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Come Celebrate Our
22nd Anniversary!

Monday, August 23, 2010
Starting at 6:30 PM

Temple Shir Shalom's

FOOD FUN AND FIREWORKS FESTIVAL

begins with an evening loaded with family
fun, food tastings and games, and ends with
a spectacular fireworks display!

TORAH PORTION

Save The Trees
By Recycling

Parshat Shoftim: - Deuteronomy
16:18-21:9; Isaiah 51:12-52:12.

I

To tempt your palate,
some of the area's
most popular restaurants
will be on hand to help
us celebrate:

Bacco Ristorante • D'Pauli's • CPK
Loccino's Italian Grill & Bar • RJ's
Market Square Of Bloomfield
Original Romano's • Rusty Bucket
Hogan's • George's Honey Tree
Little Daddy's • Brooklyn Bagel
The Village Palace • Italia Fresca
Bonefish Grill • Dairy Fresh Foods
Achatz Pie Company • Phoenicia
Uptown Parthenon • Goin' Postal
Cutting Edge Cuisine • Bellacino's
Hong Hua • Canape Cart • Beau Jacks
Zoe's House of Pancakes • The Lodge
Quarton Catering • Tomatoes A Pizza
George's Senate Coney Island • Outback
Maggie's Chocolate Fountain • Starbucks
Achatz Catering and Soup • Uptown Grille
Farmington Coney Island • The Franklin Grill
The Vineyards/Bloom Catering

Looking To Join
Temple Shir Shalom?
Bring The Whole
Family

Call Temple Shir Shalom's
office to arrange for your
complimentary tickets.
Come get to know us!

248-737-8700

$20 per adult/$25 at the door • $10 per child/$15 at the door

Contact Temple Shir Shalom's Office at 248-737-8700 To Purchase Tickets

42

August 12 • 2010

grew up in a family that always
By the writing of the Sefer
saw recycling as an important
Ha-Hinukh (13th Century explana-
way to give back to the earth and
tion and discussion of each of the
thereby say thank you to the Creator
613 commandments), the concept
for that gift. Newspapers went to a
of bal tashchit had been expanded
neighborhood collection, glass jars
into a more universal and positive
were re-used around the
message. "The purpose of
house and egg cartons held
this mitzvah is to teach
little toys.
us to love that which is
I continue this family
good and worthwhile and
tradition. My commit-
to cling to it, so that good
ment to the earth includes
becomes a part of us and
thinking about the future
we will avoid all that is evil
recycling of the packaging
and destructive'
before I purchase a prod-
So the simple act of car-
uct and carrying my cloth
ing about what happens to
bags to the grocery and
a newspaper or glass jar
Target.
Cantor Kat
may represent how each
Recycling is truly a
Hastings
individual feels about their
Jewish commandment, and
Special to the
fellow human beings, and
the proof text for it comes
Jewish News
in fact, all of our natural
from this week's Torah
resources.
portion Shoftim. The portion dis-
In this world where we look around
cusses justice, courts of law and the
and wonder how we can make a dif-
rules of warfare.
ference if at all, this commandment
However, Deuteronomy 20:19
says we can. Midrash Sifre says, "if
does not talk about how one should
not for the trees, human life could
treat the enemy, it talks about how
not exist." So we need to save the
to treat the trees: "When in your war
trees to save ourselves.
against a city you have to besiege it a
Take care of the earth by recycling
long time in order to capture it, you
paper and anything else you can We
must not destroy its trees, wielding
need to protect the trees, and make
the ax against them. You may eat of
sure they are here for future genera-
them, but you must not cut them
tions. It's a mitzvah. 0
down. Are trees of the field human
to withdraw before you into the
Cantor Kat Hastings serves the Jewish
besieged city?"
community as a clergy member/chaplain
According to the Etz Chaim Torah and is clergy-in-residence for the Grosse
commentary, it was common prac-
Pointe Jewish Council.
tice in ancient warfare to destroy the
enemy's fruit trees and fields. This
type of attack took away a source of
Conversations
sustenance, which added pressure on
1)Why do you think Moses tells
the besieged city to surrender. But
the Israelites not to cut down
Moses told the Israelites they were
the fruit trees of the enemy?
not to touch the fruit trees. The rab-
bis expanded this teaching into the
2) Why and how did our parents
commandment of bal tashchit, do
and grandparents recycle?
not waste or wantonly destroy any-
thing. This is not just to be applied to
3) What can you do each day
war times, but all times. We should
to fulfill the mitzvah of bal
not smash, break or tear apart any-
tashchit?
thing that can be useful or vital to
sustain life.