ply.
The Persian laughed and
became a proselyte.—Mid-
rash Kohelet Rabba.
Speaking about the energy
crisis, Samuel Gompers, the
first president of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor,
once told how in his early
days as a cigar maker a fel-
low worker solved the prob-
lem of keeping warm. His
particular problem was keep-
ing warm in winter when
outside. The usual method is
to have an overcoat. How-
ever, Gompers tells us this
fellow, Al Unger, found a
cheaper method: making l'
hayims. Unger figured it out
this way. In spring and sum-
mer he didn't need an over-
coat. The only time he need-
ed it was in the short winter
period. But a drink of whis-
key he reasoned, kept him
just as warm as an overcoat
and a drink only cost ten
cents. By taking five drinks
a day he would keep warm
all day. This would be cheap-
er than buying an overcoat.
But times have changed
since Gompers told this story.
Today a drink of whiskey
costs much more than ten
cents.
But the Unger system still
has some advantages. Whis-
key does more than keep you
warm. If overcoats could do
what whiskey does, people
would wear overcoats even
in summer.
* *
Our good cabbie friend,
Gideon, called us up the oth-
er day to suggest that if all
the people who have gas in
the stomach or suffer from
heartburn would make their
supplies available, that might
help solve the energy prob-
lem.
He also predicts that peo-
ple who suffer from fevers,
have high temperature, may
become very popular.
*
The great Hasidic rabbi
Levi Yitzhok of Berdichev
would perhaps have wel-
comed the energy crisis. He
thought people rushed
around too much. One time
he saw a man running.
"Why are you running so?"
he asked.
"I am going after my live-
lihood," said the man.
"How do you know that
your livelihood is not behind
you?" asked the rabbi.
We live in a world where
everyone seems to be in a
hurry. For what? Newton
Many Meanings of Shalom
By FREDERICK LACHMAN
Executive Editor of
Encyclopedia Judaica
(Copyright 1974, JTA, Inc.)
As Israel begins peace
negotiations with her Arab
neighbors at the Geneva con-
ference, the elusive peace
for which Jews have been
striving for thousands of
years, once again takes the
spotlight.
The great significance of
peace and harmony to Jews
is expressed in the use of
"Shalom" (peace) as the
universal greeting among
Hebrew-speaking people.
According to Encyclope-
dia Judaica, the word "Sha-
lom" encompasses many
meanings, all of which are
integral aspects of a true
peace. It can be defined as
loyalty and safety, complete-
ness and soundness, health
and well-being, and equity
and moral goodness. And, in
the final words of the priestly
blessing, "and may He ex-
tend grace to you," the word
grace is the interpretation of
"Shalom." It is understand-
able, then, that Shalom is
also used as one of the names
of God.
In talmudic times, peace,
next to justice, was the most
exalted ideal of the rabbis.
It was at that time that
"Shalom" became the stand-
ard term for greeting and
farewell.
The Talmud, interpreting
Rabban Simeon ben Gama-
liers premise, "By three
things the world is preserved,
by truth, by judgement, and
by peace," declares that they
are in effect one, since "if
judgement is executed, truth
is vindicated, and peace pre-
vails."
In the Bible, Aaron is re-
garded as the prototype of
the ideal of peace, while his
brother, Moses, exemplifies
the ideal of justice. This is
aptly illustrated when Aaron
wishes to submit to the de-
mands of the people to fash-
ion the golden calf, abiding
by his principle of peace at
all costs. By contrast, Moses
adamantly refused to bow to
the wishes of the people,
emphatically stating "Let jus-
tice pierce the mountain."
Peace is a top priority in
Judaic thought, "neverthe-
less," states the EJ, "Juda-
discovered the Law of Grav-
itation while sitting under an
apple tree. As we recall, we
remarked once to our good
editorial friend Philip Slomo-
vitz, the cause of literature
has been vastly retarded by
an excess of energy. To write
a book one has to be able to
sit still, or as Sinclair Lewis
put it, one has to fasten one's
rear to the bottom of a chair
and keep it fastened.
x.
*
With the price of oil in-
creased some 400 per cent in
one year, the Arabs may not
yet have Golan Heights, but,
according to the New York
Times, they are near the
Heights in the bank accounts.
Their reserves of billions are
growing at a terrific clip.
Now the Times special
writer, Cyrus Sulzberger,
suggests to the Arabs further
that if they avail themselves
of a scientific discovery made
in Israel, they may, in addi-
tion, be able to make their
vast desert lands blossom as
the roses.
I
I
I
I
SAN JUAN? YEP, WE HAVE IT
TRAVEL WITH US.
HAMILTON, MILLER,
HUDSON & FAYNE TRAVEL CORP.
According to Sulzberger,
the Israeli scientists have
found away of growing
things in the desert without
too much water. The method
consists of watering only the
roots of the plants. The
plants, it is said, grow just
as well. There is no need of
watering the entire land.
Here, too, perhaps, is a dem-
onstration of the principle 4 -4
that much energy is wasted.
No doubt the Arabs in time
will avail themselves of this
discovery. Israel of course is -4
always glad to help out its
Arab friends.
—4
4
—4
RUSSELL SCHREIBER ASSOCIATES
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-
ism is not uncompromisingly
pacifist in its outlook. It sees I
universal peace as an ideal
I
which will be achieved only I
I
in the messianic age, and
I
I
Maimonides concludes his
I
I
famous Code with the decla-
I
ration that in that era there
will be 'neither famine nor I
I
war, neither jealousy nor
strife.' " According to Judaic
DO YOU HAVE A CHILD 2 1/2-31/2 YEARS?
concepts, war is 'sometimes
I
morally justified, and is I
Now at less than the cost of babysitting, your
I
divided into obligatory "war" I
child can receive a complete early childhood ed-
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and "optional war." Rabbini- I
ucational program including the nationally proven
cal ethics, however, recoiled
copyrighted PUR UCK ER METHOD of reading in-
from the glorification of war. I
struction, and math plus music, art, and regu-
Jews approached the issue
I
lar nursery activity. Applications now being
of world peace in post-tal- I
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accepted for mornings only. Call 542-6767.
mudic times from a purely I
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academic standpoint. They
had no alternative but to dis- IPURUCKER PRE-SCHOOL LEARNING CENTER 542-67671
cuss it in this fashion as they
had no voice in international
affairs. Philosophers and
scholars discussed it in a
messianic context, conclud-
ing that continuing wars
among nations could only be
resolved with the advent of
the Messiah. His indisputable
wisdom would make war
totally purposeless. It is in-
teresting to note here that
many medieval Haggadot
depict the wicked son as a
warrior and the wise son as
a peace-loving sage.
Ideally, one would like to
see Issac Arama's concept of
peace as the guiding light at
the Geneva peace conference.
LISTEN TO . . .
His interpretation is that the
conventional view of peace as
a mere negation of strife fails
WITH
to do justice to the richness
of the concept. Peace is a
JULES and MARY ABRAMS
positive thing, the essential
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Every Monday, Wednesday and
f e r i n g temperaments and
Thursday, 9:00 to 10:00 a.m.
opinions can work together
for the common good.
The high value of peace is
pervasive in modern Jewish
thought. The Encyclopedia
Judaica quotes Morris Joseph
as "typical of the whole
modern trend when he writes
that only the peace-loving
Jew is a true follower of the
prophets, that the greatest
sacrifices should be made to
avoid war, that a Jew can-
not consistently belong to a
war party, and that a Jew's
religion, history and mission
all pledge him to a policy of
peace, as a citizen as well as
an individual."
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