THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
New Volume Deals With Personality of Moses
By ALLEN A. WARSEN
Friday, August 29, 1975 15
Slit0 POOL
DOCTORS
tion of the Temple in 587 separate mountains. Ac-
Auerbach is a brilliantly (1882-1972) was horn in Ger-
cording to one description
written book. Its analysis many, but settled in Israel
"Moses" by Dr. Elias BCE.
Auerbach, the biblical (Ex. 19:18) ". . . Mount
Weekly Cleaning & All Repairs
Auerbach, translated by Dr.
of the Moses period is pro- while still young. He aut-
Mark Orechkin & Tom Stubbs
I.O. Lehman and the Rev. historian, unhesitatingly Sinai was altogether on
found, and its portrayal of hored "Wuste and Gelobtes
R..A. Barclay (Wayne State asserts that the "Ten Com- smoke ; because the Lord
557-2657
the personality of Moses is Land was a physician,
vivid and insightful.
University Press) deals with mandments Nv hich Moses descended upon it in fire
historian,
and
lecturer
in
Dr.
E is
the personality and times of brought from Mt. Sinai — and the smoke thereof as-
Aue rh ach hi 1)lica I history
according to tradition spo- cended as the smoke of a
Moses.
Utilizing the critical bibli- ken and written down on furnace, and the whole
cal approach, the author the tables of stone by the de- mountain quaked greatly."
reconstructed the childhood, ity itself — belong to the su- According to the other de-
youth and later years of perlatively great events of scription (Ex. 24:11) God
Moses. He proved the physi- the human race . . . They said to Moses, "Come up
al existence of Moses by his are the kernel and the soul unto the Lord, you and the
escendants: son Gershom, of Moses' life work, the 70 elders of Israel . . . They
grandson Jonathan ben Ger- foundation stone of the reli- beheld God, and ate and
shorn and the Eli family of gion of Israel through which drank."
The author believes that
they have become the basic
Shiloh.
He also proved the Leviti- law for the moral develop- these descriptions indicate
that one mountain was vol-
cal descent of Moses by his ment of all mankind."
He takes issue with canic, the other non-vol-
posterity and the cultic in-
stitutions he handed down: Goethe, Buckle and H. canic. According to him, the
the Ohel Mo-ed, the Ark of Gressrnan who claimed that volcanic mountain was situ-
the Covenant, the Urim and the decalogues they had dis- ated in the territory of Mi-
From . . . Levi's To Mighty Macs
Thumrnim and the brazen covered are as important as dian where there were ac-
the Mosaic Ten Command- tive volcanoes; and the non-
serpent.
From . . . European Styled Vested Suits
On the basis of his investi- ments. He argues, "But volcanic mountain was ei-
gation, Dr. Auerbach con- there is one aspect in which ther in Kadesh or in the dis-
To Leisure Suits
cluded that Moses was the the Mosaic Decalogue rises trict of Kadesh.
author of the tetragramma- above most of the rest: It
From . . . Western Shirts To
Since the Israelites were
ton (YHWH—Yahweh) makes no threats of punish- never in Midian, although
Qiana Shirts
ment
but
only
normative
"That is the achievement of
they knew of the existence
Moses who creates a new regulations. Thus it is not of fiery mountains there,
And Everything In-Between
and profound concept of form which constitutes the they could not have been at
God, a form of strongest special features of this law the volcanic Mt. Sinai.
To Make Him Happy
symbolic power and unique but its contents."
Therefore, Kadesh had to
solemnity."
By "form" the author be the location of the
means the number of laws mountain where Moses
He also concluded that of which each decalogue received the Ten Com-
BOYS — Regular & Slims
the exodus from Egypt ac- consists. He explains the mandments.
PREPS — 25 Waist To 30 Waist
tually happened. One of number 10; "It is easy to
The author sums up
his reasons is: ". . . such understand why all these Moses' work:
AND WE DIDN'T FORGET
an inglorious episode as old laws are arranged in
"Moses' work was new
the servitude of the tribes groups of 10. In a period in and revolutionary in the in-
HUSKY'S
in Egypt would not have which people did not write separable union of religion
been retained by tradition, at all or write very little, and morality . . . Moses
if it was not based on his- this form served as a mem- was the first to be cognizant
torical fact."
ory aid for learning things of and to the present the
In addition, the Egyptian by heart. People could al- most successful and effec-
,catastrophe at the Sea of ways count on their fin- tive founder of a religion
Reeds "is proved to be a con- gers a group of 10."
whose work has not been
MENS AND BOYS WEAR
firmed fact:" and the leader
Auerbach considered the fundamentally altered by
IN
THE
SEARS-SOUTHFIELD
SHOPPING PLAZA
of the exodus was beyond two different descriptions of his successors : 4
SOUTHFIELD & 12 1 /2 MILE RD.
doubt Moses.
MON.-SAT., 10-9
Mt. Sinai as depicting two
557-2290
"Moses" by Dr. Elias
BankAmericard And Master Charge Accepted
What was the goal Qf the
SUN., 12 to 5
exodus? Auerbach rejects
the traditional view that the
goal was to reach and settle
in Canaan. He claims that
the goal was to reach and
occupy Kadesh.
He advances these rea-
sons: The Israelites had
previous knowledge and
connections with it; it is the
largest oasis of the Sinai
peninsula which is watered
by powerful springs and is
capable of providing suste-
nance for thousands of peo-
ple.
Kadesh is especially sig-
nificant for the personality
of Moses. "Of 17 stories
about Moses, which are
placed between the exodus
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ng- of the battles of Trans-
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Kadesh."
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The Ark of the Covenant
dian Lynx, Fox, Fisher & Beaver.
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is likewise associated with
Fur Sale
the name of Moses. "And
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the Lord spoke unto Moses
Were $2400
press
the
most
discriminating
fur
saying . . . let them make
buyer.
Me a sanctuary that I may
dwell among them (Ex.
25)."
Auerbach, like many
other scholars, confirms the
historicity of the Ark and
that it accompanied the Is-
raelites in their wanderings
in the wilderness. Upon en-
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