>> Torah portion Ilf °lace To Feel Nearer To God Sunday July 20, 2014 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Heartland West Bloomfield Parshat Pinchas: Numbers 25:10-30:1; I Kings 18:46-19:21. 6950 Farmington Road West Bloomfield, MI 48322 (on Farmington Road between 14 Mile & Maple Roads) I We welcome patients, families, friends, employees and all members of the community to join us for a fun-filled afternoon to show our gratitude for your support over the years. Admission is free! n its introduction to the last two chapters of this week's Torah portion, chapters 28 and 29 of the Book of Numbers, the Etz Hayim commentary notes that "with the division of the land and the suc- cession to Moses now determined [Joshua having been chosen by God to lead the people after Moses' death], the Torah turns to the establishment of the religious calendar that will prevail in the land. Thus the Israelites' first duty upon settling in their land is to institute the prop- er lines of communication with the Lord through the medium of the sacrificial system ..." [p. 929] The list of offerings or sacrifices is quite lengthy. It begins with the daily offerings and continues with the Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh (New Month), Pesach, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret offerings. All seven days of Sukkot are listed, each exactly the same except for the numbers of bulls to be offered each day. How can this long list of sacrifices and offerings be understood today, in a time period in which such sac- rifices and offerings are no longer performed? One answer that some of our commentators suggest is that our ancestors saw these offerings as a way to be near to God. Rabbi Harvey J. Fields, in his commentary on Vayikra, the first portion of the book of Leviticus, explains it quite beautifully: "The word korban... [usually trans- lated as "sacrifice"], literally means "draw near" and reveals the purpose of the Temple offerings. They were meant to unite the worshiper with God. By offering sacrifices, a person said thanks to God or sought forgive- - photo booth - fire truck visit - petting zoo - - hot dogs - popcorn - nachos - ice-cream - - raffle - prizes - clowns - arts & crafts - ■ ARCADIA -- Home Care & Staffing Helping people stay at home & healthier longe ANJ, A full service agency providing quality care for your loved ones. • Live-In or Hourly • No minimum hours • Complimentary Assessment • Ongoing Care Coordination • All employees are bonded & insured Caregivers Assist With: 'Medication Reminders 'Safety Monitoring 'Transportation Call Lynn Feinberg Today 'Bathing & Dressing 'Kosher Prepared Meals 'Companionship (248) 594-4574 visit us online • arcadiahomecare.com 00 32 July 10 • 2014 JN ness for sins. The drama and beauty of the sacrificial service, along with the music, prayers and strong odors of incense, created an atmosphere of awe. "In presenting a sacrifice, one was giving something important of oneself to God. For the ancients, the smoke of a burning sacrifice on the altar was proof of a person's love and reverence for God and for God's commandments." [A Torah Commentary for Our Times: Volume 2: Exodus and Leviticus, p. 100] These sacrifices not only brought our ances- tors closer to God, they also brought them closer to one another; they came together to make offerings at one centralized place. We, too, come to "make offerings" at one centralized place: our syna- gogues. Our offerings are of a differ- ent type, but still we come together to pray, to be of comfort to mourn- ers, to be with others like us and to work toward building a better world. We do all of this in the synagogue, sometimes in conjunction with other organizations and sometimes not, but always with each other and in God's presence. Despite the advent of social media and the "communities" that people become part of through these newer forms of media, we still have the need for human contact. To see people, to shake hands with others, simply to be together — we come together just as our ancestors did. Our ways may be different than theirs, but we seek to achieve the same thing: to draw nearer to God and to each other. ❑ Amy B. Bigman is rabbi at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in East Lansing.