For
the Graduate,
what do you give the man or
woman who just yesterday
it seems played in puddles,
and now has a first job?,
Half-Shekel: Common
Denominator Of Giving
RABBI MORTON F. YOLKUT
Special to The Jewish News
It is said that you can
prove anything with statis-
tics. The British statesman
Benjamin Disraeli once said
that there are three kinds of
lies: lies, terrible lies and
statistics.
Statistics, however, are im-
portant; especially so are the
counts of population. In
America, a complete census is
taken every ten years, as
prescribed by law, in order to
determine the population and
other important demographic
information.
In this week's sidrah we
read of God's instruction to
Moses to take a detailed cen-
sus of the people of Israel.
Earlier in the book of Exodus
(30:12) we are told that when
the census was taken every
person was required to give
Shabbat
Bamidbar:
Numbers 1:1-4:23,
I Samuel 20:18-42
machatzit hashekel, half a
shekel. These coins were then
counted and the exact
number of the population was
known. The monies collected
for the census were to be
used for the 'Sanctuary and
its needs.
The Torah's insistence on a
half-shekel for the Jewish
census presents us with a
very timely and relevant les-
son. In this census everyone
contributed exactly the same
sum. The rich could not bring
more, so that no one would
feel that the sanctuary was
his alone. The poor could not
bring less, so that no one
would feel that he was too in-
significant to be a part of the
community. Each person
brought the same size gift
and then the gifts were
merged so that all might
learn that the sanctuary be-
longed to everyone.
This is a lesson that
applies to our contemporary
sanctuary, the synagogue, as
well. There are some
spiritual leaders who think
they are so all-important that
the synagogue is theirs alone.
There are some officers who
think that their skills are so
indispensable that the
synagogue depends on them
exclusively. There are some
workers or donors who think
that the synagogue could not
Morton F. Yolkut is rabbi of
Cong. B'nai David
exist without them. All of
them need to learn that each
is, indeed, indispensable, but
that no can can or should do
it all alone.
Conversely, there are those
who feel that their contribu-
tion to Jewish life is so small
and marginal that they need
All Cross
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B'NAI B'RITH FAMILY NIGHT
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Wednesday, June 24, 1987, 7:30 p.m.
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Tickets Available Thru B'nai B'rith
25835 Southfield Rd., Sfld., MI 48075
Bus Transportation — Nominal Fee
For Additional Info. — 552.8177
Bais Chabad Torah Center
of Congregation Bais Chabad of W. Bloomfield
invites you to
"An Evening with
Dr. Abraham J. Twerski"
TORAH PORTION
not bother making it at all.
This, too, is unacceptable.
The poorest person, the one
who can only give a bit of his
or her time or talent instead
of money, must learn that his
contribution, too, is a gift
that is precious and sacred.
And the richest donor must
learn that without the in-
volvement of others, his or
her gift would not be enough
to sustain the sanctuary.
The synagogue offers a way
of life that can enrich, and a
religious perspective that can
ennoble, all who wish to
enter and partake. But there
is one important condition. In
order to receive, one must be
willing to give. When the
Torah speaks of the half-
shekel contribution, it uses
the word: "venatnu, and they
shall give." That Hebrew
word is a palindrome, it reads
the same in both directions.
What we give apparently
comes back to us in return.
This is the underlying
moral lesson of the Jewish
census and its half-shekel
contribution. Every Jew
should feel not only that
without him, Judaism could -
no longer survive, but also
that he alone cannot uphold
our Jewish way of life. In the
Jewish census and in the
Jewish weltanschauung the
people who are to be counted
assume importance only if
they are willing to be counted
upon to do something worth-
while with their lives; who
are eager to contribute their
part toward the good of their
people and the future of the
living ideals and values of
Judaism.
Without God
Topic Of Talk
Rabbi Sherwin Wine will
speak on "Without God,
Without Creed," at 8:30 p.m.
Monday. There is a charge. Rab-
bi Wine will describe the
philosophy of the Birmingham
Temple at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.
There is no charge.
Both events will take place at
the Birmingham Temple.
World renowned Chassidic
Philosopher & Psychiatrist
Who will speak on
"Self-Esteem
Through
Jewishness"
c Ross o
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For more information call
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• 5 Squash Courts — with -no court fees • Indoor Track • Weight Room • Gymnasiums •
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memberships. Just call and get member's rates for summer classes, too! Sign up now
and have a fun, healthy summer.
Outdoor pools open June 7.
Due to this special offer, Summer Club membership fees must be paid in full, in advance.
For more information, call 661-1000, extension .265.