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)

