11,,ifFit Dome mit THE JEWISH NEWS Incorporating The Detroit ,Jewish Chronicle commencing with the issue of July 20, 1951 Member American Association of English - Jewish Newspapers, Michigan Press Association, National Editorial Association. Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075 Postmaster: Send address changes to The Jewish News, 17515 W. 9 Mile Rd., Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075 Second-Class Postage Paid at Southfield, Michigan and Additional Mailing Offices. Subscription $12 a year. PHILIP SLOMOVITZ Editor and Publisher ALAN HITSKY News Editor CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ Business Manager HEIDI PRESS Assistant News Editor DREW LIEBERWITZ Advertising Manager Sabbath Scriptural Selections This Sabbath, the 20th day of Tishri, 5739, is Ho1 HaMoed Sukkot, and the following scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues: Pentateuch.al portion, Exodus 33:12-34:26: Numbers 29:29-34. Prophetical portion, Ezekiel 38:18-39:16. Sunday, Hoshana Rabba, Numbers 29:26-34. Monday, Shemini Azeret Pentateuchal portion, Deuteronomy 14:22-16:17; Numbers 29:35-30:1. Prophetical portion, I Kings 8:54-66. Tuesday, Simhat Torah Pentateuchal portion, Deuteronomy 33:1-35:12; Genesis 1:1-2:3; Numbers 29:35-30:1. Prophetical portion, Joshua 1:1-18. Candle lighting, Friday, Oct. 20, 6:25 p.m. VOL. LXXIV, No. 7 Page Four Friday, October 20, 1978 The Sukka — Symbol of Unity Fragile, temporary, a vital means of observ- ing a major festival on the Jewish calendar, the sukka nevertheless serves as a symbol ofJewish unity. Observers of Sukkot represent many factions in Jewish ranks. They may differ in many re- spects, in observance, in attitudes on Jewish obligations, yet the booth, a shanty for prayer and for feasting, serves to unify Jewry into a coordinated peoplehood. There is great, great significance in the reality that a mere booth, a construction in- tended for a week's observance, should serve to hold Jews together in a common interest in a legacy from the past that retains its power for all time.. Fragile as it may be, the sukka is indestructi- ble. This is its significance. That in spite of its being held together weakly, a few boards held together to last a few days becomes a means of creating universal dedication, symbolizing the aspect of an am ehad, one people worshipping together wherever they may, in whatever lan- guage they may best express their fealty one with another. The prayers are mainly in He- brew, but the supplementary identifications can be in many languages. . The symbol of the sukka is one of unity. It is of indivisibility. Therefore, the rejoicing that there can be, in this symbol, the shalom bayit, the peace of the Jewish household. And the household is univer- sal. Whatever the blessings recited in the sukka, they spell the unity of the Jewish people. Obligatory 'Project Renewal More than 200 delegates from four states, meeting here last weekend for a review of Jewish obligations philanthropically through the United Jewish Appeal, overwhelmingly endorsed the special undertaking planned for the coming year as Project Renewal. By this action these delegated representa- tives from dozens of Jewish communities have assumed an added duty in behalf of the many whose living conditions must be improved and whose standards must be elevated in the best interests of a progressive Israel. No matter how generous they may be, the American Jewish communities cannot ignore the established truth: that tens of thousands in Israel continue to suffer from substandard liv- ing conditions, that there is a dire need to in- crease availability of housing, that youth in the ranks of immigrants from countries of oppres- sion and insecurity should b _ e assured oppor- tunities for higher learning. A nation that is being built on the principles Of justice cannot permit a population living in slums, their children turning into dropouts from schools and thereby contributing to illiter- acy, t state of poverty among them causing de- linquency. Is it any wonder that there has been an in- crease in crime in Israel? The sub-standards alluded to are responsible for the increased number of delinquents. The problems that have arisen must be solved speed- ily, and if it is only a matter of the dollars added to the Project Renewal then the compassionate in Jewry must accept the new obligation with even greater generosity than has already been recorded in Jewish ranks. A vital factor not to be ignored in the current situation involving Israel is the need for a strong and confident community of Jews in the throes of peace. These are hopeful times. The leader in the ranks of the hitherto antagonistic neighbors has taken the lead in propagating amity with an assurance of sincerity in pursuing an accord with the Jewish state. Soon there is to be an anticipated exchange of ambassadors between the two countries and therefore also the intro- duction of cultural and industrial exchanges be- tween Jews and Egyptians. To attain these goals it is vital that both communities should be wholesome and the introduction of Project Re- newal will contribute towards it in Israel. The Impossible Can Be Possible It wasn't so long ago, only a matter of weeks, that a negotiated peace between Egypt and Is- rael was considered an impossibility. Now the peace is being negotiated. This is a time for the skeptics to be patient and to bide their time. Let there be an end to granting even one ear to rumormongering! . In a recent interview, shortly after the Camp David summit,. Israel's Prime Minister Menahem Begin made this important comment: "What can be the outcome? We can't say what kind of an agreement, but what we can stress is that at Camp David we sometimes had prob- lems that seemed to be insoluble and we still resolved them, because this is the nature of human brains. (If) there is an agreement be- tween the parties negotiating — then every- body will rejoice that there is an agreement. And if there is no agreement, the (present) ar- rangement for Palestinian autonomy and Is- raeli security will continue. So in either case nothing wrong can happen. Therefore, I am op- timistic about the future." It is too much to anticipate that the back- ground , of the present sessions for a negotiated peace between Israel and Egypt may once again prove that the impossible may one day become a possibility? . Dr. Stitskin Annotates `Letters of Maimonides' Hitherto unpublished letters by the Ninth Century scholar and physician, Moses Maimonides, annotations defining the backgrounds and exchange of correspondence of the man considered the greatest of Jewish classicists, are incorporated in "Letters of Maimonides," edited by Dr. Leon D. Stitskin (Yeshiva University Press). While the texts of Maimonides' correspondence are in themselves revelatory documentations serving as commentaries on Jewish law and tradition, the explanatory notes by Dr.'Stitskin add immensely to the importance of the compilation - edited by the American rabbi who is professor of philosophy at Yeshiva University Revel School and director of the university's special publica- tions. Especially noteworthy in the collected documents is "The Last Will and Testa- ment of Maimonides," enti- tled "Maimonides' Letter of Moral Instruction to His Son Abraham." Maimonides was a re- nowned philosopher, halakhist and medical wri- ter. Born in Spain and later moving to Egypt, his works include the "Mishneh To- : rah, a Hebrew compendium ofJewish law covered in the MOSES MAIMONIDES Talmud, and "Guide to the Perplexed," an exposition of the Jewish faith. The letters of Maimonides go a step beyond revealing personal sensitivities and intimate insights, as the correspondence of eminent men generally do, according to Dr. Stitskin. "They are crucial to an understanding of the authentic world view of the classical philosopher: They reflect an uncompromising - pm-suit of the life of reason and a rejection of unsupported, dogmatic doctrinal formula- tions. Judaism to Maimonides is an intellectually - grounded faith and the advancement of learning is its highest commandment." The letters also deal with such subjects as: "Historical Evidence and Halakhic Principles," "The Advent of the Messiah and the Return to Zion," and Maimonides' unbending opposition to astrology. Dr. Stitskin based the translations of the 10 letters in the book on a comparative study of each letter in the various versions of the corres- pondence. He precedes each letter with an introduction and follows it with notes embodying a critical analysis of the text and its content. Jacobs' `Hasidic Prayer' Defines High Rank of Piety Hasidism in its highest ranks of piety is defined in a scholarly evaluation of"Hasidic Prayer," by Dr. Louis Jacobs (Schocken Books), re-issued as a paperback. Not a Hasid himself, the noted author treats his subject "with a degree of affection." Role ofJewish prayer as a Hasidic pattern attains new significance in the thoroughly researched essay by Rabbi Jacobs, the eminent British Jewish scholar. "Hasidic Prayer" serves to illustrate the Hasidic way of life and in this paperback the reader will find a text that effectively defines a major aspect of one of the most intriguing movements in Jewish life.