ir o m iumi ty

ur

the remodeling of o
;Oak store you can visit us
305 Orchard Lake
outh of 13 Mile - west side)
1 mile north of 696.

.

:

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Merchandise only will be awarded.

Not to be combined with other offers.

Through Personal Sacrifice
We Become Stronger Jews

entirety now serves the function that the
temple and the sacrifices once did. For
Ulla, it is through adherence to Jewish
law that we can bring God into our
world and our lives and into ourselves.
The observance, the ritual, the act
must touch and change our souls, our
character, our deeds, our very being, to
fulfill its true function. And it is not
his week's portion is the first
easy;
to make the observance of ritual
in Leviticus. As the name
truly
meaningful
requires considerable
indicates, it is the book of the
effort.
laws of the Levites, the
First of all, the observance must be
priests, the tabernacle and its sacrifices.
done
properly, in accordance with Jewish
The entire first half of the book deals
law and tradition, which
almost exclusively with the reg-
requires much study to gain
ulations of the sacrifices, the
the knowledge and under-
priesthood and related topics.
standing of the observance to
Most of these rules are no
make it meaningful. Secondly,
longer applicable. In fact, the
even with the knowledge
tabernacle and its sacrificial rit-
about
the observance itself, its
uals are so foreign to our own
historical
development and its
experience that it is extremely
context,
we
must do it in such
difficult for us to understand or
a way as to have the intention
appreciate how one could
and contemplation necessary
relate to God through sacrifices
(particularly animal sacrifice)
RABB I ELIEZER to enable it to touch our
hearts. All too often, we sim-
rather than through prayer as
C OHEN
ply
go through the motions
we do now How then can this
Spe cial to the
or,
even
worse, we simply
extensive part of the Torah be
Jew ish News
wish
to
conform
to the expec-
meaningful to us?
tations
and
standards
of other
In the first section of the
people
rather
than
truly
observe
God's
Torah that mentions the tabernacle the
Torah. We, too often, observe whatever
verse states (Exodus 25:8), "And they will
we observe, but it is totally external to
make for Me a sanctuary and I will
who and what we really are.
dwell in their midst." The commentary
It is like wearing a coat that may
by Rabbi Moshe Alsheich points out
make
us feel warm when we have it on,
that the .verse doesn't say, "I will dwell in
but
we
can just as easily remove it — it
its (the sanctuary's) midst," but rather in
is
not
really
part of us. Too often we
"their midst." Rabbi Alsheich, therefore,
daven
(pray)
simply by repeating words
interprets the verse to mean, "And I will
like
a
magical
formula (sometimes we
dwell within them." To Rabbi Alsheich,
don't even say the words properly) and
the purpose of the sanctuary and the
we have never bothered to even try to
entire sacrificial system was for each
understand what we are saying. Or we
individual Jew to sanctify himself, and
sing
a song that is familiar but meaning-
he, himself, became a reflection of God's
less
at
the same time.
presence in the world.
.
Just
as the prophets challenged those
The physical actions of the ritual, the
who
sacrificed
but continued to remain
grandeur and beauty of the setting, the
spiritually
and
morally
stagnant, we, too,
care and the precision of the service were
must
challenge
ourselves
to truly sanctify
all, in some way, to affect the inner
ourselves and to feel and reflect God's
being, the very soul of the participant
presence within ourselves.
and, in fact, the entire nation. The ulti-
mate goal was to change, improve and
elevate the person.
However it was to have worked
(again, it is so totally beyond our experi-
ence), for us the entire system no longer
In what ways can a ritual act change
exists. The Talmud tells us, "Rabbi Huya
us, our personality, our character
bar Ami said in the name of Ulla, the
and our behavior? How and why is
interpreter of religious laws: "From the
Jewish observance important to us?
day the Temple was destroyed, there is
How can we make our Jewish
no place for God within the (proverbial)
observance more meaninsful? Is it
four cubits of Jewish law and practice
possible for us to commit more time
(Halacha).'" Jewish observance in its
to Jewish learning to make our lives
as
Jews more meaningful?
Eliezer Cohen

Shabbat Zachor:
Leviticus 1:1-5:26•
Deuteronomy 25:17-19;
I Samuel 15:2-34.

T

YES! I WOULD LOVE TO WIN $1000.00
IN FREE FURNITURE!

Drawing will be held March 31, 2000.

Torah Portion

HOURS:
MONDAY - FRIDAY I
SATURDAY 10 A.M.6

SUNDAY NOON

248.54 l .9940.
•

EK SPECIAL

RECEIVE A $100 GIFT CERTIFICATE*
WITH ANY POOL TABLE PURCHASE

ALL POOL TABLES ARE ON SALE!
HUGE SELECTION,
TOO MANY TO PICTURE!

*prior sales excluded

AIR HOCKEY

❑

$499 95

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