Live In The World,
But Maintain Integr ty

Shabbat Achrei Mot: Leviticus 16:
1-18:30; Amos 9:7-15.

I

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n this week's sedrah, the of his way to "be different" except
Torah tells us: "Like the acts in the performance of his duties
of the land of Egypt in which as an observant Jew.
In fact, the verses imply that
you dwelled you should not do
and like the acts of the land of proper behavior for the Jew is
behavior that even the
Canaan to which I bring
non-Jew would appreci-
you you should not do and
ate and acknowledge as
in their statutes you
wise.
should not go. My judge-
The Jew who lives ac-
ments and My statutes
cording to the Torah be-
you should keep to go by
haves in a way that even
them; I am the Lord your
the idolatrous non-Jew
God. And you should keep
would view as a lifestyle
My statutes and My
full of wisdom and un-
judgements that a person
derstanding.
RABBI
should do them and live
True holiness for the
by them. I am the Lord." ELIEZER COHEN
The Torah, it seems, SPECIAL TO THE Jew is imbuing normal
life with sanctity and not,
prohibits the Jewish peo-
JEWISH NEWS
as in some religions, es-
ple from "going in the
caping or rejecting nor-
ways of other nations."
But the ambiguity of the phrase mal life.
The Torah is an affirmation of
requires much clarification. Does
this verse demand that the Jew life — or normal life in the real-
be different in every way from the ity of the world that God has
non-Jewish population among made for us. 0
whom he dwells? Must his cloth-
ing, language, grooming, liveli-
hood, intellectual perspective —
in short, all of his behavior — be
distinguishable from that of the
non-Jews around him? Certain-
ly this is a possible reading of the
verses and, in fact, at various pe-
riods were the norm. The Jew of-
ten went out of his way in every
respect to "be different." But is Temple Shir Shalom will host an
this extreme mandated by the adult dinner 6:30 p.m. Friday,
Torah?
May 23, at the temple. Services
Actually, the sifro (the Midrash will follow at 8 p.m. honoring
Halachah on Leviticus which de- high school graduates. Call the
rives Jewish law from the verses temple office, (810) 737-8700, by
of the Bible) itself poses the ques- Tuesday, May 20, to make reser-
tion. "... One might think he vations.
shouldn't build buildings and
plant trees like them, therefore,
the verse states, In their statutes
you shouldn't go,' except only
those statutes inscribed to them
and their ancestors." The
Midrash Halachah indicates that Congregation Shir Tikvah will
the practices such as building and host a Holocaust Memorial Ser-
planting — the usual, practical vice 7:45 p.m. Friday, May 2, at
behavior of society — is not in- Northminster Church in Troy.
cluded in the prohibition, but Rene Lichtman, co-chairperson
rather the "laws and customs" of of the Hidden Child/Child Sur-
the Egyptian and Canaanite so- vivors of Michigan and vice pres-
ident of the Holocaust Education
cieties.
These have been interpreted Coalition, will give a talk on his
by the consensus of generations experiences as a hidden child in
of great rabbinic authorities to France during the Holocaust.
Additionally, on Sunday, May
include only those practices or be-
havior that in some way related 4, the seventh-grade students of
to idolatry or sexual immorality Shir Tikvah's Family Education
or immodesty. Thus, any practice Program will conclude their Sun-
that relates in any way to these day morning session with a Yom
things are prohibited to Jews, but Hashoah service at 11:30 a.m. at
otherwise a Jew need not go out the Roeper School dome in
Bloomfield Hills for all Family
Education Program's kinder-
.Eliezer Cohen is rabbi of
garten through sixth-grade stu-
Congregation Or Chadash.
dents and their families.

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