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DUELING PIM40 ithR

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dynamism, or a kind of spiritual grace:
She's got it.
The Rebbetzin, as she is widely
known, seems to be teacher, therapist,
confidante, moral pathfinder. She
takes on all those roles in her new
book, The Committed Life: Principles
for Good Living from Our Timeless Past
(HarperCollins/Cliff Street Books), an
anecdotal guide to more purposeful
a living.
The book is written in the same
voice and tone as her talks, without

"I always felt that
Hashem created
me as a female
for a reason.

the hint of Hungarian accent. The
Judaism she presents is loving, forgiv-
ing and relentlessly positive.
"What's lacking in our society _
today is commitment. Everything is
plastic. Everything is disposable. Even
disposable marriages," she says. "The
message that the book conveys is that
[when] we reconnect with our roots,
our heritage, our timeless values, we
can live a life that has meaning and
commitment."
Her hope is that the book will
impart to readers — Jews and non-
Jews — "how to be a better person,
how to grow, how to learn from mis-
takes, how to become a more giving
individual and altogether a wiser, gen-
tler person."
The book is built on her stories,
mostly based on her experience but
also including biblical, rabbinic and
Chasidic tales, serving to illustrate 18
themes, including prayer, forgiveness,
compassion, hope, time, peace, ban-
ishing fear and committing to mar-
riage.
While many self-help books and
therapists encourage individuals to
experience their feelings, whatever
they may be, the Rebbetzin takes a
different, pragmatic tack: "We do not
subscribe to giving into feelings. I say
control, control, control," she explains
in gentle tones during the late-night
interview in her black-and-white office
that is both sleek and bookish, with
enlarged photographs of her late hus-
band and father, and a Jungreis family
tree hanging.
"My advice is Torah advice. We do

► or Y OW dil h
not indulge ourselves. Even if you do
not feel joyous, force yourself to be
joyous. If you have no reason to smile
put a smile on your face. God will
give you a reason to smile."
She frequently quotes from Psalms,
and pulls out of her handbag the dog-
eared copy she never leaves home
without.
Growing up, she says, she was
8:30
taught to reach out to other Jews. "It
was the milk on which we were nour-
ished." In Szeged, Hungary, where
her father was the chief rabbi, their
home was always open to all. As a 6-
year old, she went with her father to
visit Jewish prisoners in detention
camps and helped to smuggle in
medications.
While the notion of an Orthodox
woman speaking out to such large
crowds is still unusual, she says she
feels "quite natural." She speaks with-
out notes, in a very polished style that
31196 HAGGERTY ROAD OUST SOUTH OF 14 MILE)
has led some to compare her to the
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successful television preachers.
She seems to embrace the title
MIN MI= MIMI MIMI NMI MINE MI= MIMI =MI MN MI= MIN IMO
"Rebbetzin," a term that makes some
ate
contemporary rabbi's wives cringe; she
• -
repeatedly emphasizes that she is not a
li r CP9 e
rabbi. Would she have wanted to
become a rabbi?
vec
664-deft-
"I always felt that Hashem created
me as a female for a reason." She notes
Szechuan Hunan Cuisine
r
that she has never felt inhibited in her
Cocktails
outreach, nor had a sense of envy. She
then asks: "What is it I would be
Beer & Wine
doing as a rabbi that I'm not doing
now?
Healthy Diet
"I'm teaching and touching hearts,
Dishes
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bringing people back. I never felt any
Available
stumbling blocks in this area." In fact,
she believes she can do "anything and
more, much more" as a woman. "A
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woman has a way of touching the
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MINE
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heart and souls of people."
r
The Rebbetzin and her late hus-
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band were third cousins. (Her family's
OR
per person
name is Jungreis too). They had
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known each other in Europe, and he
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stayed with her family when he first
• Expires
11-5-98
arrived in America as an orphan. She
has two daughters and two sons, both
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WHOLE SUB
SUN.-THURS.
OF RIBS &
of whom are rabbis. On Fridays the
BROASTED OR
11-10
Rebbetzin stays home, working from
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her home office and preparing for the
FRI. & SAT.
11-11
Sabbath she spends with her children
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and grandchildren. ❑

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JUST NORTH OF 10 UNE NEXT 70 200

Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis will
speak 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12,
at the Jimmy Prentis Morris Jewish
Community Center, sponsored by
Young Israel Council of Metro
Detroit.

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