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Certain ideals unique to - the
Jewish faith, that have shaped
Jewish character, are set forth in
this week's Sidrah: "You shall
not profane My Holy Name, that
I may become hallowed in the
presence of the children of Is-
rael." This verse contains the sol-
emn warning against the Profa-
nation of the Divine Name —
Chillul Ha Shem and the positive
commandment to hallow the
name of God — Kiddush Ha

master charge
******
a

high sense of reverence is guilty
of Chillul Ha-Shem.
A Jewish group which holds
public business conferences and
meetings on the Sabbath and on
the Jewish Holy Days is guilty of
Chillul Ha-Shem. .
A Jew who expresses ridicule
or contempt of his religious heri-
tage is guilty of Chillul Ha-Shem.
A Jew who insults and defames

-

Shem.

Shabbat Emor:
These • terms became the
standards for measuring the ac-
Leviticus 21:1-24:23.
tion of every Jew, for he was
Ezekiel 44:15-31.
taught that everything he did
would be judged by his own com-
munity and by the non-Jewish
society, and could bring honor or
his fellow Jews is guilty of Chil-
dishonor to the God of Israel.
God's name becomes hallowed lul Ha-Shem.
A Jew who responds with in-
when those who love Him act in
such a manner that this belief tolerance and prejudice to other
ennobles their lives and thereby religions and other groups is
adds goodness to the world. To guilty of Chillul Ha-Shem.
Each Jew is a witness, each
provide an illustration, the Tal-
mud tells the story about Rabbi Jew is responsible for protecting
Simeon Ben-Shetah, a distin- the good name of his own people,
guished scholar of the First Cen- and the reputation of God.
tury. One day his disciples glee-
fully announced to him that they
had found a precious stone in the
collar of the donkey he had
bought from a pagan. "But I pur-
Declining
chased the donkey and not a pre-
Birthrate
cious stone," he said, and im-
mediately returned the.gem to its
Causes Concern
owner. Upon receiving it, the
pagan exclaimed: "Praised be the
Jerusalem (JTA) — A Hebrew
God of Simeon Ben-Shetah!"
University scholar's report to
Thus, Kiddush Ha-Shem is to
the Cabinet last Sunday on the
do more than what the formal
declining birthrate among Jews
law requires, to practice goodness
in Israel and the diaspora was
not out of fear of punishment nor
acknowledged by the ministers
for one's own glory, but for the
to be a matter of serious concern
glory of God.
and drew various proposals on
Martyrdom, the giving up of how to reverse the trend.
one's life for the sake of one's be-
Prime Minister Shimon Peres
lief, is known in the Jewish tradi-
urged every Jewish family to
tion as Kiddush Ha-Shem. The
have at least four children. He
martyr demonstrates that for
spoke after Prof. Roberto Bac-
him, religious faith evokes the
chi, head of the Hebrew Univer-
highest form of sacrifice. He gives
sity's Statistics Department,
witness that his belief is truly au-
told the Cabinet that over the
thentic, and that God has really
past decade the number of Jew-
possessed his inner life.
The Jewish people has ever ish births in Israel has averaged
about 50,000 a year compared to
preserved in its collective mem-
ory the stories of those who gave an average 60,000 a year non-
Jewish births.
their lives "Al Kiddush Ha-
He said that while the dispar-
Shem," for their heroism taught
an enduring and sacred truth — ity was more or less offset by
even more precious than physical the positive balance between
existence are the values of faith Jewish immigration and emigra-
and justice, compassion and pur-
tion and a higher non-Jewish
ity, Torah and mitzvah. God's
mortality rate, the demographic
presence in the world was, as it gap between Jews and non-Jews
were, magnified and enlarged by in Israel and the administered
the faithfulness of our kedoshim. territories was widening.
But if Kiddush Ha-Shem is
He said the demographic pros-
recognized as the highest of val- pects were even bleaker for
ues then the most grievous of sins
is Chillul Ha-Shem. Briefly de- diaspora Jews where the aver-
age birthrate is 1.5 percent corn-
fined, this is an act committed by
pared
to 2.8 percent among
an individual Jew in the full view
Israeli Jews. The lowest birth-
of public attention that brings
disgrace to other Jews and to rate of all in the diaspora is
among Soviet Jews, he said.
Judaism.
Bacchi predicted that low
A Jew committing murder is
birth rates and intermarriage
guilty not only of homicide, but
also of Chillul Ha-Shem. The will reduce the diaspora Jewish
same is true for theft, violence, population from 9.5 million to-
income tax evasion, drug addic-
day to 8 million by the turn of
tion or any other crime.
the century and to 6 million 40
A Jew whose synagogue man-
years from now unless the
ner and attitude falls short of a trends are reversed.