Three Good Reasons. Stumbling Over Pebbles, But Not Mountains RABBI IRWIN GRONER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS One Great Dealer. • We're Giving it 100% Wood Motors I I nc. Honda • Mercedes Benz • Mitsubishi 15351 Gratiot Ave. (at 8 Mile Rd.) t (313) 372-2600 • (800) WOOD-229 Showroom open 8 - 8, Monday & Thursday 8 - 9 Storewide Leather Sale 20% - 40% Off Nx° 1 (previous sales and layaways excluded) blaNO QICCI 4111111•1•1 C.C) i LLJ ■ 1 sOMEEET v_}COLLECTIONI Cf) First Level - Next to Neiman Marcus U_J (810) 649-4433 CC LLJ D LLJ 28 A Perfect Family Gift... A Subscription to the Jewish News. 810-354-6620 A story is told about a young man who was passionate- ly courting his young lady, offering to her his protes- tations of - love. "I would go through fire and water for you," he said, "indeed, I would travel to the ends of the earth to fulfill your every wish. By the way," he concluded, "I'll see you next Thursday, if it doesn't rain." It is not difficult to proclaim great principles, but we have all experienced the human tenden- cy to fail the test of specific re- sponse. We accept moral ideals, but we shy away from the neces- sary efforts required for their achievement. We don't stumble over mountains, but over pebbles. It is precisely this truth, the im- portance of the daily realities of life, that is emphasized in the Sidrah of this Sabbath. Last week we read of how the Children of Israel heard the Ten Commandments proclaimed at Mt. Sinai in the midst of thunder and lightning, fire and smoke. This Sabbath, the text presents an entirely different mood and spirit. Immediately following the declaration of the Ten Great Words, we learn about the small and specific details of daily living. We discover cows and donkeys, loans and bailments. After hav- ing been uplifted to the heights of witnessing the Divine presence and hearing the voice of the Almighty, we encounter an in- congruous enumeration of stat- ues and laws dealing with the ordinary and undramatic episodes of daily existence. Consider these ordinances: "If a man shall open a pit, or if he shall dig a pit and not cover it, and an ox or a donkey shall fall therein, the owner of the pit shall be responsible... If a person bor- rows an animal from his neigh- bor and the animal is injured or it dies, the borrower shall make restitution... You must not car- ry false rumors; you shall not join hands with the guilty to act as a malicious witness..." It is not necessary to multiply these examples to illustrate the vast difference between the ex- alted moral principles of the Ten Commandments and the detailed Laws which follow them in this Sidrah. The Sages must have antici- pated our reaction, our sense of disappointment at descending from the lofty heights of Sinai to the prosaic world of Mishpatim, Irwin Groner is rabbi at congTegation Shaarey Zedek. for they made the following ob- servation.They note that the Sidrah begins with the conjunc- tive "Vav" meaning "and" - "And these are the ordinances." That "Vav' is crucial because, the Sages say, it emphasizes that the Laws of Mishpatim are a continuation and completion of what was de- clared on Mt.Sinai.Rashi is even more explicit in his comment: "Just as the Ten Commandments were offered at Sinai, so were these Laws." The Sages teach us a funda- mental lesson. Great ideals are ineffective unless they are con- certized in the details of daily liv- ing.The loftiest principles exercise no influence if they are separat- ed from human conduct. We all recall the cartoon whose caption reads: "I love humanity. It's just people I can't stand." Exodus 21:1-24:18 Jeremiah 34:8-22 33:25-26 A political advisor once advised his associate on how to establish himself in the world of politics. "We clarify, edify and magnify, but we never specify." The ad- monition of the Sages is the op- posite, for they tell us that we specify in order to clarify and to edify. Furthermore, the Torah does not deal with "religion" as this term is understood in the mod- ern world. The distinctive claim of Judaism is that it seeks to im- pose moral standards and spiri- tual meaning to live in its entirety. We do not separate the "sacred" and the "secular," for every aspect of life can express our love of God and our service to His creatures. Therefore, the Torah sets forth laws about busi- ness and commerce, about per- sonal liability and domestic relations. The exalted moral truths of Sinai are realized only as we apply them to the decisions and judgments of all who share in the life of the community. Cl Publicity Deadlines The normal deadline for local news and pub- licity items is noon Thursday, eight days prior to issue date. The deadline for birth an- nouncements is 10 a.m. Monday, four days prior to issue date; out-of-town obituaries, 10 a.m. Tuesday, three days prior to issue date. All material must be typewritten, double- sowed, on 87: z 11 paper and include the name and daytime telephone number of sender.