OTHER, VIEWS Hebrew Free Loan Bonds Jews vraham Avinu ("our father Abraham," as traditional Jews refer to him) has become the subject of a major newsweek- ly's cover story and two books. Time magazine's spin on the first forefather of the Jewish people, in its Sept. 30 issue, was that he "is beloved by Jews, Christians and Muslims." "Can this bond," the article's sub- head asks, "stop them from hating one another?" Personally unsure of the factual basis for each religion's claim to Abraham as a spiritual heir, I'm unable to answer such a weighty question. Of this, how- ever, I am sure: The bond that we Jews share as his spiritual heirs can certainly do wonders for instilling a sense of A Rabbi E.B. "Bunny" Freedman is direc- tor of Southfield-based Jewish Hospice er Chaplaincy Network and serves on the board of Hebrew Free Loan. companionship and responsibility among Jews of all denominations. As the founding patriarch of our nation, Abraham left us with a rich spiritual legacy, none more widely practiced among his descendants as his legendary kindness. The Torah is replete with examples of his munifi- cent acts of lovingkindness toward his fellow man and the Talmud assures us that one who follows in his footsteps in this impo- rtant matter (among oth- ers) is surely an heir to his heritage. Abraham's acts of kindness were unique, not only in their quantity but in their quality, too. Never did he act out of self-gratification. Never did he seek reward or honor for his generosity. He simply viewed it as a natural out- flow of his immense love for his fellow human beings. He saw it as an oppor- tunity to express his love toward them. Since time immemorial, every Jewish community bas featured a full complement of charitable and in order to do a kind deed? free-loan organizations for the The answer lies in the fact needy. These institutions were that it is "My people." One the pride of the community as simply does not charge a they served to draw the com- brother or. sister for a kindness munity together and bridge performed on their behalf. the societal gaps that inevita- The sense of responsibility bly existed in communities and obligation felt toward large and small. The message RABBI E.B. them obviates that possibility. was constant and clear: "It FREEDMAN Our community is in the matters not whether we agree, Community midst of a yearlong celebra- know or like each other. We tion of the 100th anniversary Views have a responsibility to help of the creation of Hebrew Free one another!" Loan. By our community's support of Loans were always dispensed interest- Hebrew Free Loan, we are doing more free to fellow Jews in keeping with the than acts of charity and lovingkind- dictum of the Torah "When you lend ness. We are reconfirming our com- money to My people ... do not impose mitment to the concept of Am Echad interest on him" (Exodus 22:24). The (one nation). Although we come in message behind this seemingly strange many shapes and sizes and different interdiction is quite simple. theological bearings, our Detroit Logically speaking, there is no rea- Jewish community is indeed one com- son not to charge interest to a debtor. munity of brethren responsible to one Why should the creditor suffer a loss another. ❑ Treasures Of The Temple Jerusalem iv hen the Second Temple was destroyed (in the year 70 C.E.), its treas- ures — the various ves- sels used in the Temple services — were taken by the Romans. The rabbis counted 93 important objects that were taken; many more smaller vessels were possibly taken by "freelance" Roman soldiers and offi- cers. We know that the most important vessels were exhibited as part of Titus's celebration of his victory over the Jews. Replicas of them can be seen even today on the Arch of Titus in Rome. After the celebration, the vessels were stored away in the imperial treasury. We know this because the Talmud relates that some of the sages saw them in the imperial treasury about 100 years later. It is now almost 2,000 years since the demise of imperial Rome, but what happened to the Temple treas- ures? Perhaps some of them were melted down, but what happened to the vast majority of them? Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz is an author, his- torian and social critic who translated the Talmud into five modern languages. His e-mail address is steinsaltz@milita.co.il 1/31 2003 34 There have been rumors, over the years, that there were treasures from the Temple hidden somewhere in the Vatican. Even on the face, these sto- ries seem false. First, it is unlikely that such items would have made their way from the imperial treasury to the Church, which had neither the power nor the authority to get them at that time. Second, no one with firsthand knowledge ever claimed to have seen them there. If they were there, surely — by chance or by intention — such a fact would have been revealed. In fact, the Vatican does have a great number of Jewish manuscripts. Many of these priceless pieces were confiscated by the Church authori- ties. Others may have been given to the Vatican Library by high-level thieves: kings and knights who took them from their Jewish subjects. Most of them are now on display and can be copied. But neither these nor some of the other archeological relics in the Vatican's possession are part of the Temple treasures. A more likely theory about the fate of the Temple treasures involves the Vandals, a German tribe that besieged and conquered Rome in 455 C.E. When the Vandals took over Rome, they ransacked the city and took many of the treasures of the Temple to North Africa, their base of operations. What they did not want, they destroyed (thus, the meaning of the term vandal). our most precious treasures are not made of cloth or metal or pottery. The real treasures, the real "Temple," is the Jewish people. The loss of so many of these human treasures, destroyed in all manner of catastrophic Burial Theory events, is truly tragic. RABBI ADIN We have also some notion of STEINSALTZ Some are buried and can what happened to these treas- never be recovered. Others Special ures: When a king died, he Commentary are still barely visible, but was usually buried with they won't be for long. Those objects of great value, but spe- that we can, we must retrieve cial precautions had to be — wherever they are dis- made to ensure that the grave would persed, however difficult it is to dis- not be looted. lodge them. Our highest priority The king's subjects would dig a must be to find them, cleanse them, trench near a river to make the river mend them and return them to their change its path, and then bury the place in the Jewish community. king in the (now-dry) section of the We could spend our time digging riverbed. in the dirt in North Africa for The trench through which the river ancient objects of gold and silver, had been diverted would then be but our energies are better spent filled in with earth, and the river was elsewhere. On the one hand, we returned to its original course, com- must mine villages and towns, cov- pletely covering the secret burial site ered with dust and shrouded in neg- under water. lect, and reclaim as many of the So, it appears that the Temple almost-lost treasures as we can. On treasures are probably buried under the other, we must ensure that our some river in North Africa, never to precious children — our foremost be seen again. This is, indeed, a loss treasure — are neither lost nor — both for historical and sentimen- pushed aside. They are the key to a tal reasons. Jewish future rich with what matters We must remember, however, that most. ❑