TRADITION New Arrivals European crafted cribs and furniture plus unique bedding and accessories provide the ideal background for that Very Important Baby. Bellini also offers youth furniture that grows with your child. A Religious Jew Is Representing God JOSEPH TELUSHKIN 1E,I. L IN/ - 1875 S. WOODWARD • BIRMINGHAM 48011 1 Block North of 14 Mile 644-0525 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • PASEO • • CELLICA O • • T am suu 4 0? CAM-RY S TRUMS CARNIVAL SAVINGS! Open Saturday 11 am-4 pm PREI14 CRESSIDA • Sale from Aug. 19-24 • Enjoy Refreshments • Last of the 91's • Hurry in for Best Selection • Cars Tagged to Move • • OPEN EVERY SATURDAY 11-4 PM • • • BOB SAKS TOYOTAr-ii: • 478-0500 • • 35200 Grand River - Farmington Hills • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • KITCHEN CABINET REFACING REFACE WITH BEAUTIFUL SOLID OAK DOORS OR CUSTOM FORMICA RICHARDS KITCHEN REMODELING We Custom Build Cabinets Free Design c3 Decorating Service • Formica & Solid Oak Refacing 98 FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 1991 Factory Showroom 23548 Van Dyke, Warren FREE ESTIMATE 7 5 4-963 1 As monotheism's first proponents, religious Jews have always believed they are representing God on Ear- th. How they conduct them- selves, therefore also affects not only how others perceive them, but also how others react to God. If a religious Jew acts in a manner that provokes admiration, this is regarded as sanctifying God's name (in Hebrew, kiddush ha Shem). A classic example of kiddush ha-Shem is recorded in the Palestin- ian Talmud: "Rabbi Samuel ... went to Rome. The Empress lost a bracelet and he happened to find it. A proclamation was issued throughout the land that if anyone returned it within thirty days, he would receive such-and-such a re- ward but if after thirty days he would lose his head. He did not return it within the thirty days but after the thirty days. "She said to him: 'Were you not in the province?' "He replied: 'Yes, I was here.' "She said: 'But did you not hear the proclamation?' " 'I heard it,' said he. " 'What did it say?' she asked. "He replied: 'If anyone re- turns it within thirty days he will receive such-and-such a reward but if he returns it after thirty days he will lose his head.' "She said: 'In that case, why did you not return it within the thirty days?' "He said: 'Because I did not want anyone to say that I returned it out of fear of you whereas, in fact, I re- turned it out of fear of the All-merciful.' "She said to him: 'Blessed is the God of the Jews.' " (Palestinian Talmud, Bava Mezia 2:5). Conversely, when a reli- gious Jew acts dishonorably this is known as a chillul ha- Shem (desecration of God's name). A chillul ha-Shem is one of the few sins that Ju- daism treats as un- forgivable. Even if the guil- ty person repents of his bad From the book Jewish Literacy by Joseph Telushkin. Copyright (c) 1991 by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin. Reprinted with permission of William Morrow and Co., Inc. behavior, he still cannot undo the damage After all, he cannot guarantee that those who suffered from his improper behavior, or those who read about it and felt a- lienated from God as a re- sult, will learn of his chang- ed behavior. Recognizing the extent to which people's attitudes to- ward God and Judaism are affected by the behavior of religious people, the Talmud comments: "If someone studies Bible and Mishnah (the Oral Law) . . . but is dis- honest in business and dis- courteous in relations with people, what do people say about it? 'Woe unto him who studies the Torah. . . . This man studies the Torah; look how corrupt are his deeds, how ugly his ways' " (Yoma 86a). To this day, when a reli- gious Jew acts nobly, other Jews say, "That's a real If a religious Jew acts in a manner that provokes admiration, this is regarded as sanctifying God's name (in Hebrew, kiddush ha'Shem.) kiddush ha-Shem." And when a religious person acts badly, they say, "That's a real chillum ha-Shem." Kiddush ha-Shem also has a far more tragic meaning. It refers to Jews who suffer martyrdom on account of their faith. The most famous Jewish martyr was the sec- ond-century Rabbi Akiva, who would not stop teaching Torah even when the Ro- mans declared its study to be a capital offense. One of the most poignant instances of kiddush ha- Shem occurred some 250 years ago in Vilna. A Polish- born aristocrat, Count Val- entine Potocki, converted to Judaism at a time when be- coming a Jew was a capital crime. When Potocki was captured by Polish au- thorities, he was sentenced to be burned at the stake. Old friends pleaded with him to recant his conversion; be- cause of his family's promi- nence, he could still be spared. Potocki refused. "A poor man, in search of a lost bag of pennies," he an- swered them, "passed through a city where he