This Week 'S Special

Over 4o
rent shops
or the entire
fa-Inilp

• ilifr4 ,
'.
...4
4 ,
l

'47fa

$1299

5 pc. King
OMEGA BEDROOM SET

Set Includes: 6 drw. dresser or 36 X 72 armoire

nRC .4 n
.141111111111111.J

WEST BLOOMFIELD • MICHIGAN

NO OVERHEAD - NO FANCY SHOWROOM

Because of this we are able to offer our quality merchandise directly to
the consumer and pass the savings of up to 60% to You!

BEDROOM SETS *DINING TAMES I ENTIIITAINMENT CENTERS COCKTAR, SON De TARES

CHOOSE FROM100's OF COLORS — GLOSS, MATTE 84 TEEM)

Laminate Furniture Manufacturer Is Now Open To The Publics

Orchard Lake Road • NoTth of Maple

COATS
UNLIMITED

Ook Pork

Lincoln Center - 26150 Greenfield Rood
Ook Pork, MI 48237
(313) 9662060

HOURS:

Vest Bloomfield

Orchard Moll - 6337 Orchard Lake Rood
west Bloomfield, MI 48322 008354955

Wed-Sat 10-7
Sun.124:

FURNITURE OUTLET

2599 Crumb Rd., Commerce Twp. • 669-0066

DON'T LET HOUSEHOLD PESTS
HOLD YOU HOSTAGE!

CALL THE ERADICO PROFESSIONALS!

Eradico's safe and proven methods keep your
home free of insects, rodents and other pests.
Trust Eradico for an honest assessment of
your needs and dependable, affordable service.

Cockroaches • Ants • Fleas • Bees • Hornets
• Wasps • Rats • Mice and any other pests.

For a FREE inspection and estimate,
Call Today!

=

=11=41 ■

Woy

Troy Commons - 871 E. Big Beaver Rd.
Troy, MI 48083
521-9966

"Where You Come First"

Kosins

Uptown

Southfield Rd. at
11 1 /2 Mile • 559-3900

Big & Tall

Southfield at
10 1/2 Mile • 569-6930

AM MM. MI. Alai,

...'qn Miri
111..
am 111 11101
1 Mir 1111.J•
Mr-M1
■ INV
I MANN/ MI

CONTROL

Eradicate Wide Ermine°

Michigan's Largest Independent Pest Control Company
For Service Throughout Southeastern Michigan Call: (313) 546-6200

WOW

THEM WITH A BASKET

CALL: A TISKET A TASK ET

.., CUSTOM GIFT BASKETS & GOURMET TRAYS
661-4789 HOSPITALITY,
i, a
Barbara Kaplan NEW BABIES,
--e.4.
GET WELL,
Judi Shefman
SHIVA, ETC
7 Days a Week

YOUR FRIENDS
KNOW US ...
YOU SHOULD TOO!

SAVE
15-25 %

All

Custom Frames

FRAMERY ONE

31596 Grand River
Farmington

474-7070

Photography
and Video

THE DETRO I T JEW IS H N EWS

by

A

DAVID ROSENMAN'S

ALTO
Aim PURCHASERS

4•11•11,

NEW & USED CAR BROKER
Sales • Leasing • Buying
(313) 851-CARS (313) 851-2277

The Bright Idea:

Give a Gift Subscription

THE JEWISH NEWS

ROY/5640MM

932-1780

Cruise
Discounts!

(31314894996

Our Jewish Survival
Depends On Unity

RABBI 'MIN GROPER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

his week's sedrah de-
scribes the confronta-
tion between Joseph
and his brothers, the
climax of a story of hatred,
jealousy, separation and, af-
ter many years, reconcilia-
tion. The text recounts the
poignant moment of the en-
counter between Joseph, the
ruler of Egypt, with his
younger brother, Benjamin.
Joseph fell upon the neck of
his brother, Jacob and he
wept; and Benjamin, similar-
ly embracing his brother,
Joseph, wept. The Midrash
introduces a strange comment
"Why did they weep? They
wept because they foresaw at
that moment that two tem.-
pies, sanctuaries of God,
would be built in the Land of
Israel and they were both des-
tined for destruction."
What did the Midrash have
in mind? What does the re-
union of Benjamin and
Joseph have to do with the
temples of Jerusalem, events
that are many hundreds of
years apart? Why do they
weep and mourn for tragedies
that lay beyond their lifetimes
and the lives of their chil-
dren?
Upon reflection, we under-
stand the intent of the
Midrash. This is a story not
of brotherly love, but of broth-
erly hatred, of the jealousy,
rivalry and hostility that tore
apart a family, and led to
crime and brutality and the
deception of an aged father by
his own sons. This is a story
of sinat chinom
causeless
hatred, without reason or
purpose, based on irritation,
caprice and envy. The
Midrash probes the meaning
of the tears that were evoked
by the emotional encounter of
Joseph and Benjamin. When
they wept in profound re-
sponse to the hatred that had
separated them, they realized
that the senseless hostility
was not yet over, and had not
yet been expunged from the
hearts of their brothers. They
foresaw that in ages yet un-
born there would be a recur-
rence of this sad drama, a
reenactment of this tragic fra-
ternal feud. The bickering
and internal struggle of the
future would sunder the
union of the Jewish people.
The ultimate tragedy, the

—

Irwin Groner is senior rabbi at
Congregation Shaarey Zedek.

destruction of the temple, and
the loss of Jewish indepen-
dence would be the bitter
fruits of this disunity and dis-
sent. And so, they wept; both
for the injuries of the past
and the anguish that would
be encountered in the cen-
turies to follow.
Who could blame them?
One of the greatest tragedies
of Jewish history has not only
been our persecution, but also
our capacity for divisiveness,
disunity and enmity of broth-
er against brother.
Scripture records the story
of what happened after King
Solomon died and the 12
tribes that comprised his

Shabbat Vayigash:
Genesis
44:18-47:27
Ezekiel 37:15-28.

kingdom would not remain to-
gether; 10 of them created
their own kingdom.
In the first century, the
Jewish people were faced with
divisions and schisms that
greatly weakened their
strength and vitality.
During the Middle Ages
and beyond, Jews were an
embattled minority, living on
the rim of a precarious exis-
tence, suffering from exclu-
sion and disability.
When we consider our sit-
uation today, we recognize the
universal concern about Jew-
ish survival and continuity
that has been increasingly
voiced throughout the length
and breadth of our land. But
what is the measure of unity =(
that we possess in responding
to this most serious and dan-
gerous of challenges? Does the
most powerful and influential
Diaspora Jewish community
in history possess strong uni-
ties of kinship and fraternity?
I believe that the deepest
threat to Jewish living today
comes not from without, from
external factors. I am not as
distressed by the occasional
outburst of anti-Semitism or
the efforts of missionary
movements to seduce the
minds of Jewish youth. Of
course, these threats should
be dealt with vigorously and
effectively. But the greatest
threat is internal — tensions,
struggles and conflicts.
We who have instructed