Give Tzedakah.
Usually translated as "char-
ity," the word tzedakah
actually means "justice"
and is an obligation for all
Jews (even those dependent
on others for aid).
The rabbis have said that
tzedakah will help bring
the Messiah, that it will
ensure one's well-being, and
that it is one of the best
ways to emulate God, who
"doth execute justice for the
fatherless and widow and
loveth the stranger, in giv-
ing him food and raiment."
(Deuteronomy 10:17 18.)
Jewish law describes at
length the amount of
tzedakah to be donated
(generally a tenth of one's
income), to whom it should
go (the hungry, those
unable to care for them-
selves) and how it is to be
given (with absolutely no
embarrassment to the
recipient).
Maimonides listed the
eight ways in which one
gives tzedakah, with the
least virtuous being those
who donate money in a
complaining manner, to the
highest form — helping the
poor rehabilitate them-
selves.
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Experience the fun
traditions of the
holidays.
One of the best Jewish holi-
days is around the corner
(and is just what everybody
needs after Yom Kippur).
Sukkot, which begins this
year on Sept. 30, follows
commandments in Leviticus
and Deuteronomy to cele-
brate the "Feast of Booths."
Jews are directed to build
makeshift booths, which
most families then decorate
with everything from multi-
colored lights to posters to
children's drawings.
In Oak Park, it's possible
to see a sukkah with a
chandelier and another
with a cuckoo clock. The
children of one local rabbi's
family (which, understand-
ably, asked to remain
anonymous) regularly place
a poster with "Great Rabbis
of Jewish History" inside
their sukkah, complete with
a (7th-grade) picture of
their father.
One Sukkot tradition in
metro Detroit is the famous
"sukkah hopping," where
children go from sukkah to
sukkah in search of treats.
And don't disappoint your
sukkah hoppers with any-
thing stupid like apples!
They're out for the big time:
candy, cookies, gum.
Study
Judaism — but
don't feel over-
whelmed. Begin by
learning a
little each day.
A scholar once told his stu-
dents, apprehensive about
studying the pages and
pages of such profound
works as the Talmud and
all its commentaries, that
the task could be made eas-
ier if they would simply
approach the material one
page at a time. Master a
small part, he said, then
move on to the next.
The thought of actually
sitting down and studying
the Torah and Talmud may
at first seem impossible.
Yet countless guides are
available to help the begin-
ning student. One place to
start is Sidrah Stories: A
Torah Companion by
Steven Rosman and pub-
lished by the Union of
American Hebrew
Congregations Press.
Sidrah Stories features
stories adapted from every-
thing from the Midrash to
modern literature. Each is
based on a verse or verses
from the weekly Torah por-
tion and includes questions
relating to that verse.
"The Greatest Gift" is a
folklore story based on a
verse in Genesis that
describes the reunion of
Esau and Jacob.
Like Esau and Jacob, two
characters — Isaac and
Joseph — in "The Greatest
Gift" have little in common.
Joseph is kind and success-
ful; Isaac is mean-spirited.
One day, Isaac decided to
oversee his brother's down-
fall, and he destroyed his
crops. Joseph turned to the
great Rabbi Akiva.
Along his journey, Joseph
met up with an orange tree
and a fish. The fish's eye
ached and the tree was in
poor health. Both asked
Joseph to appeal on their
behalf to Rabbi Akiva. He
promised to do so.
Rabbi Akiva was sitting
under a tree as Joseph
approached. Hearing
Joseph's problems, the
rabbi advised him to return
to the tree and the fish,
where he would find great
treasures. But the only gift
the rabbi himself could offer
was this bit of wisdom from
the Torah: "You shall love
your neighbor as yourself."
On his journey home,
Joseph discovered a pearl
behind the fish's eye; so this
was what had caused his
pain. Atop the tree's roots,
hindering its growth, was a
bag of gold coins. Both trea-
sures were Joseph's to keep.
In no time, Joseph was
able to rebuild his farm.
But it was not produce or
wealth that interested him.
He invited his brother,
Isaac, to come and visit.
"This time," Rabbi
Rosman writes, "Isaac came
and there he learned how to
be a good farmer. Of all the
gifts that had come from his
visit to Rabbi Akiva, Joseph
considered the reunion with
his brother to be the great-
est of them all."
Visit Israel.
If you haven't been to Israel
yet (or it has been a long
time), it's time to go again.
While the vast majority of
American Jews have never
even visited Israel, a trip
there is like nothing else for
renewing one's Judaism,
according to Alyssa
Goldberg of Southfield.
"When I was 16, I won a
scholarship through Temple
Israel to visit Israel," she
says. "After I went, I always
said I was going back. Then
I became active in the
Zionist movement, and I
returned to Israel for
Project Otzma (a service
program that includes time
on a kibbutz, working with
youth groups and with
Detroit's sister city, Yavne).
"Going to Israel really
strengthened my connec-
tion to Judaism. It helps
you find your roots. There is
nothing like seeing
Jerusalem for the first time
and seeing the Wall. You
find some sense of yourself
you never knew existed."
Spend time
with family
Most families get together
at holidays, and who
doesn't have good memories
of holidays? (Even if it
means inviting Aunt Ruth
who was never nice to you
and always brings a sour
carrot salad that your
mother still makes you
taste, "Just to be polite.")
So instead of everyone
going his own way next
Saturday night, why not
have Mom, Dad, brother
and sis sit down for some
popcorn and Coke and play
a great game?
For Gerald Migdalewicz
of West Bloomfield, being
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