Yeshiva University - Masmid Yearbook (New York, NY)

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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

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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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M ASMID 25 Torah-true Judaism, as he prefers to call it. Describing eloquently the tragedy of the mod- ern man — during the week he is a mere ma- chine, on Sunday he attempts to escape his worries by giving himself up to violent pleas- ures — the rabbi continues: ... a restless week is followed by a restless Sunday, an exciting Sunday by a hard week, and the strain of our vital forces becomes tremendous. The Jews in the Torah have been given a day of rest that is different from any other day of rest . . . On the Sabbath, the Torah-true Jew not only rests but he is free from the strain of the mechanical devices of industry. The superficial mind considers it ludicrous that we are forbidden to press an electric but- ton on the Sabbath, to answer the telephone, to write, to ride, to buy, to handle money. All these prohibitions, they feel, in modern times, should be done away with. These ob- jectors do not realize th3 tremendous protec- tion afforded us by these strict enactments. On the Sabbath, by reason of these strict laws, the Jew is freed from the life-destroy- ing strain which modern industrial life has put upon him. On Shabbos, the Jew has a neshama yethera, an extra soul which re- vitalizes his heart and mind. It is a day which affords his creative genius opportunity for reassertion of hopes and aspirations. After presenting the Jewish conception of marriage and of social justice, he proceeds to discuss the Jewish Question. Here he makes a statement which so remarkably expresses the attitude of all traditional Jews and which has been their rock throughout the ages: Anti- Semitism, intolerance, are Gentile problems. Ours is the task to raise Jewry to the heights of Judaism. Other high-lights of the series are the fas- cinating chapter by the Reverend Dr. Gaster on the Romance of the Hebrew Alphabet, The Ccntrality of Palestine in Jewish Life by Dr. David De Sola Pool, Faith and Science by Dr. Moses L. Isaacs, Schechita by Dr. M. S. Lieber, a summary of Bachya ' s Duties of the Heart by the Rev. E. Collins, Scientific Aspects of the Jewish Dietary Laws by Dr. D. I. Macht, and the genial application of judicial reasoning to The Great Preamble — a Rereading of Genesis by Prof. Nathan Isaacs of Harvard University. The Jewish Library is doing fine service in disseminating the orthodox ideal in Amer- ican Jewry. Let us hope that it will grow. The powers of Orthodoxy in this country and abroad have by far not yet been exhaust- ed. If these essays will be backed by activity in the field of propagating tradition, Judaism may yet come to its own even in this coun- try. Mr. LEWISOHN ' S VIEW ON MARRIAGE STEPHEN ESCOTT By LUDWIG Lewisohn By Louis Barishnikoff STEPHEN ESCOTT, a psychological novel, treats of the much-discussed problem of sex relations with a deep penetrating vision, an idealistic temperament and a humane spirit. The discussions are never marred by platitudes or slovenliness. The language is frank and emphatic: always vivid and stimulating to both the emotion and the mind. Lewisohn casts an all-embracing commen- tary on modern love and marriage in the form of a story told by Stephen Escott. Stephen Escott is an American youth brought up by parents to whom sex is asso- ciated with filth and sin. Because of his de- sire for sexual satisfaction, Escott, falls in love with Dorothy, a girl who typifies Amer- ican young womanhood. Stephen deifies her. He makes romantic love to her in the solitude of his walks and dreams. He thinks at once of the possibilities of marriage, and soon casts his sail on the high sea of matrimony. The Escott marriage assumes on the sur- face a countenance of contentment. Theirs is apparently a pleasant home and there are children: but husband and wife are miser- able. The man takes refuge in sensual dreams, the women in bitterness which turns to ill- ness. She is always pale, quiet and down- trodden, and has about her a certain dignified pathos. She cannot resign herself to the de- gradation to which the holy institution of marriage has been debased. She fears all thought of the biological consequences mar- riage involves — not because she is revolution- ary, but because she is pure, frail and modest. She despises Mrs. Sampson, the Jewess, who is plump and pregnant. She cannot bear her jollity and calm acceptance of everything ne- gative marriage offers. Mrs. Escott does not complain much to Stephen. She is. however, sad and sullen and does not realize that her sad-eyed silence must be acutely irritating to Stephen. We become aware of his feelings at her death. He immediately goes in search of Beatrice, a woman who can offer him physical delight and sensual satisfaction.