Community Wide Event
Hosted by Temple Shir Shalom
spirit
torah portion
Monday, August 14, 2017
Starting at 7:00pm
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!
What’s In A Name?
I
TEMPLE
To tempt your palate, some
of the area’s most popular
restaurants will be on hand
to help us celebrate.
SHIR
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
(ARVARD 2OW +OSHER -EATS s 3TAR $ELI
0RIME s #RISPELLIS "AKERY 0IZZERIA
"UDDYS 0IZZA s "ELLACINOS 3YLVAN ,AKE
SHALOM
FOOD
#RAFT "REWW #ITY s #+ $IGGS s 4HE ,ODGE
*ERSEY "AGELS s "LUE 'RILL -EDITERRANEAN
!NTONIOS s $AIRY &RESH &OODS s 0IEOLOGY
"ONEFISH 'RILL s 'OINg 0OSTAL s #ORK 2YE
(UERTO -EXICAN 2ESTAURANT 4EQUILA "AR
1UARTON 7OODWARD #ATERING s ,ILY 3WEETS
:OES 0ANCAKE (OUSE s 'EORGEgS (ONEY 4REE
.EW 9ORK "AGEL s 2ENEES 'OURMET 0IZZERIA
,EOgS #ONEY )SLAND s #!9! 3MOKEHOUSE 'RILL
Platinum Dish Catering s 5PTOWN 0ARTHENON
Looking To Join Temple Shir
Shalom? Bring The Whole
Family ON US!
Call Temple Shir Shalom’s office to
arrange for your complimentary
tickets. Come get to know us!
248-737-8700
FUN
AND
F A I U RE G W U O S R T K 14 S
2017
Music and entertainment provided by
Star Trax
EVERYONE IS WELCOME!
PER ADULT s PER CHILD
Tickets can be purchased online at www.shirshalom.org
or by calling Temple Shir Shalom’s office at 248-737-8700
Corporate Sponsorship Opportunities are available.
36
August 10 • 2017
jn
am fascinated by the contranym
(also called heteronym or spelled
contronym).
It is a word that has contradictory
meanings. For example, when you hear
that a woman received a citation, did
she earn an honor, or did she break a
law? When you hear that oversight is
occurring at a workplace, is there close
monitoring of the employees
harmful than the might or evil
or none at all? Phrases, too,
of an enemy nation.
can be internally contradic-
The other story of name
tory. When “it’s all downhill
confusion comes from the
from here,” either the best or
haftarot of this season. Two
the worst is ahead.
weeks ago, we were introduced
We can also be confused
to the prophet Isaiah, who
when two different people
expressed God’s anger and
have identical or similar
frustration with the Israelites’
Rabbi Elliot
names. When Detroit Mayor
straying
from God’s chosen
Pachter
Mike Duggan first ran for
path for them: “I reared chil-
office in 2013, he faced a
dren and brought them up
long list of opponents in the
And they have rebelled against
primary, including one named Mike
Me. (Isaiah 1:2)
Dugeon. Fortunately for the mayor, the
With these words, Isaiah is warning
name confusion did not deny him a
the people of the Northern Kingdom
victory. Of the 95,000+ votes cast in the
in the eighth century B.C.E. about the
primary, Mr. Dugeon received only 17.
impending attack of the Assyrians.
Though identical or similar names
This Shabbat, and on all seven
did not impact this election, two exam-
Shabbatot from Tisha b’Av to Rosh
ples of name confusion from Jewish
Hashanah, we hear a different voice
history are most significant.
from Isaiah. It is the voice of com-
The Babylonian Talmud (Gittin
fort for the residents of the Southern
55b-56a) includes the story of Kamtza
Kingdom, who have witnessed destruc-
and Bar-Kamtza. A certain man was a
tion and exile at the hands of Babylonia
friend of Kamtza and an enemy of Bar-
in the sixth century B.C.E.
Kamtza. In planning for his upcoming
To the people who assume that God
party, the man sent his servant to invite
has abandoned them, the prophet reas-
Kamtza, but the servant mistakenly
suringly declares: “Can a woman forget
delivered the invitation to Bar-Kamtza.
her baby?” (Isaiah 49:15).
When the party’s host saw Bar-
Modern Bible scholars explain this
Kamtza seated at his feast, he imme-
gap of nearly 200 years by teaching
diately told Bar-Kamtza to leave.
that there were two different prophets
Not wanting to be embarrassed, Bar-
named Isaiah, both represented by the
Kamtza offered to pay for his food and
same book of the Bible. Traditional
drink, rather than leave in disgrace.
scholars maintain that there is only
After the host refused to agree, Bar-
one Isaiah, but that Isaiah is accurately
Kamtza offered to pay for half the cost
foreseeing into the future.
of the feast, and even the entire cost, if
In all cases, we acknowledge that
he could just stay. Despite those gener-
the mention of the name Isaiah calls to
ous offers, the host did not relent, and
mind the teaching of Rabbi Abraham
he promptly threw Bar-Kamtza out.
Joshua Heschel, that there are two
As a result of the embarrassment
voices of prophecy — one who sternly
he suffered, Bar-Kamtza played a role
warns people to improve their behav-
in causing the Romans to destroy the
ior; the other comforts the suffer-
Temple in Jerusalem and take the Jews
ing in the aftermath of destruction.
into exile.
Significantly, Isaiah’s words represent
Whenever we recall the Temple’s
both aspects of classical prophecy. •
destruction, as we did last week on
Tisha b’Av, we can’t help but think how
Elliot Pachter is director of student services at
senseless hatred within the Jewish
Frankel Jewish Academy and rabbi emeritus
community, as related in the story
of Congregation B’nai Moshe, both in West
Bloomfield.
of Kamtza and Bar-Kamtza, is more
Parshat Ekev:
Deuteronomy
7:12-11:25;
Isaiah 49:14-51:3.