Newspaper Page Text
Friday, Oct. 18, 1968
Page
THE SOUTHER ISRAELITE
First Jewish Assimilationist
By JACK SIEGEL
(A Seven Arts Feature)
We worry so much about Jew
ish youth today. We fear that
our boys will be seduced by at
tractive blonde “shicksas” and
our girls by young black men.
We fear their alienation from our
religion and tradition, and that
they will become absorbed in the
momentous problems weighing
down the world. We fear that
they will turn ON with pot and
AWAY from God, or that they
will disappear into the contem
porary jungles and not come
home for Rash Hashana. We
tremble with the thought they
will in general assimilate with
and vanish into the world as it
is and cut loose from their past.
This phenomenon, if it is any
consolation, is not new. It has
happened before.
Take, for instance, Elisha Ben
Avuyah. Elisha was the very first
Jewish assimilationist. He doubt
ed the unity otf God, Reward and
Punishment. He was totally in
different to the resurrection of
the dead. This was no way to go
through life but it did not seem
to bother Elisha. He was, in fact,
so alienated, that the Rabbis
called him “aiher,” or "the other.”
He was different, he was apart.
Perhaps the fact that he lived in
the time of Hadrian, who for
bade circumcision had something
to do with it. Perhaps not.
But Elisha is hardly any con
solation for a Jewish parent con
fronted with a wayward child.
From the personal point of view,
\
it is perhaps a tragedy. From the
view of continuity \f the tradi
tion, it is not fatal.
So heretical was El a that he
ignored the Torah f the far-
out literature of the d Nor was
that enough. He ah -profaned
the Sabbath and ini a others
to follow suit. Legend it that
he came to Schul one
and provoked the youth
affection. “Why are you
agogue,” he shouted at
“why don’t you go out and
learn to be a tailor, or a
maker?” And to add insu i
incitement, he yelled, t
productive—!”
Yet, Elisha knew Jewish la
In fact, some carry his name,
is even told that on still anothi
Saturday, he decided to ride
horse. His Rabbi, Meir grappled
with him and the horse, and tried
to hold Elisha back from riding.
But the horse, stronger than the
old Rabbi, dragged him along.
Then, at one point, Elisha turned
to Rabbi Meir and reminded him
that since it was the Sabbath, a
good Jew is only permitted to
walk the Tchum Shabbas. Elisha
said, “and now you must turn
back.’’ When Rabbi Meir begged
him to go back also, Elisha add
ed, “For me, there is no return.”
If there is any comfort to this
story, or lesson to be learned, it
is that we must NOT write off
our youth. Elisha’s disaffection
did not deter the course of Jew
ish history. We must for other
reasons give the young people the
benefit of our religion and his
tory. And if they deviate, there
is always the hope for remem
brance of good things past. If
nothing else, it is productive if
the values of our tradition are
carried to the general populace,
as it will in one form or another.
There is also always the chance
that when the autumn leaves fall
and the Shofar blows, the young
people will be there.
Some years back, the son of a
(deceased) friend of mine an
nounced his intent to marry out
of the faith. I was asked to inter
cede. I talked with a rabbi about
the case. “Fight,” the rabbi said.”
“And what if I should lose?” I
asked. “Then stick with him,”
\said the rabbi, “stick with him
all the way.”
SILVER LINING
By DR. SAMUEL SILVER
(A Seven Arts Feature)
UtHfi and Sip ta th*
Saucy Songs and Pattw
JILL LASS
1UCKHEAD
1)73 (•iw.ll toad
Phono 217-7771
Do you think that prayer can
change things?
The question is often asked.
The answer is probably that
prayer can not
change things,
but that it can
change us enough
so that we will
go out and change |
things.
For, one of
the marvels of
life is our abil
ity to change.
Some do not believe we are
capable of altering our lives.
We often hear people say:
“You know how human nature
is. And as long as human nature
is the way it is, there wUl al-
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Or we ourselves are prone to
say sometimes, when we are
chided for some fault or when
we think about it: “Well, that’s
the way I am,” or: That’s the
way I’m made.”
The notion that we are made
in such a way and that therefore
we are unable to improve disre
gards the power we often display
to become a bit different, to grow
out of our shortcomings, to rise
to a higher level of conduct.
One of the greatest miracles
worked by God is the capacity
He has given us to grow, to
grow out of our faults, it only
can’t be done instantaneously.
But if we work at it we can be
come better, more considerate,
more restrained, more skillful.
And prayer is the beginning of
the process. When we pray and
acknowledge our indebtedness
to God and seek to attune our
will to His, we begin the slow,
upward march to liberation from
our follies, our faults, and our
shortcomings.
So let us pray often and then
do something about our prayers
so that we will fulfill the urgings
within us implanted by Almighty
God.
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