rr.

77'

raoh was determined not to ac-
knowledge God until his free
choice was all but gone.
Pharaoh thought he could act
with impurity, that he was free
from the touch of Providence.
Indeed, the arrogance which
underlies a pharaoh's thinking
is symbolic of the difference
between bread (leaven) and
matzah. Bread and matzah are
both made by mixing flour and
water to make dough. There is
only one difference separating
them, air.
Substancelessness is the root
of arrogance — air causes bread
to rise above the matzah, just
as the heretic rises over the
believer, evil to suppress good,
Pharaoh over Moshe, all just a
puff of wind.
The puff of wind which
makes for arrogance is incon-
sistent with being a servant of
God. One filled with arrogance
can neither acknowledge nor
recognize the imprint of Provi-
dence.
Therefore, during the season
when Israel came together as
unified free people the arro-
gance of bread is rejected by the
humility of matzah.
For one week Passover is ob-
served, eight days in the Dias-
pora. But how is the Exodus
and its message conveyed
through the months of the year?
Through the setting of Nissan
as the first of the months in
Israel's national calendar.
Commentators point that
every month a Jew sees is a
reminder of Passover. Each
month relates back to the
month of redemption,with all
the majesty God displayed be-
fore Pharaoh. Each month has
the Jew recall how a defied
Pharaoh was compelled to re-
pentance.
The Torah emphasizes the
connection to new moon and the
Exodus by the Torah only the
numbering and not naming the
months (Shemot 40:1). Rab-
beinu Bechai explains the later
adoption of Babylonian names
for the months was to serve as
a reference point of God's faith-
fulness to redeem His people.
The Torah chooses the medi-
um of time to transmit the pre-
cious lessons given to Israel
during the Exodus. Here, too,
the Jew is given profound spir-
itual import to be learned from
that which typifies the tempo-
ral nature of an object or being,
time. Time itself can be em-
ployed in Divine worship.
The Torah portions of Peku-
dei and Hachodesh offer rele-
vant lessons of honesty both in
one's dealings and in one's basic
world view. However, the ac-
counting of the Tabernacle and
the declaration of the new moon
teach that even the crassly ma-
terialistic entities of time and
money have crucial role in one's
spiritual ascent. Ll

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Mixed Blessings

CC
of Metropolitan Detroit

A Symposium on Intermarriage

EXCHANGE

The Center invites the community to attend this unique opportunity to explore issues
concerning intermarriage. This symposium will feature prominent authors on the subject.

Sunday, March i3

Judy Petsonk, co-author of
The Intermarriage Handbook

7:00 p.m.
ONE COUPLE – TWO LANGUAGES

Sunday, March 20

Lena Romanoff, author of
Your People, My People and Director of
the Jewish Converts & Interfaith Network

7:00 p.m.
HOW SHALL WE RAISE THE CHILDREN?

How Religion Shaped You

An exploration of how the different backgrounds you bring
to a relationship influence the couple you become.

How Religion Shaped You

Dealing with the largest decision you will make.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC — FREE OF CHARGE

8:00 p.m.
THE IN-LAW SITUATION

Coping with the Push and Pull Between Children and
Parents

Acknowledging the tensions that arise within the family and
ways to diffuse their affect.

To register for this program, please call 661-7649.

This program is supported by the Leadership Development
Committee of the Jewish Community Center and
HomeHealth Exchange.

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