 APRIL 9 • 2020 | 5

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W

e would all like to 
pride ourselves on 
being well read, versed 
in music and avid theatergoers. 
We are all that, as can be shown if 
we listen to the terms that pepper 
our conversations.
We have been 
told, “All the world’
s 
a stage.” Remember 
that when things 
don’
t go well; buck 
yourself up with 
the advice that the 
show must go on. If all 
your plans for an activity are ready, then 
you must get the show on the road. Of 
course, anyone who tries to grab the 
spotlight will be identified as a ham 
and will undoubtedly refuse to share 
the limelight. You will note also that 
he/she may try to take center stage and 
upstage everyone else, especially if there 
is recognition to be offered. That will be 

your cue to bring the curtain down on 
those antics. Know that you are dealing 
with a character.
Concertgoers be advised. When you 
learn that a favorite group or performer 
will be coming to town, it will be music 
to your ears. Be sure that you are fit as 
a fiddle and hit the right note for your 
family by purchasing tickets. When 
someone complains often, like a broken 

record, you must face the music, 
march to your own drummer and 
all that jazz.
Do you wear your emotions on 
your sleeve? Then someone can 
read you like a book. Are you at 
all secretive? No? Then you have 
nothing to fear since your life 
is an open book. In your daily 
actions you tend to go by the 
book; that is admirable. If you are 
ever unsure as to how to proceed, 
take a page from someone’
s book, 
someone you admire. Try every 
trick in the book to make something 
work in your favor; when it’
s over, close 
the book on it. Do not belabor anything. 
Remember, however, that if you are 
found to be in the wrong, someone will 
throw the book at you.
Whoever said that culture was 
confined to the walls of a theater, 
auditorium or library? Surely not us, the 
creatures of culture! 

for openers

Cultural 
Talk

Sy Manello
Editorial
Assistant

L

ast week’
s Torah portion, Tsav, 
dealt with the ritual of “Korbanot,” 
the intricacies of animal sacrifices. 
It would seem this practice is no longer 
relevant in today’
s world, but the root 
of the word “Korban” is “Karov,” which 
means closeness. The act of sacrifice is, 
in fact, an opportunity for each of us to 
re-ignite our closeness with God.
In Genesis, the Torah tells us that man 
has mastery over the animal kingdom. 
Through the act of sacrifice we give 
up our mastery of the world and real-
ize that we are not in control; God is 
our creator. The sacrifice is actually a 
platform on which we relinquish our 
control and re-affirm our closeness with 
God.
Our closeness to God compels us to 
reflect on the purpose of why God has 
placed us here in His world. It encour-
ages us to think about the resources 
God has blessed us with and motivates 

us to share it with others. 
This brings us to the special chal-
lenge we face today in confronting the 
coronavirus, the modern-day plague. 
We have a choice: We can be paralyzed 
by anxiety and fear. We can brood over 
the losses in our economy and how it 
affects us personally. It is easy to forget 
God during this difficult time.
The other choice is to learn the lesson 
of the “Korban”: It is through the act 
of giving to others in deepest humility 
that we truly understand we are not in 
control. By giving from our heart we are 
re-connecting with God.
Today our Jewish community is 
facing great challenges: Many of our 
elderly require food deliveries and addi-
tional care giving. We need personal 
protective equipment for these care-
givers. Many who are out of work will 
require emergency financial assistance. 
Our people with disabilities are isolated 

at home and need personal support ser-
vices. Parents can no longer pay tuition 
at our schools. Our Jewish Federation 
has launched an emergency campaign 
to respond to these needs. Now is the 
time to act by giving to this campaign. 
Bari Weiss, in her recent New York 
Times column “The Coronavirus Preys 
on Jews’
 Biggest Strength,” writes: “If 
Jewish history has a theme, it is resil-
ience — the ability to renew and revive 
community during our darkest hours. 
Now, as ever, the people poised to show 
us the way forward are those who have 
been most connected all along.” 
It is time now for each of us to act, 
as we have always done in the past. It is 
our collective action which defines our 
great Jewish community of Detroit. 

Robert Aronson is former CEO of Federation and its 
chief development advisor. Lisa is his wife.

guest column
Sacrifi
 ce and Action: What we should think about today

ROBERT AND LISA ARONSON

