The Message, Volume 12, Number 13, December 1984 Page: 4 of 4
[4] p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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HOW TO PLAY DREIDEL
sBBm
Rabbi Segal giving his personal check to Dr. Korman for Ethiopian Hunger
Relief.
Coming—
Sunday, January 27th
Sisterhood Blood Drive
I1
RABBI SEGAL S COLUMN:
“The Starving Ethiopians Are Also Our Brethren”
The Midrash tells us (Yalkut Shimoni, Ruth), “When David
slew Goliath, the daughters of Israel showered him with silver
and gold which he took and dedicated to the building of the
Temple. A famine ensued, and David was asked to allocate
part of that gold and silver for the relief of the poor. David
refused. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: “You did not
undertake to preserve lives with the silver and gold in your
possession; by your life, the Temple will not be built by you, but
only by your son, Solomon.’ ”
Hence, it should be obvious, that to Judaism feeding the poor
takes precedence even over building the Holy Temple in Jer-
usalem. Two Temples have already been destroyed. We can
always build a third one at a future date. But once a human
being dies, he has forfeited all.
That is why the Bible speaks so emphatically about helping
the poor and the destitute, the hungry and the bedraggled. The
Bible tells us (Deuteronomy 15:7-11) “If. . . there is a needy
person among you. . . do not harden your heart or shut your
hand against your needy kinsman. Rather, you must open your
hand and give him sufficient for his needs. . . Open your hand
to the poor and needy kinsman in your land.”
The Prophet Isaiah 2700 years ago considered helping the
hungry and the starving as one of the fundamental principles
of Judaism. In fact, every Yom Kippur we read Isaiah’s words
in order to remind us that we must always help the destitute.
Isaiah said (50:5-10): “Is such the fast I desire, a day for men to
starve their bodies? . . . No, this is the fast I desire. . . It is to
share your bread with the hungry and to take the wretched poor
into your home; when you see the naked, to clothe him. . . ”
To most of us, this does not seem too relevant. There are very
few hungry and starving people in Meyerland or Memorial. In
fact, when you go to a social gathering you will probably notice
that most people are talking about just the opposite: “I have to
take off 10 pounds,” or “I am so happy, I just lost 10 pounds.” To
us, the problem is that we are eating too much food. Our
problem is—how can we push away from the table before
consuming too many calories.
However, in recent weeks the newspapers have daily been
reporting the story of the destitute and starving of Ethiopia.
Every day, hundreds of children and adults die simply
because they have no food. Every day we see pictures of babies
with bloated stomachs, bulging eyes, and pleading faces.
Every day we see pictures of mothers with dried out breasts
futilely attempting to nurse new-born babies. Every day we
*6*
^7 The four letters on the dreidel are nun, gim-
^77 mel, hay, and shin. These stand for “Nes gadol
haya sham,” meaning “A great miracle hap-
J pened there.”
1. Everyone gathers in a circle and starts
with 10 or 15 pennies (nuts, raisins, matchsticks,
etc.).
2. Each player puts one of these in the middle (called The
Pot).
3. The dreidel is spun by one player at a time. Whether he
wins or loses depends on which face of the dreidel is up when it
falls.
4. Nun means nisht or “nothing.” Player does nothing.
5. Gimmel means gantz or “all.” Player takes all of The Pot.
6. Hay means halb or “half.” Player takes half of what is in
The Pot.
7. Shin means shtel or “put in.” Player must pay the equi-
valent amount of The Pot.
8. When only one object or none is left in The Pot, every
player adds one. When an odd number of objects are in The
Pot, the player rolling hay, “half,” takes half the total plus one.
9. When one person has won everything the game is over.
see pictures of crying mothers holding babies who have just
died of malnutrition or are on the verge of dying.
This is not merely a problem that is facing a few hundred
Ethiopians. This is a problem that has ensnared millions of
Ethiopians.
In the opening pages of the Bible we are told that God
created all men and women in His image. We are all children
of God, whether our skin is white, black, or brown. We are all
children of God, whether we were born in the United States,
Israel or Ethiopia. Religious background or origin of birth is
immaterial in regard to one’s closeness to God. To God, every
human being is a precious object.
That is why I am making a second appeal to you. Every year
I ask you to donate to Bet Kay in Israel to help rehabilitate
severly wounded Israeli veterans—and, at the present, we are
in the midst of that drive. I hope to personally bring the money
we raise to Bet Kay when we visit Bet Kay on Tuesday, April
23.
But today I need your help again. The children of our Reli-
gious Schools have undertaken a drive to raise funds for the
starving Ethiopian people. I want to help them—and I know
that you too want to help them. We have in our hands the
ability to bring life back into the starving bodies of many
people half way round the world, and simultaneously we will
be able to teach our children the importance of the mitzvah of
Zedakah—even when it pertains to non-Jewish people.
That is why I ask you to join me in sending a donation to
these starving people. It will buy food and milk for them. Make
out your checks to: “Ethiopian Hunger Project” and send it to
“Ethiopian Hunger Project, c/o Beth Yeshurun Congregation,
4525 Beechnut, Houston, Texas 77096.” This is an important
mitzvah. The Mishnah (M. Sanhedrin 4:5) tells us: “He who
saves one life is as if he has saved the entire world.” Your
dollars can help you save many lives. Do not wait. Do not
procrastinate. Send in your check now. Thousands of people
will be indebted to you for your kindness and compassion.
—Rabbi Jack Segal
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Congregation Beth Yeshurun (Houston, Tex.). The Message, Volume 12, Number 13, December 1984, periodical, December 21, 1984; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1298437/m1/4/: accessed July 9, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.