Rousseau and the Jews: 'Emile' Shows Link

Holiday Good Cheer
By DR. N. M. GELBER
ercised against them makes I "Emile" \vas put on the index
June 28, 1962, marked the them apprehensive. They know ! of forbidden books at the in-
250th birthday of Jean Jacques how quickly Christian charity sistance of the Archbishop of
Rousseau, and the 200th anni- resorts to injustice and cruelty. ; Paris because the Catholic
versary of the publication of What can they risk to say with- Church saw in Rousseau an en-
13821 Elmira
Detroit, Michigan
his didactic novel "Emile." out exposing themselves to the emy of Christianity. The reac-
Rouseau mentioned the Jew- j i danger of our crying "bias- tion of the "enlightened" Jews
ish question for the first timelphemy?" Cupidity makes us was different. The liberal ideas I
in an indirect way. In the fourth I zealous; they are too rich not expressed in Rousseau's books
book of the second volume, a lto be wrong. Their greatest say- I and in particular in "Emile'
Savoyard vicar imparts his ants and most enlightened men and the "Contrat Social" could I
Holiday Greetings
creed to Emile—the central fig- are always the most circum-1 not fail to awaken a sympa-
ure of the novel—and describes spect. You will not convert any- thetic response in the circle of
one but some miserable indi- I Moses Mendelssohn's adherents.
\;:•
tW
vidual who receives pay for However, in the salons of the
calumniating his co-religionists; Jews of Berlin men were more
it will perhaps be possible to ' impressed by rationalism and
enter a discussion wtih some therefore held Voltaire in
venal dealers in old clothes who higher esteem than Rousseau.
will yield in order to flatter But the women, like Rachel
you; you will triumph over Lewin and Dorothea Mendels-
their ignorance or cowardice sohn, worshipped Rousseau. It
Season's Best Wishes
while the Jewish scholars will was the general humane tend-
silently smile at your inept- ency of Rousseau's books rather
tude. But do you really think than his revolutionary social
that in places where they feel . doctrine and his protests against
secure they would be so easy a social inequality that interested
3146 E. Jefferson
LO 7-7202
match for their adversaries? In and attracted the Jewish intel-
the Sorbonne it is abundantly ligentsia of Berlin.
clear that the messianic proph- Impressed Hebrew Writers
ecies pertain to Jesus Christ.
JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU Among the rabbis of Amster- The Hebrew writers round
dam it is no less clear that no the "Meassef" were consider-
Happy New Year
at length the nature of various connection whatsoever exists ably impressed by his romanti-
religions and poses the follow- between him and these proph- cism. Hertz Romberg was fin-
ing questions: j ecies. I am afraid I shall never fluenced by the educational
"Do you know many Chris- completely understand • the ar- theories of "Emile" and Sha-
tians who have taken the pains guments of the Jews as long as lom Cohen by Rousseau's oppo-
to examine carefully the case of they do not have a free state, sition to social oppression. The
Judaism? If any of them have schools and universities of impact of "La nouvelle Hel-
heard something on this subject, their own, where they will be oise" on the author Mordechai
it was in the books of the Chris- in a position to speak and dis- Ginzburg was so strong that he
tians. A fine way of getting in- cuss without risk. Only then wrote his story "The Family"
Happy New Year
formed of the arguments of shall we be able to know what after its pattern. Large sec-
tions of the "Maskilim," the
their adversaries! But what they have to say."
partisans Of Jewish rationalism,
can one do? If anyone dared
Surprising Conclusion
were deeply impressed by Rous-
to publish a book openly in fav-
Simonizing - Waxing
Rousseau thus arrived at a seau's ideas on society because
our of Judaism, we would pun- conclusion
which for those days they appeared to support not
Harold M. Stein
ish the author, the publisher
truly surprising and in only toleration but full civic
and the librarian. Such policy was
18344 W. McNichols near Southfield
which he divined the historic equality, which at that time was
is convenient and a sure means future of the Jewish people. It
of being always in the right. It may be assumed that Rousseau the highest and ultimate target
is a pleasure to refute people had some knowledge of the con- of Jewish aspirations.
who do not venture to speak troversy of Dutch Jewry with
Rousseau's political doctrine,
out.
New Year Greetings to Our Friends and Patrons
Voltaire and it is not improb- according to which the indi-
"Those of us who have an op- able that he was aware of the vidual is the basis of the state,
portunity of conversing with English movement for the Res- suited the "enlightened" Jews,
Jews are hardly in a better po- toration of the Jews, which because they were individual-
sition. These unfortunate peo- openly advocated the return of ists by inclination and ideology.
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at our mercy—the tyranny ex- land. He also knew something Jews. in particular in Germany,
about the former Marannos in who did not fully agree with
Holland and their expectation Rousseau's republican and dem
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Happy New Year
of the Messiah who would re- ocratic views, especially after
•
the
French
Revolution
of
store
the
historic
Jewish
nation
1789,
•
FINE'S CORSET
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•
in its ancient homeland. Rou- the Jews regarded them as a •
•
•
SHOP
seau undoubtedly also heard useful political weapon in their
•
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something about the upheaval fight for civic equality. Rous- •
•
•
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created among the Jews by Sab- seau became very popular.
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•
•
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batai Zvi and about the yearn-
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Particularly strong was Rous- •
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ings for a return to Zion, en-; seatt's influence on Shmuel
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gendered by his fall. I David Luzzato (Shadal) who •
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• • • • ••••••••555•••••••••••••••••••••••••
frequently mentioned R ous-
seau's
philosophical
views.
To
Sincere Holiday Greetings
a friend he wrote: "You will
find in "Emile" things of un-
Best Wishes for
surpassed excellency. You will
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Weekly Quiz

By RABBI SAMUEL J. FOX

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Best Wishes for a Happy New Year

To Our Customers and Friends

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(Copyright, 1962,
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)

Why is it that some of the
books of the Bible have sec-
tions written in Aramaic in-
stead of Hebrew?
There were evidently many
Jewish colonies and settlements
in Babylonia and Egypt as well
as other mid-eastern countries
where Aramaic was spoken dur-
ing the period of the first exile
and afterwards. This language
was then popular in those areas
and it gained acceptance among
the Jewish people as a vernacu-
lar. Therefore, considerable por-
tions of the latest books of the
Bible like Daniel and Ezra were
written in Aramaic. Further-
more, Aramaic is said to have
been the language of Abraham
and we do find Aramaic expres-
sions even in the book of Gen-
esis (Genesis 3:47). The Bible,
even though it is a sacred text,
was nevertheless meant for
human reading and often used
colloquial expressions. This is
indeed an indication that there
is sanctity even in the language
of the masses when properly
used.

Joyous New Year

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