TORAH PORTION
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
presents
After
the
Storm:
Israel and the Changing New World Order
"ISRAELS RELATIONS
WITH ITS
ARAB NEIGHBORS"
"ISRAELS DOMESTIC
AGENDA AFTER
THE GULF CRISIS"
on
An Inner Silence
Is More Than Words
RABBI IRWIN GRONER
Special to The Jewish News
Israel's
Independence Day
I
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17
7:30 P.M.
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
27375 BELL ROAD
SOUTHFIELD
RAYMOND TANTER
Professor of Political Science
University of Michigan
EDITH FRANKEL
President: Jack Liwazer
Executive Director: Shayna Silverman
Co-Chairmen: Harold Berry, Allan Nachman
Program Chairman: Esther Liwazer
REFRESHMENTS FOLLOWING
Director of the Center of Soviet
& Eastern European Studies
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
NO SOLICITATION OF FUNDS
— PUBLIC INVITED —
To R.S.V.P. or for further information, call Shayna Silverman 357-0510
B.H.
Dais Chabad Torah Center
and the
Ehrmann Community Mikva
invite all Jewish Women
to a 2-Part Lecture Series
on
TAHARAT HAMISHPACHA
A comprehensive review on the
Laws of Family Purity and Mikva
given by
Bed shown
$199_95
AMISCO
On
SALE
Special Order
CHAYA SARA SILBERBERG
Wednesday
April 17th
and
Wednesday
April 24th
— 8:00 - 9:30 p.m. —
ot
BAIS CHABAD TORAH CENTER
52
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FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 1991
n the course of bringing a
sacrifice before the Lord,
two of Aaron's sons,
Nadav and Avihu, desecrate
the altar by bringing a
"strange" fire, and the
holiness that is there destroys
them.
Aaron, the High Priest, is
stunned by this double
tragedy. He is no longer a
supremely sacred figure but
rather a father, bereft of his
children.
Moses tries to console him,
but no words of consolation
are adequate. The Torah
states Aaron's reaction: Va-
yedom Aharon, "and Aaron
remained silent," the most
eloquent silence in the entire
Bible. •
One would have expected
from Aaron an outcry, protest,
lamentation. But Aaron did
not say anything. Indeed, in
the next chapter, Aaron
resumes his duties as the
high priest, sharing with
Moses in the task of teaching
Israel how to distinguish bet-
ween the pure and the
impure.
We are puzzled. What does
the text mean? Aaron had
every reason to be aggrieved,
to scream against Heaven. He
had served God loyally, he
had been the spokesman of
Moses before Pharaoh and
now this test.
His was not an irrational
faith, declaring that in the
midst of tragedy we are not
meant to understand, and we
are forbidden to ask ques-
tions. The text emphasizes
Aaron's silence, I believe, as
an act of reverence for an
overwhelming sorrow. An
awesome burden had been
placed upon Aaron for which
no words were adequate.
Nor is this the only place
where man responds to God
with silence. The Psalms are
filled with words of joy and
gratitude that recount the
wonders of the Almighty. But
at the end of one of the
psalms, we find a remarkable
phrase "To Thee, 0 Lord,
silence is praise."
When we have exhausted
the language of praise, our
silence becomes the final,
ultimate declaration of awe
that we offer the Sovereign of
the Universe.
The pslamist helps us
understand the essence of
worship. Prayer is experienc-
ed in the words and melodies
offered by the congregation,
chanted and interpreted by
the cantor. Prayer is defined
by the rhythms and cadences
of language and music.
But prayer in its highest
and greatest mode is our ef-
fort to discover what the Pro-
phet Elijah heard after the
storm — a still, small voice. In
the end, prayer means
withdrawal from the market-
place, from the noises that
distract us, from the tumult
and cacophony of our time.
Prayer is a reverential
response to the stillness of the
Commanding voice, and the
voice within us. Thus, the
synagogue becomes a place
where we are enabled to hear
this sacred silence.
Abraham Joshua Heschel
once wrote, "Many are the op-
Shemini:
Leviticus 9:1-11:47.
I Samuel 20:18-42.
portunities for public speech;
where are the occasions for
inner silence? . . . It is easy to
find people who will teach us
to be eloquent. But who will
teach us to be still?"
In Chasidic lore is found the
story of a disciple who went to
see his teacher, a sage known
as a man of few words. Upon
his return to the village, the
followers of the rabbi inquired
of the disciple, "What did the
rabbi do?" After all, the rab-
bi's action conveyed a lesson
for those in whose presence
they were performed.
The Chasid answered, "The
rabbi was silent and we all
listened to him very careful-
ly."
Silence is an important
aspect of human life. There
are moments when silence
bespeaks reverence, when it
enables us to face life's
mysteries with courage, and
stand in awe before the
unknown. ❑
SYNAGOGUES f""•'
Temple Emanu-El
Hosts Reservist
Mike Levin, Israeli reser-
vist and spokesperson for
Yesh Gvul, will speak at
Shabbat morning services
April 13 at Temple Emanu-
El. Yesh Gvul is an organiza-
tion of reserve officers who
refuse to serve in the West
Bank and Gaza, as well as in
detention camps holding
Palestinian detainees. Mike
Levin was jailed for his
refusal to serve in Lebanon
and has been a member of
Yesh Gvul ever since.