Letter from to Isaac Leeser;February 1859 · Isaac Leeser Digital Repository · Legacy Projects from Judaica DH at Penn Libraries

Title

Letter from to Isaac Leeser;February 1859

Contributor

Isaac Leeser

Date Created

February 1859

Location(s)

Philadelphia

Format

Letter. 4 page(s) on 2 sheet(s).

Legal

Type

Letter

Language(s)

English

Has Format

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p3qj78j5k/manifest.json

Link to Colenda

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3qj78j5k

Physical Characteristics

Manuscript

Is Part Of

The Dropsie College Isaac Leeser Collection at the Penn Libraries

content

Philadelphia feb. 5619
Rev. Isaac Leeser
A reply to the Rev. Mr Calish by a student. of hebrew theology
Dear Sir:
Being a friend of hebrew litterature and having spent the most of my leisure time to improve myself in this beautiful science as much as I could, I think I have a right to bespeak that subject as good as anybody. I feel therefore very sory that the hebrew litterature has become a level in the party spirit which now prevails among the Israelites in this country as well as in Germany and that they who can not anymore subscribe to the doctrines and ceremonies (of course I speak principally of their leaders of those who take an active part in the matter) of the Israelites in general, look with hatred down upon those even who use the paper as a vehicle of their thoughts, which is edited by an Israelit, who still cling to that system, which they think proper and becoming to scorn at, as if it was not the mother which gave birth to their new system or as they say, the real system—Hebrew—This reminds me as to the conditions of the different sects among the gentiles among we live, who dispute the right of the, so called, mother church, which however, (notwithstanding its pernicious probnoxious doctrines, of course by the mother church calumny and not acknowledged, and which is according to her, calumny they source fruits of infidelity to and unbelief is the whole existence of the church,) has a full right and claim to that name. It is not my duty here, to investigate, who gave the first cause to that hatred, sufficient that this hatred exist. And the noble men courage is wanting to give up mis unfortunate feeling, which, if not abated, will and can must cause a distinct separation between the parties, we have seen already the greatest prove that this will be, for fathers and more so mothers have prohibited intermariage. Brethern! be careful in the course you persue Hebrew. If you think there are errors in the old system, do not leave it therefore, but enlighten its adherrer them. And if you unfortunately can not subscribe any more at all, to the system of the Isrealites, which is often the case, leave them and occupy your mind and heart with other things, what a difference between the gentleman who left us shortly for Ireland, and the noble hearted Spinoza of old. But let me come to the point. The Hebrew litterature, I said, has become a level in this party spirit and is it not so? He, who with a critique eye followed the arguments set forth at intervalls in „the Israelite” by Mr. Calish, for instance, sees very clearly that this gentleman,

misrepresents our literature, of course what knows the mass of the people about it, he who speaks the last wins it, and he who keeps on the longuest is of a surity the smartest. Ask the mass of the readers, ask them all, a very few excepted, their opinion of „a a disquisiton concerning the time of composing the accents etc” and they will tell you It is exellent! he is a man! he is right! down with orthodoxy! No my bretheren, be calm do not judge about things, which you do not understand, that is very unbecoming of men of good sense. I tell inform you, if Mr Calish, meant here that he wrote something worthy to be read by a man who knows something about that subject, he may be noble hearted, and a man of kind feelings, a thorough read man, but he knows nothing little of Hebrew litterature and not worthy to trust his ideas in those things. A friend of mine, a tolerable hebrew scholar, after having read that article asked my opinion about it. Upon which I repl answered, Mr N.... You must not look upon that article, as written for the learned, or as a final dicision of a thorough scholar of hebrew literature, But as mere opinions of a man who is biased and influenced by a kind of party spirit, which exist a few years in this country among the Israelites, and who among other things, carying on a system to remoddel the synagogual ceremonies and rites after a plan of the Lutheran churches in Germany. Mr Calish is a German, who has not had a great deal of opportunity to hear plain and correct hebrew reading and does not know wherein it consists, he is quite a foreigner in this department. And when I may trust a friend who heard him reading the prayers and the pentateuch with the required accents, then he himself does not understand that art. He reads the Hebrew, with the syriac pronounciation, which I have shewn to you on several occasions, is very absurd, and false and inconsisted with the Hebrew grammar, mostly all the german and is generally the majority of the isralites, know not to read otherwise and is disgusting to him whose ear is accustomed to those soft hebrew sounds * and as a german Hebrew scholar expresses himself Hebrew, it is a gross mistake which they will not correct. (*) Generally the philosophy of the Hebrew tongue is unknown among the most of
*Ben Leëb— (*) as a specimen may serve the majority of the Israelites know no difference between ב and ך. Hebrew and pronounced alike, To the Hebrew and Hebrew, Hebrew and some add Hebrew, Hebrew.

of the hebrews, even among those who claim to be hebrew scholars, hence that want of taste for what we call the arabic pronounciation and accentuation, which is the proper pronounciation, as near as can be, of the Hebrew tongue. To shew farther how less Mr Calish is competent to treat that subject, it is suficient, that he wishes to have it read, with the syriac pronounciation and in a tune or beter cadance wherein we read English, german or french verse. Verily this does not shew a great deal of taste for the hebrew tongue. Verily this does not shew a great deal of knowledge of the art of manner how the oriental tongues were read. To refute his remarks is useless, because Mr Calish knows very well himself, that he did not write for a learned community, it was not intended for an learned article to become discussed, but only to please the remaddllers? of synogogual ceremonies. Otherwise he would not have used such a sophistry. „For a learned man, and especially a teacher must surely know it, that etc, By this is confessedly proved etc” I say by this is confessedly proved nothing of the kind. Mr Calish does not know, that the language at that time was spoken according to the arabic dialect and not what we call according to the syriac dialect and that the arabic has in the structure of such words always the accent penultima either, Hebrew or Hebrew. Mr Calish takes it for granted that we have the real Septuagint, that shews he never has compared the Septuagint with the text as I and thousand others have, otherwise how can he make such a statement. I refer him to 1 Samuel the two first chapters. Or does he think because I refer him to this place that he is right on the pentateuch? I can refer him also to the pentateuch to more than one place, which he knows very well I only refer to Sam. because there it is more striking. Mr Calish ought to know that we find the accents mentioned is the Lahor, Adra etc that was as before the Mishnah, although he may say these passages are interpolated, his exposition of the 5 verses is not a true one. But Mr Calish says, as a man who does not know to write about such matters, „hence it is irrefutable proved” But what is the world, are these words of a calm

scholar? When I tell now Mr Calish that Moses taught the Israelits the accents, is irrefutable—namely what he did read to the Israelites must have here accompanied of the p. 180 common sense and the nature of that and other oriental tongues shew that clearly, that it is irrefutable proved, that Mr Calish knows nothing about the Hebrew, no more than simple school boy, perhaps less what is generally taught in the jewish schools, and that is really nothing, which he himself shews is his last note. Mr Calish has no idea what Hebrew means, he does not understand neither the Hebrew neither its figures, neither its powers has decidedly never studied the accents of the Psalms Job and proverbs, knows perhaps not their its names. Mr Calish think because he does not know, how they were used in reading and how they are a part of the language like the vowl point, which he has assailed at the same time, nobody can know anything about it. Mr Calish can not explain in what way they required different names, which are still existing he can not shew how they originated? Mr. Calish think he can treat that subject in two lines and then punctum?. No Dear Mr Calish it was not fair of you to hurt my feelings in such a degree, you ought to have thought, perhaps is there any one else who has gone investigated that subject as good as I have done let me hear what he has to say about it and let me not write against any sience, because I do not like it, and wish it to see abolished. O? you were wrong. Why are your opinions irrefutable? After calm reflection you could have found some refutation partly in the books you have quoted yourself, f. i. you quote Ihn Esra, who said Hebrew and amply by these authers and works Hebrew Mendelsohn, E. Levita, L. de Modena, Bandorf Vater, Ludevicus de Dien, Schultens, Schröder, de Wette in preface Hakktab Wehakbula Hebrew, by Kirchheim, in Hebrew, by Hebrew, in Arkwalti's Hebrew, in Hebrew in Hebrew, Kerder Philo. and many others.
I wish that they who write on such grave and learned subjects (of course de man does not see any beauty in it and will laugh at my preposterity for those subjects) would bear in mind that smatterings does not ble satisfy a student of Hebr. litterature. In conclusion I advice Mr Calish to instruct his bretheren among he resides to read the hebrew in its elegant original pronounciation and to abolish that miserable kind of dialect, wherein he now reads and to study the Hebrew with its simple cadances, without these no text can be read for an audience and I am assured much good would result, and perhaps peace will again come in Israel. Be not like the for with the grapes, and finally read Locke's essay „of the conduct of human understanding, articles, Bias, ideas, opinions, etc. and you will write against to your opponents with more dignity. As soon as I have leisure I will write somethings on the beauty of hebrew accents. Hebrew

Identifier

LSDCBx9FF16_11

Date

1859-02