30
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, May 3, 1985
TORAH PORTION
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Showing Respect For Traditions
BY RABBI M. ROBERT SYME
Special to The Jewish News
My favorite chapter in the
Torah would have to be the 19th
chapter of Leviticus, which is read
on this Sabbath. Read_ this chap-
ter, and you will discover the rich
heritage that has been transmit-
ted to us.
The third verse of the chapter
goes as follows: "Ye shall fear
every man his mother and his
father, and ye shall keep My Sab-
baths." Having read this verse
countless times, I never stopped to
wonder why respect for parents is
linked with regard for the Sab-
bath and Jewish observance. This
past week however, two incidents
shed light on the marvelous in-
sight of our Torah.
The first incident occurred at a
house of mourning, where the
service was conducted by a very
fine, intelligent middle-aged Jew.
Unfortunately, his reading of the
Hebrew left much to be desired.
After the service, a little Israeli
girl who happened to be visiting
her grandparents, commented
that man read "pretend" Hebrew.
The second_ incident occurred
when I was told that several
Jewish organizations were plan-
ning to have a dinner-dance on
the first night of Shavuot. Tele-
phone calls to several members of
these organizations (who are also
members of synagogues and tem-
ples), revealed that with the ex-
ception of one young man, all were
planning to attend this party.
I came to the sad conclusion
that I had spoken to "pretend"
Jews, Jews whose sole concern is
to save Jews. Jews who appar-
ently couldn't care less about sav-
ing Judaism.
Congregation Bnai Moshe
Scholar-In-Residence Weekend
May 11 and 12, 1985
Guest Speaker: Dr. Jonathan D. Fishbane
Historian and principal of United Hebrew Schools
How ironic it is that American
Jews, who are constantly con-
cerned about the religious oppres-
sion of Jews in the Soviet Union,
blatantly violate the religious
freedom that is ours? How can
Rabbis appeal to university
presidents and high school princi-
pals, asking them to refrain from
scheduling graduation exercises
or examinations on Jewish holi-
days, when we Jews show such
disregard for our heritage?
Now, however, I understand
why the Torah links respect for
the Sabbath with respect for par-
ents. Whether we like it or not, we
parents teach by what we are.
Children do not like to be told.
They like to be shown. We send
our children to religious schools,
where they are taught how to
celebrate certain holidays, and
how to observe certain ceremo-
nials. And they they return to
homes that are completely de-
Achare-Kedoshim:
Leviticus 16:1-20:27.
Amos 9:7-15.
nuded of religious adherence! Is it
any wonder that so many of our
children are joining cults, and
leaving us for other faiths?
Try to be an example to your
children! Don't be so concerned
about being their pals! Try to be
parents, parents worthy of emula-
tion! Above all, stop being 'pre-
tend" Jews. Only when you re-
spect the Sabbath and your reli-
gious heritage, only then can you
expect your children to respect
you!
Israel Prize Winners Listed
May 11th - Shabbot morning sermon
Shabbot afternoon lecture 1:00 pm
Topic: Assimilation — An Historical and Contemporary Problem
May 12th - Sunday morning lecture at 11:00 am
Topic: Jewish Humor
Congregation Bnai Moshe
14930 West Ten Mile Road
Oak Park, Michigan
Phone: 548-9000
The public is invited
Phillipe de Champagne's painting of Moses and the Ten
Commandments, one of which is to "Honor the Sabbath."
No Charge
Jerusalem (JTA) — Israel's
Arabic television station, a lead-
ing heart surgeon and a Yiddish
poet were among the winners of
this year's coveted Israel Prizes,
awarded at the traditional cere-
mony last Thursday night by
Education Minister Yitzhak Na-
von.
Arabic TV was honored for
"finding the proper balance as a
key medium serving Arabs in Is-
rael and neighboring countries, as
well as Arabic-speaking Israeli
Jews."
In awarding the prize to
Prof.Henry Neufeld, who heads
the department of heart medicine
at Sheba Medical Center, the
judges wrote that he "is outstand-
ing as a physician, researcher,
teacher and administrator." Prof.
Neufeld established the first in-
tensive care unit at Sheba Medi-
cal Center for victims of heart at-
tacks and trained an entire gen-
eration of heart specialists who
now lead the field throughout Is-
rael.
Avraham Sutzkever, the noted
Yiddish poet whose work is
steeped in the culture and the
catastrophe of East European
Jewry, became the first-ever reci-
pient of an Israel Prize for Yiddish
literature. The judges described
him as a "unique and exalted poet
from his early creativity in Vilna
to the present day in Israel."