On The Bookshelf SUMMIT CHIROPRACTIC Dr. Samuel Gray. Dr. Adam Apfelblat Exceeding Your Expectations "Not only do I feel better physically, I' m treated like a mensch, not a number" Harvey Kline W. Bloomfield Rabbinic Reflections Rabbi's book describes 10 journeys that spiritual seekers must go through to reach maturity and become the people God intends them to be. Mt..L.L. 11.0 VEC=Ok M-59 248-683-6260 2801 Elizabeth Lake Rd, STE 100 RABBI MICHAEL GOLD Special to the Jewish News Waterford PATRICK COLEMAN & THE STAFF AT B EANS CORNBREAD WISH OUR FRIENDS A VERY HAPPY St HEALTHY NEW YEAR! CATERING FOR ALL AFFAIRS • •Italian International Custom Catering • Elegant Luncheon DE uvERy & Sandwich Trays I • Desserts & Pastries I • 48-Hour Notice for Catering Events Any Order Over S 50 I • Service Staff L wIcoupon expires 10/30/01 J Available r HOUR Tues-Thurs 11-9:30 Fri & Sat I 1-10:30 Sun 12-9:30 ▪ 10 %o FF (248)788-2500 • FAX: (248) 788-4302 5540 DRAKE RD. (in the Rite Aid Plaza) • W. BLOOMFIELD tr., ti? x? a5 000 Off 04 • George & Bill Golematis & the Staff of 6101t610's Restaurant 25920 Greenfield at Lincoln • Oak Park • (248) 968-4060 Wish Their Customers & Friends A Very Healthy & Happy New Year Ttg>" Coming soon to Sugar Tree Plaza In West Bloomfield 9/14 GIORGIO's GOURMET DINER 2001 R62 r IVIIT hen Rabbi Zusya was about to die, his students gathered around him. They saw Rabbi Zusyas eyes break out into tears. "Our master," they said with deep concern, "why are you crying? You have lived a good, pious life, and left many students and disciples. Soon you are going on to the next world. Why cry?" Rabbi Zusya responded, "I see what will happen when I enter the next world: "Nobody will ask me why was I not Moses? I am not expected to be Moses. Nobody will ask me why was I not Rabbi Akiva? I am not expected to be Rabbi Akiva. "They will ask me why was I not Zusya? That is why I am crying. I am asking, why was I not Zusya?" . - to No two humans have precisely the same calling on this earth. Even iden- tical twins, although they share genetic information, have a separate set of life experiences that contribute to their uniqueness. Every human being is totally irreplaceable, for no two people are born into the exact same circum- stances. No one else can do what another was put on this earth to do. Our first great journey of life, leav- ing home, also leads us to find our particular calling. Some of us know immediately, from the earliest days of childhood, why God put us on this earth. Some of us Being Hulnalt In this classic cha- sidic story, Rabbi Zusya's greatest fear was that God would ask him, "Why did you not fulfill your unique destiny that is the reason I put you on the earth?" This simple story reflects perhaps the most powerful teaching of our shared biblical traditions: Our soul has a unique destiny. We are not on this earth by random chance but have been put here to fulfill a divine purpose. Each of us has a mission and a call- ing. In a beautiful statement about the uniqueness of each and every human being, the rabbis teach, "A human being makes many coins with the same stamp, but each one is exactly like every other one. But God makes many human beings with the same stamp, and each and every one is unique" (Sanhedrin 5:4). "The first journey is from childhood to adulthood, as we leave home and seek out our own identity. The last journey is from temporal to eternal life, as we face our own mortality. In between, we must all find the paths to maturity, family, prosperity and good health," writes Rabbi Gold. spend much of our lives searching. Some of us find our calling as young adults, some in the middle years, some only upon retirement from the work- force. Some never quite find it. Our very language reflects this sense that each of us has a unique mission: We often speak of young people who are still "finding themselves." For some, the calling comes in a moment of revelation. Moses was a shepherd, happily married, settled and working for his father-in-law. Suddenly he came upon a bush that burned but was not consumed. A voice cried out from the bush telling Moses, "Go before Pharaoh and tell him, let my people go.'" Moses tried every excuse to avoid his calling. In