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<font size=3>At 03:36 PM 3/25/2014, Arie Folger wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">RPr.LL wrote:<br>
> Rav Schwab did not distance himself from RSRH's talk marking
the<br>
> 100 anniversary of Schiller's birth.<br><br>
Actually, he did. This is from an essay of mine published in a
Festschrift in Switzerland a couple of years ago. <br><br>
However, R. Schwab, pondering the contrast between the high esteem in
which Jews held <br>
German culture and the German barbarity during the Nazi period, concludes
that, after the <br>
Holocaust:<br><br>
"Let us admit it. Our grandparents subscribed to an illusion – an
imaginary faithh in the <br>
civilizing result of a liberal education encompassing art, poetry, music,
and theater. It was <br>
thought that man's inhumanity to man was a matter of the deep, dark past.
Some still did <br>
not awaken from this vision until the smoke began to rise from the
burning shuls and <br>
sefarim, and until this illusory silence was broken by the shattering of
windows [during <br>
Kristalnacht ÂÂ AF] and the screaming of frightened children in the
night. ... Should <br>
someone tell you of knowledge, of science, of wisdom among the nations –
believe him. But <br>
if he tells you of Torah among them – don't believe him.<br>
True – there is science, technology, law, medicine, political sccience,
history, languages, <br>
psychology et al. Our tradtion of Torah 'im Derekh Eretz applies to that
too ... we respect <br>
the accomplishments of science and most areas of human knowledge. ... We
do not extend <br>
Torah 'im Derekh Eretz to include philosophy, ethics, morality and
humanism. The <br>
teaching of what is right and wrong, what is noble and ignoble, what is
decent and <br>
indecent, this is not in the realm of the umot ha'olam (nations of the
world). ... No longer <br>
are we going to seek our Schiller to teach us about humanity. It no
longer interests us.31"<br><br>
Note 31 reads: 1 R. Shimon Schwab, “Kristalnacht: A Historical
Perspective” in “Selected Writings” (New Jersey, 1988), pgs.
81Â-87.<br><br>
<br>
You may download the entire essay here:
<a href="http://ariefolger.wordpress.com/2014/03/25/culture-a-foundation-for-torah/">
http://ariefolger.wordpress.com/2014/03/25/culture-a-foundation-for-torah/</a>
<br>
</blockquote><br>
I am aware of his essay. <br><br>
I think it is more accurate to say that he distanced himself from the
high esteem in which German Jews held German culture. He did not
distance himself from RSRH's Schiller talk. If he had distanced himself
from RSRH's Schiller talk, then why was he in favor of this
talk being included in the Collected Writings of RSRH. Others were
not, and it was left out when the original 8 volumes were
published. However, this talk is now included in volume 9 which
appeared recently.<br><br>
YL</font></body>
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