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Friday, Sept 1J, !»•*
»«i
Opinion . . .
HOSH HASHONAH—WHY THE
SEVENTH MONTH?
The title “Rosh Hashonah,” the head of the
year or the New Year, is of relatively recent ori
gin—considering the long historiography of the
Jews. It wasn’t until Mishna times, nearly 200
year* into the present Common Era, that the
name “Rosh Hashonah" came into general use.
Why should a Rosh Hashonah, a new year, start
at the beginning of the particular month of Tishri?
The holidays of Tishri—with Rosh Hashonah,
Yom Kippur, and Succoth, followed by Simchath
Torah, the Day of the rejoicing over the com
pletion of the Torah readings—have been referred
to as the “Tishri Cycle.” In Bible times, Tishri
evidently was not regarded as the first month of
the year; in some ways it isn’t completely the
first month of the year now. In the Book of Exo
dus, Moses was told by the Almighty that the
“beginning of months” was the month of Aviv,
later known as Nissan, the month of Passover.
Time was to be reckoned for the Jews of that
period from the hour of freedom, which is im
plicit in the story of Passover. Even the children
in Hebrew schools learn the Hebrew months in
their biblical order beginning with Nissan . . .
That count—from Tishri to Nissan—may hold a
clue to the significance of Tishri. It is the seventh
month of the year, counting from Nissan ... In
Judaism, as with other religions, there was a
uniqueness about seven ... In rabbinical litera
ture, four beginnings of the year are noted from
varying points of view: 1. The first of Nissan for
the governmental or regnal dating. 2. The first
of Tishri, as the agricultural New Year, the be
ginning of the harvest. 3. The first of Elul for
reckoning the tithes of cattle, and 4. The 15th (or
the 1st) of Shevat for the New Year of the
Trees . . ,
Albert W. Bloom,
Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle
ISRAEL’S MORAL VICTORY
Israel and the West won a victory for morality
in the UN Security Council . . . even if the So
viet Union did have the final word in vetoing
the indirect condemnation of Syria for the “wanton
murder" of two young Israeli farmers on the
Syria-Israel frontier. The final 8-2 vote in the
Council, with only Morocco joining Moscow
against the United States-British resolution and
Venezuela abstaining, indicated the abhorrence
with which most of the world viewed this misdeeo.
It was, incidentally, the 101st time the Soviet
Union has exercised its veto to thwart the majori
ty will .
New York Times
Talmudic Treasures
COLLECTED AND TRANSLATED BY
JACOB L. FRIEND
Neglect of one’s health is regarded as a
sin in accordance with a passage in Talmud,
vol. Nedarim, 10a and on the other hand
there is a positive command in Deuteronomy
iv, 15 “Take ye therefor good heed unto
yourselves” and also in Joshua XXIII,11 to
take care of our health. And this applied to
communal as well as to individual needs.
Control of infectious diseases was already
instituted by Biblical Law some 3300 years
ago, as prescribed in the book of Leviticus,
chapters XVIIIJCIV and XV calling for iso
lation and quarantine as well as avoidance
of crowds in time of plague or pestilence.
(Vide, Vol. Baba Kama 60b).
The washing of hands before a meal was
introduced for the sake of uniformity and
consistency, to make it a rule and habit.
Those who eat food with unwashed hands
endanger their health because their hands
are full of dangerous germs.
The face, hands and feet should be washed
every day. (Note: this was written when most
of the world lived the life of barbarians.)
He who washes his face and does not dry
it well, will get a scab (Eruption).
JEWISH CALENDAR
•ROSH HASHONAH
Thursday, Sept It, 1HJ
(First Day)
•YOM KIPPUR
Saturday, September ZS
•SUCCOT
Thursday, October S
(First Day)
Friday, October 4
(Second Day)
♦HANNUKAH
Wednesday, December 11
preceding evenings
•Holiday begins
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Agency
7 Arts Features
World Press
Shanah Tovah, Rabbi
By Dr. Jacob Neusner*
This Rosh Hashonah, as in
the past, many hundreds of
thousands of American Jews
will pay their annual visit
to the synagogue. Among the
fixtures, they will find there,
forgotten in the preceeding
12 months, a man who leads
some of the worship, preach
es, and otherwise occupies an
important place in the syna
gogue service. He is, they
know, the rabbi.
But who is a rabbi? What
does he do? What does he
represent, and why is he
qualified for his task?
Let us begin by finding
out, what a rabbi is not.
He is not a priest. He has
no distinguished ancestry,
and occupies no position by
inheritance. He is not essen
tial to the liturgy of the syn
agogue. Any Jew may do
what he does, if he can.
He is not a medicine man,
or a witch doctor, who can
impress man and coerce God
by his mastery of the inti
mate secrets of the universe.
He is not an occult scientist.
He is not a Tibetan monk,
nor a Mandarin scribe quali
fied for sacred service by his
ability systematically to
memorize and repeat sacred
texts. He does not turn a
prayer wheel, or mechanical
ly recite words which are in
herently powerful.
He is not a miracle worker
nor a charismatic leader. Un
like a Hindu Guru or a Hassi-
dic rabbi, he does not have
the power to win hearts by
the intrinsic magnetism of
his personality.
He is not the surrogate of
the people. He does not stand
between them and God, nor
is he expected to carry out
the faith in behalf of others.
He has not a single obligation
that sets him apart from
other Jews.
Then, who is this man, the
rabbi?
He is a Jew who has de
voted many years to the
study and service of the
Torah, and who, because of
his learning, intellect and
understanding, is recognized
by the Jewish people as a
person qualified to teach
them the Torah, and expound
what it says to them here
and now.
He bears an ancient title,
that of rabbi, and stands in
direct spiritual lineage in a
long line of great students
and teachers of the Torah.
His title is an insignia of in
tellectual attainment, and his
qualifications are those of the
mind and heart.
What does he do from one
•Dr. Jacob Nr tuner I* Research
Associate In Jewish History at
Philip M. Lows Institute of Ad
vanced Judaic Studies, Braudels
University, and a graduate of
Jewish Theological Seminary of
America.
Rosh Hashonah to the next?
First, he tries through ser
mons to exhort the Jewish
people to a higher dedication
to their faith and the spirit
ual and ethical obligations it
imposes upon them.
Second, he tries through
endless class room hours, to
teach the Jewish people what
their faith is, what spiritual,
ethical and moral actions
their faith commands and
why.
Third, he spends many
hours with individuals who
are troubled. He gives them
sympathy and understanding,
and tries to help them see
what Judaism has to say to
to their situation, and why
this is important and right.
Fourth, at the turning
points of individual lives, he
stands by the side of his fel
low Jews, and illuminates
their sad and happy hours
alike with words of Torah, of
faith, and reconciliation with
God. Many Jews never real
ize how much they need their
faith, and its teachers, until
the hand of death has struck
down someone they love.
Then they turn to Judaism
for understanding and com
fort. Then the rabbi speaks
ancient words, which bear a
new immediacy and fresh
relevance. Likewise in hours
of rejoicing, at the various
ceremonies and rituals which
mark the passage of a Jewish
life, the rabbi arises to bring
sanctity to rejoicing and turn
one’s heart to gratitude to
God, the source of all bless
ing.
For many Jews, the rabbi
is a source of law; he tells
them how their faith defines
commandments, and the man
ner in which they should be
carried out.
For all Jews, the rabbi is
an authoritative source of
guidance on affairs of the
day. He provides insight in
to the world, based upon an
authentic knowledge of what
the Torah has said about the
world, man, society and the
conduct of men and nations.
Because of his learning,
and his unceasing dedication
to the Jewish faith, the rabbi
represents the ancient words
of lawgiver, prophet and sage,
as they live today. As should
every Jew, he embodies, in
this sense, living Judaism,
and at his best, is therefore
the most important individ
ual in the Jewish community.
The ancient Jewish ideal
was that Israel should con
stitute a kingdom of priests
and a holy people. For our
day, I believe, this ideal re
mains valid; that every Jew
should aspire to become a
rabbi, if not in a synagogue
pulpit, then in his own nome
and daily life, so that through
loyalty to the Torah, Jews
may merit citizenship in the
kingdom of Heaven under the
sovereignty of God.
Comments . . .
“RACISM IS SATANISM”
At the first conference on religion and race,
the main participants were Pharaoh and Moses.
Moses’ words were: Thus saith the Lord, the God
of Israel, Let My people go that they may cele
brate a feast unto Me. While Pharaoh retorted:
Who is the Lord, that I should heed His voice and
let Israel go? 1 do not know the Lord, and more
over I will not let Israel go. The outcome of that
summit meeting has not come to an end. Pharaoh
is not ready to capitulate. The exodus began, but
is far from having been completed. In fact, it was
easier for the children of Israel to cross the Red
Sea than for a Negro to cross certain university
campuses. Religion and race. How can the two
be uttered together? To act in the spirit of reli
gion is to unite what lies apart, to remember that
humanity as a whole is God’s beloved child. To
act in the spirit of race is to sunder, to slash, to
dismember the flesh of living humanity. How can
we hear the word race and feel no self-reproach?
Racism is worse than idolatry. Racism is satanism.
Few of us seem to realize how insidious, how radi
cal, how universal and evil, racism is. Few of us
realize that racism is man’s gravest threat to man,
the maximum hatred for a minimum of reason,
the maximum of cruelty for a minimum of think
ing . . . Race prejudice is a treacherous denial of
the existence of God. Faith in God is not simply
an afterlife-insurance policy. Racial or religious
bigotry must be recognized for what it is: atheism
. . . . Prayer and prejudice cannot dwell in the
same heart . . .
Dr. Abraham J. Heschel,
United Synagogne Review
Topic of the Day
—WUP—
By DAVID BENARONE
WHY BELIEVE?
This period, the eve of Rosh Hashonah and Yom
Kippur, is a good time to pause and reflect on
matters which ought to be in our hearts and minds
all through the year despite our daily mundane
chores and secular pursuits.
True, many of us are affiliated with some spirit
ual houses of worship and attend services daily
or weekly. The majority among our people do not.
Non-attendance, however, does not necessarily im
ply non-belief, agnosticism or atheism.
The Jew, basically, is a believing soul—a fact
which is borne out during these High Holy Days.
And though we are a believing people under
the external covenant of Abraham and tied to the
bond of Sinai, most of us, the affiliated as well as
the non-affiliated, overlook, all through the year
and even during these solemn days, one basic fac
tor in both our secular and spiritual preoccupa
tions.
We give very little thought to the absolute
reality of the Creator, the God Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob, who, though the Sinaitic Revelation,
gave Israel and mankind the one workable Code
by which they could live in peace and health
on this planet Earth.
More than that. We have failed to see and re
cognize that it was and still is the Hand of the
Rock of Israel, the Ever-Present-One, the True
Judge, functioning in world events despite the
machinations of men and nations.
Surely, the God of Abraham, the Rock of
Moses who redeemed ancient Israel, is still the
same God of modern Israel, the true and just Dis-
pensor of justice and righteousness.
God Is. His all-seeing Eye does not miss a
thing. All life is under His surveilance at all
times.
Thus, in all our ways we must acknowledge
Him, as the Prophet has admonished us.
And this we must do both within and without
the synagogue. “And thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart . . .”
Ancient Babylon, Assyria, Persia, Egypt, Edom,
Greece, Rome have faded into oblivion. But Israel
is still here. How and by what right? The answer
is in our Holy Bible.
Would the Third Hebrew Commonwealth have
arisen without this Hand of God? Never!
The Israelis themselves are the first to admit
that this event in the 20th century—following 2000
years of exile—was tantamount to a miracle equal
to almost any recorded in the Bible.
And who would dare say that the Hand of our
God was not manipulating things at the United
Nations when, on November 29, 1947, the Jewish
nation was voted into Statehood by the very nar
row margin that it was? This writer, present dur
ing all the debates leading up to the vote at Flush
ing Meadow, could not have come to any other
conclusion.
A Jew cannot help but believe—with all our
heart and with all our soul and all our might.
God Is! Let us reflect deeply.