Thursday. August 23,1990— THE BULLETIN — 9
SHOFTIM
Two Forms of Fear two Forms of Repentance
In the Torah portion of RYossi are directly related to
Shoftinty the Torah describes how the Jewish people were to prepare for war. Among the things said to the potential warriors was: "/s there any man among you who is afraid or faint-hearted? Let him go home rather than have his cowardliness demoralize his brethren,''
Rashi comments on the words **afraid or fainthearted^* and explains: **R. Akiva says that this is to be understood literally, i.e., that he cannot endure the heat of battle and observe an outstretched sword. R. Yossi HaGalily says, that he is fearful of his sins .. ^
All aspects of Torah are extremely precise; the two explanations of R. Akiva and
the Torah portion of Shoftim, inasmuch as this portion is always read on the first Shab-bos of the month of Elul—the month of repentance.
The Tur prefaces the laws of sAo/ar-blowing during the month of Elui by citing the verse, "G-d ascends through teruah, the L-rd — through the sound of the shofar. 'V He immediately follows this by saying: Therefore our Sages of blessed memory have established that the shofar be bfown . . throughout the month of Elul as to alert Jews to repentance ..
The words of the Twr must be understood, for the vei^e that he quotes refers to the blowing of sAo/or on Rash Hashana and not during the month of Elul.
We must therefore say that the repentance achieved .through slro/trr^biowing during the month of Elul also contains within it — at least in a concealed fashion — the level of repentance achieved through *feo/ar-blowing~ on Rosh Hashana.
- The explanation is as follows: When Maimonides explains the allusive meaning of sAo/ar-blowing on Rosh Hashana — that it connotes the theme of repentence, he says the following: "This means to say: Awaken sleepers fromyour sleep and slum-berers from your slumber and scrutinize your deeds, return in repentance, remember your Creator. . . search your souls
Maimonides* phrasing needs clarification: "Remember your Creator** and "search your souls** are, after all, preparatory steps to repentance; when a Jew reminds himself that G-d examines the spiritual state of his soul it leads him to repentance. Maimonides should have therefore stated these two phrases prior to writing "return in repentance**?
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than 400 from all over Israel turned out. President Chaim Herzog sent a letter apologizing for not being able to attend.
Despite YossiV success. Rabbi Samuels was still troubled. Other families in Har Nof, a section of Jerusalem with a "tremendous per-CCint^gf!!, of people from English-speaking countries, had handicapped children. And many lacked the cash or resources to give them a happy life.
Horror stories abounded. One seven-year-old youngster couldn*t move and wasn*t •toilet-trained. His mother "is just sitting with a bag*' while her husband works; "on week.-ends,** said Rabbi Samuels, "the child*s at home all day long.** .
Twelve-year-old Rafi, whom the rabbi described as "a half-wit,*' roams the streets. "What struck me was a phenomenal need (in the community).**
When Rabbi Samuels came to Vancouver in January to visit his parents Norman and Frances, he began work to fill that need. He spoke with an old friend, Vancouver businessman Gordon Diamond, about setting up an activity centre for the disabled "where parents can be given a mental break in the afternoon.**
Diamond*s response, said the rabbi, was immediate: "I'll help you get started.'* The philanthropist made good on his-pledge, he nWd, by contributing seed money through the family-managed Diamond Foundation.
_ In operation since late May, the new organization, Shalva, rented a two-storey apartment in Jerusalem and hired professional staff — including Vein-stock, who*s preparing for a master*s degree in Jewish studies at the Hebrew University Of Jerusalem. A young woman, whos^cMld has cerebral palsy, has been hired as a program director.
"She is running almost a shidduch — matchmaking — service," commented Rabbi Samuels. r
Even before the child care centre was established, the
Jerusalem yo5/ wanted to run a story on it. Rabbi Samuels described how "people were coming out of the walls" to seek Shalva*s aid for their children. A South African woman in north Jerusalem*s Ramot neighborhood, when informed that she couldn*t be helped, told him that she would move to Har Nof.
Requests from the Old City artcf two frdhii otfier'areas of Jerusalem prompted Diamond to advise the rabbi: "Dori*t be Donald Trump. You*ve got to limit yourself in order to be a success."
Perhaps Samuels' biggest success, though, came out of the blue. An Israeli woman asked him if he could service her son from 4 to 6 p.m. "I want you to know I've already filed papers to have my little boy institutionalized, but I'm cancelling those papers,** she announced.
Rabbi Samuels emphasized: "We*te not competing with/m^dipine or education.* We*re just operating during off-hours."
The Shalva founder anticipated that he would need to hire additional professionals to work alongside the nascent organization's many 14-to 18-year-old volunteers. And a day camp which operated in July was expected to cost $25,000; much of the cost was met by Norman and Frances Samuels.
"What Gordon (Diamond) has given me will allow us to -be-up and-functioning.-But I imagine that our first year of operation is going to cOst $100,000."
Rabbi Samuels expects that he will turn to Israeli government agencies eventually, but must wait until Shalva is fully established.
^Recently, he met with Variety Club representatives in Toronto to examine how to provide aid for disabled kids. In his absence, Shalva was operating its Jerusalem facility. "We're now giving 60 children services," he said, "but we know of many more children in need."
He told The BuUetin that Shalva will operate as its means and abilities allow, pointing out that equipment
for the disabled-is scarce in Israel.
In Vancouver, the Barnetts, Sam Huberman, and Norman and Sandra Miller have banded togethef^o support Rabbi Samuels in his quest. They have formed Canadian Friends of Shalva, with Diamond as its chairman. Dr. Josh Kleinman and Joe Gold assist with fundraising, while Tracy Ames handles publicity. "Hopefully, the Van-couvereommunity will rally," said Rabbi Samuels.
He is proiid that his son Yossi has learned to cope with his surroundings. This summer, Yossi went to Safad to take a two-week course in word processing — using a computer which prints braille on a strip of paper. "But there*s a long rOad ahead," observed Kalman; the father said he might neyer have started Shalva if his son hadn*t heightened his awareness of youngsters with disabilities. .
"My one interest is that these children are getting the services. I have no beaten path to trod. The bottom line is that with G-d*s help, we can keep a Jewish kid at home."
Tax-deductible donations can be made to Shalva, c/o Judy Balshine, 469 West 18th Ave., Vancouver, B.C. V5Y 2A9. Balshine^ who has Shalva tribute cards available, can be reached by phone at 876-9847.
Within the primary aspect of repentance there are two general sub-levels: First comes the spiritual "awakening from sleep," for when a person is in a state of blissful slumber he cares not a wit about his spiritual status.
Therefore, the initial step "leading" to repentance is to awake and shake off his numbing slumber. Once his soul has already been roused to repentance, the person must actualize this arousal by "scrutinizing his deeds" to assure that he never transgresses again.
Rashi alludes to this in his above mentioned commentary: First comes the comment of R. Akiva according to whom "afraid or fainthearted" cannot mean "that *he is fearful of his sins,** for as soon as he becomes so fearful of his sins, his soul's essence will be roused to repentance and he will be forgiven.
However, Rashi immediately follows this with the comment of R. Yossi, for the first level does not suffice — the arousal of the soul's essence must be fully revealed and actualized so as to assure that he will never sin again.
NOW FOR THE RECORD...
The 5M/fe/w (Aug. 16) received incorrect information concerning the relationship between L'Chaim day programming and the Louis Brier Home. L'Chaim is an autonomous program that purchases meals for its participants from the Brier Home. The B*nai B'rith Community Food Bank provided funds to L'Chaim to assist in the con-tirtiied provision of this service.
Kaellises team up for Grand Parade
EUGENE AND RHODA KAELLIS, author and director of TAe Grand PamdOt to be performed during the Vancouver Frincie Festival.
Flu vaccine not to be sneezed at
TORONTO A new, more effective flu vaccine has been developed by a team of virologists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The new vaccine is taken nasally, which is more convenient than injection, and is more effective because it provides specific local protection in the respiratory system, as well as systematic protection. The Israeli pharmaceutical industry presently does not produce human vaccines, so it has been impossible to produce the new vaccine in Israel.
The Grand Parade^ Si s&tinc comedy written by Eugene Kaellis, will be one of the features of the Sixth Annual Vancouver Fringe Festival in September.
Inspired by what Kaellis calls the "Fox-Fanyo-Hansen syndrome," the action centres on a parade of the disabled to raise funds for community services. Participants are required to perform increasingly difficult deeds to impress the public, but in the end the promoters decide that professional actors are needed to create a more "authentic" event.
As the play unfolds, the characters — handicapped and able-bodied — expose their emotional, intellectual and spiritual disabilities. One hilarious scene, organizers^ related, is about the development of a paraplegic's sex guide, using a mechanized-computerized apparatus.
The Grand Parade is the most recent collaboration of Burg^^i^ gQlipI^ugii^ |%eh^ lis and his wife, Rhoda, who will direct the play. The Kael-
lises write a weekly column for The Vancouver Sun, teach couples communication courses, are co-authors of Satisfy!, a "relationship repair manual," and jointly toured Canada lecturing and making radio and T.V. appearances.
The Kaellises are active in the Jewish community: Rhoda in Burquest, Eugene in Or Shalom. Eugene also regularly teaches courses in Judaism for the Vancouver School Board, and this fall will give its first course on theories of evolution.
Early evening performances at 5:45 p.m. are scheduled from Thursday to Saturday, Sept. 6 to 8. Matinee performances at 2 p.m: will be from Friday, to Suiiday, Sept. 14 to 16. All performances are art the Mount Pleasant Community Centre, 3161 Ontario St.Cnear West 16th Avefi | Proceeds lof the Sept. 14 performance will go to the Burnaby Association for the Mentally Handicapped., ^ ^ F^l4c^ng#fil8i^Au|. 24) and information, call 875-3646.
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