(Continued From Page 1)
received their Bibles in De-
cember, at a breakfast meet-
ing at which Edwin Wolf II
and Lesser Zussman, of Phil-
, adelphia, were the speakers.
Addressing the event . here
Sunday were Supreme Court
Justice Arthur J. Goldberg
and Dr. Harry Orlinsky, who
was the chairman of the com-
mittee of translators.

ed Jewish writer and theo-
logian, says, 'In a certain sense,
every great work in one lan-
guage can be translated into
another language only once:
Moreover, since in Mr. Rosenz-
weig's words 'The Scriptures
constitute the first conversation
of mankind,' how essential it is
to record this first conversa-
tion faithfully and accurately
.so that the dialogue between
God and man can continue in
the future as it has in the past.
I do not profess the scholar-
ship necessary to a definitive
judgment, but in all humility
as a layman, I deem the present
translation of the first part of
the Holy 'Scripture, the Five
Books of Moses, to be an ex-
cellent one. The final verdict
will be given by learned schol-
ars and by public acceptance."
At this point, the Supreme
Court Justice expressed the
view that not all changes will
be accepted and he expressed
personal reservations, asserting:
"I was brought up in my childhood

Dr. Orlinsky, in an evaluat-
ing address, pointed out that
the new translation is a revo-
lutionary step that avoided
word-for-word translation, which
was resorted to in the past;
which shunned conformity,
abandoned the old style dif-
ficult-to-read type and intro-
duced modernity for better un-
derstanding and easier read-
ing.
In his highly scholarly ad-
dres, often deviating from his
prepared text to inject personal
reminiscences of his studies in
the heder in his youth, Mr.
Justice Goldberg commended to start the reading of Genesis with
the Jewish Publication Society the noble words, 'In the beginning
created the heaven and the
"not only on his outstanding God
earth.' (When the initial text of the
and memorable translation, but revised translation was issued with
introduced change, Leonard N.
also for its translation of many the
Simons, one of the Detroit members
of
the
JPS board of trustees, objected
other outstanding works of
expressed the view that "In the
Jewish interest into the Eng- and
beginning . . ." be retained. After
lish language. The Society several months of committee discus-
sions, it was as a concession to him
through the years has published that
the alternate translation — "In
and distributed millions of the beginning . ." was inserted in
the revised translation as a footnote.)
volumes of books, theological Despite the weighty arguments of the
and secular, for the education Translation Committee that the prop-
er rendition from the Hebrew is
and enlightenment of both in- `When
God began to create the heav-
dividuals and learned bodies. en and earth,' I suspect that I shall
follow the ancient teaching,
It is not too much to say that still
which, I am glad to note, is suggested
without the Society, Judaism by the translators as an acceptable
alternative. Having read and re-read,
would not be the vital and liv both
as lawyer and as judge, the fa-
ing force that it is in American mous passage from Leviticus 19:15,
`You shall do no unrighteousness in
life today."
judgment; thou shall not respect the
person of the poor, nor favor the
Justice Goldberg added, in person
the mighty; but in right-
his comment on the needs that eousness of shall
thou judge thy neigh-
had arisen for a new transla- bor,' I shall undoubtedly continue to
prefer it to the present rendition,
tion of the Bible:
'You shall not render an unfair deci-
do not favor the poor or show
"I am sure that what any sion;
deference to the rich; judge your
committee of translators seeks neighbor fairly.' But these are mat-
of preference as to style.
to achieve is not. only or pri- ters
"Of course, there are more sub-
marily an improved translation, stantive changes which will have to
win support, not only from me, but
worthy as this objective is, but more
importantly from others far
THE translation, the definitive, better qualified to judge. But every
translation
has faced the same doubts;
the correct, the accurate trans- I am confident
that in totality the
lation—the translation which so merits of this translation 'will find
favor
with
God
and
man'."
merges the ancient Hebrew and
The scholarly Supreme Jus-
the modern idiom that the two
languages become only one. tice, who had distinguished
Franz Rosenzweig, a distinguish- himself in the ranks of labor
and who had a good element-
ary Jewish education as a youth
Workmen's Circle Raps in Chicago, spoke of the value
of the Bible to himself and to
Rockefeller Plan for
mankind. He said:

City College Tuition

The Workmen's Circle, na-
tional Jewish fraternal and cul-
tural organization, with 45,000
members in the New York City
area, characterized Governor
Rockefeller's plan to impose tui-
tion fees on the city colleges as
a "wholly unjustified assault on
the educational opportunities of
our city's economically under-
privileged ethnic minorities!'
Jacob T. Zukerman, New York
attorney and social worker who
is president of the Workmen's
Circle, said that the Rockefeller
program would compell many of
the 40,000 students now attend-
ing the city colleges "to end
their studies and join the al-
ready swollen ranks of the un-
skilled unemployed."
He charged that the impact of
the Governor's program "would
be harshest on students from
Negro and Puerto Rican families
for whom tuition-free colleges

represent the only possible gate-
way out of the world of poverty
and deprivation.
"No less than the Irish, the
Jews and the Italians who pre-
ceded them, these people are
now entitled to their chance,"
he said.

IF YOU TURN THE

•IrS"fl

UPSIDE DOWN YOU WON'T
FIND .A FINER WINE THAN

Mr. Justice Goldberg con-
cluded his address by stating:

rildae

Milan Wineries, Detroit, Mi

"We read it, of course, because it
is great literature, because, surpris-
ingly enough to some, it has much
historical validity, and because it con-
tains great dramas like the Book of
Job and offers the beautiful poetry
of the Psalms. But these are not the
only or the most basic reasons for
studying the Bible. We study it and
we must study it to learn and profit
from its great truths which are to be
found in its teachings about God,
about the Universe, and about the
purpose of life itself. For while we
have made great scientific and ma-
terial progress since Moses led our
people out of bondage, we, the human
race, are still the same people con-
fronted essentially with the same
problems which faced our forebears.
The human race has not changed
much for the better in the last thou-
sands of years—it may even have
changed for the worse. The shadow
of war hangs over us as it did over
the ancient Hebrew Tribes but with
one overwhelming difference. The
consequences of war in this nuclear
age are far more serious than they
were in Biblical times. We therefore
seek, as we must, what Isaiah sought
in ancient times, peace in freedom
and in justice so that 'Every man
shall sit under his vine and under his
fig-tree, and none shall make them
afraid.' Shalom—peace—was the goal
of our ancestors. It is still our goal.
We pray as they did for the day
when all 'people will dwell in a
peaceful habitation, in secure dwell-
ings and in quiet resting places.'
"Not only does the shadow of war
hang over us, but poverty, prejudice,
hatred and repression abound not
only in our land but throughout the
world. We read the Bible to obtain
much needed guidance to help elim-
inate these evils, which have been
present throughout the long history
of mankind. We study it also to find
an answer to the most eternal of
questions. What is the purpose of
Life? What better answer can we
find than the Biblical one, 'It has
been told you, 0 man, what is good
and what the Lord requires of you:
Only to do justice, to love mercy and
to walk humbly with your God.'
(Micah 6:8.)"

j

"Because its truths are eternal, the
Bible has affected the whole of the
Western world and has helped to
shape its language, literature and
culture. Our ideals, laws and indeed
our democratic way of life draw sus-
tenance from the Bible.

"The Chief Justice of the United
States pointed out the other day in
a notable address that from the Holy
Scriptures have come ethical stand-
ards and many of our moral precepts.
The President pointed out, just this
week, that the teachings of the Scrip-
tures have guided all our leaders
throughout the history of our Re-
public.
"In dedicating this translation of
the first Five Books of Moses, we
count our blessings as Americans, for
in publishing this Bible we exercise
a fundamental constitutional right—
the right of freedom of religion. The
First Amendment of our Constitution
states, 'Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of reli-
gion or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof.' In a very real sense, there-
fore, we freely publish this transla-
tion today because of this great
Charter of Religious Liberty. The
First Amendment protects all reli-
gious faiths. 'Ours is a government
which by the 'law of its being' al-
lows no statute, state or national,
that prohibits the free exercise of
religion.' Kedroff v. St. Nicholas Ca-
thedral, 344 U.S. 94, 120.
"While this great constitutional
clause protects both the believer and
the non-believer, its necessary and
operative effect has been to perpetu-
ate our nation as a religious nation,
which it was from its very begin-
nings and which it is today.
"Our Constitution extends its man-
tle of protection to the system of
private parochial schools which the
Supreme Court has safeguarded from
legislative proscription by application
of our fundamental law. Under its
tolerant command, clergymen from
every corner of the earth may preach
God's word in the pulpits of our
churches and synagogues. Part of the
religious liberty which our Constitu-
tion guarantees is the teaching in the
parochial schools of Hebrew, Latin,
Greek or any other language sacred
to religious groups. Our Constitution
protects the rights of children to
refrain from saluting our flag in our
public schools where the religious
teachings of their sect, no matter
how small, would thereby be offend-
ed. Under our Constitution any re-
ligious group may preach God's words
on the streets and carry them from
house to house without restraint by
public authority. And, of course, any
religious body, large or small, may,
in addition to worshiping according
to the dictates of its creed, publish
its version of the Bible and write
its own prayer book. In the eyes of
the law, all versions have equal
status, since the First Amendment,
safeguarding the free exercise of re-
ligion, also prohibits the establish-
ment of any religion. Under the hos-
pitable climate of the First Amend-
ment, religious institutions have
flourished in the United States. While
statistics do not fill church or syna-
gogue pews, nevertheless the figures
of church and synagogue membership
in America indicate the wisdom of
the founding fathers in providing
for religious tolerance and liberty.
Total membership of our churches
and synagogues is 112,226,905, the
great majority of our population.
"Glorying in our religious freedom,
we cannot fail to deplore its denial
elsewhere in the world. It is pro-
foundly tragic that in the Soviet
Union today the Hebrew Bible and
prayer books may not be reprinted
or translated and people of our faith
and indeed of Christian faiths are
denied the religious freedom which
we enjoy.
"But the Bible has lived and sur-
vived through other periods of re-
pression. It will, I have no doubt,
survive the yoke of totalitarianism,
for the story of the Bible is the story
of man's epochal struggle for free-
dom, which is bound to prevail. For
man today and, tomorrow, as in the
past, must have the Book, of all
books, as 'a lamp to his feet and a
light to his path.' "

Maxwell M. Rabb, who was
one of President Eisenhower's
White House secretaries, was
chairman of the dinner meet-
ing. Sol Satinsky, JPS presi-
dent, greeted the gathering.
The presentation of the Bibles
to the committee of translators
was made by Leo Guzik and the

The daughters of Israel are
—Nedarim 66.
beautiful.

recipients, in addition to Dr.
Orlinsky, who made the re-
souse, were Dr. H. Louis Gins-
berg, who will head the com-
mittee of translators for the
nexts project, the revision of
the translation of the Prophets;
Dr. Solomon Grayzel, Dr. Harry
Freedman, Dr. Max Arzt, Dr.
Bernard J. Bamberger and Dr.
Ephraim J. Speiser. -
Others who participated in
the program, were Rabbi Israel
Mowshowitz, president of the
New York Board of Rabbis;
Bernard G. Segal, Edwin Wolf
and Harry W. Baumgarten.

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5 -- THE D ETROIT JEWISH NEWS -- Friday, February 15, 1963

Revised Bible Translation Acclaimed

