11 111111111MIMMINIP.11.11111111111111111111111111111111111111.111111111.•" Spiritna THE GEM S CENTURY THEATRES Torah Portion Yom Kippur Enables Jews To Dedicate Themselves To God Ths Sounds e! the ili's Repentance, we invoke the figure of Elijah the Prophet, herald of redemp- tion, declaring that his most awesome challenge and greatest accomplishment will be "to turn the hearts of the parents to the children and the hearts of the children to the parents." If the Chinese taught that the longest march begins with the first mile, Rosh Hashanah — Judaism — teaches that perfection of world begins with perfection of one spe- hat is the essential signifi- cific family! cance of Yom Kippur — The second day's Torah reading, the especially since it doesn't binding of Isaac, continues this theme. seem to fit within the Mount Moriah, the scene general universal theme of our of the binding, is our Temple fall festivals? Mount, the most sacred locus After all, the Jewish calen- in the Jewish tradition. dar is divided into two holiday Abraham ascended Mount periods: the spring Passover- Moriah with his son Isaac, Shavuot season, which high- making it a familial rather lights the birth of the Jewish than an individual experience. nation and our religio-legal Abraham and Isaac were will- heritage of Torah; and the fall ing to present God with a Rosh Hashanah-Yom Kippur- sacrifice. There can be no re- Sukkot season, which empha- creation, there can be no per- RABBI sizes the creation of the world fection, without the willing- SHLOMO and the sacred character of all ness to sacrifice! RISKIN of nature as well of the 70 Yom Kippur is the Rosh Special to the gentile nations. Hashanah Torah reading Jewish News Why does Yom Kippur applied in practice. The indi- shift our attention from uni- vidual retreats for a 24-hour versalism to particularism? period from the maelstrom — and I believe that the answer is to be majestic macrocosm — of the world found in the curious Torah reading of around him. He devotes a complete day Rosh Hashanah, the very beginning of to personal introspection and self-cre- our festival period. One would expect us ation. As God revealed to Abraham and to celebrate the anniversary of the cre- Isaac, when He demanded that ation of the world by publicly reading Abraham not trick his son or do him the first verses of Genesis, which majesti- any harm, the most profound sacrifice cally describe the first primordial week lies in living for God rather than in of creation. Instead, we turn.to the birth dying by His name. of Isaac on the first day of Rosh Hopefully, Yorn . Kippur enables the Hashanah, and the binding of Isaac on individual to re-create himself in dedica- the second. Why? What's the connec- tion to God's will. As the day nears close, tion? we read the Book ofJonah — reminding I believe that the Jewish message is us of our obligation to then'reach out to most profound. The vision of Rosh the world, even to our enemies like Hashanah is that we must perfect the Assyria, and teach them God's will. imperfect world created by God, that Andjf the Day of Forgiveness has we must accept responsibility as God's succeeded, we are ready to confront the partners to "cause all the wicked of the world of nature and nations on the festi- earth to turn to ethical monotheism." val of Sukkot, prepared to sanctify every But one begins perfecting the world by aspect of creation and cosmos to the perfection of oneself; one re-creates the glory of the God of love and peace. world by creating one's private world, one's family. The "macro" is comprised of many "micros": re-create the world by re-creat- ing yourself, re-direct the world by re- In what ways can we re-create our- directing your family — towards the selves and our families (perfect our Godly ideals of lovingkindness, truth ethical characteristics) so as to bet- and peace. ter ourselves and also motivate Indeed, on this very Sabbath of others? What sacrifices can we make in our personal lives to bet- . . Shlomo Riskin is head ofIsraers Ohr ter live those lives? Shabbat Shuvah (Haazinu): Deuteronomy 32:1-52; Hosea 14:2-10; Micah 7 :18 - 20; Joel 2:15-27. starring the music of The Carpenters The Emotions • Elton John Aretha Franklin Marvin Gaye • Barry Manilow K.C. and the Sunshine Band and many more! The hilarious whodunit that lets the audience take a stab at catching the killed THE CENTURY CLUB RESTAURANT Dittrier T-Vediresclay rday Brunch Sttrzclatj (313) 963-9800 • 333 MADISON AVE. DETROIT WWW.GEMTHEATRE.COM rtr4:733- 477, 14 Join Rabbi Elimelech Silberberg for a course on mystical and Kabbalistic concepts in Judaism on Sundays - 10:30 a.m. or Thursdays - 8:30 p.m. beginning Sunday, Oct. 6 or Thursday, Oct. 3 classes run through December. For more information about this class as well as other classes on Jewish Mysticism & Basic Judaism call the Torah Center 248-855-6170 Visit us at bctc770@aol.com M] r;i1 i4, 1 BASSONOVA N. , \G EVERY SATURDAY 10 a.m.- 4_ p.m. COMFORT INN • FARMINGTON HILLS (12 Mile just East of Orchard Lake Rd.) (248) 471-9220 ❑ Mon-Fri call . (586).754-6360 653640 Conversations he only call you need to make ,or, the Ilez,ject closet DESIGN • INSTALLATION • SERVICE L 4- / o i ls 6(/ / // 1 ...Z.9 CLOSET DESIGNS Torah Stone Institutions and chief rabbi of Efrat. 9/13 Call (248) 851.2804 for a personal appointmort 2002 73