I TORAH PORTION I Go ahead, don't worry. Enjoy your vacation. But only if you call Progressive Care to take care of your loved ones while you're gone. Progressive Care is a professional private duty health care service dedi- cated to assisting your loved ones when you're not there. Progressive Care offers: ❑ Registered Nurses ❑ Nurses Aides 111 Licensed Practical Nurses ❑ Physical Therapists ❑ Occupational Therapists ❑ Male Attendants ❑ Live-ins ❑ Companions Progressive Care offers experienced personnel who serve in homes, hospi- tals, senior housing facilities and nursing homes. Our personnel is sensitive to Jewish traditions and customs and is better prepared to assist your loved ones by not only meeting their clinical require- ments, but also their personal and spiritual needs. So, before you leave, be sure there's someone to care for the one you care about. Call Progressive Care at 1. Atonement Continued from preceding page hand, rejected the symbolic position and questioned whether the sacrificial system was even of Jewish origin. He was aware that among all peoples in ancient times the custom of worship- ping by means of sacrifices was common. God realized, so it was felt, that the Israelites could not immediately aban- don the sacrificial system and so limited its application by confining it to one place — Jerusalem. The destruction of the Tem- ple brought the cessation of the sacrificial system, which the rabbis determined should be replaced by prayer. One of the rabbis declared that prayer was even more ef- ficacious than burnt offerings. Still, the rabbis never ceased to look forward to the rebuilding of the Temple and the reinstitution of sacrifices during the messianic era. Sacrifice was virtually universal among ancient peoples. It was a religious rite. Usually it was joyous; sometimes it was offered in hopes of warding off disaster or seeking purification from ritual defilement or sin. Somehow, ancient peoples believed the gods were sus- tained by inhaling the odor of the burning food, providing "a pleasing odor to the Lord." The priestly authors of Leviticus regarded sacrifice as an act of homage to God and not as a means of satis- fying God's physical hunger. While this week's Torah por- tion details instructions for the various kinds of sacrifices, throughout the Bible sacrifice was regarded as a normal ele- ment of personal, family and civic life. With the burning of the Temple by the Romans in 70 C.E., the sacrificial cult came to an end. In its stead came the synagogue. Gradually over the years as the religious needs of the Jewish people were met, prayers took the form of sacrifices. Certain prayers at morning, afternoon and evening were the substitutes for the daily sacrifices. Judaism became a portable religion to be carried in the hearts and prayers of Jews wherever they lived. Shortly after the Temple was destroyed, Rabban Johanam ben Zakkai visited its ruins in the company of his pupils. One of them bewailed the cessation of the sacrifices that had once provided atone- ment for sin. The rabbi replied, "Do not grieve, my son. We have a means of atonement that is equal to sacrifice — the doing of good deeds." 0 I SYNAGOGUES I Shaarey Zedek Men Cite Leonard Baruch (313) 273-2005. The Shaarey Zedek Men's Club wil honor Leonard P. Baruch during services and at a luncheon April 8. Baruch is past president of the men's club, trustee of PROGRESSIVE CARE Progressive Care is an affiliate of Comprehensive Aging Services, Inc., a subsidiary of Jewish Home Aging Services. he also has been active in Young Judea, United Syna- gogue Youth and Leadership Training Fellowship. He served as president of the Jewish Young Adult Council and as chairman of the junior division of Allied Jewish Campaign. There is a charge for the luncheon. For reservations, call the synagogue, 357-5544. • Rabbi Appointed To Food Bank „ et • The world's leading custom closet company. • A decade of service and experience. • One day installation, spotless cleanup. • Fully adjustable. . 3160 Haggerty Rd., West Bloomfield UNIQUE CONCEPTS IN SPACE PLANNING CALIFORNIA (North of Pontiac Trail in West Bloomfield Tech Center) Leonard Baruch (313) 624-1234 Shaarey Zedek and chairman of various synagogue commit- tees and special events. The former director of youth ac- tivities and Camp Petosega, 1, Lq88 California Closil Company. Inc. All Rights Resoled. Each franchise indti.dently nulled and operaied. 44 FRIDAY, MARCH 24, 1989 Rabbi A. Irving Schnipper of Congregation Beth Abraham Hillel Moses has been appointed to the board of directors of the Oakland County Food Bank. The Food Bank relies on donations of products from the food industry, food drives by religious and community groups and individual gifts for its support. It has distributed more than 4 million pounds of food an- nually since opening in 1984.