Purely Commentary
Abraham Joshua Heschel's Classic Address
Defining Halakha ... Famous Philosopher's
Interpretations of Historicity of Zionism
By Philip
Slomovitz
Origins of Zionism Lie in Agada, Not Halakha - Heschel
Prof. Abraham Joshua Heschel long will be remembered for his immense contri-
butions to Jewish philosophic and theological thinking and for his enrichment of both
fields with his brilliant writings and his impressive speeches.
Among his very important
speeches was the address he the creative power of both
The Zionist idea did rot
delivered at the 28th World halakha and agada. Indeed, originate in law, in halakha,
Zionist Congress, in Jerusa- was it not in Sated where a it originated in the soul, in
lem, on Jan. 19, 1972. We renaissance of spiritual in- love of Israel, in agada. Most
have already quoted at length sight came to pass? Was it of those who were guided ex-
from that address, the portion not in modern history that we elusively and rigorously by
in which he gave his view on were blessed with the marvel- halakha raised serious objec-
who is a Jew. It was the ad- lous flowering of agada in the tions to the Zionist move-
dress in which he spoke on form of hasidism?
ment.
halakha and agada, in which
Yet many leaders today,
Modern Zionism came into
he defined the historic sig- whose learning and zeal
being as an outburst of in-
nificance of Zionism.
evoke respect, remain un- sight, first as a dream, then
He interpreted the love for aware that some of their de- as a poetic vision and finally
Israel and the significance it cisions contain an element of as action. For 2,000 years the
gained in fact and legend, a pan-halakhic heresy.
Jewish soul was filled with
and he gave the subject this
This land was rebuilt by longing, with waiting, until
idyllic definition:
those who lived continuous it responded to a call and
The land where halakhic renunciation of luxuries and translated 2,000 years of
acumen reached its climax careers for the sake of the prayer into deeds of heroic
was Babylonia, while the most people. Mesirat Nefesh as a quality.
exquisite and profound agada way of living, not an occa-
Were the men of halakha
came into full bloom in the sional episode; renunciation the only people engaged in
land of Israel.
not because of a negation and rebuilding the land? Indeed,
With the renewal of Jewish contempt for life, but because it was the mysterious will of
life in the Holy Land there of love and enthusiasm for a God that nonobservant Jews
was hope for a renewal of goal.
should have been the leaders
reaching importance in un-
derstanding the nature of
Jewish existence.
From the day of the proph-
et Malachi, who says of Eli-
jah that God will send him
before "the great and dread-
ful day," Elijah was regard-
ed as the precursor of the
Messiah. The helper in dis-
tress, he also appears in our
legends to sages and saints,
assisting them in solving spir-
itual problems.
One such problem was
faced by one of our great
men of the past.
"Two things I love whole-
heartedly: Torah and Israel.
However, I am not sure which
one I love more."
The response of Elijah
LATE ABRAHAM HESCHE , - was:
"The accepted opinion
endowed with foresight and seems to suggest that the To-
the charisma to awaken our rah is most important, as the
people. Saving so many lives, verse reads, with regard to
they led our people to the the Torah, The Lord made
land of our Fathers.
me as the beginning of his
This historic fact is of far- way (Prov. 8:22). However,
I think that not the Torah but
Israel is most important. For
the prophet has said: Israel
is holy to the Lord; the first
fruits of his harvest (Jer.
2:3).
Those who bless the Lord
for the miraculous achieve-
ment of the Zionist goal,
should seriously ponder the
response of Elijah: I think
that not the Torah but Israel
is most important.
One of the greatest author.
ities of rabbinic tradition,
Rabbi Simon bar Yohai of the
2nd Century said, "It is
written, For as the days of a
tree shall be the days of my
people (Isa. 65:22). A 'tree'
signifies the Torah, as it is
stated. It (e.g. the Torah) is
a tree of life to them that lay
hold upon it (Prov. 3:18).
Now which was created for
the sake of which? Was the
Torah created for the sake
of Israel or vice versa? Sure-
ly, the Torah was created for
the sake of Israel."
Halakha Refines Man's Character, Agada Sanctifies God's Name
On the question of love of Torah, Prof. Heschel always
rose to great heights. In his Jerusalem address he spoke
of it, of its intoxication, and he commented: "One gains
the impression that today's orthodoxy sometimes falls into
the trap of placing the Torah higher than God, of placing
deeds higher than reverence for God," and his view was
that it is a duty to study Torah and to love God, that both
are linked. It is at th , s point that he turned to the
despairs and distractions of youth and he warned against
polluting conduct and prayer with coarseness. Here is
what he said on the subject:
"The time calls for renewal, self-purification, rejuve-
nation. Yet our religious establishment remains like a
med eval castle, with most of its leaders engaged in build-
ing fences and walls instead of homes. As a result, the
spirit of Judaism is felt by vast multitudes of young people
to be a jail, not a joy. When they are forced to visit the
estahlishment, they feel like inmates waiting to be released.
The walls have many guards but there are too few windows,
too few hosts.
"The beginning of piety is compassion: the death of
piety is in public demonstrations. The only way to create
an atmosphere of faith is to grow spiritually in privacy.
"Much of religious Judaism consists of boxes of make-
up. Prayer comes from the hearts, not from politics. Be-
fore our eyes conduct and soul grew coarse.
"'Is there no calm in Gilead? Is there no physician
there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of my
people recovered?' (Jeremiah 8:22)."
There was an appeal by Dr. Heschel for the highest
ethical practices by Jews in all their dealings, and he
asked for kashrut not only in hotels (in Israel) but for the
high moral standards prescribed by Jewish law for banks,
for factories, for man's relationship with man.
Because so much is said today, in the conflict that
often involves orthodoxy, the Heschel view on halakha and
agada is of special significance. This is how he explained
the laws and prescribed actions, the commands and the
routines of life, in traditional Jewish precepts:
There is a general assump-
tion that the rabbis were na- deals w;th details, with each
eve, simple-minded and unre- commandment sena r-
flective people. How such an ately: agada with the whole
assumption can be general- of life, with the totality of re-
ieed in regard to such a gala- ligious life. llalakha deals
xy of men whose subtle and with the law; agada with the
profound judgments in hala- meaning of the law. Halakha
kha have remained an intel- deals with subjects 'hat can
lectual challenge to all fu- be expressed literally; agada
Lure students is difficult to introduces us to a realm
see. It is refuted by any un- which lies beyond the range
biased analysis of their aga• of expression. fialakha teach-
die sayings, which clearly in- es us how to perform corn-
dicate that their inner life mon acts; agada tells us how
Halakha,
b y necessity, tention to the mitzvot that are
deals with the laws in the fulfilled with the mind and
abstract, regardless of the heart, for these are the pil-
totality of the person. it is lars on which the service of
agada that keeps on remind- God rests.
ing us that the purpose of
The halakhot refine man's
performance is to transform character, agadot "sanctify
the performer, that the pur- the name of the Holy One
pose of observance is to train blessed be He among us."
us in achieving spiritual ends. To maintain that the es-
"It is well known that the sence of Judaism consists
purpose of all mitzvot is to exclusively of halakha is as
purify the heart, for the heart erroneous as to maintain that
is the essence." the essence of Judaism con-
The chief aim and purpose sists exclusively of agada.
of the mitzvot performed with The interrelationship of hala-
our body is to arouse our at- kha and agada is the very
Budoet Mannino
e, Divisions
Get Four Associate Chairmen
If it is your will to know
heart of Judaism. Halakha
without agada is dead, agada Him who spoke and the world
without halakha is wild. Pan- came into being, learn aga-
agadic Judaism is doomed to da. For by so doing you will
extinction. perceive Him who spoke and
the world came into being
Halakha
the body
of and cleave to His way.
Torah,
and is
Torah
of Israel
was preserved only by the
The voice of halakha is
power of halakha, by the powerful, its voice breaks the
power of the forms of mitz- cedars. Agada is a still small
vot and good deeds; and all voice. Halakha is like a flow
of the poetry and mysticism, of mightly waters; agada is
thoughts and beliefs, survived the spirit of God hovering
only by its merit. Agada over the face of the waters.
cleaves, is linked to halakha, And so, halakhic authori-
and has no existence without ties due to historical and so-
halakha. Agada is as a flame ciological factors, not only
which depends upon the hot gained the upper hand but
coal of the halakha, and he even frequently fostered dis-
who separates the two extin- paragement of agada. In
guishes the light of Judaism many periods of history acu-
which burns in the flame. To men stood higher than intui-
sum up: He who says, I cher- tion, pilpul suppressed poe-
ish only agada, will eventual- try. While halakha tri-
ly forfeit what he cherishes. umphed, agada declined.
Dr. Heschel explained as "a modicum of truth" that
"the secret of our existence is the will to live," and that "the
ultimate meaning of existence is to be a religious witness."
"Why a witness?" he asked, and on this score, too,
he provided this reply to youth's plea for spiritual meaning:
Why a witness? Because
the re-establishment of the
state of Israel is an unprece-
dented incredible event in
man's spiritual history. Its
sheer existence is an excla-
mation of the power of the
Jewish spirit over the chaos
of history. Those who are
present at the unfolding of
such a marvel must bear wit-
ness to the world, to genera-
tions to come.
What do I mean by religi-
ous witness? Compassion for
God and reverence for man,
celebration of holiness in
time, sensitivity to the mys-
tery of being a Jew, sensitiv-
ity to the presence of God in
the Bible.
The most radical change
that occurred in our century
was neither simple or idyllic. to participate in the eternal
Four associate chairmen for the 1973 budget and plan- is the elimination of the He-
llalakha represents t h e drama. Halakha gives us ning divisions of the Jewish Welfare Federation
have been brew Bible from greater part
strength to shape one's life knowledge; agada exaltation. appointed by Mandell L. Berman, Federation president.
according to a fixed pattern; Halakha gives us norms They are Avern Cohn, community relations division; Al- of the world. It is no accident
it is a form-giving force. Aga- for action; agada vision of bert Colman and Stanley D. Frankel, education division; and that both Russia, China, In-
da is the expression of man's the ends of living. Halakha Jack 0. Lefton, capital needs committee. Cohn, vice-chair- dia are opposed to us.
Whether the people of
ceaseless striving which often prescribes. agada suggests: man of the 1973 Allied Jewish Campaign-Israel Emergency
defies all limitations. Ilala- halakha decrees, agada in- Fund, will serve with Judge Lawrence Gubow, chairman of America, England, France
kha is the rationalization and spires; halakha is definite, the division. Colman, a board member of the
Dertoit will retain authentic friend-
schematization of living; it agada is allusive.
defines, specifies, sets meas-
The • terminology or hala-
ure and limit, placing life into kha is exact, the spirit of
an exact system. Agada deals agada is poetic, indefinable.
with man's ineffable rela- llalakha is immersed in tra-
lions to God, to other men, dition, agada is the creation
and to the world. llalakha of the heart.
2 — Friday. Jan. 12, 1973
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Service Group, and Frankel, a member of the Federation
Board of Governors, will assist Julian Tobias, chairman
of the education division. Lefton has been re•appointed for
a continuing term as associate chairman of the capital
needs committee. David Handleman is chairman. The
budget and planning division, including the health and wel-
fare division headed by Arnold Faudman, are year-round
committees which help coordinate agency services, review
allocations and make recommendations.
ship for the state of Israel
will depend upon whether the
vision of the Prophets and
the voice of the God of Israel
will not completely vanish
from their minds.
For the sake of God, for
the sake of Israel and th,.
world, the people Israel and
the state of Israel must
emerge as religious witness.
to keep the consciousness of
the God of Abraham and the
reverence for the Bible alive
in the world. Yes, this is our
task. We Jews are messen-
gers, but messengers who for-
got the message. How to re-
call the message? How to
proclaim it? How to live it?
This is a golden hour in
Jewish history. Young people
are waiting, craving, search-
ing for spiritual meaning.
And. our leadership is unable
to respond, to guide, to il-
lumine. With Zion as evi-
dence and inspiration, as wit-
ness and example, a renewal
of our people could come
about.
Prof. Ileschers philosophy of life, his vision of the
future applied to the heritage of the ages, provides new
inspiration for our generation. Because the young are taken
into account, there is hope that what he had said will in-
fluence both young and their elders. The great scholar left
a literary treasure and an ethical set of lessons for which
we must express gratitude to one of the great personalities
of our time.