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36 Friday, August 24, 1984

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

• INSIGHT

A second time, a newmessage

BY ELIEZER DIAMOND
Special to The Jewish News

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Since 1930

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•

You Are Cordially Invited To Attend

BAIS CHABAD OF WEST BLOOMFIELD

FIRST ANNUAL DINNER .

Honoring Rabbi and Rebbetzin Elimelech '
and Chaya Sara Silberberg

Honorary Chairpersons:

Dinner Chairpersons;

Irwin I. Cohn
Emma Shaver

Barry Howard
Fran Rogers

Guest Artist
Misha Rachlevsky, Defroit Symphony Violinist

Sunday, Sept. 9, 1984
12th of Elul, 5744
6:00 in the evening

YOUNG ISRAEL- OF OAK WOODS

24061 Coolidge Highway

•

• Oak Park, MI

Dinner Committee

SONIA BLUMENSTEIN
EILEEN BORSAND
LILLIAN FELDSTEIN
LARRY GORMENZANO
SARA GREEN
CAROLE HOLLANDER

. ERWIN HOLLANDER
ADELE JACOBS
STEVE LEWT•
FREDERIC RUBY
LUCILLE RUBY
CLAIRE SCHOLNICK

For Reservations Please Call:

COUVERT
$100 PER COUPLE

. 646-3010

. •••• •••• •

"This book," says
Nahmanides at the begin-
ning of his commentary to
Devarim (Deuteronomy),
"is known to constitute a re-
view of the Torah." Devarim
recounts many of the events
and the commandments re-
corded in the earlier books
of the Torah.
Even a superficial •eed-
ing of the narrative portions
of Devarim, however, shows
us that what we have before
us is not slavish repetition
but rather an artful and
purposeful reshaping of the
earlier narratives. In his
farewell speech, Moses
modulates his description of
past events in accordance
with his goal of reproving
and exhorting the children
of Israel. .
What, however, of the
laws which are repeated in
Devarim? Nahmanides
Suggests that the restate-
ments either add new de-
tails or serve as emphatic
reinforcement of previous
commands. While
Nahmanides' suggestions
go far toward explaining
many cases of reiteration,
there is another aspect to
these repetitions, which can
be illustrated in connection
with Parashat Re'eh.
Re'eh, in contrast to the
three preceeding narrative
portions of Devarim,
V'Etchanan, and Ekev, con-
sists mainly of a 'series of
laws. A careful reading of
these laws suggests that
they are addressed to two
major themes, namely, the
need to centralize and
thereby regulate Israelite .
worship, and the need to
prevent Israelite assimila-
tion of foreign culture and
religious practice.
Two passages early on in
the parasha underline these
themes. In 12:13-14 we
read, "Take care not to sac-
rifice your burnt offerings
in any place you like but
only in the place which the
Lord will choose:: A bit
later in verses 30 and 31,
the Torah warns, "Beware
of being lured into their (the'
Cannaaites') ways after
they have been wiped out
before you! Do not inquire
about their gods, saying,
'How did those nations wor-
ship their gods? I to will fol-
low the same practices?'
You shall not act thus
toward the Lord your God."
Keeping these-themes in
mind, let's look at two sets of
commandments which ap-
pear for a second time in
Re'eh.
The discussion of festivals
in Devarim 16;1-17 paral-
lels Vayikra (Leviticus)
11:1-23 with, however, sev-
eral important differences.
The description of the par-

Eliezer Diamond is a
doctoral student in Talmud
at the Jewish Theological

ticular sacrifices and obser-
vances connected with each
holiday given at length in
Vayikra is almost entirely
lacking in Devarim. While
Vayikra discusses Rosh
hashanah and Yom Kippur,
Devarim does not.
Finally, with regard to
the three holidays men-
tioned, Pesach, Shavuot and
Succot, Devarim stresses
the obligation to celebrate
these festivals "in the place
which God shall choose::
The key to these differences
is contained in this last
phrase.
Devarim is not interested
in discussing the festivals

Parashat Re'eh:
Deuteronomy
11:26-16:17,
.
Isaiah
54:11-55:5
•

per se, but rather in stres-
sing their role in centraliz-
ing Israelite worship. Thus,
only the pilgrim, festivals
are mentioned and rather
than detailing the specific
observances of each, De-
varim stresses the obliga-
tion to "appear before God
in His chosen place" on
these three occasions.
The list of dietary laws
which appears in Devarim
14:3 - 21 is almost 'identical
to that which appears in
Vayikra 11:1-23. Devarim,
however, concludes with the
following verse: "You shall
not eat anything which has
died a natural death
nevelah for you are a holy
nation to' the Lord your God;
give it to the stranger in
your community or you.may
sell it to a foreigner. You
shall not boil a kid in its
mother's milk (14:21)."
In contrast to Vayikra
which simply says that
through observing the diet-
ary laws "you shall be holy
(11:44)," Devarim stresses
that Israel is "a holy na-
tion." The prohibition
against eating nevelah,
along with the suggestion
that it be given or sold to
non-Israelite, and the pro-
hibition against boiling a
kid in its mother's milk both

Judaic course
slated for fall •
in Livonia

The Jewish Chautauqua
Society (JCS) will offer a
Judaism course this fall at
Schoolcraft college in
Livonia under the 'direction
of Rabbi Lane Steinger of
Temple Emanu-El. • •
The course is in memory
of Randy Kahn, son of
Aaron Kahn, assistant sec-
retary of the National Fed-
eration of Temple Brother-
hoods (NFTB).

do not appear in the list in
Veyikra.
It seems that the common
thread connecting these dif-
ferences and additions is the
stress placed on the na-
tional character of kashrut.
By keeping these laws, says
Devarim, we are a holy
people. In forbidding
neuelah, Devarim stresses
that to the non-Israelite
neuelah, is permitted.
Finally, Devarim in-
cludes in its list the boiling
of a kid in its mother's milk
which as Maimonides al-
ready surmised and modern
scholarhip has confirmed
was a cultic practice among
the Canaanites. This inclu-
sion seems to imply that
kashrut is not simply a
question of personal holi-
ness but also a means of dis-
tancing oneself from pagan
culture while strengthen-
ing one's own Cultural iden-
tity.
If our analysis is correct,
it means that the Torah as-
signs several functions and
meanings to a single set of
laws. We live in time when
many believe that
halachah, Jewish law,
needs a thorough overhaul.
Perhaps Devarim can serve
as a reminder that while
sometimes halachah must
change, our understanding
and interpretation of
halachah may also require
periodic revision.

Copyright 1984, National
Havurah Committee:

'Jewish Film
Festival closes
'84 season • .

The Jewish Film Festival
will feature The Flying
Matchmaker, Sunday at 8
p.m. at the Southfield Civic
Center, Recreation Build-
ing. This will be the final
film of this year's series.
The film is a musical love
story, set in a Jewish village
in Rtisaia beforethe Revolu-
tion. •
Tickets may be purchased
at the door.
The film festival is spon-
sored by the Labor Zionist
Alliance, National Commit-
tee for Labor Israel-
Histadrut, Labor Zionist In-
stitute and Habonim Labor
Zionist Youth. •
For information Call' the
LZA office, 967-3170 Mon-
day through Friday, be-
tween 9-12 a.m.

Agency seeks
foster parents

Orchards Children Serv-
ices is seeking volunteers
interested in offering foster
parent care for children
varying in age froth birth to
17.
For information, call Or-
chard Children Services,
552-8544.

