26 Friday, August 22, 1975 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Pre-High Holy Day Period Finds Israelis Busy in Preparation BY MOSHE RON Jewish News Special Israeli Correspondent newspapers made prepara- tions for the New Year edi- tion. They published retros- pects on the events of the year and a lot of New Year wishes. Selihot prayers were broadcast on radio from the Central Synagogue and the Sephardi Temple in Tel Aviv. There was a food short- age. The Ministry for Com- merce and Industry made special efforts to supply the population with enough food for the Holy Days. It increased the rations alloted for each citizen. Many citi- zens received food parcels from relatives and friends abroad. They shared this food with their relatives and friends. Kibutzim were al- lowed to sell eggs, chickens, cheese and butter to their friends. On the eve of Rosh Has- hana the police disregarded persons who sold fruits and other products on the "Black Market." After Tisha b'Av the pre- High Holiday rush for can- tors, prayer books, and prayer-shawls begins in Is- rael especially in Tel Aviv. Temple employes and ush- ers started to worry about cantors and choirs. Licenses were requested from the religious councils and rabbinates to hold the prayers in cinema halls. During the last five years the population of Tel Aviv had doubled, but only a few new synagogues were built. The rabbinate did not wish to hold prayers on the Holy Days in cinemas because they showed por'nographic pictures. The prayers were arranged in cultural and social institutions and schools. Then there are those that remain without a congrega- tion for prayers; cantors are needed for new immigrants, camps, prisons and kibut- The bus companies and zim. Prayer shawls, prayer- railways made special ar- books and caps are bought rangements to increase the in masses. number of buses and fares during the holidays without prior announcement. There was food for everyone. But in the days of austerity even food in the kibutzim was scarce and nobody could go there without a prior invita- tion. On the eve of Rosh Has- hana all the shops were closed in Tel Aviv and other places. Some cafe's and res- taurants kept closed during the two days of the holiday. Traffic was stopped. The streets were strongly illumi- nated. In all the street the echo of holiday prayers was heard. The synagogues and small prayer places were filled to capacity, among them army soldiers in uni- form. After the holiday meal BUY OR LEASE FROM thousands of inhabitants of Tel Aviv went out to visit their relatives and friends and to wish them a Happy New Year. Twenty-five years have passed since then and up till today we have not had one quiet year. ANDY BLAU in BIRMINGHAM at WILSON-CRISSMAN CADILLAC CALL BUS. MI 4-1930 RES. 642-6836 1350 N. WOODWARD, BIRMINGHAM Congregation Beth Tephilath Moses in Mt. Clemens Invites you to attend HIGH HOLIDAY SERVICES conducted by: Rabbi Bernard Herzig, Mark Goldenberg and Allan Schwartz For Tickets call 463-6604 $25 per person after 6 p.m. 468-9729 Danny cohen's parents know why they joined Temple Beth El.. The Israeli newspapers to the utmost in order to appeared in pre-statehood cope with thousands who days on the eve of New were traveling for the holi- Year with editions of only days to other places. The main target was Jerusa- 20 pages, owing to the lem. shortage of printing paper. In pre-statehood days Today they have editions with more than 100 pages. only a few citizens traveled Weeks before the New Year the editors of the NEW CADILLAC? to kibutzim. In the time of the British Mandate they used to visit the kibutzim Jews Prohibited to Stand Where Holy Temple Stood By RABBI SAMUEL J. FOX (Copyright 1975, JTA, Inc.) Jewish tradition forbids a t.'ew from standing on the place in Jerusalem where the holy temple once stood. Basically there are two main reasons for this prohi- bition. First, the rabbis point to the passage in the Bible (Leviticus 16:2) where even Aaron the High Priest was forbidden to enter the Holy of Holies without a formal purpose. Since we have no purpose for being there to- day (since there are no sac- rificial rituals to be per- formed there because we have no altar or temple there), simply walking ar- ound there would show a means of disrespect for the holy ground. This, according to some authorities, falls under the category of what the Bible commands of the Jews elsewhere (Leviticus 19:30) where Jews are asked to "revere My sanc- tuary." Entering it with- out a holy purpose would be deposing the Temple Mount of its divine sanct- ity. The question then arises as to why we should not reinstitute the sacrificial system or some religiously accepted ritual there so that it could have a divine pur- pose. For this the rabbis need the second basis for this prohibition. Since the place of the Temple is re- garded as the very essence of purity and Holiness it was forbidden for any Jew to enter the place if he were spiritually impure (for ex- ample, if he had come into contact with a dead body or been in the same room with a dead body). The rabbis deduce from the Biblical statement "They shall not defile their camp" (Numbers 5:3) that one who was spiritually impure was not allowed to enter the sanctuary. Since the event of the destruction of the Holy Temple, Jews regard themselves as spirit- ually unclean. (One of the reasons for this is that the ancient mixture of the Red Heifer's ash is now unavail- able to us and this was used to purify those who had come into contact with the dead). Thus, no Jew is at present allowed to set foot on the Temple Mount. Others read into this prohibition the idea that before one set foot on the Temple Mount he had to be in a state of spiritual and moral perfection. The world today stands far from such an ideal. Not being able to set foot there now challenges the Jew to try and achieve a higher state of spiritual and moral condition for himself and the world. He knows enough who knows how to live and keep his own counsel. ...for Danny Photograph—Craine, Detroit • Danny Cohen, age four, is a very special member of Temple Beth - El. Little Danny is receiving something very precious—pride in his faith, and in his people. Danny's parents understand how important it is to start his religious education at an early age. Temple Beth El makes sure that even to a three foot, four-inch little boy, God doesn't seem that far away. The foundation is begun in the Temple's Nursery School, then is built upon through the years at Religious School. Danny feels a part of the Temple family. He goes to services, family dinners, movie parties, picnics and more, sponsored by our Married Group, Men's Club and Sisterhood. When Danny comes into the Temple's Sanctuary, he knows he belongs there ... because we built it, and everything in it, just for Danny. At Temple Beth El we know Danny Cohen is our future. For more information about your future, please call today: Irving I. Katz Temple Beth El 4700 Telegraph Birmingham Phone: 851-1100