THE JEWISH NEWS
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PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher
ALAN HITSKY
News Editor
Business Manager
HEIDI PRESS
Associate News Editor
DREW LIEBERWITZ
Advertising Manager
SABBATH SCRIPTURAL SELECTIONS
This Sabbath, the first day of Shevat, 5743, the following scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion, Exodus 6:2-9:35, Numbers 28:9-15. Prophetical portion, Isaiah 66:1-24.
Candlelighting, Friday, January 14, 5:08 p.m.
VOL. LXXXII, No. 20
Page Four
Friday, January 14, 1983
AN INQUIRY LOCALIZED
Justice, Justice, shall you
Tel Aviv University, who previously served in
pursue, that you may thrive
the
Israeli army and was a member of the Gen-
and occupy the land that the
eral Staff from 1947 to 1969. Using the New
Lord your God is giving you.
York Times as a platform, he opposes U.S. aid,
—Deuteronomy 16:20
takes a strong stand against militarism, lean-
Perpetuating the dominant Scriptural
ing on a statement that was made by the first
principle embodied in "justice, justice shalt thou Israel Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion: "The
pursue," the people of Israel are in the process of army shall not determine its own organization
examining their leaders, of judging issues
. . . and it shall certainly not decide on matte TS
which have crept up in rebuking fashion over of war and peace." This was used as an indi
tragedies that caused human suffering. Israel is
ment of the militarism of Ariel Sharon and as ct.
an
not alone in the adherence to the basic Jewish appeal in opposition to establishing a stro
moral codes. They are adhered to by the Jewish
military state.
ng
people in their examination of their propagated
Concern over the emergence of an "arsen al
ideals, in the testing of hearts and minds.
state" has been expressed in these colum ns
Popular teacher and retreat leader Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
A commission of inquiry about events in
numerous times. Yet, what Peled advocates, h is
draws upon Judaism, particularly that of the Kabala and Hasidism,
Lebanon has concluded its public sessions in demand that the U.S. stop giving military aid to
as well as psychology, Eastern religions 'and other disciplines to
Jerusalem. It has its counterparts in many
create a guide for the modern day Jew. Titled "The First Step: A Guide
Israel, is in direct opposition to the contentio n,
For The New Jewish Spirit," the book was written with Donald
Jewish communities. It will have one function-
constantly asserted, that Israel's security lies i n
Gropman and will be published by Bantam Books in paperback on
ing under the direction of the Metropolitan De-
the strength it can maintain. Is Peled intox i-
Feb. 1.
troit Jewish community on Feb. 6. At a Com-
cated with the peace dreams to the extent of
The book grew out of Dr. Schachter-Shalomi's teachings to his
munity Forum that morning, at the Jewish
having written so damagingly about his natio n
followers on weekend retreats, seminars and university classes. His
Community Center, four responsible American and its government?
band of revitalized Judaism has touched people from Esalen seekers
personalities will discuss the serious problems
The community forum here cannot ignor e
to Orthodox yeshiva students. In his book he addresses himself to such
emerging from the developing Middle East
the Peled and similar contentions, and it wi 11
specific concerns as how to creat a "mini Sabbath" in the middle of a
occurrences.
serve no purpose to tear the negatives wit h
working day in order to recharge oneself for the rest of the day's
With Michigan's U.S. Senator Carl Levin anger. What is needed is understanding, an ac
activities; making the transition from the office to home; love, mar-
as moderator, U.S. Senator Henry Jackson,
riage and divorce; parenting and preparation for the Sabbath.
cord based on realism, a retention of amity be -
Joseph Sisco and Ambassador Sol Linowitz will
Dr. Schachter-Shalomi has written numerous articles and mono-
tween Israel and the United States so rooted i n
graphs on Jewish spiritual life and is the author of "Fragments of a
tackle the major issue, the central theme being friendship that it cannot be harmed even whe n
Future Scroll: Hasidism for the Aquarian Age." Since 1975 he has
"American Israel Relations in 1983: A Time for
Israeli challengers contribute toward denudin g
been Professor of Religion in Jewish Mysticism and Psychology of
Decision."
it.
Religion at Temple University in Philadelphia.
Had there been unanimity on the subject,
Therefore the significance of inquiry an d
In the authors' own words;.Prof. Schachter-Shalomi's "interest in
with decisive dedication to the continuity and testing is not limited to Israel. It assumes large r the university
of spiritual truths has led Reb Zalman to study with
perpetuation of the American role that has for-
proportions, much of the testing now being as
Sufi masters, Buddhist teachers, Native American Elders, Catholic
tified a friendship with the Jewish state, there signed to a platform in Detroit.
Monks and humanistic and transpersonal psychologists. His synth-
would have been a lessening of anxieties over
esis of these wide-ranging experiences makes his teaching unique and
Out of what is proposed as a basis for dis
invaluable."
current responses to the questions thus being cussion by the Jackson-Linowitz-Sisco-Levin -
His chapter on "Rx for a Working Jew" is exemplary of the entire
raised. But there is now an opposition to the team must also develop other aspects of prob
volume and gives this advice:
all-out U.S.-Israel friendly pacts, and in some lems that are mounting in seriousness. The oft - -
"We all understand that the better we play the game with corn-
quarters there is a clamor for either an end or a repeated warnings of splits in Jewish ranks
modity time, the more money we make. But the better we dance with
drastic reduction of assistance provided by this
must 'be included in whatever discussions are
organic time, the better we live. The purpose of earning money in
country to Israel.
conducted involving the fate of Israel. It may
commodity time is to gain 'control' over the world. The problem is, if
In a sense, therefore, what the four promi- not have a place in the approaching Feb. 6
we always play the commodity-time game, we lose touch with the
nent Americans will discuss here also consti- forum, but it cannot be shelved without concern.
sanity of organic time. To prevent this, we have the Sabbath, a time to
tutes an inquiry. It is also a testing of the
not do the things we do for commodity time.
The anticipation is that the U.S. and Israel
values that were rooted in an amity between handclasp will not be weakened, that whatever
"Like most people, I too play the commodity-time game, but only
two nations.
for six days of the week. On the seventh day, the Sabbath, I stop the
may justify differing views will not be rifts in
game and return to organic time. The dividing line between the two
There isn't even total clarity in the deliber- the ranks either of the American Jewish com-
kinds of time is drawn by the sunset on Friday — our acknowledg-
ations involving the central theme to be re- munity or the interfaith Christian-Jewish
ment of it is in lighting Sabbath candles. Once a week I'm placed in a
viewed by the forum in this community. There ranks. Open discussions are vital. They have
full day of sane time, so that I don't lose my contact with the real
are the Jewish-constructed obstacles that are as not been, must not become, obstructions. The
universe.
aggravating as those erected by the many other forum to be held on Feb. 6 must, in the long run,
"The Sabbath provides a weekly dose of sane time, but in the
forces in the conflict.
serve the aim for unity of action by all the fac-
contemporary world most of us need more than that. If we are to
There is no doubt about the near-unanimity tions involved, in inquiry and self-testing.
survive the commodity-time demands of the nine-to-five (or eight to
of hopes in Israeli and Jewish ranks for the
six) work day, we need a daily dose of Sabbath or its equivalent."
NORMALIZATION'
sustaining of the existing Israel-U.S. friend-
Dr. Schachter-Shalomi further describes his love for the seventh
ship, with many non-Jews joining in such sen-
day in his chapter "The Dance of the Sabbath":
"Normalization" is such a humanizing
timents.
"On the eve of Sabbath, the Jewish home is filled with the aromas
term that it should be treated with a measure of
of God's cornucopia, telling of an abundance that is greater than all
In the opposition, however, there are also great respect. It doesn't seem to apply to the
our needs, real or imagined. This sense of God's abundance is luxuri-
Israelis. They are not many. Like those who Middle East.
ous. Despite the urgency of preparing for Sabbath, it relaxes me. I feel
would confer and fraternize with the PLO, there
Perhaps it could retain normalcy if it were
loved and cared for, and my usual workday worries begin to fall away.
is a handful that goes so far as to maintain that not Israelis and Jews who aspire to it. Because
Even the deepest knots loosen up."
American financial aid, especially the military Israel proposes trade relations and guaranteed
"Friday afternoon is a mixture of opposites, a give-and-take be-
and also the economic, merely build up a mili- good neighborliness, that combined Arab forces
tween the tension of preparing for Sabbath and the deep relaxation of
tary machine. They do not believe the accumu- are shouting the usual "No!"
being in it. The preparations are like a dance; we develop a rhythm
lated armed strength of Israel is a necessity.
and work up a fine sweat, but it is the sweat of pleasure, not of hard
That's the tragedy in that area: that there
work."
Notable in this respect is the viewpoint of Mat- is no relief from enmity. That's why peace is so
tityahu Peled, currently professor of Arabic at difficult to attain.
"The First Step" is a 125-page paperback. Although small in size -
it carries a weighty message.
'First Step: A Guide for
the New Jewish Spirit'
'
■