I TORAH PORTION THE MIDRASHA — COLLEGE OF JEWISH STUDIES cordially invites you to a lecture on A PERSONAL and HISTORICAL PORTRAIT OF YEMENITE JEWS Some Good May Arise From Apparent Sins RABBI MORTON F. YOLKUT Special to The Jewish News C ivilized society has always frowned upon any display of anger. And yet, nothing worthwhile was ever accomplished, no evil was ever eradicated, no great reform was ever carried out except by people who had the ability to become angry. This week's Torah portion presents us with a profound example of such "creative anger." It had been only a few months since Israel had been miraculously redeemed from Egyptian slavery and had witnessed the miracle of the Red Sea. Barely six weeks had passed since the Israelites stood at the foot of Sinai and proclaimed: Naaseh venishma, "We will do and we will hear" (Exodus 24:7). They had just heard the voice Shabbat Ki Tisa: Exodus 30:11-34:45, I Kings 18:1-39 of God pronouncing the Ten Commandments. Yet the peo- ple forgot their wondrous ex- periences — as well as their solemn promise — and made for themselves a golden calf to worship, denying the very ex- istence of the God they "saw" at the Red Sea and "heard" at Sinai. Moses came down from the mountain with the tablets of the covenant in his hands, and when he saw the people bowing to the golden calf, he became upset. In anger, he cast the tablets to the ground, shattering them. The rabbis of the Talmud tell us that when God saw what Moses had done, He con- gratulated him and said: ryasher kochaka sheshavar- ta — "You have done well that you have broken them" (Shab- bat 87a). The tablets would be useless to a people worshiping a golden calf. What the sages are teaching here is that anger, expressed at the proper time and constructively channeled, can often be a force for good. And Moses is not the only Jewish leader who exploded with righteous anger. When we think of the prophets of Israel we think of angry men, of men who were able to react Morton F Yolkut is rabbi at Cong. B'nai David. with indignation when con- fronted with evil. The prophet Amos, for ex- ample, saw the palaces of the rich of Samaria, and realized how much had been taken from the poor in order to build them, and he was angry. He called out in the name of God: "I hate the pride of Jacob, and I abhor his palaces!" Perhaps the tragedy of our times is that we do not get angry enough. We accept crime, corruption and scan- dal, we shrug our shoulders in apathy or despair, and we no longer have righteous wrath. There is a time when anger is not a vice; in the face of evil it can be a virtue. What is true of anger is true of many other apparent sins or vices. There are cer- tain actions that are not good or bad in themselves; they should be judged by the pur- poses to which we put them. So it is, for example, with ly- ing. Our rabbis teach for the sake of bringing about peace, it is sometimes a mitzvah, and not a sin to lie. And so it is even with atheism. A Chasid once ask- ed his rebbe: "Why did God create atheism? It is such a dreadful curse. It plagues us, it destroys our faith!' The rebbe answered: "There is a time to be an atheist. When a poor man comes to you for a donation, you should not say to him that God will help. You should feel and act at that moment as if there were no God, as if there were no one else on earth but you who could help him." Anger, lying, even atheism — each of these so-called vices can be used for good as well as for evil. We can use every human quality to become bet- ter people and more ex- emplary representatives of His image. God taught Moses that lesson when he con- gratulated him on the break- ing of the tablets. YEFET OZERY Community Shaliach Born in Yemen, Member of Moshav G'vat Yearim United Hebrew Schools 21550 West Twelve Mile Road, Southfield 352-7177 NO CHARGE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC "Division For The Sake Of Unity" Divorce is a tragedy that cuts through so many families. Divorce without a "get" is a tear that rips apart the very fabric of the Jewish community causing hurt and harm to generations yet to come. If a Jewish marriage must end in divorce it must end with a "halachic get". A court. It has been a part of the Jewish Nation since Mount Sinai. With it people start over and begin anew. Without it, we are all affected. The "get" is a short, totally non-judgmental procedure. No one is turned away for lack of funds. For the sake of a new beginning, for the sake of the children, all of our children, the "get" must be the final division when a final division is necessary. Anyone needing information on a "get" should contact: The Council of Orthodox Rabbis 559.5005 Rabbi Leizer Levin 557•6828 HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS: Get The Competitive Edge In The College Selection Process! * Step by Step Instruction * Assessment of Interests and Aptitudes to Determine College Major * Successful Strategies for Completing Applications and Personal Essay Writing ORIENTATION Tuesday • March 22 4-5:30 pm UHS Hosts Shabbat Service Adat Shalom's United Hebrew School branch will host a family Shabbat service and dinner today. The Kab- balat Shabbat and Ma'ariv service will be conduced by the students in the Adat Shalom main sanctuary. A traditional Shabbat din- ner will follow services. For reservations, call Bea Kriechman, 626-2153 or 354-1050. Sunday, March 6, 1988 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. parents welcome JVS Jewish Vocational Service Call Lydia Gray 29699 Southfield Rd. Southfield, MI 48076 559-5000 For Reservation Sliding fee based on ability to pay.