Delf0/144 Rabbi/Psychiatrist Offers Fresh Torah Perspective Unconventional background lends new insight to weekly Torah portion. Barbie, Maureen, Deborah, Harold and Rebecca Unique Custom Designs Wedding Invitations • gar/Bat Mitzvahs Party Invitations Full Service Accessories Calligraphy & Mailings RABBI YAKOV TRAVIS Special to the Jewish News T here is certainly no shortage of traditional corn- mentaries on the Torah. What makes Rabbi Michael Bernstein's book, Windows to the Soul: A Psychiatrist Finds a Wealth of Ideas in the Weekly Torah Reading different is the fresh perspective that the author's unconventional background brings to the text. Rabbi Bernstein, raised in a Reform Jewish home in Cleveland, discovered his passion for Torah only in his col- lege years, while backpacking through Israel en route to India. After years of yeshiva study in Israel and elsewhere leading to Orthodox ordination, he earned his doctor of medicine degree at .i Rabbi Case Western Reserve University Bernstein in Cleveland and then pursued a career in child psychiatry. Bernstein attributes the origi- nality of his insights to his late start in Torah scholarship and to his training in psychiatry which, he writes, "sensitized me to important nuances buried in the Torah's subtleties." For instance, while Noah is commanded, "Go out from the ark, you, your wife, your sons ..." (Genesis 8:16), he apparently does not exactly heed the directive. Rabbi Michael Berhstein. M.D. The Torah rearranges the order when it says he exited "himself, his sons, his wife ..." (8:18). Rabbi Bernstein cleverly links this to Noah's drunken stupor in the vineyard episode, not- ing how "modern psychology has observed that as drug use increases, meaningful reciprocal relationships decline." He speculates that while God had advised Noah to "deal with his sense of loss by investing his emotional efforts in his family," Noah sought "relief in the vineyard." Windows to the Soul is written for both the learned and the laymen, so the writing is quite accessible. It is a richly instructive entree to the world of traditional Torah homilet- ics, and one that often benefits from a psychologically informed twist. The strength of this work is its attention to nuance and its often creative interpretations. The messages gleaned from these nuances will provide many insights for both those new to Torah and the seasoned reader. These insights derive from Rabbi Bernstein's well- crafted paraphrasing of classic commentators, such as the 7'1;1,3 GfLNE6:..s - EXOC,JS Rabbi Yakov Travis is assistant professor at the Cleveland College of Jewish Studies. Maharal of Prague, and from his own personal speculations. Bernstein explains that one of the more important advances of psychoanalytic theory, namely "the rediscovery of the precision and depth of speech," was a deeply held assumption of rabbinical Bible interpreters from time immemorial. Readers of Windows to the Soul will benefit from the rare and exceptional coalescence of the author's psychiatric and rabbinic training. Whenever I dipped into Windows to the Soul, I came away with a more profound understanding of Torah. Its tra- ditional insights of contemporary relevance make for excel- lent Shabbat reading. The second volume, covering Leviticus through Deuteronomy, was scheduled for release soon. Ask about our computer calligraphy. Instant invitations and addressing. Invitations 20% off. La Mirage Center 29555 Northwestern Highway Southfield, MI 48034 248-356-2454 ❑ ffnai Moshe Cites JTS Honorees Congregation B'nai Moshe will recognize Lynne Avadenka and Marc Sussman of Huntington Woods as this year's Jewish Theological Seminary honorees on Saturday, May 5, during services. Sussman serves on the board of directors and is ritual committee chair. He is a member of the Men's High Holiday Choir, having trained under the late Cantor Louis Klein. Avadenka also serves on the ritual committee and both are Torah and Haftorah readers, as well as chanters of all the holiday megillot. They are the parents of Max and Eli. Sussman is a partner in the law firm of Levine, Benjamin, Tushman, Bratt, Jerris Marc Sussman and Lynne Avadenka and Stein PC. In 1997, he attended the Imun Program sponsored by the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Avadenka is an artist with a master's degree in fine arts from Wayne State University. Her art is inspired by Judaic themes. She has had solo exhibitions at the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Her work is in the permanent collection of the Israel Museum, the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, JTS, the DIA and the Paul Getty Museum. She is an instructor at the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit. Her work will be displayed at an exhibit in New York in May, marking 1,000 years of Jewish art and culture. ?he Veal Skoppe Veil k Accessories Over 400 headpieces/tiaras, jewelry, purses, shoes, gloves, slips, lingerie, guest books, garters, flowergirl baskets, pillows, toasting flutes, invitations... everything but the dress! theweddingshoppe.net Open Tuesday - Sunday 734 S. Washington Ave. • Royal Oak 248-54 1-1 988 C:6 7 ELEBRATE LIFE . / (en 'C ,-)P7ail/ a tree ai oit6p jp Clj rae7f leCte,(7/1‘ JEWISH NATIONAL FUND 800-542-13733 WWW.JNF.ORG Contributions are tax deductible. VISA, MC and AMEX are accepted. JNF. Together, We Can. 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