Spirituality Torah Portion/Synagogues Subjective Ethics And The Silent Treatment Shabbat Lech Lecha: Genesis 12: 1- 17:27; Isaiah 40:27-4 1: 16 W hat's worse: adultery or murder? In today's society, most Americans would probably consider murder a more seri- ous crime than adultery. In committing adultery, both par- ties make a conscious personal choice. Murder, on the other hand, involves the choice of one party, and the death of the other. Not very fair. But what would we think about a society that forbids adultery but con- dones murder? Our forefather Avram faces precisely this challenge. After arriving in the land of Canaan per God's command, Avram is forced by famine and drought to search for sustenance elsewhere. He travels south toward Egypt, in hope of finding some sort of sustenance. As he nears the border crossing, he makes a startling request of his wife, Sarai: "Please say that you're my sister, so Reuven Spoiler is rabbi of Young Israel of Oak Park. that they will be good to me on your addressed directly by the king of behalf, and that they will spare my life Egypt, the Torah never tells us what because of you" (12:13). Avram says, or if he even responds at Why does Avram ask her to lie? all. Why does he remain totally mute The Midrash explains that Avram (at least in the text) throughout? realizes that when the Egyptians see Through his silence to the Sarai's beauty, someone's going to Egyptians, Avram communicates to us want to have her for a wife. But that if a society has become so corrupt Egyptian society of the time did not that it can condone murder to avoid tolerate adultery. The only solution adultery, then there's nothing to say to would be to bump off the it at all. A truly just society woman's husband. Once the requires not just a sense of husband's out of the picture, sexual morality and propri- it's nothing less than an act ety; but respect for human of kindness to take in a poor, life as well. Because the grieving widow. Egyptians have such a So she lies, telling people skewed sense of morality, that they're brother and sis- Avram literally has nothing ter, not husband and wife. to say to them, so he gives Sure enough, the Pharaoh them the silent treatment. himself takes Sarai as a wife What does Judaism have RABBI and only returns her after the to say about this issue? REUVEN appearance of some well- Which is worse? The Torah SPOLTER placed boils on strategic and equally forbids both. Special to the rather painful parts of his Judaism considers both vio- Jewish News body. lating the covenant of mar- I find Avram's response riage or the taking a human the most interesting aspect of the life to be equally heinous acts. entire episode. From the moment he I know what you're thinking: enters Egypt until the moment he Come on, Rabbi! Murder and sexual leaves (six verses), Avram says ethics the same? absolutely nothing. Even when In a word, yes. Just look at the Ten "When I light Shabbat candles, I feel an instant overwhelming transition from the chaos of the secular week to the tranquility of Shabbat." — Jennifer Epstein Rube, Oak Park, geriatric social worker To submit a candlelighting message, cal Miriam Amzalak of the Lubavitch Women's Organization at (248) 548-6771 or e-mail• miriarnamzalakl@juno.com CONSERVATIVE ADAT SHALOM SYNAGOGUE 29901 Middlebelt, Farmington Hills, 48334, (248) 851- 5100. Rabbis: Daniel Nevins, Herbert Yoskowitz, Rachel Lawson Shere. Rabbi emeritus: Efry Spectre. Cantor: Yevsey Gutman. Cantor emeritus: Larry Vieder. Services: Friday 6 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m., 6:30 p.m.; weekdays 7:30 am., 6 p.m.; Sunday 8:30 a.m. Bat mitzvah of Carly Chocron, daughter of Denise and Larry Chocron. 2000 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor, 48104, (734) 665- 9897. Rabbi: Robert Dobrusin. Services: Friday 6 p.m.; Saturday 9:30 a.m.; weekdays 7:30 p.m.; Sunday 5 p.m. AHAVAS ISRAEL (GRAND RAPIDS) CONGREGATION BETH SHALOM 2727 Michigan St SE, Grand Rapids, 49506-1297, (616) 949-2840. Rabbi: David J.B. Krishef. Cantor. Stuart R. Rapaport. Services: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 7:30 a.m.; Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 am. BEIT KODESH 31840 W. Seven Mile, Livonia, (248) 477-8974. Cantor: David Gutman. President: Larry Stein. Vice presidents: Martin Diskin, Al Gittleman. Services: Friday 8 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. CONGREGATION BETH ARM 5075 W. Maple, West Bloomfield, 48322, (248) 851- 6880. Ritual director: Joseph Mermelstein. Rabbi emeri- tus: A. Irving Schnipper. Cantor Emeritus: Shabtai Ackerman. Guest rabbi: Aaron Bergman. Visiting scholar: Dr. Howard Lupovitch. Services: Friday 6 p.m.; Saturday 9:30 a.m., 6:15 p.m.; weekdays 7 a.m., 7 p.m.; Sundays and civic holidays: 8:15 a.m., 5 p.m. Bar mitzvah of Ari Kurzmann, son of Lisa and Daniel Kurzmann. BETH ISRAEL (FLINT) G-5240 Calkins Road, Flint, 48532, (810) 732-6310. 10/22 2004 84 Cantor emeritus: Shalom Kalib. President: Leonard Meizlish. Services: Saturday 9:30 a.m., 6 p.m.; week- days 7:30 a.m., 6 p.m.; Sunday and legal holidays 8 a.m., 6 p.m. lvriah religious school (810) 732-6312. BETH ISRAEL (ANN ARBOR) CONGREGATION 14601 W. Lincoln, Oak Park, 48237, (248) 547-7970. Rabbi: David A. Nelson. Cantor: Samuel L Greenbaum. Ritual director: Rev. Samuel Semp. Services: Friday 6 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m., 6:45 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m., 5 p.m.; weekdays 7 a.m., 6:30 p.m. Adult bar mitzvah of Paul Zatyko. BETH TEPHILATH MOSES 146 South Ave., Mt. Clemens, 48043, (810) 465-0641. Services: weekdays 7:15 a.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.; Sunday 8 a.m. CONGREGATION B'NAI MOSHE 6800 Drake, West Bloomfield, 48322, (248) 788-0600. Rabbi: Elliot Pechter. Cantor: Earl Berris. Services: Friday 6 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m., 6:15 p.m.; Monday-Friday 7 a.m., 6 p.m.; Sunday and legal holidays 9 a.m.; Sunday 6 p.m. Bat mitzvah of Mindy Elizabeth Herman, daughter of Marci and Richard Herman. ISAAC AGREE DOWNTOWN SYNAGOGUE 1457 Griswold, Detroit, 48226, (313) 961-9328. Chazan: Cantor Usher Adler. Baal Kriah: Rabbi Craig Allen. Cantorial soloist: Neil Bards. Ritual director: Dr. Martin Herman. President: Dr. Ellen Kahn. Services: Saturday 8:30 a.m. CONGREGATION SHAAREY ZEDEK Rabbis: Joseph H. Krakoff, Jonathan E. Berkun, Eric S. Yanoff. Rabbi emeritus: Irwin Groner. Cantor: Chaim Najman. Ritual director: Leonard Gutman. Southfield: 27375 Bell Road, Southfield, 48034, (248) 357-5544. Services: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 7:30 a.m.; Monday, Thursday 7:15 a.m.; daily 6 p.m.; Friday 6 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m., 6:15 p.m.; Sunday 8:30 am. Bat mitzvah of Olivia Rose Orley, daughter of Marcie and Robert Orley. West Bloomfield, B'nai Israel Center: 4200 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48323-2772, (248) 357- 5544. Services: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 7:15 a.m.; Monday, Thursday 7 am.; daily 6 p.m.; Friday 6 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m., 6:15 p.m.; Sunday 9 am. Bar mitzvah of Daniel Jacob Rosenberg, son of Pat and Richard Rosenberg. TEMPLE ISRAEL 2300 Center Ave., Bay City, 48708; (989) 893-7811. Cantor: Daniel Gale. President Dr. Jonathan Abramson. Services: Saturday 9:30 a.m. A liberal, egalitarian con- gregation serving the tri-cities area. Religious and Hebrew education programs for children and adults. INDEPENDENT AHAVAT SHALOM 413 N. Division St, Traverse City, 49684, (231) 929- 4330. Rabbi: Chava (Stacie) Bahie. Weekly Shabbat cele- brations, holidays, year round programming, children's education. Summer programming for downstate visitors. GROSSE POINTE JEWISH COUNCIL (313) 882-6700. Rabbi: Nicholas Behrmann. Cantorial soloist: Bryant Frank. Commandments. We all know Commandment Six: Thou shalt not murder. But what's the very next com- mandment? Do not commit adultery. Whether we like it or not, and American society agrees or not, the Torah insists that a just society not only creates and upholds laws of jus- tice — but that society also creates and maintains a proper ethic of morality and sexuality. If we really believe "In God We Trust," (and last I checked, it's on the back of every piece of currency printed in America) and we hope that God doesn't give us the "silent treatment," we must trust not only God's blessings and protec- tion, but also His requirements for our society as well. And any effort to enhance our soci- ety's moral and sexual ethic is an effort that traditional Judaism sup- ports and endorses. EJ Conversations ti Discuss Avram's reaction of silence to the skewed sense of morality he is faced with. Is this a realistic reaction today? JEWBILATION P.O. Box 130014, Ann Arbor, 48103, (734) 996-3524 or 995-1963. Rev. Lauren Zinn. Services: Friday 6:15, fol- lowing dinner. Jewish Roots with Interfaith Wings holds bi-monthly Shabbat dinner, services, kids' programs, family school and Hebrew school for all ages. ORTHODOX AGUDAS YISROEL MOGEN ABRAHAM 15751 W. Lincoln, Southfield, 48075, (248) 552-1971. Rabbis: Dov Loketch, Asher Eisenberger. President: Irwin Cohen. ANN ARBOR CHABAD HOUSE 715 Hill St., Ann Arbor, 48104, (734) 995-3276. Rabbi: Aharon Goldstein. Services: Friday at sundown; Saturday 9:45 a.m., 20 min. before sundown; week- days 7:30 a.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. Times for weekdays and Sunday are for the academic year. ANN ARBOR ORTHODOX MINYAN 1429 Hill St., Ann Arbor, 48014. Rabbi: Rod Glogower. Services: Friday at sundown; Saturday 9:30 a.m. and 20 minutes before sundown; weekdays during the aca- demic year 7:30 a.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. BAIS CHABAD OF FARMINGTON HILLS 32000 Middlebelt, Farmington Hills, 48334, (248) 855- 2910. Rabbi: Chaim Bergstein. Services: Friday sun- down; Saturday 9:30 a.m.; Sunday 8:30 a.m.; week- days 6:50 a.m. BAIS CHABAD OF NORTH OAK PARK 15401 W. 10 Mile, Oak Park, 48237, (248) 872-8878. Rabbi: Shea Werner. BETH TEFILO EMANUEL TIKVAH 24225 Greenfield, Southfield, 48075, (248) 559-5022.