Price Busting News! /89 High Quality Dry (leaning Each Item Is Only $L89 Shirts Beautifully Laundered -• No Minimum Box or Hanger •Must Be Paid For In Advance Same Day Service For Only a if Not For s • Excludes: Suedes, Leathers, Formal Gowns, Wedding Dresses And Household Items •All Items Paid for In Advance Are $2.89 Otherwise 50t Extra Per Item Same Day Service DRY CLEANERS 26019 Southfield Rd. (at 10 'Ii Mile Rd.) Across From AAA Lathrop Village 108 VISA. 569-1440 -' i s 1111 ., t ''';' PPIP . ;; koc- A Real Cool Chick Where would Israel be without it? ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR EDITOR'S NOTE: In recent months Tell Me Why has received a number of unsigned letters. If you would like your question an- swered in the column, you must give your name and address. Questions in Tell Me Why include only the writer's initials and city of residence. Unsigned letters will not be answered. Q: Why is it that all those com- panies have so many fat grams in their matzah? From reader H.M. in Atlanta Q: What do the terms "Kiddush Hashem" and "Hillul Hashem" mean? A: "Kiddush Hashem" means literally "Sanctification of the (God's) Name," while "Hillul Hashem" means "desecration of the Name." Both generally are used in reference to a public act. Of course, God doesn't need human beings to help him be holy, so what the concept of "Kid- dush Hashem" really refers to is an action which helps others see a greater awareness of God's presence in the lives of human beings. A: Well they have a few, but I wouldn't call it a lot. Tell Me Why surveyed various matzot UJA PRESS SERVICE PHOTO/ROBERT CUMINS and found most have less than 1 gram. Streit's, for example, has 110 calories (from fat which occurs naturally in flour), and 0.5 grams of fat in each piece of matzah. Matzot Yeru- shalyim has 114 calories and 0 grams of fat. Egg matzah will put on a few more pounds, but at 120 calories and 1 gram of fat per piece, it hardly falls into the cate- gory of, say, a candy bar. Of course, you can al- ways make matzah as fattening as you like. Just Is there fat in them thar matzahs? top it with some chicken fat, or about 10 pieces of If, for example, a Jew saw a lit- cheese and cream cheese, and you'll have enough fat for a life- tle girl about to be hit by a car, then ran out and risked his own time! life to save the child, chances are Q: Wow! I was just in Israel and those who witnessed the scene I never realized how versatile the would remark on his goodness. chick pea is. Why that little baby hi acting righteously and coura- can be eaten as is, or in hummus geously, a single person has re- flected well on Judaism and God. and tehina. I bet that chick (get it? Or, in Valley Girl talk, this guy, That chick!) would even be yummy like, he ran out into the street to served up in some kind of dessert. save this kid and like, if that's Now, can Tell Me Why give me what it means to be a Jew, like, some inside information on this it must be something pretty swell. wondrous food? The Torah (in Isaiah, Num- A: No one is sure exactly from bers, Leviticus) directs Jews to where the chick pea originates, act in a holy manner and thus but some scholars speculate it sanctify God's name. comes from the area immediate- Hillul Hashem is a more com- ly south of the Caucasus Moun- plicated matter. In some in- tains, which today would be stances, the Torah makes it clear extreme northwestern Iran (the exactly what this constitutes, two area around Tabriz). Cultivation examples being sexual immoral- of the tasty legume soon spread ity and child sacrifice. in all directions, especially Today, however, Hillul through western Asia, northern Hashem most popularly is trans- Africa and southern Europe. It lated to an act by a Jew (usual- was known in Greece already ly in front of a gentile) which runs around 1000 BCE. The Torah in absolute contradiction to the does not mention the chick pea, kind of behavior God demands of but the prophet Isaiah does the Jewish people. Jews have the (30:24). responsibility of upholding God's In modern Hebrew, the chick reputation, and the reputation of pea is called chimtza. the entire people. To make a mockery of God is, according to Judaism, the greatest sin — one which may even preclude a Jew's entry in the world to come. In years past, many Jews felt so strongly about Hillul Hashem that they were dying as martyrs in great numbers. Finally, the rabbis instituted regulations about exactly what constituted a sin so grievous death was prefer- able. These were idolatry, incest and murder. Q: To which American politician do we owe our gratitude for the sep- aration of church and state? A: That Tom, what a guy. Thomas Jefferson (1743- 1826) was the man largely responsible for our concept of religious liberty and toler- ance. He wrote the first statute on the separation of church and state for the Vir- ginia Legislature in 1779. To say that it was poorly re- ceived was an understate- ment. Some politicians even wanted to add Jesus' name into any such measure, but Jefferson fought against it. It took six years before the Legislature came around. Jefferson, meanwhile, was working toward the passage of the federal Constitution (what we today call the U.S. Constitution). Here, too, he was a leader in writing the doc- ument in such a way that would preclude any future laws inject- ing religion into the government. Historians have noted that Jefferson had some Jewish ac- quaintances (notably Comm- odore Uriah P. Levy, who assumed responsibility for Mon- ticello following the president's death). But he was hardly well- versed in Jewish history or Jew- ish tradition, or even inspired to act thanks to advice from close Jewish friends. Instead, it is clear that, in calling for the separation of church and state, Jefferson made a decision based on his de- vout belief that all men had the right to worship as they pleased, and that the government had no place directing or endorsing the religious concerns of its citizens. ❑ e Send questions to Tell Me Why, c I o The Jewish News, 27676 Franklin Road, South- field, MI 48034, or fax them to (810) 354-6069. Letters must be signed and include your ad- dress. Questions answered in the column will run only with writer's initials and city of res- idence.