Even The Smallest
Serves Mankind

Retirement Sale I

RABBI MORTON F. YOLKUT SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

ALL MERCHANDISE
50

.4, OFF

GOWNSupto75% OFF

sizes 4 — 14

Previous sales & layaways excluded

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MasterCard
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APPLEGATE SQUARE STORE ONLY

29839 Northwestern Hwy.
Between 12 and 13 Mile Rd.
At Inkster Road 352-7202

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Hours:

Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Thurs. Eve. til 8:00 p.m.

We Can Never
Say Thank
You Enough.

Over the years,
thousands of you have
sent JARC tributes to
your family and friends.
We've thanked you, but
perhaps not enough.

Your support has
helped operate 11
beautiful homes for
men and women with
developmental dis-
abilities. It has helped
others learn to live
independently. It has
provided critical family
support services.

Thank you for your
tributes. They are, like
you, never forgotten.

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Call today to make a
tribute. 352-5272.

w
— D

LLJ

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A Jewish Association for Residential Care
for persons with developmental disabilities

28366 Franklin Road Southfield, MI 48034 (313) 352-5272

46

f there ever was a father
and son who had diamet-
rically opposite per-
sonalities, they were
Abraham and Isaac. The
dynamic Abraham was a man
who shook heaven and earth,
who prepared to sacrifice his
beloved son, who defended the
wicked citizens of Sodom, who
transformed the face of his
society and brought God into
this world. There was nothing
passive about Abraham. He
was the revolutionary, the ac-
tivist par excellence.
In dramatic contrast to his
father, Isaac is a passive and
silent figure. In last week's
sedrah he submitted to the
akeda, to become a sacrifice to
God without a protest; in this
week's portion he acepted the
wife chosen for him without
any prior consultation; and
later when the Philistines
disputed his rights to a well,
he retreated without confron-
tation. Isaac remained a
thoroughly submissive per-
sonality throughout his life.
The fact, however, remains
that Isaac, despite his passivi-
ty, became one of the three
great patriarchs whose
characteristics and deeds
Jews have always emulated
and respected. The truth is
that just as the world needs
movers and shakers, men of
thunder and lightning, it also
needs people who reflect the
kol demamah dakah, the
small, still voice of God, who
go about their lives quietly,
consistently and yes, even
passively. They who are still,
also serve; and the world
needs them.
In the first place, to do no
more than transmit the
wisdom and values of the past
is quite an accomplishment.
If sometimes we question our
real significance, our role as
a link between the past and
the future is enough to justify
our existence. By serving as a
link, we enable the coming
generation to do as good a job
as they possibly can do. But
we can do more than provide
a link between the gene-
rations.
Our seemingly trivial
labors are the raw material
with which the "famous and
great" make tomorrow.
Generals map the strategy
and enjoy the credit, but
soldiers do all the fighting.

Morton Yolkut is rabbi of

Congregation B'tiai David.

Physicians perform the
surgery, but the hospital staff
nurses the patient back to
good health. It is the small
person who makes the world
go around. It is the unknown
soldier whose final resting
place merits a nation's
respect, for it is he who
assures its security and
guards its freedom. The world
could get along without
Abrahams; it could not sur-
vive long without Isaacs.
Secondly, there is some-
thing to say about standing
still, about perseverance and
steadfastness. It is often
harder to stay with the old
than to shape the new. The
more difficult thing is not
beginning a new job, but re-
maining at the old one with
enthusiasm, without becom-
ing "burned out." It requires
greater effort to keep the
flame of married love burning
than to ignite a new one. Hav-
ing children is easy and ex-

Shabbat
Chaye Sara:
Genesis 23:1-25:18
I Kings 1:1-31.

citing; raising them to
become mentschen takes
dedication and perseverance.
Often the most productive
parts of our lives take place
during the least dramatic cix
times, when the days in the
office and the evenings at
home follow each other in
dull succession. Then does
our commitment have the
greatest value, the strongest
effect. Where there is the
least movement there is often
the greatest progress.
Finally, there are times
when just holding the line is
the equivalent of moving for-
ward. The famous gridiron
maxim that the best offense is
a good defense is as valid in
the Jewish home as it is in
the sports arena. When
parents today manage to in-
culcate in their children a
love of learning, a respect for
Jewish tradition, and a sense
of communal responsibility, ,J
they are often doing nothing
more than their parents did
for them.
There are times, like Isaac's
then and ours now, when even
to stand still is a worthy and
notable accomplishment. ❑

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