NEWALL
Hebrew Inscriptions Our Specialty
Established 1909
Personal attention paidio ALL ORDERS
S096 Frascr Street, at 3Stii Ave.
604-327-m2
wwwqbnewdLconi ,
Remember the Louis Brier Home and Hospital In your will
with a bequest to the
Louis Brier Jewish Aged Foundation
Telephone: 604-261-5550 Fax: 604-261-5565 www.louisbiier.com
DEATH ANNOUNCEMENTS
GOLDIE RTTTBERG OCT. 12
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Relatives and Friends are advised that the
UNVEILING OF HEADSTONE
In loving memory of the late
REGINA FELDMAN
will take place Sunday, Nov. 3 at 12:30 p.m. at the
Schara Tzedeck Cemetery
Rabbi A. Baumol and Cantor Y.Orzech will officiate
MINNIE SHAPIRO
Minnie Shapiro passed away in Vancouver on Sept. 20, 2002, at the age of 89 years. She was predeceased by her husband, Al-laert, in August 1985, and is survived by her two sons, Murray of Vancouver and Daniel (Deborah) of Lethbridge, as well as their two children, Alexa and Aarin.
Minnie was a founding board member and president of the VON in Lethbridge for 20 years and received one of only two life memberships ever awarded by the organization. She was also involved with and received life memberships from Hadassah and the National Covmcil of Jewish Women, and served on the YMCA and CNIB boards while residing in Lethbridge. Minnie left. Lethbridge in 1979 with her husband to reside in Vancouver, where she remained until her passing.
Special thanks to Drs. Mark Shonfeld, Dan Ezckiel, Henry Mizgala, Chris Wyatt and all the staff at the Louis Brier Home and Hospital. □
For Unveilings Announcements
Call Cynthia at 604-6894520
OBITUARY NOTICES
The First 50 words arc FREE Over 50 words will be $50 per every 100 words or less.
Obituaries should be typed, double-spaced and mailed or faxed to the Bulletin attention:
301-68 East 2nd Ave. Vancouver, BC V5T1B1 Fax-604^1525
Please include contact name, daytime phone number and VISA or Mastercard number for billing.
For more information, call Cynthia at 604-689-1520.
SifliapflimH
Candlelighting:
Friday, Oct. 25 5:47 p.m. Vayera Oct. 26,6:39p.m.
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Topaii Porli
on
Abraham as role model
There are commitments more important than a life.
RABBI SHLOMO RISKIN TORAH COLUMNIST
Vayera
Genesis 18:1-22:24 Efrat
Each year we return to the awesome and awful story of the binding of Isaac and are struck by the same agonizing questions: How could the Almighty have commanded an act as horrific as a father slaughtering (sacrificing?) his son, and how could Abraham have accepted the command without a resounding argument?
After all, this is the same Abraham who argued on behalf of the wicked people of Sodom and Gomorrah, saying, "Far be it from You [Oh G-d] from doing this thing, to destroy the righteousness with the wicked.... Will the judge of the entire earth not execute justice?" (Genesis 18:25) And, in addition to the obvious innocence of Isaac, there is the added argument of the Divine promise: "Tor through Isaac shall your future progeny be called." (21:12) What is the meaning of G-d's command, and how may we best understand the lack of Abraham's protection of Isaac?
Rav Yoscf Ibn Kaspi reminds us that Abraham lived in a world of idolatrous child-offerings, vidth a blood-thirsty god, Molech, who demanded that fathers demonstrate their fealty to him by placing their children on his fiery altar. Hence Abraham was almost expecting the Divine voice to command him to take his son as an offering. Given the fanatical religious climate of the Middle East, Abraham's silent acquiescence is to be expected of a person of faith.
From this perspective, the real test comes with (3-d's second command, at the moment when "Abraham sent forth his hand and he took the knife to slaughter his son." An angel of CJ-d fi^m heaven cries out "Abraham, Abraham ... do not send forth your hand to the lad and do not do him any harm, for now I know that you fear G-d and you did not withhold your son, your only one, from Me." (22:10-12)
Ibn Kaspi would argue that the entire point of this biblical event is to teach against child sacrifice, to show how qualitatively different arc the demands of a loving G-d of life and peace from the bloodthirsty cruelty of Molech. And for this biblical commentator, Abraham truly passes this test when he obeys the second command of the angel and does not kill his son because of the first commandment.
To a great ejctent, Rashi seems
to agree with the position of Ibn Kaspi, when he dtes the midrash that insists that the Almighty "did not say that he [Abraham] should slaughter Isaac, because the Holy One Blessed Be He did not want Abraham to slaughter him, but only to bring him up to the mountain in dedication... and then to take him down...." (Rashi on Genesis 22:2) Apparently, for Rashi, the ideal Divine will is for Abraham's children to live by G-d's laws in constant commitment - not to die for them in a momentary act of martyrdom.
But, if Ibn Kaspi is correct, then why docs the initial formulation of the Divine command seem so absolute and, if Rashi is correct, why are the words so ambiguous? After all, G-d does seem to say to Abraham that he should bring his son as an olah (whole burnt offering).
The Torah speaks to the ancient near east, but it also speaks to all subsequent generations, and the pages of Jewish history (and our present) are blood-soaked and tear-stained with accounts of parents who had to watch their children go to cruel deaths in times of persecution in order for Judaism and the Jewish nation to survive - and ultimately prevail. For many parents who are faced with the agony of seeing their children's lives snuffed out in sanctification of G-d's name, their biblical model of the parent who has passed the test of^such a challenge is Abraham, in accordance with the plain meaning of G-d's first command.
Indeed, so powerful was this Abrahamic model that there was even an ancient story that Abraham actually slaughtered Isaac and (j-d brought him back to life. The Midrash Hagadol states Uiat G-d brought Isaac to Eden for three years - imtil he came back to earth to marry Rebecca-and the Ashkenazi Selichot for the morning before Rosh Hashanah makes reference to the "ashes of Isaac on the altar," which constantly evokes Divine mercy. (Mordecai HaMechabcr)
The story of the Akedah is complex and teaches many lessons. We learn from it, at one and the same time, not to court martyrdom, that our G-d desires us to live and not to die, but that, if there is no other choice, we must dedicate our lives to eternal commitments that arc more impor-tcmt than any individual life.
Shabbat shalom. □
Rabbi ShIomo Riskin is chief rabbi ofEfrdt, Israel, and dean of Ohr Torah institutions in Israel.