>> Torah portion Wednesday, September 30, 2015 7:00 p.m. • • • DOCUMENTARY FILM & DISCU SS ION Family First! Parshat Ha'azinu: Deuteronomy 32:1- 32:52; 11 Samuel 22:1-22:51. T he Lord remembered Sarah and transmitting our national narrative, as he had promised ... Sarah values and lifestyle to our children and conceived and bore a son ..." grandchildren. (Genesis 21:1, 2). From this perspective, since the road Rosh Hashanah always portends new to new beginnings must be paved by acts beginnings and fresh opportunities: of repentance — Rosh Hashanah ush- "This day the world was born:' or at least ers in our 10 Days of Repentance — we the world beckons with possibilities of must concentrate our repentance and rebirth and renewal. our resolutions for change upon our Hence, I would have thought that sins against family, spouse and children, Rosh Hashanah, the day on which we rather than our sins against God. "enthrone" God as Lord of the Universe Permit me two stories: — and not Shemini Atzeret-Simchat 1. The Talmud provocatively sug- Torah — would be the festival on which gests that the numerous sounds of the we should begin the new Torah reading shofar that are a call to repentance are cycle of the year, the most apt occasion meant to confound Satan. Who is Satan? for reopening our Book of Books with Another passage of the Talmud explains: "In the beginning God created the heav- "A certain couple lived in one dwelling ens and the earth:' together with Satan; every So why have our Talmudic Friday night they would sages ordained that we read argue with each other. Rabbi of Isaac's birth and sacrificial Meir entered the household binding on the two days of and lived there for three Rosh Hashanah? consecutive Friday evenings However, on second until he made peace between thought, I truly believe I them. understand the deep wisdom "He heard Satan cry out, of our sages. `Woe unto me; I have been Yes, Rosh Hashanah is forced out of the house Rabbi Shlomo probably the most universally because of Rabbi Meir ...- Riskin oriented of all of our festivals, Satan is family discord. and yes, the Jews of Israel 2. When I was a young have certainly returned to the global rabbi in Manhattan with a growing fam- family of nation-states after a hiatus of ily, I got into a cab. During my conversa- close to 2,000 years, taking center stage tion with the driver, he told me he had on the world arena. Nevertheless, the been married to the same woman for "world" that initially and most compel- 35 years, had four professional children lingly consumes most of our day-to-day and had never been schooled beyond the thoughts and activities is the more per- eighth grade. sonal world of our individual families. "To what do you owe your incredible And perhaps on an even deeper level, success?" I asked. the building blocks of every national He explained, As long as the chil- society are the individual families within dren lived in the house, all of us had to the country's borders; the nation of Israel be around the dinner table at 7 p.m., emerged from the family of Abraham! without radio, television or newspaper. Moreover, it is the family that is the Everyone had to tell the best moment necessary medium of communicating a of the day and the worst moment of the specific national narrative from genera- day. tion to generation. "That's how I brought the family God elected Abraham as the first together and was able to give over how Hebrew because he was commanding important I think education is." his children and his household after him I burst into tears; that taxi driver who to observe [be responsible for] the path never went past elementary school was of the Lord, to do acts of compassionate much wiser than I. ❑ righteousness and moral justice. Indeed, Shlomo Riskin is chancellor of Ohr Torah virtually all of our familial feasts and Stone and chief rabbi of Efrat, celebrations are dedicated to nurturing Rescue in the Philippines R n escue in the Philippines tells the previously untold story of 1,200 Jews who escaped the Nazis to the Philippines. After the film, join us for a special Q&A discussion. At this event, guests may preview a panel which will honor the coordinators of the rescue and will be installed as part of the HMC's permanent exhibit. Refugees Attend Dinner at the Frieder Home – ApriI30, 1940 ■ LOCATION: The Berman Center for the Performing Arts ■ ADMISSION: $10 HMC member/$15 nonmember ■ TICKETS: Call 248.661.1900 or visit http://theberman.org WITH SUPPORT FROM VOICE FOUNDATION VISION Susan & Nelson Hersh • Michael Liebowitz Stephanie & Jared Miller • Aviva & Jack Robinson Anita & Kenneth Volk • Lori & Steven Weisberg Anti-Defamation League' StandVVIthUs MICHIGAN Questions on events? Call Lawrence Willim at 248.536.9604 HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL CENTER ZEKELMAN FAMILY CAMPUS 28123 Orchard Lake Rd. • Farmington Hills, MI 48334 www.holocaustcenter.org DR. JASON H. BODZIN ,"T AND RENEE ZUCKER SAVE THE DATE! Sunday, November 8 at 7 pm. Followed by an afterglow reception Open to the Community A NIGHT OF BEAUTIFUL MUSIC FEATURING Cantor Earl G. Berris, Congregation B'nai Moshe Charles Berris, Ritual Director - Congregation B'nai Moshe Cantor David Propis, Congregation Shaarey Zedek Assistant Cantor Leonard Gutman, Congregation Shaarey Zedek Cantor Frank Lanzkron-Tamarazo Cantor Pamela Schiffer, Congregation Shaarey Zedek, East Lansing Cantor Penny Steyer, Congregation Shir Shalom Cantor Dan Gross, Adat Shalom Synagogue The Congregation B'nai Moshe Choir The Cliff Monear Quartet, Cliff Monear, Pianist will be performing and accompanying the singers. Cliff Monear Frank Lanzkron- Tamarazo B'NAI 12 MOSHE ) 11V13 Dan Gross Pamela Schiffer Earl G. Berris Penny Steyer Charles Berris 6800 Drake R West Bloomfield, 1Mi, 4 248-788-0600 • Bnaimoshe.org FREE ADMISSION f Leonard Gutman David Propos DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 2036410 JN September 24 • 2015 55