Yeshiva University - Masmid Yearbook (New York, NY)

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M ASM ID Jylaiinonidcs and I he J resent ireneral if n h) I)K. 1-tl UNAKIi KlVI.I. The last words of tlif Pentatcudi — And in re- spect to all that mighty hand, and in the great, terrific deeds which Moses displayed before the eyes of all Israel — are applicable, in a figurative sense, to Maimonides, to his Code and to his great Guide. Also applicable to him are the preceding words — which the Lord had sent him to do in the land of Egypt. ' How mysterious are the ways of Providence and of Israel ' s millenial history! Egypt, the land where Israel became a nation and the people of the Book given by God to Moses, born and reared in Egypt, was also the land where the second Moses revealed himself and gave his people the Mishna Torah, the clearest and fullest exposition of the Torah in its totality. Maimonides was the diadem in the crown of the golden age of Jewish creativeness, the era in our history that bequeathed us some of our greatest permanent national treasures, — some of the things we cherish most in our national culture, — the period that has left a most indelible im- press upon the course of our history. His interpretation of Israel ' s basic beliefs has become part of our liturgy; his halakic works are still the subject of daily study in the Tor.ih- academies throughout the world. Called by his contemporaries the light our our eyes, he con- tinues to be the Light of Israel, not only bv virtue of what he has achieved, but by virtue of what he was, by his heroic moral and intellectual stature, symbol of intellectual height and spiritu.U serenity. The radiance of his personality shone upon all alike and its blessings have re.iched all succeeding ages. As with all men who ha -e helped to make his- tory, pathfinders who have been in many respects centuries ahead of their time, many were his critics and detracters. Many of his views on method and substance have been centers of fierce and protracted controversy ever since his day. Among his opponents — and there can be no doubt of the honesty and lofty motives of most of them — there were many worthy of him. But, friend or ad- versary, no one during the last thirty generations could afford to ignore, to be indifferent to, this sovereign of the spirit and monarch of the mind. In the centuries — old symphony of admiration, reverence and glowing tribute, there were — and there still are — discords of denunciation of the technique and finality of the Mishne Torah, of the codification of theological and doctrinal views at its beginning, and of the views themselves. Mai- monides is still unjustly accused of having aimed to make his Code the final authority on all matters of law and creed, and thus of tending to stifle further free discussion and arrest continued de- velopment, making the study of the Talmud unessential. As a true disciple of Hillel, Maimonides loved pe.ice and bore denunciation and even vilification with dignity, holding no resentment against his detracters. He seldom defended himself, but fought for the truth of his views. Humility, the very essence of true greatness, was to him the crown of all virtue and he laid no claim to in- fallibility. To quote his own words: I never pride myself on not making mistakes ; on the con- trary, when I discovered one, or if I am convinced of my error by others, I am ready to change any- thing in my writings, in my ways and even in my nature. But much higher than his epoch-making works. towers Maimonides, the man. He has become to succeeding generations the symbol of pure motive, of selfless quest of truth, of noble tolerance and intellectual honesty. To the House of Israel, he has ever been the symbol of the complete and per- fect Jewish personality, of the harmonious union Kiie

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M A SMID the students and their collet;e. Only an open and sincere discussion of various problems will make for a more harmonious accord within the institution. The Commentator has blazed the brail. Let us hope that it will serve as a constant leader in this direction. THE TRIBUTE OF ALBERT EINSTEIN The acceptance by Professor Albert Einstein of the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, bestowed on him last October at Yeshiva College, is an indication of the increasingly prominent position occupied by the institution in the aca- demic world. This event assumes a greater sig- nificance when it is realized that, previous to ac- cepting the Yeshiva degree, Professor Einstein had refused similar honors from many of the largest and oldest universities in the United States. Professor Einstein evidenced by his action his recognition of Yeshiva College not merely as a center of religious learning but as an institution dedicated to the advancement of scholarship in all phases of culture. That Yeshiva College has come to symbolize for men like Einstein the eternal genius of the Jewish people, was most clearly shown by him in replying to the honor conferred upon him that not external success but a deep spiritual perception of life has been considered by it (Yeshiva College) as the most desirable attainment. When men of such note as the world ' s out- standing physicist pay such glowing tribute to Yeshiva College, the progress of the institution since its inception but seven years ago becomes little short of phenomenal. It is a tribute to the college, to its administration and faculty, to its students, and to its ideals. THE WORLD ZIONIST CONGRESS The convocation this summer of the 19th World Zionist Congress places the problem of Zionism in stark relief before the Jewish people. The Zionist Organization has reached a crisis in its existence. The 18th Congress, held two years ago, witnessed t he degeneracy of the World Zion- ist Movement as the meeting place for all shades of Zionist opinion. It has become in the last two years the organ for the expression of but one among all the nationalistic views. The recent bolt of the Revisionists from the organization and the coolness of the Mizrachi toward the Congress indicate the disintegration of organized Zionism. These developments have been occasioned by the seizure of power on the part of one party and the negation of other groups as factors in the determination of Zionist policies. The coming World Zionist Congress, therefore, has as its major problem the reconciliation of all groups in the work of rebuilding Eretz Yisroel, and the restoration of the World Zionist Move- ment to its former position as the voice of Zionism in its broader sense rather than in any of its limited connotations. Unless it accomplishes this task it is definitely doomed to oblivion. In the early years of its existence the Zionist movement had many vital functions. It had to arouse an interest in the settlement and development of Palestine, to provide for educational facilities, health questions, and the general establishment of social and economic security. At present most of these phases are taken care of by the Palestinian population. All that is left for World Zionism is the consolidatioti of all Jewry. Failure in this issue will reduce the Congress to an insignificant body in the eyes of the nations of the world. Ju- iasm cannot afford to let this happen. The 19th World Zionist Congress must rise above person- alities and parties and must present a united front to Jewry and to the world at large. Eight

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M A SM I D of sciencist and saint, of the consummate ra- tionalist and the Torah-intoxicated man, of the cold lot;ician and the warm pietist. He was the rare combination of profound insight, crystal-like clearness and charm of expression. Stoic poise, incisive thinking and indomitable energy; humility and full recognition of the worth of his ideas and ideals; broad and deep humanity and boundless and self-sacrificing love for his people; high idealism and profound common sense and prac- ticability, were fused in this complete man. He arrived upon the arena of history in a period of great crisis in the life of his people. He placed all his gifts of heart and mind upon the altar of God, Israel and humanity. Complete master of the culture of the two worlds, the Jewish and the Arabic, each then in its golden age, and of all accumulated knowledge of the Torah, in all its fulness and depth, master of self-mastery and systematic genius, he became the architect who built for the ages, brought order and, like Moses, made a path in the stormy sea of the Talmud. He bridged — though but for a time — the chasm between Judaism and the best thought of the day. Rightly called the purest mono- theist, he ascended to the heaven of spirituality by the ladder of faith, supported by reason, puri- fied by spiritual insight. The works of Maimonides became new heavens, — studded with guiding stars of deep enlightened faith and morality, of love of truth and humanity, of deep faith in the ultimate destiny of man, and of a loyalty to Israel, of which there was never greater exemplar. He understood human nature at its highest and lowest, and did not close his eyes to human frailties. All-absorbing study of the Torah, con- templation of the infinite and metaphysical thought were to him the supreme goal of existence, the royal road to immortality and eternal bliss. Never- theless, cognizant of the various gradations of the human intellect and character and aware of the fact that the gift of contemplation of, and communion with, the Infinite is given to but a tew chosen souls, he counseled the average man, particularly in his later work, against the quest of God by way of reason, against delving into the mysteries of what precedes and what follows, what is above and what below, but rather to fol- low the proven road of the righteous, in his faith, shall live. He did not aim to disturb sturdy faith with foreign doctrines. He taught that the Torah and its precepts, and the concepts rooted in the soul of Universal Israel are the cornerstone of sound fruitful Jewish life ' . The heroic stature of Maimonides and his people and his people ' s boundless love for him have not caused his personaility to be lost in a cloud of legend or hero-worship, as is the case with many of the elite of the spirit in Israel. His lovable personality stands out against the can- vas of time. Maimonides is more often misunder- stood by his admirers than by his opponents. Maimonides did not proclaim the exclusive sovereignty of reason as some of his admirers of even this generation would have us think. No mere master or servant of reason, of metaphysical speculation, could become the lasting object of deep love and affection of a whole people, par- ticularly a people of spiritual bent as Israel. Maimonides sought to prove — as was vital in the exigency of his time — that the scientific and philosophic teachings of his day were in harmony with what was to him — as to all Israel of his day — the only fountain of eternal truth and life — the Torah. He aimed to prove that the Torah is a Torah of Truth, which will forever stand the test of reason. The Torah was his first and last love, notwithstanding the platonic love he confessed for Aristotle. While he raised religious speculation to a high plane, thereby widening the horizon of Jewish thought, making it more articu- late, the teachings and commands of the Torah were his chief concern. In his mind faith and philosophy met in amity from the different start- ing points, attaining the single goal — the love of God. The age of Maimonides was an age — not much