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Given by: Decision Analysis Company,
Barbara Goodman, PhD.
Dates: Sunday, April 23
Wednesday, April 26
Sunday, May 7
Time: 9:00 A.M. - 4:30 p.m.
Place:
Radisson Plaza Hotel
Cost:
$200 per participant
How to Register: Call Barbara Goodman at
(810) 542-7051
Specialized Workshops can be set up exclusively
for your business or your group at your location.
Cr)
Wishing our Customers,
Families and Friends
A Healthy,
Happy Passover!
Go against the grain.
Cut down on salt.
Adding salt to your food
could subtract years from
your life. Because in some
people salt contributes to
high blood pressure, a con-
dition that increases your
risk of heart disease.
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T
he Torah reading for the
first day of Passover is from
the end of chapter 12 of the
Book of Exodus, verses 21-
51. In these verses, the Torah
tells us about the rules and reg-
ulations on how the children of
Israel were to prepare and eat the
paschal lamb in Egypt the night
before the Exodus. The Torah
also explains that they baked
their dough into (unleavened)
matzah, and not into leavened
bread because "they were driven
out from Egypt, and could not
tarry any longer." Exodus 12:39.
This verse is also quoted in the
Haggadah when we explain the
reason why we must eat matzah
on Passover.
A question about this verse
comes to mind immediately — it
appears to have a redundancy. If
we are told that they "were
driven out" from Egypt, why does
the Torah also tell us that they
"could not tarry any longer?" It
should be self-evident that if they
were driven out they could not
stay in Egypt any longer.
The answer to this question is
to be found in the Midrash. The
rabbis tell us that at the time of
the Exodus our forefathers were,
in the rabbis' words, up to the
49th gate of impurity because of
their assimilation of Egyptian
customs and way- of life. If they
had stayed any longer, they
would have been too far assimi-
lated and thus not worthy of re-
demption. Therefore, we must
understand Exodus 12:39 telling
us that the children of Israel
could not stay in Egypt any
longer as an explanation of why
they had to be driven out from
Egypt so quickly, not even al-
lowing time for their dough to
rise.
With the problem of assimila-
tion and intermarriage being so
rampant in our Jewish commu-
nity here and elsewhere (and get-
ting worse), it seems that we are
faced with the same problems of
assimilation that our ancestors
confronted at the time of the Ex-
odus from Egypt. And like them,
we must act quickly to remedy
the problem. It seems to be that
the best (and the only) way to
save our Jewish communities
from assimilation is a strong, in-
tensified Jewish education for all
our children.
Passover is a holiday of edu-
cation, when we try to transmit
our Jewish heritage to our chil-
dren.
Joseph Boras is the ritual
director at Congregation Beth
Achim.
Referring to Passover, the
Torah tells us in Exodus 13:8,
"And you shall tell your son on
that day," a phrase that we read
at the Passover seder. The rab-
bis tell us in the Talmud, Trac-
tate "Psachim," that the great
Rabbi Akiva used to give out
treats to the children on the eve
of Passover to make sure that
they would stay up at the seder
and ask questions.
Hebrew words are generally
written with the consonants only.
The reader supplies the vowels
according to the context. In Ex-
odus 12:17 we are commanded,
"And you shall watch (guard or
observe) the matzot" so that the
dough would not go sour
Shabbat 1st Day of
Passover:
Exodus 12:21-51
Numbers 28:16-25
Joshua 5:2-6:1, 27.
(ferment). The Hebrew words
"matzot" and "mitzvot" (com-
mandments) are spelled with the
same consonants; without the
vowel marks, they look the same.
The rabbis commented on this
verse that we must not only ob-
serve the "matzot," but keep the
"mitzvot" as well. If the opportu-
nity to perform a mitzvah comes
along, we must do it right away
and not let it go sour. Therefore,
let us all hope and pray that the
leaders of our Jewish community
here and all over the country will
heed these Passover messages
and immediately start to broad-
en and intensify Jewish educa-
tion for all our young people, and
thus secure the future of our Jew-
ish communities for generations
to come. 0
Beit Kodesh
Chai Dinner
Congregation Beit Kodesh
will hold its 36th annual Chai
Dinner 6:30 p.m. May 7, at
the synagogue. The honoree
will be Rae Offerman.
Entertainment will be provid-
ed by Jim Carmody, comedi-
an and magician.
There is a charge. For res-
ervations, call Lynn Wagner-
Ditzhazy, (313) 425-5116.