spirit

torah portion

Bloom’s

presents

PASSOVER 2017

Call Shirlee Bloom to place your order!

248-914-1878

Bloomscatering@gmail.com
Door to Door Delivery Available

A Matter Of Forgiveness

I

t is difficult to imagine the pro-
found disappointment and even
anger Moses must have felt upon
witnessing the Israelites dancing
and reveling around the Golden Calf.
How could the Israelites have
so quickly cast away God and His
prophet in favor of the momentary,
frenzied pleasures of the Golden
Calf ?
Moses himself appears to be as
broken in spirit as were the tablets
in stone. After all, ultimate-
His back — a partial glimpse
ly a leader must feel and
could and would be revealed.
take responsibility for his
Moses then stands on the
nation’s transgression.
cleft of a rock on Mount
But what follows in the
Sinai, the very place of God’s
biblical text, after capital
previous revelation of the
punishment for the 3,000
Ten Commandments, and he
ring leaders of the idolatry,
receives a second revelation,
is a lengthy philosophi-
a second “service to God on
cal–theological dialogue
Rabbi Shlomo
this
mountain.”
between Moses and God.
Riskin
God
is telling Moses two
This culminates in the
things: First of all, that He
revelation of the 13 Divine
is a God of unconditional
attributes and the “norma-
love, a God who loves the
tive” definition of God, at
individual before he/she sins and a
least in terms of our partial human
God who loves the individual even
understanding.
after he/she sins, a God who freely
When Moses has a vision of the
forgives. Secondly, if God is funda-
burning bush, the prickly and lowly
mentally a God of love and forgive-
thornbush seems to be symboliz-
ness, we must be people of love and
ing the Hebrew people, containing
forgiveness.
within itself the fire of the Divine
From Moses, the greatest of
but not being consumed by it. God
sends Moses back to this developing, prophets, to the lowliest hewers of
albeit prickly, Hebrew nation, urging wood and drawers of water, just as
him to lead the Israelite slaves out of He (God) loves freely and is always
ready to forgive, so, in all our human
their Egyptian servitude.
relationships, we must strive to love
As to the sin of the Golden Calf
generously and always be ready to
and its aftermath, Moses pleads
forgive.
with God to forgive the nation. God
We must firmly ascribe to the
responds that He dare not dwell in
morality of the Ten Commandments,
the midst of Israel, lest He destroy
but we must at the same time be
them at their next transgression.
constantly aware that the God of the
Moses then asks to be shown God’s
cosmos loves each and every one of
glory, to understand God’s ways in
this world. God explains that a living His children and is always ready to
forgive us, no matter what. •
human cannot see His face because
that would require a complete
Rabbi Shhlomo Riskin is chancellor of Ohr
understanding of the Divine. But

Parshat Ki Tisa:
Exodus 30:11-34:35;
(Shabbat Parah)
Numbers 19:1-22;
Ezekiel 36:16-38.

Torah Stone and chief rabbi of Efrat, Israel.

BLOOM’S

Kosher Carry-Out and Catering
Orders to be picked up at 14800 Lincoln, Oak Park

Entrees

Herb Roasted 1/2 Chicken

8.99

ea.

Apple Honey 1/2 Chicken

9.99

ea.

Stuffed Marmalade Chicken

11.99

ea.

Grilled Chicken Breast

12.99

lb.

Crispy Boneless Chicken Breast

14.99

lb.

Boneless Chicken Tenders

14.99

lb

Baked Salmon

14.99

lb.

Lean Beef Brisket

11.99

per portion

Whole Turkey

89.99

ea.

Turkey Gravy

7.99

qt.

Turkey Carving

7.99

ea.

14.99

lb.

Side Dishes

Chopped Liver

Geﬁlte Fish

4.99

ea.

Chicken Soup

8.99

qt.

Matzo Ball

1.25

ea.

Potato Anna

8.99

qt.

Matzo Farfel Stufﬁng

8.99

qt.

Kishke with Gravy

4.99

lb.

Carrot Tzimmes

8.99

qt.

Grilled Vegetables

6.99

lb.

Turkey Stuffed Cabbage

13.99

½ doz.

Beef Stuffed Cabbage

13.99

½ doz.

Turkey Meatballs

13.99

doz.

Beef Meatballs

13.99

doz.

Fruit Compote

7.99

pt.

Charoset

6.99

pt.

10.99

ea.

2.99

ea.

Seder Plate

Potato Kugal

Matzo Kugal

2.99

ea.

Potato Kugal — 1/2 pan

35.99

ea.

Matzo Kugal — 1/2 pan

35.99

ea.

1.25

ea.

Bagels

Blooms Assorted Homemade Desserts

Complete Dinners Available 10 person minimum.
Please place order by March 30th.
Gluten Free Options Available

jn

March 16 • 2017

2079030

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