Torah Portion
The True Blessing
On CDs, our rates
happen to be the
highest in
town.
ir
Small bank - highest interest. Big bank - lowest
interest. What's wrong with this picture?
Paramount Bank is committed to outperForming
other banks on long-term and short-term CD rates.
3.85%AP
4. 0 % AP
12 Month CD
6 Month CD
Farmington Hills: 31000 Northwestern Hwy. (248) 538-7600
Birmingham: 1732 W. Maple Road (248) 723-4800
www.paramountbank.com
PARAMOUNT
BANK
FDIC
(CLMI HOLM 5
a a
LENDER
*Annual percentage yield for balances of $500 minimum. Rates effective 8/12/05. Rates subject
to change at any time without any notice. Penalty for early withdrawal.
1015270
Benjamin Mooree AND
Teknicolor Paints, Inc.
A Paint Store and More;
Paints
Great Service
Great Products
2oz. COLOR SAMPLES
3. 99
_
❑
per can
Available in 280 Benjamin Moore colors.
A great cost effective way to test colors!!
-
The best way to test color is to put it on your walls!
Teknicolors, the name you can trust and the service you deserve!!
FARMINGTON HILLS
27849 Orchard Lake Rd. 248-994-1300
N
1g
c)
i
9/ 1
2005
32
12 MILE
to lend to the needy (Deuteronomy
15:1) "because of this the Lord, your
God, blesses all your deeds ..." We are
told to free the slave laden with gifts
(Deuteronomy 15:18): "...and the Lord,
your God, blesses you ..."
These blessings are not simply
rewards for the performance of the good
deeds; the blessings are the consequences
his week's Torah portion
of a community dedicated to the social
begins with verses that explic-
justice and righteousness demanded by
itly spell out the very founda-
the Torah. It is the love of mankind, the
tion of Torah Judaism: that mankind
responsibility for the needy; the respect
has free will (Deuteronomy 11 :26-
and
concern for all human beings that
28): "See, I put before you today a
are
the
blessing the Torah is talking
blessing or a curse — the blessing that
about;
and
it is such a community that,
you listen to the commandments of
because of its very nature, will, as a con-
the Lord, your God, that I command
sequence, be successful.
you today and the curse if you do not
Those who observe the Torah and
listen to the commandments of the
its
commandments because they
Lord, your God ..."
expect
"to be rewarded" or are afraid of
Every human being has the oppor-
"being
punished" not only denigrate
tunity to make the choice, in every
the Torah itself by placing
aspect of their behavior, to
the external motivations
do right or to do wrong. In
above doing God's will —
addition, the Torah promises
but they treat the Torah and
"blessing" for following
its laws like "magic" to try to
God's law and curse for
induce God to do their will.
rejecting the Torah.
They misunderstand the
But what is also clear
Torah and they deny reality.
from these verses is that the
We are told to keep the
blessing and the curse are
Torah
because it is "the right
not extraneous "rewards" or
thing
to
do" and consequent-
"punishments" — but the
RABBI ELIEZER
ly
will
have
positive results.
blessing is the observance of
COHEN
Likewise, rejecting the good-
the commandments itself
Special to the
ness and wisdom of the
and the curse is the rejection
Jewish News
Torah
brings its own harm.
of the law.
As
Maimonides
clearly
This same lesson — that
(Mishna
Torah,
Laws
of
states
blessing is the very consequence of
Repentance Chap 10:1): "A person
Torah observance — is repeated
should not say 'I will observe the com-
numerous times in this Torah portion
mandments of the Torah or engage in
itself as we are commanded not to eat
its wisdom in order to merit life in the
blood, to sacrifice properly and to
world
to come' or will refrain from
absolutely forsake idolatry. If we follow
the
sin
prohibited by the Torah in
the Torah, even the ritual laws proper-
order
to
avoid the curses written in the
ly, we are doing the right thing and,
Torah
or
in order that I will not lose
therefore, we become better people;
life
in
the
world to come.' It is not
this is its reward.
proper
to
serve
God this way ... This is
Similarly, in the last half of the Torah
not
the
level
of
the wise but rather of
portion, we have commandments con-
the
ignorant
and
of children ..."
cerning the poor, vulnerable and disad-
Shabbat Reeh:
Deuteronomy 11:26-
16:17;
Isaiah 54:11-55:5.
Birmingham
33422 Woodward Ave.
248-646-5924
Eliezer Cohen is rabbi of Congregation
Or Chadash of Oak Park and
Huntington Woods.
Pontiac
51616 Woodward Ave.
248-745..4003
Visit us at www.teknicolots.com or at 1 of our 3 convenient locations
vantaged. We are told to give the poor
tithe (Deuteronomy 1429) "in order that
the Lord, our God, will bless the work
of your hand ..." We are commanded to
cancel loans at the Sabbatical year
(Deuteronomy 15:45) "because the Lord
will bless you ..." We are commanded
942210
Conversations
Why do so many people view
religion as a way to "bribe" God?
How can the observance of the
mitzvot, even the ritual ones,
make us better people? Are those
that "keep the Torah" better peo-
ple — if not, why not?