SPIRIT
TORAH PORTION
Richmond 61st
G
ene and Claire Richmond marked their 61st wedding anniversary on Dec. 26, 2021. They plan to celebrate this summer, when COVID no longer threatens, with their children, grandchildren and friends.
Shapiro 100th
E
thel Shapiro of Farmington Hills turns 100 on May 24, 2022. At the age of 17, she married the “greatest man in the world, Seymour Shapiro.” She was known as “Dear” for 68 years. Together they had four beautiful daughters who married, had children and made her a Nana. Ethel is celebrating with her eight children, 14 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and many friends. Her secret to long life is being gorgeous every day and staying glad not mad.
Feldheim-Harvie
B
everly and Stuart Feldheim of West Bloomfield wish to announce the engagement of their daughter, Kimberly Shindel to Jamie Harvie, son of Alex Harvie and Katherine Fowler of Troon, Scotland. The pair met in Glasgow, where Kim was attending graduate school. A September wedding is planned at Oran Mor in Glasgow, Scotland.
Exploiting Weaknesses
I
magine this scene: A mother bling block before the blind.” says to her daughter, “Have If we, for example, offer food a good time playing outside; or drink to an individual that be a good girl, be honest; respect we know should not have it, or people you meet; by the way, if tempt someone to violate what you see a blind person on the we know to be their values and street don’t put something commitments, we are in his way so he trips and transgressing the mitzvah. falls.” In addition, there is That last instruction another interpretation, would seem unnecessary which says the stumbling after the general instrucblock reference means tion to be “good.” Yet, that Rabbi Robert giving someone advice Dobrusin is exactly what we read in that is not appropriate for this week’s Torah portion. him or her. How often do Parshat The parshah begins we find ourselves willing with the general introduc- Kedoshim: to offer our ideas to someLeviticus tion: “You shall be holy one else without thinking 19:1-20:27; for I, the Lord your God, Amos 9:7-15. whether the advice is am holy.” Then we read a good for them? How often rather long list of specific do we, instead of telling a mitzvot, including respect your friend to consult a physician, an parents, observe the Shabbat, attorney or a counselor, decide don’t bear a grudge, love your to dispense “wisdom” based on neighbor as yourself and don’t our experience — experience put a stumbling block before the that might be totally or even blind. subtly different from theirs? In How are we to understand that way, we are, in fact, leading the last mitzvah in this list? someone astray and perhaps Wouldn’t we have known not causing them to stumble. to do something so horrendous Of course, giving advice to a without the Torah reminding us? friend isn’t always a bad idea; The rabbis of tradition had an and, while it is good to be senanswer to this question. They sitive, it is up to an individual understood the use of the phrase to act on advice, accept or not “stumbling block before the accept it. Each person must be blind” as referring to actions that aware of his or her own weakwe might be less careful to avoid; nesses and not simply blame and, thus, the mitzvah becomes someone else for tempting them. a critical part of teaching us In commanding us to be holy, to be “holy.” They interpreted the Torah instructs us to take “blind” to refer to someone who on more responsibility in caring is, metaphorically speaking, for the well being of others. By blind in a particular way. being sensitive to others, we take The rabbis understood that a step closer to the Torah’s ultiif someone has a weakness mate goal. that they struggle with that is beyond their control and Robert Dobrusin is rabbi emeritus at another person takes advantage Beth Israel Congregation in Ann Arbor. of that weakness, that person This article originally appeared in the is, in essence, “putting a stumJN April 28, 2011. MAY 5 • 2022
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