TORAH PORTION
SAVE FROM
20% TO 504fi*
MARV
SAYS
CUSTOM
WALL
MIRROR
SPECIALISTS
TUB & SHOWER
ENCLOSURES
MIRRORED
BIFOLD OR
SLIDING DOORS
1
(
INSULATED
GLASS
REPLACED
MOBIL
AUTO
GLASS
SERVICE
• TABLE TOPS
• STORM DOORS &
WINDOWS
• PATIO DOOR WALLS
REPLACED
• STORMS & SCREENS
REPAIRED
0 0 GLASS & AUTO TRIM
CUSTOM WALL MIRRORS
TIRES & ACCESSORIES
VISIT OUR
SHOWROOM
'Suggested List Price
p
SOUTHFIELD: 24717 Telegraph
353-2500
Other locations: Wayne and Lincoln Park
SHLOMO RISKIN
Special to The Jewish News
acob's character is par-
adoxical. On the one
hand, the figure we
know from the Bible is
steeped in the vinegar of
deceit and lies, having deceiv-
ed his father in order to gain
the birthright. Yet, the Jacob
we carry within our breast is
that of a righteous patriarch,
father of the 12 tribes of our
nation, who is the personifica-
tion of "truth." Just as no one
could argue with Abraham's
loving kindness, Jacob's truth
is also self-evident.
In this week's portion,
Toldot, the evidence, at least
on the surface, seems to point
in another direction.
Abraham may be a man of
kindness, but how can we
adorn Jacob with the epithet
of truth?
Two central incidents are
narrated. In the first, the
younger Jacob is cooking a
pot of lentil soup when the
elder Esau arrives dead-tired,
throwing his hungry gaze
j
ORTHODOX:
Bais Chabad of Birm-
ingham/Bloomfield Hills: Moshe
Polter, rabbi. 646-3010.
FREE GIFT on
First Visit
Bais Chabad of Farmington
Hills: 32000 Middlebelt Rd., Farm-
DR. CRAIG BROD, DR, STEVEN SCHREIER
FOOT SPECIALISTS
5755 W. Maple, Suite 111
West Bloomfield
We accept most insurance as full payment. No out of pocket
expense to you. Call for an appointment.
855-FEET
(855-3338)
ington Hills. Chaim Bergstein, rab
bi. 855-2910.
Bais Chabad of West Bloomfield:
5595 W. Maple Rd., West Bloom-
field. Melech Silberberg, rabbi.
855-6170.
Beth Jacob-Mogain Abraham:
15751 W. Lincoln Dr., Southfield.
Dov Loketch, rabbi. 557-6750.
Beth Tefilo Emanuel Tikvah:
24225 Greenfield Rd., Southfield.
Leizer Levin, rabbi. 559-5022.
B'nai Israel-Beth Yehudah:
The Car & Truck Connection
- Auto Broker -
Factory Incentives
Discounted Prices
• New & Used
• Foreign & Domestic
Barry Fishman, • Lease or Purchase
President
- Cars
Call For Your FREE
- Trucks ';4'
Quote Today!!!
1>
- Vans
557-4663
SWIM , ,4
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1989
upon the "red stuff ' simmer-
ing on the fire. Perhaps this
scene has occurred many
times in the past; there is no
reason why it shouldn't have,
because we've already been
told that Esau is a hunter and
Jacob dwells in tents, and it's
the nature of hunters to
return exhausted from the
chase, just as it's natural for
a tent dweller to tend to the
long cooking time needed for
lentils to become edible.
But this one time, the Torah
tells us, Jacob does not serve
the elder immediately.
Rather, he holds out for the
birthright, which expressed
the leadership of the future
nation, and especially the
spiritual leadership since the
custodian of the birthright
served as priest. Scoffing at
the birthright, Esau willing-
ly swears to sell his spiritual
inheritance "for a mess of pot-
tage." Once the deal is made,
Esau eats, drinks, gets up and
leaves, and the Torah declares
that Esau ". . despised
his birthright." [Gen. 25:34]
As if this were not condem-
nation enough, Esau then
goes and marries two Hittite
women, an act of intermar-
riage, severely forbidden by
Abraham. Once again, the Bi-
ble chides the elder brother,
stating that this caused a
"bitterness of spirit for Isaac
and Rebecca!"
It's from this backdrop that
the entire family becomes in-
volved in acting out a tragic
Being human
means confronting
paradoxes.
drama. Overhearing that her
husband Isaac has bidden
Esau to go out and hunt game
so that his soul will bless
Esau before his death, which
could come at any moment,
Rebecca springs into action.
Clearly, she favors Jacob.
Her reason is clear. She suf-
fered incredible labor pains
after years of infertility, and
the text had described how
she went to seek God and had
been told that two nations
raged inside her womb, the
younger eventually ruling
SYNAGOGUE SERVICE S
Don't walk in pain! We take care
of painful corns, bunions, callouses,
diabetic foot, arthritis and hammer
toes. House calls, transportation
available at no extra charge.
54
Was Jacob Dishonest? The Liar
Vs. The Righteous Patriarch
15400 W. 10 Mile Rd., Oak Park.
Yoel Sperka, rabbi. 967-3969.
B'nai Zion: 15250 W. Nine Mile
Rd., Oak Park. Solomon Gruskin,
rabbi. 968-2414.
Dovid Ben Nuchim: 14800 W. Lin-
coln, Oak Park. Chaskel Grubner,
rabbi. 968-9784.
Huntington Woods Minyan:
meets at the Burton School. Dave
Morrison, 542-1491.
Kollel Institute: 15230 W. Lincoln,
Oak Park. Moshe Schwab, rabbi.
968-0109.
Machon L'Torah: 15221 W. 'Ibn
Mile Rd., Oak Park. Avraham
Jacobowitz, rabbi. 967-0888.
Mishkan Israel, Nusach H'ari,
Lubavitcher Center: 14000 W. 9
Mile Rd., Oak Park. 543-6611.
Shaarey Shomayim: 15110 W. 10
Mile Rd., Oak Park. Leo Goldman,
rabbi. 547-8555.
Shomrey Emunah: 25451
Southfield Rd., Southfield. Shaiall
Zachariash, rabbi. 559-1533 or
557-9666.
Shomrey Emunah-Ohel Moed:
6191 Farmington Rd., West Bloom-
field. Eli Jundef, rabbi. 967-1806.
Young Israel of Greenfield: 15140
W. 10 Mile Rd., Oak Park. Reuven
Drucker, rabbi. 967-3655.
Young Israel of Oak-Woods:
24061 Coolidge, Oak Park. Eliezer
Cohen, rabbi. 398-1177.
Young Israel of Southfield: 27705
Lahser, Southfield. Elimelech
Goldberg, rabbi. 358-0154.
Young Israel of West Bloomfield:
6450 Farmington Rd., West Bloom-
field. Ira Lutzky, 259-8500.
TRADITIONAL:
B'nai David: 24350 Southfield Rd.,
Southfield. Morton Yolkut, rabbi.
557-8210.
CONSERVATIVE:
Adat Shalom: 29901 Middlebelt
Rd., Farmington Hills. Efry Spectre,
rabbi. 851-5100.
Beth Abraham Hillel Moses:
5075 W. Maple, West Bloomfield. A.
Irving Schnipper, rabbi. 851-6880.
Beth Achim: 21100 W 12 Mile Rd.,
Southfield. Milton Arm, rabbi.
352-8670.
Beth Shalom: 14601 W. Lincoln
Rd., Oak Park. David Nelson, rab-
bi. 547-7970.
Beth Tephilath Moses: 146 South
Ave., Mt. Clemens. 465-0641.
B'nai Israel of West Bloomfield:
4200 Walnut Lake Rd., West Bloom-
field. Sherman Kirshner, rabbi.
681-5353.
B'nai Moshe: 14390 W 10 Mile
Rd., Oak Park. Allan Meyerowitz,
rabbi. 548-9000.
Downtown Synagogue: 1457
Griswold, Detroit. Noah Gamze,
rabbi. 961-9328.
Livonia Jewish Congregation:
31840 W. 7 Mile Rd., Livonia.
477-8974.
Shaarey Zedek: 27375 Bell Rd.,
Southfield. Irwin Groner, rabbi.
357-5544.
REFORM:
Beth El: 7400 Telegraph Rd., Bir-
mingham. Daniel Polish, rabbi.
851-1100.
Beth Isaac: 2730 Edsel Dr., Tren-
ton. 675-0355.
Beth Jacob: 79 Elizabeth Lake
Rd., Pontiac. Richard Weiss, rabbi.
332-3212.
Emanu-El: 14450 W. 10 Mile Rd.,
Oak Park. Lane Steinger, rabbi.
967-4020.
Temple Israel: 5725 Walnut Lake
Rd., West Bloomfield. M. Robert
Syme, Harold Loss, Paul Yedwab,
rabbis. 661-5700.
Kol Ami: 5085 Walnut Lake Rd.,
West Bloomfield. Norman Roman,
rabbi. 661-0040.
Shir Shalom: 5642 Maple Rd.,
West Bloomfield. Darnel Schwartz,
rabbi. 737-8700.
Shir Tikvah: 3633 W. Big Beaver,
Troy. Arnie Sleutelberg, rabbi.
643-6520.
HUMANISTIC:
Birmingham Temple: 28611 W. 12
Mile Rd., Farmington Hills. Sher-
win Wine, rabbi. 477-1410.
RECONSTRUCTIONIST: -
T'Chiyah: St. Antoine at Monroe,
Detroit. 393-1089.
UNAFFILIATED:
Sephardic Community of
Greater Detroit: meets at
Yeshivah Beth Yehudah, 15751 W.
Lincoln, Southfield. David Hazan,
vice president. 545-8945.