MARCH 4 • 2021 | 29
Freedman 100th
R
ose Fink Freedman of
West Bloomfield cel-
ebrated 100 years on
Feb. 18, 2021. Her loving and
caring children, Michael and
Nanci Freedman, and Wendy
Freedman, all in Oakland
County, helped celebrate by
Zoom with family and friends all
over the country. Besides Rose’s
children, her loving sister, Sylvia
Smaller; many nieces, nephews,
great-nieces and great-neph-
ews; and Brenda Saperstein wish Rose continued good
health so they can all enjoy her wonderful disposition as
she begins to celebrate her second century.
Kohler-Glogower
C
harles and Darlene
Glogower and Steven
and Barbara Kohler of
West Bloomfield are pleased
to announce the engagement
of their children, Rachel Natalia
and Ian Emery.
Rachel and Ian met at Hillel
while in college, when both
enrolled in a class to learn more
about Israel. Rachel is a gradu-
ate of Oakland University and
earned her master’s degree in
social work at Wayne State University. She is employed
as an outpatient therapist at Sollars and Associates
Counseling and Psychology Services in West Bloomfield.
Ian is a graduate of the University of Michigan-
Dearborn and earned an M.B.A. at Wayne State
University. He is employed as a banker at PNC Bank in
West Bloomfield.
Ian and Rachel are looking forward to their May 2022
wedding at Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills.
SPIRIT
TORAH PORTION
Forgiveness ...
and Punishment
I
n the Torah this week,
we find one of our most
iconic stories. Moses is
schmoozing with God on
Mount Sinai, and the people
are waiting below.
They’re waiting …
they’re waiting …
and they’re waiting
some more … and
they start to freak
out a little bit. The
people then build a
golden calf to wor-
ship in the desert,
using the riches that
they plundered from
Egypt as they fled.
God is not thrilled
about the whole
thing. God tells
Moses, “Now … leave
Me alone, and my anger will
be kindled against them so
that I will annihilate them.”
“Wait,” Moses pleads
before God. “Don’t forget
about all the promises You
made in the past … to
Abraham, Isaac and Israel,
your servants … if you wipe
out these people, you’re not
a very good promise keeper,
are You?”
“Well, fine,” God says.
“You deal with them.”
Moses does, securing for-
giveness for the Israelites.
And yet, when he returns
to Mount Sinai, returns to
God’s presence, God says
to him: “I will have mercy
on whom I will have mercy,
and I will have compassion
on whom I will have com-
passion.” God does not leave
the guilty unpunished.
There is a fascinating
experiment that looks at the
different ways of thinking
about God. Some faiths
emphasize Divine forgive-
ness, while others focus on
punishment. Which works
better?
Among believers, the
difference is signifi-
cant. Those who believe
in a punishing God,
cheat and steal less
than those who believe
in a forgiving God.
People who believe in
a punitive God, punish
people less than those
who believe in a forgiv-
ing God.
At the very moment
God tells Moses that
the people are forgiv-
en, Moses is reminded that
still the guilty will be pun-
ished. Because a world with-
out justice would be one
without human forgiveness.
The Torah allows us to play
good cop while God plays
bad cop and makes us feel
good about being compas-
sionate, understanding and
merciful to each other.
Seeing God as just helps
us treat other human beings
with kindness and love.
So, in these perilous
times, let’s keep the faith;
smile a little more; open
our hearts and our minds,
showing forgiveness to the
people around us.
Let’s leave the judgement
to the Judge.
Rabbi Jennifer Lader is a rabbi at
Temple Israel in West Bloomfield.
Rabbi
Jennifer
Lader
Parshat Ki
Tisa: Exodus
30:11-34:35;
Ezekiel
36:16-38.
(Shabbat
Parah)