'. '-'.'
Iday, December 16,1977
The Jewish Floridian and Shofar of Greater Hollywood
Page 15
>k Abe
By Abe Halpera
jest ion: What is the origin
the significance of the
ezuzah?
Henry Eisenberg
Hollywood
Answer: Mezuzah is a Hebrew
whose literal meaning is
orpost. It has become the
signation for a tiny parchment
toll affixed to the doorposts in
Jwish homes. The origin of the
uzah is based on a passage in
euteronomy: "Hear, O Israel:
Lord our God, the Lord is
fie! You shall love the Lord your
with all your heart, with all
t>ur soul, with all your might,
et these words, which I corn-
land you this day, upon your
part. Teach them faithfully to
jr own children; speak of them
your home and on your way,
|hen you lie down and when you
up. Bind them as a sign upon
iur hand; let them be a symbol
?fore your eyes; inscribe them
the doorposts of your house,
\nd on your gates." (Deut. 6:4-9)
This parchment made from the
<in of a clean animal upon which
inscribed the paragraphs of
lie Shetna is usually rolled up
inserted in a case with a
nail opening. On the back of the
barchment the word Shaddai is
Written and the parchment is
tiserted into the case so that this
vord is visible through the
Opening.
The word Shaddai which is a
)ame for God, translated as
Umighty, consists of three
etters: Shin. Doled. Yud. Some
ommentators say this word is
lalso an acronym for three Hebrew
[words meaning Guardian of the
\l)oors of Israel.
"The Mezuzah must be affixed
to the entrance of every home and
to the door of every living room
of a house, thus excluding store-
rooms, stables, lavatories, and
bathrooms, and must be in-
[Religious Directory
NORTH BROWARD
TEMPLE BETH ISRAEL. 7100 W. Oak
land Park Blvd. Conservative. Rabbi
Phillip A. Labowitz. Cantor Maurice
A.Neu.
TEMPLE BETH ORR. 2151 Riverside
Drive. Reform M4)
TAMARAC JEWISH CENTER. 9106
57th St. Conservative. Rabbi Israel
Zimmerman. (44-A)
MIRAMAR
ISRAEL TEMPLE. 6920 SW 35th St.
Conservative. Rabbi Avrom Drazln.
Cantor Abraham Kester. (48)
PEMBROKE PINES
|TEMPLE IN THE PINES. 9139 Taft St.
Conservative. Rabbi Bernard I.
Shoter. (63)
plantation
Plantation jewish congrega-
tion. 400 S. Nob Hill Rd. Rabbi
SheON J.Harr. (64)
ECONSTRUCTIONIST SYNA
GOGUE. 7473 NW 4th St. (69)
HALLANDALE
(ALLANDALE JEWISH CENTER. 416
NE 8th Ave. Conservative. Rabbi Dr.
Carl Klein, Ph.D. Cantor Jacob Dan
ziger. (12)
NORTH MIAMI BEACH
|INAI TEMPLE OF NORTH DADE.
801 NE 22nd Ave. Reform. Rabbi
1 Ralph P. Kongsley Cantor Irving
I Shulkes. (37)
HOLLYWOOD
lETH AHM TEMPLE. 310 SW 62nd
1 Ave. Conservative. Rabbi Max Land-
man. (47B)
lETH EL TEMPLE. 1351 S. 14th Ave.
1 Reform. Rabbi Samuel Jaffe. Assis
Itant Rabbi Jonathan Won. (45)
=TH SHALOM TEMPLE. 4601 Arthur
1st. Conservative. Rabbi Morton
IMalavsky. Cantor Irving Gold. (46)
|NAl TEMPLE. 1201 Johnson St.
Conservative. Rabbi Paul M. Katz,
iRabbi Emeritus David Shapiro.
ICantor Yehuda Heilbraun. (65)
EMPLE SOLEL. 5100 Sheridan St.,
Hollywood, Fla. 33021. Liberal
Reform. Rabbi Robert P. Frazin
Cantor Bruce Malin. (47C)
JUNG ISRAEL OF HOLLYWOOD
B291 Stirling Road, Oaks Condomini-
um. Orthodox. Rabbi Moshe Bomzer
152)
spected periodically (twice in
seven years) to ensure that the
writing is still readable. The
custom has become widespread
and almost universal at the
present day to affix the Mezuzah
to the entrance to public
buildings (including all govern-
ment offices in Israel) and syna-
gogues." (Encyclopaedia
Judaica, vol. 11, p. 1476)
The Mezuzah is nailed on the
upper third of the height of the
door on the right side of the
entrance. The top of the Mezuzah
should be in a sloping position
towards the house.
Before affixing the Mezuzah
the following blessing should be
said. "Blessed are You, O Lord
our God, King of the Universe,
who has sanctified us by Your
commandments and commanded
us to affix the Mezuzah. "
Exactly when the affixing of
the Mezuzah began is not known,
but there is archaeological
evidence found in the Qumran
Caves in which the fulfillment of
this commandment is apparently
dated from the Second Temple
period.
The Talmud enumerates the
Mezuzah as one of the seven
precepts with which God
surrounded the people of Israel
because of his love for them. Its
purpose has been described as the
sanctification of the home by the
continual reminder of Divine
Omnipresence. The Rabbis
taught that the moral purpose of
the Mezuzah is to teach that all
man's material possessions are
the gift of heaven. It is one of the
r&ti
acs
se^s
RW?
SVSj
Silver Mezuzah, Russia, 19th
century, decorated with an
Ark with hinged doors and en-
graved foliage.
most widely observed ceremonial
commandments of the people of
Israel.
The Mezuzah "enshrines the
fundamental dogma (mono-
theism), the fundamental duty
(love), the fundamental discipline
(study of the law), and the funda-
mental method (union of 'letter'
and spirit') of the Jewish
Religion." (The Soncino Edition
of the Pentateuch and Haftorahs
edited by Dr. J. H. Hertz, p.771)
It is customary among the
pious on entering or leaving the
house to kiss the Mezuzah or
touch it and kiss the fingers.
Some of the cases in which
Mezuzot (pi.) are enclosed are
choice examples of Jewish art. In
modern Israel the artistic
Mezuzah case has been developed
to a considerable extent.
One of the most interesting
comments about the significance
of the Mezuzah was made by
Reave M. Rosenthal. a dear
friend of long standing, who told
us "During a class on 'The Bible,'
Rabbi Jaffe asked one day. 'What
did you do today, what do you do
every day, that you would not
have done if you were not a Jew?'
"I thought about the question
several times on the way home
and as I turned the corner of the
corridor, I glanced at my door
jamb and admired our Mezuzah
 a 'New House' gift from my
sister and her husband.
"But of course! I said to
myself. Every day, sometime,
several times a day, I look at our
doorpost and know I am a Jew."
Editor's note: Please send all
questions to:
ASK ABE
c o Jewish Federation of
South Broward
2838 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood. Florida 33020
Bar Mitzvah Held
At Sabbath Services held Dec.
2 at Temple Beth El, Dr. and
Mrs. Philip R. Gould celebrated
their son's Bar Mitzvah. Mrs.
Gould blessed the Shabbat
tapers. An Oneg Shabbat was
sponsored by the Goulds.
Roger Stephen Gould attends
University School of Nova where
he is a student in the eighth
grade. His activities include ten-
nis, basketball and baseball. He
is a member of Temple Beth El's
Junior Youth Group.
Guests who were to attend are
maternal grandmother. Lillian
Gilmore: Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence
Peizer; Sanford Halpert: Rose
Arnold of Cleveland, Ohio; pater-
nal grandparent. Harry Gold of
Los Angles. Calif.: Mr. and Mrs.
Richard Gilmore of Seattle,
Wash.; and Robert Gould of
Columbus, Ohio.
I
CANDLELIGHTING
TIME
5:14
6 TEVETH-5738
IEVITT
memorial chapels
1921 Pembroke Rd.
Hollywood, Fla.
S24-M97
Sonny Levitt, F.D.
13JA5W Dixie Hwy
North Miami, Fla.
?49-6315
Bonds Committees Honor Workers
The State of Israel Bonds
Committees will honor Jewish
community workers at their
receptions for Israel.
Sophie and Martin Block,
active in B'nai B'rith, Temple
Sinai of Hollywood, Israel Bonds
and the Florida Home for the
Aged, will receive the Israel Sol-
idarity Award at a Salute to
Israel Breakfast scheduled by the
Imperial Towers Bond Com-
mittee for Sunday, Dec. 18 at 10
a.m. in the Imperial Towers
North Social Hall.
Heading preparations for the
event are Mr. and Mrs. Walter
Gartner, general chairmen; Mr.
and Mrs. Herbert Guild, chair-
men; and Mr. and Mrs. Henry
Rubin, breakfast chairmen.
The B'nai B'rith Ben Gurion
Lodge and Golda Meir Hadassah
Group will co-sponsor a Night in
AJC Chapter to Meet
The American Jewish Con-
gress, Hollydale Chapter, will
hold its next meeting on Monday,
Dec. 19. at Galahad South at
noon.
The topic, "Positive Thinking
on Later Year Living." will be
discussed by Dr. Muriel Ober-
leder. director of Douglas Gar-
dens Outpatient Health Center,
and Emanuel Borenstein. consul-
tant to Home Health Agencies
under Medicare.
(Obituaries
GREENBERG. Sophie G.. of
Hallandale. on Dec. 1. River-
side.
ACKERMAN, Leon (Tiny). 63, of
Hollywood, on Dec. 1. River-
side.
TROY. Irving, 77. of Hollywood.
Gordon.
TURIN, Alan A.. 84. of Holly-
wood, on Nov. 23. Riverside.
LEVINE, Herman Jack. 84. of
Hallandale. on Dec. 4. Levitt.
Interment Mt. Nebo.
GOLDBERG. Meyer, 76. of
Hallandale, on Dec. 5. River-
side. Interment Beth El.
WARMUND. Dr. Samule. 74, of
Hallandale. Gordon.
ZAITLIN. Benjamin, of Holly-
wood, on Nov. 30. Levitt.
BOSKOFF. Barbara L. 47, of
Hallandale. on Nov 19. River-
side. Interment Lakeside.
BOSKOFF, Leslie M.. 88, of
Hallandale. on Nov. IB. River-
side. Interment Lakeside.
LITMAN, Merle, 51. of Holly-
wood, on Nov. 24. Riverside.
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Doualaa Laaarua. L.F.D.
Israel meeting on Dec. 21 at 8
p.m. in the Cascade Room of the
Aquarius, announced Julius
Freilich, chairman of the event.
Entertainer Milt Moss is the
special guest.
Max and Ann Coffman will
receive the Israel Solidarity
Award at the event. Coffman is
vice president of the Board of
Fellows at Brandeis University
and was awarded the Community
Service Award by Brandeis in
1976.
Other chairmen include Rose
Kern, Nettie Sherman. Paul
Weinger and Sam Wiletsky.
The Israel Solidarity Award
will be presented to the residents
of the Golden Surf on Sunday.
Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. at a Night for
Israel, sponsored by the Golden
Surf Israel Bonds Committee,
announced Irving Schwartz,
chairman.
Murray Green and Sam
Weissberg will assist with the
arrangements. Humorist Joey
Russell will be the featured
entertainer.
The residents of Guildford
Plaza will be honored at a Night
in Israel, sponsored by the Guild-
ford Plaza Israel Bond Com-
mittee, on Wednesday. Dec. 21 at
8 p.m. in the building's recreation
hall.
Heading the committee are Mr.
and Mrs. Frank Rashbaum and
Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Pasik. co-
chairmen.
Jewish humorist Mickey
Freeman will be featured.
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