Yeshiva University - Masmid Yearbook (New York, NY)

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M A SMID 23 ORTHODOXY VS. REFORM The Jewish Library. Second Series Edited by Leo Jung, Ph. D. Bloch Publishing Co., New York, 1930. 295 pp. Religion in a Changing World By Abba Hillel Silver, D.D,, Litt. D. Richard R. Smith, Inc., New York, 1930, 204 pp. By Hugo Mantel JT is characteristic of our age that books dealing with the position of religion in modern times should appear from time to time. The idea that there is a con- flict between science and religion has long been abandoned. In the nineteenth century, when the clash occurred, there seemed to be no reconciliation. Today, however, the materialistic point of view has been tested and found unsatisfactory. By no means has this view gained universal recognition, but the at- titude that is prevalent today among thought- ful people is, that the emotions and the mode of life which religion inspires, are indispens- able to civilization. Thus we find Edmond Fleg and Nathan Birnbaum (the leader of the Jewish intellectuals in Central Europe) returning to Judaism, and a number of the leading French intellectuals embracing Catho- licism. Of the two books at hand, the one was written by a prominent exponent of Reform Judaism in this country, and the other by a number of rabbis and scientists of the ortho- dox faith. Dr. Silver ' s book deals with reli- gion in general, while the Jewish Library has as its aim the dissemination of the ideas and ideals of orthodox Judaism. The latter book has the obvious advantage over the former in that it was written by men who have spe- cialized in the field they are discussing. Thus, an essay on Faith and Science by a scientist like Dr. M. L. Isaacs is more exact, detailed and convincing than tne general remarks on the subject by an amateur in Science. Dr. Silver ' s book is written in a clear style and in a logical order. He describes the poli- tical, social and intellectual situation today in simple, concise statements. Subjects are dis- missed after a few paragraphs, without lead- ing the reader into laborious reasoning; the author is informative and authoritative rather than stimulating. It seems, therefore, that the chapters in the book have been intended to be delivered from the pulpit. Yet as sermons they are not passionate enough; they are too objective and coldly intellectual. The im- pression is gained that they are profound ser- mons but shallow essays. The cynic may say, with a degree of truth, that they are neither good sermons nor worth-while lec- tures. Still, the chapters have a value, as rep- resenting a unique type of sermon with a charm of its own. If the two books are taken as representa- tive of the two factions of religious Jewry, then orthodoxy gains by the comparison. Dr. Silver ' s Religion in our changing world is a very feeble thing, indeed. The doctrine of Reform Judaism is that religion gives everything to man yet demands of him almost nothing; it orientates him in the world, it offers him an optimistic point of view, but as far as regulating his conduct is concerned, it is satisfied with a minimum. The way of the world, though, experience has taught us. is a give-and-take proposition; if one sacri- fices nothing, one gets nothing. The impres- sion is reinforced that Reform Judaism is a concession to those Jews who, while psycho- logically incapable of parting with Judaism, are unwilling to abide by its age-old tradi- tions.

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22 M AS M I D ing to make Carthage the ' sovereign of the nations ' adds: Si qua Fata sinant. (If the Fates permit ) . The entire story of Dido is introduced, not as some critics would have it, for pathetic and artistic effect, but to illus- trate the helplessness of individual passions against the will of Heaven. Aeneas, too. is an unwilling tool in the hands of the Fates. He falls a victim to the passions of queenly Dido, forgetting the mission for which he was destined; in the midst of danger he cries out in despair that he would have been thrice fortunate if the fate of Hector had befallen him. Warned of danger by Mercury, Aeneas embarks upon his ship, only to fall asleep, careless of his fate and sense of duty. In the sixth book, the priestess rebukes Aeneas for being a laggard, with the words; Cesas in vota precesque, Tros Aenea, cessas. Aeneas is not permitted to follow his individual desires, but must always submit to the determined Will of the Fata. Almost to the very end do we fmd the sterness of the Fates in their treat- ment of human passions and interests. But, as in the Georgics. alongside this pic- ture of hard Destiny, there is also typical Roman piety. Aeneas propitiates the gods by prayer and sacrifice. All rituals are ob- served with the meticulous care characteristic of the Romans. The deep respect that Aeneas pays to his father is in line with the best tra- ditions of Roman piety. The performance of the ritual of the Parentalia also emphasizes the pietas of Aeneas. Thus we see how there developed this immediate relationship between man, and the universal — the Fates; and man ' s final victory when he subjects his individual interests and aspirations to the consummate will and purpose of the universal Power. With this view well in mind, let us now approach the sixth book of the Aeneid. This book deals with the descent of Aeneas into to nether world, his meeting with his father Anchises, and the latter ' s prophecy of the future greatness of Rome. It would not come properly under our thesis, were it not for the fact that our point of view does away with a serious criticism of Prof. Nettleship. He points out that the book opens with the description of the lower world with its mon- sters and rivers; but at the conclusion of the book we find Anchises expounding the doc- trine of the transmigration of the soul — that one spirit pervades all things, that from this spirit all living things derive their being, that the body is the prison-house of this divine spark whose liberation comes in death, that guilt is purged after death until the heavenly aether is left pure, that after this purifica- tion the emancipated soul returns again to its embodiment on Earth. The ordinary mythology , says Prof. Nettleship, is put side by side with the doctrine of transmigra- tion and the reader is left to harmonize them as he can. In arguing thus. Professor Nettleship as- sumes that this mythology is to be taken literally as the expression of ' Virgil ' s reli- gious experiences. Let us then examine the plausibility of this assumption. Cicero in his ' Nat. Deorum ' says: There was not left an old woman foolish enough to fear the deep dwellings of Orcus. No one , claims Seneca, is foolish enough to fear Cerberus and the phantoms which appear in the form of skeletons. That there are Manes , says Juvenal, a subterranean king- dom, a ferry-man armed with a pole . . . these are things in which everyone had ceased to believe except very young children. Dis- counting the skepticism of Cicero, the differ- ence in generation with regard to Seneca, and the satirical temperament of Juvenal, we still cannot conceive of ' Virgil accepting as literal truth a mythology so emphatically discredit- ed by the writers just quoted, and so bar- barous to the aesthetic spiritual religion of ' Virgil. Moreover, Virgil himself said in his Georgics; Happy is he who .... has trodden under foot all idle fears and inexorable Des- tiny, and the fear of devouring Acheron. Virgil, in our opinion, introduced this eschatological mythology not because of per- sonal belief, but rather in imitation of the descent of Homer ' s hero into the nether world. The doctrine of transmigration, put in the mouth of Anchises, is more akin to Virgil ' s inner nature because of its profound poetic appeal and its deep spiritual implica- tions. Only one word more. Having seen Virgil as a religious teacher we must not forget that Virgil was also an artist. It was the artistic element in him which raised him to the lofty heights of religious purity. He was a teacher, a historian, but above all a poet. With true characteristic insight does Dr. Fowler say of Virgil that learning, legend, philosophy, religion, whatever in the whole range of human thought and fancy entered his mind, emerged from it as poetry and poetry only,

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24 M ASM I D True. Dr. Silver is rather conservative in his v iews. He upholds the old morality, the stability of marriage, and opposes unreason- able change . (Whom would the doctor trust to discriminate between what is reason- able and what is not?) His conservatism, however, is based, not on faith and tradi- tion, but on his own experience and reason- ing. Yet such basis is a very weak one for religion. For there is no earthly reason why others should not try to see things for them- selves, and thus reach conclusions other than those entertained by the rabbi. There are times, too, when his logic may be contested. He assumes, for instance, that any de- parture from the traditional conception of our attitude toward G-d, of human relation- ship, of our purpose in life, has the only al- ternative of regarding life as a comedy or a tragedy or a farce. Such attitudes, he conti- nues, fail to inspire men to become builders of the earth, teachers, prophets, fashioners of new truth and new beauty. These state- ments are contradicted by fact. Artists, poets, social reformers, need not always subscribe to the doctrines of any one established reli- gion. Devotion to humanity and to human happiness may be independent of one ' s reli- gious convictions. Dr. Silver, moreover, never mentions the Jewish religion. He always speaks of reli- gion in general, in essence. The doctor, no doubt, had his own reasons for doing this. Yet we cannot help being reminded that this is characteristic of all reformed Jews. These Jews prefer to be cosmopolitan in their re- ligion. Let there be no mistake about the matter. Had they been called Episcopalians or Baptists, they would have boasted of their particularism. Judaism, however, smacks of Eastern Europeans, of the undesirable and the inferior race; tactful people avoid the use of such provoking terms. That from such tactfulness there is but one step to- wards assimilation is more than evident. In contrast, the Jewish Library is written by men thoroughly conscious and proud of their Jcwishncss. They are burning with en- thusiasm towards everything that is Jewish. Such attitude, it has never been doubted, is the only safe course in preserving Judaism. Again, faith and tradition are frankly ac- cepted and are merely shown to have worked well and to be superior to all possible substi- tutes. Religion is thus an impregnable fac- tor in both preserving order and raising the spiritual standards of the people. In a sound and wholesome style. Dr. Hertz, the Chief Rabbi of the British Empire, expounds the constructive forces of the Fun- damental Ideals and Proclamations of Juda- ism. He shows how the idea of the unity G-d is bound with right living and with the ulti- mate hopes of humanity. Polytheism broke the unity of man; it gave religious sanction to the foulest practices . . . Ethical monothe- ism is Messianic. Righteousness, it proclaims, is a cosmic force; and. consequently, what ought to be, must be and will be. He cites the emphasis that Judaism has laid upon the proper upbringing of children, upon the affection between children and parents, and upon the freedom of. and reverence for. women. The Oral Law, he states, forms the soul of Judaism, and gives it individuality and uniqueness among the living faiths of men. In contrasting the traditional mode of living with Modern Life. he points to the danger that the latter may bring upon humanity. ... we must not forget that modern life tends to the destruction of the family, the cheapening of human life, the loss of all belief in absolute values, be they of religion or of morality. Mankind. Juda- ism holds, does not live in a world of ideas only. Men and women, as we know them, cannot dispense with symbols that give tan- gibility to ideas, etc. One of the features that commend the Jew- ish Library, is that it is written by a number of authors, each one contributing his own in- dividuality. This not only offers variety, bul also points out in a very real manner that Judaism may suit personalities of diverse types. As a result we have the exactness and clarity of a mind like Dr. Jung ' s, the editor of the series, projected in his essay on What Is Orthodox Judaism. ' ' In a succint style he compresses into a few paragraphs what Orthodox Judaism offers to Jews both as in- dividuals and as a nation. He then deals with the modern problems that face Orthodoxy, or