Jewish Life June 1960

S iv a n , 5 7 2 0

in t h i s is s u e

E ic h m a n n

The Case far Released Time

Religious Jewry and Integration iti Israel

The Besht

Careers With Mathematics

Israel and Africa

Treasures of the Bodleian

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Announcing 62nd

oAnnive

ISlational ‘B iennial (Convention OF THE

Unionof Orthodox Jewish (Congregations of oAmerica NOVEMBER 9-13, I960 CHESHVAN 19-23, 5721 Atlantic City, New Jersey

UNION OF ORTHODOX JEWISH CONGREGATIONS OF AMERICA 84 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK 11, N. Y.

f ...'LIFE

Vol. XXVII, No. 5/June, 1960/Slvan, 5720/

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EDITORIALS Saul Bernstein,, Editor M. M orton R ubenstein Reuben E. G ross Rabbi S. J. Sharfman Libby K laperman Editorial Associates-

T hea Odem, Editorial Assistant

JEWISH LIFE is published bi­ monthly. Subscription two years $4.00, three years $5.50, four years $7.00, Supporter $10.00, Patron $25.00.

A GOOD MOVE ...........................................

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EICHM ANN......................................................

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ARTICLES THE CASE FOR RELEASED TIME/Jacob J. Hecht

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ISRAEL AND AFRICA/I. Halevy-Levin...............

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ISRAEL BAAL SHEM/Meyer Waxman................. 26 CAREERS WITH MATHEMATICS/Walter Duckat... 34

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84 Fifth Avenue ; N ew York 11, N . Y. ALgonquin 5-4100

INTEGRATION IN ISRAEL AND THE FUTURE OF RELIGIOUS JEWRY/J. Goldschmidt...............

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UNSUNG BEAUTIES OF THE BODLEIAN/ H. Rablnow ltz.................... .....................

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Published by

U n io n of O rthodox J ew ish Congregations of A merica

REVIEW TREASURE IN TRANSLATION/Manuel Laderman.. 57

M oses I. F euerstein President Benjamin Koenigsberg, Nathan K. Gross, Samuel L. Brennglass, M. Morton Rubenstein, Vice Presidents; Edward A. Teplow, treasurer; Herbert Berman, Secretary.

Dr. Samson R. Weiss Executive Vice President

Second Class postage paid at New York, N . Y.

DEPARTMENTS AMONG OUR CONTRIBUTORS..........................

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HASHKOFAH: The Conceptof “Kano’uth” ........... 23 BA-PARDES

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR..........................

Copyright © I960 by Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America

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RABBI JACOB J. HECHT is Executive Vice-President of the National Committee for Furtherance of Jewish Education and is the spiritual leader of Congregation Yeshiva Rabbi Meyer Simche Hacohn of East Flatbush, Brooklyn, N..Y. An author and lecturer, Rabbi Hecht has written nine volumes of “Teacher’s Guide,” for home and teachers’ use in connection with Released Time education.

I. HALEVY-LEVIN, the Israel correspondent of J e w i s h L i f e , is the editor of “Israel Argosy,” a series of anthologies of the works of leading Israeli writers, and editor of the Modern Israel Library.

RABBI ZALMAN M. SCHACHTER came to this country from Europe in 1941. He received Semichah at the Lubavitcher Yeshiva in 1944. Rabbi Schachter serves as director of the Hillel Foundation at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.

among our contributors

DR. H. RABINOWICZ is Rabbi of the Dollis Hill Synagogue, London, England. He received his rabbinical diploma at Jews College and his Ph.D. at London University.

WALTER DUCKAT is supervisor of the Vocational Guidance Division of the Federation Employment and Guidance Service and is a lecturer on the graduate faculties of Yeshiva Uni­ versity and the City College of New York. His present article is one of a series on career prospects for observant Jews.

DR. JOSEPH GOLDSCHMIDT is director of the Department of Religious Education of Israel’s Ministry of Education and Culture. His last contribution to these pages was “Jewish Identi­ fication in Israel,” in the April, 1958 issue.

DR. MEYER WAXMAN, eminent author of “A History of Jewish Literature,” has made important contributions in the field of Jewish scholarship. With his article on Israel Baal Shem in this issue, Dr. Waxman brings to a close his series of articles on great Jewish thinkers.

Cover: This Torah mantle is the work of Ayala Gordon,

an Israeli artist now in this country. It is one of a set of seven specially designed mantles, each of which has as its theme the Etz Chaim.

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A G ood M ove EMOVAL of the national headquarters of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations to the new location at 84 Fifth Avenue, New York marks more than improvement in physical facilities for American Orthodoxy’s central body. In a real sense, the move is another indication of the growing stature of the Orthodox Union, and of the maturing of Ameri­ can Orthodoxy as a coherent national force.

In its commodious, well-equipped new quarters, UOJCA will certainly have better means to conduct its activities. These have grown greatly both in scope and variety during the twenty years since the Union moved to its previous location. And the process of expansion is mounting steadily. The traditional Jewish com­ munity has learned to turn to UOJCA as the common instru­ ment to serve common needs. Because this community is at once aware of its enormous tasks and opportunities and stirred by creative energies, the Orthodox Union is bound to assume, in response, broader responsibilities.

The period whose close is symbolized by the Union’s change of address was, by and large, an era in which American orthodox Jewry was learning to find itself. In the preceding years and decades, Orthodoxy had seemed impotent in the face of sur­ rounding conditions; all that was basic in Jewish life seemed to be disintegrating, and the American Jewish future appeared hopeless. The factors that caused this condition are far from spent today, but we have learned to reckon with them. In this past period, American Orthodoxy has been re-tooling. The prod­ uct of this effort is already visible. In the period ahead, the full force of Torah-true resurgence will, B’ezer Hashem, be felt far and wide.

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IEWING the impressive array of orthodox institutions, one is bound to be struck by the creative potential of Torah-dedi­ V cated Jews. It is not simply that in these past two decades there have been newly created or rebuilt pr largely expanded great numbers of synagogues, day schools, major yeshivoth and Kollelim-T-each vibrant with life and growthfttogether with a variety June, 1960

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of movements, organizations, and projects devoted to every aspect of American and world Jewish need, and that with this has come an efflorescence of literary expression and means of communi­ cation on a variety of levels. The ikkar of the situation lies in the fact that all this was achieved by indomitable purpose in the face of every possible adversity. With all its shortcomings, with all its limitations, the orthodox Jewish scene of today is a demonstration of the power of inspired will. Were not the will stronger than the might of surrounding conditions, nothing could have been achieved—and nothing saved.

Some orthodox Jews are apt to be obsessed with a sense of the weakness of orthodox Jewry as contrasted with the mass weight of adverse forces. In the light of this, they see the struc­ ture of Orthodoxy as but a web of divisiveness and its component parts as a maze of inadequacies. If self-derogation were a source of wealth, orthodox Jewry would be fabulously rich. As it is, however, this attitude is an unwarranted liability. It must be cast off, to be replaced once and for all with one based on a sound—but always realistic—appreciation of the capacities of orthodox Jewry.

In perspective of the accomplishments of the recent decades, it is clear that greater goals can now be sought. The aim must be, not just the multiplication, strengthening, and expansion of synagogues, schools, yeshivoth, and other institutions, but the re­ fashioning of the entire compass of American Jewish life.

“Torah” and “Jewish” are intrinsically one; the job before us is to expunge the spurious division which has permeated much of the Jewish scene, separating Jews from Jewishness, from Torah.

It is a dangerous fallacy to assume asi some do, among the ortho­ dox as well as the non-orthodox, that the American Jewish com­ munity can maintain a twofold existence, one part committed to Torah and the other part committed to—nothingness. Not only because kol yisroel arevim zeh lozeh— although that is in itself sufficient warrant—but also because those observing the creed of nothingness will continuously tend to drag the entire community into the void with them, it is essential that Torah forces address their purpose to the entirety of the Jewish scene.

ITH THIS in mind, the role of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America can be seen as pivotal.

The Union is the locus at which the various interests within the traditional community meet each other, and can achieve unified effort. It is the point also from which traditional Jewry addresses the community at large, and can project a concerted program and message to the entire community.

The growth of the Orthodox Union shows that its constitu-

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ency has recognized this role, and has found effective leadership in the central body. There is every reason to expect that in the period ahead UOJCA will be subjected to constantly growing demands, for with needs as vast as they are every increase of service leads but to demands for still greater service. There is, in short, no prospect of an easy life for UOJCA but there is an excellent prospect of one constantly richer in service, achieve­ ment, and significance.

Eichm ann HE CAPTURE of Adolf Eichmann has stunned the entire world. The sensation which this event evoked arises only in part from the manner of his capture, from the extraordinary story—of which only rumor-shrouded fragments are known— of the unrelenting perseverance and skill with which he was tracked down through the years and finally caught and smuggled off to Israel. The real shock comes from the re-awakening to the fact that the ghastly plot in which Eichmann was a key figure was not a bad dream but a monstrous reality.

The crimes of Nazidom were on so stupendous a scale, were conceived and executed with such fiendish, cold-blooded malevo­ lence, as to make the ordinary human recoil and flee from the effort to bring them within scope of his understanding. Years have passed since the destruction of Nazi power, but the enor­ mity of the evil has not been assimilated. Rather, there has been a prevailing impulse to thrust the horror out of mind, as an in­ comprehensible nightmare, not part of the world of daily reality.

Reminder Now GOmes the capture of Eichmann and with it the blunt ref p minder that he and his fellows did in fact walk this earth, in ° Vl our own day and not in the age of legend, that they were de­ ferred to by the world’s leaders, that they were permitted to take command of vast power resources which are the distinctive feature of modern civilization and to exploit this power for uttermost evil.

The question of what to do with Eichmann poses problems that engage discussion around the world. Argentina, offended by the breach of sovereignty entailed in the manner of his cap­ ture in and removal from that country, demands that Israel re­ store him to their custody, with extradition to follow. In other quarters, it has been urged that Eichmann be tried by an inter­ national tribunalj some call for his trial by a German court.

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The Israel Government, however, refuses to yield Eichmann to any other authority, or to forego its announced plan to bring the Nazi leader to trial before an Israeli court.

Looking at the matter from the standpoint of legal precision, it might seem to the best interest of all that Eichmann be tried under circumstances free of any legal disputable aspects. But it is, ironically, questionable whether in fact such circumstances could be formulated. In terms of legal mandate, the crimes which Eichmann is known to have committed can be judged no more fitly under the jurisdiction of an international or a German court than an Israeli court. The essential is to assure that justice be served, that legal technicalities be not employed to defeat justice, that one of history’s vilest criminals be unfailingly confronted with his crime and brought to book. There is valid reason to fear that return of Eichmann to Argentine custody would imperil siuch as­ surance. And in view of the remarkable leniency with which courts of several powers have treated proven Nazi criminals, it is questionable whether an international tribunal would provide a trial untrammeled by political pressures.

With reference to this last point, the fact must not be ignored that leading Nazis have been tried before courts appointed by each of the several nations which fought or were occupied by Nazi Germany. The rightfulness of such trials has never been questioned. There is therefore no valid reason to dispute the rightfulness of Eichmann’s trial before a tribunal of that state which is the recognized moral heir to Eichmann’s victims. To the contrary, his trial before a court of the Jewish state, representing the very people which Eichmann sought to exterminate, the people which, out of the anguish which Eichmann and his fellows brought them, re-arose as a free nation—such a trial is an act of true, yes of poetic, justice.

UT MORE difficult than the question of what to do with Adolf Eichmann is the question of what to do about him.

What is to be done about a situation in which veritable monsters The in human form are bred and nurtured, brought to the summit Larger of power, permitted to conquer and destroy on an unimaginable Question scale, to publicly plan the destruction of an entire people, to carry out, before the eyes of the entire world, the torture and murder of millions of innocent, helpless men, women, and chil­ dren? The capture of Eichmann is the reminder to the world’s conscience that this fearful situation was not a passing aberration but one rooted in causes which still exist, and which can engulf mankind tomorrow.

Nazidom itself, as distinguished from individual Nazis, has yet to be brought before the bar of justice. The entire scope pf this descent into the abyss has yet to be brought into the world’s

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view, and before a world body qualified and empowered to probe to the very roots of the evil and to formulate measures to redeem mankind from the ever-present threat of its recur­ rence. The capture of Adolf Eichmann has served to remind all that this need must be met; his trial should serve as the spur to action.

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7

The Case for Released Time

By JACO B

HOSE of us who grew up in Europe and went to public school there will remember one fundamental difference in their own schooling as compared with public schools in the United States: In most European countries there used to be— and in some of them to this day there still is—a subject called “Religion” which was not only compulsory and included in the curriculum of all grades, but a major subject ranking at par with mathematics, the national language, etc. Practically, the teaching of this subject operated in the following man­ ner: during hours set aside for this subject, classes would split up into religious groups — Catholics, Protes­ tants, and Jews — and each group would receive religious instruction.

The teaching staff was supplied by the respective religious community, salaries were paid by the State, and these lessons, as said, were an integral and essential part of the curriculum r—the marks given would be recorded on report cards, etc. This, more or less, was the pattern in many Euro­ pean countries, including those with a very liberal and secular constitution, such as, for instance Socialist Austria of the twenties and early thirties. At the same time, there existed, in the very same countries, denominational full-day schools maintained exclusive­

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ly by religious communities, recog­ nized by the State Educational Au­ thorities but self-supporting, and there were also various types of afternoon and Sunday schools for the various denominations.

In the U.S. this has never been the case. Although the principle of separa­ tion between church and state was not foreign also to some of the European countries who had religious instruc­ tion incorporated in public School tui­ tion, yet, in terms of the American Constitution, this was not found pos­ sible. The First Amendment states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of reli­ gion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” This has always been inter­ preted to preclude any arrangement similar to the aforementioned Euro­ pean practice. Even if the tutors were paid by their religious communities, and even if the program of religious education was not—as was the case in Europe—considered part of the cur­ riculum, such a program was deemed unconstitutional if held on the prem­ ises of the public school (U. S. Su­ preme Court decision on McCollum v. Board of Education, 333 U. S. 203).

ARIOUS religious quarters*—the V vast majority non-Jewish—have for many years, been fighting for makJEWISH LIFE

ing religious education available to all Released Time is a privilege granted by law under which children are ex­ American children, even to those who cused from public school attendance cannot afford—or otherwise do not for one hour each week, at the request attend full or part-time religious of their parents, in order to receive schools. In an effort to achieve this religious instruction in their own faith at the church or synagogue of their and without infringing on the con­ parents’ choice. stitutional requirement of separation In the operation of the Released Time between church and state, the institu­ program, the parent signs a card ask­ tion of “released time” was finally set ing the school principal to release the up. child. On the designated day and ap­ pointed hour, the child proceeds to the In New York Released Time was religious center, where classes are con­ approved by State legislation in 1940. ducted by trained teachers provided The first experiment had been made by the religious group. much earlier, in 1914, in the State of The public schools have no respon­ sibility for the course of study or for Indiana. For twenty-six years Released the choice or supervision of teachers Time was the subject of a legal battle at the religious centers.

—from 1926 to 1952. Finally it was In New York City the plan is ad­ passed on and upheld by the Supreme ministered under a State law passed in 1940, which permits absence for Court of the United States in a clear religious instruction to be recognized decision given on April 28, 1952 (No. as an excuse from public schools. The 431, October Term 1951, Tessim regulations of the New York City Zorach & Esta Gluck vs. New York Board of Education fix the last hour of the school session for such absence City Board of Education). A booklet on one day of the week^Tuesday in issued by the Greater New York Co­ the Bronx, Wednesday in Brooklyn, ordinating Committee of Jews, Prot­ Queens and Richmond, and Thursday estants and Roman Catholics on Re­ in Manhattan. leased Time summarizes the New This, in brief outline, is the history York City program as follows: and background of Released Time.

Jewish Reaction

E HAVE mentioned earlier that Released Time had a long battle to fight— a battle which, though legal­ ly won, is not quite over. It is an undeniable fact that some Jewish organizations still oppose Released Time. On the other hand, it would be wrong to say that even all the leaders of these organizations are actually against it. Herbert H. Lehman, for instance, who held leading positions with some of these very same organi­ zations, was the one who as Governor approved Released Time legislation in the State of New York in 1940, and

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stated: “The Bill does not introduce anything new into our public school system, nor does it violate the prin­ ciples of our public educational sys­ tem.” Rabbi Leo Jung, who also holds leading positions with some of these organizations, writing of “the spirit and achievements” of the committee organizing Jewish Released Time, said that they “deserve the full support of everyone interested in the revival of Judaism in our City.”

Two sets of reasons are being given against Released Time. One is the general argumentation so often re9

peated during the long legal and pub­ lic battle, namely the infringement of the “sacred principle of separation be­ tween church and state,” with the added assertion that any violation of that principle would ultimately cause anti-Jewish discrimination. In the other line of opposition, it is claimed that Released Time might harm other efforts towards full-time or part-time Jewish education, inasmuch as parents would regard this as a substitute for a genuine Jewish training. This latter argument was particularly used to con­ vince the more Orthodox-inclined. We shall not indulge here in a lengthy re­ buttal of the first set of arguments.

This has been ably done time and again in the Supreme Court and by America’s foremost legal authorities— Jewish and non-Jewish. There is only one point in this connection which we would like to mention: There seems to be a confusion between the con­ cepts of “church and state” and “re­ ligion and state.” There is a funda­ mental difference between the two.

Lack of separation between Church and State would mean that there is a “State Church” (as was—and still is—the case in many countries, Euro­ pean, Asian, African, and Latin American) which is one ¿^‘church”—one religious denomination—officially adhered to by the State, with minority groups enjoying a larger or smaller amount of rights and/or autonomy, depending upon the amount of democ­ racy prevailing in such country. Reli­ gion and State, however, does not con­ vey the same meaning. It does not suggest that the State embraces or identifies itself with any specific re­ ligious denomination, but lends its support to all existing religious efforts of its citizens. As far as Released Time is concerned, however, it is not even that. The State’s role is nothing more 10

than a friendly gesture—and there are many more tangible “friendly gestures” shown by the State, such as city bus transportation for “paro­ chial” schools, and tax exemption of religious organizations, which not only go unopposed but receive the ac­ quiescence of the very same Jewish quarters which opposed Released Time.

As to fear of ultimate discrimina­ tion—forgetting, for a minute, about the experience of many years to which we shall later refer—it is hard to see where this would come in, since the school does not play any part in the released time, except for excusing the children attending it, who, in turn, are of all denominations. It has never been suggested, not even by the staunchest protagonists of separation between church and state, to abolish, say, the Christmas holidays, let alone the Sunday-release from school, al­ though both Christmas and Sunday are indubitably Christian institutions.

Since so much attention and official recognition are given to Christian fes­ tivities and days of rest while so little or none is given to the Jewish Sabbath and holidays, there would bib much more reason to fear that Jewish chil­ dren in public schools would feel dis­ criminated against on this account than there is reason to fear anÿ feeling of inferiority resulting from Released Time. Under the latter, the Jewish child-p-like children of all other de­ nominations— attends Released Time with his own coreligionists, or; where parents are against it, stays in class along with children of all other origins whose parents do not wish them to receive religious instruction.

The second set of arguments* claim­ ing that Released Time would damage full-time or part-time Jewish educa­ tion, deserves a somewhat more deJEWISH LIFE

tailed discussion. Moreover, since this argument touches upon more tangible matters than the abstract claims of constitutionality and fear of discrim­ ination, there is all the more impor­

tance in facts and figures based on many years’ experience. Before we do so, however, it would be necessary to review, however briefly- the past and present of Jewish Released Time.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe

happened that the enactment thorities of his generation. Not only Released Time in New York were his Halachic responsa and dis­ IStateTofSOalmost coincided with the ar­ sertations recognized and studied rival in New York of the late Luba­ throughout the Jewish world, but his vitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Joseph Isaac works in “Chasiduth” were also among Schneerson, then making a narrow the most outstanding. In Jewish public escape from the bombed ruins of life, too, he was, for instance, among Nazi-occupied Warsaw. It would, of the fiercest fighters against the Hascourse, be too far beyond the scope kala movement. Yet, the very samè of this writing to go into an appraisal Tzemach Tzedek was the one who de­ of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s personality voted many an effort towards the and activity. It is necessary, however, spiritual elevation of the forgotten to make mention of a few character­ Jewish soldiers in the Czar’s army, istic traits of the Lubavitcher Rebbe most of them ignorant Jewishly, for in particular and “Chabad” Chassid­ whom he also wrote a special maamorism—and Chassidism in general—to im in simple Yiddish— explaining the understand how and why the Luba­ principles of the Jewish faith and en­ vitcher Rebbe, of all people, played couraging them not to forsake it under the role that he did in bringing about any circumstances.

Jewish Released Time.

His great-grandson, Rabbi Joseph It is one of the characteristic traits Isaac Schneerson, whose era was one of Chassidism — especially Chabad of the most turbulent in Jewish history, Chassidism—that, while there is con­ had all the more opportunity to stant striving toward self-perfection demonstrate this principle through and and utmost perfection of the imme­ throughout his life. It had been he, diate surroundings, the concern for for instance, who had with true selfthe spiritual elevation of those lagging sacrifice fought against any attempt behind—no matter how far behind to deviate even one iota from the tra­ Jewishly—is not only not forgotten, ditional manner of Jewish education, but considered an integral, essential, and it had been he who— at the same and indispensable part of one’s own time—devoted many an effort to es­ perfection. tablish a kosher kitchen for Jewish To cite a few examples: The college students in Switzerland.

“Tzedek” (Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson), the great-grandfather of O WONDER then that the very the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, was one same Lubavitcher Rebbe was the of the most outstanding rabbinic au- pne who, shortly after his arrival,

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made an effort to reach Jewish public school children, those who did not have the benefit of any type of Jew­ ish education. He found the way to reach them through Released Time.

This, as said, is part of a deep-rooted principle.

Nor was this effort based exclusive­ ly on theoretical speculation. His many years of direct and indirect con­ cern with every phase of Jewish re­ ligious education in Europe had given him also the factual basis for the hopes which he attached to Released Time.

We mentioned in the beginning the setup of Government-sponsored reli­ gious education in many European countries. This was perhaps nowhere as perfectly developed as it had been in the short-lived Latvian Republic between the two World Wars. Latvia had a special Jewish department in its Ministry of Education (headed by Rabbi M. Hodakov, now General Sec­ retary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and Director of Merkos L’lnyonei Chinuch). Linder the auspices of this De­ partment, Jewish schools were main­ tained throughout Latvia. Thus, the Government itself supplied a maxi­ mum of full-time Jewish schooling.

Yet, there was a number of Jewish parents who, for whatever reason, sent their children to general public schools.

These children also received religious instruction twice weekly (from which they could be exempted, if they so desired), fully paid by the Govern­

ment. The results of even that latter segment of Jewish education were in­ valuable. This experience of Latvia, whose Jewish leaders had been closely associated with the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, must certainly have supplied to him also the factual evidence as to the blessing that Released Time may bring.

Therefore, shortly after his arrival in this country, Rabbi Joseph Isaac Schneerson threw himself with char­ acteristic vigor into the utilization of the Released Time program. He saw in this program the means to teach the otherwise unaccessible Jewish pub­ lic school children and to carry to them the spark of Torah and Yiddishkeit. Through his initiative the “Com­ mittee for the Furtherance of Jewish Education” was founded, under whose guidance, sponsorship, and account the vast majority of Jewish Released Time activity is conducted to this day.

(There are also some smaller, inde­ pendent groups who are engaged in these activities locally.) The Lubavit­ cher Rebbe, it is true, in his time was almost the only Jewish leader who openly and courageously gave his name to Jewish Released Time. When Jewish Released Time became a fact, however, participation in these activi­ ties was by no means limited to Luba­ vitcher Chassidim. Today, students from the majority of yeshivoth and religious girls’ seminaries are part of the teaching staff of Released Time classes.

Released Time Is What You Make of It

EWISH Released Time in New as a valid argument in any matter.

York is now in its nineteenth year Coming back now to the answer to of operation. A record of so manythe aforementioned second set of ar­ years’ activities may certainly serve guments—the fear of damage to Jewish

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schools, these years of experience have mud Torahs during the following taught us one simple and fundamental school year. fact: Like so many other things in life, Released Time is what you make of r p H E ACHIEVEMENTS of Reit, and you can make of Released A leased Time reach far beyond the Time whatever you wish. As ex­ scope of the few hours actually al­ plained, no government or State lotted to it. Through Released Time, agency interferes with Released Time it has become possible to reach many in any manner whatsoever. homes and bring them the tidings of What have those hundreds of young Judaism, perhaps saving generations. men and women made of Released In more than one case such action has Time during the almost two decades eliminated the need for Released Time of their activity? for the younger children of that family The leaders! and teaching staff mem­ who are already sent to a Jewish bers of Released Time consider it school in the first place. Many cases their task and duty to bring Jewish are on record where parents became faith and Jewish observance to public Sabbath observant only through their school children who are otherwise un­ children attending Released Time. known and unaccessible to Jewish Through Released Time, the children education. They have never regarded are brought into a Jewish environ­ it their task to turn Released Time into ment. Under the auspices of the Com­ a substitute for Jewish education, but, mittee for Furtherance of Jewish Edu­ quite contrarily, as a stimulus to cation “Mesibos Shabbos” and other arouse the desire for full-time Jewish congenial weekend activities for Re­ education. This principle is honored leased Time children have been or­ not only theoretically, but also in ganized. A project is now in the mak­ every practical way, even externally. ing to organize Released Time Classes Thus, for instance, the main emphasis for adults, since the spark of Yiddishis on the teaching of the practical keit kindled in many a child’s heart observance of Mitzvoth. The fact that has aroused the thirst for Jewish Released Time by itself does not as knowledge and observance in the yet constitute Jewish education is hearts of many a parent. made abundantly clear to the children Over one hundred thousand Jewish themselves, in a language and in terms children have gone through Released which they can understand.

Time in New York alone since its The practical achievements of Re­ inception. Many of them are now leased Time speak for themselves, and Jewish parents who most probably are the most striking rebuttal of all give their children a full-fledged Jew­ the arguments about damage to Jewish ish education. Some of them have educational institutions. Since the es­ become Jewish teachers who them­ tablishment of Released Time, some selves teach Torah to Jewish children. yeshivoth have actually been obliged Some have even become rabbis. All to institute special classes for former of them are certainly much better public school children who have en­ Jews than they would have been with­ rolled in the Yeshivoth thanks to Re­ out Released Time. leased Time. Every year, an average of about ten per cent of Released HIS huge army of Jewish children Time children join yeshivoth and Talproves that Released Time has June, 1960

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been worth the effort. It could, how­ ever, have been much larger by now, had the Jewish community at large become more conscious of the facts of Released Time. Unfortunately, this is not the case as yet, and there are still many Jewish quarters who cling to a dogmatic opposition which in most cases no one cares to examine carefully.

In addition to all other arguments, the following practical consideration should be taken into account in every reasonable approach: Practically speaking, no purpose whatsoever would be served by a sort of Jewish “boycott” against Released Time. The amount of actual Jewish participation in Released Time projects has no bearing whatsoever on its power of survival. Christian quarters are so in­ terested in Released Time, and invest so much energy and money in its maintenance, that everyone must ad­ mit that this institution is here to stay.

What purpose then would be served, from any viewpoint, by not utilizing this opportunity of reaching so many thousands of Jewish children?

A frank word should also be said with regard to the Jewish objection to Released Time under the pretext of hyper-loyalty to the spirit of the non-Jewish American will not regard the Jewish absence from the scene of Released Time activities as a token of hyper-loyalty—to the spirit of the United States Constitution—to which these non-Jewish quarters regard them­ selves as at least equally loyal—but

14

will interpret this absence in a manner of disrespect for the Jewish religion in general.

URING the recent White House Conference on Children and D Youth held this spring in Washington, D.C., at which this writer was present, the Lubavitcher delegation waged a hard battle for a resolution in favor of Released Time. Sadly enough, it was a lone-handed battle, with the fiercest opposition coming from Jew­ ish representation. The battle was won and the Conference, with a majority of 206 against 147, adopted the fol­ lowing resolution (# 4 5 9 ): “That children and youth be granted greater opportunities for specific re­ ligious education in many weekday activities, including released time or dismissed time from public school for programs under the supervision of local religious bodies.”

It would, of course, be unwise to ex­ aggerate in appraising the value and the actual power of this resolution.

In a certain way, however, it might be considered the dawn of a new era in American Jewry: an awakening of the conscience of the American Jew­ ish public to its responsibility towards the hundreds of thousands of its chil­ dren not receiving religious education, and to the necessity to bring home Yiddishkeit to every Jewish child.

Maybe, as the Lubavitcher Chassidim said in Washington, this is also one of the special privileges of this year 5720—the 200th Yahrzeit-year of the Baal Shem Tov.

JEWISH LIFE

Israel and Africa B y I. H A L E V Y -L E V IN

Je r u sa l e m

»

NUMBER of objective factors have operated in Israel’s favor in her drive to secure the friendship of the new African states.

Israel herself is a young state and in May, 1948 there were no more than five independent countries on the en­ tire African Continent: the Union of South Africa and Southern Rhodesia (which, being “white states,” are out­ side the scope of this article) ; Egypt, then at war with this country; Liberia, at that time hardly more than a geo­ graphical concept for most Israelis; and Ethiopia. There was a tenuous tradition of cooperation between the Yishuv and Ethiopia already prior to the establishment of the State, and a number of Palestinian Jews had taken service with the Emperor, Haile Selas­ sie, as a result of personal initiative.

Nevertheless it is interesting to note that the first major economic project established by Israelis in Africa was the Incoda Meat Packing Company, to this day Ethiopia’s most important industrial enterprise.

Nine)years were to pass before an­ other independent African state — Ghana—was created, but Israel’s sen­ iority among the new states cannot be reckoned in years of political inde­ pendence alone. For close to threequarters of a century the Jews of June, 1960

Palestine, and later of Israel, had been grappling with a complex of prob­ lems shared by many 'under-developed countries unblessed with natural re­ sources. They had successfully con­ ducted daring social experiments, had evolved new methods in labor organi­ zation, cooperation, and settlement on the land, and even in the cultural field, notably in welding a heterogeneous col­ lection of communities, coming from diverse countries and standards of civilization, into a single nation, in the process gaining invaluable experi­ ence which they could place at the dis­ posal of the younger states of the world.

By 1960 the situation on the conti­ nent had completely changed. There were now eleven independent states (four of them, Libya, Sudan, Moroc­ co, and Tunisia, members of the Arab League, hostile towards Israel, but fearful of the ambitions of the fifth Arab African state—Egypt), and an­ other eleven, self-governing members of the French Communauté. Another four were slated for independence in the course of the year.

r 1 1 HE LOGIC of friendly mutual relations between Israel and the new African states is quite obvious. Geo­ graphically Israel is close to them and easy of access, through the Mediter15

ranean and the Gulf of Akaba, though not much closer than most of Europe and parts of America and Asia. More important, however, Israel has a nat­ ural sympathy for young nations faced with much the same problems of eco­ nomic development and nation-build­ ing as herself. The color bar is re­ garded with distaste in Israel, for its citizens have come ,together from al­ most all countries of Europe, Asia, and Africa. In physiognomy they run the entire gamut from Negroid to Nor­ dic and in complexion, from dark brown to fair. Inter-communal preju­ dice exists, but is dying slowly and there was never anything of official discrimination on the basis of color or origin. This not only never fails to impress non-European observers in Israel; it underlies the relations of Israelis with Africans and Asians in their own countries.

Moreover, Arab propaganda not­ withstanding, Israelis are not regarded as colonialist intruders or tools of im­ perialism. The only part of the world, outside some (not all) Arab countries, where this view is still given currency is the Eastern Bloc. But, of course, most of the Communist countries, headed by Soviet Russia, voted in 1947 for the establishment of a Jewish state in part of Palestipe, In this con­ text it is interesting to note that IsraelAfrican relations entered upon a more fruitful period after the Sinai Cam­ paign — eloquent proof that either Africans regarded Israel’s action as of a defensive character, or that for them the Israel-Arab dispute is not impor­ tant enough in their international re­ lations.

Another factor in Israel’s favor is its small size. Charges of Israel expan­ sionism make no real dent on informed African opinion. They are juxtaposed 16

with Nasser’s avowed imperialistic am­ bitions on the African continent—as set forth in his book ‘T he Philosophy of the Revolution”—and the aggres­ sive campaign he is conducting in the press, through the radio, and political intervention, and sometimes—when he deems it necessary—- subversion. In Black Africa, moreover, contrary to the situation in many other countries, there is no class of Jewish shopkeepers and traders, between whom and the indigenous population there is invari­ ably some animosity.

Above all, for the African states the importance of Israel lies in the fact that it is a pilot plant of the new welfare nationalism which they wish to develop in their own countries.

N the other hand Israel’s main purpose in courting the African O states is transparently legitimate: to strengthen her own international posi­ tion, and at a later date to develop sources of supply and markets for her products. She seeks no military bases or ideological identification. At most, keenly sensitive that up to the present the Arab— and Moslem—states have succeeded in forcing unfriendliness towards Israel on the Afro-Asian bloc (Israel was the only member state of the United Nations not invited—for the second time—to the reception marking Africa D ay), she seeks to se­ cure a more friendly attitude towards herself among the uncommitted nonArab nations. It is a fair enough re­ turn to ask for the aid she is giving and not inconsistent with their own in­ dependence. Interestingly enough, now that the Arabs constitute a minority among the African states, Egypt is seeking to convert “Africa Day” into “Afro-Asian Day.” There are difficulties enough in JEWISH LIFE

Israel’s path, notwithstanding the fact mense amount of money and energy that her motives are as honest and dis­ in attempting to check Israel’s grow­ interested as motives can be in inter­ ing influence in African affairs. national relations. Some of these diffi­ culties stem from Arab and Soviet ASSER is not operating in a void. hostility towards Israel. Actually it It is only natural for Africans to seems that only Abdul Nasser has any associate colonialism with the West. conscious policy towards Africa. And it is hardly more than one remove Libya, quiescent and innocuous, Su­ from, anti-colonialism to deep sus­ dan, fearful of Egypt, and Tunisia picion of the West. To the politically and Morocco, immersed in their own unsophisticated African Russia is re­ problems and the threat that the inter­ garded as clean of the taint of colon­ minable, squalid war across their ialism and imperialism. Siberia is con­ borders may flare up and engulf them sidered, for some reason, as always in a major disaster, have shown little having been an extension of European active interest in what goes on in other Russia, and on paper, at least, Hun­ parts of Africa. Nasser, however, has gary, Poland, Rumania, etc. are in­ proclaimed that “the heart of Africa dependent states. Israel is identified beats in Cairo” and a comparatively with the West. Here we have the es­ large number of the twelve All-Africa sential ingredients for the thesis under­ associations— in fact all those with an lying a resolution passed at the Afroanti-Western bias—have their centers Asian Solidarity Conference (whose in Cairo. Nasser, after his defeat on seat is in Cairo and whose secretary the battlefield, is continuing the war is an Egyptian) in Conakry last month against Israel by diplomatic and eco­ condemning Israel as “an imperialistic nomic means. He is investing an im­ base with expansionist tendencies.’],,;

N

A Moslem from French Africa meets an Israeli Moslem at the Afro-Asian Seminar held in Tel Aviv in November, 1958.

June, 1960

17

Hostility to Israel took on cruder, less parliamentary, forms when Mr. Shlomo Hillel, Israel’s ambassador to Guinea, who, together with other members of the diplomatic corps had been invited to the opening session, was asked to leave the conference hall.

It is true that Guinea’s president, Mr. Sekou Toure, apologized and asked Mr. Hillel to assure the Israel govern­ ment that the incident does not re­ flect Guinea’s attitude, but it is also true that the moving spirit at the Con­ ference was Ismail Toure, brother of the Guinean President, who heads the ruling Guinean Democratic Party. To round out the picture it is interesting to record that a ten-man Guinean study mission is at present in Israel under­ going several months of training in cooperation and agricultural settle­ ment.

In many African countries Islam is strong and with its simpler tenets and without the racialist incubus, is mak­ ing far more headway than Christian­ ity—which only too often has ac­ cepted the color bar even in its churches. The center of Islam today is Cairo and many of the spiritual leaders of Africa’s millions of Mos­ lems are graduates of its A1 Azhar University. The net result is that there is considerable sympathy for Egypt in certain countries.

OR obvious reasons Egypt is con­ centrating upon the more extrem­ ist nationalist parties—mostly in the opposition—whose policies may have a broader popular appeal. For the time being, however, the African na­ tions are intent upon a more construc­ tive program and it is because they regard Israel as a model state in many respects for their purpose that diplo­ matic and economic relations are de­

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veloping so rapidly. There are several hundred Israel experts in African countries today and the list of the fields in which they are working make impressive reading. It includes agri­ culture (irrigation, animal husbandry, poultry-breeding, etc.) medicine, fish­ ing, settlement on the land, engineer­ ing, aviation, shipping, education, ar­ chitecture, youth organization.

In Ghana, for example, Israel has collaborated in the establishment and operation of the Black Star Line (the national shipping company), in de­ velopment of flying and naval schools, and of a youth movement—The Build­ ers—modeled upon the Israel Nachal and Gadna formations, in addition to various undertakings of an economic character. Their free and easy “open collar” approach, the ability of the Israelis to occupy positions of author­ ity without developing superiority com­ plexes, the zest with which they em­ bark upon their pioneering tasks (which undoubtedly remind some of the older engineers of their own younger days in Israel), their patent desire to get the job done and go home and not to entrench themselves in any positions of privilege, have combined to create an atmosphere of admiration and respect, which can sometimes prove embarrassing. Israelis some­ times find themselves compelled to stress that while they know their jobs they are not wonder-workers.

Concurrent with the activities of this little host of Israel engineers, doctors, nurses, sailors, and airmen, there is a constant coming and going of indi­ viduals and groups from cabinet min­ isters to government and party offi­ cials, to study on the spot how Israelis do things. Sometimes these study tours are geared to, or follow on, the opera­ tions of Israel experts overseas. Thus JEWISH LIFE

Members ol the Ghana delegation at the opening of the Afro-Asian Seminar.

while doctors and nurses are helping re-organize Liberia’s public health services, a group of Liberian nurses are in training at the Hadassah Hos­ pital in Jerusalem. Delegates from Abyssinia, Liberia, Dahomey, French Sudan, Ghana, Nigeria, and the Ivory Coast were among the sixty partici­ pants coming from seventeen countries in an Afro-Asian Seminar on Co­ operation held in Israel last year.

OR YEARS now there have been groups of Falasha teenagers at the Kfar Batya Religious Children’s Vil­ lage, who after two years of training in Israel take up teaching posts in their native Ethiopia. One of them, Zaccai Tedessi, son of Jacob Tedessi (a graduate of the Sorbonne, to which he was sent many years ago by the renowned Jewish explorer, Dr. Jac-

F

June, 1960

ques Faitlovich), today Abyssinia’s Minister of Finance, is studying at Bar Ilan University. Zaccai’s uncle, Pro­ fessor E. Tamrat (also one of Dr. Faitlovich’s promising young men, who in addition to graduating from the Sorbonne, got his diploma from the Rabbinical Seminary in Florence) , an Abyssinian diplomat stationed in Jerusalem, is translating the Talmud in Amharic.

Observation of Israel methods can have surprising results. There is al­ ready one attempt on record to trans­ plant the kibbutz concept to Tan­ ganyika. Joseph Nyerere, brother of Julius K. Nyerere, the Tanganyikan nationalist leader who will be prime minister when the British grant that country independence, participated last year in a six-week seminar held by the Israel Labor Party in Beer Tuvia 19

and Beth Berl, under the auspices of the Socialist Youth International. Upon his return home young Nyerere or­ ganized fifty-three unemployed men of Dar es Salam, the capital, to whom he gave three lectures on agricultural cooperation, before settling them on two hundred acres of virgin land. The TANU (Tanganyikan African Na­ tional Union) movement, headed by his brother, has provided the settlers with a tractor and promised to sup­ port them until they reap their crops.

In the meantime the families have been left behind in Dar es Salam or the villages, but the kibbutz principle of “from each according to his ca­ pacity, to each according to his needs” is already being rigorously applied.

Nyerere has also got plans for de­ veloping a moshav in his country.

(The moshav, of course, has been chosen by the Burmese Army as the most suitable instrument for settling the northern borders of Burma. A large second group of Burmese officers and men, and their families, are at present in this country, undergoing training in moshav organization).

is some talk of Israel-French coopera­ tion in a number of states of the French Union.

Recent disturbances in South Africa have also placed Israel in a delicate position. South Africa has no diplo­ matic or even consular representation in this country (though she was among the first to recognize Israel in 1948) , but has consistently sided with Israel in the United Nations and facilitated the smooth flow of assistance which the South African Jewish community has extended to this country. The Jews of South Africa are in an even more painful position—instinctively their at­ titude on racial questions is more lib­ eral—which is not dissimilar to that of Jewish communities in the South of the United States. Thus Israel in charting her reaction to racial policies in South Africa-— to which she is strongly opposed on moral and politi­ cal grounds—must take into consid­ eration her own cordial relations with the government of that country, the dilemma of South African Jewry, and her own friendship with the Black African nations.

There are also difficulties of an in­

UT EVEN without Nasser’s cam­ B paign of hate it is not all plain ternal nature. Israel’s constructive ap­ sailing for Israel in Africa. Her close proach brings her into close associa­ association with France provides a case in point. France’s involvement in Algeria, her differences with Guinea and more recently, the exploding of the atom bomb in the Sahara have accentuated anti-French feeling. So far Israel-African relations have not suffered visibly, though the anti-Israel resolution referred to, taken at the Conakry Afro-Asian Solidarity Con­ ference, added a rider that “support of French nuclear tests in the Sahara is typical of her (i.e. Israel’s) dangerous attitudes.” On the other hand, there 20

tion with the governments and the parties in power. This leaves a clear field for Cairo in stirring up the op­ position, The division of Africa into French and British spheres of influence does not disappear as the various countries achieve independence. Small armies of officials and advisers remain, while privileged commercial companies con­ tinue to operate and expand. These elements tend to regard the Israelis as interlopers, encroaching upon their own preserves.

JEWISH LIFE

INALLY there is the question of trade unions have contributed $180,F rivalries between states and lead­ 000 to a Histadruth Afro-Asian In­ ers of states, which despite Israel’s rigorous policy of non-intervention in internal affairs, can sometimes place her in a very difficult quandary.

The West, appreciating that the fate and future of Africa are in the balance, is showing a greater regard for the contribution Israel can make

stitute for Cooperation and Trade Union Organization, scheduled to open in Tel Aviv in the autumn. The His­ tadruth can, and is, making a brilliant contribution in training Africans (and Asians, too) in its specific fields of trade union organization and coopera­ tion, housing and settlement, and the

Mr. M. Etiento of Ghana and Mr. K. Matsumoto of Japan, delegates from their respective countries to the Afro-Asian Seminar held in Israel.

in deciding the issue. The African states are fearful of the return of their old masters through the back door, under whatever guise, and any vacuum that may result may easily be filled by Russia, and even by China, which played a big part in the Con­ akry Conference. This is where Israel can play a vital role. The United States June, 1960

development of youth movements.

The economic rewards of all this activity are potential rather than ac­ tual. Israel companies—Solel Boneh, the Histadruth contracting corpora­ tion, the Mekoroth Water Company, the Mayer Brothers’ firm, and others —are building roads, public buildings, hospitals, hotels, and developing water <21

resources in Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Abyssinia, and Liberia, among others, to a total value of 120 million dollars. Joint companies have also been floated, mainly with the govern­ ments of West African countries.

Israel has made it clear that it seeks no controlling interest, and indeed when asked to do so, as it was by the Ghanaian government in the case of the Black Star Shipping Company, has amicably relinquished its holding.

UT THERE ARE natural limita­ tions on closer economic ties.

The first and most important is finan­ cial. Israel herself is terribly short of long-term investment capital and finds it difficult to divert even a small por­ tion of her meager resources to de­ velopment overseas.

The volume of trade also has a ceiling. While there is a wide range of investment and consumer goods that Israel can offer the African states, there is not much the latter can sell her in return and of course the Israel market is very restricted. Israel’s main

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imports from Africa are raw mate­ rials—cocoa, timber (for the plywood industry),, hides, rough diamonds, and meat. But of course as development proceeds the list will grow.

Israel’s problems will multiply to­ gether with her opportunities in the next few years as new states achieve independence and more and more de­ velopment projects get under way.

This country has no great surplus of qualified men, who in addition to be­ ing experts in their own fields have the organizational and administrative ability necessary for managing large bodies of local workmen and execut­ ing major projects: Study facilities in Israel for promising young Africans who can take over when the Israelis leave or move on to other jobs may provide a partial long-term solution.

But before long, it is already clear, Israel will be confronted with the in­ vidious necessity of drawing up a list of priorities in which, in addition to availability of qualified personnel, she will have to reckon with her own po­ litical and economic interests.

JEWISH LIFE

H ashkofah The Concept of “Kano’uth” B y S A M S O N R. W E I S S

Pinehas, the son of Eliezer, the son of Aaron the Priest, has turned away My wrath from the Children of Israel by his zealousness for My sake in their midst and, thereupon, / consumed not the Children of Israel in my zealousness.

Therefore say: behold, / extend to him My covenant of peace” (Bemidboi Said the Holy One, blessed be He: “It is justice that Pinchas take his reward. Therefore, tell him, ‘Behold, 1 extend to him My covenant of peace* ” Great is the gift of peace which He bestowed upon Pinchas, for the world can function only by peace. And all of Torah is peace, as it is written, “Her ways are the ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace” (Mishley 3:17).

And when a man comes home from the way, one bids him peace. And so, each morning onb bids his fellow man peace anew, as one bade him peace the day before. We read the Sh’ma and conclude it with a blessing to the One Who spreads over His people the abode of peace. The prayer of Amidah con­ clude* with peace; the blessing of the Priests concludes with peace. Said Rabbi Shimon Ben Chalafta: There is no vessel which can contain blessing but the vessel of peace, as it is written' (T’hillim 29:11): “The Almighty will °ive strength unto His people, the Almighty will bless His people with peace.”

(Midrosh Rabbah Bemidbor 21:1)

makes the observa­ enabled, guided by these definitions, MAIMONIDES tion that the lack of clear ter­ to make the proper choices. They will

minology in the categories of virtue misleads man to mistake, for instance, baseness for humbleness, recklessness for courage, wastefulness for gener­ osity, and indifference for self-control (Sh’monah P'rokim URambam, 4).

Rambam considers it, therefore, the duty of the Chachmey Hatorah to en­ gage in the task of defining, in the terms of their respective age and cul­ ture and in the language spoken by those entrusted to their spiritual care, the qualities and the inferiorities which lie within the potential of the human soul. Those desirous of moral eleva­ tion and nobility of character will be June, 1960

set their sights for the true achieve­ ment and be protected from the ac­ ceptance of apparent values which, in reality, mask deficiencies and weak­ nesses. Those whose language is re­ plete with the inaccuracies of mis­ nomers will suffer the disability of incorrect moral judgment. They will condemn what deserves praise and will praise what in reality is deserv­ ing of censure and disapproval.

Like Rambam before him, so also Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto in his classic Mesilath Yeshorim describes the frailty of the human judgment which often accepts wickedness as 23

rectitude and folly as wisdom, liken­ ing the human being to a wanderer in the darkness of the night who often may imagine a lifeless pillar to be a man, and a man to be a pillar. The clarification of the concepts of good and evil and the definition of the Jewish scale of values are, therefore, primary objectives which must be reached before there can be estab­ lished a pattern of conduct reflecting the Torah ideal.

This ideal is based on D ’veykuth ba-Shem, on man’s striving to walk in the ways of the Almighty as He has revealed them to us in His Torah andr through His Prophets, and on human integrity, on man’s aiming for the good and the sacred unswayed by any considerations of personal bene­ fit. Neither the recognition of the ways of the Almighty nor our reflecting them within the confines of this world and neither the good nor the sacred are attainable without the clear knowl­ edge of the postulates of Jewish ethics.

Rooted in our sacred writings, they must be restated unmistakably in every language in which Jewish leadership addresses itself to the Jewish people and, for that matter, to all men.

sjs

sjs

ELDOM has a term been used in S a more derogatory fashion and an attitude been more vilified than the term and the attitude of K ano’uth, of zealousness in matters of the Jew­ ish faith. To be labeled a K ano’i is often tantamount to the o&tracization of the afflicted one. It is a value judg­ ment of devastating social and some­ times even economic consequences.

The K ano’im are glibly exposed to 24

contempt and even hatred, for they are by this nomenclature automatical­ ly identified as the enemies of the Jewish people, as unreasonable fana­ tics who will disregard all higher con­ sideration to win their puny and irri­ tatingly insignificant objectives, and as irrationally impervious to the social processes of dialogue and discipline.

In short, by this name they are desig­ nated as a destructive element dis­ ruptive of the peace of the Jewish community and of the Jewish people.

Apparently, nothing could be more contradictory and mutually exclusive than K ano’uth and Sholom, than zealousness and peace.

The Torah and our Sages in the Midrosh teach us otherwise. Pinchas, as reward for his K ano’uth, is given the covenant of peace. By the prin­ ciple of middah k ’neged middah, of measure for measure, which the Al­ mighty applies in bestowing His re­ ward in complementary reciprocity to the deeds of man, He finds the appro­ priate response to zealousness in— peace. By his very zealousness Pin­ chas is qualified to become a Kohen, whose function it is to create peace between G-d and man and between man and his brethren, though initially only Aaron and his sons—and not his grandsons—were annointed to Priest­ hood. But he who rose to the defense of Jewish purity amidst the Congrega­ tion of Israel— he shall have and his seed after him the covenant o f ever­ lasting Priesthood, because he was zeal­ ous for his G-d (Bemidbor 41:13)1.

Peace or harmony achieved by the waiving and the obliteration of those principles or convictions which dif­ ferentiate us from others, are not the desirable accomplishments of toler­ ance and mutual respect, asi the huck­ sters of social and political conformity JEWISH LIFE

want us to believe. They are debasing RUE peace and harmony are pos­ defeats. The ability to say “no” in the sible and of any value only among face of popular dissent, the courage those unafraid to live their convictions to act by the dictates of one’s faith and to pronounce them in dignity. and one’s convictions, in disregard of When we, the Jewish people, were the certain condemnation by the multi­ chosen by the Almighty to be a “King­ tude and in disdain of its shifting dom of Priests,” we were appointed by norms and patterns—this is Kano’uth, Him to pronounce His precepts and standing up for G-d among men, and His postulates and to bespeak by the D’vekuth, cleaving in truth and trust pattern of our existence man’s kinship to Him Whose Torah and Whose to G-d which is the basis of man’s blessing is peace. possibility to be dovuk ba-Shem, to “He saw what happened and he re­ cleave to His Maker. membered the Halochah”—this is how Neither the shameful silence nor our Sages characterize the Kano’uth the paper protests of the religious of Pinchas. The Kano’i in his zealous­ groups against the recent onslaughts ness for his G-d will never exceed the on our sanctities and the very founda­ bounds of the Halochah. Vilifications, tion of our faith will fashion the only diatribes, or any other transgressions vessel which can contain G-d’s blessing. of the Shulchon Oruch are foreign to We live in a generation, so it appears true Kano’uth. But so are also the more clearly every day, in which the timidity when being outnumbered, the Jewish future and the Jewish peace fear of becoming unpopular, and the can be secured only by those who, dread of being ostracized as the con­ like Pinchas, are ready to disregard sequence of following the dictates of the popular labels and to perform the Almighty.

G-d’s will with Kano’uth.

T

June, 1960

25

Israel Baal Shem

BY M EYER

HIS YEAR marks the end of two centuries since the death of Israel Baal Shem, the founder of the move­ ment known as Chasidism, which to­ day is followed by a large part of world Jewry. He died the seventeenth day of Sivan, the year 5520—corres­ ponding approximately to a day in May 1760. This movement, one must admit, whether he be Chosid or Mithnoged (opponent), exerted great in­ fluence upon the course of Jewish history, causing, as it did, a rise in the observance of and devotion to Judaism among large numbers of Jews in East­ ern Europe. From this it follows that the founder of the movement must have possessed a great personality and special qualities which enabled him to initiate such a rise.

However, we cannot evaluate the importance of that rise and its in­ fluence on history unless we become acquainted with the conditions which brought it about. We will therefore cast a glance upon the situation of Polish Jewry in the second half of the 17th and the first decades of the 18th cen­ turies.

The 16th century was the time when the Polish Jewish center reached great heights of development in all phases of life. Learning flourished and prac­

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W AXMAN

tically constituted the nervus vivendi of Jewish society. Academies increased to a large extent, for there was hardly* a Jewish community which did not maintain a yeshivah, and the number of Jewish students ran into the tens of thousands. Religion was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and their piety was sincere and genuine.

Nor did social organization fall far behind. Each community was gov­ erned by its Council or Kehillah.

These were again united into district councils, which in turn were subjected to the central council, that of Four Lands. These councils regulated all inner affairs, and in addition also supervised economic relations, both within the communities proper and between the Jews and the government, such as payment of taxes.

HIS ideal situation changed for the worse in the years 1648-49 when the massacres perpetrated by Chmelnicki, the leader of the rebel Cossaks, and his hordes took place.

This persecution which swept over a large part of Poland wrought havoc with the Jewry of that country. A large number of communities were annihi­ lated by the Cossak bands and more were abandoned by their Jewish in-

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JEWISH LIFE

habitants in their flight from the enemy. As a result, Jewish life in that country was shaken to its foundations.

But while the larger communities in Poland proper recovered in later years to a degree spiritally and intellectually, though never economically, the part of Jewry dwelling in Podolia, the Ukraine,;, and Eastern Galicia re­ mained prostrated and the wounds were never healed.

The Jews of these provinces bore the brunt of the massacres. It is esti­ mated that close to two hundred thou­ sand Jews were killed there during the fatal years of 1648-49. To make mat­ ters worse, sporadic attacks upon Jews in these places by Russian peasants rebelling against their masters con­ tinued for almost a century.

As a result, social organization was weakened in the larger communities and shattered entirely in the smaller ones; the number of yeshivoth dimin­ ished, and likewise that of the scholars.

Learning, though still respected, was no longer the ideal of the masses. Con­ sequently, ignorance began to spread among the Jews.

In addition, the economic state of the Jews acted as a factor in the in­ crease of ignorance. A large number of the Jews of the Ukraine and Podolia lived in villages or on the estates of nobles in small groups. Being con­ stantly in the company of peasants and estranged from a Jewish environ­ ment, they were consciously and un­ consciously influenced by the habits and ways of life of their neighbors.

Thus, a rift was created between the learned and the masses. The influence of the scholars waned, and some of the people strayed from the Torah path either wilfully or through ignorance.

As a result subconscious antagonism was created in the hearts of the masses June, 1960

towards the learned and the rabbis.

The former followed their teachers outwardly but not wholeheartedly.

HEIR religious feeling and sense of piety found expression not in learning and study of the law but in mysticism and, to a degree, in super­ stition. Mystical beliefs were prev­ alent among all Jews in Poland dur­ ing the 17th and 18th centuries, but nowhere were they so rampant as among the Jews in the provinces under discussion. On account of their prox­ imity to Turkey, where the Kabbalah and its resultant pseudo-Messianic, movement of Shabbethai Tzvi flour­ ished during the second half of the 17th century, both of these tendencies were transplanted to the soil of these provinces. Likewise all later Messianic outbursts found an echo in these provinces, and at times even originated there, such as the heretical movement of Jacob Frank in the years 17401760.

This is not the place to discuss these movements even in partial de­ tail. We can merely state that all Messianic outbursts in the 17th and 18th centuries ended in a laxity of; observance of religious precepts and even in licentiousness, by which the Frankist movement was especially dis­ tinguished. This movement also ended by the conversion of Frank and his followers to Catholicism.

Just as Sabbataism did not die with embracing of Islam by Shabbethai Tzvi but continued among various groups of Jews in Turkey and in neighboring countries, so did Frankism not disappear with the conversion to Christianity by Frank and his lead­ ing followers. It continued to exist for a time in a hidden way among a number of groups scattered in the

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Ukraine, Podolia, and Eastern Galicia.

Under these circumstances the future of a large part of the Jews of these provinces was imperiled; deep re­ ligious feeling vied with ignorance and superstitions, and there was the threat that misguided religious emo­ tion would sink, as it did previously, into laxity of observance of the law and moral decay.

Fortunately at this moment, fraught with danger, there arose in one of the communities of these provinces a man, one of the typical denizens of this particular world, who possessed all its virtues and even some of its defects— not the vices—who undertook to change the character of that world and improve it. He began his work by bringing the Judaism he understood and loved close to the people and in­ troduced into it a new force of vitality which supplied comfort to the Jewish masses groaning under the yoke of bitter exile. His work, adapted to the needs of the place and time, soon re­ sulted into a great movement. This man was the founder of Chassidism, Israel Baal Shem.

HE LIFE of Israel, like that of the founders of other important religious movements, is covered by a halo of legend and mystery which makes it difficult to select the true facts from the stories generated by popular imagination. There are several collections of stories about the life and activities of Israel, the most important of which is the Shivchey ha-Besht (The Praise of the Besht), written by the son-in-law of Alexandra Shochet, the secretary and companion of the Besht.

And while this book, like the others, contains many miraculous stories about his life and work, it contains also a number of authentic facts which can

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be regarded as the basis of his biog­ raphy.

We learn that Israel, the son of Eliezer, a poor pious Jew, was born about the year 1700 at Ocopy, a town on the border of Podolia and Moldavia (Rumania). He was orphaned, while a young child, and for a time was cared for by the community. He was sent to school, but he often played truant wandering along in the woods.

This strange conduct exasperated his benefactors and they left him to him­ self. At the age of twelve, Israel be­ came an assistant teacher in a Cheder and took charge of the younger chil­ dren. The stories tell of his marching with them in the winter evenings sing­ ing parts of prayers and sacred songs and praying with them fervently the morning and evening prayers* Before long he changed his occupa­ tion and became an assistant shamosh in the synagogue. In this new position Israel distinguished himself by his piety, but kept aloof from people, spending many hours in prayer. Dur­ ing the day he attended to his work in the synagogue and slept for hours, but the nights he spent in prayer and study. When he reached the age of fifteen, good people saw to it that he should be married, but his wife died soon after the wedding, and Israel left his native town and settled in a town near Brody in Eastern Galicia.

ITH the change of residence W Israel entered upon the second period of his activity. He became a teacher in the communal school and acquired a reputation in the com­ munity by his pious conduct so that he was asked frequently to serve as a member of the Jewish local court. At one of the sessions of this court he met the father of Gershon Kutover, JEWISH LIFE

cantor of Brody. This man had a divorced daughter and he proposed to Israel that he marry her. Israel ac­ cepted the proposal but asked that it be kept secret for a time. Shortly after that the father died, and when Israel presented himself to Gershon Kutover to ask for the hand of his sister, his shabby dress and his boorish conduct impressed Gershon adversely. The woman, however, consented to marry Israel and on the wedding day he revealed to her his true character, swearing her to secrecy.

Gershon bought the couple a horse and wagon and advised them to settle in a village. Israel chose as his home a hamlet in the Carpathian mountains where he spent much of his time in contemplation among the cliffs. Each week, on a day or two before Shabboth, his wife would come to him with the wagon which he filled with clay and she would then take it to the city for sale. He soon changed this occupation for inn-keeping in an­ other village. There the work again was carried on by his wife while he spent most of his time in seclusion in a tent on the banks of the Prut. All this time he posed before people as an ordinary villager, concealing from them his scholarship and knowledge of Kabbolah.

INALLY the time came for the revelation of his identity. This hap­ pened, according to the story, in the thirty-sixth year of his life, in 1736, for he was told that it had been or­ dained in heaven that “he must be unknown until the time.” He then gave up his other work and became a “Baal Shem,” i.e., a healer of the sick and a performer of miracles, a vocation followed by a number of others at the time. He travelled in villages and

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towns, cured the sick, wrote kameos (amulets), drove out spirits from people and houses and performed other wonders.

During the years of seclusion and wandering in the Carpathians, Israel had acquired some knowledge of the medicinal use of many herbs as well as a familiarity with the simple method of medicine which he employed to advantage in his new profession. He was successful in his calling; even Gentiles, among them nobles, applied to him for assistance. His fame, es­ pecially as a kameo writer, rose through Galicia, Podolia, and the Ukraine to such a degree that he had to employ a secretary, and later two, to attend to all requests which came to him from many places. The fame, though, was based not entirely on his own professional activity, for, as said, there were many other Baaley Shem, but rather on his personality and con­ duct. Israel impressed his contempo­ raries not only by his piety but by his religious enthusiasm expressed in his way of prayer, by his generosity and sympathetic participation in the sor­ rows and joys of his fellowmen, as well as by his teachings which were in­ telligible to all by the simpler manner of instruction. On account of all these qualities, people began to call him not only Baal Shem but Baal Shem Tov, (good), signifying that not only is he “Master of the Holy Name,” but also one who acquired a good and great name for himself. This addition pleased him so well that he began to add to his signature the words Baal Shem Tov, and hence, from the initial letters of the three words, the title Besht.

In the year 1745 the Besht entered upon the final stage of his career; he ceased to travel as a Baal Shem and moved from Tlust in Galicia to the 29

city of Medzhibozh in Podolia. Here he founded a movement the followers of which called themselves Chasidim.

The movement spread, people came to him from far and near, not as before to be cured or otherwise helped, but to listen to his teachings, and among those that came to be his followers there were also scholars and wellknown rabbis, a number of whom be­ came the apostles and the heads of the movement in later days. The Besht died in the spring of 1760.

HESE are the plain biographical facts about the founder of Chassidism. Legend of course was not satis­ fied with facts and gave currency to much more. It did nothing less than raise the father of the Besht to the office of a prime minister in a foreign country, whither he had been taken captive, and describes the birth of Israel as a miraculous event, inasmuch as his parents were one hundred years old at the time. These are only few strands of the cover which legend spread around the Besht. However, while we cannot accept the larger part of its tales, we will have to make use of some of the stories in order to solve the riddle which the exceptional influence exerted by Israel presents.

I say a riddle, for his personality and activity greatly differ from those of great men in Jewry, during the ages, who impressed their stamp on the life of generations. There is no definite evidence that he was honored for scholarship and mastery of learning, which were considered a sine qua non for the exertion of great influence by any man in Jewry. I do not mean to imply that he did not possess these attributes but merely that he was not known for their possession, for there are neither books nor responsa of his, the usual evidence of such mastery.

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N o r' was Israel Besht considered during his life time by the rabbis and heads of communities of Eastern Galicia and Podolia, even in his later years, as a representative of these Jew­ ries. He was not one of the delegates chosen by the communities to de­ fend Judaism against Frankists at the debate at Lwov or Lemberg in July and August 1759, as the historian Graetz and those that follow him as­ sert. Israel’s non-participation in that debate was conclusively proved by M. Balaban in his book on the history of the Frankist movement.* What then was the source of the power which enabled this man to exert a lasting influence on a part of Jewry? It is true that much was con­ tributed to the views of Chassidism by his followers, such as the “Maggid,” Dob Baer of Mezherizh, and others.

Still he is the founder and later Chassidic leaders considered themselves his disciples.

OR an answer we will have to turn to the legends and stories, some of which reflect his character and indicate his power. First, there is to be noted that though the legends and stories tell in a greatly exaggerated form of his power in performing miracles, he is not pictured as a saint who kept aloof from life and people. In his youth, he practiced asceticism and followed the regulations of the Kabbolah of the Ari (Isaac Luria), but he soon gave this up and initiated his own way, holding that sanctifying life by participation in it is the right Jewish path. His conduct was therefore that of a man of the people; like them he enjoyed drinking wine and was a good judge of its quality. Like them he

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* Letoldoth ha-Teniiuah ha-Frankistis, V ol. II, pp. 290-314.

JEWISH LIFE

favored good horses, and at fairs he examined specimens with the interest of an experienced horse dealer. He thus often mingled freely in the com­ pany of farmers, inn-keepers, brewers, and tradesmen of the town and villages who formed the bulk of the Jewish population in the southern provinces of Poland.

Similarly, he did not excel the people to a very high degree in in­ tellectual equipment. Israel was well acquainted with the Talmud and Rab­ binics, but as noted above, was not considered a Rabbinic scholar. The method of keen analytical study known as pilpul, popular at the time, was strange to him. He was, of course, a student of the Kabbolah, but did not penetrate its speculative depths, being more immersed in its practical and spiritual side. He was versed in the ethical literature of the Middle Ages and was greatly influenced by it. He must also have studied Jewish philo­ sophical works, and it is told that he even claimed to possess the soul of the Saadia Gaon. Yet the rationalism of Saadia was evidently not inherited by him nor are philosophical ideas traceable to his teachings. As a result there was no deep intellectual rift be­ tween Rabbi Israel and the people.

HE leading trait in the Besht’s T character was his exceptionally profound religious feeling. This emo­ tion penetrated his whole being. If ever the title “G-d-intoxicated” could be applied to any man, it should be bestowed upon the Besht. The words of the Psalmist, I place G-d before me always (Ps. 16:8), were to him no empty formula but literal truth. He always felt himself in the presence of G-d, and his strongest desire was to attain union (Devekuth) with Him. June, 1960

It was the prime passion in his life and expressed itself in concentrated thought, devotion, study, and prayer.

Next to Besht’s love of G-d was his love of Israel, expressed not in an abstract form of love of the people as a whole, but as an intense love for each Jew, no matter how humble and how simple he might be. The Besht hated the Frankists though, as stated above, he did not participate in the dispute with them, and yet when he heard of their conversion he cried bit­ terly and said, “Every Jew is an organ of the Shechinah” (Divine presence).

As long as the organ is joined to the body, no matter how loosely, there is still hope that it will become healthy, but when the organ is cut off, there is no more hope for it. (S hive hey Ha­ ll esht, ed. Lemberg).

This love also found expression in his conduct toward the poor, which was distinguished by his generosity in the distribution of charity. In later years of his life Israel was enriched by his followers, but all the money presented to him he distributed to the poor. It is told that once, noting that his young son looked enviously upon some silver and gold vessels in the house of a neighbor, he asked, “You undoubtedly would like your father to possess such things?” When the son admitted the desire, Israel said, “But I would sell them and give the money to the poor.” (Ibid). This exceptional attitude toward the poor is especially manifested in the following story.

Once when preparing to depart on a journey, the Besht ordered the horses to be harnessed, but decided to recite the prayers of the Kiddush Levonah (sanctification of the moon) before starting. While reciting the prayer to­ gether with a friend Israel made all efforts to prevent his friend from tum31

ing around to watch the horses. Later, when he was asked for the reason of his action, he explained that he saw a thief stealing the bridles of the horses and he did not want him dis­ turbed, for he knew that the thief did it in order to procure bread for his family for the Sabbath. The Besht later redeemed the bridles from the man they had been sold to. (Ibid).

Adding to the aforementioned traits of his character, the belief of the Besht in the efficacy and in the power of the Tzaddik who communes with G-d, we shall understand better his teachings, and their effectiveness. The Besht be­ lieved that the man who is near to G-d can perform miracles, for to him there were no fixed forms of nature, all be­ ing the expression of the will of G-d.

It is no wonder then that Israel be­ lieved in his own power to foretell the future, to see at a distance, and even to change the decree of a man’s fate.

Pride was no factor in the formation of such belief, for Israel was humble.

Its source lies in his continual striving to cling to and to commune with G-d whose will is all dominant.

S YEARS passed and followers and disciples increased, the belief A of the Besht in his own value and mission was strengthened, and as with all founders of religious movements he began to think of his teachings as a means for salvation for the individual and also for the nation. In a letter to his brother-in-law, Gershon Kutover, who settled in the Holy Land in the year 1746, the Besht tells of his vision­ ary ascension to heaven and of a visit to Paradise where he met the Messiah.

He asked the Messiah when he is com­ ing, and the answer, says the Besht was, “When thy teachings will spread in the world and more Jews will be 31

able to rise spiritually, then the re­ demption will come.”

To summarize, we can say that these were the leading traits of the Besht’s character: A soul-gripping re­ ligious emotion, an intense love of G-d and Israel, a desire for a complete communion with G-d, and a confi­ dence in his own mission. These were greatly instrumental in making his teachings attractive to a large number of Jews in the above-mentioned Polish provinces, for their beliefs and views of the Jewish religion were not funda­ mentally different from those of the Besht except in the degree of intensity.

Of course, these traits do not tell the whole story of Israel Baal Shem Tov and his activities, but at least they afford us a glimpse into his soul and help us to understand the source of the power of his influence upon large masses of Jews, and to a degree even upon a number of men of learn­ ing.

The power of the founder of this movement in Jewry is revealed by his teachings, which the leading disciples of the Besht greatly improved and strengthened. We cannot present these teachings in detail. But we will say a few words about two of the principles or leading points in the teaching of Chassidism which served as important factors in its spread. The first is the high value placed upon prayer, which Chassidism considers/ the center of re­ ligious life and the sprest road to com­ munion with G-d. Said the Besht, “Man must concentrate his entire heart and mind on his prayers, and he must immerse the very life of his soul in each word he pronounces.”* The Maggid called prayer a union with the * Quoted by Rabbi Baruch, grandson of the Besht.

JEWISH LIFE

Shechinah and he demanded ecstasy to such a degree that man must forget his corporeality.

Such a view exerted great influence on the masses, who found the road of learning difficult, but that of prayer easy. It raised their status and enabled them to deepen their religious feeling.

The second point emphasized by the Besht and his disciples is joy of life.

Chassidic teaching opposed asceticism and urged joy of life under all cir­ cumstances. Tlie Besht admonished his pupils not to weep in prayer but to

June, 1960

worship G-d in a joyful spirit. This attitude deeply influenced Chassidic life and was expressed in the cheer­ fulness prevailing among Chassidim and in their love of religious song and dance. Indirectly it brought about a happier view of life and helped the masses to face the struggle for exist­ ence, for at the basis there was the belief that the will of G-d can always improve matters and bring good to those who act in accordance with His will.

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Careers With Mathematics

By W A L T E R

DUCKAT

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mathematics, especially arithmetic and geometry, references to which are found in the Mishnah and the Talmud.

As for geometry, various treatises of the Talmud—Erubin, Kelim, and Ohaloth contain mathematical applications.

In the Middle Ages, Jews enriched this field of learning with mathemati­ cal treatises written in Hebrew. Ac­ cording to Ibn Ezra, Arabic numerals were brought to Moslem countries from India by a Jewish scholar. An­ other Jewish scholar, Ibn Daud, car­ ried mathematical information from the Moslem to the Christian world.

The list of distinguished mathema­ ticians of Jewish origin from the past to the present is too extensive to list.

It includes Lobatchevsky, a co-dis­ coverer of non-Euclidian space, and Carl G. Jacobi, an expert on homoge­ neous functions, spatial functions, and the theory of numbers.

In the 19th century, we have the Russian-born Georg Cantor, who es­ tablished the mathematics of infinity which introduced a new method of thinking. Cantor also introduced the Hebrew aleph as a symbol of transfinite numbers. Heinrich Hertz was distinguished in both mathematics and physics. Additional luminaries were Nobel Prize winners James Franck and Isador Rabi. The work of Norbert

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JEWISH LIFE

HE AMAZING strides which have been made in many branches of science and technology rest mainly upon mathematics. The tremendous growth of many new and older scien­ tific fields require many mathemati­ cians to maintain and expand their activities.

The government and private in­ dustry are eagerly seeking men arid women who possess good training in mathematics. The job outlook for such persons is excellent and is expected to continue for an indefinite period.

Jewish participation in and enrich­ ment of this most fundamental and speculative of sciences has been ex­ traordinary. One cannot review Ameri­ can activity in nuclear energy without including Jewish participants, such as Einstein, Oppenheimer, Teller and other lesser known names. This Jewish prom­ inence in mathematics and its scientific applications prevails throughout the Western world and in Russia, where even Khrushchev reluctantly acknowl­ edged their important role in his country in scientific achievements.

Jewish predilection for mathematics dates far back into history when their interest had a religious basis. In Tal­ mudic times, the Sages studied astron­ omy for calendric purposes. This re­ quired learning various branches of

Weiner, father of Cybernetics, is well known. Jews have also been prominent as founders and editors of leading mathematical journals.

T IS conservatively estimated that from one third to a half of the mathematicians engaged in pure and applied math related to this country’s defense activities are Jews.

Despite the importance of their ac­ tivities, there are only about 30,000 full-time mathematicians in the United States. Approximately nine per cent are women. The largest number of mathematicians, about one half of the total, work mainly for manufacturers of electrical equipment, aircraft, ma­ chinery, and petroleum products.

About one-fourth of our mathemati­ cians work for colleges— although some of the colleges have contracts with the government. The remainder work for governmental agencies, foun­ dations, commercial laboratories, and for non-profit organizations.

So great is the shortage of mathe­ maticians that even those with a B.A. degree who have majored in the subject start at from $5,400 to $6,300 a year in private industry. Holders of M.A. degrees start at about $600 to $1,200 a year higher, and Ph.D.’s working on missiles, digital computers, and other advanced scientific projects are earning up to $30,000 a year. Even the Federal Government, not known for paying high salaries, offers from $4,500 to $5,500 for beginners with Bachelor degrees and the specific salary depends on the applicant’s school grades. It will start holders of the Ph.D. degree at about $7,500 and grant them periodic increases up to about $17,000 a year.

In our modern technological world mathematics plays a pivotal role. A recent survey of 500 occupations made

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by the U.S. Department of Labor re­ vealed that for many of them a knowledge of mathematics was either required or helpful. In professional careers such as actuary, chemist, engi­ neer, geophysicist, astronomer, and teacher of math, much college mathe­ matics is necessary.

For the following occupations, some college “math” plus all the high school math is important: accountant, econ­ omist, animal scientist, anthropolo­ gist, architect, dentist, dietitian, for­ ester, geologist, home economist, me­ teorologist, and optometrist. For most health professions as well as for the social sciences math is also important.

Skilled occupations such as drafting, electrical and machine shop work, and many allied crafts, require high school or vocational math. Some trades re­ quire even additional math.

HOSE who possess keen, logical minds, good mathematical ability, intellectual curiosity, imagination, and who desire to analyze and solve new problems and have the ability to ex­ press themselves clearly, might well consider this vocation.

Those who elect it as a career not only join illustrious company of the past, but may become path-blazers in the present and future. Math is the core of most of our scientific advances in nuclear power for industrial use, radar, supersonic flights, interstellar travel, and other related uses.

Mathematics is a field which offers many attractions to the qualified Sab­ bath observer. Not only is the work challenging to the inquiring mind but normal working hours, whether one teaches or engages in research, permits Sabbath observance with little or no economic loss. Little wonder that a growing number of former yeshivah students who have sharpened their

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minds in the study of the Talmud have gravitated toward careers in mathe­ matics and related careers. Some are holding important positions as teach­ ers as well as in research.

Candidates for a career in mathe­ matics may choose among three broad classes: pure or theoretical math; ap­ plied math; mathematical computation.

“Pure” mathematicians are mainly con­ cerned in deepening their mathematical knowledge rather than in practical pur­ poses. Yet, out of this seemingly aim­ less quest often emerges world-shaking discoveries. Usually this form of math is practiced at universities.

Those who prefer practical results may choose applied mathematics. This is favored by industry, which seeks practical applications to its research.

Both defense industries and the Fed­ eral Government are working on rocket propulsion, vibration, oil re­ serve studies, seismological investiga­ tions, and studies of magnetics. One well-known example of applied math is the electrical computer, which makes 3,600,000 different computations in a single minute. As ingenious as the machine is, it does not do the actual thinking. This is done by mathemati­ cians who define the problems, break them down into smaller units, and pre­ pare instructions for the computing machine so that it can solve them.

Those interested in applied math should obtain training in the field in which their math is to be applied, which may be in biology, chemistry, economics, engineering, physics, in­ dustrial management, etc.

The third main branch of math deals with its use in relationship to modem equipment ranging from desk calculators to complex electronic com­ puters. Much of the work in this field deals with the use of known mathe­ 36

matic formulas to secure numerical answers to specific problems. This re­ quires high skill in computations but not the advanced training and imagi­ nation needed by the other branches of math. Most of the mathematical work done in scientific research and busi­ ness is of this sort.

The mathematician employed in in­ dustry often saves his employer much money by anticipating the results of experiments. He may be especially effective during the early stages of a project when he sketches out the major problems to be encountered, which are then worked out. He may deal with such problems as supersonic aerody­ namics, jet propulsion, or the strain in machine parts, vibration, or in scores of other technical problems. persons with good mathe­ M ANY matical training are drawn to the vocation of statistician. This highly challenging and lucrative field consists of collecting and interpreting facts on a mathematical basis. Statisticians de­ sign and direct the governmental cen­ sus. Similarly all governmental figures and studies of economics, public health, education, etc., are provided by statisticians.

The mathematical statistician studies various statistical problems arising in scientific research, viz. social and eco­ nomic studies in business, industry, and government. There are two main types. One deals with the general math, theory of the combination of observations, tests, hypotheses and es­ timates of unknown quantities in terms of probability, and designs experiments to obtain estimates. The other type of mathematical statistician is an expert in a given field who also possesses sta­ tistical training.

JEWISH LIFE

Industry depends heavily on mathe­ maticians for accurate studies of pro­ duction methods, sales trends, distribu­ tion programs, quality control, etc.

Similarly, in our national polling on any subject, or in the study of con* sumer preferences, a sampling of sev­ eral thousands of persons is taken which is believed to typify the opin­ ions of millions of people. Other or­ ganizations who use statisticians are psychological test firms, labor unions, trade associations, large corporations, and community organizations.

In insurance, too, an indispensable professional worker is the actuary. His job consists of various duties, includ­ ing the preparation of mortality rates on which all companies base the pre­ miums which they charge their clients.

The actuary calculates the amount of money which must be assigned to meet the payment of benefits in the future as well as the amount of dividends to be paid. Actuaries also work for the government by serving our social se­ curity system. Others are in private practice and advise welfare and pen­ sion funds. The salaries of insurance companies’ actuaries begin at about $4,500 for those with a Bachelor de­ gree. After they pass a number of qualifying promotional examinations they may eventually work up to $40,000 a year and more as they be­ come higher officials in the organi­ zation.

Among fields which suffer from a shortage of mathematicians are our space agencies—particularly the Na­ tional Aeronautics and Space Admin­ istration, which makes and supervises lunar probes, experimental satellites, and manned space flights. They are seeking hundreds of graduates in mathematics and the physical sciences who are eager to work in space reJune, 1960

search and experiment. The job loca­ tions are in California, Ohio, Virginia, and Washington, D . C. College gradu­ ates who studied advanced calculus, theory of numbers, and differential equations start at about $4,500 and ad­ vance as they acquire additional train­ ing in evening courses paid for by the government.

NOTHER basic science which re­ quires facility with mathematics is physics. This science deals with energy in all its forms, with the relationship between matter and energy, and the structure of matter. The physicist deals with electricity, heat, mechanical forces, light and sound, the transmis­ sion of microwaves, and nuclear ener­ gies.

Many physicists design, build, and operate instruments which measure the density of electrons in the upper atmosphere and the lifetime of mesons. Others are applied physicists who may work with new, previously unknown problems. Many physicists are skilled in both theory and experi­ mentation. More than 550 colleges and universities offer undergraduate majors in physics.

Physicists use Geiger counters, Xrays, spectographs, vibrometers, and oscillographs. Most physicists concen­ trate on one or more special fields: intrasonics, electronics, low temper­ ature work, microwaves, nuclear phys­ ics, etc. For all these, skill in mathe­ matics is essential, especially in theoretical physics.

There are said to be over 30,000 physicists in the United States, about three per cent of whom are women.

About one half of the physicists work in private industry, mainly for manu­ facturers of electrical equipment and aircraft. About twenty per cent work

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for colleges and universities, about ten per cent for the government, and the remainder work for research organiza­ tions, commercial labs, and for non­ profit organizations.

Salaries for physicists are similar to those which prevail for mathematicians and they are sought as eagerly.

Many of the new weapons such as radar-guided missiles and atom bombs were developed through the combined efforts of hundreds of physicists.

There are many opportunities for teachers of mathematics and physics both in high schools and colleges, with salaries ranging from about $4,000 to $10,000 and more for college teachers who possess the Ph.D. degree.

In recent years, new scientific spe­ cialties have developed, bridging physics and other fields, such as bio­ physics, physical chemistry, and astro­ physics, and even with engineering.

Many practical problems have been solved, and new devices and products for national defense or industry have been produced. Two examples are transistors and hearing aids to guidance systems in aircraft and missiles.

Because modem physics embraces such vast areas of knowledge, most physicists specialize in one or more branches of the science such as elec­

38

tricity, electronics, mechanics, heat, nuclear physics, etc. Many physicists, however, work in fields straddling a number of specialties.

SSENTIAL for a career in physics is an acute mind, and proficiency in math. One should major in physics in college and pursue as much gradu­ ate training as possible. Today even a bachelor’s degree can help obtain a job, although graduate work fetches a higher salary and more interesting work.

Similarly, to qualify as a mathe­ matician it is necessary to obtain a B.A. degree with a major in math. In some beginning positions, a strong “minor” in math may be accepted, but advanced degrees, preferably a Ph.D., earns the more challenging and lucra­ tive posts.

Those who qualify for a career in mathematics can view it confidently as one which may be challenging, use­ ful, and comparatively lucrative. Be­ cause the need for persons well trained in math is expected to be great for an indefinite period, it is believed that discrimination is and will be uncom­ mon. Moreover, an increasing number of scholarships are offered to the well qualified.

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JEWISH LIFE

Ba-Pardes Tryst

By Z A L M A N

M. S C H A C T E R

there were great saints who were so absorbed in the Object of their longing that they did not feel any distraction besetting them. Just as he who longs and yearns destroys in himself all thought which excludes the object of his desire and is alive only to the fire burning within him, being so full of longing that he eats, drinks, and sleeps totally absorbed in his beloved, in this same way man ought to desport himself with G-d in love. This we can well learn frorn^ the following tale told by Rabbi Yitzchak of Acco, of blessed memory, in his Maasioth Haprushim: •^A princess once went to bathe in the river and was. observed by a low-born man, one of the slum dwellers. The thought which first flashed into his mind-—when will I be able to deal with her as I please?—soon became an obsession with him.

His desire for her grew mightily within him, and finally he managed to have a word with her. Confessing his lové, more in frustrated gesture and deep sighing than in well put words, he proposed to her. The immensity of his love filled her with com­ passion, and she answered that only in the cemetery could she meet him and be his own. She meant by this that the only place where rich and poor, aristocrat and beggar, are equals is the cemetery,' and that their love would have to wait for death before it could be consummated. Yet, he understood this to be the appointment ot a tryst. So he sold his possessions. What would he need of his own when he became the princess squire? He betook himself to the cemetery, making it his home. Thus he meditated on the form of his beloved, day by day increasing in his fervor. The image of her became more and more bold and lovely. When impatience seemed to take hold of him, he answered himself: 'How difficult it must be for a princess to leave her palace—-she gave her word—if hot today, she will come tomorrow. Thus he waited,-beholding her constantly with his inner eye. "from time to time , he saw how they brought corpses to the cemetery, and thus he became aware of the transitoriness of existence. It cannot be the fleshly form of the princess, he decided, which he loves; there is something very special and unique about the princess, something enduring and divine. And thus he began to contemplate the divine in forms: that which gives them such beauty and grace. In time, he turned from the divine which clothes itself in forms to the loveliness of the infinitely divine, which is without form and name. Thus, daily he beheld the pre­ ciousness of the King, yearning to be absorbed in His very Being, rather than in any of His manifestations.

“No other thought entered his mind, so absorbed did he keep it in the object of his love, Now one cannot be preoccupied with such singleminded yearning with­ out being transformed into the very substance and being of the beloved object. And

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so, the fonner slum dweller, the low-born man, realized G-d. A G-d-realized person -—-a Tzadik is soon felt by those who seek one: he attracts those who need him in the same manner as a flower which has blossomed attracts bees. Thus the cemetery became a place of pilgrimage for those who sought his blessing and direction and he was spoken of as the ‘Tzadik of the House of Life/ “It happened that the princess, who in the meantime had married, was barren.

Like so many others, she too came to seek the blessing of the Tzadik. When she came before him he greeted her—and greatly thanked her in his heart, for all that he had realized he owed to his initial love for her—and freely bestowed his blessing upon her. ¡g

, * Ê m thAere5fter>1he became so absorbed in His Being that he forgot to return to his flesh. At first, the people who came to seek him out did not wish to disturb lum, thmkmg him to be in Devekuth (absorption). Only later, did they understand that he had left life to the living . .

R a bbi Yitz c h a k o f A cco continues: “He who has never loved a woman is likened to an ass or worse for all service to G-d must begin with the discrimination ana further sublimation of lofty feelings . .”

And the Reshith Chochmahcontinues, saying: “Thus the words ‘des longing must be understood: for he who fastens his desire exclusively to one thing m the Torah, so that day . and night he thinks of nothing else, will surely attain to die most amazing and the highest levels of his soul. Such a one needs no fasts and austerities, for all depends on the steadfastness and intensity of his longing for Torah which must be like one who longs for his beloved . . .” ’ (Retold from the Reshith Chochmah, end of Shaar Ha-ahavah.)

40

JEWISH LIFE

Integration in Israel and the Future of Religious Jewry B y J. G O L D S C H M I D T

“ingathering of exiles” and And R’shash remarks (to Megillah ■butzHE the “integration of exiles”— kib­ 17b), “For in the diaspora we are galuyoth and mizug galuyoth—-are known as two major objectives of the State of Israel. The former is the more spectacular, easily described in num­ bers, and the sagas already woven around some of its features, like “Operation Magic Carpet,” have fired the imaginations of many. Integration does not easily make headlines. It is not an “operation” but a process that must be guided by insight, conviction, and patience. But it is no less essential for the ultimate success of the in­ gathering.

Let us remember, here, that these two aims have been incorporated in our daily prayers as essential condi­ tions for the redemption of Israel. For the tenth benediction of the Amidah says, “And raise the banner to gather our exiles,” and the eleventh asks for the restoration of our judges and ad­ visors. The sequence of these two themes is commented upon by Rabbi David Avudarham: “For after the in­ gathering of the exiles the judges will be appointed, as it is said (Hosea, 2:2), The sons of Judah and of Israel will gather as one, and they will ap­ point one head over themselves . .

June, 1960

divided and we are separated from one another and from our Father in Heaven, but as we are gathered (in Israel) the causes for the separation will vanish.”

OR MANY reasons the essential connection between the ingather­ ing and the integration of those ingathered has passed unnoticed even in Israel for some time. I say “even in Israel,” because though the activities connected with the ingathering are farflung over many countries, integration can only be effected in Israel. It is the business of the state and the Israel society, and there is little that can be done by those who do not live day by day with those who must be welded into one nation. And yet, it is only in these last years that Israel feels what it means to “absorb immigrants” and is slowly coming to grips with the problems involved. Of course, there had been a steady and considerable growth of the Jewish population dur­ ing the thirty years of the British Mandate, and immigrants came from many countries, but the elements mixed freely and gradually. In time, all got

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their share in the various professions and ranks of society, including posi­ tions of leadership. The one exception to this state was the immigration from Oriental communities, notably the Yemenites. In order to preserve their identity and their cultural inheritance they settled in suburbs or villages of their own, had schools opened for their children apart from the rest, and continued their pattern of life with as little change as circumstances allowed.

Here integration was slow, and the Yemenite penetration into the various parts of society was almost imper­ ceptible. But, then, they were a small minority, and they could not have made a great impact on society by weight of numbers anyway. But the problems besetting their integration were symptomatic and could have been a warning for the future.

All this has changed in the twelve years of Israel statehood. What was for many years known as a minority, adding the embellishment of true oriental habit to the basically Euro­ pean society that was developing and growing, has now become a near ma­

jority, and prepares to be an absolute majority in the near future.

Already, children from Oriental communities make up some 62 per cent of the six-year-olds that enter the elementary school, while their rate per cent in the 14-year-old group is some 52 per cent. It is customary to­ day in Israel to combine for these cal­ culations the immigrants from all the Islamic countries, from the West of the North African coast to the Yemen, Iraq, and Persia. Of course, they too differ a great deal among themselves, and the common denominator of an Islamic culture in the countries of their origin covers only certain as­ pects. Yet it is true, by and large, that the real dividing line between the sectors of Israel society is the one that separates those Jews with a EuropeanAmerican background from those with the background of the Oriental so­ ciety. With the numerical ratio being as indicated, just now the very mean­ ing of the term “integration” becomes problematic. For, who says that the minority will absorb and integrate the majority?

The Integration Lag

OW FAR Israel really is from in­ tegration can be shown by a few figures. When the 13-year-olds in the Jewish population (excluding the nonJewish minorities) were made up of 48 per cent Ashkenazim and 52 per cent non-Ashkenazim, the pupils of the eighth grade in the elementary schools contained only 32 per cent from Oriental communities. In the same year (1958) the top form of the secondary school (twelfth year of

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schooling) contained only 8 per cent from Oriental communities. Of course, the rate per cent among university students is even lower. When free places (or reduced-fee places) in sec­ ondary schools were to be awarded on the basis of a uniform achievement test given to all eighth-graders and marked by a single standard for all, it was found that the proportion of children from Oriental communities to profit from these awards was far beJEWISH LIFE

A

kindergarten class of oriental children in Jerusalem, taught by an "Ashkenazi" teacher.

low their numerical representation in their age group. The non-Ashkenazi members of the Knesseth do not make up even ten per cent, and there is reason to believe that some owe their seats in the legislature only to the fact that they belong to a numerically im­ portant community, whose votes the party which provided the seat hoped to attract. A similar picture will ap­ pear when you examine the upper ranks of the civil service: what is in fact already half the population is hardly represented at all.

Now it is quite easy to see many weighty reasons for this “integrationlag,” and to make some sort of an estimate as to when we may hope to overcome it. Seeing that the main wave of future citizens of Oriental communities is just now surging up from the kindergarten and the eleJune, 1960

mentary school, that many of these are first generation Israelis, whose home background still lacks many of the elements that make social mobility feasible, such an estimated timetable would work in terms of generations.

Hope would probably be held out for the third generation to be born and educated in the country to start taking its proper place and share. But the general feeling is that Israel cannot afford to await the slow-ripening fruit of social evolution. In particular, it is the Israel citizen who immigrated only quite recently from sometimes most backward Moslem countries, who is in no way prepared to wait.

Let us hear what Dr. M. Smilansky (Director of the Henrietta Szold Foundation for Child Study) said in December, 1958: “We should take note of two facts: The fast rise in the 43

level of the ambitions of the Oriental communities, as we found it in vari­ ous surveys and investigations; and, second, that the rise of those ambitions is not borne out by the intellectual ability that is today found in those sectors of the population. The widen­ ing of the rift between the will to go the way which leads to social and eco­ nomic mobility and the ability to live up to the academic demands this same way makes upon everyone—must lead to frustration and feelings of inferior­ ity on the one hand, and to the claim of discrimination on the other.”

Dr. Smilansky points further to the fact that the annual number complet­

ing elementary school (aged 13-14) has risen in the last five years from some 13,0.00 to nearly 40,000, while the capacity of post-elementary school of the various types has not increased enough to keep step. In the race for the insufficient number of places avail­ able it is only too likely that the chil­ dren of more recent immigrants from Islamic countries will lose out, and their percentage will drop further—; unless very special efforts are made to counteract that development. It may be a matter of pride for Israel that many such efforts are being made, but it is not within the scope and aim of this article to discuss them.

The Oriental Communities— Largely Religious

N ORDER to see the relevance of with religious schools, while the rate Ireligion these problems for the future of per cent of the school leavers from and religious Jewry in Israel, we shall again start with some facts, A certain measure of the strength of religious feeling and inclination is afforded by the division of the schoolage population between secular and religious schools, which depends on the parents’ decision. At present 67-68 per cent of all Jewish children be­ tween the ages of six and fourteen attend State Schools (secular), as against 26-27 per cent in State Religi­ ous Schools, and 6-7 per cent in Agudah schools. Thus, roughly onethird of all children get religious edu­ cation (which, in Israel, means educa­ tion in a completely religious institu­ tion) .

But this national average covering eight-year groups needs breaking down to reveal its true meaning. Thus, in the last school year about 38 per cent of all six-year-olds were registered 44

religious schools was only around 25 per cent. Thus, the next years should see a significant increase in the aver­ age percentage of religious children in elementary schools.

Again, analyzing the national aver­ age regionally, we find that in the last school year religious education was 24% in the Haifa District, 25.8% in the Tel Aviv District; but in the South­ ern District it was 40.4%, in the Central District 36.4%, and in the Jerusalem District 55.3% . Going still deeper into our analysis, we realize that the Northern and the Southern Districts include many dozens of kib­ butzim with a strictly defined popula­ tion, where no free play of opinion is possible. Excluding those from the calculation, we arrive at even higher rates of the population that prefer religious education, and we find, in JEWISH LIFE

fact, that a number of the newer settle­ ments and development areas reli­ gious education is in the majority. The Jerusalem Corridor, Beth She’an, Chatzor, Azzata, and others are cases in point. And now, in most of those areas where religious education is much above the national average, the population is largely composed of im­ migrants from the Orient. When the last scholarship test for all boys and girls in the eighth grade of the ele­ mentary school was analyzed, it was found that in State Religious schools some 58 per cent of the pupils came

from Oriental communities, while the corresponding figure in secular State schools was about half that number.

Taking into consideration a higher rate of early school leaving in the Oriental communities, we may estimate that in the lower grades the State Religious school includes up to 70 per cent of children from Islamic countries. In other words, the large oriental immigration has largely voted for religious education. Thence the inevitable question: What do these facts mean for the future of religious Judaism and Jewry in Israel?

Who Is A Religious Jew?

EFORE we can attempt to answer this supposedly simple question it will be necessary to set forth some observations on the meaning of re­ ligious Judaism in the Oriental com­ munities, as well as about our natural frame of reference—our own (Ash­ kenazic) basic notions on the subject.

Starting with the latter, we might say that in Europe and the Western world being a religious Jew meant first of all observance of religious law, the Din, as it is set out in the Shulchon Oruch. The religious Jew would admit that he was under obligation to study the Torah and to look to the Torah for instruction and guidance in ques­ tions of his personal life or of direct­ ing the life of the community. There was also room for occupation with the philosophic aspects of Judaism, whether through the media created by Chasidism, the Mussar movement, the European Orthodoxy, or by studying the sources of more ancient times.

It was one of the signs of the ma­ turity of Judaism that it felt itself

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to be independent of any particular socio-economic set-up in which man might find himself. One of the basic notions is that Judaism was just the independence of its obligations from this or that external condition, al­ though those conditions might oblige the Jew to seek a way to remain faith­ ful to his duty in new and unusual circumstances. He knew quite clearly that if he could not attend the service at the synagogue, he was still obliged to say his daily prayers; if he had to live away from home, he still had to observe Kashruth, however difficult it might be, and so on. And above all— in the greater centers of Judaism, the Written and the Oral Law, Agadah, and the Halochie literature. And even though there might be many individ­ uals whose knowledge of Torah was limited, even they admitted their sub­ ordination to those who knew the Law and recognized their duty to seek their advice and guidance.

The curriculum of the present-day religious school was constructed in 45

Pre-Chumosh and Rashi—story-telling at a religious day nursery in Beersheba.

accordance with these lines. Boys and girls learn Chumosh with (at least) selected parts of Rashi; boys and girls learn Mishnah and Dinim; boys go on to Gemorah, while girls enlarge more on Tanach and Mishnah. And even though no specific “subject” may have existed for instruction in the basic ideas of Judaism, it was yet quite clear to the teacher that along with all the other subjects of Judaism, he had to bring home to his pupils what these ideas were. In that religious Weltanschauung there was again em­ bedded the principle that the Law of the Torah is binding on the Jew, in­ dependent of home and family, coun­ try and profession, and the neverceasing demand that man rise to ever higher religious planes through study­ ing the Torah.

46

HAS become clear in the past IofTnumber of years that the majority the hundreds of thousands of re­ ligious immigrants from the Islamic countries are hardly aware of such foundations to their religious way of life. True, they had maintained and brought with them a wealth of cus­ toms and traditions; that they had de­ manded, inasfar as they had not been deceived about realities in Israel, re­ ligious education for their children as a matter of fact. But yet there were basic differences of approach, which, though unconscious and certainly in­ articulate, were of the greatest prac­ tical importance. If allowance is made for the need to generalize, we might say that the significant connection be­ tween religious law and religious life was lost sight of by the multitude.

JEWISH LIFE

In this connection it is of compara­ tively less importance that the distance that sprang up over the last genera­ tions particularly between religious life and the laws of the Torah led to laxity in some areas of observance.

What matters much more is that here the observance of the Jewish way of life springs almost exclusively from the allegiance to the accepted tradition and to the custom of Jewish society in which one lived exclusively. Of course, we are all tradition-bound to a certain degree, and habit is a power­ ful conservatory agent in every so­ ciety. But if the maintenance of such

complex traditions as those of our religion, which should never be sev­ ered from their underlying values and ideas, is entrusted for safekeeping to the external conditions of society, this is a most dangerous situation. These dangers would have become apparent anyway, sooner or later, with the in­ evitable changes that beset every hu­ man society. But when the changing process is due to natural forces it may be gradual and may allow of a normal adjustment, through which much of the super-structure of tradition can be saved and made to survive.

A Conflict of Notions

ERE, however, the transition was by migration under modern con­ ditions of transport, where in twentyfour hours the airplane transferred men, women, and children over thou­ sands of miles and hundreds of years, putting them down in a new country —new in every respect— although it is their old fatherland. How could there be any time for adjustment, how would the new situation be interpreted, how much understanding was to be expected in those circumstances that in a new country, even if it be Israel, the Jewish way of life had to be built up anew, with the law of Judaism as the one essential guide? These are crucial questions, the answers to which were far from satisfactory.

In several areas of religious life a feeling of strangeness developed, and we may take education as a first ex­ ample. The home expected from the school training and practice in the particular form of tradition in prayer and the service of the synagogue which

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was customary in the community. The teachers were in most cases not mem­ bers of the same community, and in many other cases the population of the school was composed of more than one community. For those reasons and a variety of others the school could not give what—in the mind of the father—was the main aim of his boy going to school.

Moreover the school spent much time and effort on objectives whose value and relevance were not apparent to the parents. When the specifically “religious” acts of the father were mainly reading the prayers from a particular prayerbook and with a particular intonation, while learning Chumosh with Rashi, Mishnah and Gemorah were considered outside the sphere of the ordinary man, the failure of the boy to bring home from school the knowledge and mastery of the tra­ ditional form of the rites often made the parents doubt whether their child was in fact receiving religious educa47

tion. In the same area the problem of the education of girls became apparent.

As was the case in Europe until the beginning of the twentieth century, the need for giving girls a specific religious education (and that means in practice any formal education at all) was not realized. The home could be relied upon to hand on all the “know-how” of the Jewish home. The girl remained at home until she married, and from then on she was again centered in her own home. Thus, here too the ap­ proach of the modern religious school could not be appreciated at once.

ET US hear, in this connection, L what Uriel Simon, a young re­ ligious educator and a keen observer, relates on some of his experiences with immigrant youth (Dappim of Youth Aliyah, September 1957): “When I attended the synagogue of the Moroccans I said my prayers according to their custom. Suddenly, at the end of the service, I had the feeling that I had to pray once again because, accord­ ing to my own emotional state, I had not yet prayed at all. Suddenly it dawned upon me then that this was exactly the situation of a child from an Oriental community who came to our synagogue for prayers.

A Bnei Akiva group leader told me of the following experience: She had helped organize a summer camp for children from all over the country; there was among them a group of Yemenite chil­ dren who were in their first year in the country. When Tisha B’Av came along . the leader did her best to make the Fast a real religious experience for the children. She distributed small candles to be lit instead of using an electric light, had the children sit on low chairs, and other of our customs. Of course she also wanted the girls to par­ ticipate, but the Yemenite girls strictly refused this, although they were unable to explain why they were ‘forbidden’ 48

to enter the tent where the prayers took place. The leader insisted upon the girls taking part, quite unaware of the fact that she was arousing strong guilt feelings in them. For (by posing participation in the prayers as a re­ ligious duty) she as much as told the girls, Your mothers are not properly Jewish, since they do not participate in the prayers as they ought to.’ After the prayers the Yemenite boys came to the leader and asked for a special tent to be given them so that they might pray. This seemed an astonishing re­ quest, but it was granted. A few min­ utes later the boys in that tent were heard to be weeping aloud. Those chil­ dren, in whom the ‘Ashkenazi-Western’ style of prayers had not been able to rouse the emotional experience of Tisha B’Av, were weeping and bemoaning the destruction of the Temple. They were really capable of a much deeper reali­ zation of the meaning of the Fast, but they could not reach it by those means that were suitable and sufficient for us.

And had the well-intentioned girl hon­ ored the culture and tradition of those boys she might have acted in quite the opposite direction: She might have en­ trusted the conduct of the service to the Yemenite boys, and let the Ash­ kenazi children attend, although that would not have been the ideal solution either, for obvious reasons.”

HE EVENT just related throws T light on a vast area of inter-com­ munal relationships and attitudes, quite unsuspected by most, and of a complexity which has by no means been fathomed as yet. The example stresses the importance of the forms of text and melody with which the individual is acquainted and their near identification with the contents them­ selves. Does this not mean that to many giving up the form comes dan­ gerously near to giving up the con­ tents too? But, is it at all thinkable that we draw the consequences of this JEWISH LIFE

situation and try to let every one go on in exactly the way he is used to?

I remember coming to a small settle­ ment near Petach Tikvah and finding on an area of one dunam (a quarter of an acre) four brand-new synagogues.

To my question about why there were four and not one, it was explained to me (with a certain expression of scorn

Jewish life in the Diaspora. But do we need them to their full extent now in Israel? Should we make the recon­ structed home-country a museum for all the diversion that sprang up over the centuries of separation? On the other hand, if we believe that this diversity cannot be the meaning of “ingathering” and “amalgamation”,

Shofroth herald the dedication of a new synagogue at Yishi, a village of new settlers from oriental countries.

at my lack of understanding) that one was for the Yemenites, one for the Moroccans, one for the Tunisians, and one for the Ashkenazim. And do not let anyone think that Morocco is at one with respect to customs and tra­ ditions. No, the local Moroccan com­ munities often try to preserve their specialties, which again means separa­ tion from other local communities.

No doubt, these loyalties, locally limited though they were, played a very important role in preserving June, 1960

just how are we to go about it, and who is to do it?

Nor are the problems of amalgama­ tion and integration limited to reli­ gious life. Take just such a simple case as queuing up for the bus, where the rudiments of the democratic society rule clearly that the first to come are the first to enter. But what about “honoring thy elders,” which means to many people of the Oriental com­ munities that the queue can not be meant for them. A much more severe 49

case is the structure of the family, the rights of children to preferential treat­ ment, the position of women in the home and in society, corporal punish­ ment, the rule of absolute and un­ questioning obedience of the children,

the value and dignity of labor, and many other pillars of our social ideas, which stand in strong contrast to what was held valid in Islamic countries, in­ cluding much of the Jewish society which existed there for centuries.

Attitudes— Right and Wrong

ALL these instances the question ItoNhad to be faced and an answer had be given. But there lurked the danger of considering ourselves as superior, our standards as proven and absolute, and everything new that came along with the oriental immi­ grant as “primitive.” And that was not the greatest danger either. For even if we should arrive, after careful con­ sideration, at the conclusion that changes had to be made and that those changes were in the direction of our own preferences, there were still many ways in which this could be achieved. Everyone will agree, we are sure, that changes should be gradual, and that the self-respect and mental equilibrium of those who were to be integrated were to be respected and preserved. But there was little time to wait, and there was little time to investigate the situation into which we put ourselves, and thus it was in­ evitable that mistakes were made.

Again, let us hear what Uriel Simon has to say about this: “The religious educator might, perhaps, have served as mentor to the immigrant youth, had he well understood the per­ plexing situation in which he found himself. But the educator does not al­ ways identify himself with the particu­ lar difficulties of his charges, for he inclines to see him as ‘a boy like other boys.’ Moreover, most of the religious educators had not overcome the natural inclination to consider their own tra­ 50

dition superior, as a result of which most reception centers introduced the Ashkenazi prayerbook. This means, in effect, that we impose upon our pupils the very step which we try to avoid ourselves. However, the suffering of having to undergo change quickly gives way in the immigrant boy to the satisfaction derived from successful as­ similation. He prays ‘like the Ashkenazim.’ Thus religious education is apt to nurture the very tendency— which is its greatest danger—the tend­ ency towards assimilation. No amount of lip service we pay to the ‘original cultural values of the Oriental com­ munities’ will outweigh in the eyes of our pupils the significance of our prac­ tical course of action. And if the school whose pupils are mostly of oriental origin, organizes its religious life on the lines of what was customary in Frankfurt-am-Main, the pupils as much as hear their teachers telling them: Abandon the religion of your fathers!”

ET US now return to our first B question: Seeing that most of the oriental immigrants came here as ob­ servant Jews, as demonstrated, among other facts, by their largely selecting religious education for their children, what does this fact mean for the future of religious Jewry in Israel? There is one obvious answer—that religious Jewry in Israel will have to rely heavily on its numerically strongest element, the Oriental communities.

But having seen, however briefly, with JEWISH LIFE

what difficulties this partnership is be­ set, we realize that à realistic approach to the problem needs more than gen­ eral declarations of good-will. For even the little we have been able to say in the preceding pages will have been sufficient to convince that the mental situation of the religious im­ migrant is a very unstable one. He faces problems for which he is entire­ ly unprepared and is called upon to make adjustments in almost every sphere of life.

Nor is he ?left alone and granted peace and quietude to work out his salvation slowly and cautiously. Nay, not only do the circumstances that surround him and impress themselves on his mind push him around, now here, now there, but there are many and highly effective forces at work to tear him away from his living past and to convince him that the duties that await him in his new country supersede all his duties as a Jew, which he had until then accepted as an unvariable element of his very existence.

We may say without exaggeration that a battle is on for the soul of the young generation of the immigrant masses. For religious Jewry nothing could be more misguided and fatal than to sit idle and await the “natural” outcome of this struggle.

It is here that the crucial role of religious State education becomes ap­ parent. There is no other route by which to reach the heads and hearts of the young generation. These young­ sters want to learn, and they want fervently to be integrated, to “belong” and to take their place in society and in the state. Already they know, and even many more of their parents than ten years ago know, that education is the royal road to social acceptance and mobility, and the demand for June, 1960

more and better schools, for improved youth services, for general and voca­ tional education beyond the statutory age of fourteen, is spreading to all parts of the country.

And the State is fully aware of this development and does a lot to satisfy this welcome demand for raising the standard of education. Post-primary education of various types and length of courses is being brought to the de­ velopment areas, largely free for all who are willing to come, and in these schools boys and girls in their most formative years are not only taught, but also educated. r p o SECURE equal opportunity for JL religious youth to enjoy religious post-primary education was one of the main topics in the negotiations in December, 1959 preceding the entry of the National Religious Party (Mizrachi and Hapoel Hamizrachi) into the present coalition government, and rightly so. For it is unthinkable that any but a small minority of youth could survive the onslaught that awaited them in a secular high school.

Even after completing these schools, the army will be another severe test for their power of resistance against adverse influences. But this does not mean that we should make anything but the supreme effort to hold the next generation, to win it and to hold it, while education still has anything to say.

But there must be much more care­ ful investigation than in the past how to go about it. There must be the determination to treat the newcomer as one on an equal footing; his mental makeup and his needs must be studied so as to approach him in the manner which is both appropriate and digni­ fied; and where a change in the direc51

tion of western style is sought, it must be without playing down to the readi­ ness of many of the immigrants to give themselves up to what appears to them as the superior powers that rule the country. But, all said and done, the truth is that there is as yet no blue­ print for the total solution of the prob­ lem of integration. Having become in recent years more and more aware of the problem is perhaps the most hope­ ful sign of the times. of the demands listed MANY above apply equally to all work­ ing in the field, whether they are re­ ligious or not. There is, however, one aim which is specific to the religious outlook: to restore the Torah, its study and knowledge, to its proper place.

We explained above that much of the religious life in the Oriental communi­ ties is little more than preserving tra­ ditions, and belongs to sociology rather than to religion. The dangers of this state of affairs were also explained.

What do we expect for our problem from an improvement in the position of Torah in Israel?

I would briefly list three main as­ pects of importance: First, there is the purely religious aspect. Neglect of the Torah and of its study is described as one of the causes for Israel’s exile and long suffering. Gathering millions of our people into the Jewish state can­ not alone, in our view, be the answer

52

to the punishment of the exile. We have to show improvement over the state which caused us to be driven out, and this improvement means spreading the knowledge of the Torah far and wide and making it the basic element of our culture. Second, knowledge of the Torah and occupation with it teaches us to understand its demands to be essentially independent from the external circumstances into which we may be thrown. It will thus strengthen us against attempts to “relieve” us from our obligations as religious Jews because times and outward conditions have changed. This is a most impor­ tant weapon in the struggle for re­ ligious survival of the oriental immi­ grant. Third, the study of Torah will serve as nothing else to increase unity in the forms of religious life, and to bring about a rapprochement between communities that have grown apart through their separation and isolation for so long. It will create a common basis of fundamental notions and an agreed medium of cultural, intellec­ tual, and religious contact between all parts of the nation. By devoting a substantial part of our energies to a revival of Torah study among the masses of religious Jews in Israel, we shall most certainly make a major con­ tribution to integration and to securing the future of religious Judaism in Israel.

JEWISH LIFE

Unsung Beauties of the Bodleian B y H. R A B I N O W I C Z

SLEEP beneath Oxford’s Univer­ writings of rabbis, philosophers, mys­ » sity’s dreaming spires are some tics, Mithnagdim and Chassidim have of the most valuable Hebrew manu­ gradually gravitated—from Spain and scripts in existence. Among the two million volumes and forty thousand manuscripts in Oxford’s far-famed Bodleian Library (both the Old Bod­ leian and the magnificent New Sir Giles Gilbert building) are more than three thousand priceless Hebrew manu­ scripts and over thirty thousand He­ brew books, in addition to rare Judaica and a noteworthy collection of Jewish periodicals. This is a most remarkable achievement, although surprisingly lit­ tle use is made of it. Relatively few scholars consult these richly historic works. One book in a hundred leaves its well-earned resting-place upon the shelf and modem scholarship is the poorer for this negligence.

The Bodleian is the proud possessor of 146 hand-written Bibles, the oldest dating back to 1140. It has accumu­ lated no less than 650 manuscripts, commentaries on the Talmud and writ­ ings on liturgy, philosophy, ethics, Kabbolah, astronomy, medicine, and mathematics, inter alia. Thus the li­ brary has become a microcosm of the Jewish contribution to culture. The June, 1960

Poland, from Egypt and North Africa —to Oxford, celebrated seat of learn­ ing.

Historians trace the origin of the library to the year 1337. Its great benefactor was Sir Thomas Bodley (1545-1613) whose name the Library bears. Sir Thomas attended the He­ brew lectures of Chevalier at Geneva and was particularly proud of his knowledge of Hebrew. To the present day there exists at Merton College, Oxford, a Hebrew work which Bodley deciphered. An ardent bibliophile, he spent vast sums of money collecting books from all over Europe and on November 8, 1602, the Library was opened to the public, the very first public library in Great Britain. Around this nucleus of 2,000 volumes the Li­ brary expanded rapidly in many direc­ tions. Few details have come down to us about its early Hebrew section. It is, however, recorded that a Hebrew lexicon was presented by John Saville in 1601 and a number of manuscripts

by Dr. John Lhuid a year later. By 1629 there were 150 Hebrew works.

53

Bodley insisted that no effort be spared with regard to its classification and impressed upon the printer that the titles “should be rightly set down.”

penheimer, Court Factor of Vienna, who had received them from Prince Eugene of Austria. The Lutheran cler­ gyman Johann Christoph Wolf (16631739) used this library for the com­ Y donations and purchases the pilation of his Bibliotheca Hebraica, Hebraica division developed. Adolf which was published in Hamburg Neubauer enumerates fourteen differ­ (1715-33) in four large volumes. Not ent collections, some large, some small, only was. the library fully catalogued, which were amassed over the years. but in 1711 the owner compiled a list Eighteenth century acquisitions in­ of the books which he did not possess.

As rigid censorship prevailed in clude the 420 manuscripts of Edward Pococke, Regius Professor of Hebrew Prague, the Library was transferred to (who died in 1691) which were pur­ Hanover under the care of Oppenchased for £600. Among them were heimer’s father-in-law Leffman Behrmany Hebrew writings. In 1817 the ends. On Oppenheimer’s death (Sep­ Bodleian was enriched by the Canoni­ tember 23, 1735) it came into the cal collection, 2,045 manuscripts ac­ possession of his son Joseph, a rabbi quired for a mere £5,444 in Venice. at Hildesheim. Then it passed into the One hundred and thirty-five of these hands of Isaac Seligmann at-Hamburg. manuscripts! are in vellum, chiefly in Finally it was pawned with a senator Hebrew, and particularly notable was of Hamburg for 50,000 marks and a copy of Maimonides’ Code in four­ stored away in twenty-eight cases.

Special catalogues were printed in teen volumes dated 1366.

Yet it was through the purchase of 1764 and 1824 to facilitate a sale. the Oppenheimer Collection that the Would-be purchasers were notified Library really made bibliographic his­ that “should the Library not be sold tory. Never before and never since has as a whole, a public auction would be a library bought so much for so lit­ held on the, 16th Sivah 1827.” The tle. Immediately the Bodleian became philosopher Moses Mendelssohp valued the foremost Hebrew library in the it at ¿22,000. It was then that the world, surpassed only recently by that Bodleian acquired the complete collec­ of the Jewish Theological Seminary in tion, the 700 manuscripts and over four thousand printed books for New York.

David ben Abraham Oppenheimer £2,080.

(1664-1736) of Austria was a rabbi, mathematician, and liturgist. He was x t r a o r d i n a r y transactions of also one of the greatest Jewish biblio­ this nature were landmarks in the philes of all time. From his father and Library’s development. In 1845 it ac­ his father-in-law he inherited a sub­ quired, for the negligible sum of stantial fortune and a great love of £ 176-14-6, 483 printed books that had books. His magnificent library was the belonged to the lexicographer Gesenresult of half a century of tireless and ius. Three years later, the Bodleian determined acquisition. No price was paid £1,038 for 862 volumes of manu­ too high. No obstacle was too difficult. scripts (of which 110 were written on A number of books were specially vellum between 1240-1450) from the printed for him on vellum. Many came bibliophile Haiman Joseph Michael to him through his uncle Samuel Op- (1792-1846), 54 JEWISH LIFE

B

E

The Library was fortunate in its staff. The Chief Librarian Buckeley Bandinel (1781-1861) commissioned Moritz Steinschneider (1816-1907), the father of Jewish bibliography, to compile the Catalogue of the printed Hebrew books. Steinschneider spent five summers in Oxford and took thir­ teen years over this task. He was paid £1,300. The printing alone lasted from 1853 to 1860, for this massive, mo­ mentous^ work consists of 1,750 double-colutnn pages. He began with the intentioh of compiling a catalogue and ended by writing a bibliography of Hebrew literature. He recorded not only the printed books in the Bodleian Library but also every Hebrew book published up to 1732. Despite its un­ common abbreviations, clumsy Latin style, lack of “brevity and perspicuity,” the Catalogue is considered an in­

June, 1960

dispensable resource for the Jewish student.

Bandinel had worthy successors.

Adolf Neubauer (1831-1907) served the Library faithfully and supple­ mented the Hebrew collection with purchases of Karaite and Yemen man­ uscripts and he devoted eighteen years of his life to the compilation of a Catalogue of the Hebrew manuscripts listing 2,602 works. In 1929, A, E. Cowley published a “Concise Catalogue of the Hebrew Printed Books” which, for brevity and accuracy, has no peer in the literature of bibliography. rT lH E Bodlein Library is a veritable JL treasury which has taken three and a half centuries to create. Despite its lucid catalogues, it is still largely terra incognita to Jewish scholarship. Rich discoveries in “the spoils of time” await the erudite explorer.

55

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JEWISH LIFE

B ook Beview Treasure in Translation

By M A N U E L

THE MIDRASH ON PSALMS, by William G. Braude; Yale University Press.

HE READER of English is be­ T ing afforded ever more opportu­ nities for acquaintance with the great Jewish literary treasures. In our day we have seen the translation of the entire Talmud, the entire Midrash Rabbah, and the Zohar. There are fine editions of translations of some of the Bible commentaries, such as Rashi.

More and more is available to the reader who does not easily read the original Hebrew or Aramaic tongues.

To the old Antisemitic charge that Jews love secret writings which are hidden from the non-Jew, these clear and readable translations give the best answer.

Under the imprint of Yale Univer­ sity Press, more translations out of the classic literature of our past are being made available. Its Judaica Series of­ fers translations of many ancient me­ dieval Jewish classics. They are doing a very careful volume-by-volume trans­ lation of the Maimonides code. The book of philosophy of Rabbenu Saadia Gaon, “The Book of Beliefs and Opin­ ions,” has been prepared by Rabbi RABBI M A N U E L L A D E R M A N is spiritual leader o f Congregation Hebrew Educational A l­ liance, Denver, Colorado.

June, 1960

LADERM AN

Samuel Rosenblatt of Baltimore. The present editor of the Judaica Series, Dr. Leon Nemoy, translated a “Karaite Anthology.”

The latest in the published works of the series is the translation in two volumes of “The Midrash on Psalms,”

by Dr. William G. Braude, spiritual leader of the Reform congregation, Sons of Israel and David in Providence, Rhode Island.

Dr. Braude brings to his work a facile pen, a good grounding in Rab­ binic literature, and a desire to en­ hance the status of Jewish writing available to English readers. He has previously published a volume on proselytism which was very well done, and well received.

N THE present work Dr. Braude approached the Midrash Tehillim with-the purpose of making it under­ standable, without sacrificing accu­ racy. This particular work, which is also known as Midrash Shochar Tov, was edited in a scholarly edition by Shlomo Buber about a hundred years ago. Braude has used Buber's text, and also refers to other texts in seeking a translation that is adequate to the full meaning of his material.

He discovered soon that to use the Jewish Publication Society translation of the Bible would not adequately suit

I

57

his needs, and therefore found it nec­ essary very often to make his own translation of the Bible verse, to ac­ cord with the intent of the Midrash usage. “My goal is a translation, not a paraphrase,” is an accurate state­ ment of the approach which he has used.

In a 36-page introduction Dr. Braude has indicated some of the textual and historical questions related to this Mid­ rash. He has also paid his respects to the many who were of assistance to him in the preparation of his work, among whom Dr. Samuel Belkin and Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik are prom­ inently mentioned.

Volume One contains the translation of the Midrashim on the first seventytwo Psalms. Volume Two goes on with the Midrashim on Psalm 73 to Psalm 150. It concludes with several pages devoted to abbrevations, and then has very extensive notes that cover more than 130 pages. A glossary and in­ dexes conclude the second volume.

Anyone who has ever attempted to present a Midrash in translation knows some of the difficulties that were in­ herent in this work. He must salute Dr. Braude for the adequacy of his accomplishment.

A few minor criticisms may be of­ fered. On page 44 he uses Mezuzah in the plural, where the text is singu­ lar. On page 95 he omits any trans­ lation for the phrase in the text “hevel pihem.” I question whether the word “Chosid” in Psalm 16 is adequately translated as “merciful one.” It yields some very awkward renderings when it is so translated. On page 301 he is guilty of a misunderstanding. The text means “they shall eat their last meal before the fast while it is yet daylight,” and not, as he translates it, “allowed to break their fast while it is still day­ light.”

58

These are all of a minor nature. The important thing is that Dr. Braude has done very well in bringing to a general reading public the opportunity of finding some of those great treas­ ures of our Rabbinic lore which the Midrash1contains.

NE GAN greet this achievement best by simply quoting some of the gems of insight which our Rabbis had in connection with certain verses in the Psalms.

A deep psychological analysis: In Psalm 1, which reads, “Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the coun­ sel of the wicked,” the commentary is, “Though Thou hast given ease to the wicked, they are not blessed in their ease; rather they stand, and walk about restlessly,” (because, we would say, they have no peace of m ind).

A pedagogic note: On the verse, “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,” the Midrash says, “One day a man learns one law, the next day another law, until brim­ ming with wisdom he wells forth like a fountain.”

A note of Jewish rebuttal: In Psalm 2, the verse reads, “Thou art my son.”

The Midrash comments, ‘^G-d does not say, T have a son/ but ‘Thou art like a son to me/ as when a master wishing to give pleasure to his slaves,.says to him, ‘Thou art as dear to me as a son\” A word of comfort: The Midrash tells a story of a rabbi who visited an unbeliever, who had lost a son,' and comforted him by promising that “we trust in the Lord of Heaven, thou wilt see your son again in the world to come.” The entire passage is a beau­ tiful homily of comforting a bereaved parent.

A Jewish trait: The Midrash on Psalm 2 says, “If a dish of meat is brought to a man who is hungry for food, and it is said to him : ‘A piece of

O

JEWISH LIFE

forbidden fat has fallen into the dish/ he will instantly draw his hand away from the dish and will not eat of it.”

What causes the man who is hungry for food not to eat of the dish? You must admit that the cause is in the words of the Torah that are as deli­ cate as lilies.

How to gain rew ard: On the verse in Psalm 15, “Lord who shall abide in Thy Tabernacle?” The Midrash tells a parable of a rustic who came to the city. He saw many kinds of pastries and all sorts of delicacies being sold there and asked: /Can a man get his fill of these things?’ His companion replied, ‘Yes, if he has coins—many coins.’ So too David asked, ‘Lord who shall abide in Thy Tabernacle?’ and the Holy One, Blessed Be He, replied: ‘He that obeys many commandments— obeys the commandments, and prac­ tices self-denial’.”

A good deed: On the verse in the same Psalm, “He that doeth these things shall never be moved.” The Mid­ rash tells us that Rabbi Akiva was very happy when he read this verse, because he interpreted it to mean, “If a man does a single one of these good deeds, it is as though he has done all of them.”

Pronouncing the blessings: In Psalm 16 the verse reads, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.”

Hence say the Sages, “A man em­ bezzles from G-d whenever he makes use of the world without a blessing, for only affirmations of G-d’s sov­ ereignty can release the world’s full­ ness to m an’s use.”

Work is a blessing: The Midrash on the 23rd Psalm quotes a saying by Rabbi Jacob: “Lest thou think that G-d will bless anyone who sits in idleness, Scripture reads, ‘The Lord thy G-d hath blessed thee an4 all thy work of thy hand,’ implying that when a man works, behold he is blessed; but June, 1960

if he does not work, he is not blessed.”

Reward greater than punishment: On the 30th Psalm there is a beautiful Midrash which says, “The Holy One makes a man pay but once for his ini­ quities, but he returns again and again to reward him for his good deeds.”

A scientific note: In the 34th Psalm the Midrash says, “The Holy One, blessed be He, already had created worlds and destroyed them because they had proved themselves unworthy of His creation.”

In Volume Two, page 45, on the 79th Psalm, there is an inspired passage which reads, “A Psalm of Asaph. 0 G-d, the heathen are come unto Thine inheritance.” But should Asaph have composed a psalm of praise? Should it not rather have been a dirge? Asaph said: “Did not the Holy One, blessed be He, do well in venting His wrath upon sticks and stones and not upon His children?”

In the 90th Psalm, the superscrip­ tion, “A prayer of Moses, a man of G-d,” the Midrash gives five different explanations of the phrase that is translated, “man of G-d.” Each one of them adds something to our under­ standing of the Rabbinic interpretation of man’s relationship to the Almighty.

On human frailty: Rabbi Humah taught the saying “that we notice life only when we are losing it, as we notice the eye only when it becomes inflamed.”

HESE are a few of the endless treasures of interpretation, of lit­ T erary insight, of philosophical under­ standing, and of religious fervor by which our Rabbis, poring over the verses of the Psalms, gave expression to their lofty vision and their profound analyses.

It is well that Dr. Braude has pre­ sented for us his many years of effort in the translation of “The Midrash on Psalms.”

59

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60

JEWISH LIFE

Letters to the Editor IRONY Staten Island, N. Y. In view of Ben Gurion’s statement that Israel, Greece, and India are “the three ancient peoples that bequeathed immortal values to humankind, and, in large measure, fashioned the pat­ tern of many peoples in all parts of the earth,” it is interesting to turn to the writings of the world famous his­ torian, Arnold Toynbee, hardly a friend of Israel, and to note his comments.

Toynbee finds that the “greatest cultural gulf” in the present world is not between Liberalism and Com­ munism but it is “the chasm between the whole Judaic group of ideologies and religions—Communism, Liberal­ ism, Christianity, Islam, and their parent Judaism itself—on the one hand and the Buddhaic group of phil­ osophies and religions . . . on the other hand.” 1 Toynbee classifies the Graeco-Roman world with the Indian world among the holders of the latter viewpoint which is characterized by a fatalism that regards the universe as governed by an Impersonal Law of cycles-—day and night* birth and death, winter and summer -¿-following each other in meaningless succession.

Western civilization, however, is dominated by the Judaic viewpoint, inherited through Christianity and Islam, which regards history as a drama, with a “beginning and an end, that is punctuated by crises and by decisive events, that is animated by June, 1960

challenges and responses and that unfolds a plot like the plot of a play.”

Toynbee finds that the Buddhaic viewpoint is not sympathetic to the study of history. He might well have added that it is equally unsympathetic to the idea of progress and science which are the hallmarks of Western civilization, although it is rich in ethi­ cal values.

Ben Gurion acclaims inconsistent, man-made philosophies, while placing them on par with the one divinely endowed Weltanschauung which long ago gave the answer to the very problem he now poses of reconciling scientific progress with ethics.

Moreover, it is ironic that the first minister of the re-established Jewish State should down-grade the suprem­ acy and uniqueness of ancient Judea’s contribution to modern culture and civilization while its arch-critic should acclaim it.

Reuben E. Gross

GUARDIANS OF THE CITY South Ozone Park, N. Y. . . . I particularly enjoyed reading the excellent article on Neturei Karta

by Uriel Zimmer in your April issue.

I am sure that Mr. Zimmer must have some great zchus to his credit, that through him the simple truth was written where it could reach the atten­ tion of the enlightened public. . . .

I wish to take exception to Mr. Zimmer’s statement concerning the si61

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JEWISH LIFE

lence of Rabbinic leaders on Zionism: “Whether the reason was a lack of courage, a fear of the loss of funds for the institutions led by them, or other­ wise, the fact remains” that they have not voiced their non-Zionist views. Mr. Zimmer himself, however, chooses to be discreet in conveying the non-Zionist stand of the Rabbis. To quote him again, “They all regarded the Philosophy of Zionism as diamet­ rically opposed to the most basic prin­ ciples of Judaism.” This statement is the whole truth. However, Mr. Zimmer could have been more explicit by say­ ing that the Gedolim considered, and still consider, Nationalism as heresy.

Although he correctly conveys the view th at Nationalism attempts to transform Jews into a new identity and to secularize Messianic redemp­ tion, Mr. Zimmer fails to convey the more basic objection. To state it simply . . . any object or idea which becomes holy in itself and not because it emanates from G-d, becomes an idol.

To the masses of Jews, the nonZionist attitude of the Gedolim is alien. To publicize their stand could only serve to arouse unreasoning hithnagduth which would drive the masses still further from Torah influence. In the light of this vital consideration, there is no room to ascribe to the Gedolim the slightest thought of cow­ ardice or of pecuniary considerations.

Yechiel Perr B. G. IN AMERICA Brooklyn, N. Y. I feel compelled to . . . tell you how much I and my family enjoyed the insight, hashkofah, importance, and

June, 1960

literary style of the excellent editorial in the last issue of J e w i s h L i f e (“Ben Gurion in America”).

The editorial points to the issues that really must be stressed; and the consensus of my family is that the editorial was a service to Jewry, and certainly to Jewish thinking. I men­ tion my family because the editorial was read aloud to the family on Yom Tov, and was the subject of a great deal of discussion. . . .

Rabbi Samuel I. Cohen

MISSED HASHKOFAH Brooklyn, N. Y. There are many Jewish families whose sole contact with Torah Judaism is only through your wonderful maga­ zine. We look forward to receiving J e w i s h L i f e as a constant source of inspiration as well as the wealth of information and education which we receive.

I was a bit disappointed, therefore, when I missed out on the usual “Hash­ kofah” article which was absent from the last issue. My family and I have gained so much from this column by Dr. Weiss that we can feel the loss by its absence. I hope this column will continue in future editions, as well as the letters to the editor, which I also miss. . . .

Frank Abrahams It is planned that Dr. Weiss1 Hash­ kofah series, resumed in this issue, will continue regularly.—Editor.

63

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JEWISH LIFE

MEMO TO: ALL TRADITIONAL JEWS PROM: Moses I. Feuerstein, National President, UOJCA SUBJECT: ORTHODOX UNION ASSOCIATION 1. The goal of the Orthodox Union Associa­ tion, the individual membership arm of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America,, is to assist the Union in spreading the ideals of orthodox Judaism.

2. We call upon every loyal Jew to participate in this national, vibrant, traditional Jewish movement. OUA membership identifies you personally with our great program of religious resurgence.

3. As an O.U.A. member you will receive: a. JEWISH LIFE - the distinguished bi-monthly magazine that brings a wealth of good Jewish reading. b. Holiday Pamphlet Service - bringing into your home informative booklets and pam­ phlets on Jewish holidays, beliefs and practices. c. JEWISH ACTION - a publication of news and events in the traditional Jewish world. ' d. (u) Kosher Products Directory; (u) News Reporter - keeping you posted on Kashruth developments. e. Special memos giving inside data on current Jewish issues.

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* th e (Q) is th e s e a l o f T h e U n io n O f O r th o d o x J e w is h C o n g r e g a tio n s O f A m e r ic a y o u r g u a r a n te e t h a t th e s e H e in z V a r ie tie s a r e s t r i c t l y k o s h e r •