Dear {{first_name}}, A number of years back a group of my father’s university students wanted to honor and thank him. They looked and searched for a special gift and couldn’t not find anything that had meaning. My father taught at a Catholic university in the metropolitan Detroit area. The vast majority of his students had very little knowledge of Jewish people or of Judaism. And yet one day an envelope arrived in the mail with my father’s name on it. Inside the envelope was a certificate that 10 trees had been planted in Israel for him. He was so touched and so moved. What’s amazing is that we appreciate a gift like a tree being planted in our honor in a place we do not live. We appreciate that this gift is something that helps not only our environment, but also our homeland.
When I was in Sunday School, every year without fail, the teachers would read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein to us at this time of the year. When I was a bit older and was reading that book to my students I had a realization… this is not the right book to celebrate trees with. It was not the message we needed to be sending and it continues to be a misguided message. Certainly, the book contains a great story of friendship and giving of oneself. But it does not contain a message of love for trees. At the end of the book, the tree is reduced to a stump that’s there for the old man to sit on. The tree had provided him with so much and he took and took, but in that taking he depleted the tree down to nothingness. In my search for a better story to tell to my students, I came across another book that was written for children: The Lorax, by Dr Seuss. The Lorax is a book about the environment and our role that we play in it. The reality is that it’s a dark book and leaves us feeling hopeless. But the book is actually all about hope. It describes the mass destruction of natural resources and the degradation of our environment. At the end, the deeper meaning of the book is revealed:
“And all that the Lorax left here in this mess was a small pike of rocks, with the one word..."UNLESS." Whatever that meant, well, I just couldn't guess. That was long, long ago. But each day since that day I've sat here and worried and worried away. Through the years, while my buildings have fallen apart, I've worried about it with all of my heart. " But now," says the Once-ler, "Now that you're here, the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear. UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.”
The book tells us our role and our responsibility and that we have to care. The truth is that our world will never improve unless we care to make it better. In my office, I have a stone with the word “unless” written on it to remind me of this responsibility. This is a very Jewish viewpoint. In the midrashic work: Kohelet Rabah the rabbis explained the following verse for us: “Consider the work of God; for who can make that straight that which has been made crooked.” (Kohelet 7:13). Here is how they explain that verse: “When the Holy One blessed be He created the first man, He took him and led him around all of the trees in the Garden of Eden and said to him: ‘Behold My works, how beautiful and wonderful they are. All that I have created, for your sake have I created them. Be careful not to corrupt or destroy My world; for if you destroy it there is no one to repair it after you.” (Kohelet Rabah 7:13). This midrash makes clear that we have a responsibility to be good custodians of the earth. It also goes a step further in telling us that should the world be damaged, there could be a point at which no hope would exist for it to be repaired.
While I greatly love the midrash that I just spoke about, I also think it leaves out the real chance we always have to make changes and to make things better. To claim that something is possibly completely irreparable is quite a leap and one that I think allows us to throw our hands up and give up on everything. The message behind The Lorax tempers the midrash. It tells us that if we are not careful enough, we could destroy the earth unless we begin to care more about the earth that is our home. There is always that chance to reduce, reuse and recycle. There is always that opportunity to carpool rather than drive alone and there are always choices we can make that can help our world become the palace that God intended it to be from the beginning. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Hearshen
D'var Torah
Rabbi Hearshen's Video D'var Torahs can be viewed each Friday on: Our Facebook page and now on our website. The Parashat this week is Beshalach.
Tonight!
A Note from the Outgoing Sisterhood President
This week marks the end of my term as Sisterhood President begun in May 2017. I want to express my thanks and gratitude to the ladies of the Sisterhood for having the faith in me to take on this role. I am honored to have served alongside the many dedicated, passionate members of our Sisterhood. We have accomplished much in the past few years and I know we will continue to do so in the years to come.
Thank you for your past, current and FUTURE support of our Sisterhood and Keilah. Like the Congregation and other organizations have done, it’s time for our Sisterhood to rethink/revise and plan for our future. I look forward to helping in Angie’s transition to President and further developing our wonderful Sisterhood. I have been known to share thoughtful stories and quotes during the past few years. Enjoy the story of the geese below. As I move from the front of the formation, I will proudly join those who have come before me and those who will come after me to lead our wonderful Sisterhood. We get where we are going because WE GO TOGETHER.
Elise M. Meyer Your Outgoing Sisterhood President
The Goose Story
Teamwork. Stand by each other. When you see geese flying along in "V" formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in "V" formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.
When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone — and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front. If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those people who are headed the same way we are. When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point. It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs, whether with people or with geese flying south. Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
What messages do we give when we honk from behind? Finally — and this is important — when a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshot, and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies, and only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their group.
If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that.
Candlelighting time this week is 5:48 pm. Shabbat ends at 6:48 pm.
Shiva for Vivian Porter
Our condolences go out to the Galanti family on the loss of Vivian Porter yesterday. Shiva will be held from Sunday, January 31 - Wednesday, February 3 at 7:00 pm here on Zoom. The House of Morning prayer book can be found here.
Now with 2 Pick Up Locations
Shabbat Daniel Tache Louise Benatar
Sunday Ernie Eichenbaum Samantha Michelle Leff
Monday Debbie Arogeti
Tuesday Renee Arogeti Solomon Cohen
Wednesday Abram Shlimak Hava Shlimak
Thursday Josiah V. Benator Ralph Amiel
Shabbat Sam and Ann Galanti
Wednesday Bahram and Farah Panbehchi
Meldados
Shabbat Betty Roistacher for Father-in-law Louis Roistacher Corrine Rousso for Brother Jerome Shuman Deborah Benator for Mother Sandra Diamond James Wolfe for Grandmother Rose Deaner Sidney Tourial for Great Grandfather Haham Yaacov Capouya Walter Diamond for Wife Sandra Diamond
Sunday Hazel Segall for Sister Sharon Segall Rochelle Notrica for Husband Morris Notrica Salomon Codron for Wife Leah Codron Sarah Duwell for Brother Morris Notrica
Monday Corrine Rousso for Sister Barbara Weinstein Lyudmila Pinkhasova for Daughter Rina Allaeva Mark Pinkhasov for Sister Rina Allaeva
Tuesday Stanford Firestone for Mother Mollie Malka Firestone Steven Leff for Father Murray Leff
Wednesday Georgette Cohen for Mother-in-law Stella Cohen Laurette Hanein for Mother Stella Cohen Leah Franco for Aunt Catherine Leon Maurice Cohen for Mother Stella Cohen Morris (Moe) Soriano for Aunt Lucille Glazer Phyllis M. Cohen for Mother-in-law Stella Cohen Victoria Cadranel for Mother Leah Alhadeff Beton
Thursday Albert M. Maslia for Stepmother Esther Menasche Maslia Lucy Maslia for Mother Esther Menasche Maslia Parvin Borna for relative Malka Hakimian
Friday Marianne Tarica for Grandfather Emanuel Entin
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