(TORAH PORTION
I
The Jewish Theological Seminary of America
cordially invites you to its
Metropolitan Detroit Annual Citywide Dinner
Each Benefits When
We Improve Life For All
in honor of
Rabbi Benjamin Gorrelick
Milton Gilman
Herman & Pauline Canner
RABBI IRWIN GRONER
Cong. Beth Achim
Adat Shalom Synagogue Cong. Shaarey Zedek
Dr. Leon & Hilda Lucas
Norbert & Marianne Reinstein
Cong. Beth Shalom
Cong. B'nai Moshe
Seminary Guest Speaker and
Presenter of Awards
Guest Speaker
Dr. Ismar Schorsch
Rabbi Harold S. Kushner
Chancellor, The Jewish
Theological Seminary of America
Author, Teacher, Lecturer
Special to The Jewish News
T
to be held on
Tuesday, June 5, 1990
Couvert:
$125 per person
Cocktails 6:00 p.m.
Dinner 7:00 p.m.
Adat Shalom Synagogue
29901 Middlebelt Road
Farmington Hills, MI
For Reservations call, 559-9112
Metropolitan Detroit Dinner Committee
General Chairman
Harold Berry
Dinner Chairmen
Dr. Richard Brown
Joel Gershenson
Chancellor's Council Chairman
Dr. Mathew Borovoy
Patrons' Chairperson
Sharon Hart
Educational Chairperson
Charlotte Tessler
Young Leadership Chairman
Jeffrey Brown
VALE CIE TAYLO
It's
Planting Time
Annual Flower Planting
BUY 10 FLATS•GET 1 FREE
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FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 1990
Award Winning
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by
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HOTOGRAPHERS
284 S. Hunter, Birmingham
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"And every man's hallowed
things shall be his: what-
soever any man giveth to the
priest, it shall be his."
(Numbers 5:10)
his verse refers in an
almost casual and in-
direct manner to some
of the perquisites of the priest
of ancient Israel. The priest is
to receive the heave offering
and "every man's hallowed
things" as well as direct gifts.
That is the literal meaning
of the verse, but it is equally
possible to find a different
meaning. That interpretation
makes the word "his" refer
not to the priest, the recipient
of the gift, but to its donor,
and produces this translation:
"And every man's hallowed
things shall be his property;
whatsoever any man giveth
the priest shall yet belong to
him."
Is it possible to justify such
a paradoxical statement?
How can one suggest that
that which a man sets aside
as holy is his own property
and that which he gives away
shall be his, with the implicit
corollary that that which he
retains for his own use is not
his? Nevertheless, Jewish
tradition argues that this ap-
parent paradox embodies a
profound moral truth. The
fact is often overlooked that
only by giving something
away do we ensure that it is
at our disposal, for our benefit
and use. It also can be true
that those things we hoard for
ourselves as inalienable
possessions really do not
ultimately belong to us.
This truth is conveyed by a
beautiful story told in the
Talmud. A saintly man was
once walking along the public
thoroughfare when over a
garden wall there came hurtl-
ing stones which nearly
struck him. Approaching the
wall, he looked over and saw
a proud householder clearing
stones from his garden and
throwing them into the
street. Beckoning to him, the
saintly man addressed him as
follows: "How long will you
continue to cast stones from
that which is not yours into
that which is yours?"
The householder, probably
thinking he was dealing with
a lunatic, answered "It is the
other way round! The house is
mine; the street is not. I am
Irwin Groner is senior rabbi
of Congregation Shaarey
Zedek.
throwing that which is mine
to that which is not mine."
"You will find out who is
right," replied the passerby,
and went on his way.
Sometime later, this house-
holder suffered a reversal of
fortune. He went bankrupt,
his house was sold by the
court, and, penniless and
homeless, the only place he
could rest his weary head was
the public street. Then it was
that the truth stated by the
saintly man struck home. The
street, being the property of
the whole community, he
could lay claim to its use. Of
his own property, he was
deprived by a turn of fortune.
Consider the profound
lesson that what belongs to
the community as a whole
becomes the inalienable pro-
perty of each member of the
community: "Whatsoever the
man giveth to the priest, it
shall yet belong to him."
An interesting story is told
about Anchel Rothschild, the
Shabbat Naso:
Numbers 4:21-7:89,
Judges 13:2-25.
founder of the fabulously
wealthy Rothschild family.
He was asked once how much
money he had. Being a
religious man, he responded
to the question by quoting the
verse cited above found in this
week's sidrah — "and every
man's hallowed things shall
yet belong to him." He ex-
plained further that he does
not know how much he has
because he is never sure of his
investments, whether they
will bring a profit or result in
a total loss. He concluded that
the only investment that is
really his is the one he gave
to charity — that remains to
his credit and is never lost.
Our sages engaged in ex-
tensive commentary on the
enduring value of charity as
compared to the fleeting
nature of human possessions.
They emphasize that man
cannot take with him, after
his earthly existence has end-
ed, any of his material posses-
sions. Yet his charitable deeds
stand him in good stead dur-
ing his lifetime as well as in
the world to come and in the
gratitude of future
generations.
A sage of the 14th century
wrote that the world is like a
revolving wheel: one who is
rich today may be poor tomor-
row. Therefore, let a man give
charity before the wheel has