22
Friday, March 29, 1985
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
CONGREGATION BETH ACHIM
ANNOUNCES THAT IT WILL
CONTINUE TO ADHERE TO THE
TRADITIONAL ORIENTATION
WITHIN CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM
IN ITS SYNAGOGUE LITURGY
AND RELIGIOUS PRACTICES.
TO THE MEN AND WOMEN IN
THE JEWISH COMMUNITY WHO
DESIRE TO WORSHIP IN A
TRADITIONAL CONSERVATIVE CONGREGATION
BETH ACHIM
EXTENDS A WARM WELCOME.
1. • ..11. 1 .
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Friday
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Saturday
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PURELY COMMENTARY
Continued from Page 2
cuering expression in the Bible sideratum of Shabbat is the
is 'grain and wine and oil.
sense of harmony between
(Deut. 11:14) or the seven ag- human nature and nature.
ricultural products What better way than to free
enumerated in Deut. 8:8. the imprisoned calf, the ox, the
(Encyclopedia Judaica.)"
cattle, free them through prac-
ticing vegetarianism on Shah - H
Moreover, the word "meat'
bat.
itself is problematic since
Moreover, while veg-
until recent times, it was a
generic term for food, still re- etarianism does involve
tained in expressions as "the changes in habits of shopping
meat of a nut," and the "meat cooking planning meals, and
of a canteloupe." The sacrifi- dining out, the times are prop-
cial system in the Bible and itious for this change. There
throughout the Mediterranean are more good vegetarian
world of the time, again as cookbooks, restaurants,
Kenneth Clarke has noted, societies, magazines, newslet-
seemed everywhere to exist in ters, support groups, and more
relation to the eating of the reasons to be a vegetarian.
"Life-sustaining and life-
meat, which was actually a rar-
ity.
enhancing rather than ascetic,
The Greeks and Romans this new vegetarianism fulfills
were, by and large, vegeta- more completely the Biblical
rians. "Flesh gluttony" is con- commandments to nurture
tinually condemned in Torah, human life and to treat with
when consumption of meat compassion all that lives." (Be-
was perhaps not more than rman: Vegetarianism and The
once or twice a month! Louis Jewish Tradition)
Berman, in Vegetarianism and
The Jewish Tradition points out The Greeks and
that in Leviticus, holiness is
defined in part by the renunci- Romans were, by and
ation of incontinent sexual
large, vegetarians.
practice and "ungoverned in-
dulgence in animal flesh." The
"Flesh gluttony" is
Haggadah for the Liberated Lamb
continually
redevelops this point of view.
condemned in Torah.
Still, for those who are not
-vegetarians, to become one is a
Consumption of meat
change, and every change
must be thought about and
was perhaps not more
prepared for. One must ac-
than once or twice a
quire new skills in addition to
new insights, and this takes
month.
time. Vegetarianism should
not be regarded as a form of
In this spirit, the Seder set-__
deprivation, as a conversion to
ting for this Haggadah dis=
a peanut butter and lettuce
penses with the shankbone.
sandwich diet. Vegetarianism
Instead, we place olives,
is decidedly not a sacrifice, but
grapes, and grains of unfer-
decidedly the acquisition of a
mented barley, because the
new consciousness, in the
laws of charity respecting the
words of the prophets, of a
poor and the beasts of the field
"new heart." In many ways it
occur in the same passage
involves one in the rediscovery
under the provisions for leav-
of cooking as a civilizing art,
ing the second shaking of the
and in food as a form of com-
vines and of the olive trees for
munion with the seasons. Hag
the poor, and not prohibiting
ha Matzah is an exemplary
the ox to eat of the field while
time to initiate the practice of
he treads out the corn for his
vegetarianism, and to plan a
master. Good substitutions in a
Jewish vegetarian year
ritual are never mechanical ;=
around such holidays as
but should force us to rethink
Shavuot, Succot and Tu
terms
and meaning. Thus, the
B'shvat, which invite concen-
practice of shechita, as Be-
tration upon plant and grain
rman points out, replaced
products. One can set aside the
temple sacrifice and the
week of Hag Ha Matzah for
shochet
replaced the priest in
vegetarianism, or the seven
the sacrifice of the animal.
weeks of Shavuot.
Thus, too, when the temple fain
A beginning can be made by
and the ritual of sacrifice was
setting aside any portion of
suspended, Rabbi ben Zakkai
time, even the Sabbath and
counseled that in its place we
cooking a meatless cholent
would now have "prayer and
Friday morning. For Shabbat,
deeds of loving kindness." It is
compare the commandment
the position of this Haggadah ,
that animals are to be left free
that deeds of loving kindness
to wander in the fields on
in defense of all creatures are
Shabbat with the dreadful
implicit in the meaning of re-
conditions of a calf so
demption.
weakened by months of con-
Thus, the Haggadah is not only
tinuous incarceration in a con-
on the agenda, it predominates
fining stall that when it is first
during this season when there is
raised on its legs to be led to the
rejoicing in the libertarian prin- ,
slaughter-house, it often dies
ciples and freedom is both__)
of that initial exertion. As
cherished and becomes a com-
Louis A. Berman pointed out,
mitment for the generations.
compared to today's calf, "the
Haggadah collectors now in-
muzzled ox of the Bible .. .
deed have a heyday for their ad-
lived in Paradise." A de-
mired fad.