18 Friday, April 25, 1986
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
TORAH PORTION
Get in the Swim!
Jewish Community Center
Day Camp
8 0 ating
Cr afts
Alature
SWirn
Free Bus Transportation
Session I, June 23 - July 18
Session II July 22 - August 15
Exciting programs for pre-school through 10th grade
— Early Bird Discount Before May 1 —
For information call 661-1000, extension 254
AWN
r
\
—
WHEN YOU THINK AUDI,
THINK BILL COOK
•
Oro
•
Volume Selling Means
VOLUME SAVINGS.
PORSCHE 4714044
+AUDI
37911 GRAND RIVER AVE., FARIINNGTON HILLS
Bones Versus Gold:
The Choices Of Slaves
BY RABBI MORTON F. YOLKUT
Special to The Jewish News
What was it like on the day
that the Israelites left Egypt
forever? The rabbis of the Mid-
rash present us with a vivid de-
scription. Kal Yisrael hayu
asumim b'chesef vezahav — the
entire people were occupied with
accepting the gold and silver
which the Egyptians offered to
them as farewell presents. Their
last moments in Egypt were
spent stuffing their spoils into
trunks and suitcases.
And what did Moses do during
these last hours of slavery? The
Midrash says that Moses was
preoccupied with far more noble
spoils. Moses went looking for the
remains of Joseph, for he remem-
bered the sacred promise that the
Israelites had made to Joseph be-
fore he died, that when they were
liberated, they would take his
bones with them. Indeed
throughout the 40 years of wan-
dering, this precious burden ac-
companies our ancestors (Shemot
Rabbah, 20).
That choice, between gathering
valuables or remembering a
promise, is one that all of us have
to make during the course of a
lifetime. We promise all kinds of
things: to our parents, to our
wives and husbands, to our chil-
dren. But then distractions come
along and we forget the promises.
We put them on "hold" and say
we will honor them later. Now we
are too busy. Now we have to
make a living. Now we have to
build an estate.
If we could look at life objec-
tively we would realize that the
promises and commitments we
make to our loved ones mean
more than any other kind of suc-
cess. Would we not rather be re-
membered as good • parents or
mates than as successes in amas-
sing a fortune or gathering pos-
sessions?
The sages of the Midrash offer
another insight into this text.
They make a play on words. In-
stead of reading it, "he took
Atsmot Yosef' which means "the
bones of Joseph," they read it,
"atsmoot Yosef' which means,
"the essence of Joseph." What
they meant is Moses did not sim-
ply take along the body of Joseph.
He took along his qualities, his
character, his ideals and his vir-
tues. Joseph was a loyal son of his
people at all times and under all
circumstances. In spite of the
many vicissitudes and upheavals
he remained Yosef Hatzadik,
Joseph the righteous one.
Joseph had remained a devoted
son of Israel whether unjustly
imprisoned or at the summit of
power. Whether under the
shadow of a saintly father or in a
licentious Egyptian household,
Joseph never compromised his
standards or ideals. By taking
Joseph as his role model, Moses
made Joseph's strengths and vir-
tues his own.
I find this a valuable insight,
not only about Moses, but about
all of us. What can we do for a
person after his death? What
more tan be said or done once he
has departed this world? What
Moses did for Joseph was to keep
him and what he stood for alive.
In taking Joseph's remains
through the desert, Moses was
assuming not just the physical
burden but those qualities in
Joseph that he admired the most:
his devotion, his loyalty, his pa-
tience and his remarkable humil-
ity untainted by power and fame.
That is also the significance
and the meaning of the Yizkor
memorial prayers that we Jews
will recite this coming week on
Hol HaMoed
Passover:
Exodus 33:12-34:26.
Ezekiel 36:37-37:14.
the last day of Passover. Saying
prayers in memory of our de-
parted loved ones is praisewor-
thy. Naming children after them
is in the finest traditions of our
faith. But the very best thing we
can do for those whom we loved
and admired is to make their
qualities- our own.
We should learn to say, as
Moses did of Joseph, "Why should
these good qualities die with
them?" Let me draw them into
myself. Let me learn to emulate
the qualities of the one I loved
and respected and thereby
preserve, in me and through me,
what they stood for. This is the
Jewish way of Yizkor the most
meaningful way to memorialize
those whom we loved, lost, and
now remember with our prayers
and our resolve. It is a way that
leads to immortality.
—
Marvin Resnik
Opens Israeli
Memorial Center
New York (JTA) — Dr. Mar-
vin Resnik, father of the late
Challenger astronaut, Dr.
Judith Resnik, said last Satur-
day that "NASA took every
precaution it could" in the latest
Challenger flight, and that the
"manned space program should
continue. If they stop it, the
Challenger crew will have given
their lives in vain." Resnik
added that "President Reagan
has given me his assurance that
the program will continue."
Resnik made these remarks
during an evening reception for
the Judith Resnik Challenger
Crew Memorial to be estab-
lished at the Beit Halochem
Rehabilitation Center for dis-
abled Israeli war veterans in
Jerusalem.
Resnik described his daughter
as "a private person who was
proud of her Jewish heritage
and wanted to be known as a
professional engineer, dedicated
to her work at NASA."