Torah POP1i011
BS"D
Rabbi Ya'akov
Weinberg
*One of the greatest Rabbinical figures in our
generation
* Dean of Ner Israel Rabbinical College, Baltimore,
MD.
* Renowned lecturer
Sunday, January 17, 1993
MEDICIDE:
IS THERE A RATIONALE FOR PHYSICIAN
ASSISTED SUICIDE
at the Sally Allen Alexander Beth Jacob Girls School
the Northeastern corner of 10 Mile and Church
Oak Park, MI.
7:30 in the evening
Q&A period to follow
$10.00
Aish HaTorah
Creating a new Jewish Spirit
The Council of Orthodox Rabbis of Greater Detroit
Wants To Inform The Public That:
• General Mills' Cinnamon Toast Crunch now with Cinnamon Swirls contains a trace of dairy
components. The next printing will correctly bear an OU - D.
• Paul Newman Salad Dressings are now certified OU and OU - D, but only when bearing
the appropriate symbol on the label.
• Possibly a first in the U.S. Venison is now available with Kosher supervision. For further
information call (914) 294-6378.
• Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Cheddar Crackers and Goldfish Parmesan Crackers bear an
unauthorized OU.
COUNCIL OF ORTHODOX RABBIS • MERKAZ
17071 West 10 Mile Rd. • Southfield, MI 48075 • 559-5005/06
JEWELRY APPRAISALS
At Very Reasonable Prices. Call For An Appointment
0114:ellet°
established 1919
FINE JEWELERS
Lawrence M. Allan, Pres.
GEM/DIAMOND SPECIALIST
AWARDED CERTIFICATE BY GIA
IN GRADING AND EVALUATION
30400 Telegraph Road
Suite 134
tsingham Farms, MI 48010
(313) 642-5575
DAFLY 10-5:30
THURS. 10-7
SAT. 10-3
We Must Persevere
In Order To Succeed
RABBI MORTON F. YOLKUT SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
0
ur hearts go out to
Moses in the closing
verses of this week's
sedrah. He stands so
alone, so forlorn, so deserted
and with such an over-
whelming sense of despair in
his heart.
He had not wanted to go
back to Egypt. He had tried
to convince God that he was
the wrong man for the job.
He felt that it wouldn't work,
that his people would not lis-
ten to him, that he was not
articulate, that Pharaoh
would be recalcitrant, that it
was an impossible mission.
He tried in every way to get
out of the assignment, but
God was insistent.
So he went, and, sure
enough, all his fears were re-
alized. The elders who were
to accompany him to
Pharaoh drop out, one by
Shabbat Shemot:
Exodus 1:1-6:1
Isaiah 27:6-28:13,
29:22-23.
one, along the way. Pharaoh
does not listen to him, and,
on the contrary, promptly in-
creased the workload of the
Israelite slaves. Then the
people turned on him for hav-
ing intervened in their affairs
and making their situation
worse than ever.
In despair, he turns to God
and says: "0 Lord, why have
you brought trouble on this
people? Is this why you have
sent me? Ever since I went to
Pharaoh to speak in your
name, he has brought trou-
ble on this people." (Exodus
5:22 23).
Moses at this point is at
the very brink of despair.
Who cannot feel for him, this
good man who had been
asked to assume a "mission
impossible." He had every
right to complain, to feel re-
sentful, to despair.
God hears him. God waits
until he has finished his
lament, and then He sends
him back to resume the ne-
gotiations. This time Moses
makes more progress, and
the next time even more, un-
til at last redemption is ac-
complished. Then, after that
great triumph, he begins the
second great task of his life
-
Morton Yolkut is rabbi of
Congregation B'nai David.
— an even greater challenge
— the task of making this
long-enslaved people a "king-
dom of priests and a holy na-
tion." This task will take the
rest of his lifetime. It is a
task that will test his pa-
tience and try his soul again
and again. It is a task that is
often more than one human I
J
being can achieve, and there
are many times when Moses
is prepared to give up.
Yet he never does. He ex-
presses his despair; he vents
his frustrations and then
starts all over again. So I
suggest we can learn two
very significant lessons from
the life and modus operandi
of our teacher Moses: that a
person has a right to despair,
and that a person has the
ability to overcome despair.
A person need not subli-
mate his feelings. He has the
right to scream if he is in
pain, to protest when he is
mistreated, to despair when
the future looks bleak. Moses
did so and his stature was
not diminished because of it.
But a person must not re- L\
main in the valley of despair
too long. One can withdraw
and retreat for awhile, but
then we must rejoin the bat-
tle and fight again.
The real heroes of life are
those who persevere day af-
ter day, trial after trial, de-
feat after defeat, until
success comes. The real work
of this world is done, not by
those who are the most gift-
ed or the most articulate.
The real work is done by
those who can rise to the oc-
casion, who can hang in there
until the job is done, who can
accept setbacks, even defeats,
and start over again. For if
one stays at a task long
enough and tries hard
enough, with God's help,
eventually one will succeed.
Let this be one of the
lessons we learn from the in-
spiring life's story of Moses,
our great teacher. ❑
Nili was an Jewish
underground espionage
organization which operated
in Palestine during World
War I. Led by Aharon
Aaronson, the members
sought to assist the British
army, hoping that after the
war Britain would recipro-
cate by helping to estalbish a
Jewish state in Palestine.