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SPECIAL DONATION COLLECTION DAY
Sunday, September 10
10am - 4pm
Jewish Community Center
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Cleaning out your Closets?
Finding soiled or stained clothing?
Don’t throw it away, donate it to council re_sale!
Bring your donations of items
that would not sell at council re_sale:
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will also be available to accept book donations for their annual
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38
September 7 • 2017
jn
A Meaningful Belief
I
n the Book of Deuteronomy 28:47,
the Torah describes the conse-
quences that His people will face
if they don’t keep the command-
ments and in doing so, stresses,
“because you did not serve HaShem,
your God, with gladness and with
goodness of heart.” From here we
learn the incredible importance of
serving HaShem with hap-
piness.
non-Orthodox students for
But you may ask your-
over a decade, what I find
self, “Why is it that if I do
most alarming is how so
what He says, it’s not good
many of these students have
enough? Why must I also
a warped version of Judaism
do it with a happy and open
where they think that
heart?” The answer is awe-
Judaism is a once- or maybe
inspiring.
twice-a-year check-in with
Rabbi Rafael
I had the mother of a
God. They convince them-
Eisenberger
student of mine ask me,
selves that hearing a cantor
“What’s the deal with my
sing prayers will keep them
child wanting to keep the
“on His good side” or some-
holiday of Passover for two
thing to that effect. Some of
days and not going to classes
these students will actually
on Passover?” My response was to
make the effort to listen to a moving
ask her whether there was a holi-
sermon, but any inspiration quickly
day she felt was important enough
fades away with not one single
for her child to miss school. She
thought translating into action.
responded “Yes, Rosh Hashanah.” So
Why has Judaism shifted to the
I answered her with another ques-
High Holidays as the central part of
tion as any good Jewish rabbi would
a Jew’s life, making it seem that such
a life is boring and pointless? What
do. Where is the source that states
happened to being a Jew at home or
that Rosh Hashanah is more impor-
when walking down the street? Why
tant than Passover … or Succot or
are Jews more open to every other
even Shavuot?
religion on the planet than their
We can learn from an example
own?
of a person who realizes the need
When you make Judaism exciting
to start exercising in order to stay
and show your enthusiasm about
fit. So one day he announces to his
keeping the Torah and mitzvot, kids
family that he has firmly resolved to
pick up on that attitude and auto-
go to the gym twice a year and that
matically feel excited and want to
his workout on these two occasions
will be so intense that he will remain be involved as well. My kids and all
of their friends love Shabbos ... they
strong and healthy for the rest of
year. But then he has a medical issue love the holidays; they love HaShem,
and they love all 613 ways to con-
and sees a physician who points out
nect to Him.
his poor health, partly as a result
Let’s bring the joy and the sim-
of not doing exercise. The man
chah back. Let’s bring Judaism back
exclaims, “But I go to the gym twice
into our homes and onto the streets.
a year and have the two most inten-
With baby steps, we can do it. •
sive workouts possible! Shouldn’t
that be enough to carry me through
Rafael “Fully“ Eisenberger is director of the
the whole year? How could I possi-
Jewish Resource Center at the University of
bly be unhealthy?”
Michigan in Ann Arbor.
As an Orthodox campus rabbi for
Parshat Ki Tavo:
Deuteronomy
26:1-29:8; Isaiah
60:1-22.