Jewish Life October 1972

REACHING OUT TO THE NON-COMMITTED * TWO SKETCHES YOUTH WAS NOT WASTED ON THE YOUNG, MR. SHAW ZERO POPULATION GROWTH AND THE TORAH LIVING IN BAYITH VEGAN - JERUSALEM THOU SHALT NOT DESTROY * KOTHEL HA-MA’A R A V I AMERICAN JEWISH LITERATURE: WINDOW OR MIRROR? OF MEADOWS AND MARTYRDOM IN MEDIEVAL GERMANY OCTOBER 1972 CHESHVAN 5733

Announcem ent

The 74th Anniversary Bl EN N IA L CO N VEN TIO N o f the UNION O F O R TH O D O X JEW ISH CO N G R EG A T IO N S O F A M E R IC A will take place rr*K on 16th ~ 20th Kislev, 5733 Wednesday, November 22nd — Sunday, November 26th, 1972 (Thanksgiving Week) at the Boca Raton Hotel Boca Raton, Florida

Special events will precede the Convention. Full week stay, commencing Sunday,November 19th, will be available.

Vol. X X X IX , No. 4/October 1972/Cheshvan 5733

7T2 A R T IC L E S ZERO POPULATION GROWTH AND THE TORAH/ Alfred Cohen .............................................2 REACHING OUT TO THE N0N-C0MMITTED/ Steven Riskin............................................. 8 THOU SHALT NOT DESTROY/ Samuel A . Turk ................

Saul Bernstein, Editor Dr. Herbert Goldstein Libby K laperm an Dr. Jacob W. Landynski Rabbi Solomon J. Sharfman Editorial Associates Elkanah Schwartz Assistant Editor JEWISH L IF E is published q u a r t e r ly . Subscription t w o years $5.00, three years $6.50, four years $8.00. Foreign: A d d 40 cents per year. Individual cop y: — .75.

Editorial and Publication Office: 84 Fifth Avenue New York. N.Y. 10011 (212) A L 5-4100 Published by UNION OF O RTH O D O X JEWISH CO NG R E G ATIO NS OF AM E R IC A Joseph Karasick President Harold M. Jacobs Chairman o f the Board Samuel C. Fewer stein. H onor­ ary Chairman o f the Board; Benjamin Koenigsberg, Senior V ic e President; Nathan K. Gross, Harold H. Boxer, David Politi, Dr. Bernard Lander, Lawrence A. Kobrin, Julius B erm a n , V ic e Presidents; Eugene Hollander, Treasurer; Morris L. Green, Honorary Treasurer; Joel Balsam, Secre­ tary; Daniel Greer, Financial Secretary Dr. Berel Wein E xecu tive V ice President Saul Bernstein, A dm inistra tor Second Class Postage paid at New Y ork . N .Y .

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LIVING IN BAYITH VEGAN - JERUSALEM/ Joseph Kaminetsky.................................... 19 YOUTH WAS NOT WASTED ON THE YOUNG, MR. SHAW/ Lillian P. Z iegler........................................ 25 AMERICAN JEWISH LITERATURE: WINDOW OR MIRROR?/ Elkanah Schwartz.......................

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OF MEADOWS AND MARTYRDOM IN MEDIEVAL GERMANY/ Allan M. B lustein...................................... 39 TWO SKETCHES/ Jack Luria................................................. 43 PO ETRY KOTHEL HA-MA’ARAVI/ Edith Rothschild ...................................... 24 B O O K R E V IE W S REVEL’S ROLE IN HISTORY/ Reuben E. Gross........................................47 HIRSCH’S LAST WORK/ Isaac L. S w ift............................................51 A SEPHARDI TREASURY/ Marc D. Angel ........................

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IN FICTIONAL PERSPECTIVE/ Chaim U. Lipschitz ..........................

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D EPA RTM EN TS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR .............................61 AMONG OUR CONTRIBUTORS ..inside back cover Cover and Drawings by N aam a K itov O Copyright 1972 by Union o f O rthodox Jewish Congre­ gations o f America. Material from JEW ISH L IF E , including illustrations, may not be reproduced except b y written per* mission from this magazine following written request.

by A L F R E D C O H E N t i T H E rich get richer and the poor I get children.” This time-worn adage, as well as a host of others, has oft been used to ridicule the parents of large families. Increasingly, the small family unit is depicted as the proper norm, the ideal. So obsessed have moderns become with the desirability of a compact, small fam ily, that birthcontro l clinics dispensing abortion abound, contraceptive theory is taught to girls scarcely pubescent, and the latest is formation of a group for Zero Population Growth.

Formed in 1968, Zero Popula­ tion Growth now claims some 30,000 members. Its goal: to achieve, by 1990, a population increase of zero for the United States, by convincing couples to voluntarily limit their re­

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production to zero, or at most one or two children. In this w ay, they hope to maintain the population of this country at a steady, “ desirable” level.

To do otherwise, they say, would be to court disaster, for the country can­ not sustain more people.

The first warning note on the population problem was sounded by Thomas Malthus in 1799. In that now-famous essay, Malthus set forth his basic theorem: I th in k I postulata.

may

fairly

make

two

First, That food is necessary to the existence of man.

Secondly, That the passion between the sexes is necessary and will remain nearly in its present state.

JEWISH L IF E

These two laws, ever since we have had any knowledge of mankind, appear to have been fixed laws of our nature, and, as we have not hitherto seen any alteration in them, we have no right to conclude that they will ever cease to be what they now are, without an immediate act of power in that Being who first arranged the system of the universe, and for the advantage of his creatures, still exe­ cutes, according to fixed laws, all its various operations.

A ssu m in g then, my postulata as granted, I say that the power of popu­ lation is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce sub­ sistence for man.

P o p u la tio n , when unchecked, in­ creases in a geometrical ratio. Sub­ sistence increases only in an arith­ metical ratio. A slight acquaintance w ith numbers will show the im­ mensity of the first power in compari­ son of the second.

Were Malthus indeed correct, and the apocalypse he foretold loomed before us, there is little question that Halochah would vigorously support the agenda set forth by Zero Popula­ tion Growth.

E find ample precedent for con­ cern for food supply in the Rabbinic dictum that the nursing mother should prevent further preg­ nancies for fear that another child might affect her ability to continue nursing her baby. Sim ilarly, the Rabbis tell us that it is forbidden for a man to engage in sexual relations with his wife in times of famine. They cite Joseph,

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who as vice-regent of Egypt during the years of famine did not cohabit with his wife, for any increase in the number of mouths to feed would endanger the tightly rationed food supply. A ll this, despite the fact that there was still sufficient food available for the present; yet concern for the eventualities of the famine also had to be taken into consideration.

But I hardly think that this is our predicament. Malthus, with all his gloomy theorizing, forgot that neces­ s it y is the mother of invention.

History has shown that real progress and innovation often come about only when there is a pressing demand. The cure for malaria, or the polio vaccine, even the Atomic bomb are familiar examples of this phenomenon. And Columbus didn't set sail for the West and discover America until there was an urgent demand for a shorter route to India. As Charles G. Darwin writes, Malthus' theory of disaster was de­ feated by the invention of the railway, the steamship, and other devices which greatly increased the availability of fo od and other commodities for people all over the world. What Malthus failed to take into account was the natural genius o f man to rise to the needs of the occasion.

ND although there are still numerous proponents of the idea that the world will shortly run out o f its capacity to support the life upon it, there are nevertheless many experienced and thoughtful social

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scientists who ridicule their fear. The president of the International Bank for R e co n stru ctio n and Development, Eugene R. Black, in an essay on “ Population Increase and Economic Development,“ writes, I am not convinced that population growth will eventually outrun the development of the world’s resources.

It is true that at present rates of con­ sumption we will use up the known reserves of several important fuels and minerals within a few decades. Heavy demands will certainly be made on our agricultural resources . . . But I am inclined to think that those prophets who forecast the exhaustion of the earth’s resources, underestimate the ingenuity of man and the potentiali­ ties of Science.

Black even goes on to venture the opinion that an increase in popula­ tio n might actually stimulate the economy to greater productivity.

An even stronger case to dis­ credit those who voice frightening statistics about the Doomsday fast approaching, is made by Lord Boyd Orr, an internationally known food expert, former Director General of the United Nations Food and Agricultural

Organization, and a Nobel Peace Prize winner. He totally rejects the thesis that the food supply is likely to run out.

The population is increasing at a rate which will double it in less than forty years. If the present accelerating rate continues, in eighty years when many infants of today will still be alive, the present population of 3,000 million will be well over 12,000 million.

Therefore, to provide an adequate diet would require more than eight times the present world food supply.

Could that amount of food be pro­ duced? On that there are different views. My own is that with modern engineering and agricultural sciences, it is physically possible to increase the food supply more than eight times.

But that could be done only under two conditions. The first is that all governments would be willing to cooperate on a world scale for its increase and equitable distribution.

The second is that all governments would contribute in proportion to their resources . . . It would take at least 12,000 million dollars a year to provide sufficient food for all people within about ten years. That is about 10 percent of what the world is spend­ ing on military budgets.

W HY TH E T H EO R Y D EV ELO PED A D the movement to drastically curtail population originated in India or China, one could easily have understood it as a conscious attempt to stave off imminent starvation. How­

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ever, in this country where every year we have to destroy food, or refrigerate it in huge stockpiles for the future, or pay farmers not to produce, it can hardly be dearth o f food which is

JEWISH LIFE

m otivating the ZPG people. This country, where one can drive for days and days through vast, unpopulated areas, cannot turn to such a movement out of economic necessity. They are moved, not by the lack of food or the lack of space, but in truth by the lack of desire to bring children into a world fraught with fear and uncertainty, to a world of murder and moral decay.

Their vision of the world, and the ramifications o f that vision, are the true incipient force of the theory.

While it is true that economic and ecological motives are cited as the reasons for formation of Zero Popula­ tion Growth, I feel it would be more correct to ascribe it to psychological and philosophical factors.

Startling as it may seem, Jewish history also has its episodes of “ zero population growth” (or less) as the recommended modus vivendi. How­ ever, historically, this theory was never an outgrowth o f lack of space or food; rather, the theory was articulated by people who saw it as the only solution to their predicament. Witnessing de­ struction and misery, unable to go on, they wished to interdict reproduction o f any more children. However, in each instance, the evil decree was averted when the voice of hope and optimism championed.

U R contemporary society, too, is one in which mere existence is daily becoming more difficult. Our streets are crime-ridden, fear pervades

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society, the world is in constant turmoil. There is no one who can escape from the uncertainties which the instability of society have en­ gendered. It is this despair and un­ certainty which are the two underlying forces behind the movement to limit so drastically the expansion of our population, to bring as few as possible into a milieu of social and moral decay.

It would seem to me to be an elem entary assumption that when people choose to bear children and build a family (particularly in a society in which birth control bears no oppro­ brium) they do so, if not out of an inner satisfaction with life, or out of zest and enthusiasm with their roles in life, then surely out o f a compelling sense of the primal force of life and the urge to fu lfill, through their generative drive, life’s eternal flow.

Too, there is in many cases the posi­ tive desire to perpetuate that ideology to which they have dedicated their efforts, by bringing many children into the world to carry on and enlarge upon their efforts. Not least o f all, the desire for children springs from love of children and for the shared warmth of the family atmosphere.

It is only when fear and pes­ simism prevail that Zero Population Growth flourishes. In the words of Aristotle, “ Human beings attempt to imitate the Prime Mover’s eternity by insuring the eternity of the species through reproduction.”

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S U C C U M B T O D E S P A IR ?

HE decision to have no more Amram and his followers, with re­ children cannot be arrived at newed faith, return to their wives and lightly. We see that in those instances continue normal family living. when that road was chosen, it was 0 , too, when the Temple in only through dire necessity. Many Jerusalem was destroyed. For years ago, when the B ’ney Yisroel were enslaved in Egypt, the oppression centuries, the Temple had represented became so cruelly bitter, the bondage the religious and national G eist of the so totally depressing, that it did drive Jewish people, their communication intelligent people to this extreme as with G-d, their claim to uniqueness. the only solution. Our Sages tell us When it stood in ruins, annihilated by that when Pharaoh went so far as to the fury of foreign armies, the Rabbis decree that all newborn baby boys contemplated issuing a decree for­ must be thrown into the Nile, at that bidding Jewish men and women to point life seemed unbearably futile to have any more children.* National the Jews. Then Amram, a leader of the suicide in this way, they said, was a course preferable to bringing children Jews, and all his followers, decided into a world bereft o f Temple and they would divorce their wives. This move by Amram, who was later to ritual, without a Torah center, perhaps become the father of Moses, was a without religion. Better not to be born conscious decision to bring an end to than to live in this way.

Although there were outside the Jewish people. Seeing no hope for the future, depressed by the horrors of factors which ultimately made the Rabbis decide not to issue this decree, the present, they felt it would be futile we do see that once again, Zero Popu­ to bring children into such misery, and lation Growth was advocated — not so they separated from their wives. for economic reasons, but again out of This ancient program for Zero misery, frustration, pessimism as to Population Growth arose not from the future. lack of resources, but out of despera­ Indeed, the Torah was well tion at the state o f a society into which it seemed criminal to bring aware of this “ despair syndrome.”

Tw ice the Torah finds it necessary to more victims.

Only later, at the insistence of command Man to have children, both his daughter Miriam who urged him to times as a reaction to frustration and renew his faith in G-d’s ultimate salva­ *As for the question of the Biblical com­ tion, reminding that although the out­ m andm ent to have children, sufficient look was bleak, he should trust in G-d material has been written thereon, and need to restore order to the world, did not be treated here.

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JEWISH LIFE

despair. Adam after his fall from grace, Noah after surviving the Flood ordeal both are specifically told by the

Almighty: “ Be fruitful and m ultiply.”

Man must not allow his fear and un­ certainty to destroy the future.

T IS therefore here, now, that the Jew of faith must call upon all his resources. True it is that ours is a troubled age; but this must not color our thinking to the point where we lose our confidence in G-d. The

tim e w ill come when peace and stability will return, and it is to that time we ought to look and for which we should strive. Zero Population Growth is not the answer now, as it never was in the past.

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b y S T E V E N R IS K IN N the contemporary American orthodox Jewish scene there have emerged two distinct attitudes towards the non-orthodox: the one may be called isolationist and the other expansionist. The former main­ tains that, like the Biblical Noah, we have neither the strength nor the re­ sources to concern ourselves with the non-committed. A ll that we can hope to achieve is the establishment of our own ark, our own sectarian institu­ tions and even communities, in the hope of rescuing ourselves and our families from the flood of secularism seeking to inundate us. The expan­ sionists, on the other hand, seek to emulate our Patriarch Abraham by reaching out actively to the non-orthodox in an attempt to convince them of

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our divine Weltanschauung and per­ suade them to adopt our way of life. It is the task of this article to demon­ stra te that the orthodox Jew is Halachically bound to explore the proper means by which he will be enabled to convince his co-religionists to return to their heritage.

Biblically we are commanded: “ Thou shalt surely reprove thy neigh­ bor and thou shalt not bear iniquity because of him .“ (Vayikra 19:17) Maimonides, in his Mishneh Torah, clarifies and codifies this obligation: “ If one sees his friend transgressing or going in an evil direction it is obli­ gatory to restore him to the good path and to inform him that he is trans­ gressing against himself with his evil deeds, as it is written, T h o u shalt

JEWISH LIFE

surely reprove thy neighbor'.. And anyone who has it within his power to prevent (another's transgression) and does not prevent it, becomes himself in vo lved in the tran sg re ssio n ."

(M aimonides, Mishneh Torah, Hilchoth Deoth 6 :7 , 8) Nowhere do we find a clearer manifestation of the principle that "every Israelite is a co­ signer one for the other." Not only must I instruct my neighbor as to his proper conduct, but I also share in his guilt if I refuse to carry out my obliga­ tion.* Jewish law explicitly denies the American golden rule of ‘Mind your own business.'

O be sure, it is necessary to admonish in such a way that your words will be respected and not ridiculed, accepted and not maligned.

Although we are taught to instruct even if we must reiterate our message one hundred* times, (Talmud, Boya Metziah, 31a) we are still cautioned: "Ju st as it is incumbent upon a man to speak that which will be accepted, so is it incumbent not to speak that w h ic h w ill not be a c c e p te d ."

(Yevamoth 65b, and Rashi ad loc.) It would be mere fo lly, therefore, to approach every Sabbath desecrater one meets and give him a tongue-lashing for it. We must first cultivate receptiv-

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ity for our ideas by making available to our co-religionist the proper educa­ tio n a l facilities and materials, by preaching by actions as well as by words. And once we have progressed to the stage of verbal admonition, we must do so with love and encourage­ ment: "...w h o instructs his friend . . .must instruct him when he is alone.

One should speak to him with calm sweetness and soft words, and inform him that one's words are for his own good and £o bring him to the life of the world to come." (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Hilchoth Deoth 6:7) Limitations are logically placed on our responsibility, so that if we are certain that our message will go un­ heeded and might even be resented, it is perhaps preferable to remain silent.

"Until what point is one to reprove?

Rav says, Until he is struck (by the one he is reproving).

Samuel says, Until he is cursed.

Rav Yochanon says, Until he is reviled." * But this only intensifies that which we have been saying. As long as there is no active negative response on the part of the non-committed, it remains our duty to create the proper atmosphere which will allow for religious instruc­ tion and admonition.

There are those who will deny my entire assumption by maintaining that many if not all of the non-ortho­ dox Jews o f our generation have abro-

*Compare B.T. Shabbat 54b, in which a similar obligation is placed upon one who can prevent transgressions of his family, his city and the world. The very verse in Leviticus might well imply that by not re­ *Erchin 16b; Maimonides decides in accord­ proving one’s friend, one bears his iniquity. ance with Rav Yochanon.

OCTOBER 1972

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gated themselves from being included in Klal Yisroel because of their hereti­ cal beliefs. After all, they will argue, does not Maimonides, after enumerat­ ing the thirteen essential Articles of Faith, exclude them by declaring: “ And when an individual believes in all these essentials . . . he enters into the category of Israel and it is incumbent to love him. . But when there be­ comes damaged for an individual an article of these articles, behold he is excluded from the category and has denied an essential.0 (Maimonides, Commentary to the Mishnah, Sanhed­ rin X I : I, Introduction) S H A L L not attempt to discuss the validity of the Maimonidean Articles of Faith within the confines of this essay. However, even according to M aim onides himself the great m a jo rity ^ our Jewish brethren would still be included in K ’lal Yisroel. For a clarification of the position of this great commentator and codifier, we must turn to his magnum opus in Jewish law, the Mishneh Torah:

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Once it becomes publicly known that an individual has denied the validity of the Oral Law , behold he is con­ sidered like the rest of the heretics who deny the divinity of the Torah and the slanderers and the rebels, who are not in the category of Israel.

T h is statement applies, however, only to a man who initially denies the validity of the Oral Law in his mind . . . and goes after his paltry thoughts . . . like Zadok and Boethius and all of their followers. But the children of

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these followers and their children's children, whose parents misled them those who were born among the Karaites and were raised in their tradi­ tions — behold, they are as ones who were forced against their will . . .

Therefore it is proper to bring them back in repentance and to encourage them with words of peace until they return to the complete power of the Torah. (Hilchoth Mamrim III: 2,3)

Thus Maimonides has reinterpre­ ted the concept of onus (one who has been forced to commit a transgression against his w ill) to include those who have been reared in a non-orthodox environment and who have never re­ ceived an opportunity to properly study and practice the tenets of Juda­ ism. How correct was the Psalmist in declaring “ Taste and see that G-d is good,0 and how tragic is the son of Israel who has never been warmed by the wine of Kiddush or inspired by the fragrance of Havdolah spice. How much greater is our obligation to turn these “ youngsters who were captured by the pagans0 and imbue them with the truths of our faith!

IJ U T what of the individual who Dhas been trained in an orthodox home but has rejected his early educa­ tion due to the almost overwhelming demands of the secular society in which he finds himself? What of the young man who so plagued and per­ plexed by intellectual doubts that he finds it impossible to honestly perform the religious precepts taught him by

JEWISH LIFE

parents and teachers? Are these indi­ viduals to be excluded from K ’lal Yisroel? Is the orthodox Jew to be freed from the obligation of attempt­ ing in every possible way to restore for such Jews their historic religious per­ spective? I would submit that there might very well be room in Jewish law to further extend the category of onus to include even those who transgress due to emotional weakness or intellec­ tual doubt.

Rabbi Abraham Isaac Hakohen Kuk, in one of his most far-reaching responsa, writes to a father who is dis­ traught over the apostasy of his son: Yes, my dear friend, I understand well the sadness of your heart. But if you should concur with the majority of the scholars that it is seemly at this time to utterly reject those children who have swerved from the paths of Torah and faith because of the tumul­ tuous current of the age, I must ex­ plicitly and emphatically declare that this is not the method which G-d desires. Just as the Tosafoth in Trac­ tate Sanhedrin (26b) maintains that it is logical not to invalidate one sus­ pected of sexual immorality from giving testimony because he is consid­ ered an onus — since his instincts over­ whelmed him — the Tosafoth in Tractate Gittin (41b) maintains that since a maid-servant enticed them to immorality they are considered as having acted against their will, in a similar fashion (is to be judged) the ‘Evil Maid-Servant* of the current of the age . . . entices many of our youngsters with all their wiles to commit adultery with her. They act completely against their will and far be it from us to judge a transgression

OCTOBER 1972

which one is forced to commit in the same manner as we judge a premedi­ tated, wilful transgression. (Iggeroth HaRe’eyah I, Responsum 137, P. 171)

Therefore we have an indication that the concept of onus may very well be extended to include those who have rejected aspects of Jewish law and theology due to the emotional pressures of our age or even due to heterodox intellectual conviction.* If one would draw this concept to its logical conclusion it might mean a total rethinking of our category of culpability and punishment. A t the very least it demands that we have neither the moral nor legal right to exclude the majority of American Jewry from our agonizing concern. We dare not build Noah’s arks merely for * V id e B .T . Shevuoth 26a, where the Talmud itself seems to exclude the person w ho is intellectually convinced of the rectitute of his action from the category of a wilful transgressor. In the case of a false oath, Jewish law removes all culpability from one who is forced to make such an oath against his will (onus) “ what is an example of such an instance? It is as in the case of Rav Kahana and Rav Asi who had been standing before Rav. One took an oath that this was the statement of Rav and the other took an oath that that was the state­ ment of Rav. When they came before Rav, he established his statement in accordance with one of them. The other said to him, ‘I have therefore sworn falsely.* (Rav) replied to him, Your heart forced you!*’ And Tosafot in B.T. Gitin 35a explains that Rav removed any .trace of culpability or obli­ gation from his student by declaring that, in effect he hadn’t even sworn falsely at all.

S e e , to o , Norman Lamm, “ Faith and Doubt’’ Tradition, Spring-Summer ’67.

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the preservation of our orthodox other, " and which avers that my Kiddush is lacking as long as you have colleagues. We dare not encourage an not made yours, resoundingly denies a ttitu d e of cynicism and disdain to w a rd s those Synagogue rabbis, that we were ever meant to foster the educators, and laymen attempting to N eturey Karta psychology. And the renaissance among Jews who have call back our wayward brethren. And most important, each and every ortho­ been subjected to religious influence — in America, Israel (especially through dox Jew must awaken to his personal the Gesher movement), and even the responsibility to enter into religious Soviet Union 14$ stands eloquent testi­ fields of endeavor and, at the very mony to the eternity of the Jewish least, to attempt to reach out to those spirit, a spirit which will not only who are Jews in name only.

And there is no question in my survive but which will prevail.

In our modern age of religious mind that we can succeed.

We are living in an age of unpre­ apathy and intellectual turmoil, we cedented religious interest and concern must contain every Jew — despite his alongside of the radical theologians avowed heresies and intemperate and secular city — situation ethic behavior — within the banner of K'lal enthusiasts. The Yavneh organization Yisroel, and never yield our obligation and privilege to restore for him the which has successfully brought Torah Study and kosher kitchens to count­ vital teachings of his religion. As Rav less campuses. The Orthodox Union's Kuk so aptly wrote: NCSY movement and its events, and If we do not cast a stone after those Yeshiva University's youth seminars, who fall, but rather attempt to draw w h ic h have introduced so many them closer in accordance with the youngsters to Torah-true Judaism, as opportunity, then, when the current of the age will turn back and they will well as the honest search for values recognize the great error . . . because and meaning which lies behind the of Which they have rejected their hippie movement and many LSD tripeternal home, they will be prepared sters all point towards the opportuni­ for repentance and improvement. The ties which lie before us. First we must generations which follow them will be ready because of this to be most have the will and then we must create ennobled and exalted, and they will the vocabulary and the means to speak grasp onto the glory of Israel and the persuasively to those waiting for our light of G-d which shines within it message. The Halachic principle that with their every strength and power. “ every Jew is a co-signer one for the

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by S A M U E L A . T U R K U ST as it is our sacred duty to study the Halachic and legal aspects o f the Torah’s commandments, we should not fail also to probe the philosophy and ethics of the Mitzvoth.

The Torah does not promulgate a systematic theology or a set of beliefs.

Rather, its laws reflect and indirectly express concepts of life which collec­ tively constitute a unique world out­ look. The performance of Mitzvoth is usually meant to translate abstract c o n c e p ts and ideals into reality.

Philosophy and theology become a mere game of words and an exercise in mental gymnastics if they are not util­ ized to help mold our personalities and behavior. The performance of the Mitzvah should, therefore, remain our primary concern. But it also behooves

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us to ponder and perceive what tradi­ tion has termed the “ Inner Light of the To rah.” This will help us acquire the proper attitudes which the Mitzvah seeks to inculcate.

The 529th Mitzvah of the Torah seeks to develop within us an outlook upon the world which should be an important part of the spiritual armor of every Jew. This Mitzvah reads as follows: When y o u shall beseige a c ity a long time, in making war against it to take it, y o u shall n o t destro y the trees th ereo f b y wielding an ax against them, b u t y o u shall n o t c u t them dow n, fo r man is like the tree o f the field. O nly the trees which y o u kn o w are n o t trees fo r fo o d , them y o u may d estro y and c u t dow n, that y o u m ay b u ild bulw arks against the c ity that

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makes war with y o u

un til it fall.

( D evon m 2 0 :1 9 , 20)

We shall endeavour to show how this command helps explain the attitude of Jewish tradition toward a number of things prevailing in our society and culture.

UR oral tradition clarifies this command to mean that when it is necessary to cut down a tree for the purposes of building something useful, we should first cut down one which is non-fruit-bearing, because the fruit­ bearing tree is more essential for human welfare (Sifri, Devorim 128).

Furthermore, it is prohibited to cut down even a barren tree or to destroy anything found on this earth — be it animate or inanimate l | i f no useful or necessary purpose is served thereby.

(Sefer Ha-Chinuch 529) Thus the commandment prohibits the wanton and unnecessary destruction or waste of anything which G-d has created.

How serious an infraction the Rabbis considered the violation o f this law to be is illustrated in the Talmud (Bova Kamma 91b) by the great sage Rabbi C h a n in a, who attributed the pre­ mature death of his son to the fact that he had cut down a fig tree before its time. The Torah maintains that all that G-d created was meant for human sustenance and welfare. He who un­ necessarily destroys that which G-d has created contravenes G-d’s w ill.

Waste and destruction are therefore sins against G-d, as well as against one’s fellow man.

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A great Jewish scholar has thus explained the significance of this Mitzvah: The purpose o f a m itzvah, as is w ell know n, is to train o ur souls to love the good and that which is creative and useful and to refrain from all that w hich is destructive. The way o f the righteous and men o f g ood deeds is to love peace and to take pleasure in the welfare o f their fe/iow-man and to draw them closer to the Torah. They w ould n o t w antonly d estro y even a m ustard seed. They are grieved and oppressed at the sight o f waste and d estruction , i f they co u ld save and conserve anything from being de­ stro y ed they w ould do so w ith all their p ow er. The w icked are n o t so.

They are the brethren o f all d esp o il­ ers. They are happy in d estroyin g the w o rld as they are in d estroying them ­ selves. in the same m anner in w hich the w icked behave tow ards others the A lm ig h ty m etes to them . The w ick ed are always attached to destructiveness.

Generally speaking the R abbis forbade all destructive acts and they liken ed one who destro ys anything in anger to one who w orships id o la try. ( — S e fe r HaChinuch 52 9)

The object of this Mitzvah is, there­ fore, to uproot any destructive tenden­ cies we might possess and to cultivate a desire to conserve the natural re­ sources which G-d has given us and utilize them for constructive purposes which will redound to the maximum benefit of mankind.

The Talmud (Berochoth 52b) enjoins that Jews shall be taught from early childhood that to waste or dis­ card even a small quantity of food is both a sin and a crime. How important

JEWISH LIFE

the Rabbis felt was the need to incul­ cate one with the feeling of not deal­ ing contemptuously even with the smallest particles of food is illustrated by the following incident recorded in the Talmud:

environment! Recent history tells of the tons of food which were dumped in order to bolster prices: what unforgiveable and unnecessary waste!

What we often fail to see is that our economic system is so geared as to encourage and foster waste. Advertis­ A b a ye also said, “A t first / thought ing is directed to encourage people to th e reason w hy one collects the discard appliances, apparel, and other crum bs from the flo o r was mere tid i­ ness, b u t n o w m y m aster has to ld me utilities, regardless of still existing it is because it m ight lead to p o verty. potential to satisfy the human wants Once the angel o f p o verty was fo llo w ­ for which they were originally meant. ing a certain man b u t co u ld n o t p re­ Is one morally justified to abandon a vail over him , because the man was perfectly good car for a newer model extrem ely careful about collecting the crum bs. One day he ate bread upon so as to satisfy his vanity? Does this the grass. ‘Now , ’ said the angel, ‘h e not mean a waste of our precious w ill certainly fall Into m y h a n d s/ natural resources? Is it not a sin to A fte r he had eaten he to o k the spade, waste food, clothing, and other useful dug up the grass, and threw It all into items at a time when in some areas of the river. He then heard the angel e x ­ claiming, ‘Alas, he has driven m e o u t the w o rld p eople are suffering o f h is h o u se .’ ’ ’ starvation and are walking barefoot?

This tale refers to bread crumbs; pieces The squandering of money, wealth, of bread the size of an olive or larger and resources aimlessly and purpose­ may not be destroyed at all. lessly is indeed a grave sin against G-d.

It is also humanly unwise and ulti­ G R E A T change in men’s think­ m a te ly self-d efeating . The great ing has occurred as a result of tensions which we experience today the industrial revolution with its conare a result of the existence of poverty commitant mass production of goods. in the midst of plenty. One cannot T h e tre m e n d o u s a fflu e n c e and enjoy peace and security where wide­ abundance created by science and spread waste exists in proximity to industry has caused us to become acute need and distress. When those oblivious of waste. But what a great lacking the mere necessities o f life are price are we paying for the trampling witness to the waste and destruction and violation of this Divine behest! We practiced by the callous privileged have wantonly polluted our lakes and people or countries around them, they rivers and the air in our cities. What a are provoked to plunder, destroy, and wanton, systematic, and tragic con­ kill. As a result, the world becomes tam in atio n and poisoning of our filled with violence. This is what

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occurred in the generation of the Flood: '‘And the earth was corrupt (hash’chosah) before G-d and the earth was filled with violence. And G-d saw the earth, and behold it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the e a rth .(B e re sh ith 6 :9 ) In the H eb rew language the word h a sh 'ch o sa h denotes destruction, w a ste , corruption, and perversity.

Such were the characteristics of the people o f that generation. They abused their own bodies, their fellowmen, and the natural resources which G-d had given them. Are we perhaps following along the same path?

UDAISM 'S abhorence of hunt­ ing, abortion, and bloodshed stems from our abiding, deep regard for G-d's creations. A waste of life -f be it actual or potential ¡¡Its abomin­ able in the eyes of the Almighty. The Sixth Commandment of the Deca­ logue, “ Thou shalt not k ill,” is — after all — not so self-evident. IT it were, we would not be witness to such flagrant bloodshed throughout the world. The only raison d'etre which human logic can ascribe for the commandment is that since man, too, is one of G-d's creations, we have no right to destroy that which G-d has created. By the same token, we are forbidden to derive pleasure from the infliction of pain upon a living animal or from taking its life unnecessarily. To abort a human fetus for convenience is equally pro­ hibited by our faith. Abortion upon demand, therefore, is something which

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Judaism cannot countenance. Onan­ ism, homosexuality, and other sex perversions are forbidden, because they are destructive and wasteful in nature.

Not only are we forbidden to destroy our own as well as other people's property with our hands, but we are also bidden not to defame or injure others with our speech. Witness the laws against talebearing and de­ famation o f character found in the Torah: Shemoth 2 3 :1 ; V ayikra 19:16.

Deplorable, also, are those who con­ stantly deride and tear down others in public. A ll the aforementioned de­ structive practices are equally injurious to society and to those who employ them. “ He who wishes to be con­ sidered a pious man should observe the laws of damages” (Bova Kamma).

Just as the Torah is vehement against those who would destroy others, so is it opposed to self-destruc­ tion and self-annihilation. While the T o ra h prohibits assault upon and mutilation of another, it equally pro­ hibits the mutilation of one's self.

(D e v o rim 2 5 :3 ; Choshen Mishpot 420,31) Included in the admonition not to destroy is the prohibition against extreme asceticism and exces­ sive mourning for the dead, since these are forms o f self-destruction. Judaism is also opposed to intoxication of all kinds, because of its debilitary effects.

T h e A lm ig h ty even despises the prayers o f the drunkard (Berochoth 31a). The Rabbis advised against the taking of drugs be it even for medici-

JEWISH LIFE

nal purposes, because of their habit­ sat in the seat o f the scornful. B u t his forming nature. (Talmud Pesochim delight is in the Torah o f the L o rd and 113a) It is no accident, therefore, that in H is Torah doth he m editate day and until recently the rate of alcoholism n ig h t.“ The woman of valor is one and drug addiction was lowest among who does not eat the bread o f idleness the Jews, who have viewed intoxica­ (P ro v e rb s 3 1 :2 7 ). Life has been tion as a form of self debasement and granted us so that we should develop destruction. To throw away one’s life ourselves spiritually by the study of by intoxication is a form of suicide Torah and the practice of good deeds. and Judaism opposes partial suicide as He who squanders his time is guilty of it does total suicide. wasting his life. How diametrically opposed is this from the current pre­ D LEN ES S is a sin. This explains valent concept of “ killing time.” With Judaism’s attitude towards the the constant increase of leisure hours wasting of time. One is obligated to resulting from a shorter work week, devote his time to useful and construc­ we must strongly reaffirm the tradi­ tiv e p u rp o se s. T h e professional tional Jewish concept of the sacred­ gambler, for example, is disqualified ness of time.

The Jewish tradition enjoins us from serving as a witness in a Jewish court, because he is not engaged in a all to develop and to build ourselves constructive enterprise for the welfare and the world about us but above all o f his fellow-man (Talmud, Sanhedrin not to waste or to destroy. “Be yo u 24b). One should pursue either the fru itfu l and m ultiply and replenish the study of Torah and the performance earth and subdue i t “ (Bereshith 1:28), of charitable works or be occupied in a has always been a Jewish dictum. business or vocation which serves the History is witness to the fact that no general welfare. The Almighty visits matter where Jews were dispersed they painful sufferings upon those who contributed to the development of the have the opportunity to study Torah countries of their residence and repre­ but do not do so (Berochoth 5a). sented an element of enlightenment, While the Almighty can forgive the progress, and prosperity. Where Jews practice of incest, bloodshed, and found deserts, they planted gardens. idolatry , He will not condone the w il­ Wherever there was opportunity for ful neglect of Torah study (Talmud education and intellectual endeavor, Yerushalmi, Chagigah 7). In its open­ Jews seized it. This is because Jews ing sentences the Book of Psalms ex­ feel a great urge to create, to build, to presses this thought and principle: achieve. For centuries the Land of “Happy is the man that hath n ot Israel was occupied by other nations. walked in the counsel o f the w icked; It remained barren and devastated. n o r sto o d in the way o f sinners; nor Today, thank G-d, it is blooming and

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flourishing because our people are there. Antisemites accuse us of being a restless nation. If this restlessness rep­ resents a love of life and an urge to develop and to create, we may well be proud of the accusation.

E are living in a world of tre­ m endous o p p o rtu n itie s to create, but with equally frightful pos­ sibilities to destroy. Jews must uphold the Torah's behest not to destroy and to be among the builders. May we

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always be cognizant of the wise teach­ ing of the Rabbis: “ With ten Sayings the world was created. What does this teach us? Could it not have been created with one Saying? It is to make known the punishment that will befall the wicked who destroy the world that was created with ten Sayings, as well as the goodly reward that will be bestowed upon the just who preserve the world that was created with the Sayings" (Pirkey Ovoth 5,1).

JEWISH LIFE

LIVING IN BA YITH VEGAN JERUSALEM -

b y J O S E P H K A M IN E T S K Y OME years ago, through the in­ spired invitation of the Editor of JEW ISH L I F E , I wrote a piece entitled “ Boro Park“ ^ in which I described the full Jewish life o f this outstanding c o m m u n ity (Sep tern ber-O ctober 1953). I received many warm reactions to this article from people in all parts of the world, expressing their nostalgia for their “ hometown.“ In the interven­ ing years, many who remembered the article even suggested my bringing it up-to-date as the years rolled by. Being somewhat inconversant with the many Chassidic sects which have come to bless Boro Park, I naturally was reluc­ tant to do so. How can a Litvak really do justice to Chassidim!

That article, too, proved to be

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the forerunner of a series of descrip­ tions of many communities across the country, and in other lands, giving the readers of this journal an appreciation of a variety of Jewish locales. With the growing popularity of A liy ah and tours to Israel, the Land in general is increasingly familiar to Jews elsewhere but the individual character of its vib ran t communities is much less known. Having had the zechuth of spending a few months in the Holy Land, I would like to attempt a sketch of my temporary home there — a beautiful “ suburb“ of Jerusalem which goes by the colorful name o f Bayith Vegan. * * *

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A Y IT H V EG A N (literally House and Garden) is an intensive, almost all-orthodox community (cer­ tainly all-Jewish, except for one of my neighbors representing the Ivory Coast) in the southwest tip of the Holy C ity. It is the highest point of Jerusalem and commands a view of the e n tire C it y , depending on your vantage-point. As a matter of fact, whenever you visit a neighbor or friend in Bayith Vegan you are treated to a view of his n o f (panorama) of Jerusalem even before you sit down to tea, coffee, or m itz (juice). The inhabi­ tants take great pride in showing you all the sites they can see from their m irpesseth (porch) or large living-room “ picture-windows,” either by day or at night when the scintillating lights of Yerusholayim look like stars in the distance. The inevitable conclusion of this enjoyable “ game” is: “ On a clear day, you can see all the way to the Yam Ha-Melach!”

The community is truly nestled in the Hills of Jerusalem, one street (Rechov Uziel) running hundreds of feet below the other and older street which bears the name of Bayith Vegan itself. The main street carries the right­ ful name of Hapisgah (the summit), and the crest of the hill on Hapisgah is the highest point o f the Holy C ity. In and around these main thoroughfares, smaller streets abound which go by the c o lo rfu l names of Harav Frank, Rechov Ha-Chidah, and Harav Breuer, among a few others which are still in the making. Bayith Vegan is expanding

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and growing by leaps and bounds, with more buildings rising with each passing month. (Interestingly enough, a good many of the contractors are former Roshey Yeshivah!)

What makes Bayith Vegan a thrilling place to live, however, is not the landscape but the people who in­ habit it. I kept having the feeling that the “ best people in the world” had chosen Bayith Vegan as their home.

There you find an interesting crosssection of the “ nicest people” from A m e ric a , England, France, South Africa, and Australia. In point-of-fact, it* is a “ foreign colony” or perhaps, more exactly, an “ American colony” since our countrymen predominate — and you hear more English than Hebrew spoken there. I have the im­ pression, too, that a careful study of the native Israelis who live there would show either that their spouses hail from the countries enumerated or that they are employed in the many fine institutions which are based in Bayith Vegan. Perhaps, too, it is these institu­ tions which make Bayith Vegan the colorful community it is — and so a brief description of these may be in order now (with all due apologies to those I may miss in this concise over­ view).

A O M MAN DING

a major high Vegan, on a jutting promontory overlooking the valley below, stands Boys Tow n, a yeshivah on the secondary level and b e y o n d , w h ic h com bines Torah

If point of Bayith

JEWISH LIFE

learning with training in engineering, living of Bayith Vegan. And on the photography, graphic arts, carpentry, second day of Yom Tov (which of and printing. With 70% of its student co urse is n o t observed by the body Sephardim, it is doing a wonder­ “ n a tiv e s ” ) you can separate the ful job in integrating Torah and melo- “ wheat from the chaff“ and can easily chah (work) as well as working out spot those who are lucky enough to p ro p er re la tio n s h ip s among its call Bayith Vegan their permanent Sephardic and Ashkenazic students home. and the communities from which they During these walks — or even on I had a particular come. Boys Town is one of the most other occasions imposing institutions o f all Israel — thrill, recognizing the graduates of America's day schools from cities all and deserves a full article by itself. v Bayith Vegan is also the home of over the United States and Canada the well-known Yeshiva Kol Torah, who have come to study in the famous built by German Jews; the now world- institutions of Bayith Vegan, as well as famous Michlalah or Jerusalem College prominent Jews from all over the for Women which attracts girls from world whom I met on my travels. all parts o f the world; the newly-organ­ Adding my friends from Boro Park to the picture, I had ever before me a ized Jerusalem School of Applied Sciences conducted by the famous genuine delineation of what the “ in­ Professor Willy Low which, too^ com­ gathering o f the exiles“ really means. bines intensive Torah study with study These schools and institutions, o f the sciences; the B'nei Akiva however, are by no means all that this Yeshiva Netiv Meir; and Yad HaRav c o m m u n ity offers. Bayith Vegan Herzog, dedicated to Talmudic re­ abounds in its own unique synagogues search. Besides these major national or and houses of study — all the way international institutions, there are all from the Amshinover Yeshiva, the types of religious schools on the ele­ Ulpana for Russian girls, and the mentary or secondary level which we m achon N evey Yerusholayim for English girls who are finding their way cannot here describe in any detail.

O n F r id a y nig h t and on back to Judaism, to the shtibelach of Shabboth after the Seudah Shelishith, the Chassidim and the Sephardim, not a good number of the students of to forget the many Kollelim which are these institutions join the residents for situated in almost every synagogue.

I have space to describe briefly a promenade on Rechov Hapisgah — and you get, on these occasions, a but two of the main shools o f Bayith good picture of a cross-section of re­ Vegan. The most popular and oldest, ligious Jews from all over the world, the Migdal (taking its name from the revelling in their closed-off streets on water tower above it), at the lower end of Hapisgah, is a beautiful, roomy, airy Shabboth and in the intensive Jewish

OCTOBER 1972

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Tuh> Sketckei

by J A C K L U R I A

TH E G R EA T SU PERSO L CO N TR O V ER SY

S R A E L and Hebrew are so happily married that it is hard to imagine one without the other.

E v e ry o n e liv in g in the country, whether he has been through an ulpan or not, learns enough Hebrew to talk to a bus driver and argue with a police­ man. But in moments of crisis the mother tongue of a foreign-born Israeli forces its way to his lips. I call to witness an argument among three women and a meat cutter in a crowded Supersol in Tel Aviv the morning be­ fore Pesach.

T h e quarrel began over the question o f which of the three women should be served first at the meat counter. If it all seems commonplace and trivial to you, remember that not only the three ladies, but the meat

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OCTOBER 1972

cutter as well had to rush home to pre­ pare for the Seder. I shall condense the effusion of words to the proportion of one inch to the mile, as the mapmakers do. Significantly, all four com­ batants spoke Hebrew to begin w ith; it was only when their tempers rose to the boiling point that their linguistic control lapsed.

First woman (in Anglo-English): I just nipped out of the queue for a moment to get some soup greens. To force her way into my place! It was a beastly thing to do. She’s got the manners of a fishmonger. Jolly good she isn’t a man! She’s the sort would slink around at night coshing poor people and snatching their purses!

Second woman: Als diese Frau weg ging, wurde ihr Platz im To r frei.

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can you catch a Shabboth Minchah Minyon at two o’clock in the after­ noon? O r daven Shacharith on Shabboth at 6:15 a.m. — in order not to miss the proper hour for K ’riath Shema? And during the week, too, Tefillah schedules are arranged so as to accommodate the Kollel Yungeleit who daven an early Minchah before their afternoon resthour and a late M a’ariv after the evening seder. So rich is the religious routine that you caa choose your nusach, your hour of prayer, and the like.

T h e le a rn in g and davening schedules determine, too, to an extent the social life of the community, at least on Shabboth. Some people eat their Shabboth cholent as early as 9 :00 a.m. and then join their friends for the key event of the week: the Shabboth Kiddush. Almost everyone, it seems, goes to some kind of Kiddush — sometimes to more than one. One of my friends confessed that he never

Beth HaKeneseth Haklali, Hagrah — Chassidim

eats lunch on Shabboth. He goes from one Kiddush to another; and then from one shiur to another. Life seems to be a perpetual Kiddush and shiur in Bayith Vegan!

HE capping climax to my love for Bayith Vegan came one late morning as I strolled past the new taxi stand at the lower end of Rechov H ap isg ah . There in full religious re g a lia , T a llit h and Tephillin, a Sephardic young man was saying his morning prayers in full view of all passers-by. Very much moved, I went in to tell him and his friends how pleased I w as w ith the sight.

Whereupon his friends answered for him - he was not m afsik and did not interrupt his prayers: “ Oh, that’s not all, before he davens, he makes us all put on the Tephillin! ”

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This is Bayith Vegan! Need I add more?

K iryat N oar Boys T ow n

Synagogues.

OCTOBER 1972

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tì<»~ÌTI

a *ia v t

by E D IT H R O T H S C H IL D

How sacrilegious my wish To give verbal expression to My first encounter with you.

A thought perches on a fleeting instant In a corner of my mind: What have I ever done To deserve To stand near you?

The black characters In the Book O f Psalms Do a weird and wild spiritual dance As they mingle with my tears.

And beneath the diurnal heat of an eternal sun My heart shivers In the chilling shadows of A ll the Jews that ever lived Suffered and died With the silently screaming prayer On their parched infants1 Children's, youthful, mature, and ancient lips To return to you!

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JEWISH LIFE

b y L I L L I A N P. Z I E G L E R EIN G of an age when the antics o f p resen t-d ay youth seem stupid gs or worse, its music hazardous to the eardrums, its grooming revolt­ ing, its idealism warped, and its ambi­ tion displaced by an echoing void, I must here confess to a complete revi­ sion in thinking and affirm a new­ found faith in the boundless potential of the young.

It was a Shabboth at K ’far Etzion which brought this fresh view.

By a stroke of rare good fortune, ours was the zechuth to enjoy there a brief but unforgettable experience.

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* * * As one leaves Jerusalem and begins to climb the ancient Hills of

OCTOBER 1972

Hebron, towards K ’far Etzion, one forgets the well-paved winding road but remembers only that our fore­ fa th e r Avrohom, accompanied by Yitzchok, travelled by donkey that ve ry w a y , gazed upon the same expanse of vivid sky, and thought his Heaven-directed thoughts as he slowly made his way, in three days, to Mount Moriah where G-d had bade him make his sacrifice.

In 1948, during the Arab on­ slaught on the newly reborn Jewish State, that road did witness a catas­ trophic human sacrifice of nearly two hundred embattled religious Kibbutz members. With great foresight, the women and children of this exposed settlement of Hapoel Hamizrachi’s Torah V ’avodah movement had been

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molished everything in sight. Not one evacuated some time earlier and only the able-bodied men and girls re­ stone was left upon another, not a mained to take a heroic stand against bush or tree was left standing — except overwhelming odds. Completely en­ one old gnarled olive tree. This had served as landmark and meeting place circled by the enemy and cut off from some unknown reason it was ail aid, they remained steadfast in the spared and remains to this day. face of death.

It is difficult to understand the T h e fighting raged long and furiously until only a decimated frac­ logic of what followed. The Arabs, tion of the determined settlers re­ having destroyed every building at the Kibbutz, which was comprised of mained, holed-up in one of the Etzion homes and gardens, a visitors* vacation houses. They held a hurried confab inn, workshops, community center, and in desperation decided that to continue was certain suicide and their and barns, immediately set about only chance o f survival was to sur­ putting up their own buildings — render and allow themselves to be barracks and officers* club. With the taken by the Arabs. There were the trees and foliage gone, Gush Etzion, laws of the World Court, the Geneva which had been an oasis of beauty that only love and back-breaking labor Convention Rules which protected prisoners of war, and they placed their could create, became a stark Arab faith in that! It was a bitter pill to take army camp. ^ abhorrent to all of them, but in­ evitable.

H E story o f Gush Etzion was told and retold. It became an A white cloth was found and a surrender flag improvised. Holding it epic and inspiratioh, even in a land high, th'ey appeared before the enemy. with a superabundance of heroism, They were met by a rain of bullets and zeal, and idealism.

To the remnant of this 1948 ruthlessly mowed down. None would have remained to tell the ghastly tragedy and the victims’ offspring, the details were it not that two of that Psalmist’s cry of “ If I forget T h e e .. .** fateful number managed to escape at a bore added m eaning . Scattered certain knoll which briefly screened th ro u g h o u t Isra e l and following them from the enemy. diverse paths o f skills and professions, Out of all proportion to its size, they remained a homogeneous group, magnetized by the E t z io n , in its strategic position held together straddling the highway leading to powerful memory of Gush Etzion.

Jerusalem, had served well as an out­ Theirs was a rich heritage.

Th e founders of Etzion had post of defense. Its fall was a major achievement for the enemy and in wrested from the rocks on the Hills of fre n z y at success, the Arabs de­ Hebron, a cluster (Gush) of four

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Kibbutzim to be held in perpetuity for Israel and all Jewry. That Etzion had been captured and destroyed by the enemy must be considered but an interruption in infinity.

With the liberation of Hebron and its environs during the Six-Day War, came the time of redemption.

After two prayerful decades, Etzion would be a living memorial to the labor and dedication of its founders and a glowing legacy to our people.

In 1967, these young descend­ ants of the Kibbutz family met and formulated the rebuilding of Etzion.

They began with one, K ’far (village) Etzion but with a blueprint for a future of a Gush. This is already off the drawing board and well on its way to being. Rosh Tzurim will soon join K ’far Etzion.

In K Tar Etzion today, the young people have displayed a maturity that belies their chronological age. The former Arab barracks buildings, skirt­ ing the hill, are now tenanted by sheared sheep, each proudly wears its tuberculine-test tab, earring-like in its ear. Their bleating breaks the deep stillness. One feels that it is not only a demand for food but also a paean to the beauty of the overlooking hills, the p u rity of the atmosphere, and a response to scenes that only the majestic language of the Bible can adequately describe.

T h e homes, also ex-barracks, now cleansed and calcimined, rise across the dusty road from the sheepfold and sprawl uphill towards the

OCTOBER 1972

synagogue, main dining hall, impro­ vised club house, and a candle shop.

U R unknown host and hostess had vacated their one-room apartment, making it available to us for Shabboth. The room had charm and beauty and could have graced the pages of any magazine dedicated to “ more gracious living.“ It was evident that this room housed people of good taste, culture, and decorating skill. The modern bookcase, dominating one wall, held an array of Sephorim and classics in many languages; mainly Hebrew, French, German, Russian, English. They covered a wide variety of subjects ^«including a delightfully illustrated book on cats. Our hosts were clearly avid readers, their scope world-wide.

Their paintings were few but good and skillfully framed. Dried thistle clusters and pods, abundant in the surrounding hills and fields, were artistically arranged in fine ceramic vases. A flair for geology was disclosed by a collection of colorful shells from the shores of Caesarea, coral from Eilat, stones, marbled with minerals from the Negev, and other mementos of trips through Israel.

T h e complete charm of the room counter-balanced the absence of running water and plumbing and only a soulless clod would resent the trek to the shower building for water or the lavatory building for other primary needs.

Brief years of concentrated toil

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has not only filled the sheepfold but below the curve of a golden hill, looms a large hothouse where flowers are cultivated for export markets. Imper­ fect blooms or those failing to meet the high standards for commerce are used to decorate the dining hall and synagogue for Shabboth. There is an a f fin it y between flowers and the Sabbath in Israel!

A rambling building on short stilts houses a fine breed of turkeys.

They are raised in numbers sufficient for marketing in Israel and export abroad. So abundant and succulent are the Israeli birds that often turkeys substitute for veal in cutlets.

On the bank facing the sheepfold and adjacent to the barns is a solid wall of molded blocks of hay, somewhat reminiscent of the high, t h ic k stone fortifications of the Romans and Crusaders at Acre and Caesarea. The latter walls are but crumbling monuments to the greed, brutality, and ambition of infamous conquerors, while here the newly gathered hay holds promise of con­ tinuity for the Kibbutz animal stock and is also a visual tribute to the industry of the young people of K ’far Etzion.

J F A R ETZIO N is following the tre n d e stab lished by other kibbutzim o f diversifying its efforts to include industry as well as agriculture.

Its candle shop has already gained an admirable reputation. The candles, hand-dipped, are beautifully molded

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and packaged and can be found on the shelves of Israel's finest gift and specialty shops.

The craftsman in charge of this is a diminuitive blond emigre from Brazil, fondly known as Yosele, whose skill and ambition are amply displayed in a rainbow variety of colors and shapes. His Havdolah candles, Etzion's pride, are classics o f beauty.

Ground has been broken and the foundation set for a major industrial venture — a factory where intricate parts for machinery will be made. It will render invaluable service to in­ dustry — civilian and m ilitary. The emphasis here, too, ¡son youth. D— , a yo ung electronics genius, who abandoned a promising career in Dimona to join in rebuilding K 'far Etzion, is in complete charge of the rising factory.

V E N IN G d ro p s quickly on Israel, without the fanfare of lingering tw ilig h t.. . except on Friday, Erev Shabboth. A t K 'far Etzion, the a c tio n begins to accelerate early Friday afternoon and the tempo in­ creases until shortly before candle­ lighting time. Later the young people emerge, clad in the Sabbath best, and climb the rocky slope to the syna­ gogue.

T h e men have donned their w h ite s h irts and d a rk trousers, standard male apparel for the Sabbath.

The young women have exchanged their jeans and work shirts for fashion­ able dresses, their hair freshly coifed,

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their faces radiant. They too make every Jew throughout history and the their way to services W to usher in the world, kinship with every Jew who Sabbath Queen. had ever poured his soul into these The Sabbath comes, joyous yet Sabbath songs. awesome too, and as the huge stars Day breaks early in Israel. A t begin to crowd the sky, a deep silence K'far Etzion it presented a ring-side settles over Etzion. It is broken now vie w o f the kaleidoscopic color and then by the bleating o f the sheep changes on the wide panorama of the and the shadowy movements of two Hebron Hills. When the hour for a rm e d sh o m rim , m aking th e ir Sabbath service came, the spectrum of scheduled rounds. hues had run full circle and it was a A part of the large dining hall warm path of golden sunshine that led has been portioned off for the syna­ up the stone-strewn way to the gogue. The former Arab officers' club synagogue. has been reconstructed into a simple, This was a special Sabbath, for a dignified place of worship with a bridegroom was slated for an aliyah at panelled Oron Kodesh and shelves of the reading of the Torah, in honor of sephorim in excellent editions. As his approaching wedding. But, this was services go on it is evident that the also a special bridegroom whose back­ glow reflects the radiance that seems ground, education, and skill made him to permeate from the earnest young a facile Ba'al Koreh and he gave a dis­ worshipers. As their strong, fine voices tin g u is h e d , letter-perfect reading, rise in fervent prayer and song, the winning the warm admiration of the Fourth Commandment, “ Remember congregation. the Sabbath and keep it H o ly," takes He was showered with almonds, on new depth and meaning. raisins, and candies, in time-honored It was difficult to recognize the custom; but also exceedingly sweet plain wooden Kibbutz tables now was the shower o f sincere praise from hidden beneath snow-white cloths, the congratulatory well-wishers. decked with vases of flowers, the Later, at the Kiddush, served K id d u sh cu p , w in e . Th e meal? o utd o o rs in a shaded grove, the Certainly its secret ingredient must “ L ’chayyims” rang gay and festive. have been the famous Sabbath spice!

The look of happiness emanating from And then came Zemiroth. . A the bride and groom could only bring memorable evening was made even a fervent prayer from all that it be ever more so as the hauntingly beautiful thus for this glowing pair. melodies went on — verse after verse, Sabbath at K'far Etzion was a m e ltin g the hours and joyously day for rest and spiritual enrichment, enveloping one with a sheath of kin­ for reading and good companionship. ship. It was a unilateral kinship with One was loath to see it end.

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IN the musical play, “ Camelot,” ■a popular duet asks what the people outside the royal court do for entertainment. The small club building near the dining hall held the answer for Etzion. It houses a library of books, magazines, and pamphlets, a few tables and chairs — but mostly, peace and quiet! Although the postShabboth hour was late, two very young men were immersed in a game of chess. In the next room someone was listening to music on a transistor radio.

That this place served many purposes was evident. Utilizing avail­ able materials, stones, broken glass, shells, someone had fashioned an inter­ esting collage, which now hangs on the wall. Other creative urges were trans­ lated into paintings and clay sculpture.

This was in every sense a recreation center.

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5FAR ETZIO N is a challenge!

Much has been accomplished in but a few years and much remains to be done before K ’far Etzion becomes the flourishing Gush Etzion again.

There is an urgency but never a doubt that this will soon come to be.

In Etzion, as in all Israel, the greatest asset is the young people.

Here, with deepest Torah ideal and dedication, they have a rendezvous with history and a stake in the future of their land. They are well equipped for the giant task with purpose, spirit, e n te rp ris e , and the intellectual capacity to meet the challenge and the fortitude to carry out their sacred, self-imposed pledge to the future of Gush Etzion.

Mr. Shaw, youth is a blessing here — not a waste!

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by E L K A N A H S C H W A R T Z HE story — familiar but apt for the present purpose is told of the miserly man of means who was approached one day by a rabbi for a charitable gift. The man declined.

The rabbi beckoned the man to the window, “ L o o k /’ he said, “ and tell me what you see.” The man de­ scribed the children at play, the grass in the breeze. “ Now,” said the rabbi, “ were I to plate the window with silver, what would you see?” “ I would see m yself,” replied the man, “ for the window would then be a m irror.”

And so is the query as to the nature of American Jewish literature: are these Jewish masters of the pen looking out and portraying the view,

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or do they see no further than the dis­ tortions of themselves?

Almost all contemporary litera­ ture portraying the American Jew is written by American Jews. The Ameri­ can Jewish writer was until now a relative rarity, portraits of Jews being done primarily by non-Jewish authors.

Today, however, a non-Jewish author would be afraid to portray a Jew. Would his portrayal be unfavorable, he would bring down upon himself the com bined w ra th of the defense agencies, and the like. On the other hand, were his portrayal favorable, they would still be critical, saying: “ Y o u ’re implying that the Jews need y o u r b enevolence.” Now, Jewish writers portray Jews. And their general behavior makes one wonder whether

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there should not be an American G e n tile C o m m itte e or American Gentile Congress to defend American Jews against American Jewish writers.

B y and large, the character projections by this ethnic representa­ tion are seldom complimentary or sympathetic, the author often writing into his characters whatever confu­ sions he himself possesses, and making h is fic t io n so m ew hat autobio­ graphical.

N "‘Breakthrough,” an anthology of American Jewish literature published by the Jewish Publication S o cie ty, the editors say that the American Jewish writer is concerned with ‘‘the modern Jew ’s search for id e n tity and a u th e n tic ity ... the modern Jew belongs to a century in which religious symbols are considered vestigial. He inhabits a world where value is groundless except as man creates it obt of suffering and nothing­ ness, where the absurd is the condition of his being.”

It should be noted, however, that the American Jew is not the first Jew to suffer, and even in the face of suffering rhore wholesome approaches were taken. Maurice Samuel wrote of Sholom Aleichem: ‘‘He was the great comforter of the exile - but not by admonition or exhortation. He com­ forted by laughter. He laughed because he saw intimately, shrewdly, affection­ ately, with infinite empathy, into the weaknesses and comicalities, as well as the longings, frustrations and miseries

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o f h is people.. . . ” (Jewish Book Annual, 1967) An observation on the American Jewish writer, as to how he responded to the same challenge in a negative manner, was expressed by Charles Angoff in that same volume: The Nazi holocaust awakened many of the Jewish writers to the rich re­ sources in both characters and situa­ tions in the American Jewish settle­ ment. But it also uncovered a vast lack o f kn o w ledg e in literary Jewish America about Jewish history and traditions, and it exposed the discom­ fort suffered by many Jews because of their Jewishness. Almost suddenly it became apparent that being a Jew in the United States was so burdensome to some writers that they rejoiced in their ignorance of what they were writing about and turned this same ignorance into a reason for sneering at virtually everything that gave glory and grandeur to Jewish life in all places.

The main problem, apparently, was that the American Jewish writer had nothing through which to identify his Jewishness except a non-Jew point­ ing at him and saying ‘‘Jew ,” so that the only thing he could use through which to identify himself was some­ thing he did not want. A review by Marian Engel in the New Y o rk Times Book Review (on Romain G ary’s “ The Dance of Genghis Cohn” ) begins: “ Jewishness has not proved to be a comfortable literary subject, and, with its constant companion anti-Semitism, has been sticking in writers’ craws since it all began.”

JEWISH LIFE

N his search for identity and authenticity, the w riter’s inner confusions often project themselves. A classic* example is Philip Roth in “ Eli the Fanatic,” a short story to be re­ membered long after Portnoy and other leaks of Roth’s pen will have been forgotten. (Incidentally, I have never met anyone admitting to having read “ Complaint,” though I have met many who claimed to have “ studied” the volume to see whether what was being said of it was true.)

Eli Peck is an attorney living in Woodenton, New Yo rk where after the Second World War, Leo Tzuref buys an old mansion at the edge of town for a y e s h iv a h , w ith dormitory, for eighteen refugee boys and a blackhatted, black-bearded, black-coated, and black-shoed melamed. Tzuref sends this melamed into town on shopping trips, and the local Jews become so upset that they assign their neighbor Eli to get the yeshivah closed, as violating zoning restrictions of a residential area.

Eli tries on a few occasions to talk with this melamed, who keeps running away. In desperation, after noting they are the same size, Eli takes a greenish tweed suit of his own, a batiste shirt, kicks off his shoes, un­ does his necktie, removes his socks, adds underwear, a belt, an additional gray suit, and an oxford shirt, and, at the end, the hat he’d worn that day, and packs them all into a Bonwit’s box, together with a letter to Tzuref, in which he says:

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OCTOBER 1972

“ The clothes in this box are for the gentleman in the h a t.. . I am not a Nazi who would drive eighteen child­ ren . . into homelessness. But if you want a home here, you must accept what we have to o ffe r.. . . A ll we say to this man is change your clothes.”

The morning after he leaves the box at the door of the yeshivah, Eli gets a call from a friend, reporting that “ the greenie.. . has on man’s regular clothes.”

That evening, Eli hears a noise at his back door. Checking, he sees “ there was no one out there, except for the Bonwit’s box which lay bulging at his feet.” A t first, he thought his clothes were being returned. But open­ ing the box, he sees a pile of black.

Picking up the black hat, Eli tries it on. Then, the rest of the black clothes.

He walks out the back door, all the way to the yeshivah. There he sees the melamed, wearing his green suit, paint­ ing a pillar. “ Sholom,” Eli whispered and the fellow turned.

T h e recognition took some time. He looked at what Eli wore. Up close, Eli looked at what he wore.

And then Eli had the strange notion that he was two people. Or that he was one person wearing two suits. The greenie looked to be suffering from a similar confusion. They stared long at one another....

He (Eli) was talking to himself, and yet how could he stop? Nothing he said made any sense-that alone made his heart swell. Yet somehow babbling on, he might babble some­ thing that would make things easier

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betw een th e m . “ L o o k . . . ” He reached inside his shirt to pull the frills of underwear into the light. “ Pm w earin g the sp e cia l underwear, even— Please,” he said, "p le a se , please, p lea se” he sang, as if it were so m e sacre d w o rd . “ O h, please.

“ Not long ago there lived in uptown New Yo rk, in a small, almost meager room, though crowded with b o o k s, Le o F in k le , a rabbinical student in the Yeshivah University.

Finkle, after six years of study, was to be ordained in June and had been advised by an acquaintance that he And then, all alone, Eli had the might find it easier to win himself a revelation. congregation if he were married. Since S lo w ly , intentionally, in the he had no present prospects of mar­ middle of a sunny shopping day, Eli riage, after two tormented days of goes walking through the main streets turning it over in his mind, he called in of town in his black outfit.

Pinye Salzman, a marriage broker “ Shortly, everybody in Coach whose two-line advertisement he had House Road was aware that Eli Peck, read in the Forw ard.” the nervous young attorney with the As a lead paragraph, it is slickly pretty wife, was having a breakdown. written - but false in its factual Everybody except E li Peck.” assumptions.

Apparently, according to Roth, 1) The motivation for marriage when a Jew in America must decide for the likes of Leo Finkle is not a job how American and Jewish identities but the teachings of the books that and commitments are to synthesize crowded his room. with each other, he is unable to con­ 2) A ra b b in ica l student in tinue to function. Yet, notwithstand­ Y e s h iv a University is periodically ing thousands of living proofs to the approached by teachers, older stu­ contrary, Roth became a darling of the dents, their wives, etc. with unsolicited matinee crowd. recommendations for marriage.

3) If Leo were totally neglected N O TH ER high-ranking name in and had to take the initiative, he could American Jewish fiction writing approach these same people, with is Bernard Malamud of “ The F ix e r,” whom he’d have greater rapport than which, among other laurels, won the with an unknown.

N a tio n a l B o o k A w a rd . But for 4) I f , under extreme circum­ Malamud, this was the second such stances, he had no other recourse but award, the first having been granted a to answer an ad in the paper, he would few years earlier for a collection of not have responded to an ad in the short stories, “ The Magic Barrel.” The Forward but to one in the Morning title story begins: Journal.

â

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JEWISH LIFE

German officer who had tried to kill him with it. Though offered money for the gun, he prefers to take it back to America as a reminder of the War. His buddies told him to keep the gun, that they were willing to forego the Paris trip. He then receives a letter * HE pen does become a pane, to from his father, who describes his fear be seen through or to reflect. of a rise of antisemitism after the War. “ Seeger peered at the faces of Lacking for the most part a Jewish background of any kind, the attempt his friends. He would have to rely — assuming it is there — to see out to upon them; later on, out of uniform, the Jewish experience is too often dis­ on their native streets, more than he torted by the limitations of the observ­ had ever relied on them on the bulleter. Like the classic six blind men who swept street and in the dark minefield went to “ see” an elephant, with each in France.“ As a result, Seeger sells the one limited to touching a different part of the animal thereby gaining a pistol.

I have had occasion to read this different impression, the self-appoint­ ed literary interpreters of our people selection to audiences and at this point who yeomanly address themselves to I would ask: “ Has anyone ever heard these same people indeed portray what of Eddie Jacobson?“ Quizzical glances they “ see“ — that limited part to would be exchanged, as if saying: “ It sounds fam iliar.“ which they are disoriented.

Then I would say: “ Eddie Jacob­ But it does not have to be so. An American Jewish writer can be sympa­ son was an American soldier in the First World War, who after the war thetic without being condescending.

Witness two examples, two American went into business with an army Jewish writers seldom thought of that buddy. They opened a haberdashery in way, and each revealing in a short Independence, Missouri.“ Suddenly, faces light up. I continue: “ Eddie’s story.

The first, Irwin Shaw in “ Act of partner went into politics and, as the Almighty would have it, was the Presi­ Faith.“ Three American soldiers, one of dent of the United States of America them Jewish, are in Europe at the end when the S ta te o f Isra e l was established.“ of World War II waiting to be shipped Who knows what other exposure home. Lopking to go to Paris for a good time, they find themselves w ith­ to Jews did Harry S. Truman ever out money. The Jewish soldier, Seeger, have? And who knows what might has a Luger pistol taken from a have been his reaction in 1948 had

Such is obvious to those who know the social environment of Leo and his likes. But to Bernard Malamud and his readers, such facts are irrele­ vant to the cause of writing about “ American Jewish life.“

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Jacobson’s impressions upon him been different? Whether or not Shaw had this in mind, his expression of Jewish concern is beautiful in a story that is not set in a synagogue, at a Shabboth table, or any other scene usually^ re­ s e r v e d f o r a p o sitiv e Je w ish experience.

came in. For Bernstein there was an abrupt impression of familiarity with the man, although he could not fathom the reason for his feeling.. . .

Bernstein had not been able to turn his eyes from the man____ He knew this man. He was sure he knew him .”

The man had brought a bundle with him. After eating, he untied it. It contained cloth.

HE second such example to be cited is Arthur Miller in “ Monte The waitress came out of the kitchen Sant’ Angelo.”

•with a tremendous round loaf of bread at least two feet in diameter.

This is perhaps a pleasant sur­ She gave it to him, and he placed it prise, as Miller is certainly looked flat on top of the cloth, and the upon as one of America’s distinguished faintest feather of a smile curled up men of letters, whose plays set the on Bernstein’s lips. Now the man tone for the American stage. His first folded the paper back and brought the string around the bundle and tied the published work, the only novel he ever knot, and Bernstein uttered a little wrote, “ Focus,” and one of his plays, laugh.. . . “ Incident at V ic h y ,” touch on Jewish “ He’s Jewish, V inny,” he said. themes. So, too, does this magnificent Vinny turned to look at the short story. And while I sketch here man. “ Why?” “The way he works that bundle. some essentials, I plead that the story It’s exactly the way my father used to be read in full. tie a bundle ~ and my grandfather.

Two American soldiers, one of The whole history is packing bundles them Jewish, are in Europe at the end and getting away. Nobody else can be of World War II waiting to return as tender and delicate with bundles.

T h at’s a Jewish man tying a bundle.” home. The non-Jewish one, V inny, is Italian, and his family writes that he They invite the man to have a should visit the small town high in the glass o f wine with them. mountains of Italy wherefrom his “Thank you, signor,” he replied appreciatively, “ but I must be home grandparents came, and where there by sundown and I ’m already a little are still some distant relatives. His late----- All my life I get home for buddy, Bernstein, goes along to keep dinner on Friday night, and I like to him company. come into the house before sundown.

It was on Friday that they made I suppose it’s a habit; my father — you see, I have a route I walk, which is this the visit, and “ they sought and found route. I first did it with my father, a restaurant for lunch.” Vinny was and he did it with his father. We are questioning the waitress “ when the known here for many generations door to the street opened and a man past. And my father always got home

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on Friday night before sundown. It’s a manner of the family, I guess.”

“Shabbas begins at sundown on Friday night,” Bernstein said. “ He’s even taking home the fresh bread for the Sabbath. The man is a Jew, I tell you.”

L a te r on, thoughts run.

Bernstein

lets his

Jewish communal concerns. Y et, from the first two emerge beautiful portraits viewed through a clear window, suc­ cinct and understanding; from the latter emerge impressions and descrip­ tions disjointed from the subject, re­ flections of shortcomings of facts or perspectives.

He did not move, seeking the root of an ecstasy he had not dreamed was part of his nature; he saw the ami­ able man trudging down the moun­ tains, across the plains, on routes marked out for him by generations of men, a nameless traveler carrying home a warm bread on Friday night and kneeling in church on Sunday.

There was an irony in it he could not name. And yet pride was running through him. Of what he should be proud he had no clear idea; perhaps it was only that beneath the brainless crush of history a Jew had secretly survived, shorn of his consciousness but forever caught by that final im­ pudence of a Saturday Sabbath in a Catholic country; so that his very unawarenss was proof, a proof as mute as stones, that a past lived. A past for me, Bernstein thought, astounded by its importance for him, when in fact he had never had a religion or even, he realized now, a history.

R E R H A P S a cause of the AmeriI can Jewish writer's concern with the search for identity and authen­ ticity is his apparent ignorance of essential Jewish concerns both tradi­ tional and contemporary. The impact on Jewish life of the convulsions of our time remain unregistered by these writers.

F o r example, when Martin Luther King began the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, a rabbi in a c e rta in Southern community was interviewed by a local T V station, and he expressed support for the boycott.

But his community didn't. And he refused to retract his statement. He had to leave the community.

W h at lite ra tu re has since emerged reflecting the torments Jews suffer from such and similar conflicts?

How movingly expressed is the I once called a rabbi in Brooklyn emerging of a sense of Jewish identity, to ask whether he could join me the of Jewish consciousness, of commit­ next day in a certain activity. “ I ment to being Jewish. In spite of all can't," he said, "because I have to forces to the contrary, the Jewish will officiate at a funeral of a nineteenpersists, and proudly. year-old boy killed in Viet Nam." I Mi I Her and Shaw cannot be still wonder what it was like the next accused any more than Roth and day. Did hawkishness and dovishness Malamud of being shom rey Torah show themselves? Or did any hawk or u ’M itz v o th , or of involvement in dove change his mind as a result? Has

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any literary effort been yet made at exploring the Jewish mind grappling with this theme?

The counter-culture in America seems to have a disproportionate number of Jews. What families and communities do they come from, and what conflicts arise? And what litera­ ture has emerged from this sphere of attention?

Or are such themes too painful to be honestly faced?

Many volumes of literature can be presented portraying the Jew in his environment. However, as one ob­ server put it, if until now the environ­ mental setting was the Jew's kitchen and living room, today's literary set­ ting is his bedroom and bathroom.

Y et, analysis of the situation raises the serious question as to whose fault it really is.

A writer writes to be read, pure and simple. And before a writer can be read, he must be published, purer and simpler. And a publisher is a business­ man, period.

B u s in e s s m e n stu d y th e ir markets, and, as far as selling books is concerned M y e s , selling books for profit — between books that confront and ch allen g e and b o oks that

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withdraw and tranquilize, it is the books that take you, the reader, away from the pressures of reality that you, the reader, are supporting, through buying them, renting them, borrowing them, and having your social club review them.

I f once writers wrote what moved them, they now write what moves the cash register. There is cer­ tainly more to the portrait of the Jew than most authors would currently have us believe - at least, what we know from what's published. No one kn o w s what manuscripts lie filed away, or stillborn in an author’s mind, for lack of public interest and support.

Je w ish c o n ce rn fo r Jewish literature should focus neither on the author nor on the publisher but on the portrait of himself that the Jew en­ courages. Arthur Miller now writes for the stage, and I'm not sure where Irwin Shaw is. But Jews are waiting on line for Philip Roth and Bernard Malamud. I like to think there are bud­ ding Millers and Shaws, and publishers would know how to cultivate them, would they but feel there is public interest for them. Perhaps it is time for writers who use a mirror to turn it around the other way.

JEWISH L IF E

OF MEADOWS AND MARTYRDOM IN MEDIEVAL GERMANY

by A L L A N M. B L U S T E I N OME of the loveliest scenery in Europe runs along the Roman­ tic Road in German Bavaria. This is the region of the Swabian Forest, of perfectly-preserved medieval cities such as Feuchtwangen, Dinkelsbuhl, N o rd lin g e n , and the ever-alluring Rothenburg ob der Tauber, replete with its medieval walls, ramparts, and turrets still completely intact. Built high above the Tauber River valley, this jewel of history was the fateful place where one of the greatest sages in all Jewish history, the noble Rabbi Meir (Meharam) lived and taught in the 13th Century and whence he tried unsuccessfully to flee the persecution rampant at the time. Overtaken in his quest for freedom in Italy while enroute to the Holy Land, Rabbi Meir

OCTOBER 1972

was captured and brought back to Germany by men of Emperor Rudolph I of Hapsburg and imprisoned in the fortress at Colmar. Adamant in his refusal to be ransomed by his willing brethren, the courageous Tosaphist continued to teach and compose in prison until his death in 1293. The High Holy Days liturgy as well as the entire body of Torah literature are the richer because of the efforts of this great genius who flourished in the crazy quilt of states which comprised the Germany of that age.

H a lf th e d ista n ce between Rothenburg and Bad Mergentheim, a cheerful spa where modern structures combine with Renaissance buildings and half-tim bered houses, almost hidden from view by the rolling

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meadows and verdant hills surrounding them into waking up to their glorious it, lies the tiny village of Rottingen. To heritage and its eternal message for the casual tourist, Rottingen poses no them. The events which transpired unusual attraction other than perhaps here in this little town of Rottingen in a quaint old church and several other the year 1298 offer stark testimony to medieval buildings typical of the area. the truth of that message.

T o a student of Jewish history, however, there is nothing at all casual U RIN G the last decades o f the about the place. This particular stu­ 13th Century, with the German dent has spent much time through lands torn asunder by rival claims to several months tracing down this town rule, the fertile meadows o f Franconia because most maps of the area don’t witnessed a devastating flow o f blood­ even list it. Now as he drives into it shed. As the flames of combat and and parks not far from the village terror engulfed Germany, confusion center, the sadness o f mourning besets again, as it had so often before, him as he emerges from the car to set reigned supreme. Now was a time for foot on this seemingly insignificant old scores to be settled without fear of but hallowed ground. retribution; here was ample oppor­ What is there about this town tunity to kill those accursed Jews who where obviously the inhabitants them­ always seemed to be at hand, offering selves seldom if ever see an American themselves as convenient scapegoats auto much less an American tourist? for the troubles o f the times. Here too Certainly the visitors to the Rom antic loomed the temptation .to seize and Road flock to the more well-known pillage, to rob and plunder the Jews attractions to gaze at the remnants of under the guise of “ avenging the the old world o f yesteryear, generally Church.” Soon enough, the peasant ignoring this unimportant dorf. There mob yielded to the temptation. are probably numbers of Jews among A p e tty noblem an named the tourists who do the same, remain­ Rindfleisch cunningly saw his chance. ing com pletely ignorant of what This rabid Jew-hater (may his name be transpired here and |lw h a t is worse — blotted out), taking advantage o f the not really caring enough in any event confused and frightened peasantry, to rectify the situation. O f the same sought to focus their attention away indifference as well are the American from their own pitiful existence onto Jewish soldiers stationed here and all the alleged source of all their problems th ro u g h Bavaria with the NATO — the Jew. To fully exploit the situa­ forces. Indeed how sad a commentary tion for his own nefarious purposes, it is on the shabby state of Jewish Rindfleisch had to improve upon the identity and knowledge that it has to infamous “ blood libel” which had take their Jewish Chaplain to prod plagued European Jewry for centuries

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JEWISH LIFE

under Church rule. He was indeed stain the honor of humanity, the Nazi equal to his evil task. The new ploy Holocaust unleashed by the modernsought to accuse the accursed ones of day Rindfleisch and his demonic ilk. stealing the host wafer, used in the Mass, and of beating it until it bled.

H U S does the America Jew The enraged mob needed little goad­ come to visit and pay homage to ing. They fell upon the twenty-two the m a r t y r s ’ so uls o f medieval Jews of Rottingen who had lived there Rottingen. He searches vainly for some q u ie t ly o b servin g th e ir faith, vestige of the Jews who lived and died slaughtering them indiscriminately. here once upon a fateful day almost Having tasted Jewish blood and found six hundred ye a rs ago. Finding it to their liking, the hordes swept out nothing, he is about to depart when o f R o ttin g e n toward Franconian the realization hits home suddenly: Wurzburg. Historians estimate that no the serenity of the spot bears silent and less than 140 communities of German immutable witness to the fact that the Jews felt the unspeakable fury of the Jew has always sought to live in peace frenzied murderers as they submerged and h a rm o n y w ith his neighbor all semblance of humanity in their wherever exile has taken him. He has mad march of “ death to the Jews.” not searched for a home among the And as if this were not enough in the violent, but among the beauties and way of calamity, some forty years joyful creations of G-d. The landscape later, two other petty nobles tried to of much of Germany is indeed some­ im ita te the hated Rindfleisch in thing to behold. How strange that such destroying Jews. Wearing leather arm- loveliness could give birth to such bands, they led the hordes of rabble Satanic evil as has manifested itself into fresh pogtoms all over Germany, here over the centuries. The Jew did dealing the already reeling Jewish not bring hate to Rottingen nor did he communities a further blow. However, hate anyone here. The serenity and the saddest misfortune to befall the beauty of the region belied the evil medieval Jew was yet to come. When that lay dormant in the hearts of men. the B la c k Death swirled through When it did rise up in all its unabated Europe in 1348, laying low millions, fu r y and distorted manifestation, once again the finger of condemnation annihilating Jewry, those communities was pointed at the convenient scape­ that tolerated and encouraged it were goat *gfj|the Jews, who were now poorer in all ways for their deathly accused of poisoning the wells and sins. Not only Germany, but Spain, causing the plague. Ensuing centuries France, England, and the rest also dis­ saw this scapegoat drama re-enact covered how much they had lost in­ itself over and over until it culminated deed when they had rendered them­ in the most horrible pogrom ever to selves “Ju d en rein .” Such then is the

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quiet of Rottingen — a quiet and silence which in its own way is a retri­ bution for the pain and anguish in­ flicted here on an innocent people.

As he wends his way out of R o ttin g e n ’ s rolling' meadows, the pilgrim remains sure of one thing, rein­ forced in his thinking by what he has seen and what he has not seen. The few Jews who lived and flourished

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here in the thirteenth century, small though their number was, contributed mightily in their own way to the per­ petuation of that message which has withstood the Rindfleisches o f history, that despite the martyrdom imposed as result of man’s inhumanity to man and the Rottingens of countless eras notwithstanding — Am Yisroel Chai — the Jewish People doth yet live!

JEWISH LIFE

synagogue structure which attracts many Americans and native Israelis.

(There is a purely American synagogue in the making too.) It is the “ national­ istic” synagogue of the community where those who want to celebrate Yom Ha’Atzmauth and Yom Yerusholayim attend, besides being — as all synagogues — the base for the many shiurim one can attend at any time of the day.

A t the upper end of Hapisgah is the “ community synagogue,” a low, unfinished building — which is really an architectural eyesore, I must admit — which is equally divided between tw o sh o o ls: the Hagrah (Nusach Ashkenaz) half and the Chassidim (so it is called), the Nusach Sephard half.

If any building symbolizes the “ sense of community” o f Bayith Vegan it is this synagogue of the “ two halves.”

Movement between the “ two halves” is free and easy and constant. Some of my good friends davened in one and learned in the other, interchangeably.

As a matter o f fact, for all its intensity of Jewish living, Bayith Vegan is not a “ ghetto” in any sense of that term.

Just as Chassidim and Mithnagdim live in comparable harmony, so do Zionists and Neturey Kartah. There is concern tration on one’s point-of-view, and steadfast adherence to one’s personal approach to Torah living — but, at the same time, a fine understanding that others may have differing views. All live together in a peace and harmony hardly seen anywhere else. As a matter of fact, one o f the most pleasant sights

22

I have ever seen is a lively conversation taking place between a Rosh Yeshivah and a “ hippie” who was staying at the Youth Hostel of B ’nai B ’rith opposite the Migdal Synagogue. There seemed to be no condescension on the part of one or belligerance on the part o f the other. Jerusalem is truly a city of peace.

L L of which brings me to the most wonderful aspect of living in Bayith Vegan: the accent on Torah learning. Living there was like being on the “ campus” of a yeshivah all the time. It was veritably difficult to keep up with all the shiurim; they are liter­ ally held around the clock. There was hardly an hour during Shabboth — and even during the week — when you couldn’t catch some shiur. Everybody — but everybody — including the pro­ fessional men, the doctors and scient­ ists, seemed to be rushing to a shiur at some time of the day, each carrying his own Gemorah and just barely hav­ ing time to greet you. Most of the “ town” turns out en masse to the shiur of Dayan Abram sky at 4:0 0 o’clock on Shabboth afternoon, which is full of wisdom and warmth, besides great learning. Unfortunately, due to the ill health o f the Dayan, the shiur lasts only a half-hour, when his son rises from his seat to announce the end of the study session.

B esid es shiurim around the clock, there are of course Minyonim at every conceivable hour — Halochah permitting. Where else in the world

A

JEWISH LIFE

P lä tz e im T o r sind n ic h t fu r privifigierte Kunden reserviert. Keine P rotektze! Ich verlange mein Recht!

Es gibt nur eine solche Yente in der ganzen Welt! Diese Hexe wird nicht über mich triumphieren! Ich verlange dass du mich bedienst!

Third woman: On devrait vous castiger à cause de vos mauvaises manières. Sans doute êtes-vous des per­ sonnes riches disposant de domes­ tiques. Quant à moi, j ’ai même pas le temps d’aller chez la coiffeuse. Dans ma dirah personne ne guarde mes en­ fants. Faut-il qu’ils souffrent l ’absence d’une mere a cause de vous? Je ré­ clame l’égalité'avec ces grandes dames.

Monsieur le boucher, je vous défends de servir ces types avant moi!

The meat cutter (a bearded man in a white smock and black kippah): Ich bin oich a mutter’s a kind. Ich bin oich a Yid und ich prave a Seder. Ich bin an arbeiter, nit kein rav. Shneiden fleish kann ich, paskenen a shaila kann ich nit. Fardreit zieh aile eirer kepp un lozt mir tzu frieden. Ich farmach mein bootke taykef um i’yad und gei aheim.

Doz zug ich eich mit kiddush levanah oisi’yos.

When the butcher actually began to close his counter, the three women united in pleading with him to change his mind. Like a stern school teacher, he made all ¡three o f them wait until he served the customer behind them, who had been waiting patiently. I am happy to report that the three ladies f in a lly w ished each other Chag

44

Sam e’ach. And that, of course, is impeccable Hebrew.

Translations of the Foreign Dialogue First woman (from the AngloEnglish): I just stepped out o f the lin e .. . (coshing=mugging).

Seco n d w om an (fro m the German): When this woman walked away, her place on line became vacant.

Places are not reserved for privileged customers. No special pull! I demand my rights! This yente is one o f a kind!

This witch will not have her way with me! I order you to serve m e!

T h i r d w o m a n (fro m the French): You should both be punished for such bad manners. Y o u ’re surely rich women with servants. I don’t even have time to go to the hairdresser’s. In my flat no one is watching my child­ ren. Must they suffer the absence o f a mother because of you? I demand e q u a lity with these fancy ladies!

Butcher, I forbid you to serve these characters before me!

Meat cutter (from the Yiddish): I also am a mother’s child, I also am a Jew who is making a Seder tonight. I am no rabbi. I can cut meat, but I c a n ’t m ake ra b b in ical decisions.

Y o u ’re all mixed up, so leave me alone. I ’m closing my counter right now and going home. I ’m telling you this in capital letters -^big enough to see in the dark when you say the blessing over the moon!

JEWISH LIFE

A H A IR P I E C E N the old days, as soon as I looked slightly unshorn I had to — or my wife would let me hear of it visit our friendly neighborhood barber shop. The shop is run by p a rtn e rs, tw o short, baalebatishe Galitzianer named Morris and Max. Morris is the one with the mustache.

Drowsy from the fumes of bay rum and witch hazel, I would wait my turn and exchange gossip, stock tips, and shpitzw erter. In their shop you never sat on a cold chair; on weekends they had to hire a third barber.

A h, how things have changed!

They wait for customers nowadays.

When th e y see me through the window, they flip a coin to see who gets me. My coming is an event. It doesn’t happen too often these days.

Y o u ’ll never hear Morris and Max complain. They are, after all, m em bers of an honorable calling which was once close to the medical profession. Barbers did bleeding, leech­ ing, and bahnkes. You may be too young to remember: bahnkes were cures for colds in the chest and — G-d forbid — pneumonia, pleurisy, and asthma.

The barber came to one’s house with a satchel full of clinking bahnkes, spherical glass cups about the size of two-ounce whisky shots. The bahnkes were first immersed in a basin of alcohol. Then the barber thrust a flame into each bahnke and popped it onto the chest o f his customer (patient

¡

OCTOBER 1972

or victim, if you w ill). A ir pressure — 15 pounds per square inch at sea level, you remember — held the bahnkes pinched tightly to the skin until the barber was satisfied that they had taken (whatever it was that bahnkes took). This could take a very long time if the conversation, the tea, and the apple shtrudel were all good. Getting o n e ’ s bahnkes pulled off was a splendid introduction to the experi­ ence of being skinned alive. After the customer/patient/victim/ had managed to get himself flat on his stomach, the barber started all over again on the dorsal side. With luck and a fine con­ s t it u tio n you survived bahnkes, purplish disc-shaped marks reminding you of your heroism for months after­ wards.

A R B E R S reared in the bahnke tradition take pride in their vocation and refer to themselves as “ m echanics.” A mechanic doesn’t gripe about poor business, thereby admitting that his services are not in demand. The last time I graced a seat in Max and Morris’ shop I could not resist the temptation to be tactless. I asked, “ How’s business?”

Morris, who had just set to work on me with hungry hands, gave his mustache a jaunty tw irl. “ Business is fine,” he lied. “ Even with young people boy­ cotting barbers?” “ Since you ask, let me ask you,”

B

45

said Morris. ‘These days how do you tell a boy from a girl?” “ I'm nearsighted/* I said. “ But the boys are always the ones with the beards.** “ You like what*s happening?** “ Some of the boys look hand­ some with long hair.** “ To look like a girl is handsome?

It*s indecent!** Since I could sense that Morris was getting excited he banged his clippers on my head to emphasize indecent** ^ I thought I could bring some philosophic perspective to the discussion by raising it to a Scriptural level. “ But the Bible seems to approve of long hair. Look at Samson/* I ventured.

Max, who had been pouring over the Yiddish paper, broke in at this point. “ You heard o f Absolom? What got him killed? Long hair!** “ T ru e ,** I a d m itte d . “ But Absolom raised hell with King David.

He was a bad character.** “ And long hairs are good?** Morris demanded. “ When the hair was short, we never heard o f drugs, or riots, or muggings. It was a better world in those days, believe me.** “ You think long hair is re­ sponsible for our troubles?** “ Absolutely! They have no con­ sideration. Do they ever think that a barber — a mechanic - a union man

46

with a wife — has to pay rent and buy from a grocer? Long hairs care only for themselves!** Morris* hands were shaking so as he trimmed my sideburns, I was afraid he would clip my ears. “ Maybe the style will change,** I consoled him. “ Put a sign in the window that says, ‘Wear it long. But let us shape it for you.* Th at’s what the shops downtown do.”

H A T really made him explode. “ I should beg for business?

From them yet?** he demanded.

T f I were a barber, I don’t suppose I would be crazy about long­ haired kids,** I admitted.

Tt*s a free country. If they don’t need me, I don’t need them. If they .never show their heads inside this shop, I wouldn’t miss them.” “ A ll I say,” called M a x /“ is that their hair should grow long enough to sweep their dirty floors.” “ Inside their heads should only be half as much as outside,” said Morris.

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“ And may their sisters all marry barbers,” concluded Max. For having such a heartfelt con­ versation I paid a penalty. When I came home, I had to undergo a crossexamination by my daughter, who loathes short hair. I couldn’t convince her that I had not ordered a crew cut.

JEWISH LIFE

Booh Beviews

REVEL'S

ROLE

IN

HISTORY

by R E U B E N E . G R O S S

B E R N A R D R E V E L : B U IL D E R O F A M ER ICA N JEWISH O R T H O D O X Y , by Aaron Rothkoff; Philadelphia: Jewish Pub­ lication Society, 1972 N E w ou ld naturally expect that leadership in Jewish affairs, especially in Orthodoxy, would operate from a lofty perspective. Chartered by the Almighty at S i n a i f enjoying a thirty-five-century-old history of heroic proportions, and required

by Torah to relate to the Master of the Universe in daily activities, it would seem nigh impossible to descend to a petty level.

Y e t orthodox Jewish communal leadership in America has, by far and large, been able to make this almost impossible break­ through to banality. Moreover, it seems to be the unfortunate experience of all Jewish leaders who do rise above banality to be torn apart and crushed. Mosheh Rabbeynu, the first Jewish leader, though his people’s messenger to the Almighty, their liberator and saint, was forced down to the level of a nursemaid bearing an infant. His concern for their petty squabbles appalled Yethro, a ran king leader in Midianite society.

Mosheh was blamed for every mishap; sick­ ness, lack of food and water, defeat.. . In

O

MR. G RO SS lives in Staten Island, New York where he practices law. Long active in UOJCA and other Jewish communal causes, he is a contributor to the pages of this-publication.

OCTOBER 1972

modern times, a Theodore Herzl whose total leadership was limited to one idea: “ If you will it, it is no dream’’, paid for that idea with his life. Coming closer to home, Rabbi Jacob Joseph, who around the turn of the century tried to create some order in the chaos of American Orthodoxy, found himself torn apart for his efforts. And that undoubtedly daunted many lesser souls.

The occasion for these bitter reflec­ tions is the publication by the Jewish Pub­ lication Society of America of a biography, “ B ern ard Revel: Builder of American Jewish Orthodoxy’’ by Dr. Aaron Roth­ koff (now Rakefet) of Jerusalem. It is an am plification of his doctoral thesis at Yeshiva University, whence he also ob­ tained Semichah. Dr. Rothkoff is wellknown to readers of JEWISH L IF E for his illuminating biographical sketches of many of the Gedolim of the last hundred and fifty years. Although the lives of each of those Gedolim tended to follow something of a fixed pattern — he showed brilliance in his youth, became rabbi of this or that town, set up a yeshivah for the youth at which he adopted this or that nusach of H m m u d this book is decidedly different.

Despite Dr. Rothkoff’s strict adherence to the detailing of facts with a bland un­ emotionalism, the excitement and drama of the visionary builder struggling in a spiritual Lilliput to create Torah breaks through in full force.

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H E b oo k relates Bernard Revel’s e a rly education in Lithuania, his arrival in America in 1906 as a youth of 19, the deep impression that his scholar­ ship made upon the deans of the Agudath Horabonim, his continuing education in America at New York University where he obtained his M.A. and at Dropsie College in Philadelphia, which awarded its first Ph.D. to him in 1912 on his thesis on Karaite halochah, and of his marriage to Sarah Travis of Marietta, Ohio.

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American Jewry seems to have been skeptical of the ability of Orthodox Jewry to raise the millions necessary to build the proposed Yeshiva and College on three city blocks in New Y o r k C i t y . Orthodox Jews have never before raised such an amount for so stupendous an undertaking and no such am bitious p ro je c t had ever before been attem pted on b e h a lf o f any educational in stitu tio n . . . . . . . .T h is is the largest sum ever raised at any single m eeting fo r a Jew ish educational p ro je c t and the greatest single contribution Orthodox Jewry has ever made, (emphasis is added)

In 1915 two small struggling yeshivoth on the East Side, Etz Chaim and Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan, merged. Many o f the students were clamoring for a high-school education. The crucial problem was leadership. Rabbi Moshe Zebulun Soon thereafter Women’s Branch of Margolies, the most respected orthodox the UOJCA pledged $250,000 to furnish rabbi of his day, proposed Dr. Revel, say­ the proposed dormitory. The editor of the ing: “ Dr. Revel is one of the Torah giants Tageblatt wrote for all Jewry when he of our generation and perhaps the only said: one in this country who also possesses general and scientific knowledge.” Under I am still rubbing my eyes, wonder­ Dr. Revel’s guiding hand and with his ing whether I was aw ake.. . I was aristo cra tic zeal for excellence in the c y n ic a l and s k e p t ic a l... Nathan human material he dealt with, the Rabbi L a m p o rt. . . an n o u n ces for the Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary soon Lamport family a contribution of became known far and wide as a dis­ $100,000. The diners gasped. Quick­ tinguished institute of Torah learning. His ly Judge Rosalsky was on his feet soaring imagination projected further and and told the astonished audience that greater goals than that for which he was Mr. Harry Fischel, for the Fischel chosen — a Yeshiva College — on a multiFoundation, was giving $100,000 as m illio n d o lla r ca m p u s, with all the w e ll.. . . amenities and dignities of a first-rate insti­ $800,000 for a Yeshiva! An tution of learning. His patrician ambitions Unheard of thing. stirred skepticism and ridicule. However, at a kick-off dinner at the Astor on the night U C CESS brought new problems and o f the first Chanukah candle, Sunday, temptations that tested the soul’s December 21, 1924, Nathan Lamport led mettle of Bernard Revel. For one golden off with a $100,000 pledge, followed by moment Orthodoxy held the initiative and H a rry F isc h e l with another $100,000 leadership in American Jewish life. The p led g e. Before the banquet was over, Conservative movement sought merger of $800,000 had been pledged ipfa staggering its Schechter’s Theological Seminary with sum. eauivalent to about $10,000,000 in Yeshiva. Reform laymen sought member­ present day building and real estate values. ship on Yeshiva’s board of directors. Julius A few days later the New York Times Rosenwald was prepared to contribute a editorialized: half-million dollars. It should be remem­

bered that in those days the Conservative Seminary was not the way-out institution it is today. Except for Mordecai Kaplan, it had no faculty members to whom serious exception could be taken. Aside from its condonation of* mixed pews, there was little at which a finger could be pointed.

The Reform layman sought membership on a board which was basically honorary, with no real control over Yeshiva affairs. Dr. Revel was therefore very hard put in trying to explain to his own loyal baaley batim why he could not countenance any com­ promise with principles. After all, they were business men sniffing the success of the “ big deal.” Following a meeting at which he apparently had a run-in with his board chairman, Samuel Levy, the Man­ hattan Borough President, he wrote a long letter which should be required reading for anyone who aspires to any position of leadership in the orthodox Jewish com­ munity, be it nothing more than the com­ m itte e chairmanship of any orthodox shook It is indeed the revelation of the great and troubled soul that was Bernard Revel. In it he said: (App p. 308) It is one of the misfortunes of A m e ric a n o rth o d o x Jewry, and largely responsible for the chaos in the hearts and minds of the present generation, especially for our youth, that we have taught our children to look upon as leaders in Israel men w ho have turned against historic Judaism_____ The Yeshiva is more than an institution of learning...

The Yeshiva is the beacon light of Torah-true Judaism in this land, free from the taint of compromise with the fads of the day, from surrender that calls itself Reform Judaism.

That the Yeshiva was built and grew is universally known. Dr. Rothkoff reveals the difficulties of its post-natal years during the Depression. Caught with an $800,000 mortgage, a shrinking budget,

OCTOBER 1972

van ish in g s u p p o rt, and rising rescue demands from scholars seeking escape from the im p end ing H olocaust, Dr. Revel became the focus of all problems. Upon his shoulders fell the problems of unpaid faculty, unfed students, demanding credi­ tors, lawyers armed with attachments, as well as the day-to-day problems of running such an institution.

What Dr. Rothkoff does not men­ tion, however, is that the name of the game played in those years on Washington Heights was, “ Give the Chief a hard time.“ It must be confessed that everyone played it: faculty, students, staff.. . It seemed harmless because he appeared so mighty and invinceible. Alas, the obvious fact that he was but of flesh and blood became apparent too late.

The mightiness of Bernard Revel’s soul was matched by the frailness of his body. On November 19, 1940 he gave his last shiur in Choshen Mishpot and Yoreh Deah in his office with his devoted wife Sarah in a tte n d a n c e . Aware of the approaching end, he told his students: Y o u know th at I never sought material success. You, my students, know that this institution has cost me much toil. I have hardly enjoyed of this world. My life’s work, my life, is Yeshiva. And the students are Yeshiva and Yeshiva, the students.

You and all who came before you, and those who shall come after you, are my life.

He exhorted his students to continue living for him, to be the leaders in Jewry.

As his own sight was blacking out from a cerebral hemmorhage, he declared that the lights of Torah were dimming across the seas. “ We must, therefore,’’ he said, “ light our torches all the more bril­ liantly.’’ Less than two weeks later he ascended to the Yeshivah She! M a ’a/ah. *

*

*

49

H E R E is not a single orthodox Jew structed his talmidim not to join mixed in America who is not indebted to rabbinical boards while they were crying to this visionary builder. His students are him at about their exclusion by European the helm and on the staffs of such key rabbis from orthodox Rabbinical Boards! establishments as Torah Umesorah and the Although Yeshiva had produced two gener­ U .O .J.C.A. They are filling pulpits and ations of Orthodoxy’s most stalwart ex­ p o sitio ns of lay leadership throughout ponents, snide remarks still appear in the America. While it is true that after World holier-than-thou” press about universityWar II a new wave of immigration brought type yeshivah students! There undoubtedly added m an-p ow er to the ra n k s of is a place, indeed a great need, in America Orthodoxy, it was not the kind of strength for yeshivoth devoted solely to Torah, yet that tends to reach out. Had the soil not our Chazal recognized that the entire com­ been prepared by the first generation of munity cannot be cave-dwellers like BarDr. Revel’s talmidim, the fruits of the new Yochai and his son. Only by mutual recog­ wave would have withered on the vine. nition of each other’s place in the com­ It is unfortunate that whereas other munity can either type of institution fulfill great leaders, though troubled in their life­ its function. A reading of this book should time, are given their full measure of honor give many a true appreciation of this when deceased, this last menuchah has visionary tzaddik, and rectify a historic in­ hitherto been denied to Dov Revel, zatsal. justice to a great soul.

His personal life demonstrated great sacrifices in behalf of unswerving fealty to ii||E R N A R D R E V E L : B u ild e r o f Torah. He could very easily have become a iJAm erican Jewish Orthodoxy” is re­ sort of Chief Rabbi in America, uniting a quired reading for every orthodox Jew. modern Orthodoxy with an as-yet rightish Many non-orthodox Jews, too, will learn Conservatism and a floundering Reform. from it, particularly that fund raising and But his zeal for Torah and its K o vo d made building are not heterodox monopolies, such a step unthinkable. Those who think but simply a matter of leadership. th at the Halochah behind the famous Dr. Rothkoff and the Jewish Publica­ “ issur” against rabbis joining the Syna­ tion Society should be congratulated for gogue Council and Board of Rabbis was producing a book that is more than a mere not taught in America before that pro­ b io g ra p h y ; t r u ly , an inspiration and nouncement was issued, would do well to challenge to all who work in the Lord’s read how a heavy-hearted Dr. Revel in­ vineyard as well as a solace to everyone who felt the touch of his genius.

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50

JEWISH L IF E

HIRSCH'S

LAST

WORK B y IS A A C L . S W IF T

I T must be said, however — with every ¡reluctance — that the volume before us is somewhat disappointing. The dis­ appointment stems less from what Hirsch HE Siddur is among our most precious says than from what he fails to say. There possessions, compiled by the most are passages, some of major importance, pious of our forebears and hallowed by long that go without annotation, and sometimes c e n tu rie s of devout use. Of it Israel even without translation. Thus, while A don Abrahams aptly says “ it is a not unworthy Olam is translated and perceptively anno­ sequel to the Psalter from which it has tated, Yigdal — the poetic version of Maimonides’ Thirteen Principles — receives drawn so much of its inspiration.”

T h e writings of Samson Raphael neither translation nor commentary. One wonders whether Hirsch, like some of his Hirsch, revealing at once the thoughts of a predecessors, disagreed with Ram barn’s great mind and the passions of a great heart, tabulation, for the prose version of the are among the most potent influences in Thirteen Principles, occurring later in the modern Jewish life and thought.

Siddur, is also without translation and This being so, one would expect much notes. Certainly there is no hint of endorse­ from a volume combining both — a Siddur ment of Maimonides’ Principles in Hirsch’s w ith tra n sla tio n and commentary by Nineteen Lette rs o f Ben Uziei.

Samson Raphael Hirsch. The Hirsch Siddur Likewise, Ana Bechoach, attributed to is an enduring monument to a giant of the the Tanna Rabbi Nechunya ben Hakkanah, Jewish spirit, and a fitting tribute to Dr. appears with neither translation nor com­ Joseph Breuer to whom the present edition mentary. It would have been illuminating to is dedicated. Free from the errors and have read Hirsch’s interpretation of this defects that mar the Hertz “ Authorised famous Kabbalistic prayer ^ w a s he silent Daily Prayer Book” and indeed with a because he eschewed mysticism as a valid goal and purpose far beyond those of expression of the spirit of Judaism? That he Hertz’s important aid to the worship of the does give us the translation of the Brich English-speaking Jew this last work of S h ’meh passage from the Zohar yields no §Wnson Raphael Hirsch, now made available to the English-speaking world, will be a clue, for that is not mystic in character, and priceless source of inspiration to student is not typical of the Zohar.

But worse than his silence on postand worshipper alike. It will be an invalu­ Biblical passages like those instances above able addition to library and Synagogue, and is his Siddur’s uneven treatment of Biblical should not fail to exert a beneficent influ­ matter. Thus, while some of the Psalms re­ ence on the life and worship of orthodox ceive, to our enduring enrichment, close and Jewry. penetrating attention in the notes, others R A B B I D R. IS A A C L . S W IFT is Rav o f are translated but not annotated, and Congregation Ahavath Torah in Englewood, New Jersey. In his active career in public worse still ^ s o m e appear without even a service, he held a pulpit in Sydney, Aus­ translation. For example, the lyric beauties

T H E HIRSCH S ID D U R , with English Trans­ lation and Commentary; Jerusalem — New Y ork: Feldheim Publishers, 1972.

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tralia.

OCTOBER 1972

51

of the fifteen “ Psalms of Degrees’* and the glories of the Hallel Psalms receive, to our grievous loss, no exegesis at all in the Siddur; and some, among them the moving 3 0th Psalm (M iz m o r S h ir Chanukath H abayith), the majestic 27th Psalm (“ The Lord is my light and my salvation” — the Ellul Psalm), and the solemn 49th Psalm (the Mourner’s Psalm) are neither translated nor annotated. The Siddur is immeasurably the poorer for the omissions.

There are passages where this un­ evenness occurs in one and the same prayer.

For example, in the Birkath Hachodesh (Page 348) the beautiful prayer of Rav appears with neither translation nor notes, while the M i She-Ossah Nissim has both. Or ag ain , the first parts of the Birkath Haievanah (Pages 738 ff) are translated and annotated, while on the concluding sections Hirsch is completely silent. There are places where the upper part of the Hebrew page is untranslated and the lower translated, the English of the latter facing the former! This is, at best, an irritant to the informed reader; at worst, it can seriously mislead and confuse the ill-informed worshipper.

THE COMMENTARY

On the B irk a t Ha-Haftarah, says (Page 340):

Hirsch

Asher Bachar Bi-Neviim Tovim — G o d chooses as H is p rop hets o n ly tovim, “g o o d ” men w ho are “g o o d ” o r “f i t ” to serve in this capacity. To Judaism the m ere fa ct that a man who, o n ly yesterday, was kno w n fo r no o ther qualities b u t the sim ple-m indedness, ignorance, rudeness and lack o f educa­ tion suddenly utters clever w ords that kindle the enthusiasm o f those that hear him does n o t indicate at all that this man was in truth D ivin ely in ­ sp ired and entrusted w ith a higher m ission. The man whom Judaism is to acknow ledge as a true p ro p h e t m u st have been distinguished as a chacham, a gibbor and an ashir long b efo re he was called b y G od. He m u st have absorbed the know ledge and w isdom w hich m ay be fo u n d in the Torah and in the Torah alone. He m ust be healthy and strong in both b o d y and character so that h is sp irit w ill n o t be tainted either b y lu st o r b y the irasci­ b ility that com es with p h y sica l w eak­ ness. He m ust be “r ic h ” ; that is, he m ust be co m p letely co n ten t w ith h is p o rtio n in life. N o t wanting o r d esir­ ing any advantage fo r h im self, he m ust be capable o f the m ost selfless d evo­ tion to his task o f Judging and evalu­ ating the w orld about him w ith regard to its co n d u ct and its fate. F in a lly , the tr u e p r o p h e t m ust be genuinely “g o o d ” and a frien d to all m en b o th in h is attitude and in his c o n d u c t.. . .

H E R E Hirsch does offer commentary, h.is remarks bear the authentic stamp of the master, and reveal his remarkable awareness of the subtle nuances of Biblical and liturgical Hebrew, and his profound in­ sights into the inner meanings of Scriptural and Rabbinic texts. His commentary is quite unique of its kind, for it is not confined to exegesis, but offers disquisitions, even sermonettes — many of them lengthy, all of them animated by passionate sincerity — on This is more than exegesis.

So is this example. On the Sabbath the sovereignty of Torah, on the nature of the Mitzvoth, indeed on the whole range of Kiddush, Hirsch says (Page 292):

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Jewish belief and practice.

Exam p les abound throughout the book. By way of illustration, some are sub­ mitted here in extenso in defiance of limita­ tions of space.

52

Kiddush - “ Rem em ber the Sabbath day to keep it h o ly ”, i t was w ith these w ords (E x o d . 2 0 :8 ) that G o d com ­ m anded us to rem em ber the Sabbath when He gave us H is La w . Whenever

JEWISH LIFE

Or again, his comment on the Av the Sabbath, the day which had been forgotten and thus forfeited by the Harachamim of the Sabbath morning service rest o f mankind, enters into our — the “ Dirge of the Martyrs/* as it has been midst, we are to recall to ourselves called — invites quotation here (Page 350): and to our families the purpose o f the Av Harachamim — Though God dwells Seventh Day, to be holy in our midst. on high, far above the hubbub o f But even though we have already de­ earthly affairs, His compassion is here clared in words o f prayer this holy below with every one o f His works purpose o f the Sabbath and the Divine and He, too, feels the pain which j decree which originally ordained it in affects any one o f His creatures on our midst, the true observance and earth. But His compassion is most o f celebration o f the Sabbath should all with those whose troubles are take place not in our synagogues but caused by abuses from the hands o f in our homes. F o r it is not in our men who have gone astray, and par­ houses o f worship and at our Divine ticularly with those have been made services, but in the rooms where our to suffer because o f their steadfast family lives unfold and where our loyalty to Him. Thus may He, then, everyday business activities go on remember those who have persevered that, by refraining from all weekday in their devotion to Him and who pursuits, we must demonstrate that have remained steadfast in their up­ we are indeed serious about doing rightness and have kept their moral in­ homage to the Sabbath, and that we tegrity intact. We pray that He may will gladly and conscientiously pay it remember them ail, individuals and that tribute which is due it as a sacred congregations alike, who have thus re­ in s t it u t io n a p p o in te d b y God. mained true to their sacred purpose, Remember: this homage should be who have demonstrated their loyalty performed not only conscientiously, by their willingness to die for it, and but gladly. I f this entails the complete who have paid with their lives for cessation on our part o f every activity having sanctified the Name o f God. o f gainful occupation, we should not During their lifetime, and by virtue of feel crushed and saddened as if this the life they lived, they made them­ constituted a sacrifice o f our inde­ selves worthy o f God's love and pendence and an abdication o f our approval, and even in death they re­ power. Instead, this total submission mained dose to Him. They recognized o f all our being, o f our desires and our God as Konam, and their “Owner” to possessions to the will o f G-d, the Whom they belonged with every fibre merger o f all our little transitory en­ o f their being and with every ounce of deavors and achievements into the one their strength, and Who alone could great Will o f God, should sustain us, command over them .. . uplift our spirits beyond all our own These are but a few of the many dis­ little troubles, fill us with the purest jo y o f life and impel us on, to new cursive comments which Hirsch allows him­ creative activity. In fact, it is only self throughout the Siddur. Exhortation as such dedication on our part to the will much as exposition is clearly his purpose, o f God that can give us true jo y o f and in the pursuit of it he pours his devoutliving and the blissful knowledge that est emotions into a commentary that is we are living our lives in the presence without its kind. Having regard to the in­ tensity which he is able to bring to bear, one o f God. . . .

OCTOBER 1972

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must confess oneself somewhat disappoint­ ed by the relative scantiness and brevity of his remarks on three of the most glorious pages of the Prayer Book: the soaring hyper­ bole of the Nish math prayer, the lofty sub­ limity of the Malchuyoth, Zichronoth, and S h o fro th of Rosh Hashonah, and the majesty of the Neilah of Yom Kippur, re­ ceive less attention than their character and grandeur would lead us to expect of a com­ mentator as generous with observations as Hirsch shows himself to be.

ON R E B IR T H O F NATIONHOOD H E R E are passages in the Commentary in which Hirsch reads into the words of the Rabbis meanings and con­ firmation of views that he holds which can­ not always be justified on scrutiny of the Talmudic source. Let one example of topical significance — suffice. In the Grace After Meals, the Birkat Hatov Ve-Hametiv prompts Hirsch to comment (Page 703):

Î

That the Berochah was added as an act of thanksgiving for the permission to bury the Bethar martyrs, is of course un­ deniable: “ On the day on which permission was given to bury those slain in Bethar, they ordained in Yavneh that ‘Who is good and bestows good’ should be said (in the Grace): ‘Who is good* because they did not decom­ pose, and ‘Who bestows good,’ because they were allowed to be buried.” (Berochoth 48b, Taanith 31a, etc.) But the implication that the Jewish people “ must never again attempt to restore its national independence by its own p ow er.. . , ” is completely with­ out warrant in the relevant Talmudic texts.

H IRSCH *S O R IG IN A L IT Y H E R E Hirsch gives us exegesis rather than exhortation, his skill as expositor is matched by his originality. This is well illustrated by his remark on Genesis 48:16.

Translating the verse “ . . .that they may grow into a multitude, like fish (Veyidgu) in the midst of the earth” (other versions render the verse “ . . .and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth”) Hirsch says (Page 555):

f

Hatov Vehametiv: The blessings pre­ ceding this paragraph cover all the motives which, according to Biblical Law, should be recalled in the BirkatHamazon. However, when during the Veyidgu: “like fish”: that is, in a reign o f Hadrian, the uprising led by separate habitat in depths beyond the Bar Kochba proved a disastrous error, range o f the human eye. In other it became essentia! that the Jewish words, the children o f Yagkov will live people be reminded for all times o f quiet, happy lives in the midst o f man­ another important fact: namely, that kind, but set apart as if in a separate Yisrael must never again attempt to habitat to which those around them restore its national independence by cannot follow them and the signifi­ its own power; it was to entrust its cance o f which the others cannot sur­ future as a nation solely to Divine Pro­ mise. vidence. Therefore when the nation, His interpretation and application of crushed by this new blow, had re­ Onkelos and of Berochoth 20a bears the covered its breath and hailed even the mark of genius. permission to give a decent burial to Nor is his originality confined to ex­ the hundreds o f thousands who had egesis of the Biblical and liturgical text. It fallen about Betar as the dawn o f a better day the sages who met at expresses itself too in his explanations of many of our usages. For example, on the Yavneh added y e t another blessing to B ero chah Bore M e’orei Ha-esh of the the prayer for the restoration o f Havdollah Service, Hirsch writes (Page 569): Yerushalayim.

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JEWISH LIFE

Me'orei Ha-esh: Fire, produced by human skill, with which we brighten our nights, is the foremost, indeed the one indispensable creative tool which the mind o f man can employ to adapt earth's resources for his service. it is the m ost conspicuous symbol of man's dominion over all the earthly w o rld , in accordance with God's command, as a sign o f our homage and subordination to Him as the sole Creator and Ruler o f the Universe, we refrain from employing the power o f fire on the Sabbath Day and resume the use o f this mighty creative force only when the workday week begins again. Therefore it is certainly an or­ dinance o f profound wisdom that bids us take the torch o f fire in hand as we enter anew into the everyday life o f the working week and that teaches us to look up and bless Him Who created the element o f fire that lies dormant within earthly matter so that man, by his skill, may bring it forth from there to serve him in his dominion over the earth.

student and the worshipper in good stead, and which convey with precision what Hirsch strove to say.

The Biblical sections follow closely but not identically the English translation of Hirsch’s Bible version. The differences are not insignificant. For example, the latter uses the archaic “ thee", “ thou", “thy", while the Siddur version employs the more modern “ you", “ your". But there are more notable departures. Here is an instance: in the Shema paragraph the Bible version reads (Deut. 6:7) “ And inculcate them sharply into thy sons." The Siddur version gives us: “ And you shall teach them diligently to your sons." The difference in meaning will be understood by reference to Hirsch’s strik­ ing note on the verse in his Pentateuch Com­ mentary.

Extraordinary instances of Hirsch’s originality as translator are to be found throughout the Siddur. Some examples, taken almost at random, will serve as illus­ trations. In the acrostic poem Aisheth Chayii (Prov. 31:10 ff) the standard Jewish Publications Society translation of verse 15 reads: “She riseth while it is yet night, and giveth food to her household, and a portion With such expository skill, what a pity to her maidens." Hirsch gives us: “ It was it is that he is silent on the meaning and still night when she arose and gave food to significance of the Tashlich Service of Rosh her household and work to her maids" — Hashonah, and the Kapparoth of Erev Yom with a real change of meaning in the con­ Kippur. cluding phrase.

Altogether typical of Hirsch’s ap­ TH E TRANSLATION proach is his translation of the caption to H E staff o f the Samson Raphael Psalm 20. La-Menatzeach Mizmor Le-David Hirsch Publications Society who are is rendered in the Siddur (and in his Transla­ responsible for the translation from Hirsch’s tion and Commentary on the Psalms) “To German have done their work with com­ Him Who grants victory. A Psalm to David" petence and painstaking thoroughness. They — the particle “ L e" translated “io " not have been scrupulously faithful to the “o f" as in the many other Psalms in which German in the rendering of both the Siddur the same particle prefixes David’s name. text and the Commentary, surrendering H irsch ’s comment in both Siddur and elegance of style in favour of fidelity to Psalter leaves us in no doubt that his choice Hirsch’s meaning. If in so doing they have of preposition is deliberate: “Psalm 20 is not given us the splendours of Simeon addressed to David by the people of Israel.

Singer's translation, they have produced a It is a testimonial of the trust that the workmanlike English which will stand the people have in h i m. . . Unlike the Jewish

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OCTOBER 1972

55

Publications Society translators and others, Hirsch is careful to give us by this simple but significant choice of preposition the interpretation of Ibn Ezra and Kimchi: the words of the Psalm are addressed to David> and are not, as in the case of other Psalms, of David’s composition.

A further example of his translation worthy of quotation here is his rendering of the verse in the third paragraph of the Shema (Num. 15:39): f t|. .and you will not cast about after your own hearts and after y o u r own eyes, and, following them, become unfaithful, to Me.” Compare this with the James I version: “ ...a n d that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a-whoring” , and with the J.P.S. version: “ _____and that you go not about after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go astray.” Hirsch is unchallengeably superior to both in capturing the meaning of the original and in conveying it with forceful­ ness and clarity.

quite slavishly Hirsch’s own transliterations without reference to their bearing on the English-speaking reader. There is little merit in this. After all, an English translation is meant primarily for the comprehension of the English-speaking reader to whom “ E g y p t ” c o n v e y s a m eaning where “ Mitzrayim” does not.

In this matter of transliterations, the volume before us is by no means free from inconsistencies; for example, it usually gives us “Yisrael”, but occasionally “ Israel” ; u su a lly “ A v r a h a m ” , but occasionally “ Abraham” ; usually “Tzion ” , but occasion­ ally “ Zion” ; in one place it is “ Bileam” , elsewhere it is the more familiar “ Balaam” .

And why, by the way, should the headings of several pages read “ Musaf”, while the word is spelled “ Musaph” in the Com ­ mentary on the same pages?

One important aspect of the treat­ ment of Hebrew names calls for comment.

The Tetragrammaton is rendered “ G o d ”, italicized, in place of the more usual “ the Lord” of some translations, “ the Eternal” TR A N SLITERA TIO N of others, or the Tetragrammaton rendition of some Christian Bible translators. Our H E transliterations of Hebrew names present Siddur rendering is clearly based on depart from those used in the English Hirsch’s original which insists on using translations of Hirsch*s works on the Bible. “ G ott” for the Tetragrammaton in place of There, it is the familiar Abraham, Isaac, “ Der Ewige” used by Loewenstein and Jacob, Moses, Jerusalem, Egypt, etc.; here it others. The purpose behind Hirsch’s origi­ is Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, nal, and therefore behind his present trans­ Yerushalayim, Mitzrayim, etc. A developing lators, is clear and justified, for the Tetra­ tendency in this direction in many quarters grammaton is, as Maimonides insists, the in v ite s comment. Koren Publishers of nomen p rop rium of the Creator. For that Jerusalem, among others, in their admirable translations make almost a fetish of this in­ re a so n , the tr a n s la to r s o f H ir s c h ’s sistence on departing from the translitera­ Pentateuch rendered it “ Hashem.” But the result of the rendering employed in the tions made familiar by the James I and Siddur translation is, to say the least, in­ other versions of the Bible — in order, as elegant (“ Blessed be you, G o d our God and one of the Koren translators has said, to the God of our fathers”) and not always make the reader less Galuth-conscious and intelligible (“ Hear Yisrael, G o d our God, is more Israel-conscious. Hirsch’s disciples can G o d the only one” ). “God Tzvaoth” is theo­ scarcely be suspected of this motive, and logically and grammatically correct, but can­ appear — in this edition of the Siddur, not make claim to convey ta lh e reader any though not in the English editions of his concept of the real meaning of those two Pentateuch and Psalms — to be following forms of the divine name.

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JEWISH L IF E

RUBRICS AND SEQ UENCE H E rubrics are clear and well-worded, but here too there are inconsistencies.

On the page bearing the English translation they appear always in English; on the facing (Hebrew) page, they appear sometimes in E n g lis h , so m e tim es in Hebrew, and sometimes — on one and the same page — in both, hardly a help to the ill-informed wor­ shipper.

The arrangement of the material in the Hirsch Siddur leaves something to be desired. The Burial Service (immediately after the Night Prayer!) is followed by the B ir k a t h Ha le v a ri a h ; th is by A n n im Z em iro th ; this in turn by the Duchaning; then comes Sephirath Ha-Omer; and then the Circumcision Service! The blame for this

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A

SEPHARDI

extraordinary sequence must not be laid at the door of Hirsch or of his translators.

Hirsch used Wolf Heidenheim’s Sephath Em eth as the basis of his work, and while the Hebrew text of that masterpiece is impeccable, its arrangement of material is open to the kind of criticism hinted above.

He would have done rather better had he used Baer’s Avodath Israel in which an equally immaculate Hebrew is applied to a more logical sequence of the material.

IN sp ite of these palpable short| co m in g s, the Hirsch Siddur will remain for long years to come a source alike of knowledge and inspiration for all who will give themselves the precious benefits of using it.

TREASURY

by M A R C D . A N G E L

T H E SEP H A R D I H E R IT A G E , edited by Richard Barnett; New York, 1 97 1,6 40 pp.

practice — wide variations. One need only c a ll to mind such p e rso n a litie s as Maimonides, the Ari, Menassah ben Israel, T is obvious that Jewish history over the Baal Shem Tov, and S. R. Hirsch to the past several thousand years has catch a faint glimpse of the diversity. not been entirely monolithic. It has not Because our past is so varied and so been a record of one socially homogeneous rich, we have many sources from which we group of people with a uniform cultural might draw inspiration and enlightenment. pattern. Rather, it has been a story of Only the most parochial Jew could block numerous groups who lived under different his mind from considering authentic Jewish circumstances and who developed distinc­ traditions other than his own. It would be tive approaches to Judaism. Even within a tragic mistake for any modern Jew to be orthodox Jewish traditions we find — with­ so smug as to think that he is a bearer of in a common body of belief, heritage and the orthodox Jewish traditions or that he believes in the orthodox viewpoints. Within RABBI A N G E L is assistant minister of the compass of common basic beliefs and Congregation Shearith Israel, the Spanishobservances, orthodoxy has been — and Portuguese Synagogue in New York City.

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OCTOBER 1972

57

still is -jfe* manifested in many different ways.

It is particularly relevant, therefore, for orthodox Jews to explore the wealth of Jewish traditions. Aside from broaden­ ing our religious horizons, such study reveals the tremendous staying power of Torah-centered Judaism.

H E R E is, happily, a growing aware­ ness of the outstanding contributions o f Sephardic Jewry to Jewish life. A recently published volume, “The Sephardi Heritage,” edited by Richard Barnett, pre­ sents a collection of essays dealing primar­ ily with the Jews in medieval Spain. Since scholars of differing backgrounds have con­ tributed to the volume, there are articles in Eng lish, French, Spanish, and Hebrew.

Essays deal with some aspects of Sephardic culture in the Middle Ages: esthetics, art, philosophy, science, poetry, and grammar, as w ell as B ib lica l exegesis, rabbinic re sp o n sa , and codes. There are three articles about Marranism, and four about Judeo-Spanish language and literature.

This book may serve as an introduc­ tion to some of the specific contributions Sephardic Jewry has made to Judaism.

Although the essays focus mostly on the major Sephardic personalities^, they give impetus (hopefully) to further reading and research. To understand Sephardic culture o b v io u s ly e n ta ils m ore than merely kn o w in g a b o u t the most outstanding people and achievements.

Let us consider some phases of the S e p h a rd ic h e ritag e , suggested in this v o lu m e , w h ich may be of particular p o ig n a n cy to contemporary orthodox Jews.

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course. The fact that other orthodox tradi­ tio n s frowned on secular learning has caused feuds and guilt feelings even among twentieth-century Jews. A careful analysis of the Sephardic experience should give us a m ore “ natural” approach to secular studies.

2) In terms of Bible commentaries, S e p h a rd ic mephorshim displayed inde­ pendent scholarship and intellectual daring. “ The diversity and multiplicity of ap­ proach, the acute sensitivity to difficulties, the forg in g of the essential tools of scholarship, and the extraordinary degree of sophistication — all these characterized the S e p h a rd i contribution to biblical scholarship and led to a remarkable and unparalleled efflorescence in this field (‘Hebrew and Bible Studies in Medieval Spain/ by Nahum Sarna, pp. 324-25).”

Although they revered traditional authori­ ties, they were not afraid to offer new in­ sights and interpretations. They also were su rp risin g ly modern in their scientific analysis of language and text.

3) T h e contributions of Spanish Jewry to Halochah are generally admitted.

Sephardic codes, commentaries, and re­ sponsa have always held respected posi­ tions in rabbinic studies. H.J. Zimmels pre­ sents two essays on Sephardic rabbinic literature, both of which concentrate on the works of the most famous of the Sephardic rabbis.

However, the rabbinic literature of Sephardim in the centuries following their expulsion from Spain is largely unknown to modern Talmudists. The rabbis of the Ottoman Empire, the Middle East, and North Africa created an impressive wealth of Halachic literature. They offer insights 1) Spanish Jewry was characterized and decisions of which most moderns are by its universality (“The Spiritual Heritage totally ignorant. It is almost as though o f the S e p h a rd im ,” by Solomon D. these rabbis had neither lived nor written.

Sassoon, pp. 22ff). They did not divorce A s we b ecom e m ore aware of this religion from life, but rather blended it S e p h a rd ic literature, we shall find an in to life . Sep hard im studied science, authentic approach to Halochah which has philosophy, and literature as a matter of heretofore been mostly ignored.

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JEWISH L IF E

observances. They had to resolve many of 4) The life of Marranos and their the questions of faith which we moderns return to Judaism have been the subjects of many books and articles. The syna­ w ho live in a non-Jewish intellectual environment ask ourselves. The answers gogues which ex-Marranos established in they found cannot help but be meaningful such p lace s as Am sterdam , London, to us.

Hamburg, and various locations in the New 5) Judeo-Spanish literature contains World (The Spanish and Portuguese Syna­ within it many folk qualities which may gogue in New York City stems in large inspire us. It is important to recognize that p art from the ex-M arrano tradition) even the most pious Levantine Sephardim developed a unique type of orthodox sang and appreciated love ballads. They did Judaism. Being highly cultured in worldly not find this subject “ irreligious.” The kn o w led g e, the ex-Marranos created a Sephardim had a fine sense of poetry and highly cultured Jewish milieu. Their reli­ music; their literature will no doubt gain gious services were dignified and graceful. in flu e n c e as it becomes more widely Their significant literature of rabbinics, known. apologetics, poetry, drama, etc. was sophis­ “The Sephardi Heritage” thus opens ticated. O f especial concern for us are the the way for lay readers so that they might intellectual and emotional struggles of Marranos in their quest to return to Juda­ give some reflection on the contributions ism. Having been raised as non-Jews, they of Sephardic Jewry. The volume itself is posed c ru c ia l q u e stio n s about their only worthwhile as an introduction to ancestral faith. They had to reconcile Sephardic studies. It is not a lively or themselves to rabbinic interpretations of terribly inspirational work. But if it can encourage readers to delve more deeply the Bible, to the Talmud and Halochah, as into the Sephardic experience, it will have well as to a host of Jewish beliefs and done a substantial service.

IN

FICTIONAL

PERSPECTIVE b y C H A IM U . L IP S C H IT Z

D A YS O F JU D G M EN T, by Harvey Falk; New Y o rk : Shengold Publishers, 1972, 223 p., $5.95.

ITH the proliferation of “ Jewish” novels in recent years, we have grown accustomed to the steady flow of new titles in this category. Some are bound to cause us

f

RABBI LIP SC H IT Z is an executive with Mesivta Torah Vodaas.

OCTOBER 1972

sleepless nights by reminding us again of the concentration camp horrors; others en­ deavor to introduce the author’s doubts and questions concerning tradition, while still others express unabashed self-hatred.

It is therefore refreshing to take note of “ Days of Judgment” whose theme, the generation gap, is timely. Permeated with a healthy, positive outlook on Jewish tradi­ tion, the book, aside from its reading inter-

59

est, bears a meaningful message for our time, for both young and old.

The main characters are the family of Rabbi Abraham Cohen, the orthodox rabbi of Adamstown, New York. His son, David, a college philosophy instructor, is a member o f a ra d ica l le ftist organization. His daughter, Esther, joins a hippie commune.

The book offers a graphic description of the life styles currently fashionable among college youth. It strives to explore the yearnings and searchings of modern man and find the answers in the treasure house of Torah tradition.

The mood of the book is typified by a chapter presenting a ferocious exchange between the son and a student in a philoso­ phy class. The young student is a yeshivah product, and one finds himself literally sitting on the edge of his seat, almost ready to cry out and interject his own personal feelings on the subject.

Many novels have been written by contemporary authors endeavoring to de­ grade and mock Jewish tradition. Very few have been written that bespeak and advance and enhance its position. This novel is the more welcome for being of the latter category.

Just Off The Press TORAH AND TRADITION Volume 3

By Walter Orenstein & Hertz Frankel This textbook on the Chumash offers a traditional approach in a lucid style. It in­ cludes Midrashic and modern commentaries to the enjoyment of teachers and students alike.

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Volume two on Shemos

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Benjamin Mandelker

‘WOMEN’S L IB ’ Margate City, New jersey In discussing “ Women’s L ib ” in the July 1972 issue, Rabbi Pelcovitz omitted one pertinent item in the feminists’ list of complaints: namely, the resentment felt when all women are treated as a homo­ genous group, each like the next, with identical, clearly definable, strengths and weaknesses. The rabbi’s case is indeed premised upon the general shared qualities which he finds in all women as opposed to those he sees in men.

When Rabbi Pelcovitz decries aggres­ sion in women, he fails to distinguish be­ tw een assertive instincts and aggressive ones. Every individual must have the right to assert himself or herself — and ideally neither male nor female should be aggres­ sive. The woman with a 650 College Board

OCTOBER 1972

in math can’t be expected to wash that away in the whiter-thamwhite detergent.

Her logic and the reasoning abilities that that score represents must continuously distinguish that woman from the majority of people, both men and women, whom she encounters.

It’s curious that the article so clearly established women in the kitchen and men in the beth ha-medrosh. But where does the parnossah come from? There is many a woman, including the most orthodox, who cannot afford to be “ within the inner confines of her home,” and must go out to earn the bread, even if it means, in Rabbi Pelcovitz’ terms, that she “ leaves the con­ fines of her boundaries and breaks out of the natural, correct borders established by her inherent inclinations.” To be sure, I personally find much of the women’s lib arg um en t as scatter-brained as Rabbi Pelcovitz does, but as long as it is a reality that most women will be spending some portion of their lives out working, they should have the same encouragement as men to secure the type of employment that will utilize their particular talents most fully. The thrust must be on more individuation ^ not on presumed group likenesses.

S i n c e th is article dwells on the common traits of all women, how incon­ sistent for it to conclude with a reference to the “ woman of valor.” Proverbs X X X L is read every Friday night, and at many women’s funerals, as though that proverb

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described all women equally; what I read, in part, states:

however,

16. She considered a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planted a vineyard.

1 7. She g ird eth her loins with s tre n g th , and strengthened her arm s.. .

23. Her husband isi known in the gates, when he sitteth among d e elders of the la n d .. .

Obviously the section quoted does n ot m ean d a t every woman will be equally successful in real estate or land s p e cu la tio n , though it does laud one woman who made it in that field. What fantastic qualities she must have hadBjj- to compare lots and prices and exercise a reasoned judgment, to have accumulated some private capital with which to make payments and maintain d e investment, and to have haggled (most likely with a man) over the final purchase price! The woman is properly extolled not only for her piety and skills as a homemaker, but for her acumen in what normally must have been a masculine endeavor. Rabbi pelcovitz writes that a woman should aspire to no higher than sitting in the shade of her husband’s Talmudic success, as though her assuming anything but a supplementary role in life would defeminize her and threaten her husband’s mascu­ linity, when in truth a woman can have an area o f competence, even supremecy, outside her kitchen. The woman of valor, to whom Rabbi Pelcovitz refers, had a husband strong enough to thrive on his wife’s talents and he could then sit among d e elders with self-confidence. The very term “ aisheth chayyil” must be read with equal emphasis on both parts of the ex­ pression. “C h ayyil,” or “ valor,” cannot

suggest the Millo g ic a l submission of w o m a n ’s s p ir it ” that Rabbi Pelcovitz cherishes, since “chayyil” always means the opposite of submission. When G-d wants us to be submissive to His spirit He says “/o b’chayyil v’lo b‘koach”E^f/7oi by valor and not by strength.” Other sections of Proverbs X X X L make clear that the “ aisheth chayyil,” even with her valor and strength, is not arrogant nor aggressive, but rather a strong, assertive individual who is no less of an “ ishshah” - a very feminine creature. Unisex need not be the end result of individual assertiveness, as the “ aisheth chayyil” proves.

In my ignorance of such profound matters, I could not begin to analyze the subtle psychological distinctions between the whole class of women and the whole class of men - I only have the intuitive feeling that something in Rabbi Pelcovitz’ article was missing. Vivez les differences O not only between men and women — but between us all as unique personalities.

Mrs. Susan Sachs

R A B B I P E L C O V IT Z R E P L IE S : In response to the comments of Mrs. Sachs, may I state that I did not intend to decry either d e aggression or assertive character in woman. I think that it was made quite clear that women possess a unique strength and firmness of character which obviously will assert itself in many areas, hopefully, constructive ones. To say that I have placed woman in the kitchen and man in the Beth Hamedrosh, is only partially true. I do feel that both would benefit from spending time in these places, but just as man involves himself in many other areas, so woman is certainly permit­ ted and indeed at times encouraged in today’s modern world to leave this one

room and develop her talents and capabili­ ties wherever she chooses. This in no way is contradictory to the statement in my article regarding the confines of woman’s boundaries or correct borders established by her inherent inclinations.

As far as the Aisheth Chayyil, I agree with Mrs. Sachs that the woman of valor is extolled for many virtues beyond her piety and skills as a homemaker. Here again, this in no way is a contradiction to what I have called the “submission of woman’s spirit” to her man. I believe that when the Torah in Genesis states, that “ he will rule over you,” it is not meant to give man un­ limited authority and control over his wife but rather to indicate that woman by nature welcomes the masculine role played by her husband and prefers it, to his abdi­ cation of this role and his impotence in many male areas which is unfortunately true of many men in today’s society.

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As spiritual leader during the as-yet young history of one of New York c ity ’s pioneering orthodox congregations, the Lincoln Square Syna­ gogue, R A B B I S T E V E N R IS K IN has earned note as a mentor to seekers and guide to the religiously perplexed. He serves also as a faculty member of Yeshiva University. The article published herein, the first by Rabbi Riskin to appear in this magazine, reflects the approach he has effectively applied in drawing the estranged to the Torah fo ld .. . R A B B I A L F R E D COHEN has offered readers of JEW ISH L IF E previous obser­ vations of social issues of particular Jewish interest. Some of them are “ Issues vs. Sides” (May/June 1968) and “ Closing the Yeshivah Gap” (Nov./Dec. 1970). He is Rav of the Young Israel of Canarsie in Brook­ lyn, New Y o r k .. . . Following a quarter-century of dedicated leadership at the executive helm of Torah Umesorah, the National Society for Hebrew Day Schools, D R . JOSEPH K A M IN E T S K Y took a well-earned sabbatical. True to form, he turned it into a busman’s h o lid a y.. . .

L IL L IA N P. Z IE G L E R is a native of New Haven, Connecticut who now resides in Norwich in that state. A librarian by profession and a house­ wife and community leader by avocation, she was inspired to write the enclosed article when she attended her nephew’s wedding in Jeru­ salem____ R A B B I S A M U EL A . T U R K ’S work appearing in our pages in past issues has, like his present contribution, dealt with problems of con­ temporary society in the light of Torah teaching. Among his previous articles were “ Am I My Brother’s Keeper?” (May/June 1967), “ Our Age of Irresponsibility” (Sept./Oct. 1968), “ Reverence - A Lost Ingredient” (July/August 1969), and “ The Need for Jewish Courts” (May/June 1970). A past president of the Rabbinical Alliance o f America, he is Rav of Kingsbridge Center o f Israel in the Bronx, New Y o r k .. . E L K A N A H SC H W A RTZ is Assistant Editor of JEW ISH L IF E , Director of Com­ munal Relations for the U O JCA , and author of a volume o f stories and sketches, “ American Life : Shtetl Style” (Jonathan David, 1 9 6 7 ).. .

C H A PLA IN A L L A N M. B L U S T E IN has become somewhat of a corre­ spondent on Germany’s Jewish aspects past and present, while serving with the United States military there. His previous contributions herein include “ Mauthausen” (Jan./Feb. 1970), “ Dachau” (Nov./Dec. 1970), and “ A Tale o f Tw o Tattoos” (July 1 9 7 2 )... JA C K L U R IA lives in the Bronx, New York where he is a guidance counselor at the Bronx High school of Science. A free lance writer and lecturer by avocation, he spent time in London as a Fulbright Exchange Teacher, and taught creative writing at Fordham U n iv e rsity ... Our poet in this issue is ED IT H R O TH SC H ILD of Toronto, whose previous contribution to JEW ISH L I F E was another poem, “ K ’far Etzion” (Nov./Dec. 1970). Her husband, Kurt, has served for several years as the Orthodox Union’s Vice President for the Central Canada Region.

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