I TO RA H PORTION I

Heathen's Praise

Continued from preceding page

Jacob?
Or number the stock of
Israel?
Let me die the death of the
righteous,
And let mine end be like his!
The more one reads this
magnificent prophesy of the
fate of Israel, the less one can
accept the traditional view of
Bala'am as a wicked man.
After all, the true purpose
which scripture had in telling
this lengthy tale, was to
display God's providential
care for Israel.
Incidentally, the story of
Bala'am and Balak is of con-
siderable interest because of
the light it sheds on the
religion of ancient Israel and
the contrasting religions of
the ancient pagan world: a
religion of witchcraft and ex-
orcisms; a religion that ac-
cepts the efficacy of a
soothsayer's word; a religion
that pays scant attention to
the way in which people live,
but puts all emphasis upon
the capricious whims of the
gods who can be bribed with
sacrifices and burnt offerings.
The story of Bala'am told in
our scriptures reveals the God
of Israel not as a narrow

AN AFFAIR OF THE HEART!

AN AFFAIR OF THE HEART

THE ONLY PLACE TO BE
ON JULY 10

`BID FOR LIFE AUCTION'

7:00 p.m.

CONGREGATION SHAAREY ZEDEK

27375 Bell Road, Southfield
LIVE AUCTION 8:30 P.M.
SILENT AUCTION 7:00 P.M.

Wine and Elegant Dessert Buffet

$18 per person

$100 Patron (includes two tickets)

Reservations

357-2920 or 683-5030

Proceeds will be used to purchase an intra-aortic
balloon pump for the Cardiac Care Unit
of Hadassah Medical Complex

34

FRIDAY, %MY I, 1988

How could this heathen
seer read the destiny of Israel
as "a people who shall not
dwell alone?" In every land
where Israel has dwelt, we
have always lived alone. Or,
perhpas, not quite alone, for
God has always been with us
and we with God.

Destined to be a wandering
people, fleeing from border to
border, from sanctuary to
sanctuary, the people of Israel
have found in their long
history a way of reckoning
among the nations. They have
always cast longing eyes
toward a little land of milk
and honey. Now at last, in our
time, the people of Israel have
been recognized among the
nations and fulfilled the
strange prophesy of Bala'am.

I LOCAL NEWS

GREATER DETROIT CHAPTER OF HUM'S

Sunday, July 10

tribal deity, but as the God of
the universe, speaking to a
heathen seer in far-off
Mesopotamia as well as to the
man Moses in the desert,
making both servants of His
divine will. The prophesy
which Bala'am invokes is not
mere idle praise of Israel's
future nor selfish nationalist
boasting, but part of the pur-
poses of God.

Fresh Air Meeting

The 86th annual meeting of
the Fresh Air Society and
election of officers will take
place on Aug. 7 at Camp
Tamarack in Brighton in the
Charlotte Brown Recreation
Hall at 1:15 p.m. The event is
open to the public and in-
cludes presentations by
campers, a rededication
marking the kashering of the
food service operation under
the supervision of the Coun-
cil of Orthodox. Rabbis,
greetings from Dr. Conrad
Giles, president of Jewish
Welfare Federation and a
reception. Persons needing
transportation should call the
FAS, 661-0600.
Nominated for a three-year
term as directors are:
Jonathan Haber, Rhoda
Medow, Dr. David L. Harold
and Pamela Opperer.
Nominated for a second three-
year term are: Dr. Donald
Blitz, David Barg, Ellen
Labes, Pola Friedman, Judy
Naftaly, Edward Lumberg,
Henry Wineman IL and J.
James Zack. Nominated to
complete two years of a three-
year term is Roselyn C.
Blanck, Nominated to com-
plete the last year of a three-
year term is David C. Rouff.
The following officers are
nominated for a one-year
term of office: President,
Richard Komer; Vice Presi-

dent, Jonathan Haber; Vice
President, Pola Friedman;
Treasurer, Edward Lumberg
and Secretary, Dr. Donald
Sherman.
The following changes in
the by-laws will be brought to
a vote at the annual meeting.
The mission of the Fresh Air
Society is to maintain recrea-
tional facilities and offer cam-
ping program and Jewish ex-
periences throughout the
year to the entire community.
More specifically, the Fresh
Air Society, cognizant of its
role in improving the quality
of life, has determined the
following goals and objectives:
lb contribute to the mental
and physical well-being and
development of children and
adults. To foster Jewish iden-
tification and provide the
tools and values to_ live as
members of the Jewish com-
munity. To cultivate
fellowship and mutual caring.
lb promote an awareness and
appreciation of the natural
environment and a concern
for its conservation. To en-
courage participation of a •
broad social and economic
cross section of the Jewish
community, giving special
consideration to those who,
for social and economic
reasons require the Society's
services.