THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

34 Friday, March 21, 1986

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TORAH PORTION

Sacrificial Offerings
And Closeness To God

BY RABBI IRWIN GRONER

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Special to The Jewish News

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Detroit Soviet Jewry Committee

of the Jewish Community Council

•presents

COMMUNITY FORUM:
TOWARDS SUMMIT II

featuring

REP. SANDER LEVIN

SUNDAY, APRIL 13, 1986
1:30-4:30 P.M.
Jewish Community Center
West Bloomfield

Opening address precedes

Worshops to be conducted by William Keyserling, Washington representative for
the National Conference on Soviet Jewry and Abraham J. Bayer, director of the
International Commission for the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory
Council
Chairman of the Dar Betsy Winkelman

NO CHARGE

THE COMMUNITY IS INVITED

The Book of Vayikra — offering brought every morning
Leviticus describes the system of and evening on behalf of the
sacrifices which was followed by whole community. The public act
the people of Israel in the days of of worship dramatizes the idea of
Moses, and during the period unity. Every member of the con-
when the Holy Temple stood in gregation of Israel had his per-
Jerusalem. The karbanot or sac- sonal share in the collective offer-
rifices are presented in detail: the ing. The central sanctuary with
burnt offering, the peace offering, its communal sacrifices was a vis-
the sin offering, the guilt offering. ible object-lesson of the ideal of
The priest would accept these sac- communal solidarity. Without it,
rifices and place them on the al- the tribes would have drifted
tar. The layman, moved by deep apart. With it, they were joined
emotion, would place his hands into one integrated group.
Has the need for unity ceased to
upon the head of the offering
while the Levites would sing to exist in our time? Can we today
the accompaniment of instrumen- afford a fragmented people, torn
tal music.
The contemporary Jew, in con-
sidering these verses, may won-
der about their relevance to his Shabbat Zachor:
problems and needs. He may even Leviticus 1:1 ;5:26,
deem the whole order of sacrificial
practice as barbaric. What mes- Deuteronomy
sages does the Book of Leviticus 25:17-19.
convey to a world so far removed
in time and circumstance from the I Samuel 15:1-34.
world of the Bible?
The source of this expression of
contemporary contempt is the in-
correct way in which we regard apart by schisms and fac-
ancient life. We criticize the in- tionalism? Is there not an urgent
stitutions of 3,000 years ago in the necessity to restore our shared af-
light of 20th Century civilization. firmation of Jewish faith and de-
We need to understand what lies stiny, our common loyalty to our
beneath the surface, the motives heritage, and our hope for Rede-
that inspired the offerings of old. mption?
Although the passage of time
Behind the system of sacrifices
was the desire of man to commune transforms the circumstances of
with God. The human being was life, the human condition remains
stirred by a powerful need to give the same. Sacrificial observances
expression to his sense of awe and were the personal and collective
reverence. The world karbon or experiences by which the people
sacrifice is derived from the He- expressed their reverence to the
brew karov which means to draw Almighty and their fellowship
near, to come close. The goal of the with each other. We need to read
sacrifice was to enable the wor- the Book of Leviticus with under-
shipper to experience the Divine standing minds and responsive
Presence, to sense His love, and to hearts so that we absorb its les-
feel the strength of His nearness. sons and, appreciating their Sub-
God is the Host of the universe; we lime purpose, find new expression .
dwell in His House; we are all His for them in our lives.
guests; we owe Him thanks.
The Israelite sought to show his
gratitude to God for the blessings
he had received. He looked upon
his harvest and flocks and in his
heart arose an urge to express his
gratitude to the Power that pro-
vided rain in its due season, with- PLO Subject
out which the land would have Of Lecture
been barren and the animals
The Center for New Thinking
would have perished. How was he
to do this? By sacrificing part of will present a talk on "The Real.
his increase as a token of thank- Story of the PLO" at 10 a.m.
Thursday in the Somerset Mall
fulness.
"A primitive method," we say auditorium. There is a fee.
At 2:30 p.m. Sunday, the center
with contempt. But is the sense of
gratitude prithitive? Is it un- will present a talk on "Islam: The
necessary now to articulate the. Religious Revolution" in the
idea that we are dependent upon Somerset Mall auditorium. There
God for our life and the means of is a fee.
our existence, that we have the
duty of thanking Him for the
blessings He sends us? On the
contrary, it can be argued that Temple To Have
modern man's sense of gratitude Las Vegas Night
to God is weaker than it was in the
past. We need to recover the so-
Birmingham Temple's seventh
called "primitive" response of an- annual Las Vegas Night will be
cient man who longed to thank held on Saturday at 8 p.m. at the
God for what He had provided. temple. •
The memory of the sacrifices of old
There is an admission charge,
upon the altar serves as a remin- but the first 100 arrivals will be
admitted free.
der of our duty.
A second concept is suggested
Games will be played for cash.
by the public or communal sac- There will be a cash bar,' and other
rifices such as the Olah or burnt- refreshments will be available.

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