Yeshiva University - Masmid Yearbook (New York, NY)

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12 M ASMID Jewry. His former opponents did penance for their sins. Jews flocked from all lands to see the new Messiah. Women and chil- dren, men and boys recited the Zohar in the streets. The Christian world looked on with silent amazement and hushed expectation. Jewish business was neglected and every- where people were selling their lands and pro- perty in preparation for the awaited trip to Palestine. The printing presses of Amster- dam could not keep pace with the demands for the new prayer books which were adorned with cuts of Sabbatai and King David. The frenzy gripped the most sceptical. All over, Jews went wild with the joy of the antici- pated redemption. Comet-like this great burst of flame de- scended below the horizon, and disillusion- ment took the place of former ecstasy. Yield- ing to force, Sabbatai turned to Mohammed- anism, married a Turkish wife and took many of his followers with him into the folds of Islam. Many continued to adhere to the fiction and others, still under the in- fluence of the furor of the times, were easy prey for the several imposters who followed in his path. The question now arises, what has become of the Messianic idea in our own day? All those forces which resulted in speculation yes- terday, have almost ceased to exist today. Those same factors which subordinated the spirit of our people, and magnified the degree of their gullibility have also gradually faded. The hope for a supernatural emancipation has almost disappeared, and in its place has arisen a destructive scepticism which denies even the likelihood of a miraculous redemp- tion. Very few Jews of today would put faith in a date forecast on the basis of Ge- matria. The drift from the supernatural is peculiar to all religions in our modern age and is not confined to our own. Yet release from these supposed bonds of supernatural- ism by modernistic tendencies has not de- stroyed the innate human belief in a higher power beyond the extremes of human reach. There always remains in the most material of beings that natural attraction toward the supernatural, which is the source of all reli- gion and all faith. No industrial, economic, or political revolution can alter the charac- teristics of the human heart and though cer- tain feelings may be relegated to the field of superstition, and as such supposedly discard- ed, nevertheless their roots are never de- stroyed, and only the proper iformula is needed for their resurrection. The Messianic hope still lives, deep down in the hearts of the Jewish people. Its mani- festations have gradually receded into the past... It lives in that halo of legend and story bound up with every struggle and every outcry of our people. It still lives in the hearts of our oppressed, and it lives in the memory of those who were witness to the horrible massacres of our people on the other side of the water. It lives as an ever- lasting monument to the highest ideal of pa- tience and faith, ever exhibited in the annals of history. It lives as the beginning and as the ending, the root and essence, the apotheosis and epitome of the spiritual idealism of the Jew.

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M A S M I D 11 In the hurly burly rush of modern times we cannot sense the mystic in Hfe, we cannot feel that contact with some divine spirit, that ecstatic liberation of the soul from earthly bonds and its soaring aloft in the realms of heaven. We are too preoccupied with mater- ial pursuits and mercenary efforts. To under- stand, then, the motives, the feelings of these men, the representatives of a race oppressed on all sides, we must remove them from the spot- light of modern times, and take ou rselves back to the slow-moving world of yesterday. And in so doing we can better understand the next phase of our subject — the Pseudo-Mes- siahs — and the readiness of great masses of Jews to follow a leader to the Promised Land and freedom. One of the earliest of this long list, a man named Moses, appeared in Crete about the middle of the 5th century and won a large following among the Jews. He indicated a date for general departure to Jerusalem, and on the assigned day he led them to a cliff overlooking the sea and ordered them to hurl themselves into the waves, with the hope of God ' s parting the waters. It is said that many perished in consequence of this misplaced faith. One of the most spectacular of the Pseudo- Messiahs was David Alroy who appeared about 1147 during the Second Crusade. He was an adventurer, a magician, and a war- rior, and gained a large following. Most of the stories told of him are legendary. The movement he set in motion resulted in his own death, and considerable persecution to the Jewish community of Bagdad. David Reubeni was a most extraordinary man, and combined within himself the at- tributes of patience, faith, and diplomacy. He came out of the East with a message of hope for all Jewry. He travelled over Europe and Asia recounting wonderful tales of a Jew- ish king who had under his command 300.000 men ready to march on Jerusalem. Although at first he made no pretensions to Messiahship, he gradually donned the cloak and gamed a great army of followers. Among these supporters was a young Maranno. Diogo Pires, elevated in the higher strata of society, who gave up his life and future, adopted Judaism as his religion, took the name of Solomon Molcho, plunged into the myste- ries of the Kabbala, travelled about preach- ing the advent of the Messiah, and designat- ing Reubeni as the Chosen One of the Lord. Reubeni himself treated him coldly, in the beginning, but the youth, unrestrained, con- tinued his studies and preachments. After many setbacks in their effort to gain support in capturing Palestine, Moicho and Reubeni pleaded their case together before Charles V. However they were imprisoned, the proselyte Molcho being burned by the Inquisition, and Reubeni incarcerated and later, it is thought, he was poisoned. What Reubeni lacked in enthusiasm. Molcho supplemented in fervor and faith in his mission. Reubeni was pa- tient and practical, and though steeped in mysticism, yet acclaimed in his time by many non-Kabbalists. The best-known of all the Pseudo-Mes- siahs is Sabbatai Zevi. While still a youth, he began to gain the attention of the Jews of Smyrna by his pleasing appearance, his secluded mode of life, and his ascetic habits. He delved into the mysteries of the Kabbala and gained admiration from many for his erudition and proficiency, a circumstance which turned his head. At the age of 22 in the year 1648, that epic year forecast in the Zohar as the Messianic year, Sabbatai revealed himself to his disciples as the redeemer of Israel. For violating the Talmudic dictum against pronouncing the ineffable name of God, he and his followers were excommuni- cated, and later banished from Smyrna. This persecution merely helped to strengthen his belief in his mission, and he assumed the at- titude that he had to undergo certain hard- ships before attaining recognition. After several years of wandering he came to Salo- nica. one of the centres of Kabbala. Here he continued his operations, and by means of several publicity stunts, seemingly leaguing himself with divine powers, he gained great support from many Jews. He took up his residence in Jerusalem where he awaited heavenly confirmation of his Messiahship. Such recognition not being forthcoming, he returned to Smyrna where he was accepted with open arms, the ban of excommunication being entirely forgotten, and with great fest- ivity and blowing of the shofar he announced himself Messiah, son of David. The excite- ment caused by this event spread through all

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M ASM I D 13 Child Lif e By Eli Levine SCHMULIKEL was lying huddled up in his easy bed, staring into the dis- tance through the open window. The moonlight, cast into patterns by the leaves and twigs of the large tree that stood in front of the house, flooded the small, neatly-ar- ranged bedroom. Schmulikel made a mo- mentous and important decision. As he reached his resolve, the Cheder, the creaking table with the high benches beside it, the faces of his classmates, and the grim counte- nance of the all-powerful Rebe, arose as clear images in his mind. The Rebe is a learned man — he knows everything — is a little bent, his small beard is turning grey right under the chin, and there are numerous wrinkles around his eyes and the corners of his large mouth. But the Rebe ' s pretty, black-eyed Susanna with her smiling mischievous face set in behind the jet black locks of her small curly head, makes up for her father ' s severity. Susanna often peeps in through the door, glances at the boys and sometimes at him only — at least he thinks so — smiles shrewdly and then quickly dis- appears into the garden, behind the house. Schmulikel ' s thoughts turned to the Rebe and his stringent warning made that after- noon to the two rows of his timid Talmid- im: Woe to him who stays away from Cheder on Lag B ' Omer. The students lis- tened painfully to his ringing voice and turned away their heads. Although Schmu- likel had ample reason to be convinced of the Rebe ' s determination, he could not resign himself to the idea. For weeks he had been preparing his small troop for the Champion- ship battle with the Yankel Select Eleven. While Schmulikel was thus meditating, a gentle breeze began to sway the tree in front of the window. The objects in the room be- gan to dance in the alternating light and shadow. Now, he made out a cat ... a dog . . . elves and sheidim marching straight at him. He pulled the coverlet over his head. There was a valley behind the pillow . . . the valley was infinitely deep and full of a variety of colors ... it began to shift and sway . . . Schmulikel became dizzy . . . vague forms ap- peared before him . . . the Rebe . . . Yan- kel .. . Susanna . . . curly hair . . . war in the forest . . . glory . . . and finally Susanna again. He finally fell into a sound sleep. The rays of the morning sun were already streaming in through the window when Schmulikel began to stir. He heard his name called and recognized the voice of Shmerel, his lieutenant. I ' ll be right out shouted Schmulikel. In a few moments he was outside, where his group of soldiers were eagerly awaiting him. Attention! called Schmulikel. About face! Forward march! Schmulikel ' s house was at the town line so that his light brigade was soon out in the fields. At about noon Schmulikel gave the com- mand to halt, for they had reached the woods. The forest was a grand scene. The sturdy oaks and the white birches were fully decked in their shining green vestments that became them so well, while the slender chestnuts, straining upward in all their glory of young life, were fanned by a gentle breeze. Into the woods, and let ' s pick berries! rang Schmulikel ' s voice. With a jubilant cry of Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hurrah! the boys spread out among the bushes and were soon deeply engrossed in their work. In another part of the forest, not far away, Yankel ' s men were similarly occupied. His men had arrived earlier and they had almost filled the jugs brought along for this purpose. As soon as both parties had finished pick- ing, there began a feverish preparation for the coming battle. Schmulikel ordered his men to dig trenches and to collect lumps of earth and small stones. The war finally began. Missiles were flying on all sides. The fight was long and bitter. Yankel ' s Select Eleven exerted themselves to the utmost, but Schmu- likel ' s daring and intrepidity spurred on his men to even greater effort. He finally com- manded his men to leave the trenches and fight the enemy hand to hand. And it was here that the real fun began. In triumph Schmulikel headed both troops on their way home. Schmulikel felt uneasy. The growing darkness, the mighty forest looming in the distance like a huge monster.