Front Lines NOTEBOOK 'iNenline The Sun And The Moon T his Week he Jewish calendar in relation to Passover, and slavery in Egypt as sensitivity training were the subjects of Rabbi Mordechai Becher on March 26 at an Ohr Somayach Detroit lunch-and-learn at Franklin Athletic Club in Southfield. The seder contains many references to correcting the flaw of broth- erly hatred, the rabbi said. Joseph was sold by his brothers to mer- chants traveling to Egypt. The brothers took Joseph's coat, dipped it into goat's blood and brought it home to their father, Jacob, explaining that Joseph was killed by a wild animal. The Hebrew word for Joseph's special coat is related to the word karpas, the vegetable at the seder, which is dipped into salt water, symbolic of Jacob's tears. The ensuing years of slavery in Egypt forged within the Jewish people a sense of caring and compassion for their brethren, resulting in God's miraculous salvation. Nisan, the Hebrew month in which Pesach falls, was the time God appointed for the redemption. In the Torah, Nisan is considered the first month of the year and is imbued with an inherent spiritual energy of renewal. The Hebrew calendar, the rabbi said, is adjusted to ensure that Passover always occurs in the spring. The significance of a lunar calendar, Rabbi Becher said, is that it is rooted in change. The sun is static, but the moon waxes and wanes; it changes and renews itself each month. Cultures based on the solar calendar were ruled by determin- ism; Judaism, with the lunar calendar, is based on free will. "There's nothing new under the sun:' Rabbi Becher quoted from Kohelet (Ecclesiastes). "Under the sun;' he said, means the physical world, a place where our souls cannot be satisfied, since physical pleasures are never lasting. However, "above the sun" Rabbi Becher is newness. This, said Rabbi Becher, refers to the spiritual world (Torah learning, mitzvah performance, prayer, etc.), the place where our souls find satisfaction. Audience member Dave Rubens of West Bloomfield liked Rabbi Becher's explanation of the Passover ritual of karpas, which he planned to share with his children at the seder. Paul Goldman of Sylvan Lake said he gets recharged at the Ohr Somayach luncheons. "I liked how Rabbi Becher explained the rela- tionship of time with the seasons, how Jews can use their free will to live above time, to go beyond the everyday world of the sun;' he said. "It's a fresh way of thinking:' Hermelin Heads ORT Relatives of Harry Houdini are seeking New York court permission to exhume his body. They want to learn, once and for all, if the great magician who died in Detroit in 1926 was poisoned or died of natural causes. Rumors about his death — on Halloween — are legion. Some say jealous spiritualists poisoned him with arsenic. Other reports claim he was punched in the stomach when he wasn't prepared for the blow and died of peritonitis (a claim doctors refute). Newspaper reports say Houdini, born Eric Weiss, had complained of stomach pains for Harry Houdini some time before his Detroit appearance. For a time, he refused to go to the hospi- tal, but finally agreed to go to Grace Hospital in Detroit, where he was treated by Dr. Daniel Cohn. New York Life Insurance Co. questioned whether a punch could have led to Houdini's death. The Detroit physicians testified that this was "the first case of undoubted traumatic appendicitis" they had ever seen and Houdini's widow, Bess, was awarded double indemnity. Houdini is buried in Machpelah Cemetery in Flushing, Queens, N.Y. Bess, a Catholic, was not permitted to be buried there when she died. To this day, Houdini followers visit his grave on Oct. 31, waiting for his return from the dead. - Susan Tawil, special writer Disappearing Act Longtime ORT activist Doreen Hermelin of Bingham Farms will be installed as first president of ORT America, the newly merged organi- zation of Women's American ORT and American ORT. ORT America's inaugural convention will take place April 22-24 in Washington. Richard Goldstone, former president of World ORT, best known for his work on human rights issues and as the author of articles on inter- national humanitarian law, will install Hermelin, who with her late husband, David, helped solidify the foundation of ORT through their steadfast sup- port. Convention speakers will include U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Detroit, and Noam Nuesner, former Doreen speechwriter for President George W. Bush and a Hermelin former Detroit Jewish News intern. - Robert A. Sklar, editor The Elusive Hall Detroit Pistons majority owner William Davidson, one of 15 finalists, won't be one of the seven new inductees into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., come Sept. 7. The announcement came Monday. The Pistons won NBA titles in 1988 and 1989 during the Bad Boys era under Coach Chuck Daly and in 2004 during the tumultuous reign of Larry Brown. Davidson, 84, of Bloomfield Hills, owns the Auburn Hills-based Guardian Industries and Palace Sports & Entertainment. He also owns the Tampa Bay Lightning in the National Hockey League and the Detroit Shock in the Women's Professional Basketball Association. In addition, he is a mega-philanthropist in both the Jewish and secular worlds. Davidson, who keeps a low profile as far as major team owners go, is known as an innovator in and ambassador for professional sports. His service includes the chairmanship of the NBA Board of Governors. He has helped make the sports arena an experience, not just a place to watch a game. He also has helped the NBA bring its fis- cal house in order in an era of salary caps and free agency. - Robert A. Sklar, editor - Alan Hitsky, associate editor Cap & Gown The annual Jewish News recogni- tion of top high school seniors will be published May 24. Any Jewish senior in Michigan with a 3.50 or higher grade point average can receive a free listing in the Cap & Gown section. For complete information, go to JNonline.us and click on the Cap & Gown button in the top right corner of the home page. www.JNOnline.us Web Exclusive: More On Darfur Today's cover story is a special report on Sudanese refugees being held in Israel, awaiting a United Nations decision about their fate. To see the rest of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency series, you only have to go to JNonline.us. Just click on the cover story in the upper left corner on the homepage. Passover & Food Here's your chance to share your favorite Passover reci- pes with the rest of us. We're looking for recipes from soup (matzah ball, of course!) to dessert. It's easy to share. Just fill in the comments info at the bottom of the story. We've added a few recipes just to get you started! Only at JNonline.us . Just click on Web Extra on the menu on the left. Latest From Israel Want the most current news from Israel? Check our streaming news from Ynetnews.com for continu- ous updates and longer news, opinion and feature stories. Just visit JNonline.us and click on a scrolling story on the left. Results from last week's poll: Did you change to Passover dishes and sell your chametz this year? Yes 40% No 60% This week's poll question: Do you support President Bush's aggressive approach to containing Iran's nuclear capability? Visit the JNonline.us homepage to cast your vote. April 5 • 2007 9