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»Iff**''*W"; Mptm* v | r »'>nu«-i m <£andi i iZ^ciid/2 cz/fteociatei cz^fnnouncti. tHe opening of a IBuiUdex and cz/^enidentiaf ^J^eiign <£(io<xnoom at ( J^> align ^J^tace 7/5 <zA/{iami Cixcte, cSuite. 114 zzd/itanta, 0eoxgia 30324 tSandi <zA/\atui.our 231-0676 RESPONSIVENESS: We listen to you and furnish the right system for your needs. (we are independent computer system firm). 100 Ponce de Leon Place • Suite H • PO Box 1312 • Decatur, GA 30031 (404) 373-3000 What Should You Look For In A Computer Company? Ancient menorahs Ancient stone-cut menorahs found in the burial caves of Bet She’Arim in the Valley Yisrael, near Haifa. The carvings are from the second and third centuries. R.S.V.P. Barry Taratoot 351-8410 THE JEWISH HOME jar*; -v as a donation of tzedaka, charity, brings and element of consecration or sanctity to all one’s wealth. Torah thoughts A lesson from the ‘first fruits’ Adapted from the works of Rabhi Menachem M Schnccrson, the l.ubavitcher Rcbbe. by Rabbi Yossi New. Chabad ol Georgia The Sidra begins with a detailed account of the mitzva of bikurim, “first fruits.” The Jewish farmer was required to bring the select fruits of his crops to the Bais Hamikdash to show his gratitude to G-d for the blessing of the land. The precept of bikurim had var ious restrictions. It applied only in the Holy Land and only when the Bais Hamikdash was in existence. It was limited to one who owned a parcel of particularly fertile land. It was also restricted in its time of application, for the declaration of bikurim could only be made from Shavuot (late spring) to Sukkot (fall). Yet the precept of the “first fruits,” despite its seemingly nar row application, contains a gen eral broadly applicable lesson: We are to take from the “first of the fruits of the earth” and bring them to the Kohain. We are to dedicate the best of our material matters to sanctity. As Maimonides writes: “When one gives food to the needy, he should give the best and most delectable of his table; with the best of his wardrobe should he clothe the naked, and when he builds a house for worship he should render it more beautiful than his own dwelling, as it is written “...all the best...is to the AImighty." The first fruits were not burned on the altar where their physical nature would be annulled, their materiality consumed and trans formed into the spirituality of G- dliness. Rather the fruits were given to the Kohain to eat. This is the way in which they were elevated and dedicated to a higher purpose. In similar fashion, our approach in life is not to “nullify” the material but to imbue it with sanctity while still remaining in its lowly material state. One further point: the farmer is obligated to bring "...from the first of all the fruits of the earth etc...,” not all the fruits. The idea is not that the person should give away all the fruits of his labor to the sanctuary. Most of the fruits were to remain in his possesion, includ ing also some exceedingly good fruits, and only a small portion of them—the best—given to the Ko hain. The underlying idea was for the first fruits to be a representa tive portion of the whole harvest; the sanctity of the bikurim dona tion was to affect, to permeate and elevate all the fruits remaining, just Traditional High Holiday Services with Cong. Beth Tefillah Yossi New, Rabbi < -7 _ open to public, no membership required ($50 seating donation) For more info., call 843-2464 PAGE 11 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE September 19, 1986