WHEN TERROR STRIKES • Your palms begin to sweat... RABBI MORTON F. YOLKUT SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS You're on the verge of hysteria... ecent advances in med- ical technology have made possible the trans- plantation of a human heart from a deceased person into another individual strick- en with severe, advanced heart disease. Such procedures raise a host of complex moral and re- ligious issues which are cur- rently being analyzed and debated. Although ours is the first gen- eration to be the beneficiaries of cardiac transplantation, our prophets of yesteryear often spoke of a spiritual heart trans- plant. Thus, the prophet Ezekiel, in the name of God, says: "And a new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stone heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26). Indeed, man, being what he is, is constantly experiencing a change of heart in the spiri- tual sense of the term. We are constantly changing our atti- tudes, our values, our perspec- tives on life. And so when the prophet speaks of a lev hadash, You pray that no one will hear... Your worst nightmare come true... You've just been asked to read... HEBREW HEBREW READING LEVEL II Increase your fluency — broaden your vocabulary — learn the rituals in the prayer services and understand the ideas behind the prayers. A 4-week Hebrew Crash Course designed for the more advanced student. At the end of the course, you'll have the confidence you need to be "at home" in the prayerbook and ready to wow the entire family when it's your turn to read. COURSE BEGINS: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1 (7-9 P.M.) $45 (INCLUDES COURSE MATERIALS) For further information, please call Barbara Snitz at 737-0400. Aish HaTorah of Metro-Detroit Ge mini They've got the SzeuX... and it's more than songs... It's Folktales, Humor and Music from around the world. An Afternoon for Everyone SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12 3 PM Congregation Beth Achim Cf) 21100 West Twelve Mile Road, Southfield UJ (Centrally located, just a "line drive" via all major freeways) CIC LU CI LU 34 A Change Of Heart Affects Maturity ENCORE: CHANUKAH CARNIVAL (following concert) CONCERT — $6.00 at the door (Children under 3 yrs. free) For information, call 352-8670 Presented by the Beth Achim Youth Department, I.E.F.F. & Cultural Commission Concert Co-Sponsors: Shirlee Bloom, Finest Jewish Cuisine, and Stage Deli R Shabbat Vayetze: Genesis 23:10-32:3 Hosea 12:13-14:10. a new heart, he urges man to improve and change his ways. Jacob's journey and his 20- year stay in Laban's house gives us a paradigm of a man whose life was marked by a continu- ous change of heart, by a continuous reevaluation of priorities. In the beginning of this week's portion, we meet Jacob on his first night away from home. He is alone in the wilder- ness surrounded by all kinds of danger. He lies down to rest and has a magnificent dream. Through this dream, he ac- quired a ley hadash, a new heart, for he experiences the most profound change of his young life. He dreams of a lad- der spanning heaven and earth with angels ascending and de- scending, and he hears the voice of God summoning him to di- vine service. While Jacob is overwhelmed by this sublime mood, when his heart is overflowing with emo- tion, he makes a vow, a spiri- tual commitment. His words Morton Yolkut is rabbi of Congregation B'nai David. are those of man who has had a spiritual heart transplant: "If God will be with me and keep me on this way that I go and will give me bread to eat and clothes to wear and I come back to my father's house in peace . . . then the Lord shall be my God . . . and all that You shall give me, I shall surely give a tenth to You" (Genesis 28:20- 22). Here was a man who had re- cently deceived his father in or- der to receive his blessing, and had to flee to escape the wrath of his jealous brother Esau. He is alone, frightened and de- pressed. Suddenly he has a spir- itual awakening and finds God. He asks nothing of God but the necessities of life, food and clothes and safety; and he is willing to devote his future en- ergies and resources to His service. Then 20 years pass, 20 years of dealing with the likes of the cunning and ruthless Laban. By the end of those 20 years, Ja- cob has become a totally differ- ent man. He again acquires a lev hadash, only this time he is no longer satisfied with the ne- cessities of life. His values have changed and he dreams of speckled and striped calves — of material success and pros- perity. He dreams of "making a killing," as it were. The sublime aspirations of his youth have given way before the crass ma- terialism of Laban's world where economic success is re- garded as the ideal of life. At this point, Jacob has a sudden change of heart when he is confronted in yet a third dream by an angel who says: "I am the God of Beth-El where you annointed a pillar and made a vow unto me." Don't you remember, Jacob? All that you asked for at that time was for the necessities of life, for bread to eat and clothes to wear. And now you dream of riches and bigger flocks. "Now arise and get out of this land and return to the land of your birth." Jacob, you have become spoiled and corrupted here under the amoral influence of Laban. You need a change of heart! This final dream marked a major turning point in Jacob's life. It pointed the way to a new value system for him, one that led to spiritual maturity, one that would rearrange his prior- ities from the material to the spiritual. Jacob went on to be- come the revered patriarch of our people and left a spiritual