I Dream Of Sheldon It's so great to have a Jewish connection to this fine show! ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR RITA JEROME is pleased to announce that Unique Kosher Carryout is now accepting orders for the high holidays We carry a full line of kosher foods for all your holiday needs! Be Sure To Try Our HOMEMADE KREPLACH COMPLETE DINNERS OR A LA CARTE PLEASE PLACE YOUR HOLIDAY ORDERS BY MON., SEPT. 9 967-1161 FREE ROSH HASHANAH RAISIN CHALLAH with complete dinners Under the supervision of the council of Orthodox Rabbis of Greater Detroit 25270 GREENFIELD, OAK PARK TRY 1T. YOU'LL L:KE 1T. A &4dvertise in T HE D ETR OIT JE W ISH NEW S h e 28 HELPING JEWISH FAMILIES GROW ree PUBLISHED BY THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS cz Ceal your Accoimat€ RepreseintLative or RoitaN MAGNESS (81_0) 354-6060 Q: I know that some reli- an ascetic lifestyle that includes certain prohibitions, among which is total abstinence from consuming grapes or any of its derivatives. The Torah laws re- garding the Nazir are found in Parshat Naso (Numbers 6:1-21). gions, such as Islam and cer- tain denominations of Christianity, forbid the con- sumption of alcoholic bever- ages. What is Judaism's policy toward liquor? Q: I understand that George A: Judaism permits imbibing Gershwin, famed composer, — providing ifs prudent. bon vivant and man about The favored alcoholic bever- town ("Why should I settle age is wine, which has a special place in both Jewish law and down," he remarked, "when I tradition and has many ritual can have as many women as I uses: Shabbat and holiday Kid- want?") did, in fact, fall in dush, the Pesach seder, Hav- love and even propose mar- dalah, brit milah, pidyon ha-ben riage — to one woman. Who (redemption of the first born), weddings, often with birkat was she? hamazon (grace after meals) and A: Rumor has it (alas, no one to accompany dinners, especial- is alive to confirm or deny the ly those of a festive nature. Ac- story) that George's true love cording to tradition, when was none other than actress Mashiach comes, a great ban- Paulette Goddard (born Marian quet will be held at which spe- Levee). cial wine will be served. She was a much-married In the Halachic sense, "wine" beauty who starred in The refers to the juice of the grape, and Modern Times. He fermented or not. Because the Women was the leading composer of the blessing over grape juice is the day, whose popular works in- same as that for wine (borey pre cludedRhapsody in Blue andAn ha-gafan), those who do not like, American in Paris. or cannot tolerate, wine gener- Gershwin supposedly was, ally may fulfill their ritual oblig- soon before her marriage to ations with grape juice. Charlie Chaplin, Goddard's Judaism further permits the paramour, at which time he consumption of all other alco- wrote her a number of passion- holic beverages so long as they, ate letters and asked that she be like wine, conform to the laws of his wife. Apparently, however, kashrut. the actress turned him down. Judaism forbids alcohol Her last husband was author where it is injurious to health. Erich Maria Remarque. The Talmud contains many statements describing the ben- Q: I know that one of the efits of wine. Nonetheless, throughout the generations the most popular biblical stories rabbis have forbidden drunken- concerns Noah and his ark. My ness, for it may lead to licen- question is, exactly what did tiousness, violence and other the ark look like? boorish behavior, as well as be- ing a hazard to health. Ha- A: It certainly is amazing how lachah (Jewish law) forbids a person un- der the influence to make a blessing, lead religious ser- vices or enter into a contract. Judaism specifi- cally prohibits wine in but a few cases. Except for Shabbat, wine is not drunk during the first nine days and half of the 10th day of the month of Av. The only other instance where wine may not be drunk is by the Nazir, a person who voluntarily takes on much interest this story contin- ues to generate. Doesn't it seem like at least once a year some- body new has found Noah's Ark, or remnants of it, or most cer- tainly has pinpointed its loca- tion, high atop a mountain where it can never actually be found? In fact, these accounts pop up with as much regularity as tales of alien abduction. Wait. Maybe we're on to something here. Could it be that Noah's Ark is really an alien spacecraft? Think about it. Now on to your question. The Bible describes Noah's Ark as 300 cubits long, 50 feet wide and 30 feet high. It was made of wood, held tightly to- gether by pitch, and contained three stories. There was a door near the bottom on one side, and even a removable roof. Some ac- counts say the ark also includ- ed a window and jewels, whose magnificent sparkling kept the craft lighted. At times called "a great house afloat," the ark supposedly was still visible long after the flood had ended, stopping atop Mt. Ararat (once in Armenia, then part of Turkey). The historian Josephus (circa 37 B.C.E.-100 C.E.) recalls that bits of it could still be seen in his time. Q: Wow! Life just got s000 great! I mean, I am in par- adise! Why, you ask? Because I just heard that the creator of that fantastic show "I Dream of Jeannie" was Jewish. Could it be, could it really? A: And aren't we proud! Yes indeed, Sheldon Leonard, born Sheldon Bershad in 1907 in New York, is the man responsi- ble for "I Dream ofJeannie," pos- sibly the most intellectual program in the history of televi- sion. Actually, Mr. Leonard got his Hollywood start playing gangsters is some very forget- table programs. Then he dis- covered Barbara Eden and "Jeannie" and the rest is histo- ry! ❑ Send questions to Tell Me Why, The Jewish News, 27676 Franklin Road, Southfield, MI 48034, or fax to (810) 354-6069. 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