"Tor Openers.=

An Interesting View
From The Inside

YAD EZRA

fad/Ai t Jewisir Hotgry

The Board of Directors and Staff of

RABBI BOB ALPER
Special to The Jewish News

was a visitor in my own syna-
gogue. The first time ... and the
last time ... that would ever hap-
pen.
It was the end of July, 1972; and I
was the newly minted young rabbi
lir who had landed in Buffalo just a week
or two earlier, in preparation for an
August 1 start as assistant rabbi at a
1,600-family congregation. Sherri and
I spent those precious days in a whirl-
wind of activities, preparing our apart-
ment, acclimating ourselves to the
unfamiliar surroundings and, most of
all, hanging out with our brand-new
*baby.
Four days before my career began
in earnest (really, really earnest: I'm
embarrassed to admit that I had actu-
ally bought a black pinstripe suit to
wear on that opening day), we round-
ed up an older baby sitter who exuded
confidence and we headed off to erev
Shabbat services.
It felt just a tad sneaky. Nobody
oexcept the senior rabbi and a few
members of the rabbinic search com-
mittee knew who we were. We simply
walked in with the others, took seats
mid-point in the sanctuary and settled
in to participate. We realized, some-
what sadly, that given the nature of
my career this would be one of the last
times that we would be able to sit
together during a service.
0 I had a sense of the history and
goals of the congregation, but saw this
night as a chance to learn more about
just where it stood in Judaism's always
evolving approach toward ritual.
Here's what actually happened.
Promptly at 8:15 p.m., the rabbi,
cantor, president and pulpit guests
took their seats. A few words of wel-

"Rabbi Alper will bring his one-man
show to the Maple/Drake JCC on Dec.
13. For tickets, call (888) 483-3297.

come, and we all sang "Tov L'hodot."
The rabbi then introduced a middle-
aged woman, possibly the mother of
the next day's bar mitzvah. The poor
dear was nervous, fidgety, glancing for
support to family and friends in the
front row, then back to her husband
seated next to the cantor. The honor
assigned to her that night was the
Sabbath candles and, as is the custom
in synagogues from Capetown to
Seattle, it took her three or four
swipes and one broken match before
she could get a flame going to light
the wicks. Then, just as she was about
to kindle her fingers, she shook out
the flame and placed the still- smol-
dering match on the table which was
covered by an apparently flame-retar-
dant cloth.
Pretty standard stuff, I thought.
Mainstream. Just like most other con-
gregations.
Back then we used the old Union
Prayer Book. The candlelighting cere-
mony in that book is particularly
poetic, containing the lovely procla-
mation, " ... in the spirit of our
ancient tradition that hallows and
unites Israel in all lands and all ages,
do we now kindle the Sabbath lights."
There I sat, relaxed, eager, contem-
plating my future role as a rabbi,
intrigued by what I could teach this
congregation and what it would teach
me. My thoughts were, perhaps, else-
where. Until the lady sputtered
through her assigned reading and
reached the final paragraph. I don't
think anybody else picked it up, and I
hope nobody other than my wife
noticed my combination of chortle
and gag.
The woman made a small but sig-
nificant error. Rather than the printed,
" .. in the spirit of our ancient tradi-
tion ..." she inadvertently changed one
word. Just one word. And so, what she
declared was this:
" ... in spite of our ancient tradition

Yad Ezra

wish to thank

Doreen Hermelin

and the 950 guests and supporters of
our very successful Dinner.

The community's response to this effort
helps ensure that Yad Ezra continues its
pledge to provide nutritious kosher food
packages to more than 1,800 needy
individuals every month.

Thank You!

the yachtsman

1105 S. Adams
Birmingham, MI 48009

(248) 723-9838

WE'VE
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DADD ,

Y AFTER ALL THAT
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WASN'T HE ALLOWED INTO
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OH, WELL, THAT'S A 600 D
QUESTION, 1-10NEY, AND
THE ANSWER IS...UM

1 mile North to
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AND...
THAT'S IT! TM PUTT/N6
THE KIDS INTO
PAY SCHOOL-'

11/21

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