Lessing's Friendship With Mendelssohn,
`Nathan der Weise,' Outlined by Allison

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

It has been accepted as a fact
that the Jewish hero in Gotthold
Ephraim Lessing's "Nathan der
Weise" was Moses Mendelssohn
and that there was a strong trend
ship between the two, the noted
Jewish scholar and the eminent
German dramatist, philosopher,
playwright and commentator on
religious subjects.
A most interesting analysis of
this friendship and a thorough
study of the German author and
his works is now offered in
"Lessing and the Enlightenment"
by Prof. Henry E. Allison of Penn-
sylvania State University, pub-
lished by the University of Mich-
igan Press.
This significant biographical
and critical review of Lessing
and his works deals at length
with the "Nathan the Wise"
theme and with the parable of
the three rings. It traces the
background of the legend and
deals with the characters who
form the basis for the tale that
has been a source of much dis-
cussion in religion and philoso-
phy.
These details, in turn have ref-
erence to Mendelssohn. Even be-
fore devoting his attention to the
parable of the rings, Prof. Allison
describes the Mendelssohn-Lessing
friendship.
"In 1755," he writes, "Lessing
collaborated with Mendelssohn on
an essay, 'Pope, a Metaphysician.'
The work was occasioned by the

From the Shulhan Arukh of
Rabbi Joseph Karo (1488-1575)
Charity should be given with a
friendly countenance, with joy,
and with a good heart; the giver
should sympathize with the poor
man, and should speak words of
comfort to him. If he gives with
a displeased countenance he loses
his reward.
If the poor man stretches out
his hand and he has nothing to

Berlin Academy's announcement
of a prize essay on the subject of
Alexander Pope's system, as con-

tained in the proposition: "All is
good.' "
Then there is reference to "Les-
sings' relation to Mendelssohn's
first work, the 'Philosophical Con-
versations' (1755). Mendelssohn
had shown the manuscript to Les-
sing, who not only proceeded to
have the work published, but also
gave it a glowing review, prais-
ing both the succinctness of its

style and the cogency of its rea- ing Israelitish people . .
"
soning."
In spite of Lessing's friend-

"Still another product of
Lessing's acquaintance with Men-
delssohn was his interest in the
English 'philosophy of feeling,'
Prof. Allison states. "This in-
terest was aroused by Mendels-
sohn's 'Letters on Sensations'
(17,55), in which the attempt
was made to find a positive,
philosophical basis for a doc-
trine of feeling . ."
It is in relation to "Nathan the
Wise" that the Allison study is
so complete and so 'expressly an-
alytical of the Jewish, Moslem and
Christian characters. As a com-
ment on the quotation from the
play,
Are Jew and Christian rather
Jew and Christian
Than men? Ah, had I found in
you one more
Whom it suffices to be called
a man!
Prof. Allison points out: "Within
the drama Nathan, and to a lesser
extent Saladin, are the ideal rep-
resentatives of this realm . . .
They have risen above the pre-
judices of their religion and no
longer arrogantly view it as the
only road to God . . ."
Viewing Lessing's theological at-
titudes, Prof. Allison states at one

point that: "Lessing admits the
lack of he doctrine of immortal-
ity in the Old Testament and justi-
fies it in terms of the accommoda-
tion hypothesis. The absence of
this doctrine in these writings
proves nothing against their divine
character. Moses was indeed sent
by God, even though the sanctions
of the law extended only to this
life. For, asserts Lessing, in words

ship with Mendelssohn and his
creative effort in "Nathan the
Wise," it is interesting to learn,
in a footnote in Prof. Allison's
book, that because of the "his-
torically limited conception of
Judaism," Johann George Ha-
mann "accused Lessing of being
prejudiced against the Jews in
`The Education Of the Human
Race'."
Lessing's over-all friendships, in
Mendelssohnian relationships, his
religious attitudes—his life and
work—are outlined expertly in
Prof. Allison's book. His "Les-
sing and the Enlightenment" is a
most scholarly and creative work.

Friday, October 28, 1966-23

Charity S p i r i t

entirely empty-handed. Let him
give something. if only a fig, for
it is written, "'Oh, let not the op-
pressed return ashamed" (Ps.

74:21).)

If he can induce others to give,
his reward is greater than the
reward of the one who gives.—
Article 249:3 - 5.

Whatever advice you give, be
short. — Horace.

give him, he should not scold and
raise his voice to him, but should
speak gently to him and show him
his goodness of heart; namely,
that he wishes to give you some-
thing but cannot.
(Note by Isserlen: It is forbid-
den to turn away a poor man

GetToda
Message..611

358-2350

#298
on your ballot

Assistant Prosecutor MAX M.

which seem to echo those of Spin-
oza: 'He was surely sent only to
the Israelitish people, to the
Israelitish people of that time, and

his commission was perfectly
adapted to the knowledge, capaci-

ties, inclinations of the then exist-

Pol. Ad.

VIIMINIMININ.11•111=IN,

`Song of Songs'

THE ACTION TEAM FOR AN ACTION SLATE!

_

By RABBI SAMUEL J. FOX

(Copyright, 1966, JTA, Inc.)
The Kabbalists have viewed the
relationship between Israel and the
Sabbath as that which exists be-
tween bride and groom. The Tal-
mudic literature has long a g o
written of the Sabbath as the
mate for the people of Israel. In-
deed, the recital of "Lekha Dodi"
written by- the Kabbalist Solomon
Albabetz in the 16th Century
speaks of going out to welcome
the Sabbath Bride on Friday eve-
ning. "The Song of Songs," written
by King Solomon, has long been
regarded as an expression of love
in a higher sense and so it be-
comes a fitting text to recite be-
fore the advent of the Sabbath
because it expresses the yearning
and devotion which Israel has for
the Sabbath which brings it closer
to the Divine Presence. The Kab-
balists have offered yet another
interesting reason for the recita-
tion of the Song of Songs on Friday
evening. It is well known that the
Kabbalists claimed that the puni-
tive fires of the Gehenna are ex-
tinguished on the Sabbath so as
not to torment the sinners who are
kept there during the holy day of
rest. Otherwise, during the six
working days of the week the fires
are going and the sinners are pun-
ished all through the day except
for three one-and-a-half-hour rest
periods representing the three
times per day during which the
people of Israel offer prayers (i.e.
Shaharit, Minha Maariv). Sub-
tracting these 27 hours from the
144 working hours of the week we
arrive at a figure of 117 hours
during which the fires of Gehenna
punish the sinners during the week.
The Song of Songs has 117 verses,
and the Kabbalists believe that the
recitation of these 117 verses
brings forgiveness to the sinners
who are punished 117 hours during
the week in the Gehenna and thus
the fires are completely exting-
uished for the entire 24-hour period
of the Sabbath.

SOKOLOWSKI
HUEBNER

BROWN
LINDEMER

O'NEIL
GRIFFIN

AUGENSTEIN
ROMNEY

BRENNAN
MILLIKEN

MERRIMAN,
WASHINGTON

THOMPSON
STOCKMEYER

ON NOV. 8

VOTE FOR THE ENTIRE ROMNEY-MILLIKEN-GRIFFIN ACTION TEAM

NAMES OF OFFICES
VOTED FOR:

Governor and
Lieutenant Governor

GEORGE ROMNEY*
WILLIAM MILLIKEN*

Secretary of State

GEORGE WASHINGTON

Attorney General

LAWRENCE B. LINDEMER

United States Senator

ROBERT P. GRIFFIN*

STATE BOARDS
Members of the State -
Board of Education

MRS. GEORGE J. (TRUDY)
HUEBNER JR.

Members of the
University of Michigan
Board of Regents

JAMES F. O'NEIL

Members of the
Michigan State
University Board of
Trustees

Members of the Wayne
State University Board
of Governors

NON-PARTISAN—State
Supreme Court—Vote for
not more than two on
blue section

ROBERT J. BROWN

•

FRANK MERRIMAN*

15- q KENNETH W. THOMPSON

NORMAN 0. STOCKMEYER*

r5<
- 1 ALFRED SOKOLOWSKI

M JUDGE THOMAS E. BRENNAN

kl MEYER WARSHAWSKY

LEROY G. AUGENSTEIN

*Incumbents

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