I TORAH PORTION I THE CULTURAL COMMISSION OF Making Sacrifices CONGREGATION IYNAI DAVID Continued from preceding page Cordially Invites You to Hear DR. SIDNEY BOLKOSKY Professor of History, University of Michigan, Dearborn ON "The Reunification of Germany A Historian's Perspective" 11:00 A.M. Sunday, April 1, 1990 AT CONGREGATION IYNAI DAVID 24350 Southfield Road Southfield, Michigan 48075 557-8210 Question and Answer Period • No Chorge • The Community is Invited SEE IT NOW REATTA CONVERTIBLE id• 4.4/ CC 0 O ARNIE WEISS MIKE GERMANSKY TAMAROFF BUICK • HONDA • NISSAN • IZUZU • YUGO /SWISH LOVED sj, ONES A c HAPPY it I c i ( PASSOVER (313) 626-9050 Gift Baskets & Trays For All Occasions Jl LOCAL & NATIONWIDE DELIVERY New Used or Leasing Open Tues., Wed., Fri. Til 6 Open Mon. & Thurs. Til 9 28585 TELEGRAPH ROAD ACROSS FROM TEL-12 Southfield 353.1300 Call or Visit Our Showroom SAVE YOUR DEDUCTIBLE Ask for details. tIERB'S RELIABLE SERVICE BUMP & PAINT BUMPING & PAINTING — Same Location Since 1972 — SHOP 493.0212 Free Pickup and Delivery Herb's Wholesale Tires 54 FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 1990 *KOSHER & DIET RESTRICTED AVAILABLE VISA' HOME 489.1525 All Major Brands Repairs, Mounting, Balancing 29594 Orchard Lake Rd. Farmington Hills, MI Herb's Heimish AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY' Help us keep winning. done at the expense of per- sonal statistics and to help the team. I think this somewhat simplistic view could be a guide to our portion. The sacrifices mentioned in the portion are voluntary ones allowing a person to express gratitude, a closeness with God, or a desire for forgiveness. The role of sacrifice in Jewish tradition has been discussed by our rabbis. Maimonides saw sacrifices as a way to combat the practice of idolatry and guide the peo- ple of Israel away from the practices of the times. Maimonides decided that in his age sacrifices were not ap- propriate. Since the Temple had been destroyed, there was no longer a need to bring sacrifices to a central place. Maimonides felt sacrifices marked a transitional stage leading us to different types of prayer. The services in which we participate as Jews today are adaptations of the sacrificial system. We offer our prayer at times when these sacrifices were offered, and our words become a way in which we approach God. As Judaism has evolved, we find that in our society speaking words from the heart and giv- ing our spirit the opportuni- ty to communicate with God provide a suitable substitute for these sacrifices. When we pray, we speak in the plural and pray for the benefit of not only ourselves but our fellow Jews and all humanity. Thus we see that what originally began as sacrifices have evolved into prayers, all of which help make the team stronger. As in my sports analogy, when the team is do- ing well, the individual feels more complete and feels bet- ter being part of a winner. I believe that through our prayers today, we strengthen ourselves as a people. What are the sacrifices we make in today's society? Many of us feel we must at- tain material possessions, thus sacrificing our personal time by constantly working. The opportunity for the fami- ly to interact becomes time sacrificed so as to keep up with our neighbors. I believe many of us have chosen to sacrifice what Mar- tin Buber calls the "I — Thou" relationships in our lives. We go from place to place, moving quickly from one event to another, from one carpool to another, from one sporting event to another try- ing to enrich our lives and provide us as many ex- periences as possible. I do not believe this allows us the op- portunity to experience that which has potential of pro- viding us with a much deeper and more spiritual reward. I believe we need to sacrifice some of the materialism with which we have become ac- customed, and search for ways to bring ourselves closer. to our families and thus closer to God. Advertisements used to say that the family that prays together stays together. Yet today, instead of families praying on Shabbat or having the opportunity for family time, one child is at soccer, another is at tennis, another is doing something else and the family does not share this togetherness. We need to look at how we can sacrifice some of our activities in an attempt to bring ourselves closer together. When we make sacrifices to God, the Midrash says it is not important whether one of- fers a little or a lot. What is important is that whatever is offered is offered sincerely, and that the person making Shabbat Vayikra: Leviticus 1:1-5:26, Samuel I 15:1-34. the sacrifice is doing so with his thoughts and feelings directed to helping him become closer to God. As we face the challenges of the 1990s, we need to recall that sacrifices were an important part of our tradition and that we always cared to give the very best. As these sacrifices became both prayers and the spiritual core of our existence, they were meant to be offered with caring devotion and sincerity. In Hebrew, the Book of Leviticus is called Vayikra. Vayikra is taken from the first work of the Book of Leviticus which means, "and he called." What was God's call about? I believe it was a call to remind us that each of us has to make sacrifices for the benefit of the team, and that it is important for us to be willing to make these with sincerity and devotion. We know that the letter aleph of the word Vayikra is always written smaller than the other letters, which is in accordance with the way in which the Torah was written and transmitted. We also know that the Book of Leviticus is the first in the Bi- ble that young children often study. The little aleph reminds us that our small children are learning the importance of- making sacrifices that will