Lecture 60. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated · Sabato Morais Digital Repository · Legacy Projects from Judaica DH at Penn Libraries

Title

Lecture 60. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated

Author

Morais, Sabato

Location(s)

United States -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

United States -- Pennsylvania

Format

10 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/p3td9nt0m/manifest.json

Link to Colenda

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3td9nt0m

Provenance

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

Is Format Of

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/judaicadh/morais/main/TEI/SMBx12FF5_17.xml

content

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

Post Biblical
60.

Chasdaï Kreskas, whose name I had occasion to men--tion in connection with the principal work of Gersonides, which work he severely criticised, sprung from an illustrious noble stock. family Among his ancestors, he reckoned Abraham Hasdaï, to whose facile pen and poetical vein we owe the book, Ben Ha-Melch Ve-hannazir, "the king's son and his mentor,"--an excellent production, contrasting royalty that weilds a sceptre to strike down the powerless with the rule of an enlightened and beneficent Prince. I incline to differ with some who deny to Abraham Hasdaï the authorship of that book and attribute to him simply the merit of a translation. That as a great Arab--ist he rendered into flowing Hebrew a number of valuable writings by Jews and by Mohammedans, is true, but Ben Ha-Melch Ve-hannazir bears the stamp of original--ity in the holy tongue. Like that illustrious pre--decessor of his, Hasdaï Kreskas was born and lived long in Barcelona. Later in life, towards the close sixth decade of the XIVth century, he was chosen Rabbi of the Hebrew Congregations at Saragossa, where his re--putation-nown for learning extended far and wide. It is even related that the reigning Monarch advised

So very much was he esteemed for his learning, erudition, that high officials at the court of John I, asked him to write a book on morals and science and morals, which he agreed to prepare and which he satisfactorily com--posed in the Spanish language. It is even related that the King himself advised with Kreskas upon matters regarding the government, but whether that and less probable credible statements be real, or ought to be relegated to the domains of the legendary, certain it is that the Saragossa Rabbi enjoyed a vast reputation among his brethren in faith to whom he ministered. And here I may say, what perhaps has never occurred to me to tell before; I mean, that the Rabbinate was not then a source of revenue to its professors. Acting on the Talmudical principle, that as we were taught Divine laws gratuitously, so must we impart them without compensation [Hebrew], our religious guides served the Jewish community every--where for nothing. However: In Spain and Portugal, during the middle ages, the knowledge of medicine procured the Rabbis a livelihood, for, they largely exercised the art of physicians and surgeons. The first that history reported to have broken through deviated from a universal rule and to have become a salaried officer in the Synagogue,

was Simon, or Simeon Duran. He had fled from Spain early in the XVth century and had settled in Algier, but he arrived there poor--his property having been confiscated--and his abilities, as a medical doctor, did not find the same scope among African Arabs as among the Moors in the peninsula, south west of peninsula of Europe. By reason of Upon that scene he justified the ac--ceptance of pay for a position, which his splendid attainments, as a scholar, highly dignified.
Kreskas found in Duran a determined antagonist, ready to defend his distant relative, Gersonides. For, as I have already stated, Hasdaï Kreskas arose energetically to combat the views of the author of Milchamoth Ha-shem, "the battles of the Lord". To that end, he projected a colossal work that should set aside of supersede all of Maimonides' gigatic works productions. That ambitious emanation of his thoughts mind he intend--ed to call Ner Mitzvah "A lamp to the command--ment". It should contain every subject explanatory of the ordinances of the Jewish religion and the sys--tem of Jewish philosophy. Whether his attempt was crowned with success, could not be now ascertained. For, only one portion of the vast undertaking reached

posterity. It bears the title of F Or Ha-shem "the light of the Lord." It is a very comprehensive intro--duction to the main work, Ner Mitzvah. Judging from what Kreskas has left behind, we may not hesitate to give him credit for depth of thought, originality and a complete familiarity with the writings of his predecessors. But truth compels the acknowledgment that he also occasionally mistook a will with the wisp for a heavenly light, and fell into philosophic errors, not less mislead--ing than those which he detected and censured in others.
However, I have made a brief reference to Hasdaï Kreskas, chiefly for the purpose of introducing his famous pupil. We may thank the teacher, who learnedly discussed the foundation and number of Jewish dogmas, for the inspiration which brought forth such a book as that wherewith Joseph Albo enriched Hebrew literature. Reserving for another time to speak of the contents of that production, I prefer to allude now to the personal services which that son of Israel rendered to Judaism, and show why I love him and wish that all may cherish his memory. Persons who are apt to look upon Spain of medieval ages as the paradise of Jews,

ought to pause and notice the not infrequent out--breaks against our people, both in the kingdom of Castile Lordoun[?] and that of Leon. Religious prejudices foment--ed by the Mosque and by the Church, forced some of our the worthiest ones among us, to take up the staff of pilgrim--age and wander abroad. But at times--I record it with unutterable shame--at times, rebels from our midst own fold, exposed us to imminent dan--gers. It was so in the XV century. An aposta--te Joshua La Rocca, who at his pubtism baptism assumed the name of Jerome de Santa Fé gained the favor of the rival Pope Benedict XIII residing then living at Avignon, and induced the Roman Pontiff to request King Ferdinand of Aragon to issue a royal mandate. Jews who enjoyed the highest reputation for their erudition, should be sent for, and at Tortosa they should hold a public con--troversy with him, who had given away the Unity to embrace the trinity. Joseph Albo of Monreal was known as a ripe scholar; and he was therefore selected among the number pointed out by the recreant Joshua La Rocca, as those whom he hoped to bring to public shame and confusion and disgrace. The challenge was accepted, but not with a light heart. The controversialists may have remembered the sorrows which a similar occasion had heaped upon Nachmanides.

In the present instance, the Pope presided and opened the session nearly in the following language: "Jews, ye that in olden times were God's chosen people, but who are now rejected because of your sin, be not backwards in this disputation. No harm shall befall you. Speak out your minds with courage. Jerome purposes to prove form your Talmud that the Messiah did come. You can judge best whether he is wide awake, or whether he is dreaming. Think over the matter and return to-morrow." So saying, he ordered that the messengers be properly housed and provided with such food as they could conscientiously partake of. The next day, Joseph Albo and his colleagues were taken aback on seeing the hall filled with Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops clothed in their official robes, and laymen of high standing among Roman Catholics, altogether counting nearly almost a thousand per--sons. Nevertheless, they to the defenders of our laws and traditions braced up, and jointly pronounced the Rab--binical benediction [Hebrew] "Blessed be He who has bestowed some of His glory upon mortal beings." The Pope began: "Jewish Rab--bins know for sure that I did not send for you

to enquire ascertain which of the two religions be true. I am convinced that mine is the correct belief, and that yours was so once, but that it is no longer so. But Now, Jerome de Santa Fé, wants to quote your superiors, the Talmudists, to prove, from their own statement, that the Messiah has come. Confine your remarks therefore to that point. Let Jerome open the con-troversy." Unique was that polemics, unique because of the length of time it lasted; unique by rea--sons of the number of distinguished scholars engaged in it, and unique through the artful strokes on one side, the clever parrying of the blows on the other. Repeatedly Joseph Albo stood the brunt of the battle, resolved to floor and crush the miscreant Joshua La Rocca. Gladly would that champion of ours and his faithful eminent associates have with--drawn from a distasteful dispute, but they were forcibly dragged into it and continued in it to the last very end. The event has been recorded by Solomon Ben Verga in his Shebet Yehudah. From that interesting Hebrew history of our people's sufferings, we learn that sixty eight meetings were held, during twenty twenty one months. The miscreant Jerome de Santa Fé imagined that he could intimidate our faithful

representatives by such sentences as partly quoted from our prophets: "Come ye now and let us reason together"....but if you refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured by the sword." The Pope also, notwithstanding his promise of calm impartiality, grew angry when baffled in the hope to entrap our men in the net spread out to catch their souls. But Joseph Albo, having borne a great mental strain in rebutting the subtle arguments of the apostate, when home again, feared the consequences of the long protracted controversy. He left Monreal and all his its associations and settled in Soria. There he sought rest, and there he produced the work which gave him immortality and us valuable instruction. Of that book I shall speak in my next lecture of the series.

Identifier

p3td9nt0m

identifier

SMBx12FF5_17