Meaning Man
The Sabbath for Its Modern
By D.R. ABRAHAM J. HESCHEL
Copyright 1951 by ,Abraham J. Heschel. Published by Farrar, Straus & •Young,
- Inc., New York, in cooperation with the United Synagogue of America. Repro-
duced by American Jewish Press, News and Feature Service of the American •
Association of English-Jewish Newspapers in conjunction with the National Sab-
bath Observance Effort , as a public service of the United Synagogue of America.
•
Part III
‘1
"THOIT ART ONE"
An allegory.
At the beginning time was one, eternal. But time undivided,
time eternal, would be unrelated to the world of space. So time
was divided into seven days and entered into an intimate rela-
tionship with the world of space. With every single day, another
realm of things came into being, except on the seventh day. The
Sabbath was a lonely day. It may be compared to a king who
has seven sons. To six of them he gave his wealth, and the young-
est one he endowed with nobility, with the prerogative of royalty.
The six older SOES who were commoners found their mates, but
the noble one remained without a mate.
.1 Says Rabbi Shimeon ben Yohai:
After the work of creation was completed, the Seventh Day
pleaded: Master of the universe, all that Thou has created is in
couples; to every day of the week Thou gayest a mate; only I was
left alone. And God answered: The Community of Israel will be
your. mate.
2.0-:--THE JEWISH NEWS
Friday, December 19, 1952
Waksman Receives Nobel Prize
Urge 'Common Sense'
Be Banned from Mail
BOSTON, (JTA)—Rep. David
W. Fuller of Maine has called
upon postal authorities to ex- -
elude from the United States
mails the anti-Semitic publica-
tion "Common Sense," it was re-
vealed by the New England re-
gional offices of the Anti-Defa-
mation League of Bnai Brith.
Rep. Fuller, who is American-
ism chairman of American Le-
gion in Maine and president. Of
the Military Intelligence Asso-
ciation of New England, reveal-
ed that his request for an in-
vestigation of =`Common Sense"
resulted 'from his receipt recent-
ly of a copy of the publication
without solicitation on his part.
It is assumed that he got the
copy because he is a member of
the Maine state legislature. It is
known that Conde McGinley,
Dr. SELMAN A. WAKSMAN is congratulated by KING
publisher of "Common Sense," GUSTAV VI of Sweden after the famed scientist received the Nobel
made nation-wide mailings of Prize for his discovery of streptomycin. Later, the Rutgers Uni-
the August 1 and 15 issues of
the publication to members of
state legislatures as well as to
civic and. veterans organization•
leaders.
• • •
Asks Bar to Bias
MONTREAL, (JTA)—A request
versity professor, said that "conquest of the great white plague
tuberculosis.L-undreamt of 10 years ago, is now virtually
within sight."
Dr. Max Lerner Brands Convicted
Rosen,bergs, But Favors Clemency
that the issuance of liquor li-
cenSes in the province of British
Columbia be tied to a provision
As the week set for the execu- "that no issues of civil liberties
forbidding discrimination in the tion of Julius and Ethel Rosen- are involved."
sale of liquor - by• the licensee on berg approaches, and the activi-
Touching upon the nioral and
the basis of race, color or creed, ties of the Rosenberg defente
has been submitted by the Van- committees are intensified, the human issue in the' case, Dr.
couver Joint _ Labor Committee contending sides on the issue of Lerner, who favors clemency for
to Combat Racial Discrimination clemency are becoming clearly the two convicted spies, offers
to' the provincial liquor commis- drawn.
the following explanation of his
sion. The labor group reported
An important analysis of "The
and the reason for fav-
a number of cases of refusal to Rosenberg Case," with reference position
sell liquor to Negroes and for- to the guilt of the 'condemned oring - clemency :
"My own experience with
eigners.
atom spies, written by Dr. Max
A subtle pro-Arab campaign Lerner, in his column in the the case may be somewhat
is being - waged in Canada by New York Post, explains the is- revealing of the methods the
Brigadier • Cyril D. Quilliam, a sue.
Communists ha v e used. I
former member of the British
Dr. Lerner condemns the ap- studied the record and the lit-
intelligence who has spent most
of his life in the Middle East. In peal in behalf of the Rosenbergs erature, and last June I went
an address before the Women's to Jews "on the ground that this to a mass-meeting held in
Canadian Club here he implied is another 'Dreyfus, Case in Flatbush by the Rosenberg
that "the peoples of the Middle which the victims are the target
East find little reason for ally- of a national anti- Semitic Committee. I reported in my
ing themselves with the West- frameup." Referring to the ex- column in The Post for June
ern world." The Arabs, he said, pose _of the Rosenbergs, who 19, under the title 'Vultures
claim the West was responsible were condemned in a series of and Victims,' the r u t h l e s s
for the Jewish problem and sup- articles in the N. Y. Post by cynicism by which the Com-
ported
the Jews in their fight Oliver Pilat, Dy. Lerner declares
That promise was not forgotten. "When the people of Israel for Israel.
that "only the hopeless inno- munists tried to convince the
stood before the mountain of Sinai, the Lord said to. them: 'Re-
cents or the willfully blind can Jewish audience that America
member that I said to the Sabbath: The Community of Israel is Sasson Accepted by Italy
doubt that the Rosenbergs took was launched on a campaign
your mate.' Hence: Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it" As Israel's New Ambassador • part in the espionage ring."
similar to the Nazi campaign
(Exodus 20-:8). The Hebrew word le-kadish, to sanctify, means,
ROME, (JTA) -- The Italian
The Post columnist refutes the that ended in the crematoria.
in the language of. the Talmud, to consecrate a woman, to .be-' Government approved the nom- claim that the conviction was One sentence in my column
troth.. Thus the meaning of that word on Sinai was to impress ination of Eliahu Sasson as the without due process of law and said, in passing 'I agree that
upon Israel the fact that their destiny is to be the groom of the new Israel Minister to Italy. Sas- calls attention to the American the death sentence was un-
sacred day, the commandment to espouse the seventh day.
son formerly was Israel Minis- Civil Liberties Union's "level- precedented and harch.'
The Sabbath is , meaningful' to God, for without it there would ter to Turkey.
headed report" making it clear
"For months t h e Commu-
be no holiness in our world of time In discussing the meaning
nist papers railed at me and
of the verse, and on the seventh day He finished His work," the
reviled- me. But now the Ros-
ancient rabbis suggested that an act of creation took place on
enberg Committee has. torn
the seventh day. The world would no _ t be complete if the six days
that single sentence 0 mine
did not culminate in the Sabbath. Geniba and the rabbis dis-
out of context, and uses it in
cussed this. Geniba said: This may 'be compared to a king who
its broadsides to imply I sup-
made a bridal chamber, which he plastered, painted and adorned;
port their campaign.
now . what did the bridal chamber lack? A bride to enter it. Simi-
"My own stand' is unchang-
larly; what did the universe still lack? The Sabbath. The rabbis
ed. I believe the Rosenbergs
said Imagine a king who made a ring: What did it lack? A signet.
are guilty, that there was no
imilarly, what did the universe lack' The Sabbath. .
frameup, and no denial of
The Sabbath is a bride, and its - celebration is like a wedding.
civil liberties. The over-
The idea of __the . Sabbath as_ a bride was retained by Israel;
whelming proof is that they
it is the theme of the hymn L,echah Dodi 'chanted in the syna-
are not `anti-Fascist martyrs'
gogue. Eyen the sanctification over wine was explained with the
but de-Voted and disciplined
idea that, just as the wedding ceremony, is performed over a cup
soldiers in the international
Of wine, so Sabbath is "the bride_ that - enters the hupah.7 To this
Communist cause. Yet I also
day the meal on Saturday night is called "the escort of the queen."
believe that the death I sen-
The name- of the. Friday evening service is kabbalat' Shabbat.
tence, being harsh and un-
It has been said that in medieval literature the term kabbalat
precedented, is unwise.
Shabbat is: used exclusively in the first sense, denoting the act
"When you examine the na-
of taking upon oneself the obligation to rest, the moment of ces-
ture of the world . campaign
sation from work. Yet • it may be proved that in an even earlier
for them, you will see that the
period the term has been used in the sense of greeting or wel-
Communists are prepared to
coming the. Sabbath. What, then, does the phraSe kabbalat Shabbat
exploit the Rosenbergs quick
mean?
or dead. If the sentence is
The answer is it means both; it has both a legal and a spirit-.
commuted to life - imprison-
uai meaning; they are inseparable from 'one another. The dis-
ment, they will axgue that it
tinction of the Sabbath is reflected in the twin ,meanings of the
is another proof of the effec-
phrase kabbalat Shabbat . which means to accept. the sovereignty
tiveness of 'mass-pressure: If
as well as to welcome the presence of the day. The Sabbath is a
the execution is carried out,
queen as well as .a.bride.
they will make undying mar-
ETERIVTy UTTERS A DAY-
. J
tyrs of the two spies.
"Now who is greater than the Sabbath Which is both bride and
. "Actually, despite the world
qu4n: and who is called delightful. A thousand times more so
campaign, the Kremlin has
should the master of the house hirriself be busy in ;making the
more to gain from them dead
preparations, even though he may have a hundred servants." .
than alive. Once dead there is
"This was the practice of Rabbi Judah ben Ilai—on the eve
of the Sabbath a basin filled with hot water was brought to him, Just as creation began with the word, "Let there be light!" so no danger_ they will ever talk
and he washed his :face, hands and feet, and he wrapped himself does the celebration of creation begin with the kindling of lights. _ to •eveal the others in the spy-
and sat in fringed linen robes, and was like an angel of the Lord It is the woman who ushers in the joy and sets up the most ex- ring. Once dead, they are mar-
tyrs who can be enshrined,,
of hosti."
quisite symbol, light, to: dominate the atmosphere of the home.
"When Rabbi Hamnuna the Ancient used to come out from
And the world becomes a Place of rest. An hour arrives uke • and thus, help induce. others
the river on a Friday afternoon (after taking his bath), he was a guide, and raises our minds above accustomed thciughtS. People' to become spies.-- Finally,- once
wont to rest a little on the bank, and, raising his eyes in gladness, assemble to welcome the wonder Of the seventh claY, while the dead,' they will be used by the
he would say that he sat there in order to behold the joyous sight Sabbath sends out its presence over the fields; into - our homes, Kremlin to distract attention
of the heavenly angels ascending and descending. At each arrival into our hearts. It is a moment of resurrection of the dormant from the real anti-Semitism.
that has now become the of-
of the Sabbath, he said, man is caught up into the world of souls. spirit in Our souls.
ficial - ' policy of the Soviet
Happy is he who is aware' of the mysteries of his Lord."
When all 'work brought,to• a standstill, the candles are lit.
satellites in East Europe,.'
(To Be Continued Next Week) .
"
7