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B’nai B’rith wants you
This billboard, erected through the courtesy of Philip Kershner, vice president and regional manager
of the Foster and Kleiser Outdoor Advertising Co., stands at the corner of North Peachtree Road and
Peachtree Industrial Boulevard in Chamblee.
Kershner, of Baltimore, is chairman of the National Membership Cabinet of B'nai B’rith Interna
tional (BBI) and sits on the BBI Board of Governors. He is also past president of District Five, which
maintains its district office in Norcross.
Warry Norman, realtors
At 'Vtxir Service. Promise.
Brian Lawson
Realtor
Specializing in listing, marketing and
selling residential property in
Northeast and Northwest Atlanta.
Member Ahavaih it him Svnayoyue
Office: 329-0188 Res.: 325-5588
Passover Fish
Lake Trout • Sea Trout . Pike
White Fish •Yellow Carp - Buffalo
We fillet or steak your fish in the traditional manner.
Skin and bones ready to make stock.
Fillets ready to chop or grind.
Torah thoughts
The wise and the wicked
Adapted Irom the works of Rabbi Menachcm M
Schneerson. ihe l.ubavitcher Rebbe. bs Rabbi
Yosm New. C habad of Georgia
With the approach of Pesach, it
is appropriate to review the Hag-
gadah. One of the more familiar
portions of the narrative reads:
“The Torah spoke of four sons,
one wise, one wicked, one simple
and one who does not even know
how to ask a question.”
At first glance, this excerpt
appears to be quite straightfor
ward. Still, the sequence in which
the four sons are listed in the Hag-
gadah raises some puzzling ques
tions. They could have been listed
in the order which is implied in the
Torah: Wicked son, simple son,
son who is incapable of asking, and
finally wise son. Alternatively, the
sons could have been listed accord
ing to their esteem: wise, simple,
the one who cannot ask. and fi
nally, wicked. What is the underly
ing reason for a sequence which
elevates the wicked son and places
him next to the wise son?
The rabbis of the Talmud empha
sized, with respect to an individual
Jew, “ T hough he may sin, he is still
a Yisroel. ’’ Their choice of words is
highly significant, since the term
Yisroel means more than just “Jew.”
It is an acronym for the Hebrew
phrase “Yesh Shishim Ribooy
Oysios Laturah —there are six
hundred thousand letters in the
Torah.” Furthermore, there were
six hundred thousand Jews present
at the revelation of the ’I orah.
Thus each individual Jew is consi
dered as representing one letter of
T orah.
Should any single letter of a
Sefer Torah be missing, the sanc
tity of all the letters is impaired. A
Sefer Torah which is incomplete,
even to the extent of a single letter,
cannot be used for Torah-reading
in the synagogue until it is repaired
and made whole again. Similarly,
if any individual Jew is missing
from his people, the people are
considered incomplete until that
individual is “repaired” and made
whole again.
The sanctity of the entire Jewish
people depends upon each indi
vidual. Even the “wicked” or “re
bellious” son represents a letter of
the Torah and is essential to its
sanctity. He is placed next to the
wiseson in the Haggadah to empha
size our responsibility to every in
dividual. We have a duty to improve
his character and to expose his
Jewish “core.” Our responsibility
to the rebellious sons of our people
is not one with less than our duty
toward our simple sons, our ignor
ant sons, or our wise sons.
The Jewish “core” in every indi
vidual is indestructible. As the pre
vious Lubavitcher Rebbe once ex
plained: “It is significant that the
Haggadah narrative about the four
sons repeats the word one in every
case—The Torah spoke of four
sons, one wise, one wicked, one
simple and one w ho does not know
how to ask.” In every son of our
people, be he wise or wicked, there
is a portion of the One G-d, the
Haeshm Echod, the spark of
G-dliness.”
Israel may be compared to a
building consisting of different
stories. Each story corresponds to
different levels of individuals. Dur
ing repair, the contractor might
wish to elevate the building. If he
raises only the upper floors, he will
only affect the upper floors. If he
uses his machinery and levers to
elevate the middle floors; he will
raise the middle and upper stories.
But in order to raise the entire
building, he must start by elevating
the bottom floor. Only by starting
w ith the lowest levels of our people
can we elevate the entire structure.
Rabbi Schneerson
Call early to place your order!
MIDTOWN GOURMET
873-3737
Steve Cohen, Owner
affiliated with Viking Seafood
We Deliver!
'■jzv&h'
The importance of a wedding, birth
or anniversary is in its religious sig
nificance; the feast that follows is
a joyous way of emphasizing this
significance.
Today the joy of the special
occasion is celebrated with a com
munity feast. The CELEBRATION
CENTER at Hotel Tower Place knows
the connection between food, religious
celebration and generous hospitality.
Much effort is put in to the prepara
tion of special foods w ith banquet
rooms for an intimate gathering of
30 or a celebration of 3(H).
Friendly attention and personal
service will make your mitzvahs
memorable.
HOTEL
TOMER
PLACE
h'nr more information- menu selections
and quotations call or write:
The CELEBRATION CENTER
HOTEL TOWER PLACE
(4(D) 261-2950
(800) 241-70-1
3.340 Peachtree Road. .YE
Atlanta, Georgia .30026
t \eiftbhor to Lenox Square
in heimlitnl Huckbeiul /
PAGE 11 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE April 18, 1986