[Avodah] RSRH on Golus

Micha Berger micha at aishdas.org
Fri Apr 20 11:40:44 PDT 2012


On Fri, Apr 20, 2012 at 01:00:54PM -0400, Prof. Levine wrote:
> There has been considerable discussion on Areivim about living in Golus 
> and the role of Jews in Golus.  In light of this,  I have posted the 
> ninth letter from RSRH's The Nineteen Letters About Judaism at 
> http://www.stevens.edu/golem/llevine/rsrh/ninth_letter.pdf .   It deals 
> in detail with Golus.

Or <http://books.google.com/books?id=q02JxKxj5jQC&pg=PA79#v=onepage>
for the Ninth Letter in R' Dr Bernard Drachman's 1899 edition. It
suffers in readability both due to 113 years of language drift and
because RDBD stayed very close to the German original. (That link
is to a full free and legal e-copy of the book.)

As I wrote on Areivim before seing that RYL took the discussion here...

RSRH was anti-Zionist. We don't know if his reasoning applied to
post-1948 realities would yeild different results or not. It's an
untestable hypothetical.

RSRH would have us take the culture of Yefes and bring it into ohalei
Sheim. Perhaps retreating to our own country before the final ge'ulah is
a bad idea, as it doesn't bring the yaft E-lokim leYefes to the service
of ohalei Shaim. I don't know. I wouldn't take it for granted.


The chapter ends with a long quote from Yeshaiah, but before that:

    If in the midst of a world which reveres wealth and lust it should
    live a tranquil life of righteousness and love if while everywhere
    the generation is rapidly sinking into sensuality and immorality
    Israel's sons and daughters should bloom forth in the best adornment
    of youth purity and innocence if though everywhere the habitations of
    men should cease to be the orchards in which are grown human fruit
    pleasing in the sight of God and man every Israelitish house should
    nevertheless be a temple of true faith in God of reverence and love
    for Him if though everywhere avarice lust and greed should become the
    motives of human actions every Jew should still in despite thereof be
    a silent example and teacher of universal righteousness and universal
    love if thus the dispersed of Israel should show themselves everywhere
    on earth the glorious priests of God and pure humanity O my Benjamin
    if we were if we would become what we should be if our lives were a
    perfect reflection of our law what a mighty engine we would constitute
    for propelling mankind to the final goal of all human education More
    quietly but more forcefully and profoundly would it effect mankind
    than even our tragical record of sorrows powerfully though this
    latter teaches the intervention of providence in human affairs.

    In the centuries of passion and scorn our mission was but imperfectly
    attainable but the ages of mildness and justice now begun beckon
    us to that glorious goal that every Jew and every Jewess should be
    in his or her own life a modest and unassuming priest or priestess
    of God and true humanity When such an ideal and such a mission
    await us can we still my Benjamin lament our fate?

Perhaps RSRH would say that until mashiach, we priests need to continue
mingling with our flock?

:-)BBii!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Today is the 13th day, which is
micha at aishdas.org        1 week and 6 days in/toward the omer.
http://www.aishdas.org   Yesod sheb'Gevurah: To what extent is judgment
Fax: (270) 514-1507                   necessary for a good relationship?



More information about the Avodah mailing list