`The Golem' —Dramatic 16th Century Legend

By RABBI H. RABINOWICZ
(A Seven Arts Feature)
The creator of the Golem, Rabbi
Judah ben Bezalel Loew, of
Prague, known as the Maharal,
was neither a scholar like Solo-
mon ben Jechiel Lurie (1510-
1573), nor a mystic like Moses
ben Jacob Cordovery (1522-1570).
But he fired the imagination of
the Jewish masses and no other
European rabbi of the Middle Ages
has left so deep an imprint on
his contemporaries or cast so magi-
cal a spell over so many genera-
tions. Fact and fiction are closely
interwoven, for the Maharal be-
came a legend in his lifetime, and
three and a half centuries have
not dimmed the brilliance of his
personality.
We know little about the per-
sonal life of this remarkable man.
Few biographical details have
come down to us about his child-
hood or his family. Judah ben
Bezalel Loew was born in the sec-
ond decade of the 16th Cen-
tury, probably in Posen. For a
time (1553-1573) he was Landrab-
biner in Nikolsburg. In 1583 he
moved to Prague, where he took
charge of a rabbinical college. All
the while he wrote prolifically. He
produced more than 15 works ,
ranging from Gur Arye, a com-
mentary on iRashi's comments on
the Pentateuch, to Sepher Netzach,
dealing with the day of mourning
for the destruction of the Temple
and the Messianic belief; from
Sepher Hagdulah, about the Sab-
bath, to Sepher Shamayim Vaaretz,
about the Jewish New Year and
the Day of Atonement.
People began to take notice
of Rabbi Judah when the Em-
peror Rudolf II of Habsburg
received him in the Hradcany
Palace on Feb. 16, 1592.
In the words of the chronicler
Gans: "Our Sovereign, the just
gracious and high Emperor Ru-
dolphus, called the Gaon Liwa,
the son of Bezalel, to come be-
fore him, received him most
kindly and conversed with him
as with a friend. The subject
of the conversation, however, is
quite unknown." The Emperor
was a keen student of astrol-
ogy and alchemy, and the as-
tronomer Tycho Brahe is be-
lieved to have arranged the
meeting. After this, mysterious
rumors began to circulate. It
was said that in return for the
Emperor's promise to suppress
the Blood Libel, the Maharal
had given him an impressive
demonstration of powers of the
Cabbalah. Three centuries be-
fore the 21-inch screen, the Ma-
haral is said to have used a
kind of television technique, the
rabbi enabling the Emperor to
"glimpse far-off places."
But the glamour of the Em-
peror episode was eclipsed by an
even greater achievement, the cre-
ation of a Golem. In biblical and
mishnaic Hebrew the word Golem
has several connotations, an em-
bryo, a mass of matter, the anti-
thesis of "wise." It was widely
believed among Jews that it was
possible to create a homunculus,
a superman, by means of the In-
effable Name, the Tetragramma-
ton, the Shem Hameforash. Ac-
cording to rabbinic literature, Ben
Sira (the author of Ecclesiasticus)
strove to create a Golem by the
use of the mystical Sefer Yezirah
(the book of Creation attributed
to the Patriarch Abraham). But
the task was too great for him.
"You cannot do it single-handed,"
he was told. It was only when he
enlisted the aid of the prophet
Jeremiah that Ben Sira succeeded
in forming a creature.
As time went on the Cabbalists
became more proficient in this
strange art. According to a legend
in the Talmud, Rabah had created
a Golem; Rabbi Haninah and Rabbi
Oshayah formed a 3 - year - old
calf every Friday: Rashi, the ra-
tionalist, finds nothing surprising
in this story. "They, Haninah and
Oshayah," says Rashi, "used to
combine the letters of the code by
which the universe was created.

This is not considered forbidden
magic, for the creations of God
were brought into being through
His Holy Name." Among Golem-
creators of the Middle Ages were
Solomon Ibn Gabirol (1021-1058),
the philosopher-poet, author of
Kether Malkut, and Rabbi Samuel,
father of the pietist Judah Hechas-
sid of Regensburg, who wrote Sefer
Chassidim. Ashkenazim and Seph-
ardim were for -once united by a
common effort and in the 16th
Century Elijah of Shelm joined
the limited ranks of the robot-
makers. Nor was this merely a
matter of academic interest: Ha-
ham Zebi, Elijah's grandson, ar-
gued the question as to whether
a Golem could be counted to a
minyan.
So the Golem was not exactly
a unique phenomenon among
Jews. Yet no Golem could stand
comparison with the Golem of
the Maharal. Although we know
little about the rabbi we know
a great deal about the robot he
created. A wealth of detail has
come down to us about this pre-
fabricated being. Unlike his
predecessors, the Maharal was
motivated neither by the urge to
conquer the unknown nor by
love of fame or fortune. Direct
necessity drove the Maharal to

this desperate measure. It was
a time of terrible persecution
for the Jews. Again and again
the infamous blood libel accu-
sation was revived, and every
Passover was overshadowed by
this thunclerblack crowd, threat-
ening to bring disaster upon a
helpless people. The Festival of
Freedom brought imprisonment,
torture and death to many in-
nocent victims. To the inveterate
Jew-baiter, Priest Thoddeus of
Prague, the blood libel was a
devil-sent opportunity, a chance
to wreak vengeance on the "un-
believers." With his savage ser-
mons he inflamed the primitive
peasants. The Maharal pleaded
in vain. for moderation, mercy
and justice. In despair he cried
to his Father in Heaven and
the divine counsel was stark and
startling: "Create out of clay a
Golem who will destroy all the
enemies of Israel."
With the aid of his son-in-law,
Isaac ben Shimshon Hacohen and
his disciple Jacob en Chaim Ha-
levy, the Maharal accomplished
this task on Adar 24, 1580. "At the
river Maldavka, on its banks,"
writes the author of the Miracles
of the Maharal, "we found a spot
containing sticky clay. We made
out of it a human form, three ells

Price Rise of 8 Pct. Due in Israel
This Year, Knesset Told; New
Cabinet OKs Deputy Ministers

(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News)

JERUSALEM — Prices in Israel
will rise during 1966 by 8 per cent,
the Knesset was informed Tuesday
by Finance Minister Pinhas Sapir
and the Bank of Israel. The notifi-
cation of a general rise in the price
index was contained in the nation-
al budget submitted to the Knesset
by the finance minister and the
bank.
According to the two finance
sources, Israel's unfavorable trade
balance — the gap between the
value of imports and the value of
exports — is not expected to
change this year. Although exports
are expected to rise, that increase
is expected to be offset by increas.
ing imports, the Knesset was in-
formed.
Increased taxes, rising costs of
many Israeli products and services,
and predictions of further price
increases that would affect the Is-
raeli consumer, were discussed
Monday by the leadership of the
Histadrut, the Israel federation
of labor. At Monday's meeting of
the Histadrut's Central Commit-
tee, a decision was made to ask
the Israel finance minister to ar-
range a meeting to discuss the sit-
uation with the various ministries
involved, including the ministries
of the interior, commerce and in-
dustry and transport.
The immediate cause of con-
cern was a resolution adopted

Sunday by the Central Commit-
tee of the Union of Municipali-
ties, calling for the doubling of
local taxes by all municipalities
and other local grovernments in
the country. The 100 per cent in-
crease was voted, according to
the group, to cover the higher
costs of municipal and other lo-
cal government services.

Sapir presented the 1966-67
budget proposal to the Cabinet
Sunday. It is expected to be be-
tween 4,500,000,000 pounds
($1,500,000,000) and 4,600,000,000
pounds ($1,523,000,000), informed
sources indicated. This estimate
compares with a current budget
of 4,000,000,000 pounds ($1,333,-
000,000).
The new Cabinet held its first
meeting Sunday and approved the
appointment of deputy ministers,
thus completing the formation of
the new government under Prime
Minister Levi Eshkol. Deputy min-
isters need not be confirmed by
the Knesset.
Aharon Yadlin and Rabbi Kal-
man Hahane were reappointed
deputy ministers of education and

culture. Dr. I. S. Ben-Meir was
chosen again as deputy minister
of the interior. New deputy minis-
ters named were Yehuda Shaari,
of the Independent Liberal Party
to be the No. 2 official in the
ministry of development; Dr. Z.
Dinstein, of the Mapai-Ahdut
Avoda alignment, as deputy minis-
ter of defense; and Aharon Uzzan
as deputy minister of agriculture.
The cabinet approved also the
members of eight standing minis-
terial committees.
Eshkol's new coalition govern-
ment was approved by parliament
Jan. 12 by a vote of 71 to 41. The
government was sworn in and the
new ministers presented to Presi-
dent Zalman Shazar.
Eshkol informed the finance
conunittee of the Knesset
Wednesday that all members of
the Cabinet have decided not to

long, with face, hands and feet,
and it lay there like a man on
his back . . . Now the Maharal
himself performed the seven cir-
cuits and the three of us pro-
nounced simultaneously the verse:
`And the Lord God . . . breathed
into his nostrils the breath of
life; and man became a living
creature!' " (Gen. II, 7). Solemnly
the Maharal addressed the creature
of clay: "Know that we have cre-
ated you out of the dust of the
earth in order that you may
liberate the Jews from their ene-
mies and oppressors. You will
stay with me and live in my
court-room, where your duties will
be those of an usher. You must
fulfill all my commands, even
walk through fire, descend into
deep waters, or jump from a tower,
until you have carried out my
orders, no matter where I send
you." The Golem was named "Yos-
sele" and he served as a Sham-
mas (usher) at the Beth Din. With
one or two lapses, Yossele car-
ried out his duties faithfully for
some 10 years. Alert, watchful,
ubiquitous, often invisible, Yos-
sele was a powerful tool, the
untiring guardian of the Jews of
Prague.
Yossele had superhuman
strength. He was a one-man army
and an invincible force. About
him there are a host of legends.
From Purim to Passover, Yossele
knew no rest. With uncanny speed
he patrolled the streets. On one
occasion he overpowered a carter
who was trying to smuggle the
corpse of a Christian child into
the Jewish quarter. On another
occasion he saved , a young Jew-
ish girl from apostasy. It is also
related that he foiled a plot to
poison many Jews. So Yossele
served his purpose nobly and the
time came when his task was
complete. On Lag b'Omer, 1590,
the Golem was reduced to a heap
of dust, and his resting place, the
attic of the Altneau-Shul, became
forbidden ground.
Thus it came about that the
Maharal, whom his contemporaries
called the "Mentor of the Dias-
pora" and the "Light of Israel,"
is best known to posterity as the
"Creator of the Golem."

U.S. Jesuit Organ Lauds
Hebrew Translation of
Pope John's Encyclical

NEW YORK (JTA)—A leading
American Jesuit organ welcomed

publication in Jerusalem of a

Hebrew translation of Pope John's
Encyclical letter, "Pacem In Ter-
ris." An editorial in America, the
Jesuit weekly, reports publication
of the translation by the Hebrew
University in Jerusalem with an
introducton by Prof. David Flus-
ser, who holds the chair of com-
parative religion.
The editorial noted that Prof.
Flusser "stresses the appropriate-
ness of the new translation into
Hebrew, pointing to the continuity
of Jewish and Christian ideals." It
said that "the commentary makes
only brief mention of the dark
days of persecution, but pays tri-

bute to the church's work for
peace through the centuries, and
especially to Pope John's intense
efforts for brotherly love."
The editorial declared that "this
unique publication is a generous
irenic gesture in the continuing
dialogue between Christians and
Jews."

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
40—Friday, January 21, 1966

Hebrew Corner

Youth City

Eighteen-year-old Rafi Unger is the
youngest mayor in Israel. The city which
he heads is the "Youth City." No one
lives in this city. Life begins there only
at 5 p.m. There are no problems of
coalition and opposition.
The citizens of the youth city are
thousands of boys and girls from Tel-
Aviv who go there during the holidays.
The city offers them many modes of
entertainment. They can go to the
Beduin tent to have a cold watermelon
and hire a horse or camel for a ride.
They can go to the racecourse of the
midget cars—the minicar. There they
will don the plastic helmets like those
of pilots, sit in the small open cars,
start the engine and begin the race. In
actual fact the small race car travels at
only 30 k.p.h. At the same time it
makes a noise like that of a jet plane.
One can also go and see the two
acrobats who climb in their motor
cycles up the wall of death. If one's
head is still not completely dizzy one
can go to the wheel and see Tel-Aviv
as if on the palm of the hand.
The city is managed by a very youth-
ful council. The members of the coun-
cil are pupils of Tel-Aviv's high schools.
The council plans various activities in
the area of the city: shows in the small
amphitheatre, dances on the lawn by
the pool and many other activities.
(Translation of Hebrew column pub-
lished by Brit Ivrit Olamit and Mem-
orial Foundation for Jewish Culture) •

O

ask for or to accept salary in-
creases.

The committee is now discuss-
ing a possible salary increase of
18 per cent for judges on Israel's
courts. Traditionally, the salaries
of members of the Cabinet have
been pegged to those received by
judges.
The address delivered by Eshkol
in presenting his new government
to Knesset was seen here as an
effort to feel out again the possi-
bilities of interest of the Soviet
Union in better relations with Is-
,rael. It was also seen as a move
toward seeking reduction of the
Soviet support of the Arab coun-
tries.
The Premier's expression of con-
cern over spreading rearmament
was viewed as extending to West
Germany's insistence on sharing
in Europe's American-controlled
nuclear defense, a matter of ur-
gent concern to the Soviet Union.
The Premier's praise for the
India-Pakistan agreement, negoti-
ated in Tashkent with the aid of
Soviet Premier Kosygin, which re-
nounced the use of force in set-
tlement of disputes, also was con-
sidered as part of the Premier's
effort to improve Israeli-Soviet
ties.
That stand, the observers said,
would also be considered a hint to
the Soviets to try to achieve a
similar agreement in the Arab-
Israel deadlock.
Improvement of Soviet ties is a
domestic as well as foreign policy
goal for the Premier because of
the participation in his new gov-
ernment of the leftist Mapam and
the Ahdut Avoda, which is leftist
to a lesser degree.

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