GENERATIONS

The 613th Mitzvah
Comes To Life

"Now Therefore
Write You This
Song For You

•

• •

— Deuteronomy
31:19

embers of Young
Israel Southfield had
an opportunity to
participate in a ceremony last
Sunday that happens precious
few times in a lifetime, the
completion of the writing of a
Torah.
As in Israel when a Torah is
completed and the local
streets are closed off for a
massive celebration of music,
dancing and food, so was a
small section of Ponchartrain

leading into the back parking
lot of the synagogue. In this
case, Rabbi Elimelech Gold-
berg led his congregation in
carrying its new Torah under
a wedding canopy to the shul.
Once there, Rabbi Yosef
Lange, a scribe from Oak
Park, wrote in five final lines,
completing over a year of
writing and proofreading, in-
cluding a computer scan.
When Rabbi Lange com-
pleted the last word of the

Ibrah, he and Rabbi Goldberg
danced together at the bimah.
"Not only 11/2 years ago, we
had a ceremony for another
Torah, a blood spotted, torn
Torah from Eastern Europe.
Picking up that Torah was
like picking up the body of a
wounded, dying person. If that
Torah could talk, it would cry
out in pain and sorrow. Our
new Ibrah has the eyes of the
people of Israel open. For that
we are thankful." El

Photos by Glenn Triest

(Upper Right):
Members of Young
Israel Southfield
gathered last Sunday
to honor the
completion of a new
Torah.

(Right): Rabbi Yosef
Lange puts the
finishing touches on
the new Torah.

(Left): Rabbi
Elimelech Goldberg
chants a prayer under
the wedding canopy
while holding his
synagogue's new
Torah.

(Bottom Left): Daniel
Greenbaum carries a
Torah as part of the
celebration.

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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

113