THE JEWISH NEWS Friday. Sepleatior 20. 11411 Reflections Moshe Luzzatto Fathered Modern Hebrew Literature 200th Anniversary of Death of Author of "The Path of the Upright" Is Being Commemorated This Year Lehman Candidate For Senate Seat New York's former governor, Herbert H. Lehman, has been nominated as Democratic candi- interests of his youth, now with a more mature mind and a soul `rendered more understanding by suffering. During the eight or nine years he spent in the Dutch capital, Luzzatto, who supported his family by polishing diamonds, wrote the drama, Layesharim Tehillah (Praise to the Righteous), an introduction to the Talmud. and his best-known and best loved work, the ethical treatise, Mesillat Yesharim (The Path - of the Upright). Our grandparents were in many respects better men and women -International Photo and better Jews than we. If they HERBERT H. LEHMAN respected higher standards of in- tegrity, honesty. loyalty and devo- date for the U. S. Senate from tion to ideals than we do, it was due at least in part to the fact the State of New Work to suc- that their leisure hours were spent ceed Sen. James M. Mead who not in meaningless recreation, but is the New York gubernatorial in devotion to the reading of such candidate. books as "The Path of the Up- Pledges to fight racial and right". an absorbing volume with- discrimination in the al. It has been translated into religious English by Professor Mordecai M. U. S. are included in the political Kaplan and is published by the platforms adopted by the N. Y. Jewish Publication Society. state conventions of the Demo- ' Dream of Redemption cratic Party, the Republican Party Luzzatto never abandoned the and the American Labor Party study of the Zohar (the so-called which are now taking place. The Bible of Jewish mysticism) and the dream of redemption_ As a Democratic platform urges the outlawing of such discrimination youth he had entertained vague By Dr. Trade Weis-Wassausrin Copyright 1946 by Independent Jewish Press Service, Inc_ Moshe Chaim Luasatto, who died 200 years ago. is acclaimed as the founding father of modern Hebrew literature and as the au- thor of The Path of the. Upright," the ethical tract loved and rever- ed by Jews. Moshe Luzzatto was born in 1707 in Padua, Italy. In accord- ance with the enlightenment of Renaissance Italian Jewry, young Moshe Chaim was given a com- prehensive secular education, in addition to the traditional Jew- ish training. His Hebrew dramas attest to his thorough knowledge Italian literature. Luzzatto of was a brilliant student, a creative writer and scholar with strong literary ambitions. Before he was twenty he wrote a Hebrew drama; a textbook on rhetoric and style, with a drama appended for pur- poses of illustration; a volume of One Hundred and Fifty Psalms," avowedly an imitation of the Biblical model; and a Cabalistic book, "The Second Zohar," whose title indicated that its- author meant it to be. In addition, the youthful genius wrote occasional poems and minor Cabalistic treatises. Fascinated Luzzatta - Cabalistic studies had fascin- ated Luzzatto almost since child- ideas of being the one destined hood. In about his twentieth to usher in the promised redem- year, however, he deserted vir- ption for his people: in his man- tually all other interests for the hood he became resigned that he study of Cabala, with a group of must seek this redemption on the like-minded friends. Strange ru- soil of Eretz Israel only for him- mors spread through the Jewish self and his nearest. world about the young Cabalist In 1742 or 1743. Luzzatto set out and his disciples. and the rabbin- for the Holy Land. From a let- ical authorities accused Luzzatto ter to a pupil, we know that in of grooming himself for the part 1743 he was in Acco. near Tiber- of another false Messiah. ias. His poem. "By the Hot This opposition was caused Springs of Tiberias". in which he tury, Jewry still had not wholly recovered from the profound de- moralization resulting from the failure of Shabbotai Zebi's pseudo- Messianic movement. The rabbis succeeded in neu- tralizing Luzzatto's Cabalistic, in- fluence by confiscating his Cab- balistic writings, proclaiming the Herem against them. and making that is extent. Luzzatto is buried near Rabbi Akiba's grave--Rabbi Akiba. not only a fine teacher of the Mish- nah. tint one who yearned for re- demption so ardently that he was misled into endorsing as the re deemer Bar Kochba. the first pseudo-Messiah. Rabbi Akiba's bones have turn- ed to dust: the messengers of the year. i Messiah are not yet in sight. But Family Fortune Lost the yearning for redemption which About this time. the family for- fired Akiba ben Joseph and Moshe tune was lost and the Luazatto Chaim Luzzatto still burns in their clan decided to emigrate. Moshe descendants. And so Redemption Chaim arrived in Amsterdam must come at the appointed time a bou t 1735. The Sephardic Jew ish community there received him with great honor and affection. Greetings & Best It He taught at the Rabbinical Col- for the and dispensed his knowledge lege to all who sought him out. But Neu. ) - ear he gave no instruction in Cabala. In a letter to his teacher, Rabbi their author swear to steer clear of the Cabala until his fortieth the rabbis. but because "I simply feel disinclined to teach anyone even one word of it (the Cabala). I therefore did not and do not pronounce even a syllable about it . . . If the Lord wishes to make the truth known. he will do so: and if not., surely he knows it, and this is enough. And if this thing will not be known to us in this world, we shall know it in the Mr. and Mrs.. Max Chafets Workers' Suburb Expands The large workers' suburb near Haifa. Kiryat Haim. is the site of and Many More world to come." Gradually he groped his way out of the maze of the Cabalis- tic speculations which had all but deadened his vital creative mind_ Again he turned to the literary to Come Hyannis. came flowers from the has not been secured thus far. it Jewish community on the occa- was reported by Louis Lipsky. sion of the clergyman's 19th year head of the American Jewish Con- in that ministry. Those flowers ference delegation, following his were symbc,lic o. the sincere inter- return from Paris. ' faith friendship in that commun- Truman Immigration Plan Meets Stiff Opposition ity, product of years of cordi relations and activities design ; to promote Christian - Jewis understanding. WASHINGTON. D. C.. (JPS)— Rep. Mason (R.. Ill.) , ranking min- 1946 ority member of the House Immi- gration Committee. declared here that despite President Truman's proposed requ e st to Congress. "there will be no opening of our immigration doors for European refugees." Rep. Mason's assertion was in reference to the President's an- nouncement that he was contem- plating asking Congress for special 5707 L'SHONO TOVO T1KOSEYU BERDITCHEVER legislation authorizing the entry into the United States a "fixed number" of displaced persons from ; Europe "including Jews." Repre- sentative Mason said he could not ; "understand why the President • made such a suggestion." PROGRESSIVE AID SOC. H. Kaminer, Pres. J. Reznick, Fin. Sec'y To our members and friends we wish to extend our