TORAH PORTION' Congregation Shaarey Zedek \ Announces Proudly Religious School Education Tuition Free indergarten --- Fifth IlAclusiv For Children of egation Sllaare3,7 Zedek Members Sunday Morning Classes Weekday afternoon classes conducted at conducted at Hillel Day School BI dg. Congregation Shaarey Zedek (Middlebelt near 14 Mile Rd.) Non-Members are invited to call: Leonard P. Baruch or Arline Gould at 357-5544 *Material and book fees not included Transfer Students Accepted The DOWNTOWN SYNAGOGUE will hold High Holy Day Services this year at the RACKHAM BUILDING located at 80 Farnsworth St. (around the corner from Woodward Ave. and across the street from the Detroit Institute of Arts). There is surface parking at Farnsworth and John R., where one may park the en- tire day for only $2.00. This lot is about 100 feet from the building. Other park- ing facilities are also available. ROSH HASHANAH 8.30 A.M. Mon., Sept. 9 8.30 A.M. Tues., Sept. 10 YOM KIPPUR 7:30 P.M. Tues. evening, Sept. 17 (KOL NIDRE) 10:00 A.M. Wed., Sept. 18 1:00 P.M. Wed., Sept. 18 (YIZKOR) The services on the two evenings of Rosh Hashanah, Sun. evening, Sept. 8, and Mon. even- ing, Sept. 9, will be held at 7:00 P.M. at the Downtown Synagogue building, 1457 Griswold (Corner of Clifford). Come Join With Us For Prayer, Study and Sociability CONGREGATION SIIAAREY ZEDEK B'NAI ISRAEL CENTER 4200 Walnut Lake Road invites you to join with us in perpetuating Conservative Judaism in West Bloomfield Daily, Sabbath and Holy Day Services Attend Our Inspirational High Holy Day Services DR. SHERMAN P. KIRSHNER, RABBI CANTOR BARRY ULRYCH, HAllAN Contact the Synagogue Office, 681-5353 for Membership or High Holy Day Tickets JEWELRY APPRAISALS J At Very Reasonable Prices. Call For An Appointment ! a r tutec , 30400 Telegraph Road . N. Suite 134 A.. Bingham Farms, MI 48010 FINE JEWELERS established 1919 (313) 642-5575 Lawrence M. Allan, Pres. GEM/DIAMOND SPECIALIST AWARDED CERTIFICATE BY GIA IN GRADING AND EVALUATION 46 FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 1991 DAFLY 10-5:30 THURS. 10-7 SAT. 10-3 Selecting Our Judges And Our Leaders RABBI AARON BERGMAN Special to The Jewish News F ew political appoint- ments in our day cause much excitement. Rare- ly do people get in an uproar about ambassadors or lower court judges. The discretion of the president and Congress is generally accepted. The ex- ception is the Supreme Court. The public has rightly deduced that the choice of candidate will have a pro- found effect on their personal lives. Without delving into specific issues, it is worth- while to discuss the process of selecting a justice, first from an American and then a Jewish perspective. The American Constitution is silent about what kind of person can sit on the Supreme Court. It just gives the presi- dent power to appoint a can- didate. The candidate must be approved by Congress. Rarely is a candidate rejected. The prospective justice can come from a range of occupa- tional backgrounds. He or she can be a judge already in the federal system, a senator, a lawyer or even a university professor. One does not specifically train, therefore, to sit on the highest bench. Rather, after a successful career elsewhere one is pick- ed with the hope that that person will transform himself or herself into a competent Supreme Court justice. Nowhere is character men- tioned. It is often enough that the person has no criminal record or never used illegal substances at inappropriate moments. In fact, the less the candidate has distinguished himself as an individual character, and the less is known about his worldview, the better his chance for approval. This has led to the absurd situation that the current Supreme Court justices them- selves may know nothing about the appointee, in- cluding whether they can work with him. Such an ap- proach is antithetical to Jewish thought. This week's Torah portion, Shoftim, concerns itself with the proper way of finding the highest judges. In Deuter- onomy 16:21 it is written: "You shall not set up an Rabbi Bergman is a rabbi at Congregation Beth Abraham Hillel Moses, and rabbi-in- residence at Hillel Day School. asherah next to the altar where you make your sacrifices." An asherah was a kind of tree that idolators would wor- ship as part of pantheistic practice. The Talmud, in trac- tate Sandhedrin, equates ap- pointing an unqualified judge to worshipping this tree. Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik explains, "A regular idol is noticeable to all that it is an idol, and is easy to avoid. But a tree that has been worship- ped as an idol looks like a harmless, ordinary tree. It is still an idol and therefore spiritually dangerous. So is a judge who is unqualified. He Shabbat Shoftim: Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9, Isaiah 51:12-52:12. appears learned and righteous, but can be quite dangerous." Jewish law has firm ideas of what makes a person qualified to be considered for the position of judge. Maimonides lists many of them in his Mishne Torah. First, the judge must be wise. This means more than a knowledge of legal codes and theories. He must know science, medicine and math, and not just rely on expert testimony. He must know the ways of sorcerors, cheaters and charlatans, in order to see through their ways. He has to know the language of the people, and address them at their own level. Second, he must be humble and afraid of sin. A suitable judge does not mistake himself for God. On the other hand, he has to recognize the extraordinary impact he has on other lives. No lapse in judgment is permitted. Third, he is unbribeable. This does not just refer to money. If someone is ap- pointed strictly because of political outook, or stand on a specific issue, this is con- sidered a form of bribery. It is rare for such an appointee to ever be in conflict with the one who appointed him. Fourth, he must love truth and people at the same time, making decisions faithful to both. Judging too much on the side of truth can lead to cruelty. Being too much for people can lead to anarchy. It is a balance that requires a great deal of courage.