Jewish Life June 1958 by Jewish Action

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• EDITORIALS THE SUPREME RELIGIOUS CENTER DYNAMITE AND DESEGREGATION ...... WILLIAM WEISS ¡T'J} ...................................

3 4 5

• ARTICLES ISRAEL'S EDUCATIONAL SCENE Zvi E. Kurzweil

WHY JEWS DON'T DRINK........................... 12 Israel I. Taslitt EN ROUTE TO A MODERN SYNTHESIS . 17 Emanuel Rackman PESACH AT FORT SAM HOUSTON, T E X A S ...............................................................•••• 24 A. Rubin Huttler THE LOST JEWS OF CHINA........................ 31 Arnold Sherman ERETZ YISROEL—THE SPIRITUAL IDEAL.... 35 Justin Hofmann A GREAT ARTIST............................ .......... 41 Alfred Werner THE STORY OF ISRAEL, THE CONVERT 47 Aaron Chait

• BOOK REVIEWS THE HIRSCH CHUMOSH IN ENGLISH ... 51 Hugo Mandelbaum

• DEPARTMENTS HASHKOFAH: THE PREMISE OF FAITH... 22 Samson R. Weiss AMONG OUR CONTRIBUTORS................

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR............................. 59 EXCERPTS selected and translated by David M. Hausdorff

DR. ZVI E. K U R ZW EIL has contributed a number of articles on education and literature to J ewish L ife . Educated at leading yeshivoth and universities in Europe, Dr. Kurzweil now lives in Haifa where he is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Modern Languages of the Israel Institute of Technology—the Technion. R ABB I EM A N U E L RACK M AN , ordained at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University, is also a graduate of Columbia University Law School. He is the Rabbi

of Congregation Shaaray Tefila, Far Rockaway, New York and is Lecturer in Political Science at Yeshiva University. ISR A EL I. T A S L I T T is vice-president for the Midwest Region of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America. He is also a Columnist for the Cleveland “Jewish Review and Observer” , and is head of Reniarc Associates, publishers of

among our contributors

educational material for Jewish schools. DR. A LFR ED W E R N E R has taught art history at Wagner College. He is the author of several books and a contributor to the Encyclopedia Britannica. DR. JU S T IN HOFM ANN was ordained at the Hebrew Theo logical College of Chicago. He received his M.A. and Doctorate in Education at the University of Buffalo, where he currently serves as director of the B ’nai B ’rith Hillel Foundation. AARO N C H A IT , a Yiddish journalist for many years in Poland and America, is a regular contributor to the “Jewish Morning Journal” and the Yiddish weekly, “ The Americaner” . Mr. Chait

j j is the author of the novel “ Reizele dem ShochetY’. AR N O LD SH ERM AN has traveled widely in the U S. and Eur ope. He received his education at LaSalle University and the Asia Institute. His articles have appeared in numerous AngloJewish magazines.

Cover: Heychal Shlomo, the new Supreme Religious Center in Jerusalem, headquarters of the Chief Rabbinate. (Photo courtesy Religious Zionists of America.) 2

JEWISH LIFE

The Supreme Religious Center HE recent dedication in Jerusalem of “Heyehal Shlomo”, the imposing new Supreme Religious Center housing the headquarters of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, marks an impor tant, perhaps decisive, point in the religious development of mods ern Jewry. It is often said of religious edifices that their impor tance lies in the spiritual forces which they embody, rather than in their physical qualities. This becomes much more than a truism in the case of the new Supreme Religious Center.

Within this strikingly designed seven story building, there will now be housed all the offices of the Chief Rabbinate and the central religious courts of Israel, a great library and institutes of Torah research, and a variety of other facilities. Grouping to gether Israel’s official ecclesiastical agencies in an efficient work ing unit, the new building will provide a dignified setting for the development of their moral and practical stature. Ultimately, many feel, the forces generated from the Supreme Religious Center may transcend the formal bounds of the present jurisdic tion of Israel’s Chief Rabbinate. The institution may evolve into the source of spiritual guidance for K’lal Yisroel. In the State of Israel, the Jewish people has been granted a focal point for its reintegration as a nation. No less than in the political and social realm, Jewry is in critical need of a focal N eeded: point for the reintegration of its spiritual resources. The fact A Focal must be recognized that in the absence of a specific religious Point authority to which all believing Jews can turn, Jewry will remain fragmentized, increasingly a prey to the attrition of the modern environment. It is visionary, perhaps, to contemplate the establishment of a focal center of religious direction by process of formal or ganization. Rather, it can emerge through organic development. The Chief Rabbinate of Israel, in the broader setting of the Supreme Religious Center, can serve as a nucleus for the inte gration of Torah leadership throughout the world — the neces sary pre-condition for the rebuilding of religious solidarity in the House of Israel. The prestige which the office of Chief Rabbinate of Israel enjoys among world Jewry is enhanced by the reverence which its incumbents command. Pertinent, in this connection, is the thought voiced by Rabbi Nissim at the Heyehal Shlomo dedica tion ceremonies, to the effect that the Rabbi cannot fulfill his June, 1958

function unless he is free from political controls or partisan pressures. Were the Chief Rabbinate ever to become the instru ment of political factions, it would lose the very basis of its dig nity, influence, and potential. The dedication of the Supreme Religious Center should serve as a manifestation of the continu ing fruition of the lofty concept of an untrammeled Rabbinate. r r i H E very largeness of the vistas opened by the Heychal JL Shlomo have brought it opposition as well as support. Its chief proponents are those whose ideology embraces both Torah and the State of Israel. Some, however, at the moment look askance at the project, adjudging it to be particularly identified with the aforementioned. Non-religious Zionist elements, on their part, see the Supreme Religious Center solidifying and enhancing the position of Torah forces in Israel, to their disadvantage, while the anti-orthodox of other stripes are alarmed by ¡the very pros pect of a potent center for the reassertion of Jewish principles. The Will these contrasting attitudes hobble the development of the People's..Supreme Religious Center? Will it become enmeshed in partisanWill ships, entangled in political and ideological rivalries? These alltoo-real impediments will demand, no less than the immensity of primary problems with which the Chief Rabbinate must come to grips, the application of the highest degree of wisdom, under standing, and courage. But the ultimate decision will lie with the masses of Jewry. It was, in the final analysis, these masses who, under Divine guidance, willed that the Land of Israel be redeemed as a Jewish State. It will be through the exercise of a like profound, Divinely-guided instinct for the fulfillment of an historic need, ¡that our people will affirm its spiritual unity, turn ing for common guidance and direction to the premier seat of Torah authority in the holy city of Jerusalem.

Dynamite and Desegregation n n HE wave of dynamite attacks upon Jewish institutions in J_ several Southern states opens a new phase in the upheavals wrought by resistance to the Supreme Court ruling on desegrega tion of the public schools. The attacks, it is clear, are designed not merely to intimidate Jews against aiding efforts to secure jus tice for the Negro. Manifesting a planned pattern, they are meant ¡to advertise the intent of their perpetrators to go to .any length to achieve their ends. Responsible organs of Southern opinion, together with the rank and file of Southerners, have voiced their sense of burning shame and indignation at the outrages. The sincerity and force 4

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of these expressions give unmistakable assurance that the ele ments responsible for the outrages are abhorred by Southerners A N ational at jarge jt j s to be hoped, therefore, that reaction to the attacks, Menace 0pening the eyes of all to fatal dangers, will result in effective action. There can be no temporizing with forces of terror. In any event, the terrorist moves will surely not deter Jews from acting as conscience and judgment dictate. No Jew can rest easy while the belief that all men are children of one Father is mocked, while the concept that all men are created equal is violated, while the Supreme Court and the Constitution of the United States are defied. All men of good will must extend to the South the fullest measure of understanding in its painful problem of adjustment to a change in the pattern upon which Southern society has been based for generations. But there lies at stake more than the Southern pattern of life, and more even than the rights of Negroes. A great moral principle, the very foundation stone of American democracy, is at stake, and the inexorable laws of history will permit no further compromise in its application. The attacks upon Jewish institutions contrast with the fact that Southern Jewry, by and large, has sought to avoid any inMora/ volvement with the desegregation controversy. The problem, they Commitment have maintained, lies within the Christian community. Some Necessary Southern Jews, in fact, have strongly opposed expressions by national Jewish organizations on the issue. The attacks, however, illustrate once again that the forces of social reaction will in evitably strike against Jews. The development has both dem onstrated the broader ramifications of the problem and thrust it into the area of direct Jewish concern. Jewish welfare, no less than our principles as Jews and Americans, dictates that Ameri can Jews give moral and practical support to the search for a basic resolution of this basic American problem.

William Weiss n"j? E record with sorrow the passing of William Weiss, Hono rary President of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congre gations of America. Throughout a lifetime of selfless service to his people, this beloved personage gave himself unceasingly to the work of the Union, of which he was president in the crucial years 1933-1942, as well as to innumerable other facets of the Jewish cause. A builder of Jewish life, he left an enduring legacy.

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William Weiss will be sorely missed. May the memory of his achievements and lofty purpose inspire Jewish endeavor through out the years to come. June, 1958

Israel’s Educational Scene By ZVI E. KURZWEIL.

An appraisal of Israel’s complex of schools and their unique social, ideological, and educational problems .

ALF A MILLION Israeli chil immigrants, imparting the Hebrew dren are being educated in State- language and generally raising the maintained or State-subsidized schools.cultural standard of those neWly es This represents an imposing figure. tablished communities, is considerable. Like in Europe and America, the A large proportion of them are taught in small villages and isolated settle educational system of the country is ments along the widely stretched fron undergoing a rapid process of femi tiers of the country. To build so many nization. Over 90% of Israel’s train schools within a comparatively short ing institutions are turning out women time and to keep them supplied with teachers. This feminization of educa teachers and equipment and put them tion, though accepted outside Israel under a central inspectorate, is an as natural and inevitable in view of organizational achievement of the first the social forces which help to bring it about, is nevertheless regarded as order. Great efforts are being made to in somewhat anomalous and undesirable crease the number of teachers trained in Israel, in view of the long tradi in the numerous Israeli training insti tion of Jewish education which has, tutions and to encourage them to go always taken the man teacher for out into remote districts in the Negev granted. and the Galil in order to teach the HE main problem besetting Is children of the settlers. The number raeli education at the present time of volunteers for this pioneering work is the proper integration of Oriental was hithertd inadequate, considering the numerous schools which had to be children, that is to say, children im opened for the children of new im migrated from Asiatic and African migrants and other settlers. Accord countries as well as the children born ingly, graduates of teacher training of Oriental parents in Israel. It is be institutions, largely girls, are being coming increasingly clear that these | exempted from military service and children cannot keep up with the rate directed to areas which under normal of progress of children of European conditions could not attract sufficient origin or of “sabras” born of Euro numbers of teachers. These new re pean parents. At first, the seriousness cruits are proving a great asset to of this problem was not fully realized Israel’s educational system and their by the Israeli educational authorities. share in educating the children of new It was believed that more time was

JEWISH LIFE

C hildren of O rien tal im m igrants give ex pression to their ab ilities in crafts a t the Bessie G otsfeld C hildren's V illage a n d Farm School at R a a n a n a , a project of the M izrachi W om en's O rg an izatio n of A m erica.

needed to allow for the proper inte gration of these children. Adminis trative rather than educational meas ures were adopted for the solution of this problem. Some two years ago it was decided to move children to higher classes according to age rather than scholastic attainments and thus it was believed that failures could be administratively “abolished”. As time went on this measure proved unavail ing. Instead of decreasing, the re tardation of these children accumu lated, which further accentuated the problem. The amount of retardation of Ori ental children has been shown in a number of educational research proj ects carried out on behalf of the June, 1958

Henrietta Szold Foundation for Child and Youth Welfare which were pub lished in its research quarterly “Me gamoth”. These studies prove that about 54% of children whose parents immigrated from Asiatic and African countries show unsatisfactory school records and cannot be moved to high er classes on the strength of their scholastic attainments. Their retarda tion seems to flow from the rigidly patriarchal structure of the culturally underdeveloped Oriental family which does not encourage communication, nor rouse the intellectual curiosity of the child. Thus the child grows up with a poor vocabulary, inadequate knowledge, and diminished powers of abstract thinking and expression.

There are experts who point to the the aim and content of Israeli educa unfavourable social and unsettled eco tion as a whole has become a burning nomic conditions of many Oriental issue to the Israeli people at large. families as the main source of the The discussion was started in conse educational retardation of their chil quence of a decision of the Ministry dren, rejecting the assumption that of Education to include a subject the children’s unsatisfactory school called “Todaah Yehudith” ( “Jewish records are the result of a lower in Consciousness”) in the curriculum of telligence. However this may be, it is all Israeli primary schools.* This a fact that environmental conditions measure, which will hardly appear are not susceptible to quick change revolutionary to Jews living outside and so it is natural that a number Israel, has here engendered a rather of educational measures have been heated controversy. Expressed briefly, suggested in order to bring about a Todaah Yehudith means what is called more satisfactory integration of these in English-speaking countries religious children in the Israeli educational instruction, i.e., instruction about the set-up. These measures include a low essential features of the Jewish reli ering of the kindergarten age by two gion, comprising as it does religious years. This will make it possible for observances, the Siddur, the Jewish these children to receive an early calendar with its outstanding days, nursery school education at the hands an explanation of symbols such as of qualified nursery teachers; an ad Tefillin, Tzitzith, Mezuzah, and other ditional year of primary school teach religious customs which mark the ing which will allow for the slower life of the Jew everywhere. Hand in development of these children; and hand with such instruction the Israeli finally the adoption of such methods child should be informed about the of teaching as are best adapted to life of the Jewish communities out side Israel with a view of impress their needs. The large scale adoption of such ing upon him the fundamental unity measures will undoubtedly impose a of the Jewish people and the inter heavy burden on Israeli education. dependence of Israel and the Dias The fact that in spite of Israel’s fi pora. In spite of the opposition of vari nancial stringency such measures are seriously contemplated shows the im ous groups who saw in the compulsory portance the Israel authorities attach religious instruction of all Israeli chil to the gradual raising of the cultural dren a measure conflicting with their level of these immigrant children, conception of a secular education, which may prevent the final division Todaah Yehudith has been adopted of the Yishuv into two ethnically as and incorporated in the Israeli cur well as culturally different commu riculum. It is interesting to note that the opposition to Todaah Yehudith nities. originated in certain party-political HILE the discussion of the edu circles and not in parents’ associa cation of Oriental children re tions of schools, which seems to indi cate that the provision of Jewish mains, for the time being, confined to educational circles—teachers, psy religious instruction at school is not chologists, social workers and educa *See “ ‘Jewish Identification’ in Israel” , J ewish tional administrators—the question of L ife , Nisan, 5718.

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being unfavorably viewed in most Israeli homes. Needless to say, the introduction of Todaah Yehudith into the Israeli cur riculum does not obviate the separate existence of State religious and Inde pendent religious schools. Todaah Ye hudith will not transform secular schools into religious schools. Infor mation about fundamental religious observances is not identical with edu cation for Torah and Mitzvoth. The aim is rather to combat ignorance about things Jewish, but no identifi cation with the Jewish religious heri tage is implied by the originators of this educational reform. Orthodox Jewry may therefore welcome the teaching of Todaah Yehudith as a first sign of change of spirit in non

religious circles without the least ap prehension that the raison d’etre of orthodox schools may be thereby di minished. II. HE school population of State religious institutions and the In dependent religious schools (Chinuch Atzmai) amounts to about 30% of Israel’s total school population. This seems at first sight an impressive fig ure, but does not appear adequate on further analysis. It must be borne in mind that the recent waves of Ori ental Jews who came to. the country and whose background is essentially religious account for about 50% of Israel’s primary school population. Only part of these children are edu-

In its w e ll-b a la n c e d curriculum , the G otsfeld Farm School p u rsu e s scientific stu d ies a s w ell a s p ra c tic a l crafts a n d a g ricu ltu ral train in g . June, 1958

cated in religious schools. Moreover, terial equipment as compared with its in view of the considerably higher secular counterpart. This is frankly ad birthrate of religious Jews in com mitted by spokesmen of Orthodoxy— parison with those who are not reli particularly as fa r as secondary gious it mùst be realized that the schools are concerned—who say that , number of children in religious pri it is beyond their financial means to mary schools cannot be regarded as compete in this field with secular fully representative of the actual schools.* They appeal to religious strength of religious Jewry in Israel. parents to “forego for the sake of the In their attempt to explain the un spirit and content of education some satisfactory number of children at thing of that convenience which prop tending religious primary schools, er school buildings and adequate those responsible for religious edu equipment afford”. Such appeals,; cation accuse the Ministry of Educa however, are unlikely to carry much tion of discriminating against reli influence. In view of the impact of gious children and of not carrying modern educational concepts on peo out in letter and spirit the provisions ple’s minds, suitable school buildings, of the Education Act. This law im adequate space, ample equipment, and poses on local authorities throughout good sanitation are no longer regarded Israel the duty to provide for the reli as mere matters of convenience, but gious education of children whose as vital conditions for the proper func parents wish them to be brought up tion of a school. Nor should the problem of staffing in the spirit of religious tradition. The question of the fair implemen be left out of account in this con tation of the Education Act with re text. It is a fact that the percentage gard to the obligation of the Israel of unqualified teachers is far higher Government to provide religious edu in the religious schools than in the cation for children who come from non-religious schools. Religious women religious homes has recently been dis teachers are exempted from military cussed at top level. Suffice it to say service and cannot therefore be di that it is not being recognized that rected by the military authorities to the children of new immigrants from teach where the need for qualified Oriental countries should be eo ipso teachers is greatest. These facts can directed to religious schools. On the not but diminish the appeal of reli other hand, the Controller of the State gious schools, particularly in the eyes (M ’vaker Hamedinah) has been re of wavering and undecided parents. quested to examine present arrange N interesting phenomenon in the ments for the school registration of field of religious education is immigrant children with a view to the gradual decline of the religious ascertaining whether there is in fact any discrimination against religious high school and the growing popu children and whether pressure is be larity of the secondary yeshivah {Ye ing brought to bear upon immigrant shivah Tichonith), a school combin parents to send their children to sec ing a normal yeshivah course with ular schools. Israel, secondary schools are not established The relative numerical weakness of *In or maintained by the national government, but by private sources and organizations, and to a the religious school may be partly ex lim ited extent by a few municipalities, as dis plained by the inferiority of its ma cussed later in this article.—Editor.

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secondary education leading to the Israeli Matriculation Examination (Bagruth) and given in afternoon or evening hours. The weakness of this type of education lies in the fact that there are parents who feel that the secondary yeshivah cannot possibly do justice to the exacting require ments of an Israeli secondary school curriculum in a few evening hours. Thus it may be said that the Yeshivah Tichonith attracts only children of those parents who view the intensive religious education of their children as a matter of paramount importance and who would have sent their chil dren to a yeshivah in any case. The dominating trend in Israel’s religious education may be described as “centripetal”, that is to say tend ing towards the centre of Judaism. A reflection of this trend is to be seen in religious Jewry’s withdrawal from Torah im Deredi *Eretz, that educa tional ideal associated with the name of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, whose aim it was to harmonize the Torah with Western culture. As a re action to the secular spirit of the State, religious Jewry in Israel has entrenched itself in the spiritually well fortified regions around thè yeshivoth. Rightly or wrongly, it has given up hope of bringing under its influence wider circles of Israeli Jews. This spirit of withdrawal and aloof ness characterizes many of the Israeli yeshivoth, whose influence is not be ing sufficiently felt in public life and Israeli society at large. Yeshivah stu dents do not come forward in large numbers in order to volunteer as

June, 1958

teachers in under-staffed immigrant village schools. Nor are they eager to fill the many vacancies in primary and secondary schools where there is an acute shortage of teachers capable of teaching subjects such as Tanach, Aggadah, Mishnah, and Talmud. ONSIDERING the larger cities of Israel one by one with refer ence to the adequacy of religious edu cation being provided, it may be said that Jerusalem as the “mother-town in Israel” is well provided with religious schools of all types. In Tel Aviv, sec ondary schools, including religious sec ondary schools, are maintained by the Municipality which has established a number of large religious secondary schools of a high standard. The prob lem of religious education is most acute in Haifa where schools of a sec ondary type are all of a private char acter and only very partly subsidized by the Municipality. In Haifa there are only two religious high schools, both small, catering respectively to some 100 boys and to approximately the same number of girls. The main reason for this unsatisfactory state of affairs is undoubtedly the poor hous ing and equipment of these schools. In order to enable them to attract many more pupils—Haifa as the sec ond largest town in Israel is capable of “feeding” a religious school of some 1,000 secondary school p u p ils^ the material standards of these schools must be considerably raised. This, however, will not be brought about without the active help of Diaspora Jewry.

Why Jews Don't Drink By ISRAEL I. TASLITT

VERY now and then, one area or favor of moderation, in that from another of Jewish life arouses the childhood the Jew is conscious of the intellectual curiosity of the thinkingsacramental nature of wine, which he world, with the result that one more sees and tastes on Sabbath and the study of the seed of Abraham is added festivals. This contention is obviously sound, to the growing library of “what-is-a although drunkenness cannot be said Jew"’. Recently the Yale Center of Alco to be prevalent among Jews who holic Studies published a book by Dr. happen to be non-observant. Prof. Charles R. Snyder, Professor of Soci Snyder’s suggestion, however, does go ology at Yale University, named “Al along with a formula which we recog cohol and the Jews”. In this book nize to be basic in Judaism, namely* Professor Snyder presents an array of the sanctification of those areas of statistics to the effect that Jews have human experience which, unless modi the fewest alcoholics on the one hand fied by the civilizing influence of Di and the smallest number of teetotalers vine law, tend to hamper the elevation on the other, proving that in this area, of man from his primitive stages. Thus too, there holds the moderation to the Sabbath was hallowed in order to which the Jew has been conditioned enable man to satisfy his soul as well as to catch his breath. The seasonal by his faith and background. There are other elements that con feasts, which for primitive man were tribute to the conclusions shown by occasions for an assortment of orgies, the statistics, says Prof. Snyder. Jews, were vested with historical significance he believes, place greater emphasis on rooted in religious observance, so that eating “as a means of alleviating psy their spiritual connotation might ele chic tensions”* which should explain vate the established custom of ac why Jacob was in the position to ob knowledging nature’s bounty. Similarly, the Bible has placed wine tain the birthright from Esau. This contention may also well be applied in the same category, and the status to the intensive organizational pen of wine in the sociological history of chant of the Jew. Belonging to a host the Jewish people provides a most en of societies of all kinds, he is obliged tertaining as well as instructive study. to attend innumerable dinners and MONG the Lord’s gifts to the pal banquets which, while they may be ate of man, the fruit of the vine tedious in the extreme, psychologically enjoys a position of distinction and keep him on an even keel— something that excessive drinking cannot be ex honor. All the liquor advertisements that stretch across the nation’s bill pected to do. Prof. Snyder further suggests that boards from coast to coast are at best the element of Kedushah in the Kid- a paraphrase of the Psalmist’s observa dush exerts a profound influence in tion that “wine gladdeneth the heart

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of man”. In the Song of Songs the flow of wine runs a parallel course with the streams which, however mighty, cannot put out the fires of love. “. . . He brought me to the house of wine; and his banner over me was love.” “. . . I am come into my garden . . . I have drunk of my wine with my milk . | . drink, yes, drink copiously, O beloved” But ; more than a source of glad ness, wine was also the symbol of national security and individual well being (“each man under his vine”). It represented the height of familial bliss (“thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine’’) . The vineyard was a man’s most prized possession. He “fenced it, and gathered out the stones, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein”. Such was the importance of the vineyard that a man who had planted one but had not yet eaten of its fruit,was ex empt from military service until he had done so. Conversely, transgression and in iquity brought about the loss of this gift. “Since ye have trodden upon the poor”, cried Amos, “and ye take away from him his load of wheat, therefore, though ye have planted vineyards ye shall not drink of their wine.” is t o r ic a l l y ,

wine courses through the centuries in one dra matic episode after another. No mention is made of the fruit of the vine in the Torah prior to the Flood. Evidently during this period, when “the wickednes of man was great in the earth”, the presence of an in toxicant would have caused worse demoralization. It remained for Noah to “discover” wine, and his first bout with it 'was shameful and distastrous. This is a

June, 1958

most significant episode, for it points to the deep-rootedness of the drinking habit (just as the épisode of Cain and Abel points up the deep-rootedness of jealousy), at a very early stage in our concept of history. This episode also carries a note worthy homiletic interpretation. Noah’s youngest son Ham, who heaped ig nominy on his father’s shame, was cursed by Noah to a “slave of slaves”. This curse came into expression among the children of Ham, the Canaanites, whose cults of drunken orgies made them an abomination and eventually brought about their total degeneracy. In the interim, as we know, the Canaanite curse communicated itself to others, the Hebrews included. From the words of Eli to Hannah (“How long wilt thou be drunken? Put away thy wine from thee.” ) it is evident that even at the sanctuary of Shiloh drunkenness was not an uncommon sight. Canaan preceded Jeremiah’s de scription of Babylon, which had “made all the earth drunken; the nations have drunk of her wine”. The contaminating influence con tinued. Every period of backsliding, every foreign alliance brought about disastrous repetitions of Ham’s curse. Instead of gladdening the heart, wine weakened the moral fibre of the peo ple. “Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning,” warned Isaiah, “that they may pursue strong drink, that continue until night, till wine inflame them”, and, “Woe to the crown of the pride of the drunkards of Ephraim . (it) shall be trodden under foot.” Prince and pauper alike succumbed. “The priest and the prophet,” charged Isaiah, “reel through strong drink, they are confused because of wine, they stagger because of strong drink; they reel in vision, they totter in judgment.” 13

ITH the fall of Jerusalem a new era set in. Pagan beliefs crumbled under the combined impact of barbarian onslaught and the advent of Christianity. But although Zeus no longer held sway on Mount Olympus and Jupiter faded into the realm of mythology, Bacchus and Dionysus continued with their activities unabatedly. For it was the drawing power of the new faith that it required naught of the convert but faith in its founder. The cup of Babylon re mained a tradition, even though the seat of power moved to Rome and Byzantium. Simultaneously there came a change in the Jewish formula of endurance. With sovereignty gone, the vineyard which had once symbolized stability and contentment was now a memory, but a memory kept alive through its application to the new formula. From the “vineyard in Yavneh” there grew the institutions of learning which re main unmatched in the annals of man. In this new orientation excessive drinking certainly was out of bounds. For not only was it a trademark of the civilization which had destroyed Judea, but it also addled the brain and numbed the mind, and was therefore wholly incompatible with Torah study, which became, with increasing pas sion, the core of Jewish life and the fountainhead of its eternality. But the zeal for learning was not the sole factor. For just as modern Jewish endurance has come about through the combination of inner strength and outside hostility, just so was the case with the tradition of sobriety. After the period which saw the final redaction of the Talmud, then throughout the Dark Ages and be yond, outside forces deepened the Jew’s aversion to the pagan hangover.

For by this time alcohol had become an active ingredient in the poisonous recipes of Antisemitism. It raged scar the let under the cauldrons of bigotry and hatred, in which these recipes were brought to a boil. It fueled and pow ered the mob robots that sought out the Jews and drove them from one country to the next. Many a pogrom was born in the fume-filled swamp of a tavern bacchanalia, whence it poured forth in a stream of violence and brutality. The Jew was far too harrassed to philosophize about cause and effect, but he readily understood and recog nized the nature of the disease. Shikker iz er, trinken miz er, vail er iz a goy. Not from prejudice or blind hatred but from horrible experience did the Jew learn that intoxication was part and parcel of the personality of his tormentors. Therefore, while he had every right to develop an abiding hatred for them and for everything they represented, the Jew felt other emotions — a contemptuous pity for the drunken mob, an even deeper scorn for its scheming instigators, and commiseration with the Almighty over the degeneracy of His handiwork. It was deplorable that the Lord had promised never to bring back the Flood, but had not similarly promised to prevent the reincarnation of the world before i t . . . Often the Jew has wondered about the deep-rootedness of this tradition. He still does. Not so long age “Life” magazine, in a feature article about American Jewry, quoted what seemed to be a definite opinion in non-Jewish quarters, that the Jew’s failure to get drunk, at least once in a while, con tributed to his unpopularity. (On the other hand, Immanuel Kant believed tht Jews tended to refrain from ex cessiveness in order not to be conJEWISH LIFE

spicuous in the eyes of their neighbors. It is all very confusing). Many a Jewish reader of “Life” must have gone back to this statement about the Jew’s unpopularity. What kind of narishkeit was this? Who wants to get drunk, s'tom in der veil arain? You have to be fresh, and healthy, and meshuggeh . . . But why does the goy drink so much? OR MANY centuries the non-Jew B has had two centers of activity out side his own domicile. His spiritual

memory of the departed. “May the soul ascend even higher towards its Maker,” they say, because by this phase of the yahrtzeit observance the soul had caused living Jews to pro nounce a benediction over the bever age. Thus, while for the non-Jew drink ing has been and is an end in itself, the Jew, on the other hand, must have an appropriate occasion for it. Yet even when such an occasion does pre sent itself, excessive indulgence is.ex tremely rare. Well known is the story about Rabbi Levi-Yitzchok of Berditchev, famous in Jewish life and his tory for his undivided love of his fellow-Jews. It is related that, after services on one Simchath Torah, Rab bi Levi-Yitzchik was observed crawl ing on his hands and knees along the aisles of the shool and peering intently under the benches. Finally he rose and exclaimed: “ How wonderful are Thy people, O Master of the universe! Even on Simchath Torah, when they are bidden to drink and be merry, not one of them is to be found drunk”.

center has been his place of worship, the church. His social center has been the bar, the tavern, the club. Here good fellowship and drinking went glass-in-hand, and both were pleasant to contemplate, at least until they be came mutually blurred. Here the in ability to distinguish between “blessed be Mordechai” and “cursed be Haman” was the rule rather than ein mol in Purim. On the other hand, just as there was no praying in the tavern, neither was there drinking in the church. The Jew, on the other hand, has HE shool as a center of Jewish had but one center, namely, his shool life has lost a good deal of its ap —not the imposing synagogue but the peal among some of our people, and small Beth Hamidrosh. There he prayed, thrice daily. There he studied, simultaneously the “how” of drinking and there he enjoyed a pinch of snuff among Jews has undergone a change. while listening to some chochom ba- As Prof. Snyder proves statistically, laylah (midnight news analyst) ex the more “liberal” Jews are more lib pound on the cause of the world’s ills. eral with their drinking as well. For And there the Jew drank -— in a it is easier to imbibe liquor than to rather unique way. As Prof. Snyder absorb Torah, and where the urge for says, it’s not how much the Jew drinks conformance with the general society is greater, there one will find the most but how. A congregant, observing yahrtzeit, copious libations on the altar of brings to the dawn service a bottle of modernity. And yet, while Jewish “drunkards” schnapps and a bagful of kichel. After the “davvening”, with tallith and te- may crop up at one festive occasion phillin put away, the minyon gathers or another, they do not^-they cannot about the rear table and drinks from ¿¿-produce the unhibited primitiveness thick, one-ounce glasses to the blessed of the human personality which drink

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induces in other civilizations. Cen turies of conditioning have formed a protective coating about the Jews which, thus far, has been impervious to alcoholism. I recall an incident which, more than the good story that it makes, illustrates this fact most vividly. On a flying visit to Israel some five years ago, our planeload of El A1 tourists ran into bad weather over England and found itself stranded in London Airport. Afternoon dragged into evening, evening into night. It became apparent that we would be grounded at least until morning. (The planned stopover in Paris had already been cancelled, much to the disgust of the passengers.) Finally a bus took us to an inn on the outskirts of the city. It was December 31st. We arrived at the inn shortly before midnight. A New Year’s party was at its height. Couples in evening dress, obviously happy because another year of auster ity was behind them, were weaving in and out the decorated pillars that sup ported the old structure, while the music floated into the fog outside. Our group was asked to wait in the empty dining room while emergency accommodations were being arranged. To while the time away, I sat down at

the piano and began to plunk out a medley of Jewish tunes. My compan ions were too tired to protest. Suddenly the door burst open, and one of the celebrants from across the hall staggered in. He looked about until he had the location of the piano firmly set in his mind. “My name is ’arry,” he announced, propping himself up against the instru ment. “Can you play ‘Rozhinkes und Mandlen’?” The others clustered about. As I began to play the piece, Harry straightened up somewhat and tried to sing. A few choked sounds came forth, then Harry burst into tears— hot, unashamed. Was this Englishman in a dress suit thinking of a departed mother and her lullabies? Was he weeping for a childhood almost—but not quite—for gotten? Was he, in his carefree state of mind, groping his way back, back home? Here was a Jew. Drunk? Yes. But as Rabbi Levi-Yitzchok of Berditchev would have probably exclaimed: “How wonderful are Thy people, O Master of the universe! Though they be by the fiery waters of Ham, in their souls there plays the melody of their ancient heritage.” , ;

DIVINE REMEDY See how different are the w a y s of the A lm ighty from those of m ortal m an. W hen m an p rescrib es a rem ed y to his n eighbor, it m ay benefit one y et injure a n o th e r (or—it m ay b enefit one p a rt of the body a n d m ay injure an o th er). But the Holy O ne, b lessed is He, g a v e The Torah to Israel—a life-giving rem edy for all, a n d for the entire body, a s it is w riten: (Proverbs 4:22) “For they a re life to those who find them , h e a lin g to all their flesh". Talm ud, E yruvin 54-a

JEWISH LIFE

En Route to a Modern Synthesis By EMANUEL RACKMAN A discussion of Dr. Samuel Belkin’s program for integration of science and religion “ within the personality of the individual.”

EB Note Hirsch Finkel, one of the be, the real cause of the crime was greatest teachers of Musar in the their jealousy — the simple, unmis last generation, was wont to make takable a envy of the brothers. And thus brilliant point with regard to the Jo the Torah wanted to teach us that seph story. He held that it was simply whenever we fight over what may ap incredible that nine of Jacob’s chil pear to be issues of the greatest con dren should conspire to kill a tenth sequence, it may not be the significance only because they were jealous of their of the issues that incites us to violent father’s exceptional love for him. deeds or harsh words but rather a These were not ordinary men — these basic disturbance in our own psyches, were the great-grandchildren of Abra a base or vile passion, and nothing ham, the grandchildren of Isaac, and more. the progenitors of the sacred tribes of One may cite this brilliant insight Israel. How could they be so brutal of Reb Note Hirsch in connection as to kill Joseph, their own kin, be with many controversies presently rag cause they coveted his shirt, or even ing in the American Jewish commu because of his dreams! Nay, said Reb nity. Indeed, the zealots among us Note Hirsch. It must have been that may be giving expression to their own the brethren really fought over much emotional disturbance under the guise more significant issues pertaining to of a holy war. But I cite the insight Jewish law and Jewish philosophy. of Reb Note Hirsch in connection with Perhaps they even argued the relative Dr. Samuel Belkin’s warm and edify merits of democracy over monarchy ing “Essays in Traditional Jewish and wanted to kill Joseph because he Thought”* because I have seldom favored dictatorship. His views would been so impressed by a book of essays thus be a threat to the future happi that mirrored the author’s psyche as ness of all mankind. Undoubtedly the much as this one did. The ideas and controversy raged over matters that the programs suggested in the book seemed important enough to warrant reflect the humility of the writer and homicide or tyrannicide. But G-d re his great capacity for empathy. fused to reveal to us what it was that Furthermore, and what is even more they debated because the Torah wanted important, Dr. Belkin makes it abun us to realize that no matter what the dantly^ clear that he subscribes to the oral arguments may have appeared to * Philosophical Library, 1957; 191 pp., $3.50.

June, 1958

view that while we may not know the reasons for all the Mitzvoth, there is a purpose to Torah learning — and th at. purpose is the cultivation of a moral and spiritual personality, His essays thus represent a fulfillment of the philosophy of Musar. Without formally subscribing to the Musar school of thought, Dr. Belkin does hold that the observance of Mitzvoth is not an end in itself without relation to another and L^-fthe living of a moral and spiritual life in imitation of G-d. It is refreshing and reassuring to have this reminder in an age that is losing sight of it.

cated, committed religionists. The roster of Y. U. Alumni bears eloquent testimony to this fact. Moreover, the two bodies of learning can never really be synthesized or integrated philo sophically since they deal with reality from two distinctly different points of view — each of which is valid for its own given purpose. Dr, Belkin as sumes all of this but suggests ,-§g and here is his great point -Sg our genera tion suffers because we do not have persons in whose personalities there have been synthesized the practical know-how of the scientist with the moral values of the religionist. I quote Dr. Belkin:

T ¥ T H A T answer has Dr. Belkin for t V those who assail the traditional point of view and what program does he propose for the ascendancy of Orthodoxy? As I see it, Dr. Belkin has brought a new meaning to an old slogan of Yeshiva University, and his new mean ing is related to his underlying view that the Mitzvoth have a goal related to the transformation of human per sonality. When many of us — who are his contemporaries |§- first began studying at Yeshiva we were con fronted with what was a nineteenth century philosophical problem — the synthesis of science with religion, the synthesis of reason with faith. It was that problem that disturbed us as late as the twenties, and Dr. Bernard Revel, of blessed memory, was wont to talk of an intellectual synthesis of the two bodies of learning — each with its own methods and conclusions. Dr. Belkin — his successor —- takes the synthesis for granted. And cor rectly so, for reasons he does not de velop at length but to which he alludes in his essays. The fact is that we have always had numerous persons who were both brilliant scientists and dedi-

“ If we seek the blending of science and religion and the integration of secular knowledge with sacred wis dom, then it is not in the subject mat ter of these fields but rather within the personality of the individual that we hope to achieve the synthesis. “The primary reason for the establish ment of Yeshiva University was to de velop a generation here in America which would reflect a harmonious blending of Jewish traditions and the heritage of the great academies of Jew ish learning with a liberal education in the arts and sciences.”

These, however, are not mere quotes. They reverberate the most re current theme in the entire book, for the great purpose of Jewish learning is “to im plant. . . a spiritual and moral concept of life based upon the Torah, the Prophets, and the eternal tradi tions of Israel”. Even “the unification of knowledge” will come by the re integration of “our lives with the ideals of the Torah and with our search after G-d’s knowledge”. R. BELKIN fears for this world of ours if there is only science D to guide us. He wrote some of these essays during World War II; others after we discovered the gruesome facts of the greatest Jewish tragedy in our JEWISH LIFE

already bloody history; and still others during the Cold War. And one can readily appreciate how strongly he feels that humanity is doomed unless human personality . is transformed. Yet, how can it be better transformed than in the light of the Jewish heritage! “It is in the continuous process of main taining and further developing a moral and spiritual heritage that we develop a deeper sense of honor for our ante cedents and ascertain the moral way of life for our future generations.” “We believe that by reintegrating our lives with the ideals of the Torah we can further human knowledge and en noble man, for only godly knowledge can quicken secular learning with a higher purpose, and give to the human personality spiritual direction.” “This endless search after G-d’s knowl edge arid after man’s discoveries, when it becomes central in one’s life, creates a harmonious perfection in one’s per sonality.” “It is our duty to seek whatever is worthy in all that has been discovered by the human mind. It is, however, our greater obligation to search after G-d’s knowledge which serves as an end for human knowledge.” Assuming, however, with Dr. Bel kin, that what the world needs is more persons with committment to moral and spiritual values, one asks, how does Judaism accomplish this? Dr. Belkin replies: A Torah life does at least two things for the human per sonality •— one in depth, and the other in extension. By studying Torah one becomes a master of the eternal moral insights of the tradition, and by living Torah, by observing the com mandments, one extends those insights to every area of life, personal, familial, social, economic, political. Those who have shed their loyalty to Orthodoxy deny themselves both goals. By flout ing the Mitzvoth they make Judaism only a phase of their lives — they deny themselves Jewish extension — and by denying the authority of the June, 1958

Law, they make a sham of moral com mittment for everything good becomes merely relative and man-made. “One of the main principles of tradi tional Judaism is to emphasize the Di vine authority of the Law rather than the arbitrary authority of man.” OWEVER, Dr. Belkin’s concep tion of the observances as a means of getting morality and spiri tuality into all of life, is not only an ethical goal, but a practical necessity and a metaphysical desideratum. As a practical necessity, the problem of our day is “how to fuse a spiritual re birth with our material world”. “An abstract spiritual rebirth may be come merely an expression of ‘immor tality’, a disembodied soul. What the world needs today is a resurrection of the body, an infusion of spirit into material substance. It may, indeed, become fashionable to speak of G-d, of spiritual values, of theology and religion. But as long as these remain mere utterances separated from the world of creation, from the world of practice, then no matter how beautiful and inspiring they may be, they will, in the long run, have but little significance in the improvement of our daily con duct* in the creation of unity between the material world and spiritual pur pose, between body and soul.” However, the creation of unity be tween the material world and spiritual purpose is also a metaphysical desider atum. Judaism’s uniqueness and great ness* metaphysically speaking, has been its insistence on the fusing of soul into matter, instead of demeaning matter, or creating a dualism between matter and spirit. “In the Jewish concept, holiness is in a great measure the sanctification of the material and physical. In most of the mitzvoth which we observe, we achieve obedience to the word of tr-d by infusing active matter with a soul. Our laws of Kashruth, of family pu rity, of holiness;.signify, above all, the infusion of our physical, material deeds with a divine soul, a G-d-ordained dis-

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cipline, which, in effect and in essence, is the unification of soul and matter. Physical exaltation and joy as a means of achieving a religious experience are, in a sense, witnesses to the unity of body and soul. The duties of man to his fellow man deal primarily with material things, but concern for the material welfare of others symbolizes the completeness of man, the unity of body and soul, the synthesis of the material and the spiritual.” ‘‘The supreme aim of Kedushah is the sanctification of the commonplace by hallowing the licit and by giving earthly virtue a heavenly ideal. Juda ism as a way of life finds no antagon ism between the spiritual and material domains and does not consider religion as something that deals only with the world to come.” Dr. Belkin is thus strengthening his basic conception that the goal of Yeshiva University is a synthesized personality. He is maintaining that Judaism itself has unity or integration at its very heart. G-d is One, Nature is One, Humanity is One, and there fore the human being cannot afford to be schizoid. “Just as the scientist pro ceeds on the definite assumption that there exists a unity and continuity in nature, so must the moralist work on the similar assumption that there exists a unity and continuity in the human race and in the moral law”. And when one reads Dr. Belkin’s book, and considers his own personal ity at the same time, one realizes that a Torah-personality is not simply one learned in Torah, nor even one who is ready to martyr himself for Torah, but one whose attitudes toward G-d, nature, and his fellow-man, reflect a moral and spiritual point of View. And as Dr. Belkin insists, in another book, that the theological uniqueness of Judaism is that it tolerates no wor ship of created things — which per spective underpins the virtue of humil ity, for man does not worship any creature including himself —- so Dr. 20

Belkin insists that man must be in tegrated, rather than bifurcated. This insistence permits no such anomaly as Jews who are pious but mean; observ ant but anti-social. “In fact, if I were asked to state the central philosophy of traditional Juda ism I would say that it is the refusal .to accept one part of the Torah at the sacrifice of another part. The totality of Torah observance, the relationship of man to G-d which reflects itself through worship and the observance of certain commandments, and the relationship of man to his fellow man which is based upon ethical and moral conduct, are indivisible and constitute an integral and inseparable part of Jewish living.” OW all of this must of necessity affect Dr. Belkin’s practical pro H gram for the advancement of ortho dox Judaism. He is forthright in his rejection of “the complete separation of strictly observant. Jews from the larger community”. Separatist Ortho doxy was never the religious philoso phy of the Eastern European Rabbi nate. However, Dr. Belkin is also too realistic and too honest to believe that we can win the non-observant Jew back to our cause by fine ;speeches, attractive slogans, and extensive pub lic relations. Nor is the answer to be found in lowering standards and pan dering to popular tastes. The only method available is a slow, laborious one. We must study Torah and teach Torah. “We must be creative and es tablish a genuine intellectual Jewish environment”. We must continue to live Torah lives, and hope that others will want to emulate us as they be come impressed with the sanctity of our lives, with the moral and spiritual character which our Torah learning fused into our own existence. However, Dr. Belkin has several specific recommendations whose sig nificance not even all of Yeshiva UniJEWISH LIFE

versity’s own alumni are discerning enough to embrace. He urges a trans planted Judaism for America — not a translated one nor one transferred from other milieus. This is consistent with his recurring emphasis on inte gration. Those who want only to trans fer Torah here from eastern Europe are afraid to expose Torah to new situations and thus unwittingly create in the world areas in which Torah must forever remain alien. These are not only impractical men but also men who deny the Torah the universality which we believe to be its essence its reflection of its divine, universal, origin. And those who would only translate Judaism deny Jews in Ameri ca the chance to become Torah per sonalities that are nurtured and sus tained by the vibrancy of the original sources. Furthermore one must be patient with a transplanted Judaism. There fore one does not make policy deci sions in haste. And Dr. Belkin would give the Jewish layman, and not only the Rabbi, a voice in policy matters.

In addition, excessive institutionaliza tion will only adversely affect a trans planted Judaism. Thé synagogue must not dwarf the school in importance. The synagogue can make a contribu tion but its needs must be secondary of those of Jewish education. What is primary is,the spreading of Torah — the sowing of Torah seeds in the hearts and minds of many. Thus are explained Dr. Belkin’s personal aver sion for the many institutions of American Jewish communal organiza tion, combined with his overwhelming drive to establish more and more schools within Yeshiva University, and independent of it. He wants more and more schools, and fewer and fewer organizations, boards, committees, con gresses or federations. He does not deny that these groupings may serve useful purposes but they must never become the ends of Jewish life. The only end is a Torah life g|~ a life trans formed by Torah learning. Altogether too often, however, the means have become a substitute for the end.

THE JUDGE W hen a ca se cam e before R abbi A kiva, he w ould sa y to the plaintiff a n d d efendant: You a re not sta n d in g in judgm ent before A kiva b e n Joseph, b u t before the Almighty. W hen two litigants stood before R ab b i Yose b e n C h alafta, a sk in g him to decide their d isp u te acco rd in g to the Torah, he said: I do not know how to decide acco rd in g to the Torah, for the Torah is Truth. A nd I ca n only decid e on the b a sis of the facts I h e a r from you. R ab b i Sim eon b en Y ochai u sed to th an k the A lm ighty for not h a v in g m ad e him a judge. Talm ud Y erushalm i, S an h ed rin I, 1 June, 1958

##ashhniait The Premise of Faith By SAMSON R. WEISS

His will supersede its laws and return it, for the higher purpose of salvation, to the matrix of Creation. Yet, neither the universe—the contemplation of which led our Father Abraham to rec ognize its Maker—nor our miraculous redemption from Egypt—which re sulted in that sublime acknowledgment of Divine sovereignty, the Song of the Sea—reveal the purpose of Creation and the purpose of Israel’s existence. And without man’s knowledge of their Divine purpose, Creation and Re demption are still incomplete. In the count of the days of Crea HE CORNERSTONE of Israel’s tion, Torah singles out the sixth day faith is the belief in the revelation by the “Heh Heyedeah”—the definite on Sinai. In the structure of Jewisharticle—to indicate, as our Sages ex thought, no other event or miracle plain, that the entire universe was still occupies a similar position. Jewish in suspense and remained awaiting the history prior and subsequent to this sixth day, namely the sixth day of revelation is replete with the miracu Sivan on which the Torah was given lous evidences of Divine protection on Sinai (Rashi, B’reshith 1, 31). and guidance of our people, bespeak When Mosheh our Teacher was ap ing the Almighty’s justice and mercy. pointed by the Almighty to be the Nevertheless, they do not reveal the messenger of Israel’s redemption, he Divine postulate to man; they do not asked for the purpose of this freedom. He was told that Israel would accept set his purpose. The omnipotence of the Creator is the Torah on Mount Sinai seven weeks manifest in the very existence of this after their liberation (Rashi and Ibn world. It is evident in the constancy Ezra, Sh’moth 3, 11-12). It is with of the natural laws which have gov Torah, given on the sixth day of erned it since the first Sababth day, Sivan, seven weeks by count after the the “Shabbath B’reshith”, on which day of redemption, that there came to Creation donned the mantle of nature. the world and to its inhabitants knowl His sovereignty over nature finds edge of their purpose, pronounced in expression in the miracles which by climactic revelation by their Creator. Said Rabbi Abahu in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: When the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the Torah, no bird chirped, no fowl fluttered, no ox lowed, the Angels did not fly, the Seraphim did not utter the “Kedusha”, the sea did not roar, the creatures did not speak; the uni verse was silent and mute. And the voice came forth “I am the A l mighty, thy G^d”. (Medrash Rabbah SKmoth 29, 7)

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JEWISH LIFE

W 7 H E N ISRAEL stood on Sinai ; W and heard G-d’s voice filling the world with the Onochi Hashem, they perceived in Divine inspiration the entirety of the universe receding into nothingness before His presence, so our Sages tell us. The Almighty re vealed Himself to them not only as the omnipotent Creator of Heaven and Earth, but also in His omnipresence pervading all existence. As the Di vine will evoked the universe ex nihilo, out of the absolute void, so the “Metziuth Hashem”—this Divine Omni presence— forever continues to be the sole source of its existence. On Sinai, we understood that existence is nothing else but the extension of Cre ation, depending every split-second on the Creator and His maintaining pres ence, for “were it imaginable that He be not, nothing else could possibly exist” (Maimonides, Hilchoth Yesodey Torah, 1, 2). The Divine name Mokom—Place— signifies this relation of the world to its Maker. “Not is the universe My place but I am the Place of the uni verse.” It is the uninterrupted con stancy of His creative will, the will which in the Beginning propelled whatever is into being, which is the place and the very possibility of any existence, for “everything leans on Him continuously in its very being” (Maimonides, l.c. 2, 10). To be, then, does not merely mean to have been once created and hence forth been foresaken. It means to be Wanted by Him now and as long as one continues to be. Thus, both our

June, 1958

existence and our task are necessarily inseparate; His wisdom would not ordain our being without purpose. HEREIN LIES the profound and decisive distinction between Torah and, lehavdil, any other religious pat tern. A law emanating from the omni present G-d must address itself to every facet, every situation, every con tingency and every moment of exist ence. It cannot be a law or a cere monial for certain hours or days or events. Like the Almighty Who em braces by His existence, and is the Mokom of, the entire world, so His law, too, necessarily must envelope us in our totality—without pauses and without reservations. To relegate this law to any lesser extent or sphere, would be tantamount to the denial of its Divine origin and character and, in fact, be a crude and falsifying blas phemous debasement of the One Whose omnipresence is verified by all existence. Jewish and world history of the millenia preceding Torah is but a pre amble leading to Revelation, leading to Sinai, leading to the perception of our purpose. Bereft of Torah, this world would return to the void, the Tohu Va-vohu, from which it emerged B'reshith, “for the sake of Torah which is called Reshith”. All the world’s en chanting beauty, all its majestic gran deur, the flight of its birds, the song of its angels and all the talk of men will not fill it nor preserve it. As then, even so today it will find fulfillment only in the voice that came forth on Sinai and spoke to all of us Onochi Hashem.

Pesach at Fort Sam Houston, Texas By A. RUBIN HUTTLER S Chaplain’s Assistant at Fort ance of Passover is somewhat different Sam Houston, Texas, I witnessed from that of Easter, of course, was a most extraordinary feat accomoverlooked. Despite this fact, the au plished by the Office of the Jewish thorities of the Army were kind Chaplain and the U. S. Army — the enough to interpret this vague general setting up of a Kosher Mess Hall. ized directive to mean that a Passover This dining hall was set up in con Celebration could include the setting formity with the highest standards of up of a Passover dining hall. Kashruth as defined by the Shulchon NDER the directive, which is a Oruch, since the project was carried general staff policy, the Fourth out under the supervision of two or U. S. Army Commander, Lt. General thodox Chaplains fa S Sjeymour Mos kowitz (1st Lt.) and Oscar M. Lif- Collier, authorized the setting up of shutz (Major). Both were ordained a Kosher mess at all installations in his command, wherever circumstances by orthodox Rabbinical Seminaries Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological permit and where Chaplains were am Seminary and Hebrew Theological bitious enough to carry out this pro gram. Local units were ordered to co College, respectively. The operation, as the Army would ordinate operations to aid the Chap prefer to call it, was started back in lains in carrying out this endeavor. No one, of course, can realize the December, 1957, when winter breezes were still blowing in San Antonio. To scope of this program unless he knows be sure of success, Chaplain Mosko something of Army regulations and witz, who was then the only Jewish Army methods and procedures. First chaplain on the base, preferred to start of all, we had to requisition a mess the project well in advance of Pesach hall. We were fortunate in this matter (even before the thirty days which the since there was one available, which Talmud designates for Pesach prepa after much paper work, was requisi ration). No one in the Office of the tioned. This was followed by the Jewish Chaplain realized the problems requisitioning of mess personnel. The we would encounter and the measures procedure in this matter was some which we would take to overcome what complicated since Fort Sam them. However, we were aided by the Houston is a multiple installation. directive passed down from Washing Not only is it a Fort, but also one of ton, D. C. by the Chief of Chaplains, the largest Army hospitals in the which stated that the Jewish observ country, the Medical Training Center ance of Passover be accorded elabo of the U. S. Army and the, Head rate ceremony equal to the Christian quarters for Fourth U. S. Army which Easter. That the nature of the observ in turn has its own garrison. Yet, de-

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JEWISH LIFE

shered, but since our menus called for soup (and what Jewish holiday doesn’t?), where were we to get kosher bowls? The bowls the Army offered us were used ones and not kosher. Also, they were made of plastic. Upon investigation, we learned that there NCE we had acquired a mess hall were wood fibers in the plastic, and and personnel to run it, our next consequently, it was impossible to kasher them. With a great deal of problem was in obtaining the utensils and food. Though we were confident coaxing and explaining, we managed

spite this complexity, liaison and cooperation by the various units were maintained and the breakdown of per sonnel was fairly distributed so that all contributed fairly to the mess personnel.

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Sgt. M ack Thom pson, Sgt. Jam es H em phill a n d C h ap lain Seym our M oskowitz su rv ey k a sh e re d utensils. (U.S. Army P hotograph)

that utensils would be forthcoming, because of the cooperation we were getting up until now, for a while Kashruth posed a massive problem. The Army customarily serves on metal steel trays. These trays could be kaJune, 1958

to get the Quartermaster to give us completely new bowls. An incident will serve to illustrate the type of in volved explanations and education our Gentile friends received from us. At a high level conference which was at25

tended by several colonels and other high-ranking officers, Chaplain Mos kowitz was asked to justify his requi sition of new bowls. Why, they wanted to know, are the bowls not kosher if the Quartermaster and the Federal Government are willing to underwrite the cleanliness and sterilization of the utensils? This incident was typical of the confusion between Kashruth and cleanliness. Although we had the trays, we pre ferred to serve in separate paper plates. We bought the paper plates, with funds which were allocated to us from the Central Post Fund of Fort Sam Houston, to defray costs of ex penses. How we obtained drinking paper cups is illustrative of the scrounging we indulged in to pick up needed items not issued by Quarter master. Sergeant Hemphill, who was in charge of the mess hall and an ace scrounger, by the way, came by the cups in the following manner: he called all the installations in the area (and there is no dearth of them, what with several Air Force Bases and our own multiple base) to see whether or not any of them had extra available cups. The sergeant located a mess, which was carrying an ample supply of drinking cups, at one of the Air Force Bases. It turned out that these cups were to be used in flights for drinking purposes. So, Sergeant Hemp hill and Chaplain Moskowitz went out there with a truck to pick up the stuff. When asked by the Sergeant what they wanted in return, they replied, “Beer openers”. To Chaplain Moskowitz’s amazement, Sergeant Hemphill agreed to the bargain. On the way back, Ser geant Hemphill drove up to the Lone Star Brewery (a well-known Texas company), and asked to see the vicepresident. They were both accorded a hearty welcome, and Sergeant Hemp26

hill’s request for hundreds of beer openers was soon taken care of. In this manner, Sergeant Hemphill picked up much-needed supplies and utensils not given to us in the original requi sition. HE kashering of the kitchen and utensils took several days and was done by Chaplain Moskowitz himself. He came to the mess hall in fatigues and kashered every pot, pan, baking pan, knife, fork, spoon, and in short, everything that required kashering. We turned the mess hall : into a Catskills hotel dining room and kitchen. The kitchen was divided into two parts, and signs were posted on every ice box, stove, pantry shelf, table, sink, and washing machine, designating meat or dairy. All of the cooks, who were completely unaware of laws of Kashruth, watched incredulously as the Chaplain, with his sleeves rolled up and his brow beaded with perspi ration, went about his business of kashering the kitchen. Our biggest headaches were menus, Passover food procurement, and teach ing the cooks to cook Jewish dishes — and not according to Army standard operation procedure which they had learned in Army cooking schools and had been following for years. As for the menus, Chaplain Moskowitz had worked as a headwaiter at several kosher hotels in thè Catskills while still at Yeshivah, during summers. This experience was utilized in prepa ration of menus which were as good as, or better than, those in the moun tain resorts. But from the menu on paper to the actual implementation is a long road. So, to straighten out this problem, we called a high level con ference, to which were invited the cooks and the Chaplains and their wives, with a Jewish Cook Book as

JEWISH LIFE

reference source. After several such confabs, the cooks began shaping up and began to comprehend our idiosyn crasies in cooking and our laws of Kashruth. The Army has available only its standard food items for issue. Where were we to get, for instance, kosher meat, matzah, kosher oils, butter, milk, matzah meal, borsht, etc.? Each item had to be worked out separately so that meat and food was bought from the local Jewish community. We did our own shechting, our Chaplain being a qualified shochet also. How ever, before we could buy meat from the butcher in San Antonio, the Army veterinarians had to inspect the places of Shechitah. This was done, and sev eral Army cars were dispatched down town with Chaplain Moskowitz and yours truly, his assistant, who spent a complete day shechting for the Army. The veterinarians observed the entire procedure to insure high health standards of the meat. While they were there, they evinced a strong in terest in our Shechitah and a discus sion ensued on the bill in Congress. The orthodox rabbi of the town, Rab bi Raphael Grossman, participated also, and this put the final label on religious standards. After the chickens and beef were slaughtered, treibered, cleaned, and salted, they were sent to the base meat storage plant where special space was provided to store the food until needed. As for the other items, they were acquired in town from local Jewish merchants. In these cases, the Jewish Welfare Board acted as our vendor and subcontracted to the local people on a non-profit basis. The Cen tral Post Fund of Fort Sam Houston, Texas awarded us $150.00, which we put to use to defray the costs of the above items. In addition, we received June. 1958

donations from people on the base, who were pleased with the whole effort. The-Army paid for all items including paper. A LTHOUGH the Sedorim drew (200 the first night and 120 the second night), the relig ious atmosphere was maintained. Both Chaplains led the Sedorim, each tak ing turn at different passages. Invited were many notables of the base, in cluding Christian chaplain colleagues. As to their reactions, it is difficult to surmise. For the most part, they were pleased with and highly complimen tary of our food, but whether they caught the religious and historical meaning of our Seder is questionable. I would venture to say that the Jewish boys themselves lacked a great deal of the inner experience of the Seder and made up for it by indulging in the gastronomic aspects of the experi ence. To most of them it was a taste of home cooking (they are quite fed up with Army mess) and home at mosphere, which is not bad in itself. However, it was a far cry from Rabbi Eliezer who sat telling of Pesach all night until his pupils reminded him that K’riath Sh’ma time had arrived. The Mess Hall was superbly deco rated. One rarely sees such cheerful ness in an Army Mess. The walls were covered with Pesach greetings and there were flowers on all the tables — unheard of in the Army. The Visual Aids Department helped us with the Passover posters. They made several big Mogen-Dovids, a three-dimensional Torah Scroll, and a beautiful Ten Commandments Tablet. On the out side of the dining hall was a sign: “Welcome Passover Dining Hall”. The greeting was taken quite literally, for people of all creeds, faiths, and colors were steady participants at our meals. jljL large crowds

C h ap lain Moskowitz a n d Sgt. H em phill lo ad h elicopter w ith P esach provisions for Jew ish troops a t C am p Bullis. (U.S. Army P hotograph)

It seems that word of the Jewish Mess Hall with the irresistable Jewish cook ing got around the base, and the Gen tiles came to taste the matzah brei, too. We didn’t mind at all, even though we weren’t drawing rations for them, and this resulted in complica tions in preparing enough food with out sufficient rations. In spite of it, no one was denied food in our Mess Hall. The tables were a medley of colors. We used the JWB literature on Passover for each setting, and a traditional K’arah plate on the table for every four settings. Preparation of the table settings, including the making of the charoseth, in itself took nearly a day. Wine and matzoth were provided by 28

the Jewish Welfare Board. As for the chrein, Chaplain Lifshutz made it with several cooks crying around him. Asked by them why it didn’t affect him,- he replied that inurement to Jewish suffering fortified him from pain. r p iH E BASE is entitled to one JewJL ish Chaplain. That there were two Chaplains here needs an explanation. Chaplain Moskowitz was reassigned to Korea in May, after Pesach. Chap lain Lifshutz arrived from Munich, Germany, to take his place. There was an overlapping of a month or so of both Chaplains. Chaplain Lifshutz ar rived on the 4th of March, at which JEWISH LIFE

quate knowledge of Shulchon Oruch, the fellow got away with it. On several occasions, the K.P.’s were cooking and the cooks were K.P.ing, since they knew more about matzah brei and kneidlach than Ser geant Hemphill. Kneidlach were Ser geant Hemphill’s biggest pride. To achieve success with a good kneidle was the epitome of Passover cooking. On one occasion, however, the kneidles were hard enough to have been used by the major leagues for baseballs. On the whole, the cooking was rather good. Perhaps this is the reason the Kosher Mess Hall was such a success, and the amount of people kept surging upwards each day. Our original es imate of forty per meal per day during Choi Hamoed went up to 200 per day. Many non-Jewish servicemen ate in our mess; many of our own boys bringing their non-Jewish friends with swelling pride, as if Judaism were a culinary culture. No one enjoys K.P., and I suspect that, like everyone else, the Jewish personnel weren’t too happy about it. However, most of them were recon ciled to the necessity of it, and per haps some were converted to the idea once it was established that the K.P.’s were treated with dignity and respect, unlike usual K.P. work in the Army.. There were several boys who felt that an injustice was being done to them to have them work during, and for, a O mess hall can be run without religious occasion. As to working on K.P.’s,and this mess hall was no the holidays, we explained to them exception. It was a source of boththat there were no Halochic prohibi fun and frustration for us. The K.P.’s tions about this kind of work on Yom were chosen from the Jewish person Tov (suddenly everyone became a nel, and many of them knew a great pious orthodox Jew ). The question of making the service deal more than the cooks about Jewish cooking and customs. There was a men work for a religious affair was K.P. who refused to wash a milchiker a problem of philosophy. One soldier pot after eating a fleishiker meal. Be suggested that since it was religious in cause of the poor sergeant’s inade- nature, no distinction should be made

time most of the work was already done. However, his thirteen years of Army experience were utilized in put ting on the flourishes which gave the Seder such beauty and dignity. He was also particularly effective in giving the pregram maximum publicity and cov erage by both radio and the press. On Friday afternoon before the Seder, Chaplain Lifshutz made a recording of the Pesach Seder with one of the soldiers on the base. This script made the ten o’clock news that night. He was instrumental in getting us the plants and decorations for our dining room. About thirty miles from Fort Sam Houston is another military installa tion, Camp Bullis. It is a piece of land mainly occupied by rattlesnakes, so that if you enjoy their company, you are f content. There are quite a few Jewish servicemen there, complet ing their medical training. The Chap lains sought to provide them with kosher food throughout Passover. This was accomplished by the “Bullis Ex press” — a truck which was sent to Camp Bullis each day for every meal with hot food. An area was set aside in which the food was to be served, and no non-kosher utensils or food was permitted in the area. We were seriously contemplating airlifting hot food by helicopter if necessity re quired it.

June, 1958

between rank, and therefore even high-ranking officers should do K.P. He cited the example of the syna gogue, in which a private would be called to the Torah if he were a Cohen before the Yisroel colonel, proving thereby that in the Chapel rank should disappear. This was a highly idealistic approach to which perhaps there is no answer in military life. Chaplain Moskowitz, who has always had unusual patience and sympathy for people and their problems, felt constrained to ex plain satisfactorily to the Pfc. of the necessity of the program, the honor and pride one should feel in working in this effort. He also indicated that officers were working on the program in other capacities, suitable to their rank. Of course, this was not an an swer to the problem which the boy raised. However, the chaplain pointed out that he himself was doing the messy job of shechting for the pro gram, which, of course, involves the soiling of one’s hands and clothing in the blood and entrails of the animals* and had to kasher all the pots and pans, which is surely no easy task. He tried to impress the boy with the

fact that an entire base was involved* in this program, and that high-ranking officials were obliged to be at our very beck and call because the general ordered the program. Whether or not the boy was satisfied with this answer is questionable, though Chaplain Moskowitz spent valuable time trying to diminish the hard feeling in the matter. O EXHIBIT the fruits of our la bors to our commanding officers, who had so ably assisted and cooper ated with us, we invited them to lunch on Choi Hamoed. There was a beau tiful head table set up at which sat the Commanding General and several high-ranking colonels. The meal was excellent and in J ewish tradition. Things went off without a hitch. The general* in a fine gesture, w ent around to all the tables asking the men how they enjoyed the Passover season and where they hailed from. This was a sincere gesture which they appreciated and which was symbolic of the whole atmosphere of cooperation, interest, and sincerity displayed at Fort Sam Houston this past Pesach.

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SIVON A lthough Sivon is considered a "h a p p y " m onth b e c a u se it em b races the Festival of Shovuoth, in T alm udical tim es it contained three fast-d ay s a s w ell, a s m entioned in "M egillath T aanit": The 23rd, com m em orating the su sp en sio n of the sen d in g of the first-fruits to Jerusalem , in the reig n of Jero boam ; the 25th, in com m em oration of the m artyrdom of Sim eon b en G am aliel, S am uel b e n Elisha, a n d C h a n in a S e g a n H a'C ohanim ; a n d the 27th, in com m em oration of the b u rn in g of C h a n a n ia h b en T eradion at the stake. 30

JEWISH LIFE

The Lost Jews of China By ARNOLD SHERMAN

T V T E JEWS are accustomed to think W of ourselves as a uniform people. True, there are certain familiar varia tions such as the obvious differences between Jews from Poland arid the Jews of Germany, and between Seph ardim and Ashkenazim, but nonethe less, Jews are traditionally mindful of their homogeneity. History and differ ences of environment, however, have brought about marked distinctions be tween the main bodies of Jewry and some of its isolated branches. The Jews of Morocco, for example, bear less resemblance to the American Jews than they do to their Moslem neigh bors. The black Jews of Ethiopia have maintained their distinctive existence for perhaps two thousand years and the Yemenite Jews are unmistakably a unique branch of the Jewish family. Yet, the most startling variation from within Jewry has come neither frorii Africa nor from Europe. It stems in stead from that great geographical pre ponderance called China. There, the most interesting Jewish variation of all grew to maturity, experienced a tried but unforgotten moment of glory, and then all but slid into obscurity. Rumors about Chinese Jews began trickling back to Europe from as far back as the early eighteenth century. A Jesuit missionary, skirting the prov ince of Kaifengfu, seven miles from the Yellow River, discovered evidence of a fabled synagogue that was re ported to have been located in the province before a great river flood, some years before, had destroyed it. Investigating the rumor further, he itine. 1958

uncovered bits of Hebrew parchment and torn pages from the Chumosh as well as scraps from the Books of Sam uel, Kings, and Judges. Finally, reach ing the city of Kaifengfu itself, the missionary encountered a large but declining Chinese Jewish community, largely surrounded by Chinese Mos lems. Upon being questioned, repre sentatives of the group lamented about the great flood which had ruined their synagogue, drowned a considerable part of their populace, and brought devastation to the whole countryside. “The Synagogue was inundated,” they explained, “the precious books were lost and when the flood subsided, our Moslem enemies took advantage of the reigning confusion to plunder.” HE Jesuit missionary’s report was circulated throughout Europe and S caused a considerable amount of spec ulation. Jews and Christians showed an academic interest in the Chinese community, but did nothing and for another two hundred years the Chinese Jews were overlooked and forgotten. In 1907, however, an itinerant explor er* and contributor to the National Geographic Magazine, Oliver Bainbridge, penetrated to Kaifengfu and not only reported the presence of a surviving number of Chinese Jews, but remained in the city to record their customs and observances. The most important evidence he dis covered was a tablet, inscribed in Chinese calligraphy, and jealously pre served by the Jews themselves. The tablet was an accurate, historical rec 31

ord that traced the growth and decline of the community. It began with a lavish inscription dedicated to Ching Ching Cenoby, who was credited with the founding of the Jewish colony in the ancient province of Kaifengfu in 976 B.C.E. The tablet minutely re corded the line of Cenobite disciples, noting with pride their simplicity and austerity, described the lavish syna gogue that had once been their pride, and summarized the circumstances which foreshadowed the community’s decline. The tablet described the struc tural beauty of the synagogue and told of the awe in which it was held by Jews and Gentiles alike. Continuing his investigation, Mr. Bainbridge learned that Chinese chron icles mentioned that in 1368 C.E. the followers of Cenoby were issued par cels of land on which the Chinese Jews erected their synagogues and homes. These references confirmed an allusion to the Jews of Cathay that Marco Polo had made. Y 1907, however, the vast commu B nity mentioned in the tablet had dwindled to a mere fifty souls compris ing only eight families. The destruction of their synagogue and the confusion it caused was a blow from which the Chinese Jews never really recovered. When the survivors returned to the flood-receding land, they found that the property that had been spared by the waters was stolen by their enemies. Persecution and isolation completed their portrait of despair. The commu nity, completely isolated from the Jew ish world, began a swift and inevitable decline. Even the government, which previously had maintained a tradition of tolerance, castigated them in con demnation of those who practiced “pri vate slaughtering” and “circumcision.” Meanwhile, the surrounding Moslem 32

populace, who had been the ancient antagonists of the Chinese Jews, over looked no means of insulting them and degrading their members socially. No Jew could pass a Moslem without the latter replying with an insult. Even Mr. Bainbridge himself, because of his research efforts, was nearly killed by enraged Moslem rioters when it was rumored that he was a “Jewish devil rabbi” and that he had come to KaiJEWISH LIFE

fengfu to restore Jewish property to their rightful owners. The explorer found that the customs of the Kaifengfu Jews combined Jew ish traditions with practices character istic of their oriental surroundings. Although there were by this time no physical distinctions between the Jews and their neighbors, their moral be havior earned the Chinese Jews high praise. They dressed similarly too, and were on the same economic level as the non-Jews, and spoke the Chinese dialect of the province. Like Jews everywhere else in times of persecu tion, they resorted to the familiar ghetto. There, in their tiny enclave, they united in common defense and kept the spark of Judaism smoldering. While the Kaifengfu Jews retained Scriptural fragments in Hebrew, they were unable to speak or read the lan guage any longer. Their traditions, however, related that Chinese was not the language of their forefathers and that the tongue of the Hebrews was a language that they had forgotten dur ing their long exile in China. They believed fervently that another home awaited them but were not sure where it was located or how they would re turn to it. Yet with blind faith they maintained that they would one day return to their ancient ancestral site. The Sabbath was observed on Saturday instead of, as in the case of the Mos lems, on Friday, and as the official condemnation mentioned, they slaugh tered their own meat and circumcized their males. FTlH E MOST puzzling thing about JL the Kaifengfu Jews is their un known origin. Various theories have been offered, but there is no evidence to support any of them. Some scholars believe that the community began thousands of years ago when Jewish June, 1958

traders settled in the province. Others maintain that it was not trade but per secution that drove some itinerant Jews to Central China. And still others claim that the Cenobites are none other than the descendants of the ten lost tribes of Israel. One certainty, however, is the conclusion that there were other Jewish groups outside Kai fengfu, which tends to jsupport the be lief that China was once the cradle of a considerable number of oriental Jews. This type of speculation went on for decades and in the meantime, since Bainbridge’s startling report, reports from a number of archeologists, geog raphers, and missionaries lent further credence to the evidence of the exist ence of the Kaifengfu community. The status of the diminutive com munity did not change appreciably during the intervening years, Moslem persecution was as intense as ever, but the Jews remained stubbornly cognif zant of their traditions. History moved quickly for China, however, when the Japanese moved against them. When finally Japan was conquered at the end of World W ar'll, China found itself in the throes of a civil war which resulted in the present Communist government. Even greater isolation than before and the inevitable results of constant war affected the province. Now, only a miracle in this age of anti-religious propaganda can have saved the Kai fengfu community from the oblivion looming for three centuries. S THOUGH intuitively aware of their fate, in 1907, a young Chi nese Jew explained in painfully emo tional terms when Oliver Bainbridge prepared to leave the city, that he must make known to the white world what had happened to their ancient commu nity. “You must write a petition,” he

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terrible, everlasting darkness they feared. And yet perhaps somewhere in the province there is still a family in spired by the great acts of their teach ers and still cognizant of the myste rious laws which bound their ancestors for centuries. Perhaps with the survival of that family another Ching Ching Cenoby will arise and a new salute to Judaism will be heard. Jf that happens, then perhaps the Jews of the West will not forget their Chinese brothers.

pleaded, “to Jews in all the corners of the world and tell them of our plight and tell them that we worship as they do and that our ancestor Ching Ching Cenoby was a great apostle of Juda ism. Tell them not to forget their Chi nese brothers because we here in Kaifengfu are faced with great desolation and they must come to us before we are lost in everlasting darkness.” Aid did not come and the Jews of Kaifengfu are undoubtedly lost in the

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Eretz Yisroel — The Spiritual Ideal By JUSTIN HOFMANN By what principles shall the State of Israel be shaped? The issue is viewed in terms of the ultimate premises upon which rests the Jewish concept of the Land of Israel.

HIS YEAR, Jewish communities fore more complete understanding and |11 over the globe are observing appreciation may be achieved. The the tenth anniversary of the establishspiritual meaning of Eretz Israel must ment of the State of Israel. Attempts be taken into account. Unless we rec will be made to assess the significance ognize the unique position which the of the reconstitution of Jewish sov Land of Israel occupies in Judaism, ereignty on its ancestral soil after near much of the importance of the four ly two thousand years of homelessness teenth of May, 1948, will escape us. and wandering. It is to be doubted It is the purpose of this essay to con that we shall succeed in grasping the vey a sense of the spiritual significance full grandeur of this marvelous event, of the “land” as reflected in Jewish no matter how sincere may be our tradition. striving to do so. The State of Israel is still too new. Its declaration of in UDAISM thinks of Eretz Yisroel as dependence is only ten short years the “promised land”. It is the land away. It may well be that another which G-d set aside as the future twenty-five or fifty years will have to home of the Children of Israel. Each pass before we shall attain a more of the three patriarchs is given an ex adequate understanding and apprecia plicit Divine assurance that the Jewish tion of this historic phenomenon. people will inherit the land that was But whatever limited understanding once inhabited by the Canaanites: and appreciation of the significance of And the Lord appeared to Abraham the establishment of Medinath Israel and said: To your descendants will 1 we may be able to achieve even now give this land. And Abraham built will depend very largely on our knowl there an altar to G-d who appeared edge of Jewish history. We cannot to him. (Bereshith 12:7; see also Berehope to sense the importance of this shith 13 :15.) The promise of the Land event unless we shall be able to place was repeated to Isaac in substantially it in its proper historical perspective. the same form: Live in this land and Nor shall we succeed in our attempt I will be with you and I will bless to appreciate even its partial import you, for to you and your seed will 1 unless we cultivate a sympathetic atti give all these lands and I will fulfill tude towards Jewish suffering in our the oath which I swore to Abraham own generation. There is still a third your father. And I will multiply your prerequisite to be met, however, be- seed like the stars of the heaven and

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June, 1958

I will give to your seed all these lands; and through your seed shall be blessed all the peoples of the earth. (Bere shith 26: 3-4) To Jacob the promise of Eretz Israel was made on the occa sion of his flight to Haran. In his dream at Beth-El, the Lord appeared to him and said: I am the Lord, the G-d of Abraham your father and the G-d of Isaac; the land on which you are lying 1 shall give to you and your seed. (Bereshith 28:13) Basing him self on a Talmudic statement, Rashi explains that “the Almighty folded the entire Land of Israel and placed it under him thereby that it will be easily conquered by his children.” The important role which the notion of the “promised land” plays in Juda ism is furthermore reflected in a com ment attributed to Rabbi Yitzchok and cited by Rashi at the very beginning of Bereshith. The question is raised, why did the Torah begin with the ac count of creation? Inasmuch as the Torah is primarily a book of instruct

tion, it should have begun with the first commandment which the Jews re ceived. “Why then did it begin with the creation narrative? Because of (the thought expressed in the verse) The power of His works He declared to His people to give them the inherit ance o f the nations. For when the nations of the world will say to Israel, ‘you are robbers, for you have con quered the land of the seven peoples’, they will be able to say to them, ‘the entire earth is the Lord’s. He created it and gave it to whoever is righteous in His eyes. According to His will He gave it to them and by His will He took it from them and gave it to us’.” Thus, the entire account of Creation serves the purpose of justifying Israel’s claim to Eretz Yisroel. Because G-d wanted Israel to take possession of the land, He took care that their legal title to it was assured. And so para mount a concern was this to Him, that He devoted the opening chapters of the Torah to this very matter.

The Divine Presence

N becoming the '‘promised land” G-d chose it as His special dwelling Eretz Yisroel assumed religious sig place. It is the Divine Presence in the nificance for the Jewish people. It is land that constitutes its most note not simply that geographic area on worthy distinction. And Jacob awoke which Jewish national life flourished from his sleep and he said, ‘truly G-d in the past and is being reconstituted is in this place and I did not know it.' in the present. It is the national Jewish And he became afraid and said, ‘how home by virtue of a Divine promise, awe-inspiring is this place. This is repeatedly stated. It is the Divine au surely the house of the Lord and this thorship of the promise which raises is the gate of heaven'. (Bereshith “this the land, the object of that promise, 28:16-17) The latter phrase prompts from the level of the mundane to that is the gate of heaven” Rashi to comment, “the place by way of the spiritual. Another aspect of the religious sig of which their prayer ascends to nificance of Eretz Israel is alluded to heaven”. And the Midrash supports this by the term “holy land”. The spiritual view by saying that the heavenly sanc importance of the land derives not tuary corresponds to the earthly sanc only from the fact of the Divine tuary. In short, the Shechinah — the promise, but also from the fact that Divine Presence — seems to be con-

JEWISH LIFE

centrated over Jerusalem, the site of the Temple, and it is this concentra tion of the divine that endows the land with holiness. The fact of G-d’s presence in the Holy Land is expressed in numerous verses. Thus, King David sings: For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. (Psalms 132:13) And the prophet Micah says: , . . and the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion from now on and for ever more. (Micah 4:7) Furthermore, the Prophet Zachariah exclaims: So says the Lord, 1 return to Zion and 1 will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and Jerusalem shall be called the city of truth; and the mountain of the Lord of hosts the holy mountain. (Zachariah 8:3) The intimate connec tion between the presence of G-d and the land’s character of holiness is made here rather explicit and clear. The holiness of Zion derives from the Lord’s presence in Zion. It is the fact of G-d’s selection of Zion as His spe cial dwelling place that renders it holy.

inhabited by heathens, and he should not live in another land, even in a city largely inhabited by Jews. For who ever lives in Eretz Yisroel is like one who has a G-d and whoever lives in another land is like one who has no G?d”. (Talmud, Kethuboth 110b) The magnitude of the merit of re siding in Eretz Israel is reflected in the following statement: “Said Rabbi Yochanan, Three are among those who will inherit the world to come he who resides in Eretz Israel, he who raises his sons to study of the Torah, and he who recites the Havdolah over wine at the conclusion of the Sab bath”. (Talmud, P’sochim 113a) Simi larly, “Even a Canaanite maid servant in Eretz Israel is assured of entering the world to come”. (Talmud, Kethu both 111a.) Finally, a statement which prompted pious Jews to spend the last years of their lives in Eretz Israel in order to come to rest there: “Who ever is buried in Eretz Israel is as if he is buried under the altar”. (Tal mud, Kethuboth 111a) This rabbinic saying seems to assert that there is HE ASPECT of holiness with great merit to being in Eretz Israel which the Land of Israel is en even after death; that the beneficial dowed results in a number of distincinfluences of its holiness transcend life tions not enjoyed by other lands. One itself. Not only during one’s lifetime, of these is the great merit of merely but even after life has come to an end living in the land. Thus, the Rabbis does the proximity of the Divine Pres taught: “A person should reside in ence in the Holy Land beneficially Eretz Yisroel, even in a city largely affect all those who are reposing in it.

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Land Of Torah

HE holiness of the land has sev like the Torah of Eretz Israel and eral other consequences of relig that there is no widsom like the wis ious import. It exerts an influence ondom of Eretz Israel”. (Yalkut Shithe intellectual and prophetic gifts of moni, Chapter 22) In other words, its residents. In commenting on the Torah and wisdom appear to have a verse in Bereshith 2:12, And the gold much more fertile soil in Eretz Yisroel of the land was good, our Sages say, than anywhere else, undoubtedly be “This teaches us that there is no Torah cause of the holiness that is its major

June, 1958

other gods, and worship them; and the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and He shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord gives you”. (Devorim 11:1617) While idolatry is considered to re sult in certain destruction and exile, : there are other crimes which are no less severely dealt with. Thus, the Talmud ( Yorna 9b) blames the de struction of the first Temple on the sins of incest and bloodshed in addi tion to idolatry. In another passage, the violation of the Sabbath, laxity with regard to the reciting of the Shema, neglect of the education of the children, among others are held responsible for the destruction visued upon Jerusalem. (Talmud, Shabbath 119b) The religious significance of Ere.z Israel is determined in no small de gree by the central position which this land occupies in the Jewish way of life. “Rabbi Simloiy explained, why did Moses our teacher desire so strongly to enter the Land of Israel? Did he need to eat from its fruit or to sate himself from its goodness? Rather this is the way Moses rea soned: There are many laws which Israel was commanded and they can be observed only in Eretz Israel. Therefore I wish to enter the land so that I may fulfill all of them.” (Tal mud, Sota 14a) A number , of the commandments of the Torah can be observed in Eretz Yisroel alone. They NE of the most reprehensible sins are often referred to as the mitzvoth in our tradition is idolatry. It is hafluyoth ba-oretz — the laws that de pend on the land. Among them are a sin considered incompatible not only with our Jewishness, but also with the the law of the Sabbatical Year, the holiness of Eretz Israel. “Take heed daw of the Jubilee, and certain laws to yourselves, lest your heart be de governing the sale and purchase of ceived, and ye turn aside, and serve real property. (Vayikra 25:2-7, 13*

distinction. Furthermore, prophecy, which involves some form of com munication with G-d, can flourish only on holy soil. Thus, the Rabbis note: “Before Eretz Israel was se lected, all lands were suitable for the word (of G-d). After Eretz Yisroel was selected, all other lands were ex cluded”. (Yalkut Shimoni, Chapter 187). According to Yehudah Halevi, the great medieval poet and philoso pher, prophecy occurs only in Eretz Yisroel. Just as there are certain re gions especially suited for growing certain crops, so the Land of Israel is particularly suited for prophecy, Ye hudah Halevi maintains. “Whosoever prophesied, did so either in Palestine or for its sake . . For, says Halevi, “. . . no other place could share with this preeminent people the influence of the Divine power .. .” (Kuzari, East and West Library Edition, p. 65) • The holiness of Eretz Israel is due to G-d’s presence in it. But G-d Y presence there is not unconditional. It depends on the prevalence of cer tain moral arid spiritual standards. When these standards are violated the Divine Presence withdraws from the land. The visible consequences of this withdrawal is destruction and exile. “Because of our sins we were exiled from our land and removed from our soil . . .” according to our holiday lit urgy. “These things were given on condition”, say the Rabbis in the Mid rash, “Eretz Yisroel, the Temple, and the kingdom of the house of David”. (Mechilta, Shemoth 18:25)

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JEWISH LIFE

23) Thus, Eretz Israel affords one the opportunity of leading a more complete Jewish existence than any other land. By virtue of this preferen tial status it came to enjoy a position of spiritual importance shared by no other land. UT not only those living in Eretz Yisroel and subject to its special B legislation may experience its unique religious significance. Even those liv ing in the lands of the Diaspora have occasion to sense unmistakably its ex alted spiritual position. “If he stands in a land of the Diaspora, then he shall face in direction of Eretz Yisroel. If he stands in the Land of Israel, he shall face toward Jerusalem”. (Tal mud, B’rochoth 30a) With these words our Sages prescribe the proper position jn prayer., Three times a day, when a Jew readies himself to recite his devotions, he is reminded of the position of primacy cf Eretz Yisroel. His prayers are to ascend by way of this land. His meditations are dis patched toward it. How can he help but conclude that this, is the very

center of Judaism; (that, as Yehudah Halevi observed long ago, Eretz Israel is to the rest of the world what the heart is to the human body. This very lesson is impressed upon him in even stronger terms when he begins to contemplate the meaning of the prayers he recites and that of the holidays he celebrates. To plead for dew and rain during the winter months makes little sense until this plea is transposed into the peculiar climatic conditions and agricultural requirements of Eretz Yisroel. He will search to know in vain why Tu B’shvat, celebrated in the depth of the occidental winter, ever came to be Jewish Arbor Day, or what justifica tion there is for calling Shovuoth the Chag Habikkurim, since the first fruits are not expected to ripen in these re gions until a much later date. But as soon as “Eretz Yisroel” is introduced into these queries, answers readily suggest themselves. And with the an swers, the centrality of the Land of Israel in the Jewish way of life will be revealed in all clarity and in full force.

Role In The Future

The religious significance of Eretz Yisroel attains climactic proportions in the role it is to play in the better world of the future. According to a Midrashic statement, Rabbi Hosheah used to say: “In the future, Jerusalem will become a lantern for the nations of the world and they will walk in its light”. (Cited by Feldhorn, “Hashabboth V’ha-oretz”,p. 276) This light which will shine forth from Eretz Yis roel to guide the nations will not be a physical light. It is to be understood in symbolic terms. It is probably what two great prophets in Israel referred to when they said: “For out of Zion June. 1958

shall go forth the Torah and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem”. (Isaiah 2:3; Micah 4:2) The better world of the future will be ushered in when all peoples will receive the spiritual and moral instruction emanating from Jeru salem; when they will agree to submit to the universal sovereignty of G-d and renounce their own absolute na tional sovereignty; when they will pre fer justice to national ambition and peace to national pride and power; when their actions will be prompted by righteousness rather than by selfish gain and aggrandizement. The role of Eretz Yisroel in the world 39

of the future should be conceived not only as an optimistic hope, but also as a gigantic challenge. The part which this little land along the shores of the

Mediterranean Sea is destined to play" in time to come should inspire its people to build their state in conso nance with this high responsibility'

THE PARALLEL COMMANDMENTS A ccording to R abbi C h a n in a b e n G am aliel, five of the Ten C om m andm ents w ere on one ta b le a n d five on the other. On the first it is w ritten: “I am The Lord, thy G -d"—a n d opposite it, "Thou sh alt not kill". For S cripture te a c h e s th a t the p erso n w ho sh ed s blood le sse n s the im ag e of the King, for it is w ritten, "W ho sh ed d e th m a n 's blood, b y m an sh all his blood be shed, for in the im ag e of G -d m ad e He m a n " (B ereshith 9:6.) It is w ritten: "Thou sh a lt h av e no other g o d s"—a n d opposite it, "Thou sh a lt not commit ad u ltery ". For Scripture teac h es th a t w hoever p ractise s idolatry is a d ju d g e d to h av e com m itted ad u ltery b eh in d G -d's b ack, a s it is w ritten, "The ad u ltero u s wife, p referring stra n g e rs to h er h u sb a n d " (Ezekiel 16:32). It is w ritten: "Thou sh a lt not ta k e the N am e of the Lord thy G -d in v a in "—a n d opposite it, "Thou sh a lt not steal". Scripture te a c h e s th a t he w ho ste a ls will finally sw e a r falsely, a s it is w ritten, "W ill you steal, m urder, a n d commit ad u ltery —a n d sw e a r falsely?" (Jerem iah 7:9). It is w ritten: "R em em ber the S a b b a th , to k eep it holy"—a n d opposite it, "Thou sh alt not b e a r false w itn ess". S cripture te a c h e s th at he w ho d e se c ra te s the S a b b a th testifies th a t G -d did not create the w orld a n d rest on the sev en th d ay ; b u t he w ho k eep s the S a b b a th testifies th a t G -d c re a te d the w orld in six d a y s a n d reste d on the seventh, a s it is w ritten, "A nd you a re My w itnesses, sa ith the Lord" (Isa ia h 43:12). It is w ritten: "H onor thy fath er a n d thy m other"—a n d opposite it, "Thou sh alt not covet". S cripture te a c h e s th at he w ho lusts will finally b e g e t a son w ho will curse his fath er a n d m other a n d will honor him w ho does not honor his father. Therefore the Ten C om m andm ents w ere giv en w ith five on one ta b le a n d five on the other. M echilta to Sh'm oth 20:13

JEWISH LIFE

A Great Artist By ALFRED WERNER

Y FRIEND, the famous painter, Mané-Kaíz, likes to travel. Last February he stopped briefly in New York, on the last leg of a global tour that had taken him from his residence in Paris to Israel, Iran, India, Hong Kong, Japan, Honolulu, and San Francisco. He had had a one-man show in Tokyo, being the first Jewish artist of note to be given such an opportunity to display his work in this metropolis of Nippon. While I had often talked with him on the subject closest to both of us Ifflthe problem, or rather problems, of mod ern art — this time I endeavored to get from him as much information as possible of a purely biographical nature. He was one of the seven children of Lazar and Malkah Katz, residents of Kremenchug, a town on the Dnieper some two hundred miles southeast of Kiev. “Reb Lazar”, shammosh of a local congregation, did not cherish the idea that his son Mané — born on June 5, 1894 — might, of all things, become an artist. At the same time the older Katz, a small, bent man with a fur cap, who was barely able to feed and clothe his large family, did not believe in paternal authority to the extent of putting obstacles in the way of Mané. The latter studied the Tal mud, destined as he was for the Rab binate, yet all he really wanted to become was — a painter. Mané him self does not know what miracle it was that nourished this artistic inclina tion in an environment utterly devoid

June, 1958

of manifestations of art in the ac cepted sense of the term. Beauty, of course, pan be found everywhere if one has the eyes to see it, and Mané greedily absorbed all the metaphysical beauty inherent in Jewish holidays and folk customs, thus piling up a treasure of memories which he was to draw upon in years to come. There would have been np one to appreciate his tremendous talent, had it not been spotted by a starving young art student from Odessa who hap pened to visit Kremenchug and was given Tree meals and shelter by the charitable Katz family. Mané got some elementary training from this young man. As an adolescent, he briefly attended the academies of Mirgorod (the city immortalized by Go gol), Vilna, and Kiev. His first canvas, which he painted at sixteen, disap peared during the first World War; called Sad Hour, it showed an or phaned child weeping over the body of her dead mother, at whose head two candles are burning, while an old man, propped against the wall, is reading the prayers. It was an aston ishing tour de force for one so young, yet in its naturalistic treatment of the figures and the preponderance of bi tuminous shades it revealed the back wardness of the Russian school. In deed, even its most advanced practi tioners were barely able to catch up with the chromatic achievements of the Impressionists, not to mention the post-Impressiónists’ break with Ren aissance tradition. 41

enough to find sponsors in the persons * of a Dr. Levine, a distant relative, and Mr. Grigory Gourevitch, the Danish Consul, who provided him with the funds to go to Paris. It Was just enough to cover travel ing expenses. Barely nineteen years old, Mané arrived in Paris ip October, 1913, with a few kopeks left, and letters of introduction to the philan thropist, Baron Guinsbergh, and Naoum Aronson, the sculptor. He en rolled in Fernand Cormon’s class at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts where Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec had studied earlier. If Mané learned little of value from this uninspiring, oldfashioned academician, he profited a great deal from regular visits to the Louvre (where he fell in love with Rembrandt) and to the private gal leries (where he saw some of the revolutionary works of Cezanne and Gauguin). The young Ukrainian was excited, flabbergasted. But all he could do, inexperienced and shy as he was, was to “wash his eyes”, to use an expres sion Chagall had applied to himself. He did rub his eyes in astonishment, and he carefully listened to the con versations of the older men in the smoke-filled Montparnasse cafes where each one sat down as he pleased, with M ané-Katz's "Two Jew ish Boys" out even removing the clay or the HEN Mané was eleven, Krem- paint from his hands. But in less than enchug, like many other cities a year this apprenticeship came to a stop, as the shots fired on in the Southern Ukraine, was swept sudden by a devastating pogrom. While neither June 28, 1914, in far-away Sarajevo, Mané nor his family had actually suf put an end to the era of peace. fered frtím persecution, he knew that there was no future for him in Russia» AGER to serve the cause of the and he had heard enough of what was Allies, Mané-Katz wished to join going on in France to realize that the the Foreign Legion, but was rejected only place on earth to study art was for his non-martial smallness. In a Paris. For several years he waited for roundabout way he returned to Rus an opportunity, until he was lucky sia, but there, too, the army did not

JEWISH LIFE

"Jew W ith T orah"

accept the little man. Thus, he found time to work. Art did not stop com pletely in those terrible years. At St. Petersburg, Mané-Katz gained the pa tronage of a Countess Gagarina who desired to acquaint her aesthetically retarded compatriots with the dernier cri of Western art. He worked and exhibited, but the Revolution of 1917 put a temporary halt to these activi ties. He proceded to his native city where he was appointed teacher of art, but there was little opportunity for quiet growth and development as the city was taken and retaken by the Whites or the Reds. By 1921 Mané had had enough of

Russia, and again the logical place for him to go was Paris, a Paris that had suffered the impact of the war but had not changed basically. In any event, the Cafe du Dome was still there, and it was now even more inter national than it had been before. Most conspicuous was the number of Jews from Eastern Europe: eager, excitable men in their twenties or early thirties who lived in the proletarian quarters of the Left Bank, worked together, quarrelled together, shared their studios, -and often even their clothes, and, without meditated design, intro duced a strange, un-French melody into modern painting.

EXT to Chagall, Mane-Katz is sentimental hardness militates against the most famous of the surviving the free display of overpowering feel representatives of what has been calleding, from this over-emotional, overthe Ecole Juive, the “Jewish School’' sentimental Ukrainian. of Paris. His career extends over four They cannot deny, however, that and a half busy decades, and includes Mane-Katz is unmatched as a histor hundreds of oils, gouaches, pastels ian in paint. When Lion Feuchtwanger and drawings (as well as a few signi wrote, in 1940: “He (Mane-Katz) has ficant pieces of sculpture). While it is given to the ghetto an expression that an art of impatient self-expression, the will outlive the ghetto itself”, his pro artist’s narcissism is never so exag phecy, unfortunately, came true. The gerated as to obliterate that outer ghetto world barely survived the first world which clashes with the artist’s World War; it lingered up to the sec mind and senses. ond World War, only to be wiped out His is not an art in which the sub by the Hilterite hordes. ject matter is irrelevant, one which severs form from content, art from OTE how frequently in Manélife. Having woven all experiences of fcatz pictures the theme of a Jew his life into the fabric of his art, he reading a book occurs. He does not, tried to transfigure all that he saw, to make, to quote the philosopher thereby, claim that all Jews of Eastern Hegel, “the idea shining through Europe were saints and scholars. He matter”. But Mane-Katz’s approach was, however, right in pointing to the was not that of a thinker, an investi fact that these Yiddish-speaking peo gator of aesthetic creeds. Apart from ple, dwelling, as it were, as strange a brief and unsuccessful flirtation with islands of an alien civilization in a Cubism, he has withstood all tempta hostile ocean of unsympathetic Christions by a dozen movements that have vtians, were linked by a pattern of life swept Europe since 1910. Also, he has which stressed spiritual rather than adhered to the subject matter he had mundane pleasures. This very spirituality can also be chosen as a young man, to the major, though not exclusive theme of his found in the work of my friend, life: the ghetto Jew — always the Mane-Katz, an intensity of expression, same face, patient or angry, frightened a baroque ecstasy vaguely echoing the or amused, indignant of resigned, but late work of El Greco. There are the always the same, then, twenty, a hun same meager, bony faces, with their haunting, deep-set eyes, the same hag dred times. The well-groomed, well-behaved gard figures placed in an almost bar Jews one can see in Moritz D. Oppen- ren background. Yet whereas the Cre heim’s Bilder aus clem altjuedischen tan’s ascetic saints seem preoccupied familienleben are not for him, nor with death, the Jew’s figures look at are the husky, suntanned, almost pa you, not up to heaven; fervor is often gan pioneers often painted by Israeli relieved by humor, the Promised Land artists. It might be stated right here is here on earth. that Israel’s sabras, while they respect With a child-like delight in raw him, find him oddly exotic. There is a colors goes an equally child-like en world separating them, whose seem joyment of rhythm, of violent move ingly unemotional and certainly un- ment. At this point one might re44 JEWISH LIFE

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member the critic who tried to explain the Ecole Juive artists’ “rather breath less pleasure in manipulating paint” and the “almost licentious delight in orchestrating color over every inch of the canvas” by the fact that these men came from an “ageless line of sworn iconoclasts”, and, therefore, were us ing paint “With the same joy in dis covery as a child exhibits when ac quiring a vocabulary”. This was a friendly critic speaking. In the ’twenties and ’thirties there were, however, certain writers who looked with dismay at what they called the “sudden invasion of the Kingdom of Fine Art” by Eastern European Jews, and who resented the ferocity and Romantic vehemence of

color in the paintings of the Ecole Juive. But Mané-Katz never suffered from this sort of wicked “intellectual” anti-Semitism. In 1937 he won a Gold Medal at the Paris World’s Fair for The Wailing Wall. After the fall of France he fled to the United States, but in 1945 he returned to liberated Paris, probably the first of the Jewish group to return. His postwar exhibi tions found an enthusiastic response in such respected papers as Le Monde, Nouvelles Littéraires, Figaro and Arts. “A sensitive observer... a full-blooded colorist. . . a peer of Chagall. . . a real painter” were some of the judgments by well-known critics. In 1951 he was made a member of the Legion of Honor.

"Jewish M usicians" June, 1958

He has painted in the United States, ANE-KATZ has been to the Holy M Land so many times that he has in Argentina, Brazil^ in Mexico and often been called an Israeli artist. Is South Africa. He remembers most raelis gratefully remember that he came to the country while the War of Liberation was still raging. When the curator of the Tel Aviv Museum won dered whether a one-man show, sched uled for the summer of 1948, should not be cancelled, Mane-Katz replied by shipping forty canvases to Tel Aviv, and soon afterwards appearing there in person. The show did take place, as scheduled, with the front lines only a few miles outside the city and Glubb Pasha's Vickers bombers strafing the Jewish metropolis. In Eretz Israel, he painted many gou aches, giving, not the surface, but the core of the country. In the picture Jerusalem there is little that is photo graphic, yet he made that nebulous city with its soft enveloping color into a symbol of what Jerusalem means to mankind: the Gity of Peace. He painted that heat-hung atmosphere of the Dead Sea, and the Zichron Yaakov settlement rising from melting planes of pink, green, and blue. Yem enites, Arab women, beggars, camels, and donkeys “posed” for him as he translated subject matter into terms of color.

vividly, however, his stay on the North African island of Djerba where Jews speak Arabic and dress like Arabs, except that the men wear black rib bons at the ankle of their baggy Oriental trousers, still mourning as they are the destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem. On that forlorn island Mane-Katz painted many gouaches in strong, unrestrained color, some of them of great decorative charm, notes perhaps to be used, some day, for more carefully designed compositions. But from his trips he always re turns to Paris where he has two homes one in the rue Notre-Dame des Champs where he works, and one in the Cafe du Dome where he meets his old friends or makes new ones. There, everybody seems to know this short, delicately built nimble man with quick eyes and' a halo of white hair, expres sive hands and an ever-ready smile. Next to him sit some other “veterans”, and, a little further, some starry-eyed young men and women, heirs and continuatbrs of that Ecole Juive that had been started by Chagall, Mane-Katz and the other great, many years ago.

TRUTH AND PEACE A lthough the schools of Hillel a n d S ham m ai differed g reatly on in terp retatio n s of m an y points of law , in cluding those of betrothal, m arria g e , a n d divorce—they resp e c te d e a c h other's opinions an d w ere friendly to ea c h other. Their fam ilies in ter m arried, they a te a t e a c h other's tab les, a n d n ev er e n d e a v ored to m islead e a c h other, a s it is w ritten: (Z echaria 8:19) "Love both truth a n d p e a c e ". Tosefta, Yevomoth I, 3 46

JEWISH LIFE

The Story of Israel, The Convert By AARON CHAIT WOODEN shack at 354 Osborne a Cossack. With Cossack weapons at Street in Brooklyn’s Brownsville, his side, he was wont to dash horse housing a little synagogue and bearingback through the broad plains of the an old, hardly-legible sign “Beth Bnai Ukraine in pursuit of loot and adven Israel”, puzzles the curious bypasser. ture, wine and women. Yet mornings It is the only Jewish place of worship and evenings her father had kneeled in what is now a neglected, all-Negro beside his parents before the ikons in section. An anomalous sight from devout prayer, and he was a regular without, it holds a strange story within. attendant at Sunday church services. This humble place is a living monu HUS the life of the young Cos ment to its late founder, Reb Israel sack had gone on until . . . some Glickman. Born a Russian Cossack of thing strange happened to him. Mys the Volga, reared in the creed and cus toms of his forefathers, he became a terious dreams began to come to him fervent Jew, serving his newly-discov night after night. In those dreams he ered faith with all his heart and soul. heard voices urging him to abandon A mystery throughout his lifetime, the Christian faith and to convert to none beside his closest family had ever Judaism, urging that he was endowed known his origin and wanderings. 1 with a Jewish soul and had a mission to fulfill for the Jewish people. Now a Residing on the premises, in back of young man of 21, and already married the synagogue, is Reb Israel’s daugh and the father of two children, he was ter, the crippled little Eva Klein, profoundly shaken by these visitations. mother of two sons, one with the U.S. They became irresistible when his Armed Forces overseas, the other, still Gentile wife and children died, just as a young boy, at home. predicted in those turbulent dreams. When interviewed by the writer, He decided to follow this heavenly Eva spoke with pride and reverence omen and to embrace Judaism. Upon of her father, the strapping six-footer entering the Russian army, he revealed with the athletic build of a Russian his desire to a few Jewish friends. With giant and the saintly face of a Hebrew a bottle of brandy serving as a primi patriarch, surrounded with thick curls tive pain-killer, he underwent the sur and a long blond beard, who had gery of circumcision in an open field, undergone incredible travail to become the rite being performed by his Jewish a Jew and to rear a Jewish progeny. friends. When his superiors discovered what Eva related that her father hailed from the Ukraine, Russia’s mainland had happened, they clapped him into of vast steppes. Like many other Vas- prison, but he managed to escape. A silys and Ivans of his time, he pursued true ger tzedek, he decided to go to in his early youth the carefree life of Eretz Yisroel, the Holy Land, as the

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June, 1958

most fitting place to start a new life, as a Jew. Making his way on foot, by train and by boat, paying his fare with hard labor, he finally reached the shores of the Promised Land. There he spent two years, devoting himself to study of his new-found faith. SRAEL, as he had renamed himself, resolved to start his family life anew, and to rear orthodox Jewish children. Upon the advice of an Eretz Yisroel rabbi, he migrated to Kovno, a noted city in Lithuania with a fine Jewish community. There he met his faithful Sarah, a lovely girl of religious parentage, who was to be the mother of Eva and of the other ten brothers and sisters. Following their marriage, Israel and Sarah came to America. They settled in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, and bought a little frame house in a locality then pO/pulated by poor Jewish families. There Israel founded a syna gogue that was his favorite place for communion with G-d to the very last breath of his life. He attracted reli gious Jews from the neighborhood who joined him in prayer and study and who adored their pious and zeal ous leader. To support himself and his family, “Reb Israel”—-as he became known in the community—engaged in laundry trucking, picking up and delivering along an appointed route. He worked very hard, carrying the heavy bundles from early morning to late at night and making but a modest livelihood. But when the sacred Sabbath came, Reb Israel put aside all cares and im mersed himself in its joyous rest and sanctity. A Brownsville merchant told the writer a characteristic episode of Reb Israel’s new life. It was Saturday, long

JEWISH LIFE

hind a synagogue that was conducted until recently by Gerer Chassidim, a lovely family, and an inspiring mem ory in the hearts and memory of those who knew him. Jewish folklore contains a legend of the Nemirover Tzaddik, who, dis guised as a Russian peasant, brings wood to a poor Jewish widow. EB ISRAEL became well known Brownsville, in Brooklyn, New York, for his unlimited charity. His has a true story of a real Russian peas favorite practice was to send at freant who led the life of a great Tzaddik quent occasions taleythim and tefillin in our very time and age. One wonders which of these two is to needy fellow Jews abroad. Poor as he was, he shared his bread with the greater. hungry, sheltered the homeless, and helped the helpless, the lonely, and the infirm. Living in exemplary righteous ness, with the Torah as his guide every minute of the day, ever modest in his piety, Reb Israel won fervent admira tion and gained the reputation of a “tzaddik,” one of the legendary thirtysix saints who live with us incognito and inspire us with the sanctity of their spirit. Never abating his determination to rear offspring true to the Jewish faith, Reb Israel nurtured his family in the tenets of traditional Judaism. One son attended Yeshivath Rabbi Isaac Elchanan, then still located on the lower East Side, where he received his ordi nation, and today is a noted orthodox rabbi in a large Eastern city. Another son went to Israel, where he now plays a role in the upbuilding of the Jewish state. All his other children and his grandchilden lead a truly Jewish life. Reb Israel passed away eight years ago at the ripe age of 91, leaving be past midnight, when Reb Israel knocked on his door and asked for the laundry. Rebuked for disturbing the peace at such a late hour, Reb Israel answered, with simple naivete, that he was detained at a farewell fete (Melavah Malkah) for Queen Sabbath, and could not part from her any sooner.

June, 1958

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JEWISH LIFE

Booh

The Hirsch Chumosh in English By HUGO MANDELBAUM THE PENTATEUCH, Translated and Explained by Samson Raphael Hirsch, Volume II, Exodus, translated into English by Isaac Levy, London, 1957; Bloch Publishing Co., 712 pp., $7.50. T IS significant for our times that Iseveral within the short period of one year translations of significant parts of the literary work of Rabbi Samson R. Hirsch appeared in print. First a selection from all his writings under the title Timeless Torah, edited by Jacob Breuer; then two volumes of essays under the title Judaism Eternal by I. Grunfeld, and now one volume of the Chumash Commentary, translated by Isaac Levy, London. This concen trated effort to make available to people of our generation the spiritual work of one of the most influential leaders of orthodox Jewry of the past century deserves our deep apprecia tion and wholehearted support. It is also a sign of the need for guidance and convincing exposition deeply felt by contemporary Jewry. The great turmoil and revolution that started with political and cultural emancipa tion at the turn of the 19th Century for West European Jewry is still de riving continuously energy from the economic emancipation experienced DR. HUGO M ANDELBAUM, Associate Profes sor of geology at Wayne State University, is the author of “ Orah Vesimchah” , a Hebrew text book for use in Day Schools.

June. 1958

for the first time by the great masses of our people when they came to these shores. It was Samson Raphael Hirsch who proclaimed emphatically that we can face such new situation with an affirm ative approach; that we do not have to shut ourselves out from political, cul tural, and economic progress in order7 to survive as Jews in an alien world. On the contrary, the exclusion of the Jew from the intellectual, cultural, and social life of the world during the pre-emancipation period was nothing organically inherent in, and charac teristic to, Judaism. It was forced upon the Jew. The full extent of Jewish life can be realized only by a deep insight into nature and human society. That Jews faltered in their task when the unnaturally enforced exclusion was suddenly lifted is not a sign of an incompatibility of Judaism and socalled worldly culture, but is a conse quence of the unpreparedness of the Jew to meet the renewed challenge to which he was for so long a time not exposed. If Rabbi Hirsch was success ful in showing the way to victory in the period of post-emancipation, he also proves to be a strong force in true interpretation of Judaism to the Jews in the age of economic freedom, industrial expansion, and revolution^ ary scientific progress. The inherent difficulty which Jew ish education faces, especially at the 51

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JEWISH LIFE

tellectual world of the educated man of our times. Thé commentary does not remain aloof and silent, waiting for a teacher in order to be translated into action and reality of life in the student. It addresses-the reader dir rectly, comes to grips with his prob lems, and guides him to its solution in the spirit of our Torah. There were previous attempts at presenting the spiritual treasure con tained in the “Commentary” by select ing prominent parts of the whole. Sec tion One of “Timeless Torah”, for in stance, contains 120 pages of select tions from the “Chumosh”. Such . se lections may lead to an understanding of the world of ideas of Hirsch, but they can never substitute for the in N this light there is no doubt that tensive study that the “Chumosh” re the most important of the writings quires as a prerequisite to a heart-toof S. R. Hirsch is his “Commentary heart talk about Judaism. It is, there on the Pentateuch”, or as it became fore, an eyept of great importance known, the “Hirsch Chumosh”. Not by that an attempt is being made of pub lofty abstractions or clear systemat- lishing a complete translation of the ics, but by true, detailed study of the “Commentary”. Significantly, the word of the Torah, an edifice of total translation is the outcome of a teach Judaism arises in the student—a pic er-student relationship, as the trans ture based on the totality of Jewish lator, Mr. Isaac Levy, explains in his Written and Oral Law, of Torah she- foreword. “It was written in weekly bichthav and Torah she-b'alpeh. The portions over a period of years for the uniqueness and novelty of this com benefit of a pupil who had moved mentary consists in the fact that it (from London) to another town.” It provides not only the factual knowl is this teaching quality of the “Com edge necessary for the understanding mentary” which makes it so unique of the text and its interpretation pro and important. The first volume published is on vided by the Oral Torah, but that it utilizes both to portray a picture of Sh’moth, the Book of Exodus. We Judaism undistorted by alien concepts agree whole-heartedly with the deci and undiluted by harmful solutions of sion of the translator not to delay a pragmatic nature. The portrayal is the publication for a rewriting of the convincing by its intrinsic logic, it is manuscript which was originally not forceful by the power of its language, intended for publication. Perusal of and stimulating by the freshness of large parts of the text and an exten ideas by which an argument is pre sive comparison with the German orig sented. And last not least, it speaks inal showed that the translation is in a language and through concepts highly successful in conveying ade Which form the background of the in quately not only the content but also adult level, is the necessity of a broad acquaintance with the practice of Jewish life and a proficiency in Jew ish'studies. Without both it is not possible to grasp the deeper concepts of Judaism and its demands on the individual and the society. The great masses of contemporary Western Jewry are lacking in both, as was emancipated German Jewry of the time of Samson R. Hirsch. Without sincere effort on the part of the Jew to take stock of his Jewish heritage, to return to his people by way of by ^be study ^be Torah, its ideas and principles, all efforts to restore the authenticity of true Torah life must fail.

June, 1958

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JEWISH LIFE

the flavor and dignity of the language of the original. And this in good idio matic English which reads easily with out descending to the colloquial. One must know the style of Hirsch’s Ger man in order to appreciate the accom plishment of this translation.

abuse. The reader literally may feel the birth pangs of language. At other times the sensitive ear of the commen tator notices a fine nuance that has escaped other translators. Thus when he translates yemincha Hashem tiratz oyev (Sh’moth 15:6) as “Thy right hand henceforth affrights every en HE Chumosh contains, as in the emy”, he takes notice of the fact that German edition, the complete He the word oyev is not determined by brew text. Those who are familiarthe article hey, and hence does not with the German edition will appre refer to the enemy Pharaoh. This typ ciate the fact that the Hebrew text is ical sample taken from one chapter a photocopy of that edition; thus it may suffice. presents the familiar sight of the Hirsch Chumosh. Besides the Hebrew O SEE how Hirsch “taitsht” a potext is an English translation con suk is alone worthwhile to own curring with the commentary. The the volume. However, without the com commentary itself fills usually about mentary We might frequently miss the three-quarters of the printed page. intent of the translation. But the com The attempt of a new English trans mentary is much more. It strives not lation of the Biblical text in itself only to arrive át the correct meaning could be hailed as a major literary of the word. It aims also and mainly event. As the Yiddish term for ex at the meaningful background of the planation—taitsh—so clearly demon Mitzvah, the ideology that lies behind strates, a translation is essential to concepts and practices. Hirsch fights an explanation of the original. Fre against common misconcepts and cur quently Hirsch’s translation is the re rent falsifications not with an apolo sult of a peculiar etymological meth getic attitude but by militantly expos od employed by him to gain a deeper ing the false basis from which they! insight into the detailed meaning of stem and confronting them with true a word. Hirsch not only compares the Torah concepts. meaning of various phrases in the It is impossible to do justice to the Bible where the same word is used. wealth of unique expositions contained He also tries to penetrate to the origi in this one volume. However, one part nal meaning of a word by cross-com must be mentioned expressively be parison of root words that Hirsch be cause here Hirsch builds on the firm lieves are related to each other by foundation of Torah She-bichtav and the fact that they have identical or Torah She-b’alpeh an edifice of truly similar root letters. Similar root let monumental stature, new and original, ters are considered those that belong right up from the foundation upon to the same pronunciation group, like which it stands. I refer to the sym the othioth gWoniotJi; alef, hey, cheth, bolic interpretation of every detail of ayiri,A resh, etc. Thus the translation the building plan of the Mishkon, the becomes pregnant with the forceful Sanctuary, and its furnishings in concreteness of word meanings fresh T’rumah, and the description of the ly derived from the source, not emp priestly garments in Tetzaveh. In “A tied yet by abstractions or blunted by Basic Outline of Jewish Symbolism”

June, 1958

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JEWISH LIFE

contained in “Timeless Torah” (Phil ipp Feldheim, N. Y.) the concept of symbolism is thoroughly and scien tifically developed by Hirsch in an important fundamental essay. But its highest and truly magnificent appli cation is contained in these two Sidroth. It is useless to try in a brief review to give an adequate account of these ideas. Rather we urge: Tzey id*mad. Understanding can only be acquired by diligent detailed study. Our appreciation is due to the trans lator who made this work of a giant in Israel available for study to those who cannot read the original German.

AY WE express our fervent hope that the circle of Jewish readers is sufficiently stirred by the advent of this translation, that it finds a place in the home of thousands of Jewish families and that it spreads true un derstanding of Jewish concepts and ideas and the love and desire to delve deeper into the essence of Torah and Judaism. If this hope will be fulfilled, the translator will find encouragement to publish soon the other four volumes of the Chumosh in succession. We wish him and ourselves Mazol Tov at the prospect of having a complete Hirsch Chumosh in every Englishspeaking Jewish home.

THE MITZVOTH The “T a ry a g Mitzvoth"—the 613 com m andm ents co n tain ed in the Torah—consist of 365 n eg a tiv e , prohibitory (“Lo S a 'a se h ") corresponding to the n u m b er of d a y s in the y e a r, a n d 248 positive, m an d a to ry (“A 'sei") co rresponding to the n u m b er of m em bers in the h u m an body. The w ord “T orah" h a s a nu m er ical v alu e of 611’—to w hich should b e a d d e d the first two of the Ten C om m andm ents, “I am The Lord thy G -d" a n d “Thou sh alt h a v e no other g ods before M e", w hich w e h e a rd from the A lm ighty Himself. Talm ud, M akkoth 23-b, 24-a

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Letters to the Editor PLAUDIT

Washington, D. C. Although I did not notice your sec tion “Letters to the Editor” in your last publication, I am still prompted to write this to you at present. I attended the Senate Hearing on the Poage Humane Slaughter Act on May 1, 1958, and want to mention publicly that the five gentlemen who represented orthodox and national Jewry in the United States on that day should certainly be commended. Rabbi Teitz, Rabbi Sharfman, Mr. Feuerstein, Dr. Lewin, and Mr. Brennglass presented their reasons for oppo sition to this Bill intelligently, force fully, with dignity, yet in humility. I hope and pray that our Yeshiva students will be able to match such scholarly and wise presentation of orthodox and national Jewish interest at the Conference Tables throughout the world with such marked eloquence. With many thanks to those speak ers, I am for continued faith in the survival of our brethren everywhere. Mrs. Helen Vogel TRACER

Cincinnati, Ohio I am interested in locating a Rabbi Jacob Pressman who lived in Colorado about thirty years ago. In 1933 he was for a short while in Colorado Springs. Any information concerning Rabbi Pressman or his family will be very much appreciated by me. Dr. Jacob R. Marcus, Director American Jewish Archives June, 1958

CORRECTION

New York, N. Y. To my shock, I realize that in my statement that only one of the authors of the five excellent booklets* is alive, I had mistaken Mr. Herman Schwab (to whom I should like to wish many years of health and happiness) for his sainted brother, Mr. Leopold Schwab. It is a pleasure to look forward to more publications from his fertile and significant pen. Rabbi Leo Jung SHABBOS GOY, SHABBOS CLOCK

Sarnia, Ontario, Canada Although I realize that the article by Mr. Sholom Staiman in the April/'. Nisan issue “The Shabbos-Goy and the Shabbos-Clock” was written in more or less of a humorous vein, yet I cannot refrain from commenting on the fact th at perhaps to some readers this description will present the situa tion it deals with in a fashion detri mental to “Sh’mirath Shabboth”. Mr. Staiman so multiplies the diffi culties and inconveniences attending the keeping of the Sabbath in regard to electric lights as to make it appear (especially to those not firmly dedi cated to its observance) as a truly herculean task. Through quite a number of years in small and large communities, we have solved this really minor problem with out “Shabbos goyim”, Shabbos clocks, enquiring neighbors, etc., etc. We simply allow the electric light to burn ♦“T he Jewish Post Booklets”, reviewed by Dr. Jung in the Nisan issue of J ewish Life .

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JEWISH LIFE

throughout the Sabbath in one or two rooms Without interfering with our Friday evening reading, our sleep, or the activities of the children. If I am making a mountain out of a molehill, please forgive me, but the observance of the Sabbath in our time is difficult enough without adding imaginary complications. Mrs. Esther Kaplan LONDON CALLING

London, England I have read a number of your issues of J e w i s h L i f e , and have found them both illuminating and instructive. I should very much like to become a subscriber. . . David Israel PLEASE EXPLAIN

Mt. Clemens, Michigan Some terms in Rabbi ¿Victor Solo mon’s article ( “ T i m e and Challenge” in the Nisan J e w i s h L i f e ) seem to me too general, and I would be very thankful if you can help me to have a better understanding. Can the first paragraph about the four distinct forces be concretely illus trated, showing how each force is pull ing man back to origins, and what is meant by “origins”. The article also states: “Arrogant ly, they had marched forward against the Laws of History,” and “They died because they fought in space, and Israel lived because it translated its existence . . . into time,” and “One civilization responded . . What would these passages mean by con crete example? I was embarrased when, reading this article to my chil dren, they asked me these questions. Baruch Litvin June, 1958

Rabbi Solomon Writes: I appreciate Mr. Litvin’s comments and questions about my article. I would have liked to have been more explicit but limitations of style and scope precluded the invocation of illus trations and explications. This essay, couched in philosophical style and idiom is more in the category of “reraez” than “pirush”. The “four distinct pressures” re ferred to in the opening paragraph of the essay are the crushing forces of time manifested in psychology, his tory, culture and religion. Once force comes out of the past. Chinese ances tor-worship is an illustration in point. All attention is focused on the past, in which the “origins” or roots of the people or culture reside. How does a people arrogantly march forward against the Laws of History? By ignoring the dynamics of history which levelled empires and destroyed civilizations. Take Rome for example. The Roman leaders were, ostensibly, interested in insuring its survival. They built fortified cities and organized tremendous armies. They subjugated peoples and chained the civilized world to their war chariot. Yet, a day came when Rome crumbled and collapsed. Why? Because her lead ers never realized that the Laws of History — the inevitable laws of national disintegration, the rotting away of material splendor and phys ical strength, the eventual emascula tion of victorious armies—which de stroyed Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, Per sia, and Greece would crush Rome, too. Philosophers since time immemorial have tended to divide all of existence into the two basic elements of Time and Space. Maimonides also concerned himself with this matter. Space, to most, was commensurate with the 61

physical universe. Geography, mate rial wealth, spears and swords have been the decisive factors in human history. Today, for example, we live in an “atomic age”, meaning, of course, in an age menaced by the atomic bomb. Our Torah, though it recognizes a Kedushath Makom (i.e. Land of Israel, Holy Temple) intro duced a new concept, a Kedushath Z’man (i.e. Sabbath, Festivals, etc.). The very history of Israel illustrates the relative strength and durability of the two. Our breastworks of Makom were soon destroyed. The Temple was razed and we were driven from the Holy Land. Then we came to rely on Z'man— Sabbath, Festivals' Mitzvoth —and we were saved. The Gentiles who underpinned their existence with space alone had to succumb to the ravages of time. The most fatal dis eases would be powerless to kill if time were to be suspended. Time was

recognized by most ancient philoso phers as the great killer of men. In macrocosm, it becomes the great killer of empires and civilizations. The civilization referred to in para graph four was that of ancient Egypt, which was enslaved to the past. GOOD WORK

Brooklyn, N. Y. The April 1958 issue was full of fine articles. Each seemed to militate against the other for first place. Keep up the good work. Doctor Brickman’s previous and present articles are un usual. May I suggest you let us know about Mexican, South American, South African, etc., Jews. “The Lost A rt of Derech Eretz” is the finest contribution against juve nile. delinquency I have so fa r read. Samuel G. Slo-Bodkin, M.D.

PARTNERS The m itzvah of honoring p a re n ts is d e a r to the Alm ighty, b e c a u se the Torah utilizes term s for honoring, reverirtg, a n d cursing p a re n ts sim ilar to those for the A lm ighty—a n d the re w a rd s a re eq u iv alen t. This is only logical, for the A lm ighty, father, a n d m other a re after all p a rtn e rs in b rin g in g the child into the w orld. M echilta, Sh'm oth 20:12 AKDOMUTH The A kdom uth poem w ritten in A ram aic in p ra ise of the A lm ighty a n d His C reatio n a n d Torah, in terp o lated after re a d in g the first v erse of the Biblical Portion on the first d a y of Shovuoth (or in som e co n g reg atio n s before recitin g the first benediction) w a s w ritten b y M eir b e n Is a a c N ehorai. It is ch an ted in th e sam e m elody a s th a t u se d for callin g up the "C hothon Torah" on Sim chath Torah.

JEWISH LIFE

TEN IN ONE S aid R ab b i Levi: W hy do w e re a d the p a ra g ra p h s of the "S h'm ah " (Deut. 6:4-9, 11:13-21, N um bers 15:37-41) daily? B ecause they co n tain all of the Ten C om m andm ents—a s follows: I. / am the Lord thy G-d

"H ear, O Israel, the Lord is our G-d II. There shall be for thee no other gods before Me

"The Lord is O n e" III. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy G-d In vain

“A nd thou sh a lt love the Lord thy G -d." (Just a s he w ho loves a n d resp ects a king will not sw e a r idly b y his n am e, so will you not do so w ith G-d) IV. Remember the Sabbath day

"In order th a t ye sh all rem em b er a n d do all of my com m andm ents" (R abbi d eclared : This is the com m andm ent of Shabboth, e q u iv a le n t to all of the com m andm ents of the Torah) V. Honor thy father and thy mother

"In order th a t your d a y s m ay b e m ultiplied, a n d the d a y s of yo u r children" (For long life is prom ised for o b serv an ce of this com m an d m en t . . . a n d for y o u r children if th ey continue it) * VI. Thou shalt not murder

"A nd y e sh all p erish quickly" (For the m u rd erer is su b je c t to d e ath ) VII. Thou shalt not commit adultery

"A nd y e sh all not turn a sid e after the d esires of your h e a rts a n d after the d esires of your ey es" VIII. Thou shalt not steal

"A nd thou sh a lt g a th e r in thy corn'f (A nd not the corn of your neig h b o r) IX. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor

"I am the Lord your G -d" (A nd it is w ritten (Jerem iah): "A nd the Lord G-d is truth".) X. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house

"A nd thou sh a lt w rite them upon the doorposts of thy h o u se" (A nd not the house of your n eighbor) Talm ud Y erushalm i, Berochoth I, 1 June, 1958

MEMO TO: ALL ORTHODOX JEWS FROM: C h a r le s H. B en d h eim , N a t i o n a l C hairm an, QUA SUBJECT: ORTHODOX UNION ASSOCIATION 1 . The g o a l o f th e O rth o d o x U n ion A s s o c i a t i o n , t h e i n d i v i d u a l m em b ersh ip arm o f t h e U n io n o f O rth o d o x J e w is h C o n g r e g a tio n s o f A m e r ic a , i s t o a s s i s t t h e U n ion i n s p r e a d in g t h e i d e a l s o f o r t h o d o x J u d a ism . 2 . I t i s e s s e n t i a l t h a t e v e r y l o y a l Jew p a r t ic ip a t e in t h i s n a t io n a l, v ib r a n t , t r a d i t i o n a l J e w is h m ovem ent. O .U .A . memb e r s h i p i d e n t i f i e s y o u p e r s o n a l l y w it h o u r g r e a t p rogram o f r e l i g i o u s r e s u r g e n c e . 3 . As an O .U .A . member y o u w i l l r e c e i v e : a . JEWISH LIFE. b . H o lid a y P a m p h le t S e r v i c e — b r i n g i n g i n t o y o u r home in f o r m a t iv e and a u t h e n t i c b o o k l e t s an d p a m p h le ts on J e w is h h o l i d a y s , b e l i e f s and p r a c t i c e s . c . K a sh r u th B u l l e t i n s - ^ k e e p i n g y o u p o s t e d on t h e new ® d e v e lo p m e n t s . d . News B u l l e t i n s 4 . The a n n u a l m em b ersh ip f e e i s $ 1 0 .0 0 (Member) $ 1 5 .0 0 (F r ie n d ) $ 2 5 .0 0 (P a tr o n ) 5 . I u r g e y o u t o j o i n now b y f i l l i n g o u t and m a i l i n g t h e a p p l i c a t i o n b e lo w . U n io n o f O rth o d o x J e w is h Cong, o f A m erica 3 0 5 B roadw ay New Y ork 7 , New Y ork P l e a s e e n r o l l me a s a member o f t h e O rth o d o x U n io n A s s o c i a t i o n .

NAME

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Address

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i s e n c l o s e d . □ P l e a s e b i l l me. JEWISH LIFE

CARE

,..

thebridge

of friendship is still open

One o f the b est and m ost appreciated g ifts fo r an y needy fa m ily in Israel is still a $10 kosher CAR E food package. N on-profit CAR E p uts th e b est possible value into its food packages. A lso available is a special Israel F am ily Food package a t $18.25. Or you m ay a ssist a needy Jew ish fam ily in Ita ly and B erlin w ith th e g ift o f a standard kosher $10 package. A ll deliveries are guaranteed b y CAR E. M ail your orders tod ay!

All CARE Kosher food packages supervised end endorsed by the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America *

C A K

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Everybody in the family loves these delicious, hunger-satisfying beans. So naturally M omma brings them home often . . . and builds good meals around them! W hat could be easier: just heat and serve. You’ll find this © seal on every label. I t ’s the seal of approval of THE UNION OF ORTHODOX JEWISH CONGREGATIONS OF AMERICA. -____ ,

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