Pollard Decision Calls
For Michigan Resolution
Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has
chosen not to consider the appeal of con-
victed spy, Jonathan Pollard (see page 18).
the case has taken on a sense of urgency at
an unimaginable level.
We would hope now that the Michigan
Board of Rabbis (see page 1) find this issue
at least as important for their concern and
resolution as the Rodney King case. We
would hope that the rabbis of our area con-
gregations see fit to act to urge the Presi-
dent to pardon Mr. Pollard.
President Bush needs to hear from the
American Jewish community as well as
from Israel that enough, quite simply, is
enough. Perhaps the Jewish community
and Mr. Pollard are fortunate that as elec-
,
IT'S NOT A VON
E31,1 IT WOULDN'T Or
GET YOUR AssaGes
ANYWAY!
tion campaigns go, the President has
changed his mind on so many issues that
the only "for sure" seems to be his party af-
filiation.
The president and his advisers will take
notice if the Jewish community and its
leadership and the leadership of Israel
make noise here. Prime Minister Rabin
has certainly gone the extra mile in his
quest for peace in the Middle East and co-
operation with the White House. It's time
for the prime minister to cash in a political
chip.
It's also time for some of that noise to
come in a big way from the organized Mich-
igan Jewish community. Mr. Pollard waits
in his cell for us to act.
Terminally Responsible
At first blush, Ben Ali, a Washington,
D.C., T-shirt maker, and Arnold
Schwarzenegger, Hollywood Terminator
and presidential fitness guru, would ap-
pear to have little in common. But the
question of personal responsibility con-
nects them.
Mr. Ali's 15 minutes of fame came when
the Washington Post published a story
about T-shirts that picture guns and bullet
holes and are the rage among inner-city
black youths. The problem is inner-city
black youths in Detroit and elsewhere are
shooting each other and innocent
bystanders at an alarming rate.
"Unfortunately, violence sells," Mr. Ali
told the Post. "We know it doesn't send a
positive message. But we're not in the
business of morality. We're in business for
money." Two days later, following an out-
pouring of anger from Post readers, Mr. Ali
changed his tune and stopped selling the
shirts, although others continue to try and
make a buck from them.
Ironically, the same day that Mr. Ali
bowed to public pressure, Vice President
Dan Quayle was in Tacoma, Wash., where
he once again criticized the entertainment
= Shofar Blowing
By A Minor
The untimely death of Rab-
o bi Blustein was a bitter blow
cc to his congregants at Jimmy
Prentis Morris High Holiday
u._, services. He was a man of
= erudition, compassion and
' experience.
Fortunately, several people
were able to fill the breach at
short notice, working with
1 -1-1
6
'*
industry for "too much sex and violence on
TV." Yet when reporters asked him about
Mr. Schwarzenegger's penchant for bloody
film roles, the vice president dismissed the
hint of contradiction by blaming Mr.
Schwarzenegger's films on Hollywood's
"mind-set."
Mr. Schwarzenegger, Mr. Quayle said, is
only following directions. "They just give
him the script," the vice president said.
The point here is not to savage Mr.
Quayle. That's too easy. Besides, in this
presidential year, one can find excessive
instances of denying responsibility in the
Clinton and Perot campaigns as well.
The point is we are all responsible for our
actions, and no amount of self-denial for
short-term economic or political gain can
obscure that basic truth. It rings true in
the home and in the marketplace, in the
environment and foreign policy.
There is a Yiddish proverb that
translates as follows: If each one sweeps in
front of his own door the whole street is
clean.
We can all stand to do a bit more sweep-
ing.
Harry Shiovitz and me to en-
sure that services could be
conducted properly. People
such as Irwin Shaw, Harold
Black, David Tsalenko, Aaron
Lewis and Tom Wexelberg-
Clouser are a testament to
the strength of Jewish life in
our community. They deserve
recognition and gratitude.
As for Susan Tawil's (Oct. 9)
smug insinuation that we
"cheated" congregants out of
fulfilling a mitzvah, the
kindest thing we can say is
that she spoke from ig-
norance of the circumstances.
Had her concern been sincere,
she could have contacted us
before she wrote the letter in
which she sought to embar-
rass our congregation.
She didn't know that Rabbi
Blustein had considered the
question and settled it bare-
ly a fortnight before his
death . . .
Dr. Joseph W Lewis
Oak Park
Correcting
Or Insulting?
Ms. Susan Tai,vil's letter
regarding Aaron Lewis' blow-
ing of the shofar contained
two basic parts. The first
dealt with the halachic issue
of whether a minor may make
an adult "motzee" on a mitz-
vah (that is, complete in his or
her performance of it) if the
minor blows the shofar for the
adult to hear. The second part
of the letter was one of tone,
assumption and rather out of
bounds insult.
As to the first, there is a
general ruling by Maimoni-
des, found in his Mishnah
Torah, Hilchot Shofar,
Chapter II, Halacha Ber,
which states that one who
hears the shofar blown by a
woman or a minor is not
"motzee," i.e., has not com-
pleted the obligation of hear-
ing the shofar. This ruling is
followed by all of the
authorities whom I could
find.
However, two items are of
note on the subject. The first
is found in The Laws of
B'rachos, by Rabbi Binyamin
Forst with Rabbi Aaron D.
Twerski. Beginning on Page
110, there is a discussion of
the subject, including a chart,
which indicates that at the
very least a minor who per-
forms the mitzvah even if he
does not make adults motzee,
at least can make other
minors motzee.
The second item of note
bridges the first and second
parts of Ms. Tawil's letter. I
spoke with Dr. Lewis regar-
ding the situation. He said
that it came about because
the regular ba'al tekiya was
unavailable. Thus, he con-
sulted a rabbinic authority in
whose province these services
would fall as to whether
Aaron could be ba'al tekiya
even though he was a minor.
Under the circumstances,'
Dr. Lewis was informed that
Aaron could do so. It mayj
seem clear that the rabbi ;
erred. However, who else,
other than the marah d'atra
for that congregation, has the,
right to rule on its behalf?
Who else, other than the par-
ticipants, knows the facts
unless he or she makes
inquiry? .. .
I find it unfortunate that
the letters column has
become the place for halachic
ping pong. We all make
mistakes. We all err in our`,
relations with one another
and with God. That, in large
part, has been what we have
been working on for the last 1
couple of months.
Hopefully, we will make
changes in ourselves during ,
this year. Let us not start.
however, by assuming the
worst of other Jews. Let us —
start, rather by assuming 1
that they are also concerned
about k'lal Yisrael and about
Halachah. Let us ask first,
and accuse later — if we feel
compelled to accuse at all.
Leonard I. Wanetik_
West Bloomfield
Kapporah
Correctly
Your article on kapporah''
(Sept. 25), the ceremony in
which a live chicken or
rooster is swung over the
head before Yom Kippur
should have been titlec-
"Yom Kippur Preparation
Calls for Atonement."
The ceremony of kapporah
clearly involved tazar &rah
hayim — the infliction of pain,-
on a living creature. It is in L
the category of mitzvah
fL
KAPPORAH / page 8