TORAH PORTION
Synagogue Council of Greater Detroit
invites you to
DISCOVER
THE
JOYS
OF
JOINING
A _SYNAGOGUE OR TEMPLE
Setting Life's Priorities
Is Key For Fulfillment
.
RABBI IRWIN GRONER
Special to The Jewish News
T
his week's Torah read-
ing includes this state-
ment addressed by
Moses to the Hebrew people:
"Take heed to thyself that
thou offer not thy burnt offer-
ings in every place that thou
seest; but rather in the place
which the Lord shall choose
. . . there thou shalt do all
that I command thee."
The verse has two levels of
meaning. In biblical times
scattered, private shrines
were prohibited, because they
would be linked with pagan
worship. People were com-
manded to designate a cen-
tral sanctuary for their offer-
ings, a place that would be
hallowed by God. That sanc-
tuary was ultimately
established in Jerusalem.
On a second level of inter-
pretation, one can consider
Shabbat Reeh:
Deuteronomy
11:26-16:17,
Isaiah 54:11-55:5
the text as a metaphor. Every
wayside has its altars, every
altar its priests and
adherents. It is folly to wor-
ship at every altar, for all
altars are not equally deser-
ving of our loyalty and
reverence. We should reserve
our best for the Highest.
Life presents its demands.
The text admonishes us: "Be
careful in your gift of self. You
have an offering of love, devo-
tion and worship. Bring it on-
ly to the shrine of the most
sacred."
But we must now address
the question: to what shall we
give our best, what should
elicit from us our most
precious sacrifice?
Some people have never
answered this challenge. It is
not that they refuse to bring
an offering on the highest
altar. Their fault is that they
have divided it between so
many different shrines that
their gift seems to be of such
little value upon any. Life is
largely a matter of priorities.
In order to find satisfaction,
we have to determine what is
truly and supremely
valuable, and then set about
to achieve it.
"Be careful, take heed to
Irwin Groner is rabbi at Cong.
Shaarey Zedek.
Meet the clergy and lay leadership. Learn what Synagogue/
Temple affiliation can mean for you and your family.
thyself, do not offer your
sacrifices in every place that
you see." The failure to heed
this principle accounts for the
ineffectiveness of many other-
wise talented people. Even
though they have been en-
dowed with the gifts of in-
telligence, creativity and
talent, enabling them to
make a distinct contribution
to the life of their time and to
exercise a distinctive in-
fluence for good, somehow
they fail to achieve their
potential.
How can people achieve
direction and control over
their lives? Begin by asking
yourself the fundamental
question "What do I really
want from life?" Then con-
sider three subordinate ques-
tions that will provide the
necessary guidance. The first,
"What are my lifetime
goals?" The second, "How
would I like to spend the next
three years?" The third, "If I
knew now that I would be
struck by lightning six
months from today, how .
would I live until then?"
This season is the ap-
propriate time to ask these
questions. On this Shabbat
we recite the blessing for the
new month of Elul, the month
which precedes Rosh
Hashanah. This is a time that
Jewish tradition designates
for Cheshbon Hanefesh,
spiritual evaluation or self-
assessment as we consider
the paths we have traversed
and the direction in which
our lives should move. As we
approach the New Year, we
reflect upon the sage advice of
our tradition: "Give your best
for the sake of the best. Don't
worship at the wrong altars.
Commit your time and effort
for what is truly valuable."
immimil
THE SYNAGOGUE IS THE ADDRESS OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE
OP N OUS
SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 1987 - SHABBAT SERVICES
CONGREGATION BETH SHALOM
14601 W. Lincoln Rd.
Oak Park, MI 48237
547-7970
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 1987
CONGREGATION BETH HILLEL MOSES
5075 W. Maple Rd.
W. Bloomfield, MI 48033
851-6880
CONGREGATION B'NAI MOSHE
14390 W. 10 Mile Rd.
Oak Park, MI 48237
548.9000
TEMPLE BETH JACOB
79 Elizabeth Lake Rd.
Pontiac, MI 48053
332-3212
TEMPLE EMANU-EL
14450 W. 10 Mile Rd.
Oak Park, MI 48237
967-4020
BIRMINGHAM TEMPLE
28611 W. 12 Mile Rd.
Farmington Hills, MI 48018
477-1410
TEMPLE ISRAEL
5725 Walnut Lk Rd.
W. Bloomfield, MI 48033
661-5700
THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 1987
(6-8)
CONGREGATION SHAAREY ZEDEK
27375 Bell Rd.
Southfield, MI 48034
357-5544
SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 1987
ADAT SHALOM (3:30-5)
29901 Middlebelt Rd.
Farmington Hills, MI 48018
851-5100
CONGREGATION BETH ACHIM (1-4)
21100 W. 12 Mile Rd.
Southfield, MI 48076
352-8670
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1987
(4-7)
DOWNTOWN SYNAGOGUE
1457 Griswold
Detroit, MI 48226
961-9328
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1987
(1-4 unless otherwise noted) •
CONGREGATION B'NAI ISRAEL
OF WEST BLOOMFIELD
4200 Walnut Lake Rd.
W. Bloomfield, MI 48033
681-5353
TEMPLE KOL AMI
5085 Walnut Lake Rd.
W. Bloomfield, MI 48033
661-0040
NEWS
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1987
'Too Busy
To Hate'
Atlanta — A coalition to
protest "shock-radio" pro-
gramming has been formed
by the Atlanta chapter of the
Americari Jewish Committee
and other .concerned Atlanta
organizations and
individuals.
As its first action, the new-
ly formed group, the Coalition
For Fairness in Media, has
called on a local radio station
to stop broadcasting insults
and racial slurs, and join in-
stead in building "a city too
busy to hate."
(1-4 unless otherwise noted)
CONGREGATION B'NAI DAVID.
24350 Southfield Rd.
Southfield, MI 48075
557-8210
(8 p.m.)
SHABBAT SERVICES
CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL
2000 Washtenaw
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
663-5543
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1987 (11:00
a.m. -1:00)
TEMPLE BETH-EL
7400 Telegraph Rd.
Birmingham, MI 48010
851-1100
CALL FOR TIME AND DATE
LIVONIA JEWISH CONGREGATION
31840 W. 7 Mile Rd.
Livonia, MI 48152
447-8974
SHAAR HASHOMAYIM
115 Giles Blvd. E.
Windsor, Ontario N9A4C1
519-253-2352
CONGREGATION T'CHIYAH
1035 St. Antoine
Detroit, MI 48226
393-9493
(NO OPEN HOUSE)
/
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
35