Texas Jewish Post (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 64, No. 16, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 22, 2010 Page: 16 of 24
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16 I April 22,2010
TEXAS JEWISH POST SSINCE 1947
D'var Torah
One little verse makes all the difference
in becoming or remaining ritually
impure (tamay). The practical sig-
nificance of ritual impurity is lim-
ited to things connected to
the Holy Temple in Jerusa-
lem; one who is tamay may
not set foot in the Temple
but must purify himself
in order to do so. Today,
when the Temple no longer
stands — having been de-
stroyed almost 2,000
years ago — all these
laws of tumah and
semen that has not MOT of immersion in the
served to create an * mikvah would be rel-
embryo, or with By Rav Hainan Schlesinger egated to the dustbin,
In this week's Torah portion,
Parashat Acharei Mot, there is
one little verse which rescues the
Torah's laws of ritual
impurity (tumah) from
modern irrelevance. The
central principle of holi-
ness in our Torah is life;
anything that smacks of
death, or of the frustra-
tion of life or of birth,
is a source of tu- _ . _ . . _
mah. Contact with
a corpse, or with -A i..
menstrual blood,
generates a state of tumah that can
be undone only through immer-
sion in the purifying waters of the
mikvah, the ritual bath. However,
according to rabbinic tradition,
there is no prohibition or shame
if not for the verse that
tells us sexual intimacy between
man and woman is absolutely for-
bidden during the time of tumah
created by the blood flow of men-
struation. A woman is rendered
ritually impure by the menstrual
flow — literally the components
of life that have not been allowed
actualization — and must be pu-
rified by bathing in the waters of
the mikvah as a condition to re-
establishing sexual intimacy with
her husband.
The significance of this is noth-
ing short of earth-shattering. If
what goes on in the home's inner
sanctum is treated by the same laws
that govern what goes on in God's
symbolic abode, if sexual contact
between man and wife is circum-
scribed by the same limitations
that are in force concerning con-
tact between man and God, then
marital relations are equivalent
to entering into the Temple. Inti-
macy between husband and wife
is on a par with intimacy between
man and God. The Jewish family
is like unto the Holy Temple.
The sexual union, the source
of humankind's ability to bring
life into this world and to there-
by follow in the footsteps of the
Creator Himself, is sanctified.
It is almost like the rendezvous
between man and God in the
Temple — and must be treated
with similar reverence. There are
limitations and boundaries that
govern our contact with holiness.
The Temple must never be treated
as mundane; approach to it re-
quires spiritual readiness. Such
is the case with sexuality as well.
It must not be commonplace; it
must be approached with awe.
The sexual relationship is not to be
consummated at all times, and it
demands spiritual preparation lest
it be cheapened and we lose sight of
its grandeur.
Today there is no Temple edifice
in Jerusalem, but the temple of Jew-
ish matrimony is still with us, and
its holiness is still a living reality
— if we allow it to be so. The laws
regulating and uplifting relations
between husband and wife are all
that are left today of these ancient
frameworks of holiness. The home
is the last remaining holy sanctum;
marital intimacy between husband
and wife is just about all we have
of the sanctity once embodied by
the Temple. The laws that govern
the relationship between husband
and wife, and their union, allow
us to replicate the holiness of the
Jerusalem Temple, here and in our
time. Let us not deprive ourselves
of this great opportunity for sanc-
tification.
Rav Ha nan Schlesinger is director of com-
munity education and community rabbinic
scholar of the Community Kollel of Dallas,
located on the Schultz-Rosenberg Campus. He
can be reached at 214-789-7241.
Obituaries
Sarah C. Shannahoff
Sarah C. Shannahoff, age 94, was
laid to rest on April 7, 2010 in San
Diego, Calif., next to her beloved
husband David, who predeceased
her in 2006. Sarah was born in
Chicago, 111., in 1915. She and Da-
vid were married in 1943 and had
a loving and beautiful marriage for
62 years. Sarah lived in San Diego
for 55 years until moving to Dal-
las in 2006 to be near her daughter
Carole Wolanow and her family.
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Acknowledgement on Akiba's website and in
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Open to the entire community:
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Thank you to our sponsors:
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Liz and Robert Liener, Dan and Stephanie Prescott, Nicole and Andy Schultz, Texas Jewish Post,
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Sarah worked as an executive sec-
retary for CalTrans. Following her
retirement, she and David traveled
the world and explored many cul-
tures. Her hobbies included sewing,
knitting and crocheting. She was a
devoted and hardworking mem-
ber of many charitable organiza-
tions including Hadassah, ORT and
B'nai B nth Women. Sarah taught
Sunday school and traveled to Is-
rael in the late '60s with a group of
Sunday school teachers from all
over the United States on a six-week
tour. That was the first of her many
trips to Israel. She was a true Zion-
ist. She is survived by her daughter
Carole Wolanow and her husband
Joram, their grandchildren Helen
and Zachary Brown, all of Dallas;
her son David Shannahoff-Khalsa
of Del Mar, Calif.; her elder brother
George Cooper and his wife Trudy
of Glenview, 111.; and many loving
nieces, nephews, great-nieces and
great-nephews both in the United
States and in Israel. Services were en-
trusted to Stephen B. Blend through
North Dallas Funeral Home.
Charles A. Zamutt
Charles (Chuck) Allan Zamutt,
57, of Dallas died April 14, 2010.
Born Dec. 2, 1952, to Dolores and
Marvin Zamutt in Chicago, 111.,
Charles A.
Zamutt
he was a loving father and caring
friend. A classical pianist, he enter-
tained and inspired many with his
music and his
love for the arts.
Chuck was pre-
ceded in death
by his father. He
is survived by
his loving and
adoring fam-
ily: wife leanne;
twins Emma
and Matthew:
stepdaughter
laclyn Gitlin; mother Dolores; sis-
ter Ari Zamutt and husband Mark;
sister Wendy and partner Vicki
Walther; brother Mark and wife Ter-
ry; and many nieces and nephews.
He was the son-in-law of Mrs. Eve-
lyn Evans of Fort Worth. The family
extends heartfelt thanks to his doc-
tors and their staff, including those
at Methodist Dallas Medical Cen-
ter. Funeral services were held April
16 in the Olan Sanctuary at Temple
Emanu-El, with Rabbi Debra Rob-
bins officiating. Interment followed
at Sparkman/Hillcrest Memorial
Park. The family suggests that do-
nations be made to Tuzer Ballet, 410
North Glenville, Richardson, TX
75081. Services were entrusted to
Sparkman-Hillcrest.
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Wisch, Rene. Texas Jewish Post (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 64, No. 16, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 22, 2010, newspaper, April 22, 2010; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth188289/m1/16/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .