The Greening
Of Passover

'95
3000 GT

HARRY R. KISSILEFF SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

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4x4, LOADED

•

NEW '95

GALANT S

Loaded, air, auto, pwr.
wind./locks, more.

30 MO.
LEASE

199

+ PER

MO.

'95 MIRAGE LS

PER
MO.

PURCHASE AT
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FINANCING

*All prices plus tax, title and dent. 30 or 42 month dosed end leases to qualified buyers. Sec. dep. of $300 plus $1250 down on Galant. $1500
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to purchase at lease end for price to be determined at lease inception. To get total payments multiply by 30 or 42 months as indicated.
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MITSUBISHI

SOUTHFIELD

29310 TELEGRAPH ROAD, JUST NORTH OF 12 MILE • SOUTHFIELD

810.353-0910

One, Two or Three Rows
of Diamonds Set In

30400 Telegraph Rd. Suite 134, Bingham Farms • 642-5575

bserve the month of Aviv
[spring] and make the Pe-
sach offering to the Lord
your God who brought you
out of Egypt." (Deuteronomy 16:1)
The experience of spring and
human liberation are linked to-
gether in the commandment to
observe Passover. In the 19th
century, the German rabbi Sam-
son Raphael Hirsch explained
that "the God whose breath of
spring awakens nature out of the
stark death-like rigidity of win-
ter is the same God who broke
open the Egyptian grave of our
political existence."
Indeed, directly experiencing
the world coming back to life by
getting out into nature is a pow-
erful urge most of us feel as
spring arrives. We stroll through
the parks admiring blossoms and
begin planting our summer gar-
dens. Yet if we venture beyond
our landscaped greens out into
God's wild garden, we find most
of it in a state of ruin, despoiled
by human action — human
freedom unrestrained by
moral consideration.
As the practices of Pesach
remind us, freedom is also the
source of restoring our pol-
luted planet. During our
festival of liberation, we
exercise our freedom bye
refraining from
chametz, leavened
bread. This practice
reminds us of the sim-
ple life our ancestors
led in the desert. We,
too, can simplify our
lives and change our diets and
habits. We have the freedom to
change the wasteful and un-
healthful habits to which we are
often stuck like slaves. Hall of us
made the tough choices to drive
less, eat less meat, and live more
modestly, we could collectively
eliminate air pollution, stop rain
forest destruction, and lower the
stress on our planetary environ-
ment.
As we conduct our seders, eat
our matzoh, and participate in
services this Pesach, let us resolve
to take the action that will help
bring renewal and liberation to
all of God's creation. Here are a
few suggestions:
• At your seder, read from
Jewish sources that describe the

Harry R. Kissileff is coordinator
of Hug Teva (Nature Circle) of
Congregation Beth Sholom in
Teaneck, N.J., and a faculty
member of the College of
Physicians and Surgeons,
Columbia University.

Oneness of the God of freedom
and the God of nature, such as
Abraham Joshua Heschel's "God
in Search of Man" and Samson
Raphael Hirsch's "Judaism Eter-
nal."
• Discuss how our experience
of changing our habits during Pe-
sach can help us continue mak-
ing changes in habits that harm
the environment. Make a com-
mitment to change one habit this
season.
• Take a walk in your com-
munity and reflect on the state of
the environment in which you
live. Has the environment im-
proved since last year? Deterio-
rated?
• As you clean out your
chametz, take an inventory of the
chemicals in your home and syn-
agogue. Remove those that are
potentially harmful to yourself,
your children, or the environment
in the proper manner.
Replace common
house-

hold toxics with non-toxic clean-
ers and pest controls.
• Buy organically grown pro-
duce and cruelty-free animal
products for your seder — food
that was produced without op-
pressing or poisoning the land,
animals, or farm workers. At the
seder, discuss whether or not the
Jewish concept of freedom ex-
tends to rights for animals,
plants, and even ecosystems.
• Be creative about reducing
your use of disposables, which for
many Jews reaches a peak
around Pesach. Take time to
kasher utensils and vessels
rather than using disposables. If
you must use disposable plates,
plan meals in a way that mini-
mizes their use.
For further information, read
"To Till and to Tend: A Guide to
Jewish Environmental Study
and Action," available from the
Coalition on the Environment
and Jewish Life, 443 Park Ave.
South, 11th floor, New York, N.Y.
10016-7322. LI

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