38 Friday, February 21, 1986
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
With God's help and all of your gifts, cards
and contributions in honor of my recovery, I
am able to express my profound gratitude
to all of my dear friends and relatives.
RUTH KLEIN
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THE
JEWISH NEWS?
TORAH PORTION
The Ner Tamid And
The People Of Light
BY RABBI MORTON F. YOLKUT
Special to The Jewish News
AL'S SAVES YOU MONEY!
The opening verses of this time of the Hanukkah story. The
of Rome across the conti-
week's sidra deal with the Ner march
of Europe and Asia was ac-
Tamid, the perpetual light of the nents
by an attempt to ex-
Sanctuary. While the actual companied
the lights of Judea. In
kindling was performed by Aaron tinguish
own generation Hitler's pro-
Al's Stocks It All!
and his descendents, the respon- our
gram
of genocide began with the
sibility for providing the oil and
TABLE TOPS_
TUB ENCLOSURES
out of the lights of learn-
maintaining the Ner Tamid re- putting
BIFOLD MIRRORED
ing by burning books, destroying
SHOWER
DOORS
sted
with
the
Jewish
people.
It
AND SLIDING DOORS
• 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4 thick
was to symbolize God's presence synagogues and surpressing cul-
• Chrome or gold frames
and intellectual activities.
• Clear, gray or
• New doors or your
in every Jewish house of worship, tural
• Clear, bronze or
On the other hand, the Jewish
bronze glass
doors
in
every
generation.
textured glass
• Beveled glass
Our sages understood the Ner people have always been the
• Clear or bronze
custom units
of the world. Wher-
•
patterns
•
Tamid
to be symbolic of Israel's lamp-lighters
mirror
,
devotion — a people that is
3' Bifolds
forever striving to sustain the
Glazed
FRAMED MIRRORS
CLM
spiritual light of its faith. Today,
ON DISPLAY
the Ner Tamid has become the Shabbat Tezave:
outstanding symbol and one of the
TUB ENCLOSURE
most familiar objects associated Exodus 27:20-30:10
NOW
Reg.
with our synagogues.
Ezekiel 43:10-27
As we again read of the Torah's
directive to establish an Eternal
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rect opposition to the symbolism times or in bad, in freedom or in
underlying the Ner Tamid. It is a slavery, the Jew always managed
practice that is observed at virtu- to kindle the light of learning and
ally every birthday party. Family knowledge. Jewish history has
and friends gather around a beau- been one continual "Ner Tamis"
tiful cake decorated by an appro- during which we have constantly
priate number of candles. These striven to bring light to the world.
Those who have undermined
little candles are lit without bless-
ing, without any sense of the our way of life have flourished in
presence of the Almighty, without darkness. The best way to over-
any sense of gratitude to Him who come evil and its darkness is to
has sustained and increased life. prepare the light at dusk, before
And then something strange oc- the darkness sets in. The Eternal
curs to conclude the ritual. The Light shining brightly in every
celebrant huffs and puffs and at- synagogue has given our people
tempts to extinguish all of the the constant reassurance that a
candles, preferably in one power- well-tended light can prevail over
ful breath. A personal milestone darkness and that life's chal-
is thus marked by extinguishing lenges can become the opportu-
nity for increased spiritual
candles.
I do not know of a single Jewish strength.
ceremony where it is a mitzvah to
extinguish lights. I do know that
the Jew is constantly asked to be
Israeli
on the side of light, to kindle
Astronomer
lights as often as possible. The
Shabbat is welcomed with light.
Joins Voyager
The departure of the Sabbath is
Team
observed with the Havdalah
candle-lighting ceremony. Lights
Tel Aviv (JTA) — A Tel
are kindled at various happy oc-
Aviv University astronomer is
casions of life, such as wedding
one of a small team of special-
and circumcisions. They are also
ists analyzing date radioed
lit at sad moments to commemo-
back to earth from the un-
rate the Yahrzeit, the anniver-
manned U.S. spacecraft Voy-
sary date of a departed loved one.
ager II when it passed within
And as we noted the central sym-
50,000 miles of Uranus last
bol in the synagogues is the Ner
week, the third largest planet
Tamid, the light that burns per-
in the solar system and the
petually before the Holy Ark.
eighth most distant from the
All these represent to us the
sun.
light of religion, the light of
Prof. Aharon Avitar flew to
human concern, and the light of
Pasadena, Calif. at the invita-
service to God and to our fellow
tion of the Jet Propulsion
man. They demonstrate our un-
compromising opposition to the
Laboratories to join the
putting out of lights.
17-member plasma study team
And yet, there does persist in
there. He is a member of Tel
this world a strange practice of
Aviv University's Planetary
celebrating — not the kindling of
Studies Circle which is headed
a candle — but rather the extinc-
by Prof. Yehoyakin Yosef. The
tion of its flame. This propensity
Israeli group had been concen-
has been displajod time and
trating on Uranus recently.
again by the tyrants and despots
Voyager H is now more than
of every era of history. They have
2.5
million miles from Uranus,
attempted and often succeeded in
travelling
at 33,000 miles per
extinguishing the lights of civili-
hour for a 1989 rendezvous
zation.
with the planet Neptune. The
The program of the Syrian/
Tel-Twelve Mall • 12 Mile & Telegraph, Southfield • Daily 10-9, Sun 12-5 • 354-9060
plasma team is part of a staff
Greek
tyrant
Antiochus
was
of 200 scientists examining the
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