Lecture 56. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated · Sabato Morais Digital Repository · Legacy Projects from Judaica DH at Penn Libraries

Title

Lecture 56. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated

Author

Morais, Sabato

Location(s)

United States -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

United States -- Pennsylvania

Format

11 pages on 4 sheets

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?

Language(s)

English

Source

Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies

Sabato Morais Collection, Box 12, Folder 5

Has Format

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p3vd6pp9r/manifest.json

Link to Colenda

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3vd6pp9r

Provenance

Transfer of Custody from the Hebrew Education Society, 10 March 1913.

Is Format Of

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/judaicadh/morais/main/TEI/SMBx12FF5_13.xml

content

S. MORAIS,
546 N. FIFTH STREET.
PHILADELPHIA, 189

Post Biblical
56

The biographical sketch of Solomon Ben Addereth of Barcelona the Spanish Rabbi of whose life-work I spoke last--in the course of my Post Biblical lectures, requires a supplement and I shall present it this day morning. Among the worldly learned of his time, a degree of restiveness at religious rules was being manifested in Spain of the middle ages. Not unlike in our own days, Jewish men talked inconsiderately about the uselessness of ritualism. This One would say: "It Surely it is not necessary to place some scriptural sentences against our door-posts, in order to be reminded of God's absolute Unity. Our reason shows that a division of power, implies insufficiency in some, who have a share in that power, to act singly, whereas harmony in nature proclaims the Creator All-mighty. Another would tell sophistically argue that we can better raise our soul to a higher plane, best by con--sidering its wonderful faculties and not than by remain--ing inactive upon the seventh day. A third would allegorize and declare that the prohibition to kindle fire upon the Sabbath, was meant simply as a warning against stirring up the fire of contention;

while not a few, following the system of Philo the Alexandrian, tried to explain every thing in the Pentateuch,--history, doctrines and ordinances--, as types and figures, suitably to a fantastic philosophy then in vogue and not yet extinct yet altogether. It is easily seen perceived that by such a procedure, Ju--daism would be reduced to a shadow. Stripped of ceremonialism, which which is designed to keeps the spirit thereof alive ever present in the minds of its votaries, all abstract ideas, advanced by theorists, could never preserve the religion of Moses alive among the disciples of the archprophet. Indeed, it was this over philo--sophising itching of our Hellenistic brethren, that finally estranged them from our God and people.
Ben Addereth foresaw at a glance the inevitable outcome of a growing indifference to the precepts, still he hesitated to exert himself in a manner that might he conceived probable likely to hold back the treatening evil. At one time, conscious of the influence of his name, he inclined to put under ban all books, apt to under militate -mine against the conservation of the faith. At another, he resolved to forbid young persons from reading books on philosophy.

Again, fearing such a study, he sought to prohibit it more generally still. This mind-wavering of the Barcelona Rabbi Sage, was not calculated to strength--en orthodoxy, but it had a cause, and that cause deserves respect. Like his illustrious preceptor, Moses Nachmanides, he Ben Addereth feared to offend the memory of the greatest Rabbi that Spain produced. Had not Maimonides penned volumes upon philosophy, logic and metaphysics? Was it fit for that a Barce--lona Rabbi should indirectly even to declare, then writings left by the famous Cordovan, dangerous and unholy? Ben Addereth shrunk from what he deemed a reflection on the character of his illustrious celebrated predecessor. But while he was thus a prey to conflicting thoughts, a great scholar, hailing from Germany arrived in Spain. Asher Ben Jechiel, like the bulk of his Jewish countrymen, had known Moses Ben Maimon only as a Talmudist of unsurpassed abilities. He felt scandalized on learning that the author of a most exhaustive work on ritual laws, had made

Aristotle, Avicenna and Arderoes subjects of deep meditations. He experienced no hesitancy in urging Ben Addereth jointly to launch an anathema against books that diverted the minds of Hebrew youths from the written and oral Law. In Ger--many, he had been an eye witness of the love and devotion of Rabbinists to the cause of Israel, and for that alone would he labor. His The brightest illustration of devotion to the faithful, was that set by his own teacher. Meir of Rottenberg had preferred to die in a dungeon and lie unburied, to having his congregation ex--posed to the rapacity of a brutal populace, that demanded exorbitant sums as the prize of his deliverance. In Germany, he Asher had seen the what sore trials which tested the unflagging attachment of Jews to Juda--ism. For, the antisemitism of Germany, which now takes the shape of calumny to make as odious and to socially to ostracise us, in the middle of the thirteenth century, when Asher Ben Jechiel lived, had recourse to plunder and murder, in order to gain its iniquitous purposes. I belive that our brethren of the Ashkenazic ritual have a record of martyrs hewn down unmercifully by the axe of the

gallant "Knights of the Cross," who sped on to the conquest of the "Holy Sepulchre," through rivers of innocent blood,--the blood of thousands who refused to turn traitors to their fathers' belief creed. The pupil of Meir of Rottenburg, as Pastor of a large commun--ity, trembled at the sword which hung on over the head of his flock. Fain, would he have jeopardised his existence to save that of his people, but unable it did not lie in his power to work out salvation. To avert the imminent peril fate of his teacher and predecessor, he fled with his wife and their eight sons. They wandered together from city to city, in search of safety. They reached Italy, but feared to remain, lest they be extradited, for were they not, forsooth, fugitives from royal justice, and did not then a German emperor side with the Italian Ghibellins to win a kingdom? Parents and children travelled further journeyed further in their self-imposed exile, and inclined to settle in South France, but Asher may must have heard of the fame of Ben Addereth. He would visit the renowned Tal--mudist in his home. At Barcelona, the two kindred spirits may have counselled together and planned a method, then prevailing, to hinder the spread of a learning, which they considered hurtful to Judaism. The excomu--nication went forth. None shall dare study Greek science and Greek philosophy, who has not reached at least his

twenty fifth year, and that rule shall be enforced during the next half a century. But beyond Barcelona, and possibly Toledo, the harsh mea-sure does not seem to have gained a foothold. In Spain, in Italy and in South France, lovers of general learning wide culture arose to antagonise the anathema. In the last named country especially, science and philosophy found a vigorous defender in a youth, master of an incisive style. Jedajah Happenini of Bezier, wrote with a wonderfully facile pen. He made more than one stroke of that pen cut the knot with which some a well meaning but mistaken piety, would tie up the wheel of progressive studies. That French Jew pleaded with his Spanish contemporary senior of Spain in behalf of unrestricted knowledge. In his unbounded admiration for Mai--monides, he so concluded his book called "Investigations into the world" Oh "O my mind, shape thy course in every direction, after that which Moses son of Maimon has indicated. For the last was he, yet the greatest among the School of Gaonic teachers; incomparable since the closing of the Talmud. By doing thus, ye thou wilt

discover the secrets of science and religion, and learn to fear the Lord God." Ben Addereth may have felt some a qualm of conscience, when addressed by a forcible opponent reasoner. Not so Asher Ben Jechiel, for to a contemporary fond of metaphysics, he said: "We are not learned in your kind of logic, thank God for it, be--cause experience has demonstrated that it robs us of the fear of the Lord." It would be an error, however, to suppose that he who spoke so deprecatingly of logic, was illogical in his writings. On the con--trary, he largely possessed the qualities which con--stitute a clear sighted headed, even minded author. For the German Rabbi having taken up his residence in Toledo as ecclesiastical chief, disseminated knowledge by productions evening of vast erudition and systematic--cally designed and laid lucidly laid out. They are principally Talmudical, but invaluable, as aids to the understanding of decisions arrived at by the Sages in their varied discussions. A Remarkable [?] incident is that which shows the traits which distinguishing the father, were inherited by to be reflected in the life of each of his numerous children. None can too highly estimate the mental strength of the eight sons of our Asher. For they excelled in several departments of Biblical, and Talmudical and Cabbalistic lore.

Most notable was the third son, Jacob, who has left behind the obvious luminous proofs of splendid his capacities in the [Hebrew] At the beginning of or "Four rows" Early in the present century, a scho--larly Christian, the possessor owner of rare works, donated to the Turin royal library more than one thousand volumes, some printed, others in manuscript. Among the latter, were found seventy six Hebrew epitaphs, which an ancient traveller had copied from tomb stones in a burial ground at Toledo, in Spain. Published in Prague fifty years ago, at the instance of the untiring Professor Luzzatto, I was enabled privileged to read those inscriptions, as they stood over upward of five hundred years ago, upon the tombstones graves of Asher Ben Jechiel, of some of his children, grand-children and respective wives. The elegists did not indulge in exag--gerations, when bestowing on the distinguished dead the tribute due to sterling piety and exceptional activity in the field of religious knowledge. And if the report be true, that during an outbreak in the kingdom of Navarre, several of that prominent family sanctified the name of Israel's God by suffering martyrdom, we must hold the memory of those saintly beings in the deepest veneration.

I may not inopportunely, I think, conclude this sketch, by quoting a few of the sentiments in Asher Ben Jechiels last will. Let them serve as a clear demonstration that strict orthodoxy and liberal views can be and are closely allied. The following I have read the following among other recommendations of the father to his children: "Be heartily sincere and true with every body; with those even who do not belong to our religion...show a courteous demeanour to all....Be heedful not to excite to anger a person of another belief.... Do not speak evil of any person; mock and vilify no human being...If one addresses you un--becomingly, give no rude answer...Put none to shame; do not abuse the powers you may possess... Never cease to make friends; avoid making a single enemy....Be the first to greet your neighbors; be they the adherents of any faith.... Make not gold the main object of your exist--ence, for that longing is idol worship--a heathen religion"

Identifier

p3vd6pp9r

identifier

SMBx12FF5_13