Spirituality Torah Portion/Synagogues Stubbornness Should Be Avoided Shabbat Vaera: Exodus 6:2-9:35; Ezekiel 28:25-29:21. T he Torah portion continues the saga of Moses, demanding the liberation of the children of Israel from Egyptian slavery. We see this confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh in a vivid, dramatic encounter. There sits the absolute dictator of Egypt upon his throne. Standing before him, with no earthly power, with no worldly resources, is the would-be liberator of his people. Every time God inflicts one of the plagues upon Pharaoh's people, the ruler summons Moses to appear before him and he says, "Take the children of Israel out; let them wor- ship their God." After the plague ceases and time elapses, "Pharaoh hardens his heart" and refuses to allow them to leave. Plague after plague is heaped upon Pharaoh. Each Irwin Groner is rabbi emeritus of Congregation Shaarey Zedek. dimension. time, he promises that he will release Like all virtues, the qualities of the slaves, then he hardens his heart. consistency and constancy must be Pharaoh has gone down in history observed in a proper measure; when as the symbol of a king who constant- carried to excess, they can be destruc- ly changes his mind. When he is tive and injurious. Life isn't simple unchallenged, he oppresses the slaves. and there are times when we should When plagues come upon the people, and when we must change our minds. he promises to free the Hebrews. He To be rigidly consistent, to be is a weak ruler; he is inconsistent. He unmoved and unmoving means that vacillates. He may be the emperor of we can, on occasion, be a Egypt, but he is a slave him- source of anguish to our- self to expediency, to the selves and to others. We are stress of the moment. morally bound to differenti- Vacillation is a human ate between consistency and frailty. The English essayist sheer stubbornness. Joseph Addison once There is a Yiddish word observed that nothing makes for this stubbornness. The a person so contemptible, -so term is okshun — someone demeaned in the eyes of the who has made up his mind world, as inconsistency. and that is the end of the When we succumb to this matter. Neither storm nor fault, we are perceived as RABBI IRWIN earthquake can shake him being opportunistic, coward- GRO NER from his stubbornness. He ly, or dishonest. Specia 1 to the is highly opinionated and is The Talmud gives sound Jewis h News completely unbending. advice about this matter. It We must avoid vacilla- says, "Let thy yay be yay. Let tion, but, on the other hand, we must they nay be nay." This sermonic shun stubbornness. A Chinese exhortation could end at this point; proverb declares, "He who constantly but like any challenging truth, it wants to be happy must change." Our needs to be viewed in more than one DOR CHADASH—U. OF MICH. Keeping Kosher Beef, veal, lamb and venison are kosher as well as meat from other animals that have split hooves and chew their cud. Sponsored by Lubavitch Women's Organization. For information on keeping kosher or for help making your kitchen kosher, contact Miriam Amzalak at (248) 548-6771 or e-mail: miriamanualaki @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 5 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m., 5 p.m.; weekdays 7:30 a.m., 5 p.m.; Sunday 8:30 a.m. Bar mitzvah of Daniel Wasserman, son of Marcy and Brad Wasserman. 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Southfield: 27375 Bell Road, Southfield, 48034, (248) 357-5544. Services: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 7:30 a.m.; Monday, Thursday 7:15 a.m.; daily 5 p.m.; Friday 4:45 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m., 5 p.m.; Sunday 8:30 a.m. Friday Minchah bat mitzvah of Katherine Sherbin, daughter of Elizabeth and Aaron Sherbin. Saturday bat mitzvah of Lexie Garfield-Turner, daughter of Inez Garfield and Lee Turner. 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 a.m.; daily 6 p.m.; Friday 6 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m., 5 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. 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. thoughts, our emotions change as a result of circumstances and new insights, as a result of our own per- sonal growth. New experiences change our perspective, change our response. Change is the law of life and we need to cope with and respond to change. Of course, vacillation is a great human weakness. We must ful- fill our commitments; we must be true to our word. But we have a responsibility of equal nature to aspire to greater levels of awareness, of sensitivity and of faith. May that growth bless our lives now and always. ❑ Conversations Can you cite some historic examples and some personal ones when tragedy ensued because people were determined to resist all change for the sake of a rigid and unyielding consisten- cy. Discuss spiritual and human ways in which we could be grow- ing and developing. INDEPENDENT AHAVAT SHALOM 413 N. Division St., Traverse City, 49684, (231) 929- 4330. Rabbi: Chava (Stacie) Bahle. 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