Letter from Felsenthal, B. to Morais, Sabato. Chicago, IL; Dec 1884
- Title
- Letter from Felsenthal, B. to Morais, Sabato. Chicago, IL; Dec 1884
- Date Created
- 1 December 1884
- Format
- 4 pages on 1 sheet
- Language(s)
- English
- Source
- Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies
- Sabato Morais Collection, Box 3, Folder 9
- Has Format
- https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p3vq2sw1d/manifest.json
- Link to Colenda
- https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3vq2sw1d
- Provenance
- Transfer of Custody from the Hebrew Education Society, 10 March 1913.
- Is Format Of
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/judaicadh/morais/main/TEI/SMBx3FF9_21.xml
- content
-
237 S. Desplaines St.
Chicago, Decbr 1. 1884.
Rev. S. Morais,
Philadelphia
Dear Sir:--
A few minutes ago the letter carrier delivered to me a letter which caused me delight and shame at the same time. If I may use an "Irish bull", I can say that this letter was no letter at all. It was but an enveloppe containing a slip from the Philada "Daily Record", and nothing else; but the direction on this enveloppe was written by you, dear and most esteemed Rabbi S. Morais! If I say now that this "letter" gave me delight, it was because it came from you, and I thought, How kind is this gentleman to think of me and to send me a slip from a Phila paper wherein my name is mentioned and how noble hearted a man must he be, as by this act, seemingly so small and insignificant, he proves that it is a joy to him to cause joy to others!
But I said above also that a sense of shame was at the same time awakened within me by your letter. For it was a reminder that I had neglected
to acknowledge receipt of your postal card which you mailed to me 10 or 12 days ago. Please excuse! Please don't consider me rude and unrespectful! I might, as mitigating circumstances, mention that the contents of your recent postal required no par-ticular answer; I might further say that I was not well,-- and this is indeed so, for I am a chronic sufferer since many years under a form a sickness which often returns and which, whenever it comes, makes me almost unable to lift up my hand or to collect my thoughts. [Hebrew]
I have learned from the slip you have sent to me that my few remarks on Wise[?], in the last num-ber of the "Old Test. Student", have been noticed by a gentleman in your city. Some additional remarks on the same subject the next issue of the "O.T. Student" will contain. But I have also seen that the writer in the "Daily Record" refers to an article of you on the same matter. I am almost sure that you agree with me in my remarks, though I had not the pleasure of seeing your article.
In order not to send away this letter so very empty, permit me to add something else. You know that at least among the German and Polish Jews the name [Hebrew] has become the proverb-ial designation for a person who has ill luck in everything he undertakes. I don't know whether this name is used in the same sense among Italian or other Sephardic Jews. Since a German poet (Chamisso) wrote his novel "Peter Schlemihl", the word has even become a household word among the Germans in general. Now I was of the opinion that as a real proper noun the name was never borne by any one since the days of Ben Tzurishaddai, at least that it is totally unusual since biblical times. I was therefore a little surprised when I learned that among Italian Israelites the name [Hebrew] occurs then and now. In Lampronte's[?] [Hebrew], in the volume containing [Hebrew], I found on page 40a, line 14 from below, the name [Hebrew] in a legal document published there. Have you been aware from personal knowledge that in Italy still this name is in use?
I know it is very well that in this regard Italy quite
differs from Germany; that names are there in use not heared at all in Germany, and vice versa. So I know that in the beginning of the 18. century there was an [Hebrew] in Mantova whose name was [Hebrew]-- a name almost unthinkable to a German or Polish Israelite—and this [Hebrew] was the [Hebrew]. So did [ Hebrew] call his first born son—who died, alas! too early—by the unusual name [Hebrew] (Philogenos). Is it not customary in your native country to give children the names of dear departed relatives?
Let me conclude now. I am perfectly satisfied if you consider the foregoing " talk" as a sign that it is a sincere pleasure to me to have sometimes the honor of addressing myself to the venerable and venerated Rabbi of the Mikve Israel Congregation in Philadelphia,
With sincerest regards
yours very respectfully
B. Felsenthal - Identifier
- p3vq2sw1d
- identifier
- SMBx3FF9_21
Part of Letter from Felsenthal, B. to Morais, Sabato. Chicago, IL; Dec 1884
Felsenthal, B. and Morais, Sabato, “Letter from Felsenthal, B. to Morais, Sabato. Chicago, IL; Dec 1884”, Sabato Morais Digital Repository, accessed October 18, 2024, https://judaicadhpenn.org/legacyprojects/s/morais/item/86344