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The Eighth Principle
Jacobs Controversy in England Continues
and more "synagogue-like" than
the new one, to a private real
estate man. He, in return, sold
it to the Jacobs congregation
without profit. And so the Jacobs
folowers are now the possessors
of a syngogal building which
used to belong to the United
Synagogue with whom they are
in conflict.
By S. J. GOLDSMITH
JTA London Correspondent
(Copyright, 1964, JTA, Inc.)
LONDON—In the ordinary way,
a new book by Dr. Louis Jacobs
would have been a matter of in-
terest only to students of theology,
comparative religion and related
subjects; the wider public, Jewish
and non-Jewish, would probably
never have known about the ap-
pearance of such a book. This is
not to detract from the importance
of Dr. Jacobs as a scholar and
mentor. However, Rabbi Jacobs'
new book has come out just at the
controversary over the Chief Rab-
bi's refusal to sanction him as a
minister of a London synogogue
was getting its second wind.
Much has been written already '
about the argument between Dr.
Israel Brodie and Dr. Jacobs, both
on the theological level and on the
communal level. To bring the story
up to date, Dr. Jacobs' followers,
now an independent Orthodox con-
gregation, recently acquired a
ready-made syngogue building.
It is a curious story. A large
and wealthy London congrega-
tion built for itself a new syna-
gogue with a hall and school-
rooms and all the usual modern
amenities. They sold the old
building, still in very good shape
There followed an outcry at the
United Synagogue Council meet-
ing, but there was nothing they
could do, and some Council mem-
bers were told that their excessive
zeal bordered on vulgarity. And so
the controversy goes on. A ser-
mon by Dr. Jacobs fans it. Then a
sermon by one of the followers of
Dr. Bodie — who remains silent
after his single speech on the sub-
ject—adds tinder to the flames.
Against this background, the
new book by Dr. Jacobs, "Prin-
ciples of the Jewish Faith" (Val-
lentine Mitchell), was almost a
sensation. There appeared the
usual garbled versions and silly
reviews in the popular press. But
there is also the serious argument.
Dr. Jacobs examines the Jewish
f a i t h by subjecting each of
Maimonides' Thirteen Principles to
a close scrutiny. He takes them
one by one, renders the Hebrew
text into English, or uses a ready-
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made translation, sometimes with
a correction or two, and then
analyzes them in the light of mod-
ern knowledge, using modern scho-
lastic methods.
Here it must be said that, to
some Orthodox Jews, the very idea
of thus analyzing the Thirteen
Articles of our faith is quite in-
defensible. However, Rabbi Jacobs
has never accepted the adage Jews
must not inquire into what is hid-
den from us, and so this argument
has no validity for him.
It will be remembered that
Dr. Brodie's position is that the
Torah is Revelation. Moses re-
ceived it from God on Mount
Sinai. The authority of the Torah
is binding upon Jews as a Divine
command. It is, therefore, totally
irrelevant to look for reasons for
the Thirteen Principles of our
faith, which derive from the
Torah. Dr. Jacobs, on the other
hand, has said many times that a
modern Jew would want to know
what is meant by Torah from
Heaven. Of course, he says, it
is divenely inspired, but there
is a human element hi Revela-
tion.
In the light of this conflict
of ideas, it is the treatment of the
Eighth Principle of Maimonides by
Dr. Jacobs which is of great in-
terest. To remind readers who
might have forgotten, the Eighth
Principle says (in the Ani Maamin,
which is, if one may put it this
way, the utility formula for daily
use after the morning prayer): "I
believe with perfect faith that the
Law now in our possession is the
same that was given to Moses our
Teacher, Alav Hashalom."
No wonder Dr. Jacobs says that
none of the Thirteen Principles
presents so many difficulties as
the Eighth. Presumably it presents
difficulties to him and to those
people who think like him. Dr.
Brodie and his followers—I mean
those who are capable of following
him intellectually as w ell as
"synagogally"—seem to have no
difficulty at all about it. Once you
accept Revelation, the issue is
settled. Roman Catholic gynecolog-
ists have no difficulty at all in ac-
cepting Immaculate Conception ...
The very fact that Dr. Jacobs is
having difficulty with Principle
Eight seems to justify Dr. Bro-
die's postion. For Dr. Brodie's
point of view is that, if a man
has such difficulties, he is ob-
viously not an Orthodox rabbi in
the traditional sense, though he
may be a very good man — as Dr.
Jacobs is—and even an Orthodox
Jew according to his own lights.
What are Dr. Jacob's dif-
ficulties? He writes: "It is im-
possible for most Jews properly
acquainted with the facts to
to accept Maimonides' Eighth
Principle in the form given to
it by the great medieval thinker.
There is, of course, no a priori
reason why God could not have
revealed Himself to man, and
the modern believer will refuse
to challenge the believe that He
did so. The problem becomes
acute only when the question
of the content of Revelation is
considered. From early Rabbinic
times down to the modern period
it was held that the whole of
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there are still devout Jews who
remain unmoved even today by
contradictions in the Pentateuch
and by the findings of modern
science. Such Jews believe that
the Torah is a Divine Text con-
taining sublime mysteries beyond
human grasp.
To such Jews, one must add,
any attempt to doubt and to look
for "contradictions" is very • sus-
picious.
I must leave it at that.
THE HIGH HOLIDAY
PRAYER BOOK
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, August '7, 1964
14
HILLEL DAY SCHOOL
-I
the Pentateuch was dictated by
word and letter by God to
Moses."
This, says Dr. Jacobs, presup-
poses the infallability of the Pen-
tateuch, but modern scholarship
and science make it impossible.
Here is the question of the age
of our earth, which does not tally
with Genesis. In short, Dr. Jacobs,
comes to the conclusion that there
is a Divine as well as human
element i nthe Pentateuch. This is
but one example. He dwells on
other difficulties, too. He even
finds support for his position in
some passages of the Talmud. Zo-
har, etc. There is a Passuk for ev-
erything, as we all know.
Dr. Jacobs himselfs adds that
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