COMMUNITY VIEWS

Living In A World
Of Rampant Brokenness

problematic relationships cannot be
hen a Jewish New Year is
solved with quick fixes. Perhaps they
about to begin, we face
can be repaired or slowly nursed back
its prospect with varying
to health over the long haul. That, in
degrees of fear and hope,
itself, should be a cause for happiness.
dread and love.
In a world not yet redeemed, we must
We can judge the quality of the
work
for the arrival of the Messiah but
year ahead, or of the year
live in a world in which the
about to conclude, by the
Messiah has not as yet
standards of our economic
arrived.
well-being, of the state of our
Even when a set of prob-
health or of our family rela-
lems
are overcome, other
tionships, all of which have,
problems
will surface. The
of late, been highlighted in
patriarch
Jacob
'overcomes
the news. The criteria we
the
problem
of
living with a
choose to view the year past
contentious
father-in-law,
as it affected our lives will
Laban, moves to Israel, and
likely be the major determi-
appears to live in peace with
BBI
RA
nant of whether we will have
his wives and children. Soon
HERB
ERT
A.
.
judged 5758 to have been a
after attaining an apparent
OWITZ
YOSK
good year or a bad year.
harmony, Jacob must deal
Spec
ial
To
The economic scene was
with
various family difficul-
The Jew ish News
recently described as "one of
ties
and
losses, including the
the most complicated eco-
killing
of
neighbors by his
nomic environments since the end of
sons,
Simeon
and
Levi,
and the loss 'of
World War II." Consequently, those
his
favorite
son,
Joseph.
who judge the quality of the year
Years later, Jacob and his family and
based on economics in a perfect cli-
their
descendants, that is the Jewish
mate will surely be unhappy.
community,
appear to be living in
Unhappy, too, will be those who
peace
in
Egypt:
That is the way Gene-
will be satisfied with nothing less than
begins with a new
sis
ends.
Exodus
a state of perfect health for themselves
pharaoh
"who
knew
not Joseph" and a
and for their loved ones, or those who
hitherto
prospering
Jewish
community
seek a full resolution to all family ten-
becomes
a
slave
community.
sions.
To repair our lives as individuals
Unrealistic expectations that are
and
as a community, we need to work
unmet lead to unhappiness. Problem-
and
to pray for redemption. While all
atic businesses, problematic health and
our crises will not be resolved, our
obligation as Jews is to be partners
Herbert A. Yoskowitz is a rabbi at
with God in tikun olam, to repair a
Adat Shalom Synagogue.

W

broken world. In this pursuit, we
work with each other and with people
of other faiths.
In Democracy in America, Alexis de
Tocqueville, perhaps the wisest analyst
of American society, identified the one
institution in American life that stood
for a morality higher than self-interest.
The religious institution was the place
in America where de Tocqueville
found that indispensable concern for
the public good was the primary
emphasis.
For some who emphasize perfec-
tion, it is difficult to switch gears and
to change their way of viewing life's
circumstances. Too often,
they are lost because a reli-
gious perspective is lacking
in their lives.
To help us gain a positive
perspective in life, we need
to look at the Netane Tokef
prayer, which is a high
point of the High Holiday
liturgy. When we hear the
words 17Kol Demama
Dakak Yeshamah — the still
small voice is heard — we
are reminded that God's
word can be heard particu-
larly in the silence. Even in
our darkest hours, we are never alone.
While Judaism does not always
grant us comfort, it does enrich our
lives, giving our days depth and - multi-
dimensional visions. At its best, it does
not provide solutions to all the prob-
lems of life; rather it offers us
kedushah, a sense of holiness in our

lives and in the life of our community.
It provides us with an acceptance of
consciousness of holy time and of holy
place.
In the American Scholar, one writer
expressed his religious belief in the fol-
lowing assertion: "I believe so strongly,
so viscerally, in a wisdom and vast joy
under the tangled weave of the world
... that I cannot speak it, cannot artic-
ulate it, but can only hold on to ritual
and religion like a drowning man to a
sturdy ship."
Note the writer's emphasis on "ritu-
al and religion."
To offer holiness, religion needs to
be more than tasted; it
needs to be lived fully.
When you sit at your
holiday tables, taste the
sweetness of the apple
dipped in honey and pray
to God for a good, sweet
year.
Live the holiday fully at
the synagogue. Stay at ser-
vices a little longer this
coming year than you did
last Rosh Hashanah-Yom
Kippur.
Study the High Holida y
Torah and Haftorah por-
tions while they are being chanted.
Add one new observance to your
High Holiday practice.
Though we will continue to live in
a world of brokenness in 5759, a posi-
tive approach will better enable us to
live with meaning and purpose in an
imperfect world.

We
must
look
beyond
self.

❑

LETTERS

Federation And
Day Schools

The Jewish Federation is sensitive to
the needs described in Leonard
Wanetik's letter of Sept. 11. We agree
that additional tuition assistance is
necessary to make day school afford-
able for every child. Soon, we will
have the pleasure of announcing a sig-
nificant response to that need.
However, for the purpose of this
letter, permit me to respond to some
of the points that leave an incorrect
impression of how Federation is deal-
ing with the issue. Contrary to state-
ments made in that letter:
* Hillel Day School received a grant
from Federation's Capital Needs Divi-
sion toward the renovation of the Hil-
lel building.
* Since 1993-94, the Federation

9/18
1998

36 Detroit Jewish News

and Sunday religious schools.
* Through its Millennium Cam-
paign, Federation is establishing a
26' multi-million dollar fund for day
§ school assistance.
* Federation's planning and alloca-
tions divisions carefully review the
budgets of each constituent agency,
after which allocation recommenda-
tions are made. Although each divi-
sion strives for fairness, agency leader-
A Federation capital needs grant helped
nd renovations to Hillel Day School.
ship may feel, at times, that its alloca-
tion was insufficient.
allocation to Hillel Day School has
* Federation has a fine working
increased 62 percent.
relationship with all day schools,
* Federation has allocated $750,000
including Hillel, and looks forward
($250,000 a year for three years) to
to continuing its work with its lead-
the new Conservative-sponsored high
ership to further day school educa-
school.
tion.
* As a result of the Giles Report,
Barbara Cook, Chair
$300,000 is now allocated to scholar-
Jewish Education Division
ships to children attending afternoon

Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit

Family School
Story Amended

We at Temple Kol Arni are grateful for
the Up Front feature about out Shab- i
bat Family School program in your
edition of Sept. 11. We are quite
proud of the creative, enriching and
exciting experiences that these Shabbat
activities have provided to our fami-
lies.
Please permit us to add two details
to the story as printed: Our Shabbat
school, open to temple members and
non-members alike, is a recipient of a
grant from the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit's Max M. Fisher
Community Foundation. All of us
appreciate this support and endorse-
ment of Federation's Jewish Education
Division.
Also, we are pleased to announce