Letter from Jonas Bondi to Isaac Leeser;May 21, 1863 · Isaac Leeser Digital Repository · Legacy Projects from Judaica DH at Penn Libraries

Title

Letter from Jonas Bondi to Isaac Leeser;May 21, 1863

Author

Jonas Bondi

Contributor

Isaac Leeser

Date Created

21 May 1863

Location(s)

New York City

Philadelphia

Format

Letter. 3 page(s) on 2 sheet(s).

Letter

Type

Letter

Language(s)

English

Has Format

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p32z1392w/manifest.json

Link to Colenda

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p32z1392w

Physical Characteristics

Lined Paper

Manuscript

Is Part Of

The Dropsie College Isaac Leeser Collection at the Penn Libraries

content

Tuesday, Rosh Hodesh Sivan(May), 1863.
Peace and all that is good, forever:
If some cure were found for my weak nerves, my low spirits, and for my bitter feelings, it would be a letter from you, you, an appointed officer and honored in your place. But when you begin to complain even more what shall I say ? Unfortunately, you have no insight.
I am very grateful to you for your frankness when you say that Pappe is my friend. I did not expect anything else. Not because of my mitzvoth, nor because of my situation, but a learned man like me is revolted by such pseudo-learning. Unfortunately, this type of Cnazan constitutes the majority of conservative Ju-daism. Orthodoxy is an artificial, a Jesuitical thing. I am proud to say that I spurn orthodoxy, for I want the true Judaism, such as our sages have received and transmitted through the Oral Law, and such as our children should receive, as I said last Sun-day at a meeting for the establishment of a Sunday school. You must admit that through the work of such people, who do nothing for the education of the children, must have as a result that Judaism will die with us. Will Pappe's children know anything about a Tal-mud? Will they know what the mitzvoth from the Torah are? Or mitzvoth of the rabbis? Is it not a great, brazenness on the part of sucha man to rely purely upon customs and to stick his head be-tween hills and mountains while the learned and righteous people of the world in Germany are astonished at my work? Does he under-stand anything, even with regard to ordinary meanings of the Talmud, the Mishnah, idol-worship? Yes, I consider myself among those about whom our sages, may their memory be for a blessing, said, “All that a good student is destined to being forth as a novelty, etc.” I insist upon holding on to the old, but in order to save something from the shipwreck which may at all possibly be saved, I shall, if

necessary, always go as far as our Shulchan Aruch and Maimonides go. That is the boundary, As far as which I, as a learned man who under-stands to read between the lines, must follow with his spirit. That is self-evident. I tell you if nothing happens for Conservative Ju-daism, everything is lost, and all, except those who now life in fear of eternal punishment, will go over to the camp of the enemy. Inside the synagogue, they want to be called pious. Inside their houses, they eat trefah and violate the Sabbath. Here it is a terrible thing to see. Unfortunately, people do not understand how to “increase the Torah and glorify it”. You, too, refused to understand how to proceed with wisdom and intelligence. If you do understand how to accomplish much, it does not seem to be on the practical side. Unfortunately, the statement of the great Rabba is not sufficiently well-known. “He who forgoes his own qualities, all his sins are removed.”
When people who do not know the words of our sages, mis-take the unessential for the essential„ I do not hold it against them. They know no better. It is preferable that they should hold on to the unessential in order that he essential should not be forgotten. But when one sees that the important ones of Israel throw the Torah overboard and maintain silly customs only for the sake of gain, only to act hypocritically, then one must weep for the destruction of our holy Torah. These people do not know and do not understand what it means, “Desecrate one Sabbath in order that you may be able to observe many Sabbaths”. I can tell you for your own satisfaction, you, the Portuguese who has cast aside the comments of Rabbi Moses Isserlein (RaMA) which are holy to me, that in my small community, Emunei Israel, I have had recited the counting of the Omer.... on the other hand, I insist that there be no idle conversation, no business talk, and such like.
I will not say about myself that I have a fuller insight

2.
in the learning that God granted me. I say “The fear of thy teacher, etc.” “The Torah of my teachers and my superiors” — “The fear of heaven” — “A man's livelihood is set for him”. And so I trust in God and must complain that a man like you who is known as a God-fearing man should have so little influence. I may be writing to a good friend and I ex-pect that you will deal kindly with me... but it is not possible to remain inactive.
I should like you to send this letter to Jacob Friedman, the Mohel. You will receive through the post either one set of holi-day prayer books or ??. The house is easy to find. Pappe knows it.
Your servant ready to serve you,
Jonah of the house of Bondi
I am adding a report about the meeting for the Sunday school. Please publish it

Rev. Isaac Leeser
Philadelphia
Penn
1227. Walnut St

Identifier

LSDCBx3FF4a_1

Date

1863-05-21