Having Dental Pain or Headaches? The Mystery Of The Cherubs On The Ark Our family-friendly dental practice is committed to providing the services you and your family need to maintain good oral health. Our business hours allow I us to work around your schedule, and get you an appointment when you Metropolitan Dental Centers General Dentistry Neuromuscular Dentistry Facelift Dentures TMJ Disorders Orthodontics Periodontics Oral Surgery need it most. We have general dentistry to emergency dentistry and several specialists under one roof. We have you covered. A depiction of Metropolitan Dental Centers 4664 West Walton Blvd. Waterford, MI 48329 248.674.0418 www.mdcsmile.com Helping build the perfect bite. Now Offering Facelift Dentistry for Denture Wearers! An amazing breakthrough that provides facial support to plump lips, lessen wrinkles, and fill the face for a better fit and appearance for denture wearers. 1893760 Holocaust Memorial Center Annual Meeting. The annual meeting of the Holocaust Memorial Center will be held on • February 3 at 7:00 PM. All members 61° R • R EO-4\ are welcome. 1892390 Fine Italian Dining in a Casual Atmosphere SPOSITA'S RISTORANTE OUR PETIT FILET DINNER IS HAPPENING AGAIN! February 3-February 7 $21.95 Includes Petite Filet, antipasto plate, side of pasta, salad and soup potato and vegetable. Dine-in only, not valid with any other offer. O f f e r G o d d n /0 Thursda ne 15 0 f wwith ith Off oannyly ontohte vr aolf ider y, i -i ' food bill coupon 48 January 30 • 2014 33210 W. 19 Mile Rd In Simsbury Plaza, just east of Farmington Rd. Offer Good Friday- West Bloomfield nn , '70 Saturday, dine-in only not valid with I any other offer with Off food bill coupon I (2481 538-8954 Mon-Thurs: 4pm-10pm • Fri: 11am-11pm Sat: 4pm-11pm • Sun: 4pm-9pm 11111"1"- _ - the Holy of Holies irp ---wwww ■ Parshat Terumah, Shabbat Rosh Chodesh: Exodus 25:1-27:19, Numbers 28:9-15; Isaiah 66:1-66:24. p arshat Terumah describes the details of the portable sanctu- ary in the desert. The Holy Ark that contained the tablets Moshe brought down from Sinai was topped with an elaborate cover. On the top of the cover were two cheruvim — golden cherubic figures. Jews are not into statues. The commandment states clearly that you shall have no graven images before me. Yet, the Holy of Holies — the focal point of Judaism — displayed such images. HaShem told Moshe that any communication would come from between the two cheruvim. So not only was it that there were graven images in the Temple, but they also served as an iconic oracle! To answer the question of this apparent inconsistency, the Mittler Rebbe, the second Lubavitcher Rebbe, gives an example of the relationship between a teacher and a student. The teacher cannot explain the subject to the student as the teacher understands it. The teacher must limit his own intellect; abridge the concepts and put them into terms to which the student can relate. The teacher also gives examples and parables to further convey the concept. The essential concepts are conveyed in this manner. Each abridged expression maintains the core idea. Were any of the core concepts missing from the examples, the student would never be able to fully grasp the concept itself as the teacher understands it. In order for HaShem to create the world, numerous containments and contractions of Divine energy had to occur. Each step limits the Godly revelation. What Moshe received though the wings of the cheruvim would best be compared to a parable of Divine radiance. Because the Torah is the will and wisdom of the Almighty, what Moshe ultimately received and passed on to the Jewish people is the essential will and wisdom of HaShem (in user form). The Alter Rebbe in Tanya explains that when we do a mitzvah, even though it may be through an intermediary object — leather tefillin, wool tzitzit, wax Shabbos candle, etc., — we are grasping onto HaShem and HaShem is hugging us. There is no difference if one hugs the king if he is wearing one garment or many, since the body of the king is in them. Likewise, when one learns Torah, it unites his will and wisdom with the will and wisdom of HaShem in a perfect unity; one which has no parallel in this world. ❑ Rabbi Herschel Finman has been a teacher of Judaism for close to 35 years and is host of "The Jewish Hour" radio show, heard Sundays, 11 a.m.-noon, on WLQV 1500 AM and www.wlqv.com . Conversations • How is it possible to develop a personal relationship with God? • There are many levels of interpretation of the Torah. What tools are available to help with a better understanding of the Torah? • What other items in Judaism can be used as "parables" for understanding God?