Page Six

THE JEWISH NEWS

Friday, April 7, 1944

Wei

H

EINRICH HEINE had been told that he was to figure in "A Gallery of Famous
Israelites," and he was angry with Karl Ludwig Boerne and other Jews of Frankfort,

His susceptibilities were shocked and he made the statement, in

Journal des Debats,,

that he was not a Jew and had never crossed the threshold of a synagogue.

Many years later, he bitterly regretted this shocking declaration. He not only

acknowledged his faults but made repara tion by writing "The Rabbi of Bacharach.'

It represents the most perfect of his pros e writings and was, according to an article
by Gustav Karpeles, the noted historian, in Allgemeine Zeitung des Judenturns, the

result of Heine's thorough study of Germa n Jewish history.

from the Hagadah the fol-
lowing words: "B e h o 1 d!
This is the bread our fa-
thers have eaten in Egypt!
Let everyone who is hun-
gry come and eat! Every-
one who is sad, let him
come and join in our Pesach
feast. This year we cele-
brate it here, but next year
in the land of Israel. This
year we are still slaves, but
next year we shall cele-
brate it in the land of
Israel. This year we a r e
still slaves, but next year
we shall celebrate it as the
sons of freedom."

Here the door opened,
and two tall pale men en-
tered, wrapped in big
cloaks. "P ea c e be with
Born in Duesseldorf, Germany, 1797
you," said one of them.
Died in Paris, 1856
"We are co-religionists on
our travels, and would like
to keep Pesach with you."
Aiind. the Rabbi answered
quick and friendly, "With
you be peace. Seat your-
selves • near me." The two
A Fragment From •
strangers sat down to table
and the Rabbi proceeded
with his reading. Some-
times while the other s
By HEINRICH HEINE
were repeating the re-
sponses after him, he whis-
pered
affectionate words -to
N THE LARGE ROOM of his
his wife. Playing on the old saw that on that night
house sat Rabbi Abraha"m and commenced the
every Jewish housefather thinks himself a king,
celebration of the Passover Eve, in company with he said "Be joyful, oh my Queen!" But she an-
his relatives and pupils and other guests. Every-
swered with a melancholy smile, "Our prince is
thing in the room was brighter than usual. The
missing," and by that she meant a -son of the
table was covered with a silk-embroidered cloth, house who, as a passage in the Hagadah requires,
with golden fringes trailing to the ground. The has in fixed phraseology to ask his father the
little plates glittered pleasantly with their sym-
meaning of the feast. The Rabbi made no answer,
bolic food, as did afso the high goblets filled up
but - with his finger pointed at one of the pictures
with wine, and graven entirely with sacred sub-
on the open page of the Hagadah, which por-
jects. The men sat in black•mantles, and flat black trayed very agreeably how the three angels came
hats and white ruffs. The women wore marvelous
to Abraham to announce that he would have a
shimmering stuffs of Lombardy, and on their
son born to his wife Sara; and Sara 'standing
head and neck ornaments of gold and pearls; behind the door of the tent listening with wo-
and the silver Sabbath lamp shed its festive - manly. artfulness to the conversation. The hint
light upon the devoutly happy faces of young
brought a fiery blush to the cheeks of the lovely
and old. On a raised seat, leaning against a woman. She cast down her eyes and then looked
cushion of purple velvet, reclined Rabbi Abraham
up again lovingly at her husband, who was now
and read and chanted the Hagadah, and the gay
chanting the wondrous tale of how Rabbi Joshua,
choir joined in or responded at the appointed Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Azaria, Rabbi Akiba and
places. The Rabbi, too, was attired in a gala Rabbi Tarphon sat reclining in Bene Brak, and
dress of stately black, his noble, yet somewhat
conversed all night about the exodus of the chil-
severe features looked milder than usual, the
dren of Israel from Egypt, until their pupils came
lips smiled out of his brown beard as though they
and announced to them that it was day, and the
wished to tell many charming things, and his
people were already saying the morning prayer
eyes seemed to swim with beatific memories and in the Synagogue. As the lovely Sara listened
anticipations. The beauteous Sara, who sat on
reverently with her eyes on her husband, she
another raised chair by his side, wore, as hostess, saw his face suddenly transfixed with horror and
no jewelry; only white linen enfolded her slender
the blood leave his cheeks and lips, and his eyes
form and devout features. Her face was touch- start out like icicles. Yet almost at the same
ingly beautiful, as indeed the beauty of all Jew-
moment his features resumed their former repose
ish women is of a strangely moving sort. The
and cheerfulness, his lips and cheeks grew red
consciousness of the deep misery, bitter insult, again, his eyes sparkled once more, and he him-
and unhappy state in which their relations and self seemed mastered by a mad mood, most
friends live, spreads over their graceful faces a strange in him. Sara was terrified as she had
certain painful earnestness and watchful affec- never been terrified in her life before, and an
tionate anxiety, that wondrously bewitch our icy shudder ran through her, less because of
hearts. So sal today the beauteous Sara, ever those signs of blank horror she had observed in
gazing into her husband's eyes. Now and then her husband's face for a single instant than for
she looked at the Hagadah which lay before her, this present exhilaration of his, which gradually
a beautiful book bound in gold and velvet, an
turned to roaring merriment. The Rabbi merrily
old heirloom with aged winespots from her grand-
shifted his beret from ear to ear, pulled at his
father's days. There were ever so many bold and beard and curled it waggishly, and sang the text
brightly painted pictures in it, which, even as a of the Hagadah like a street song. When recount-
child, she had been happy to look at on the Pesach
ing the Egyptian plagues, where the index finger
night, and which represented all sorts of Bible
is dipped into the full glasses and the drops of •
stories. Such as Abraham with his hammer,
wine shaken off onto the floor, the Rabbi be-
smashing his father's stone idols, and the angels
sprinkled the younger girls with the red wine,
coming to visit him, and Moses killing the Egyp- and there was much grumbling for spoiled ruffs,
tian, and Pharaoh sitting on his throne, and the
and much resounding laughter. To Sara this
frogs which gave him no rest even at table, and
boisterous but forced merriment seemed more
he, thank God, drowning while the children of and more uncanny, and seized by unmentionable
Israel carefully walked through the Red Sea, fear she stared at the crowd of guests rocking
and they, standing open-mouthed, at the foot of
themselves to and fro, or nibbling the crisp cakes,
Mount Sinai with their sheep and kine and oxen,
or gulping down the wine, or chatting with each
and then pious King David playing the harp, and
other, or singing out aloud, all very merry.
last, Jerusalem, with the towers and minarets
of the Temple illumined by the sun.
Then came the time for supper, and everybody
stood up to wash their hands, and beauteous Sara
The Second Cup had been filled, faces and . brought in a large silver basin, richly chased with
voices were growing more cheerful, and the
g olden figures and held it before each of the
Rabbi, as he seized one of the unleavened cakes, guests, while the water was poured over their
and with a happy greeting held it up, read out hands. When she came to offer the Rabbi this

HEINRICH HEINE

A Seder Night

"The Rabbi of Bacharach"

service, he looked meaningly at her and slunk
out of the door. Sara followed him, and the
Rabbi hastily seized his wife's hand. Hastily he
dragged her through the dark streets of Bacha- .
rach, hastily through the city gate to the high
road which leads along the Rhine to Bingen.

The Rabbi then stood still awhile; he moved
his lips several times, but they uttered no sound.
At last he exclaimed: "Do you see the Angel of
Death? Down there, he hovers over Bacharach.
But we have escaped his sword. Praise be tot
God!" And then, in a voice still quivering with
horror, he related how he was cheerfully singing
the Hagadah as he sat there, reclining, when sud-
denly he glanced by chance beneath the table
and saw at his feet the blood-stained body of a
child. "Then I noticed," added the Rabbi, "that
our two last guests did not belong to the commu-
nity of Israel, but to the congregation of the
ungodly, and they had contrived to introduce
the corpse into our house in order to accuse us
of the child murder, so as to rouse the populace,
and to plunder and murder us. I dared not let
it be noticed that I had seen through the hellish
plot. It should have only hastened our destruction;
only craft has saved us both: Praise be to God!
Do not fear, Sara. Our friends and relations will
be safe. It was only my blood for which the
villains thirsted. I have escaped them, and they
will content themselves with my silver and gold.
Come with me, Sara, to another land! The God
of our fathers will not forsake us!"

PASSOVER

By RUFUS LEARSI

Editor's Note: Rufus Learsi is the pen name of
Israel Goldberg, author of several volumes of Jewish
history and fiction, "The Wedding Song," a hook of
Chassidic ballads, plays and other works. This poem is
one of a series for Jewish Holidays and has been set
to music.

On Passover the skies of spring

Are broad and blue and mellow;

To all that breathes new grace they bring

The joyous feast to hallow.

The shackles that have bound the earth

Are smote and burst asunder,

And all the world receives new birth,

Eternal round and wonder!

On Passover we tell again

The old and thrilling story,

Of slaves who broke the tyrants' chain,

And marched to God and glory:

They sang a song of freedom then,

Together we repeat it,

It lifts the hearts and souls of men

Who hear and rise to greet it!

A song of freedom, sacred feast,

Art thou through all the ages,

That like the dawn that gilds the east,

New life and hope presages.

For freedom is a command divine,

And tyrants all shall perish:

We pledge in brimming cups of wine

Our faith to hold and cherish.

Copyright, 1944, by
Independent Jewish Press Service. Inc.