LA'ASOT — TO DO SPEAK OUT, ACT! While publishing an advertisement on "Schindler's List," the movie which has numbed Jewish and non-Jewish audiences, a student newspaper at Brandeis University, a Jewish institution and one of the most prestigious in the country, runs another ad — right next to the one on the movie — denying the Holocaust. Mindboggling? Yes, but true Brandeis' The Justice is the latest of a growing number of student newspapers (the University of Michigan and Michigan State University student newspaper are among the group) to publish this morally obscene adver- tisement and we are asking you to join us in condemning the trend. Our organization is launching a campaign to have advertisers boycott papers which publish these vulgari- ties and if you have some time to assist us, please call. Also, if you feel like we do, please write to one or all of these universities to express your condemna- tion and we'd be pleased to help you with the letter of protest. This is not a freedom of the press or censorship issue. Media outlets routinely reject ads as well as ed- itorial submissions. This is a matter of editorial judgement and we have no obligation to help finance such reprehensible editorial decisions. We should not financially support such newspapers which desecrate those who died and suffered in that Hell and which publish ads that are an insult to the Jewish people. Please join us in taking a stand. All of us have an obligation to do so. If we don't stand up for our- selves, no one else will. Again, please call us if you want to help — in any way. Sincerely, President Berl Falbaum Vice President Asher Tilchin Secretary Geraldine Schwartz Treasurer Harold Grodman Board Members Pnina Basse Jobe Falbaum Dr. Jerome Kaufman Larry Rockind Alvin Sallen Sheldon Sonkin Alicia Tisdale Clear Thoughts, Words Help Us Survive RABBI NOAH M. GAMZE SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS I Berl Falbaum President Asher Tilchin Vice President 31731 Northwestern Highway, Suite 106 Farmington Hills, Michigan 48334 Telephone (313) 855-8362 CAMP AROVV Windsurfing • Sailing Canoeing • Riding Kayaking • Tennis DETROIT INFORMATION SESSION: Backpacking Archery • Nature Drama • Canoe Trips Arts and Crafts Since 1934 Arowhon has been known for intense teaching of skills and "the best waterfront program in North America." In the Algonquin Park wilderness boys and girls aged 7-16 are simultaneously nurtured and challenged. Take advantage of the very favorable Canadian $ exchange rate! Sunday February 27, 1994 at 5:00 PM Birmingham Community House, 380 South Bates Street in Birmingham Come see us at the Camp Fair on Sunday February 27 at Bloomfield Hills Middle School (11:00 AM to 3:30 PM) OCCALPTED WA, Winter: 72 Lyndhurst Ave. Toronto, Ontario M5R 2Z7 Tel (41, MeacMak. i•Metta* Cm*. Cr) T 40 oe Stamell's Dynamic Muffler •S/- Brake Bring In Your Coupons And Warranties — We'll Work With You! • Mufflers • Brakes • Shocks • Alignment • Maintenance 4 t 14 MEER ' 91 1 MIDDLEBELT i_ Iii I - , • _ `."A '1. • DYNAMIC CAR CARE CENTER Open Monday-Saturday --., .32661 Northwestern Hw . Fannin toh-Hills • 851-3883 • 0 with this ad TUNE-UPS starting at $39.95 4 cyl. n this portion, which deals with the regalia worn by the Cohanim (priests), we find mentioned the hoshen mish- pat, the breastplate of judg- ment. Rashi's commentary sug- gests several possible meanings. The first possible meaning was that it was called this be- cause it atones for faulty judg- ment. The second, interpreta- tion, which seems preferable, is that it was called mishpat (judg- ment) because it clarified his word and statement truthfully. Rashi states that this clarifica- tion is called discernment in Old French. Rashi uses the term Laaz when utilizing Old French words to explain a point. The word Laaz is an acronym for the words Lashon Am Zaar, the language of a strange people. In this commentary we are further told that the term judg- ment is used in three senses. They are the claims of the liti- gants, the sentence of the court (actually the verdict), and the punishment ordered by the court. In this portion of the Torah, the word Mishpat is used to denote a clarification of words, since it explains and clarifies his words. From these few words of Scripture we can see that our respect for the use of reason and for clarity of thought go back to the very beginnings of our his- tory. Thus, it is no wonder that many of our people start their study of the Talmud with cer- tain chapters which emphasize logical thinking and analysis of basic concepts. To be immersed in the tal- mudic tractates Baba Kamma and Baba Metziah is an exer- cise in using one's ability to think. While this is true of all Tal- mudic study, many persons find that the two tractates men- tioned are a good place to start. The statement in the Ethics of the Fathers that an ignorant person cannot be truly pious is another example of our respect for the use of one's mental fac- ulties. Nor is respect for clear thinking limited to the sacred sphere. Our sages, in many cas- es, showed great respect for the sciences, especially medicine and astronomy. In later times, this tradition of respect for clear thinking and for the life of the mind resulted in the development of a great Noah Gamze is rabbi of the Downtown Synagogue. tradition of Jewish philoso- phy.This philosophy was most- ly Aristotelian although there were some Jewish neo-Platon- ists. Throughout the centuries, any scholar who wanted to be taken seriously had to be able to explain his ideas very clear- ly. This was true whether he was writing on philosophic top- ics, discussing a talmudic prob- lem or deciding a question of re- Shabbat Zachor: Exodus 27:20-30:10 Deuteronomy 25:17-19 I Samuel 15:2-34. ligious law (writing a Tshuvah). The ability to think clearly and express oneself with clarity helped us to survive for cen- turies under the most adverse conditions. When the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars began the process of liberating the Eu- ropean Jews from the ghetto, these habits of mind stood us in good stead. Within a relative- ly short time, our people began to play an important role in the economic and cultural life of Central and Western Europe. Even those of our brethren who drifted away from our faith re- tained the habits of clear think- ing and the use of reason. One need only consider the influence which the works of such men as Sigmund Freud and Albert Ein- stein have had upon the world. To return to the original pur- pose of the hoshen mishpat which was to clarify Aaron's thoughts and words, we may well consider the influence which our brethren have had upon legal thinking. It took the work of a Judge Louis D. Bran- deis and others to develop in- terpretations of the Constitu- tion which were in touch with modern reality. He started as a dissenter, but in time his opin- ions became mainstream. The ability to ask questions and to think clearly is also help- ful to our survival as a people. What we need to have is the confidence that our faith can stand up to the most rigorous questioning.We should under- stand that our Torah can sur- vive in-depth analysis. Let us not be afraid of the wisdom of