I Love
to Listen

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don't want to be annoyed. We
call this a "white lie," for,
after all, it doesn't really hurt
anybody. But something hap-
pens. We have weakened our
resistance to untruth, for the
significant feature of a half-
truth is that it's a half-lie.
And thus, we adjust ourselves
to the legitimacy of lying.
One day, a call comes for an
urgent communal need. We
satisfy ourselves with less
than we can give to tzedakah,
with less than we can do in

Haazinu
Shabbat Shuva:
Deuteronomy
32:1-52
Hosea 14:2-10,
Micah 7:18-20,
Joel 2:15-27.

service. We have a great array
of excuses, alibis and ra-
tionalizations. "Are others
giving more? Besides I have
so many obligations. Also, the
economic climate is so un-
predictable." We soothe
ourselves by these evasions;
we lower the sense of obliga-
tion; and we blunt our
sensitivity.
Consider these as small il-
lustrations of a large and
regular process that affects
every human life. What spoils
life is not catastrophic failure
but slipshod habits and trill-
ing stupidity. Tennyson once
wrote: "It is the little rift
within the lute, That by and
by will make the music mute,
And ever widening, slowly
silence all."
We are promised atonement
during this season. The pro-
phet Isaih declares: Im yihu
chataeichem kashanim kash-
leleg yalbinu — Though your
sins be as scarlet, they will
become as white as snow. We
believe that God forgives. He
will provide atonement for
our grievous sins of omission
and commission. He knows
how frail is the flesh, how
weak and fragile is the
human being. He recognizes
that we are, at times, over-
whelmed by tidal waves of
desire and that we abdicate
our will, oru judgement and
our reason to our appetite.
Though our sins be like
scarlet, crimson with
rebellion and lust, proclaim-
ing our shame, they will be
forgiven.
I worry about sins that are
not scarlet but gray. They are
not vivid, nor do they stand
out in bright stripes and sen-

sational colors. These tired
sins of inertia, timidity,
carelessness and laziness are
dull and drab. Not being con-
scious of their pernicious ef-
fect, we are not likely to feel
remorse or to seek forgiveness
for them. Who can calculate
the misery we inflict on each
other by these "small" sins?
My concern is not only what
we do to each other, but also
what these petty sins do to us,
how they constantly weaken
us and gnaw away at our
character. It does not hurt our
self-esteem to unite with the
congregation in a general ad-
mission as we do on Yom Kip-
pur and say Ashomnu bagod-
nu gazolnu — We have sinned,
we dealt treacherously, we
have stolen. We almost might
feel smug about acknowledg-
ing that we are unworthy sin-
ners. But let anyone become
specific about our known pet-
ty faults, our weaknesses and
our deficiencies and we are
immediately on the defensive.
On this Shabbat Shuva, or
Sabbath of Return, let each of
us, in the privacy of heart and
mind, think about the little
foxes that destroy the
vineyards. Let us seek to ex-
amine the small flaws, the lit-
tle temptations, and the
minor failures that erode the
strength of our character. Let
us arm ourselves against
them and we shall achieve a
triumph of the spirit that will
enable us to win God's
forgiveness. ❑

SYNAGOGUES

Beth Jacob
Names Officers

Temple Beth Jacob recent-
ly held elections for officers
and the board of directors at
it annual meeting. The slate
of officers elected to serve for
1989-1990 are president, Jon
Birnkrant; first vice presi-
dent, Dr. Sheila Ronis; second
vice president, George Dicks-
tein; third vice president,
Adam Kollin; treasurer, Marc
Zupmore; and secretary, Dr.
David Ronis.
Elected to serve on the
board are Martin Adelman,
Shelley Bassin, Fred Erlich,
Cathrine Goldberg, David
Henig, Arthur Peisner, Bruce
Welford, Dr. Avidgdor Zaromp
and ex-officio Sergio
Wechsler.
Elections also were held for
sisterhood officers. Carol
Birnkrant was elected presi-
dent and Cathrine Goldberg
was elected treasurer.

A COURSE IN MUSIC AP-
PRECIATION FOR BOTH
THE UNINITIATED AND
SOPHISTICATED LISTENER

f±m
Ceilter

Presented by

David Syme has concertized throughout the United States and in Scotland,
England, Belgium, Holland, France, Italy, Poland, Russia, Germany,
Yugoslavia, Spain, Conodo, and Mexico. He has recorded five albums
(with London's Royal Philharmonic and others) and his Gershwin concert
video has been seen on over TOO stations nationwide. Syme has recently
been featured. of Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, the Dorothy Chandler
Povilion and the Meadowbrook Festival, and has soloed nine times with
the Detroit Symphony.

DAVID SYME, PIANIST

at TEMPLE ISRAEL

5725 Walnut Lake Road
West Bloomfield
661-5700

ALL CLASSES TUESDAY 9:45-11:45 A.M.

SERIES OF SIX $75*

NOVEMBER 7 ....THE EDUCATED LISTENER — Understanding the sonata,
rondo, variation, symphony and concerto.
NOVEMBER 14 ...TCHAIKOWSKY Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor
NOVEMBER 21 ...RACHMANINOFF Concerto No. 2 in C Minor
NOVEMBER 28 ...GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue and Concerto in F
DECEMBER 5 . . . FREDERIC CHOPIN — his musical poetry and tragic love
affair.
DECEMBER 12 ...FRANZ LISZT — Hungarian Rhapsodies and the sexual
revolution of 1840.
Each class meeting will feature an in-depth profile of a specific piece and composer.
You will hear startling "classified" information about the composers' lives,
experience a complete live performance by "the immensely-accomplished
American pianist David Syme". (The Times, London), and emerge with a
confident understanding of some of the most-beloyed masterpieces in history.

NO PRIOR MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE IS REQUIRED

NAME(S)

ADDRESS

CITY

ZIP CODE

PHONE

I am enclosing a check(s) for $
payable to TEMPLE ISRAEL
($75* per registrant).
Please bill my ❑ Mastercard ❑ Visa Account No
Expiration Date

• Mail to: David Syme Series, do 'Temple Israel
5725 Walnut Lake Rd., West Bloomfield, MI 48033

*LATE REGISTRANTS AT OPENING SESSION NOVEMBER 7 — SERIES OF SIX $90

Contemporary
Women's Fashions

FABULOUS
FALL
FASHIONS

855-44641

Hunters Square • Farmington Hills

THE BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT GROUP

PURPOSE:

To offer information and peer support to any

member of the Jewish community dealing
with personal loss through death. Meetings
are held regularly, run by trained facilitators.
SPONSOR: TEMPLE- ISRAEL
5725 WALNUT LAKE ROAD
WEST BLOOMFIELD
661-5700
FUNDED BY: BARBARA E. BERNSTEIN MEMORIAL FUND .,

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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