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t’s like coming full circle.” That was
Paul Hamburger’s reaction to an
invitation to lead an adult educa-
tion program at Congregation Shaarey
Zedek as part of the Berman Night of
Learning, Thursday,
March 8, at 7 p.m. at
the Southfield shul.
Since 1985,
Hamburger has
been living in
Maryland with his
wife and three chil-
dren. Before that,
Paul Hamburger
though, Hamburger
grew up in Oak Park
and regularly attended Hebrew school
and Shabbat and holiday services at
Shaarey Zedek.
Hamburger is coming back to the
Detroit area to teach some insights
from his new book, The Anochi Project:
Seeking God’s Identity.
Hamburger is an author of several
legal books and articles, but this is
his first effort at publishing on Jewish
texts and philosophy. One of the first
questions people ask when they see
the book is, “How long did it take to
write such a treatise?” Hamburger’s
first response is always “59 years!”
The ideas in the book incorporate
lessons learned from his first days in
Shaarey Zedek Hebrew school. Some
of his biggest early influences were the
late Rabbi Irwin Groner and the late
Cantor Sidney Rube.
Hamburger’s latest book takes the
reader on an intellectual journey
exploring the use of the word Anochi
in the Torah. Literally translated,
Anochi means “I.” But so does the
word ani. Yet 141 times in the Torah
the word Anochi is used instead of ani.
The Anochi Project starts with the
premise that there is a meaningful dif-
ference between Anochi and ani. The
book then traces that deeper mean-
ing through classical, rabbinical and
Chasidic writings to show a deeper
meaning that is conveyed consistently
from Bereishit through the book of
Devarim.
One of the practical lessons
Hamburger draws out in the book

addresses the question of how to rec-
oncile one’s identity as a proud Jew
with a desire to take advantage of all
that the secular world has to offer.
As Hamburger sees it, “This is a
question that dates back to Abraham,
the first Jew. There he was, negotiat-
ing a place in the secular world and
having to face the demands of an idol-
worshipping Philistine leader by the
name of Avimelech. Avimelech was
willing to work with Abraham; but
he required one thing. He demanded
that Abraham swear allegiance to
Avimelech. That presented Abraham
with a real challenge. On the one
hand, to swear to Avimelech means
swearing to all that Avimelech stands
for. On the other hand, if he failed to
swear his allegiance, he could have a
war on his hands.
“Instead, Abraham came up with an
ingenious solution. He said, ‘Anochi
Ishavei’a .’ Grammatically, Anochi
means ‘I’ and Ishavei’a means ‘I swear.’
Anochi Ishavei’a , therefore, means ‘I,
I swear.’ That redundant or double ‘I’
caused commentators to suggest a dif-
ferent meaning.
“Understanding Anochi as a
reference to God (as in the Ten
Commandments), perhaps Abraham
worked it out with Avimelech by say-
ing two things: Avimelech heard ‘I
swear’ and at the same time Abraham
remained true to his faith by saying ‘I
swear to Anochi — to God.’
“That lesson rings true to all of us
who cling to a Jewish identity in a sec-
ular world; we pledge our allegiance
to God at the same time as we fully
participate in what God’s world has to
offer,” he says.
Noted author and international
lecturer Rabbi Chaim Dalfin said that
The Anochi Project “is a most impor-
tant addition to the world of Torah
scholarship. It is well sourced and
shows the hidden truths in the
Torah.” •

Paul Hamburger’s presentation will be part of
the Berman Night of Learning at Congregation
Shaarey Zedek March 8 at 7 p.m. The event is
free and open to the public .

jn

March 1 • 2018

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