TORAH PORTION
COME AND HEAR
World Famous Jewish Historian
and Holocaust Scholar
YEHUDA BAUER
Director of the Center for the
Study of Anti-Semitism
at the
Hebrew University
who will speak on
The Future of Israel:
Survival with Integrity
How,can the Palestinian conflict be resolved?
What is the significance of the Russian immigration?
Friday, February 9, 8:30 P.M.
The Birmingham Temple
28611 West Twelve Mile Road
Farmington Hills, MI 48018
477-1410
A Parable For All Times: The
Short Way Is Not Always Best
RABBI IRWIN GRONER
Special to The Jewish News
T
he fulfillment of the
dream of liberation for
the Hebrew people is
described in this week's
sidrah. Pharaoh finally
allows the enslaved Hebrews
to depart, and they set forth
on their journey to the land of
promise, the land of Canaan.
We are told that when the
Israelites went out of Egypt,
"God did not lead them by
way of the land of Philistines,
although it was nearer; for
God said, 'the people may
have a change of heart when
they see war, and return to
Egypt.' So God led the people
round about by way of the
wilderness at the Sea of
Reeds?'
There is much speculation
in rabbinic literature as to
why God chose to lead the
Israelites the long way round
Irwin Groner is senior rabbi
of Congregation Shaarey
Zedek.
to the Promised Land, rather
than taking the shortst and
most direct route. After all,
the actual journey could have
been achieved in as many
days as it took years.
One rabbi reasoned that if
it was the shortest way to the
Land of Canaan, it also would
be the shortest way back to
Egypt. Every time the people
faced difficulty or en-
countered a crisis, they would
be tempted to go back to
Egypt. Had the way back to
Egypt been easier, the hard-
ships of freedom would have
been more quickly exchanged
for the security of slavery. The
goal of the Promised Land is
not reached easily without ef-
fort and preparation.
"This case," the sages say,
"can be compared to a king
who had a son to whom he
wished to bequeath an in-
heritance," but he argued: "If
I give it to him now that he
is small, he will not know how
to take care of it. I will
therefore wait until my son
learns how to read and write
and can understand the value
of my property. Then I will be-
queath it to him. And so, this
is what God said: 'If I bring
Israel into the land now,
before they have busied
themselves with My com-
mandments, they will not
know the meaning of their
obligations. No, I had better
Shabbat Shira:
Exodus 13:17-17:16,
Judges 4:4-5:31.
give them the Torah first, and
then bring them into the
land.' "
A parable for all times. The
shortest way is not always the
best way. To attain life's
fullness takes both wisdom
and maturity. And both of
these require time.
The sages had a keen in-
sight into human nature.
That which is quickly and
easily attained has little
value. A gambler will lose
money at the throw of the
dice, shrug and say "easy
come, easy go." A bright stu-
dent who crams before an ex-
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42
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1990
Bais Chabad of Birm-
ingham/Bloomfield Hills: Moshe
Polter, rabbi. 646-3010.
Bais Chabad of Farmington
Hills: 32000 Middlebelt Rd., Farm-
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:
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. Ten
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. Dannel 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.