Here is an interesting experiment: Pick any number. If it is odd, then multiply it by three and add one. If it is even, then divide it by two. Repeat this procedure until you obtain one and then stop. For instance, if you had picked the number 7, you would have obtained 3x7+1=22, 22/2=11, 11x3+1=34, 34/2=17, 17x3+1=52, 52/2=26, 26/2=13, 13x3+1=40, 40/2=20, 20/2=10, 10/2=5, 3x5+1=16, 16/2=8, 8/2=4, 4/2=2, 2/2=1.
Computers have verified that such a procedure will stop at one for all numbers up to about 4.79 x 10^17 - see the website http://www.ericr.nl/wondrous/index.html. But no one knows for certain that this procedure will stop at one for all numbers. And no one will ever be certain. Why?
Because in order to be certain of such, it is necessary to test the procedure out on all numbers. And since there are infinitely many numbers, doing such must take an infinite amount of time. Since we humans are finite beings, we don't have an infinite amount of time, so if the procedure always halts at one, we can never know this with absolute certainty - only G-d can know this. (For a rigorous mathematical proof of this fact, see http://arxiv.org/abs/math.GM/0312309.)
So this famous mathematics problem, which is known as the 3n+1 problem, is a great illustration of our limitations as human beings to comprehend our universe - it is a problem that is so simple that even a second grader can comprehend it, yet so complex that all of the mathematicians in the world will never be able to prove deductively that the procedure will always stop at one.
According to the ancient Greek humanistic view of the world, reason and logic are what make the world go around. According to the Jewish Torah view of the world, G-d is what makes the world go around. The 3n+1 problem demonstrates to us all that if the 3n+1 procedure stops at one for all possible numbers, then it is not because reason and logic dictate that it must do such; it is because G-d, Who created mathematics, decided that the 3n+1 procedure must stop at one for all possible numbers. From this simple mathematics problem, we all can see clearly how the ancient Greek humanistic view of the world is seriously flawed.
Monday, June 8, 2009
The Primary Difference Between a Yeshiva Education and a University Education
Having had the privilege of studying in both a university and a yeshiva, I have observed the following:
In general, when a rabbi reads something that he does not understand, the rabbi will say, "I don't understand it."
In general, when a professor reads something that he or she does not understand, the professor will say, "It's nonsense."
In general, when a rabbi reads something that he does not understand, the rabbi will say, "I don't understand it."
In general, when a professor reads something that he or she does not understand, the professor will say, "It's nonsense."
The Geography of Thought
I recently read a book called The Geography of Thought by Richard E. Nisbett which has had a profound impact on the way I understand Torah. The subject of this book is how Westerners and Asians think differently. Consider the following fundamental laws of Aristotelian logic:
1) Law of Identity - If a statement is true, then it is true.
2) Law of Non-Contradiction - No statement can be both true and false.
3) Law of the Excluded Middle - All statements are either true or false.
These laws form a basis for Western critical thinking. As Westerners, it is difficult for us to even imagine a system of reasoning that is different from the Aristotelian system, but surprisingly there is a system of reasoning which is the exact opposite of the Aristotelian system:
1) Principle of Change - Reality is a process; it does not stand still and is in constant flux. Because reality is dynamic and flexible, concepts that reflect reality are also active, changeable, and subjective.
2) Principle of Contradiction - Reality, particularly the reality of life, is not precise and cut-and-dried, but rather, complex and full of contradiction.
3) Principle of Holism - In reality, as well as in human life, nothing is isolated and independent; rather, everything is relational and connected.
The Principle of Change is in direct contradiction with the Law of Identity in that according to the Principle of Change, the truth or falsehood of a statement is not static; if in one moment a statement is true, then in the next moment that same statement can be false. The Principle of Contradiction is in direct contradiction with the Law of Non-Contradiction, by definition. And the Principle of Holism is in direct contradiction with the Law of the Excluded Middle, since in a relational and connected world, the truth or falsehood of a statement may depend on its context.
These three principles form a basis for Eastern thought, according to Nisbett. Nisbett calls this system of logic "dialectical", and he mostly concentrates on Asian countries in the Far East like China, Japan, and Korea in his book; however, anyone who learns Talmud can see that the logic of the Torah is more in line with Asian dialectical logic than with Western logic. And this is really no surprise, since the Land of Israel is in Asia, not Europe. According to the Abarbanel, Noach's three sons Shem, Cham, and Japeth each inherited the three continents, Asia, Africa, and Europe, respectively. We Jews are descendents of Shem, who inherited Asia, not Japeth, who inherited Europe and gave birth to Yavan, the father of the Greek nation. So it is only natural that Asian dialectical logic conforms more to Torah than Western Greek logic does.
Therefore, Western Jews like myself who grew up in a society in which Greek Aristotelian logic is king and Eastern logic is considered at the very least nonsense and at the very most "mystical" need to understand that if one is to comprehend the Torah deeply, then one must throw away all preconceived notions that the Torah can be completely understood in terms of Western Aristotelian logic.
1) Law of Identity - If a statement is true, then it is true.
2) Law of Non-Contradiction - No statement can be both true and false.
3) Law of the Excluded Middle - All statements are either true or false.
These laws form a basis for Western critical thinking. As Westerners, it is difficult for us to even imagine a system of reasoning that is different from the Aristotelian system, but surprisingly there is a system of reasoning which is the exact opposite of the Aristotelian system:
1) Principle of Change - Reality is a process; it does not stand still and is in constant flux. Because reality is dynamic and flexible, concepts that reflect reality are also active, changeable, and subjective.
2) Principle of Contradiction - Reality, particularly the reality of life, is not precise and cut-and-dried, but rather, complex and full of contradiction.
3) Principle of Holism - In reality, as well as in human life, nothing is isolated and independent; rather, everything is relational and connected.
The Principle of Change is in direct contradiction with the Law of Identity in that according to the Principle of Change, the truth or falsehood of a statement is not static; if in one moment a statement is true, then in the next moment that same statement can be false. The Principle of Contradiction is in direct contradiction with the Law of Non-Contradiction, by definition. And the Principle of Holism is in direct contradiction with the Law of the Excluded Middle, since in a relational and connected world, the truth or falsehood of a statement may depend on its context.
These three principles form a basis for Eastern thought, according to Nisbett. Nisbett calls this system of logic "dialectical", and he mostly concentrates on Asian countries in the Far East like China, Japan, and Korea in his book; however, anyone who learns Talmud can see that the logic of the Torah is more in line with Asian dialectical logic than with Western logic. And this is really no surprise, since the Land of Israel is in Asia, not Europe. According to the Abarbanel, Noach's three sons Shem, Cham, and Japeth each inherited the three continents, Asia, Africa, and Europe, respectively. We Jews are descendents of Shem, who inherited Asia, not Japeth, who inherited Europe and gave birth to Yavan, the father of the Greek nation. So it is only natural that Asian dialectical logic conforms more to Torah than Western Greek logic does.
Therefore, Western Jews like myself who grew up in a society in which Greek Aristotelian logic is king and Eastern logic is considered at the very least nonsense and at the very most "mystical" need to understand that if one is to comprehend the Torah deeply, then one must throw away all preconceived notions that the Torah can be completely understood in terms of Western Aristotelian logic.
The Prisoner's Dilemma and Morality
Consider the following description of the "Prisoner's Dilemma", taken from Wikipedia:
Two suspects, A and B, are arrested by the police. The police have insufficient evidence for a conviction, and, having separated both prisoners, visit each of them to offer the same deal: if one testifies for the prosecution against the other and the other remains silent, the betrayer goes free and the silent accomplice receives the full 10-year sentence. If both stay silent, both prisoners are sentenced to only six months in jail for a minor charge. If each betrays the other, each receives a two-year sentence. Each prisoner must make the choice of whether to betray the other or to remain silent. However, neither prisoner knows for sure what choice the other prisoner will make. So this dilemma poses the question: How should the prisoners act?
The dilemma arises when one assumes that both prisoners only care about minimizing their own jail terms. Each prisoner has two options: to cooperate with his accomplice and stay quiet, or to defect from their implied pact and betray his accomplice in return for a lighter sentence. The outcome of each choice depends on the choice of the accomplice, but each prisoner must choose without knowing what his accomplice has chosen to do.
Let's assume the protagonist prisoner is working out his best move. If his partner stays quiet, his best move is to betray as he then walks free instead of receiving the minor sentence. If his partner betrays, his best move is still to betray, as by doing it he receives a relatively lesser sentence than staying silent. At the same time, the other prisoner's thinking would also have arrived at the same conclusion and would therefore also betray.
If reasoned from the perspective of the optimal outcome for the group (of two prisoners), the correct choice would be for both prisoners to cooperate with each other, as this would reduce the total jail time served by the group to one year total. Any other decision would be worse for the two prisoners considered together. When the prisoners both betray each other, each prisoner achieves a worse outcome than if they had cooperated.
There is a myth in the modern secular Western World that it is in the best interest of all people to be moral not because G-d commands us to be moral but because it is logical to be moral. In order to debunk this myth, let us examine the Prisoner's Dilemma: It is demonstrated above by pure logic that the rational choice for both prisoners to make is to betray each other, since betrayal always wins less jail time than silence, regardless of what the other prisoner does. Yet, if it were known to both prisoners that they were both innocent, then the moral choice would certainly be for both of the prisoners to remain silent. Therefore, it is not always logical to be moral, even if everyone would be better off if everyone were moral than if everyone were immoral! The truth of the matter is that the only reason for us to be moral is because G-d commands us to be moral.
Two suspects, A and B, are arrested by the police. The police have insufficient evidence for a conviction, and, having separated both prisoners, visit each of them to offer the same deal: if one testifies for the prosecution against the other and the other remains silent, the betrayer goes free and the silent accomplice receives the full 10-year sentence. If both stay silent, both prisoners are sentenced to only six months in jail for a minor charge. If each betrays the other, each receives a two-year sentence. Each prisoner must make the choice of whether to betray the other or to remain silent. However, neither prisoner knows for sure what choice the other prisoner will make. So this dilemma poses the question: How should the prisoners act?
The dilemma arises when one assumes that both prisoners only care about minimizing their own jail terms. Each prisoner has two options: to cooperate with his accomplice and stay quiet, or to defect from their implied pact and betray his accomplice in return for a lighter sentence. The outcome of each choice depends on the choice of the accomplice, but each prisoner must choose without knowing what his accomplice has chosen to do.
Let's assume the protagonist prisoner is working out his best move. If his partner stays quiet, his best move is to betray as he then walks free instead of receiving the minor sentence. If his partner betrays, his best move is still to betray, as by doing it he receives a relatively lesser sentence than staying silent. At the same time, the other prisoner's thinking would also have arrived at the same conclusion and would therefore also betray.
If reasoned from the perspective of the optimal outcome for the group (of two prisoners), the correct choice would be for both prisoners to cooperate with each other, as this would reduce the total jail time served by the group to one year total. Any other decision would be worse for the two prisoners considered together. When the prisoners both betray each other, each prisoner achieves a worse outcome than if they had cooperated.
There is a myth in the modern secular Western World that it is in the best interest of all people to be moral not because G-d commands us to be moral but because it is logical to be moral. In order to debunk this myth, let us examine the Prisoner's Dilemma: It is demonstrated above by pure logic that the rational choice for both prisoners to make is to betray each other, since betrayal always wins less jail time than silence, regardless of what the other prisoner does. Yet, if it were known to both prisoners that they were both innocent, then the moral choice would certainly be for both of the prisoners to remain silent. Therefore, it is not always logical to be moral, even if everyone would be better off if everyone were moral than if everyone were immoral! The truth of the matter is that the only reason for us to be moral is because G-d commands us to be moral.
A Story Written by Israel Schlaffer z"l
The following story entitled "A Terrible Incident" was written in the 1930's by my grandfather, Israel Schlaffer, to his children:
Dear Children, I wish to relate to you an incident. It happened thirty years ago on the day of Lag Baomer in a little town in Russia.
In those days I was still a little boy like you now. I studied in Cheder the whole day from morning to evening. I had no spare time except Shabbos and holidays and even then I had to go to Shule with my father in the morning and evening, and in the afternoon the teacher used to come to our house to examine me so that my father could see what I studied the whole week.
But one day of the year was distinct, --outstanding in our lives. That was Lag Baomer. That day we were free from studies and we could play and run around in the woods and in the fields out of the city.
On one Lag Baomer day, the day that this incident occurred we gathered in front of our teacher's house. We were all armed with bows and arrows. We lined up and we went to the woods with the teacher. There we had a good time and we enjoyed ourselves the whole day. Then the command came, "Home."
Another boy and I decided to remain here in order to play some more. We sneaked out from the line and we remained alone in the woods. The sun set, some stars already appeared in the sky -- it was a beautiful evening. Suddenly we heard beautiful music that attracted our attention. We followed the sound of the music because we wanted to see the man who sang so beautifully. And, behold, we stood before a house at the end of the woods. We wanted to see through the window who was singing inside. But we didn't see anyone. All we saw was a round box from which the sound came out. We became terribly frightened and with all our strength we started to run away from this terrible place. We thought that devils were mocking us. Really, how is it possible that a box should produce such charming and wonderful music?
This, children, was the first victorola that was brought to our town and we never heard about it and never saw it before.
Dear Children, I wish to relate to you an incident. It happened thirty years ago on the day of Lag Baomer in a little town in Russia.
In those days I was still a little boy like you now. I studied in Cheder the whole day from morning to evening. I had no spare time except Shabbos and holidays and even then I had to go to Shule with my father in the morning and evening, and in the afternoon the teacher used to come to our house to examine me so that my father could see what I studied the whole week.
But one day of the year was distinct, --outstanding in our lives. That was Lag Baomer. That day we were free from studies and we could play and run around in the woods and in the fields out of the city.
On one Lag Baomer day, the day that this incident occurred we gathered in front of our teacher's house. We were all armed with bows and arrows. We lined up and we went to the woods with the teacher. There we had a good time and we enjoyed ourselves the whole day. Then the command came, "Home."
Another boy and I decided to remain here in order to play some more. We sneaked out from the line and we remained alone in the woods. The sun set, some stars already appeared in the sky -- it was a beautiful evening. Suddenly we heard beautiful music that attracted our attention. We followed the sound of the music because we wanted to see the man who sang so beautifully. And, behold, we stood before a house at the end of the woods. We wanted to see through the window who was singing inside. But we didn't see anyone. All we saw was a round box from which the sound came out. We became terribly frightened and with all our strength we started to run away from this terrible place. We thought that devils were mocking us. Really, how is it possible that a box should produce such charming and wonderful music?
This, children, was the first victorola that was brought to our town and we never heard about it and never saw it before.
Why Did Adam HaRishon eat from the Tree of Knowledge?
We can understand why Adam HaRishon chose to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil through the following parable:
"Little Billy's father decided to teach his son all about electricity and magnetism so that Billy could learn physics. First, Billy's father taught Billy how electric motors work. He told Billy to never touch an exposed wire in an electrical circuit with a high voltage because if Billy did so, then Billy would get electrocuted and die. Billy was so fascinated with electricity and magnetism that he wanted to make his father proud and become a great physicist. Billy wanted to better understand the curious phenomenon of electrocution to advance his studies in physics, so he decided to electrocute himself. As a result, Billy died as the world's leading expert in the phenomenon of electrocution."
Similar to Billy's decision to electrocute himself, Adam HaRishon decided to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil so that he could make G-d proud by becoming the world's expert in the phenomenon of good and evil.
"Little Billy's father decided to teach his son all about electricity and magnetism so that Billy could learn physics. First, Billy's father taught Billy how electric motors work. He told Billy to never touch an exposed wire in an electrical circuit with a high voltage because if Billy did so, then Billy would get electrocuted and die. Billy was so fascinated with electricity and magnetism that he wanted to make his father proud and become a great physicist. Billy wanted to better understand the curious phenomenon of electrocution to advance his studies in physics, so he decided to electrocute himself. As a result, Billy died as the world's leading expert in the phenomenon of electrocution."
Similar to Billy's decision to electrocute himself, Adam HaRishon decided to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil so that he could make G-d proud by becoming the world's expert in the phenomenon of good and evil.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Israel Schlaffer z"l
This post contains translated writings from Hebrew to English of my grandfather, Israel Schlaffer z"l (1896-1984 c.e.), that were published in Sheviley Hahinuch, the professional journal for Hebrew educators run by the now-defunct National Council for Jewish Education. My grandfather was a Hebrew school teacher from Ukraine.
As a Rose Among Thorns
Who among us does not remember the novel Alone, by the well known author, A. A. Kabak, z"l? Who among us did not cry in his/her youth for the fate of the sweet girl, the delicate and idealistic gymnasium student, Sarah Abramovna? Many years have passed since that golden age and I think there are no such characters any more. However I had a great surprise when of all places, in materialistic America, I encountered such a flower about whom it is worth writing.
She is a young high school student like all American students, chews gum and reads any book that happens her way. About four or five years ago when she was fifteen years old, her mother phoned me and asked me to come over so she could talk to me. I promised I would and one evening I went to the family home. I met the parents and their only daughter. The mother spoke immediately about the subject. They have only one child and do not keep anything she wants from her. Some time earlier she started asking them to study Hebrew. At first they thought it was a capricious request of an only child, but she did not let up and so they decided to respond to her request.
I had no trust in such lessons as I expected based on previous experience, that they would not last long. In spite of that, I started teaching her two hours each week. She knew very little. When she was a young child she went to Hebrew school for a year but could barely read. This pleasant girl surprised me with her abilities and energy. She devoted herself with youthful vigor to Hebrew studies. I soon added two more hours and during the four years that I have been teaching her, she has become knowledgeable in Tanakh (Bible), she knows Bialik and Shneor and speaks Hebrew well. When I come to teach her after a physically exhausting day of work and I listen to her talking about new trends in our literature and voicing her opinions about a book that she is reading, Derakhim ve-Derekh, by Reuven Wallenrod, and I listen to her dreams and life goals, I see in front of me an old picture from years back, a new Sarah Abramovna.
Slavery Within Freedom
A few weeks ago my friend Rabbi Dr. Avraham Shusterman, the enthusiastic Zionist and Hebraist, invited me over for a Mitzvah meal prepared in honor of a Protestant minister who had just returned from Israel. When we arrived at the beautiful hall, it was filled with many people, mainly our brethren, B'nai Yisrael (Jews), along with a few Christians. The party began with huge servings of different foods, and when we completed this part of the Mitzvah, the chairman of the event, a Jewish judge, started praising the one for whom the event was prepared and presented him to the attendees.
We were all interested in hearing about the impressions the minister and friend had, but instead of telling us about the country that is being built and renewed, about advances in culture and art, about life on the kibbutzim and settlements, about the conquering of the Negev desert, he started telling us about the holy quiver that went through his body when his feet stepped on the Holy Land, where Jesus walked two thousand years earlier. Watching the faces of our brethren, B'nai Yisrael, one could see how much they enjoyed the minister talking positively about the nation of the prophets.
G-d of the world! Have we descended so much that we sing the old "Mah Yafit" (How Beautiful You Are) in a free and democratic country? With such humbling will we acquire friends among them?
Dindn't we enrich Dorothy Thompson and in the end she remained an anti-Semite till her dying days? Of course there are the righteous among the nations. The well-known author, Vladimir Korolanko did not have to be bribed to endanger his life and come out openly against the Pogroms and the young poet, Yevgeni Yevtuchenko, who published the poem, Babi Yar, that was most impressive. Shouldn't we send teachers and educators every year, they who devoted many years to Jewish education, to see the land and enrich the souls of our children afterwards? Has the time come for us to raise our human value and stop humbling ourselves so much in front of our good neighbors? Is this not a kind of slavery within freedom?
Nathan Kramer z"l
One by one my friends the teachers leave us. One by one they disappear, those who were in Jewish education, and no one fills their empty spaces. Our good friend, Nathan Kramer, the author and praiseworthy educator left us and is no more.
Seventy five or six years ago he was born in the small village of Olik in Volhiniya. His father was a Torah scholar and began teaching him Tanakh (Bible) and Talmud. His character was to persist in study in and the small town of Volhiniya he studied several years in a Bet Midrash. When he was about to be conscripted into the Russian army, he left Russia for Galicia where he became one of the best teachers and speakers, dreamers and fighters. He taught a generation of excellent students. When he arrived in the United States forty years ago, he devoted himself completely to education. Only those familiar with education here, could see the amount of courage and energy required to teach according to the natural method and to establish an educational program based upon reviving the Hebrew language. When he first came, he taught at Baltimore Hebrew College that was then headed by the well-known, learned poet, Dr. Yisrael Efrat. A few years later, he became principal of one of the important schools under the Board of Education. In addition to being an educator par excel lance, he was very active in Zionist circles, and especially in the teachers' organization. For a few tears he was the president and in that capacity filled the organization with vitality as a result of parties and plays that took place during his tenure. He had a special knack for making friends and establishing good relations with people. His personality accentuated the qualities of an ideal teacher. He knew how to bring his students close, to make them enthusiastic and to capture their hearts.
Mr. Kramer z"l was well liked and pleasant. He acted according to his principals and didn't just talk. His family was the only one in Baltimore where Hebrew was always spoken.
He wrote for newspapers, especially the ones in Hebrew education. Several years ago two volumes of his stories were published. These were nice and they are used in high schools. In the last few years he began to write in Shevile Ha-Hinukh a series called "Experiments" which were collected and published by the Yedidim Press.
His constant companions were books, and in spite of his involvement in educational and communal matters, he always found time for in-depth study, and always wanted to broaden his spiritual horizons.
Over the years he made many friends and acquaintances all of whom liked him and treasured him. Before he left America, the Board of Jewish Education along with the teachers' union had a nice party for him, and the President, Mr. Landau, as a sign of appreciation and recognition, gave him a check in the name of the Board so that he could purchase a nice apartment in Israel.
All his life he wanted to make Aliyah, and so, in spite of several years of illness, he decided to do so with his wife. He was there only a few days and did not see his lifelong dream of living there become reality. He was at least blessed to have been buried there.
May the earth be sweet for him and may his memory be for a blessing!
Rosh Chodesh Elul
Who among us does not remember the quiet sound heard recently during the blessing of the month of Elul? It is as if the houses were bent with the secret of Elul and the fields became gloomy and forests gray.
One Shabbat, the heat was oppressive and I did not want to walk all the way to my distant synagogue, so I decided to go to the large Conservative one in my neighborhood.
I entered and saw how big it is and how very beautiful with about 1,000 seats. There were about 60 or 70 people mostly, of course, women. The organ played and the Hazan trilled the prayer El Adon. After Shacharit, the Torah was taken out of the ark and it was read. I was sure that soon the blessing for Elul would be recited. To my amazement, the Hazan started singing Etz Hayim, the ark was opened and the Torah put back in. The Hazan continued with the Musaf and not one of the people praying said a thing about the blessing being left out.
The school principal, who was also at the synagogue, looked at me and I at him in total surprise. After the prayer, the principal went to the president of the synagogue and commented on it. The president's face reddened in anger. The Hazan was angry at the Shamash who said that it was not his fault. The rabbi who left hastily for a rest from work forgot, most probably, to leave the Shabbat prayer program.
This event left a funny and painful impression on me and I thought, G-d Almighty, Jews spent millions to build synagogues and schools, and the most important things they will forget. Only two or three generations have passed and how big is the distance and the pain that we have lost so much ground.
There is Education in This Place
Near the capital, Washington, DC, there is a small town nestled among trees and gardens, a typical American town. Its name is known all over the United States because of the National Cemetery located there and some of America's great people and many of its heroes rest. The name of the town is Arlington, Virginia. I passed there several times but it never crossed my mind that in such and Anglo-Saxon town there would be some of our brethren, B'nai Yisrael. I had an opportunity some time ago to pass through Arlington with a friend and to my great surprise I found out that there was an important, small Jewish community in which most members are government workers who are people of culture.
There is also a synagogue and a school there. I had an urge to visit and so we decided to go in. We met the teacher, Rabbi Noah Golinkin, and he is the principal as well. We were impressed by him. Quite young, but full of energy and very influential in his small community, he especially devotes much time and energy to the school. He looks for ways to improve teaching methods for the sake of the children. He wrote basic readers for each holiday and especially one about the Siddur. The children who finished this book understand almost all the prayers. It is a pity that these have not been published yet as they could have been very helpful for Jewish education in America.
There are about 100 students in the school. I spoke with them and had a great pleasure to hear their opinions and their attitude toward the study of Hebrew. I also spoke with the two teachers who are devoted to education and are loved by the students and their parents.
I was especially impressed by a young American teacher thanks to whom a high school was established for 15 and 16 year old students. I saw the great success that results from the excellent leadership of Rabbi Golinkin. I saw in him a dedicated Hebrew scholar who is devoted to Jewish values and especially Hebrew education. He is very pleasant and is an idealist. When I left this holy place I thought that the preconceived notion that the Jews in America are only dedicated to materialist values is wrong. If small towns have such good schools there will be a resurgence for Judaism here.
"And this is the Blessing" (Ve-zot Ha-berachah)
A few weeks before Pesach, many preparations took place in our school. The children began to prepare for the holiday, especially for the model Seder. They were serious about it, learned their parts and looked forward to the important event.
The teachers tried as much as they could to imbue the school with a festive mood and they lead the efforts. When the awaited time arrived, the hall was decorated with much taste by the art teacher, G. Pomeranz. Tables were set with white table-cloths, lit candles and shiny bottles of wine. The children were all dressed up and seated in their places. The principal wearing a white Kittel, sat at the head of the table and the model Seder began. Parents also came to see their children excel in their roles, and the holy spirit of the holiday was in every corner of the hall. Everything went well and the faces of the parents shone with pleasure and joy.
After the Seder, one of the parents came to me with a shining face, expressing much satisfaction. He shook my hand with fondness and thanked me for the joy we gave him. He talked to me for a while and then said good-bye wishing me a happy holiday. Then he added: "Next year, may you not have to teach and may you find a business appropriate for you."
I did not answer, but the holiday spirit left me and bad thoughts came to occupy my mind.
The Laws of Tefilin
I was concentrating on my work in my room prior to the beginning of classes. The bell rang in my office and I understood the principal wanted to talk to me.
I went down to the office and saw a young woman sitting there dressed in an expensive fur coat. The principal told me that Mrs. S. wanted to know how well her son was doing in my class. I gave her a report. She was especially interested in his progress in reading the Haftarah and she told us that she invited hundreds of people for a celebration and therefore she wanted to be sure that her son would excel. I told her not to worry because everything would be fine. The principal then said that her son must know how to put on Tefilin and that she had to purchase a pair. She refused to buy the Tefilin as he would only need them for one Shabbat and so it was not worthwhile. The principal, with all his patience had to sit next to her and give her a lesson in the laws of Tefilin until she was satisfied.
I went out of the office thinking how far we had gone from the previous generations. A question bothered me: Will there be a future for American Judaism?
Is that all it is?
A few months ago I received an invitation to a wedding that gave me an opportunity to sit next to several factory owners. Everyone was in a festive mood. We drank, joked and laughed.
I also made a few comments and the attitude towards me was excellent, especially when my comments hit the spot.
As the guests were enjoying the wine and the roasted chicken, everyone started talking and telling about their successes in business. One talked about his pants factory, the other about his shirt factory and the third and the fourth until my turn came to say something.
I told them that I too am busy with a factory, a factory for the existence of our national soul, in other words, that I was a teacher.
I felt instinctively that my value diminished in their eyes, and one of the group could not restrain himself and asked me: " And that is it, that is all you do?"
Several months have passed since then and those words still reverberate in my ears "Is that all it is?"
The Principal
Three or four years ago I knew a principal, a young American whose degree was from a provincial college. His English was impeccable, and he could read the Siddur and knew a few Hebrew words that he liked to use when he spoke English. With those words he impressed people, especially wealthy ones, as a scholar. He knew how to impress women. He became not only the principal but also the "last word" in education. He was invited to speak about Judaism and very quickly his name became well known in the area. He befriended only wealthy people and if he met a teacher from our school, he did not even answer a greeting for how would he lower himself and talk to a simple teacher?
Once I was sitting in my room, reading a book. Suddenly the phone rang. I rose to answer and a man asked me to give his young son private lessons, but while telling me that, he said he was about to ask the principal about me. I was astounded and said to myself: Woe to a generation whose ignorant principals give opinions about teachers!
Haircut
Next to our school there has been for a while a synagogue for children. Every Shabbat another teacher comes to oversee the prayers. Of course the children participate in everything, one leads Shaharit (the morning prayer), the second - Musaf (the additional morning prayer). There is also a Ba'al Koreh. The meek children truly enjoy it. The teachers try as well as possible to show the beauty and nobility of the Shabbat and its laws and customs. One morning a young American woman came in. She motioned to me as she did not want to disturb the prayer. I went over to her and she said to me that her son was at the synagogue now and she requested that I allow her to take him take him down- town to have a haircut. I bit my lip with pain and thought that all the hard work we invest over years to help the children of Israel learn the laws of Shabbat and its customs this woman spoiled in one moment.
A Joke
I have a private lesson at the home of one of the richest men in town. This Jew is empty of everything but full of silver and gold. Especially during the war he collected great riches. Of course he is always in an excellent mood. He likes to joke and as he got to know me, he liked joking with me.
Once on a winter's night, when it was very cold outside, I came into the house to teach his son. It was pleasantly warm inside and after a hearty meal, the man sat on an upholstered chair with a cigarette in his mouth, in a showing-off mood. Suddenly he asked me: "Tell me sir, what do you, Hebrew teachers, contribute to the world?" I was upset by the question and my anger did not allow me to answer him immediately. I controlled myself and said to him: I can't explain to you briefly about education, all that we try to teach the children of Israel, but one thing I can tell you, sir, if your son will know how to say Kaddish after your death, that is already worth while.
The man's face paled and he started justifying himself by saying that it was a joke.
"Yes sir," I said, "My answer also was a joke."
Temima Siebel z"l: A Year Since Her Death
A year has passed already and the shock of our friend's, Temima Siebel's, sudden death has not subsided.
I knew her from the day she stepped on the soil of America thirty-eight years ago. She was young, delicate and pretty. Everyone who saw her thought of the typical ideal Russian gymnasium student. She came with empty pockets from Jerusalem, but had one thing, a diploma from a Hebrew gymnasium. At first she had no work, but one of her devoted friends whom she knew from Israel, the educator Dr. Tsvi Tshak, found her work. For thirty-eight years she served as an ideal teacher. The entire time she planted in the hearts of many a love of our people, language and land.
She was a dedicated Jew thanks to the important teachers she had, such as A. A. Kabak, Shelomo Shiler, who influenced her with their spirit and gave her broad education. She always strove to enrich her spiritual horizons. Above all she was a good and dedicated friend. She liked justice, and I saw her more than once crying about an injustice done to a teacher.
She despised dishonesty and cheap advertisement. It was difficult for her to adjust to this country and often she poured her heart out to me about the fact that here the value of a person is measured by his riches. She also disliked the stupid complacency that she saw everywhere.
She hoped and dreamed of a good future, but in the mean time years passed by like falling leaves in the autumn. After years she decided to visit the Land of Israel for which she yearned - she wanted to refresh herself. She hoped the visit would give her the strength to continue her path in teaching.
After her visit, she went out of school one day and a truck hit her and she died very quickly. The day was one of mourning for Hebrew Baltimore in general but especially for the teachers when she was taken to her final resting place. With her death, a multi-talented personality, a gentle and noble soul departed.
May her soul be bound among the living.
On the Publication of the Book From Life
I trembled when I received the book of stories "From Life' which was recently published by Baltimore Hebrew College, written by the important teacher and writer, Shaul Kushtai, z"l.
It is difficult to write a review of the book when recent memories surround one.
It seems to me as if it happened only yesterday and we are still very young, morning dew is on our faces and we live in a small village in beautiful Ukraine, in a world of dreams, and we dream of idealism and a shining future. In those days, we entered with slow steps as readers of Hebrew literature and we were happy with every song and story that appeared. We were thrilled with every new author that we discovered. Suddenly we started following the daily HaZeman which was published in Vilna, for a new author whose sad stories made an immense impression. We felt that a new force was added to our poor literature. The author's name was S. Kutshai.
We had the opportunity to meet the young author in person. We rented a wagon and among our friends was the known author, Johanan Tverski and the educator, now in New York, Shaul Zilberfarb, and we all went to greet him. The night was beautiful and we walked with the author almost all night long. He spoke to us in his clear, excellent language about philosophy, literature and art.
Years passed by. A terrible storm overtook the world and our land, Ukraine, suffered more than all the lands. We had to leave our beloved-hated country and take with us a wandering stick. Our package was separated. The flow brought us to Baltimore. I missed my friends very much as I missed the beautiful sky over the Ukraine and the ideal atmosphere. I was depressed in the new land. My body was cold and my soul was covered with a fog. Then, suddenly one morning the teacher appeared. A light shone all around and with that light we began to warm up. We met, but he changed. His eyes were tired and his enthusiasm almost disappeared and that was how he remained for the rest of his days in America. His body was here but his soul hovered in higher spheres. He was distant from the American scene and just could not get accustomed to this country. He disliked cheap publicity and the agreed upon lies. In his pungent, excellent articles which appeared in HaShiloah, HaOlam, Bitsaron, HaDoar, and Shevile HaHinukh he wrote the truth about American Jewry, and about the false prophets and the leaders of the generation. His articles were always impressive and even his opponents respected him.
The stories that were published, and he did not live to see that, are written artistically. Though his heroes are melancholy, ethereal souls, they are people who suffer and are interesting, they know why they suffer.
If the well known stories like "Blood", "The Queen of Russia", and "In the Land of the Alps", had been written in a European language, they would have found their right place within literature.
Our heart is pained over the teacher who is no more. He had a violin and the song of his life ended before its time.
Dr. A. L. Kaplan, the respected head of education and the scholar, Dr. Elhanan Golumb should be blessed for their enormous work and their efforts to publish this nice book. It was surely based on love and honesty, I am sure that when an historical overview of Hebrew literature is done, Shaul Kushtai z"l will have an important place in it.
Chumash with Rashi's Commentary
The Book of Shemot with Rashi's interpretations, arranged by Dr. A. L. Kaplan. Published by Baltimore Hebrew College.
Dr. Arie L. Kaplan is considered among the excellent educators and the most active ones in the field of Jewish Education in the United States. He is the head of the Bureau of Jewish Education in Baltimore.
He was endowed with a dynamic and energetic nature and a practical sense.
A few years ago he invested time and energy in a very important project. He wanted to help students in the lower grades in the study of Chumash (The Five Books of Moses). This important work was almost successful. Baltimore students as well as students from other cities use this Sidrot (Weekly portions of reading from the Chumash) and they do well in their studies. First these were mimeographed but a short time ago a text-books prepared by him was published.
The need for such a book had been felt for some time, and the author admits in the introduction that the number of study hours has declined steadily, even in good schools, and it is not possible to devote more than one hour a week to this study. The truth is that this book allows young students an idea of the work of this genius of interpretation, Rashi.
During the war only a thin pamphlet on Genesis appeared, but Shemot was published in full. The Rashi interpretation is with square letters and vowels. At the end of the book the author included a few sections for the students who are interested in the original Rashi script.
The book is outwardly pleasant and is printed on good paper with clear letters. Let us hope that the author's friends in education will follow his lead to bring our children close to the spirit of Israel.
Reviews: Experiments
(From the Diary of a Hebrew Teacher in America, by N. Kramer, Yedidim Publisher, Baltimore, MD 1952)
Sometimes from the darkness that has covered Hebrew education, a few rays of light shine which gladden the heart and soul. Among these one can count the book Experiments by the praise-worthy author and educator, Nathan Kramer.
N. Kramer is not a new face. When still in Europe he was one of best teachers, their spokesman, a dreamer and fighter. He wrote for Hebrew newspapers and raised an entire generation of excellent students.
When he came to America, he devoted himself completely to Jewish education. Only those who are familiar with education here, know what daring and energy was required for teaching the natural method and establishing the purpose of education for a renaissance of the Hebrew language. As he spoke, he acted. His family is the only one in our city where Hebrew ruled, and where the thirst for the riches of our nation and its yearning for a national spiritual renewal was quenched.
A few years ago, two impressive volumes of his stories for young people were published. These are used in high schools. He writes in newspapers and especially in educational publications.
In recent years he began to write in Shevile Ha-Hinukh an entire series called "Experiments" which was collected and published by Yedidim.
Our educational literature is not rich in this type of publication. When one reads it, the surrounding world is forgotten and various types of people pass in front of the reader from industrialists to day workers. There are types who have distanced themselves from their people and assimilated almost completely, and there are those whose longing for the past is still very strong. Even a woman who converted to Judaism appears among the characters described, and this is quite common in American life.
The author is an optimist. He treats his heroes like a father and wants to see the positive, the light of life, and still, sad facts are described which leave a depressing impression.
In the story, "A Gift", he describes realistically the Bar Mitzvah where much praise is heaped on the Goldmans for their devotion to friends and to Jewish institutions, the excellent Hebrew education they gave their children, and the celebration that was prepared. Then, a few days later the boy came to see his teacher with his Tefilin and said: "Mother asks that you give these to a poor Bar Mitzvah boy because in our home there is no one else who will be Bar Mitzvah."
This picture is very realistic and painful.
Or when one reads "A Conversation Among Hebrew Teachers" and how an American born teacher prides himself cynically with his success: "Who needs Hebrew education? Who asks what your knowledge is? I have been known as a good teacher and I get calls asking me to teach boys. What else do I need?"
When you encounter such sad facts, something heavy weighs on the heart. You see the American type and ask: "What is his goal? What does he want? Who is his god?"
Does he even have a god? Is the Golden Calf his god?
He has a polished style and a flexible and natural language. There is a slight weakness in the book. The writer is not consistent with spellings. But this is really not a defect in the value of the book. I am sure that when historical research will be conducted regarding Hebrew education in the United States, undoubtedly it will be necessary to look at this important book and take from it material in order to describe a real picture of the condition of Hebrew education in America.
Dr. Shakhna Ginsburg, z"l
He was young and full of life, a pleasant person full of energy. In addition to his power and influence in Jewish education, there was almost no national Jewish organization in which he was not active.
He was sixteen years old when he came to the United States from Postov near Vilna. His basic education was abroad. He was educated in an atmosphere of Torah and Zionism and knew Hebrew well. He continued his studies here and got his doctorate in philosophy. His knowledge was not hidden as he used it for important educational activities. In 1934 he visited the Land of Israel which was very dear to him. For a time he lectured at Johns Hopkins. From 1932 he served as the head of the united schools in Springfield, MA.
He was among the first in the United States to organize youth for Zionsit activity and he edited the Zionist publication for youth, Yardena. Six years ago he was appointed director of the school and the center of Beth Tefiloh in Baltimore. With his talented leadership, these institutions, which are considered now among the most important ones in our country, reached their highest goals in terms of enrollment and achievements. As a result of his efforts, a day school was established and it is developing well in size and quality, a camp which has a good name due to its Hebrew education, and a well respected lecture series as well as various organizations were begun.
Hiss excellent abilities as an educator, superior organizer and dedicated public figure were evident to all and the Jewish community in our city respected him and he was beloved and admired.
He was the head of programs and the treasurer of the Hebrew teachers' union in Baltimore, and a member of the National Committee for Jewish Education. He was also member in B'nai B'rith and was given their highest honor. He was also the head of programming and publicity of the Zionist Organization in our city.
His funeral was at Beth Tefiloh on the 20th of Tamuz. A large congregation came to give him last respects. The large synagogue was filled and he was eulogized by the famous lawyer, Joseph Allen, the head of the Zionist Organization in our city and the head of the Education Committee of Beth Tefiloh, his friend, Rabbi Axelman, who took the place of Rabbi Rosenblatt who is in South America on a Mizrahi mission, and Dr. Diamond, the head of the Board of Jewish Education in Rochester, who was a dedicated friend of the deceased.
Dr. Ginsburg is survived by his parents, two brothers and a sister, a well educated and well-mannered wife, Shoshana, the daughter of the famous writer and educator, N. Kramer, and a sweet daughter, Aviva.
It is very sad that he was taken from us in the prime of his life! May his memory be for a blessing!
A Hebrew Academy in the Capital City, Washington
"There are still a number of cities in the Diaspora where our old candle burns in hiding." H. N. Bialik
Although a great confusion descended upon the world of Jewish education during the time of the deteriorating educational philosophy, and in spite of the fact that those who have taken Jewish education under their wings were born and bread in America and do not know much, and the method of teaching Hebrew in Hebrew was pushed away from the schools, and there are few graduates who know how to write a sentence in Hebrew from the Bible as it should be written because they have not been taught a minimum of Hebrew, in spite of all of this, there are here and there a tiny number of schools which remain, and teachers with knowledge who manage to 'have the boat floating' successfully. One such school is definitely in the capital city, Washington, DC, and it is considered the crowning stone of Jewish education there. It is the Hebrew Academy.
I had heard about this educational institution but did not have an opportunity to visit it until a few weeks ago. When I was there, I decided to go in and see what was happening there. When I was in the hallway, there was a break and my ears caught the pleasant Hebrew ring. I took the opportunity to talk with some children and I met students from various grades. I asked a twelve-year old girl what she studied in the previous period, and she answered me in pure Hebrew that she studied Gemara on the subject of sacrifices. A ten-year-old boy told me that he studied the Book of Amos, and it was a pleasure to hear him speak about the prophet.
I also spoke with little ones - six and seven years old. Even though they still have difficulties with Hebrew, they try to speak it. I even met there students whose parents work at the Israeli Embassy.
I had a pleasant surprise when I met the principal, Dr. Zalman Naftali Skeist. At first I did not recognize him, but he reminded me that many years earlier I had taught him Bible studies.
He was educated at the Ner Yisrael Yeshiva in Baltimore. After he received semichah from the Head of the Yeshiva, Rabbi Ruderman, he continued his studies at Yeshiva University and there received a PhD in philosophy and Jewish Studies.
Nine years earlier he was asked to come to Washington. It had been quite neglected. There were no decent teachers, and no appropriate curricula. Thanks to him, a beautiful building stands and five hundred boys and girls attend the school.
Rabbi Skeist believes in complete education. He is a zealous fighter for the Hebrew language. He is young and full of energy and vigor and the teachers at the school are filled with a Jewish soul and are devoted to Jewish education. The program is for nine years. In the higher grades, students study Mishnah and Gemara in addition to Bible and modern Hebrew literature. When they graduate, they are quite knowledgeable.
When I said Good Bye to my excellent student, Dr. Skeist, I asked him: How should I bless you? May there be many more like you among the People of Israel and may there be many schools like yours. Then there will be a rebirth for Judaism in America.
Poems for Youth By Israel Schlaffer
Poems for Youth, by Israel Schlaffer, with an introduction by Daniel Perski, published by Yedidim with the Hebrew Teachers' Organization, Baltimore.
Mr. Israel Schlaffer, a veteran teacher in Baltimore who was fortunate enough to have been a student of H. N. Bialik in Odessa, made an important contribution to the educational literature with the publication of his "Youth Poems". He took advantage of his poetic inspiration, which was definitely influenced by the famous teacher, for an important educational goal. His poetry is extremely easy and can be introduced even to students with a minimal knowledge of Hebrew. Honesty and simplicity characterize most of the poems that are arranged by topics emanating from experiences and knowledge of children. Some of these are: Shabbat, holidays, Torah stories, Eretz Yisrael, descriptions of nature, and animal proverbs which include moral lesson that even little ones can understand. Along with these there are a few poems that are different by virtue of the ideas that are hidden in them. Among these, a very special one is the poem "Why?" which on the one hand can introduce students to the topic of the Holocaust (which we must teach forever), and on the other includes hints which must be explored.
Why?...
At midnight, when darkness and stillness
Are all around
In the Ghetto, a holy congregation
Emerges from a mass tomb.
A holy congregation stands
In front of G-d's throne above
Not complaining, only a looking
With a terribly, penetrating look asking "Why?...
The congregation is still. The look
Penetrating asking again and again: Why?...
The Ruler of the Universe lowers his head
And a quiet cry is heard above...
In addition to the hint of Jeremiah (31:14) ("A sound is heard above... Rachel is crying for her children"), the last two lines remind the reader of the beautiful
Aggadah about G-d mourning the suffering of Israel. The most important influence on these lines are from Bialik's angry poem "Al HaShehitah."
There are less than fifty poems in this collection that can whet the appetite of the reader but not satisfy it. This fountain is still full and we may expect further contributions from a human being who was poured water by our national poet. We must be sure that there will be further contributions from the pen of the poet-teacher and these poems must be spread among Jewish children.
by M. Auerbach
Israel Schlaffer: (Upon the retirement of a great Hebrew teacher.)
The veteran Hebrew teacher, Mr. Israel Schlaffer, retired recently from his educational work in Baltimore. He is a talented poet who worked with scholars, some of them the greatest ones in our nation, such as Chaim Nachman Bialik. Israel Schlaffer is among the Last of the Mohicans, who all his life yearned to walk in the Land of Israel and enjoy its air, but was not able to realize that yearning.
In his writings in Shevile Ha-Hinukh, Mr. Schlaffer reflects on the souls of the forgotten soldiers, the Hebrew teachers of the new generation, who through their efforts revived a dead language and raised a generation that has realized the dream, but forgot the brook from which their water was taken.
If the fate of the Hebrew teacher was difficult in the Land of Israel where his small salary was never paid on time, it was ten fold so for those who watched over the wall of Judaism in the Diaspora. Financially he enjoyed at most bread crumbs from the community, that were barely enough to support him and his family. And as far as his social and spiritual life - he was totally wretched. These teachers and educators who immigrated from Eastern Europe to the West - mainly the United States, brought with them a load of Torah and wisdom, and all they wanted was to teach. What they found was a dessert, and their efforts were to naught. Most of the parents were not interested in Hebrew education for their sons, as is well known, the "drama" of a Bar Mitzvah was sufficient.
Attitudes toward the Hebrew teacher, were and in many ways still are, lacking respect, and if the teacher is a learned person, insults are added. The Hebrew teacher who happens to be in the company of the wealthy finds an attitude of contempt. What do they have in common with a 'misfit' who has no idea how to make money when they were so successful? When he is asked what he does, and he has to answer that he teaches Hebrew, he is looked at as a stranger and is wished that in the future he will not have to be a teacher, but will find a business that will be fitting for him.
The insults to the Hebrew teacher are the most bitter pill that he has to swallow in this rich land. It is not an accident that at the end of some of his writings, Mr. Schlaffer, signed the name Marori (bitter one). When the principals of the schools and the Rabbis take control of Jewish education, it is very difficult for scholars to take the insults of the ignoramuses. They try to show off their knowledge and thus destroy the standing of the teacher and the structure of education established with much great efforts. It is about this that Mr. Schlaffer pours out his bitter soul. Every day, Hebrew language and literature are reduced in Jewish education. Instead of Bible in Hebrew and the Siddur in Hebrew, the study of Religion in the foreign language replaces it thus bringing up a generation of ignorant people.
But in spite of it all, I believe that there will be a generation that will return and the truth will be revealed. Although he is often bitter, I. Schlaffer describes excellent educational efforts by such special educators/rabbis as Rabbi Golinkin, previously principal in Arlington, Virginia, and now Head, Board of Jewish Education of Greater Washington and Rabbi Dr. Zalman Naftali Skeit, Head of the Hebrew Academy in Washington. These Rabbis who established exemplary institutions are redeeming the honor of the rabbinate, and one has to say about them and the like, may there be many more like them in Israel.
And lastly, I know from my own experience that in spite of the many disappointments that Hebrew teachers constantly have, there are students who want to study Judaism and the Hebrew language and its literature. And the Hebrew teacher is beloved by them because he gives them what the public school can't. Mr. Schlaffer tells us in one of his articles in Shevile Ha-Hinukh about a fifteen-year old girl who convinced her parents to let her study Hebrew, Bible and Hebrew literature. When one sees such occurrences it is difficult not to think of the prophet's consolation in Isaiah 49:21. And to Israel Schlaffer, the great poet and educator, who retired because of his age and thus left his life long work, let us say: "You did not work for naught. With people like you, there is hope."
by M. A.
As a Rose Among Thorns
Who among us does not remember the novel Alone, by the well known author, A. A. Kabak, z"l? Who among us did not cry in his/her youth for the fate of the sweet girl, the delicate and idealistic gymnasium student, Sarah Abramovna? Many years have passed since that golden age and I think there are no such characters any more. However I had a great surprise when of all places, in materialistic America, I encountered such a flower about whom it is worth writing.
She is a young high school student like all American students, chews gum and reads any book that happens her way. About four or five years ago when she was fifteen years old, her mother phoned me and asked me to come over so she could talk to me. I promised I would and one evening I went to the family home. I met the parents and their only daughter. The mother spoke immediately about the subject. They have only one child and do not keep anything she wants from her. Some time earlier she started asking them to study Hebrew. At first they thought it was a capricious request of an only child, but she did not let up and so they decided to respond to her request.
I had no trust in such lessons as I expected based on previous experience, that they would not last long. In spite of that, I started teaching her two hours each week. She knew very little. When she was a young child she went to Hebrew school for a year but could barely read. This pleasant girl surprised me with her abilities and energy. She devoted herself with youthful vigor to Hebrew studies. I soon added two more hours and during the four years that I have been teaching her, she has become knowledgeable in Tanakh (Bible), she knows Bialik and Shneor and speaks Hebrew well. When I come to teach her after a physically exhausting day of work and I listen to her talking about new trends in our literature and voicing her opinions about a book that she is reading, Derakhim ve-Derekh, by Reuven Wallenrod, and I listen to her dreams and life goals, I see in front of me an old picture from years back, a new Sarah Abramovna.
Slavery Within Freedom
A few weeks ago my friend Rabbi Dr. Avraham Shusterman, the enthusiastic Zionist and Hebraist, invited me over for a Mitzvah meal prepared in honor of a Protestant minister who had just returned from Israel. When we arrived at the beautiful hall, it was filled with many people, mainly our brethren, B'nai Yisrael (Jews), along with a few Christians. The party began with huge servings of different foods, and when we completed this part of the Mitzvah, the chairman of the event, a Jewish judge, started praising the one for whom the event was prepared and presented him to the attendees.
We were all interested in hearing about the impressions the minister and friend had, but instead of telling us about the country that is being built and renewed, about advances in culture and art, about life on the kibbutzim and settlements, about the conquering of the Negev desert, he started telling us about the holy quiver that went through his body when his feet stepped on the Holy Land, where Jesus walked two thousand years earlier. Watching the faces of our brethren, B'nai Yisrael, one could see how much they enjoyed the minister talking positively about the nation of the prophets.
G-d of the world! Have we descended so much that we sing the old "Mah Yafit" (How Beautiful You Are) in a free and democratic country? With such humbling will we acquire friends among them?
Dindn't we enrich Dorothy Thompson and in the end she remained an anti-Semite till her dying days? Of course there are the righteous among the nations. The well-known author, Vladimir Korolanko did not have to be bribed to endanger his life and come out openly against the Pogroms and the young poet, Yevgeni Yevtuchenko, who published the poem, Babi Yar, that was most impressive. Shouldn't we send teachers and educators every year, they who devoted many years to Jewish education, to see the land and enrich the souls of our children afterwards? Has the time come for us to raise our human value and stop humbling ourselves so much in front of our good neighbors? Is this not a kind of slavery within freedom?
Nathan Kramer z"l
One by one my friends the teachers leave us. One by one they disappear, those who were in Jewish education, and no one fills their empty spaces. Our good friend, Nathan Kramer, the author and praiseworthy educator left us and is no more.
Seventy five or six years ago he was born in the small village of Olik in Volhiniya. His father was a Torah scholar and began teaching him Tanakh (Bible) and Talmud. His character was to persist in study in and the small town of Volhiniya he studied several years in a Bet Midrash. When he was about to be conscripted into the Russian army, he left Russia for Galicia where he became one of the best teachers and speakers, dreamers and fighters. He taught a generation of excellent students. When he arrived in the United States forty years ago, he devoted himself completely to education. Only those familiar with education here, could see the amount of courage and energy required to teach according to the natural method and to establish an educational program based upon reviving the Hebrew language. When he first came, he taught at Baltimore Hebrew College that was then headed by the well-known, learned poet, Dr. Yisrael Efrat. A few years later, he became principal of one of the important schools under the Board of Education. In addition to being an educator par excel lance, he was very active in Zionist circles, and especially in the teachers' organization. For a few tears he was the president and in that capacity filled the organization with vitality as a result of parties and plays that took place during his tenure. He had a special knack for making friends and establishing good relations with people. His personality accentuated the qualities of an ideal teacher. He knew how to bring his students close, to make them enthusiastic and to capture their hearts.
Mr. Kramer z"l was well liked and pleasant. He acted according to his principals and didn't just talk. His family was the only one in Baltimore where Hebrew was always spoken.
He wrote for newspapers, especially the ones in Hebrew education. Several years ago two volumes of his stories were published. These were nice and they are used in high schools. In the last few years he began to write in Shevile Ha-Hinukh a series called "Experiments" which were collected and published by the Yedidim Press.
His constant companions were books, and in spite of his involvement in educational and communal matters, he always found time for in-depth study, and always wanted to broaden his spiritual horizons.
Over the years he made many friends and acquaintances all of whom liked him and treasured him. Before he left America, the Board of Jewish Education along with the teachers' union had a nice party for him, and the President, Mr. Landau, as a sign of appreciation and recognition, gave him a check in the name of the Board so that he could purchase a nice apartment in Israel.
All his life he wanted to make Aliyah, and so, in spite of several years of illness, he decided to do so with his wife. He was there only a few days and did not see his lifelong dream of living there become reality. He was at least blessed to have been buried there.
May the earth be sweet for him and may his memory be for a blessing!
Rosh Chodesh Elul
Who among us does not remember the quiet sound heard recently during the blessing of the month of Elul? It is as if the houses were bent with the secret of Elul and the fields became gloomy and forests gray.
One Shabbat, the heat was oppressive and I did not want to walk all the way to my distant synagogue, so I decided to go to the large Conservative one in my neighborhood.
I entered and saw how big it is and how very beautiful with about 1,000 seats. There were about 60 or 70 people mostly, of course, women. The organ played and the Hazan trilled the prayer El Adon. After Shacharit, the Torah was taken out of the ark and it was read. I was sure that soon the blessing for Elul would be recited. To my amazement, the Hazan started singing Etz Hayim, the ark was opened and the Torah put back in. The Hazan continued with the Musaf and not one of the people praying said a thing about the blessing being left out.
The school principal, who was also at the synagogue, looked at me and I at him in total surprise. After the prayer, the principal went to the president of the synagogue and commented on it. The president's face reddened in anger. The Hazan was angry at the Shamash who said that it was not his fault. The rabbi who left hastily for a rest from work forgot, most probably, to leave the Shabbat prayer program.
This event left a funny and painful impression on me and I thought, G-d Almighty, Jews spent millions to build synagogues and schools, and the most important things they will forget. Only two or three generations have passed and how big is the distance and the pain that we have lost so much ground.
There is Education in This Place
Near the capital, Washington, DC, there is a small town nestled among trees and gardens, a typical American town. Its name is known all over the United States because of the National Cemetery located there and some of America's great people and many of its heroes rest. The name of the town is Arlington, Virginia. I passed there several times but it never crossed my mind that in such and Anglo-Saxon town there would be some of our brethren, B'nai Yisrael. I had an opportunity some time ago to pass through Arlington with a friend and to my great surprise I found out that there was an important, small Jewish community in which most members are government workers who are people of culture.
There is also a synagogue and a school there. I had an urge to visit and so we decided to go in. We met the teacher, Rabbi Noah Golinkin, and he is the principal as well. We were impressed by him. Quite young, but full of energy and very influential in his small community, he especially devotes much time and energy to the school. He looks for ways to improve teaching methods for the sake of the children. He wrote basic readers for each holiday and especially one about the Siddur. The children who finished this book understand almost all the prayers. It is a pity that these have not been published yet as they could have been very helpful for Jewish education in America.
There are about 100 students in the school. I spoke with them and had a great pleasure to hear their opinions and their attitude toward the study of Hebrew. I also spoke with the two teachers who are devoted to education and are loved by the students and their parents.
I was especially impressed by a young American teacher thanks to whom a high school was established for 15 and 16 year old students. I saw the great success that results from the excellent leadership of Rabbi Golinkin. I saw in him a dedicated Hebrew scholar who is devoted to Jewish values and especially Hebrew education. He is very pleasant and is an idealist. When I left this holy place I thought that the preconceived notion that the Jews in America are only dedicated to materialist values is wrong. If small towns have such good schools there will be a resurgence for Judaism here.
"And this is the Blessing" (Ve-zot Ha-berachah)
A few weeks before Pesach, many preparations took place in our school. The children began to prepare for the holiday, especially for the model Seder. They were serious about it, learned their parts and looked forward to the important event.
The teachers tried as much as they could to imbue the school with a festive mood and they lead the efforts. When the awaited time arrived, the hall was decorated with much taste by the art teacher, G. Pomeranz. Tables were set with white table-cloths, lit candles and shiny bottles of wine. The children were all dressed up and seated in their places. The principal wearing a white Kittel, sat at the head of the table and the model Seder began. Parents also came to see their children excel in their roles, and the holy spirit of the holiday was in every corner of the hall. Everything went well and the faces of the parents shone with pleasure and joy.
After the Seder, one of the parents came to me with a shining face, expressing much satisfaction. He shook my hand with fondness and thanked me for the joy we gave him. He talked to me for a while and then said good-bye wishing me a happy holiday. Then he added: "Next year, may you not have to teach and may you find a business appropriate for you."
I did not answer, but the holiday spirit left me and bad thoughts came to occupy my mind.
The Laws of Tefilin
I was concentrating on my work in my room prior to the beginning of classes. The bell rang in my office and I understood the principal wanted to talk to me.
I went down to the office and saw a young woman sitting there dressed in an expensive fur coat. The principal told me that Mrs. S. wanted to know how well her son was doing in my class. I gave her a report. She was especially interested in his progress in reading the Haftarah and she told us that she invited hundreds of people for a celebration and therefore she wanted to be sure that her son would excel. I told her not to worry because everything would be fine. The principal then said that her son must know how to put on Tefilin and that she had to purchase a pair. She refused to buy the Tefilin as he would only need them for one Shabbat and so it was not worthwhile. The principal, with all his patience had to sit next to her and give her a lesson in the laws of Tefilin until she was satisfied.
I went out of the office thinking how far we had gone from the previous generations. A question bothered me: Will there be a future for American Judaism?
Is that all it is?
A few months ago I received an invitation to a wedding that gave me an opportunity to sit next to several factory owners. Everyone was in a festive mood. We drank, joked and laughed.
I also made a few comments and the attitude towards me was excellent, especially when my comments hit the spot.
As the guests were enjoying the wine and the roasted chicken, everyone started talking and telling about their successes in business. One talked about his pants factory, the other about his shirt factory and the third and the fourth until my turn came to say something.
I told them that I too am busy with a factory, a factory for the existence of our national soul, in other words, that I was a teacher.
I felt instinctively that my value diminished in their eyes, and one of the group could not restrain himself and asked me: " And that is it, that is all you do?"
Several months have passed since then and those words still reverberate in my ears "Is that all it is?"
The Principal
Three or four years ago I knew a principal, a young American whose degree was from a provincial college. His English was impeccable, and he could read the Siddur and knew a few Hebrew words that he liked to use when he spoke English. With those words he impressed people, especially wealthy ones, as a scholar. He knew how to impress women. He became not only the principal but also the "last word" in education. He was invited to speak about Judaism and very quickly his name became well known in the area. He befriended only wealthy people and if he met a teacher from our school, he did not even answer a greeting for how would he lower himself and talk to a simple teacher?
Once I was sitting in my room, reading a book. Suddenly the phone rang. I rose to answer and a man asked me to give his young son private lessons, but while telling me that, he said he was about to ask the principal about me. I was astounded and said to myself: Woe to a generation whose ignorant principals give opinions about teachers!
Haircut
Next to our school there has been for a while a synagogue for children. Every Shabbat another teacher comes to oversee the prayers. Of course the children participate in everything, one leads Shaharit (the morning prayer), the second - Musaf (the additional morning prayer). There is also a Ba'al Koreh. The meek children truly enjoy it. The teachers try as well as possible to show the beauty and nobility of the Shabbat and its laws and customs. One morning a young American woman came in. She motioned to me as she did not want to disturb the prayer. I went over to her and she said to me that her son was at the synagogue now and she requested that I allow her to take him take him down- town to have a haircut. I bit my lip with pain and thought that all the hard work we invest over years to help the children of Israel learn the laws of Shabbat and its customs this woman spoiled in one moment.
A Joke
I have a private lesson at the home of one of the richest men in town. This Jew is empty of everything but full of silver and gold. Especially during the war he collected great riches. Of course he is always in an excellent mood. He likes to joke and as he got to know me, he liked joking with me.
Once on a winter's night, when it was very cold outside, I came into the house to teach his son. It was pleasantly warm inside and after a hearty meal, the man sat on an upholstered chair with a cigarette in his mouth, in a showing-off mood. Suddenly he asked me: "Tell me sir, what do you, Hebrew teachers, contribute to the world?" I was upset by the question and my anger did not allow me to answer him immediately. I controlled myself and said to him: I can't explain to you briefly about education, all that we try to teach the children of Israel, but one thing I can tell you, sir, if your son will know how to say Kaddish after your death, that is already worth while.
The man's face paled and he started justifying himself by saying that it was a joke.
"Yes sir," I said, "My answer also was a joke."
Temima Siebel z"l: A Year Since Her Death
A year has passed already and the shock of our friend's, Temima Siebel's, sudden death has not subsided.
I knew her from the day she stepped on the soil of America thirty-eight years ago. She was young, delicate and pretty. Everyone who saw her thought of the typical ideal Russian gymnasium student. She came with empty pockets from Jerusalem, but had one thing, a diploma from a Hebrew gymnasium. At first she had no work, but one of her devoted friends whom she knew from Israel, the educator Dr. Tsvi Tshak, found her work. For thirty-eight years she served as an ideal teacher. The entire time she planted in the hearts of many a love of our people, language and land.
She was a dedicated Jew thanks to the important teachers she had, such as A. A. Kabak, Shelomo Shiler, who influenced her with their spirit and gave her broad education. She always strove to enrich her spiritual horizons. Above all she was a good and dedicated friend. She liked justice, and I saw her more than once crying about an injustice done to a teacher.
She despised dishonesty and cheap advertisement. It was difficult for her to adjust to this country and often she poured her heart out to me about the fact that here the value of a person is measured by his riches. She also disliked the stupid complacency that she saw everywhere.
She hoped and dreamed of a good future, but in the mean time years passed by like falling leaves in the autumn. After years she decided to visit the Land of Israel for which she yearned - she wanted to refresh herself. She hoped the visit would give her the strength to continue her path in teaching.
After her visit, she went out of school one day and a truck hit her and she died very quickly. The day was one of mourning for Hebrew Baltimore in general but especially for the teachers when she was taken to her final resting place. With her death, a multi-talented personality, a gentle and noble soul departed.
May her soul be bound among the living.
On the Publication of the Book From Life
I trembled when I received the book of stories "From Life' which was recently published by Baltimore Hebrew College, written by the important teacher and writer, Shaul Kushtai, z"l.
It is difficult to write a review of the book when recent memories surround one.
It seems to me as if it happened only yesterday and we are still very young, morning dew is on our faces and we live in a small village in beautiful Ukraine, in a world of dreams, and we dream of idealism and a shining future. In those days, we entered with slow steps as readers of Hebrew literature and we were happy with every song and story that appeared. We were thrilled with every new author that we discovered. Suddenly we started following the daily HaZeman which was published in Vilna, for a new author whose sad stories made an immense impression. We felt that a new force was added to our poor literature. The author's name was S. Kutshai.
We had the opportunity to meet the young author in person. We rented a wagon and among our friends was the known author, Johanan Tverski and the educator, now in New York, Shaul Zilberfarb, and we all went to greet him. The night was beautiful and we walked with the author almost all night long. He spoke to us in his clear, excellent language about philosophy, literature and art.
Years passed by. A terrible storm overtook the world and our land, Ukraine, suffered more than all the lands. We had to leave our beloved-hated country and take with us a wandering stick. Our package was separated. The flow brought us to Baltimore. I missed my friends very much as I missed the beautiful sky over the Ukraine and the ideal atmosphere. I was depressed in the new land. My body was cold and my soul was covered with a fog. Then, suddenly one morning the teacher appeared. A light shone all around and with that light we began to warm up. We met, but he changed. His eyes were tired and his enthusiasm almost disappeared and that was how he remained for the rest of his days in America. His body was here but his soul hovered in higher spheres. He was distant from the American scene and just could not get accustomed to this country. He disliked cheap publicity and the agreed upon lies. In his pungent, excellent articles which appeared in HaShiloah, HaOlam, Bitsaron, HaDoar, and Shevile HaHinukh he wrote the truth about American Jewry, and about the false prophets and the leaders of the generation. His articles were always impressive and even his opponents respected him.
The stories that were published, and he did not live to see that, are written artistically. Though his heroes are melancholy, ethereal souls, they are people who suffer and are interesting, they know why they suffer.
If the well known stories like "Blood", "The Queen of Russia", and "In the Land of the Alps", had been written in a European language, they would have found their right place within literature.
Our heart is pained over the teacher who is no more. He had a violin and the song of his life ended before its time.
Dr. A. L. Kaplan, the respected head of education and the scholar, Dr. Elhanan Golumb should be blessed for their enormous work and their efforts to publish this nice book. It was surely based on love and honesty, I am sure that when an historical overview of Hebrew literature is done, Shaul Kushtai z"l will have an important place in it.
Chumash with Rashi's Commentary
The Book of Shemot with Rashi's interpretations, arranged by Dr. A. L. Kaplan. Published by Baltimore Hebrew College.
Dr. Arie L. Kaplan is considered among the excellent educators and the most active ones in the field of Jewish Education in the United States. He is the head of the Bureau of Jewish Education in Baltimore.
He was endowed with a dynamic and energetic nature and a practical sense.
A few years ago he invested time and energy in a very important project. He wanted to help students in the lower grades in the study of Chumash (The Five Books of Moses). This important work was almost successful. Baltimore students as well as students from other cities use this Sidrot (Weekly portions of reading from the Chumash) and they do well in their studies. First these were mimeographed but a short time ago a text-books prepared by him was published.
The need for such a book had been felt for some time, and the author admits in the introduction that the number of study hours has declined steadily, even in good schools, and it is not possible to devote more than one hour a week to this study. The truth is that this book allows young students an idea of the work of this genius of interpretation, Rashi.
During the war only a thin pamphlet on Genesis appeared, but Shemot was published in full. The Rashi interpretation is with square letters and vowels. At the end of the book the author included a few sections for the students who are interested in the original Rashi script.
The book is outwardly pleasant and is printed on good paper with clear letters. Let us hope that the author's friends in education will follow his lead to bring our children close to the spirit of Israel.
Reviews: Experiments
(From the Diary of a Hebrew Teacher in America, by N. Kramer, Yedidim Publisher, Baltimore, MD 1952)
Sometimes from the darkness that has covered Hebrew education, a few rays of light shine which gladden the heart and soul. Among these one can count the book Experiments by the praise-worthy author and educator, Nathan Kramer.
N. Kramer is not a new face. When still in Europe he was one of best teachers, their spokesman, a dreamer and fighter. He wrote for Hebrew newspapers and raised an entire generation of excellent students.
When he came to America, he devoted himself completely to Jewish education. Only those who are familiar with education here, know what daring and energy was required for teaching the natural method and establishing the purpose of education for a renaissance of the Hebrew language. As he spoke, he acted. His family is the only one in our city where Hebrew ruled, and where the thirst for the riches of our nation and its yearning for a national spiritual renewal was quenched.
A few years ago, two impressive volumes of his stories for young people were published. These are used in high schools. He writes in newspapers and especially in educational publications.
In recent years he began to write in Shevile Ha-Hinukh an entire series called "Experiments" which was collected and published by Yedidim.
Our educational literature is not rich in this type of publication. When one reads it, the surrounding world is forgotten and various types of people pass in front of the reader from industrialists to day workers. There are types who have distanced themselves from their people and assimilated almost completely, and there are those whose longing for the past is still very strong. Even a woman who converted to Judaism appears among the characters described, and this is quite common in American life.
The author is an optimist. He treats his heroes like a father and wants to see the positive, the light of life, and still, sad facts are described which leave a depressing impression.
In the story, "A Gift", he describes realistically the Bar Mitzvah where much praise is heaped on the Goldmans for their devotion to friends and to Jewish institutions, the excellent Hebrew education they gave their children, and the celebration that was prepared. Then, a few days later the boy came to see his teacher with his Tefilin and said: "Mother asks that you give these to a poor Bar Mitzvah boy because in our home there is no one else who will be Bar Mitzvah."
This picture is very realistic and painful.
Or when one reads "A Conversation Among Hebrew Teachers" and how an American born teacher prides himself cynically with his success: "Who needs Hebrew education? Who asks what your knowledge is? I have been known as a good teacher and I get calls asking me to teach boys. What else do I need?"
When you encounter such sad facts, something heavy weighs on the heart. You see the American type and ask: "What is his goal? What does he want? Who is his god?"
Does he even have a god? Is the Golden Calf his god?
He has a polished style and a flexible and natural language. There is a slight weakness in the book. The writer is not consistent with spellings. But this is really not a defect in the value of the book. I am sure that when historical research will be conducted regarding Hebrew education in the United States, undoubtedly it will be necessary to look at this important book and take from it material in order to describe a real picture of the condition of Hebrew education in America.
Dr. Shakhna Ginsburg, z"l
He was young and full of life, a pleasant person full of energy. In addition to his power and influence in Jewish education, there was almost no national Jewish organization in which he was not active.
He was sixteen years old when he came to the United States from Postov near Vilna. His basic education was abroad. He was educated in an atmosphere of Torah and Zionism and knew Hebrew well. He continued his studies here and got his doctorate in philosophy. His knowledge was not hidden as he used it for important educational activities. In 1934 he visited the Land of Israel which was very dear to him. For a time he lectured at Johns Hopkins. From 1932 he served as the head of the united schools in Springfield, MA.
He was among the first in the United States to organize youth for Zionsit activity and he edited the Zionist publication for youth, Yardena. Six years ago he was appointed director of the school and the center of Beth Tefiloh in Baltimore. With his talented leadership, these institutions, which are considered now among the most important ones in our country, reached their highest goals in terms of enrollment and achievements. As a result of his efforts, a day school was established and it is developing well in size and quality, a camp which has a good name due to its Hebrew education, and a well respected lecture series as well as various organizations were begun.
Hiss excellent abilities as an educator, superior organizer and dedicated public figure were evident to all and the Jewish community in our city respected him and he was beloved and admired.
He was the head of programs and the treasurer of the Hebrew teachers' union in Baltimore, and a member of the National Committee for Jewish Education. He was also member in B'nai B'rith and was given their highest honor. He was also the head of programming and publicity of the Zionist Organization in our city.
His funeral was at Beth Tefiloh on the 20th of Tamuz. A large congregation came to give him last respects. The large synagogue was filled and he was eulogized by the famous lawyer, Joseph Allen, the head of the Zionist Organization in our city and the head of the Education Committee of Beth Tefiloh, his friend, Rabbi Axelman, who took the place of Rabbi Rosenblatt who is in South America on a Mizrahi mission, and Dr. Diamond, the head of the Board of Jewish Education in Rochester, who was a dedicated friend of the deceased.
Dr. Ginsburg is survived by his parents, two brothers and a sister, a well educated and well-mannered wife, Shoshana, the daughter of the famous writer and educator, N. Kramer, and a sweet daughter, Aviva.
It is very sad that he was taken from us in the prime of his life! May his memory be for a blessing!
A Hebrew Academy in the Capital City, Washington
"There are still a number of cities in the Diaspora where our old candle burns in hiding." H. N. Bialik
Although a great confusion descended upon the world of Jewish education during the time of the deteriorating educational philosophy, and in spite of the fact that those who have taken Jewish education under their wings were born and bread in America and do not know much, and the method of teaching Hebrew in Hebrew was pushed away from the schools, and there are few graduates who know how to write a sentence in Hebrew from the Bible as it should be written because they have not been taught a minimum of Hebrew, in spite of all of this, there are here and there a tiny number of schools which remain, and teachers with knowledge who manage to 'have the boat floating' successfully. One such school is definitely in the capital city, Washington, DC, and it is considered the crowning stone of Jewish education there. It is the Hebrew Academy.
I had heard about this educational institution but did not have an opportunity to visit it until a few weeks ago. When I was there, I decided to go in and see what was happening there. When I was in the hallway, there was a break and my ears caught the pleasant Hebrew ring. I took the opportunity to talk with some children and I met students from various grades. I asked a twelve-year old girl what she studied in the previous period, and she answered me in pure Hebrew that she studied Gemara on the subject of sacrifices. A ten-year-old boy told me that he studied the Book of Amos, and it was a pleasure to hear him speak about the prophet.
I also spoke with little ones - six and seven years old. Even though they still have difficulties with Hebrew, they try to speak it. I even met there students whose parents work at the Israeli Embassy.
I had a pleasant surprise when I met the principal, Dr. Zalman Naftali Skeist. At first I did not recognize him, but he reminded me that many years earlier I had taught him Bible studies.
He was educated at the Ner Yisrael Yeshiva in Baltimore. After he received semichah from the Head of the Yeshiva, Rabbi Ruderman, he continued his studies at Yeshiva University and there received a PhD in philosophy and Jewish Studies.
Nine years earlier he was asked to come to Washington. It had been quite neglected. There were no decent teachers, and no appropriate curricula. Thanks to him, a beautiful building stands and five hundred boys and girls attend the school.
Rabbi Skeist believes in complete education. He is a zealous fighter for the Hebrew language. He is young and full of energy and vigor and the teachers at the school are filled with a Jewish soul and are devoted to Jewish education. The program is for nine years. In the higher grades, students study Mishnah and Gemara in addition to Bible and modern Hebrew literature. When they graduate, they are quite knowledgeable.
When I said Good Bye to my excellent student, Dr. Skeist, I asked him: How should I bless you? May there be many more like you among the People of Israel and may there be many schools like yours. Then there will be a rebirth for Judaism in America.
Poems for Youth By Israel Schlaffer
Poems for Youth, by Israel Schlaffer, with an introduction by Daniel Perski, published by Yedidim with the Hebrew Teachers' Organization, Baltimore.
Mr. Israel Schlaffer, a veteran teacher in Baltimore who was fortunate enough to have been a student of H. N. Bialik in Odessa, made an important contribution to the educational literature with the publication of his "Youth Poems". He took advantage of his poetic inspiration, which was definitely influenced by the famous teacher, for an important educational goal. His poetry is extremely easy and can be introduced even to students with a minimal knowledge of Hebrew. Honesty and simplicity characterize most of the poems that are arranged by topics emanating from experiences and knowledge of children. Some of these are: Shabbat, holidays, Torah stories, Eretz Yisrael, descriptions of nature, and animal proverbs which include moral lesson that even little ones can understand. Along with these there are a few poems that are different by virtue of the ideas that are hidden in them. Among these, a very special one is the poem "Why?" which on the one hand can introduce students to the topic of the Holocaust (which we must teach forever), and on the other includes hints which must be explored.
Why?...
At midnight, when darkness and stillness
Are all around
In the Ghetto, a holy congregation
Emerges from a mass tomb.
A holy congregation stands
In front of G-d's throne above
Not complaining, only a looking
With a terribly, penetrating look asking "Why?...
The congregation is still. The look
Penetrating asking again and again: Why?...
The Ruler of the Universe lowers his head
And a quiet cry is heard above...
In addition to the hint of Jeremiah (31:14) ("A sound is heard above... Rachel is crying for her children"), the last two lines remind the reader of the beautiful
Aggadah about G-d mourning the suffering of Israel. The most important influence on these lines are from Bialik's angry poem "Al HaShehitah."
There are less than fifty poems in this collection that can whet the appetite of the reader but not satisfy it. This fountain is still full and we may expect further contributions from a human being who was poured water by our national poet. We must be sure that there will be further contributions from the pen of the poet-teacher and these poems must be spread among Jewish children.
by M. Auerbach
Israel Schlaffer: (Upon the retirement of a great Hebrew teacher.)
The veteran Hebrew teacher, Mr. Israel Schlaffer, retired recently from his educational work in Baltimore. He is a talented poet who worked with scholars, some of them the greatest ones in our nation, such as Chaim Nachman Bialik. Israel Schlaffer is among the Last of the Mohicans, who all his life yearned to walk in the Land of Israel and enjoy its air, but was not able to realize that yearning.
In his writings in Shevile Ha-Hinukh, Mr. Schlaffer reflects on the souls of the forgotten soldiers, the Hebrew teachers of the new generation, who through their efforts revived a dead language and raised a generation that has realized the dream, but forgot the brook from which their water was taken.
If the fate of the Hebrew teacher was difficult in the Land of Israel where his small salary was never paid on time, it was ten fold so for those who watched over the wall of Judaism in the Diaspora. Financially he enjoyed at most bread crumbs from the community, that were barely enough to support him and his family. And as far as his social and spiritual life - he was totally wretched. These teachers and educators who immigrated from Eastern Europe to the West - mainly the United States, brought with them a load of Torah and wisdom, and all they wanted was to teach. What they found was a dessert, and their efforts were to naught. Most of the parents were not interested in Hebrew education for their sons, as is well known, the "drama" of a Bar Mitzvah was sufficient.
Attitudes toward the Hebrew teacher, were and in many ways still are, lacking respect, and if the teacher is a learned person, insults are added. The Hebrew teacher who happens to be in the company of the wealthy finds an attitude of contempt. What do they have in common with a 'misfit' who has no idea how to make money when they were so successful? When he is asked what he does, and he has to answer that he teaches Hebrew, he is looked at as a stranger and is wished that in the future he will not have to be a teacher, but will find a business that will be fitting for him.
The insults to the Hebrew teacher are the most bitter pill that he has to swallow in this rich land. It is not an accident that at the end of some of his writings, Mr. Schlaffer, signed the name Marori (bitter one). When the principals of the schools and the Rabbis take control of Jewish education, it is very difficult for scholars to take the insults of the ignoramuses. They try to show off their knowledge and thus destroy the standing of the teacher and the structure of education established with much great efforts. It is about this that Mr. Schlaffer pours out his bitter soul. Every day, Hebrew language and literature are reduced in Jewish education. Instead of Bible in Hebrew and the Siddur in Hebrew, the study of Religion in the foreign language replaces it thus bringing up a generation of ignorant people.
But in spite of it all, I believe that there will be a generation that will return and the truth will be revealed. Although he is often bitter, I. Schlaffer describes excellent educational efforts by such special educators/rabbis as Rabbi Golinkin, previously principal in Arlington, Virginia, and now Head, Board of Jewish Education of Greater Washington and Rabbi Dr. Zalman Naftali Skeit, Head of the Hebrew Academy in Washington. These Rabbis who established exemplary institutions are redeeming the honor of the rabbinate, and one has to say about them and the like, may there be many more like them in Israel.
And lastly, I know from my own experience that in spite of the many disappointments that Hebrew teachers constantly have, there are students who want to study Judaism and the Hebrew language and its literature. And the Hebrew teacher is beloved by them because he gives them what the public school can't. Mr. Schlaffer tells us in one of his articles in Shevile Ha-Hinukh about a fifteen-year old girl who convinced her parents to let her study Hebrew, Bible and Hebrew literature. When one sees such occurrences it is difficult not to think of the prophet's consolation in Isaiah 49:21. And to Israel Schlaffer, the great poet and educator, who retired because of his age and thus left his life long work, let us say: "You did not work for naught. With people like you, there is hope."
by M. A.
A Deductive Proof that G-d is One
We will prove using deductive logic that G-d is One, i.e., He cannot be composed of multiple parts:
Let us suppose, for the sake of contradiction, that he is composed of many parts (at least two). Then since G-d created everything except for Himself and none of these individual parts are G-d, he must have created these individual parts. But since these individual parts are, by our supposition, necessary for him to exist (since he is composed of them), he could not have created them, which contradicts our earlier statement that he must have created these individual parts. Therefore, G-d is One, i.e., He cannot be composed of multiple parts. QED
Note: Only pronouns which refer to G-d in true statements are capitalized, out of respect for G-d.
Let us suppose, for the sake of contradiction, that he is composed of many parts (at least two). Then since G-d created everything except for Himself and none of these individual parts are G-d, he must have created these individual parts. But since these individual parts are, by our supposition, necessary for him to exist (since he is composed of them), he could not have created them, which contradicts our earlier statement that he must have created these individual parts. Therefore, G-d is One, i.e., He cannot be composed of multiple parts. QED
Note: Only pronouns which refer to G-d in true statements are capitalized, out of respect for G-d.
The Torah and Chaitin's Omega Number
It was a key belief of the ancient Greeks that our universe is rationally comprehensible, that it is possible to explain all of the diversity, richness and apparent complexity of the natural world using only a few basic principles. To this day, many scientists are still searching for such a theory, with the expectation that such a theory exists.
In the early twentieth century, the famous mathematician David Hilbert followed this ancient Greek tradition, proposing the idea that all mathematical facts can be derived from only a handful of axioms. In the 1930's, the mathematician Kurt Goedel proved that such a scenario is impossible by showing that for any proposed finite axiom system for arithmetic, there must always be true statements which are unprovable within the axiom system, if we are to assume that the axiom system has no inconsistencies. The mathematician, Alan Turing, extended this result to show that it is impossible to design a computer program which can determine whether any other computer program will eventually halt. In the latter half of the 20th century, the mathematician Gregory Chaitin defined a real number between zero and one, which he calls "Omega", to be the probability that a computer program halts. And Chaitin showed that:
1) For any mathematical problem, the bits of Omega, when Omega is expressed in binary, completely determine whether that problem is solvable or not.
2) The bits of Omega are random, and only a finite number of them are even possible to know. (Therefore, an infinite number of them are impossible to know.)
3) Hence, most mathematics problems are impossible to solve, and most mathematical facts are impossible to prove.
From this, we can conclude that most of mathematics is not rationally comprehensible. In other words, most mathematical facts are, as Chaitin says, "true for no reason". Chaitin's work completely destroys the Greek paradigm that our universe is rationally comprehensible, since he logically proves that the majority of the laws of mathematics (which are part of our universe) are not even rationally comprehensible.
So what does all of this have to do with Torah? Well, the Torah has a different way of looking at the world than the ancient Greeks had. While the ancient Greeks believed that the universe is rationally comprehensible, the Torah view is that as a whole, the universe is incomprehensible to a finite human being. For instance, when the Torah says, "Thou shalt not murder", it does not give a rational explanation as to why murdering is wrong; the Torah viewpoint is that it is wrong to murder because G-d said so. In fact, Jews are commanded to uphold all of the 613 commandments of the Torah not because they make sense to us, but for no other reason than because G-d commanded us to do so. So Chaitin's Omega number shows us that mathematics is more in line with the Torah religious view of the universe than the ancient Greek philosophical view of the universe. And this is the first theorem in the history of mathematics to do such.
In my opinion, Chaitin's theorem should be called the "Fundamental Theorem of Mathematics", because it completely describes the nature of all of mathematics using just one number, the halting probability. I have used some of his ideas in an article that I wrote here: http://arxiv.org/abs/cs.CC/0507008
Acknowledgements: I would like to thank Gregory Chaitin for his helpful comments. His great work can be found here: http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/CDMTCS/chaitin/
In the early twentieth century, the famous mathematician David Hilbert followed this ancient Greek tradition, proposing the idea that all mathematical facts can be derived from only a handful of axioms. In the 1930's, the mathematician Kurt Goedel proved that such a scenario is impossible by showing that for any proposed finite axiom system for arithmetic, there must always be true statements which are unprovable within the axiom system, if we are to assume that the axiom system has no inconsistencies. The mathematician, Alan Turing, extended this result to show that it is impossible to design a computer program which can determine whether any other computer program will eventually halt. In the latter half of the 20th century, the mathematician Gregory Chaitin defined a real number between zero and one, which he calls "Omega", to be the probability that a computer program halts. And Chaitin showed that:
1) For any mathematical problem, the bits of Omega, when Omega is expressed in binary, completely determine whether that problem is solvable or not.
2) The bits of Omega are random, and only a finite number of them are even possible to know. (Therefore, an infinite number of them are impossible to know.)
3) Hence, most mathematics problems are impossible to solve, and most mathematical facts are impossible to prove.
From this, we can conclude that most of mathematics is not rationally comprehensible. In other words, most mathematical facts are, as Chaitin says, "true for no reason". Chaitin's work completely destroys the Greek paradigm that our universe is rationally comprehensible, since he logically proves that the majority of the laws of mathematics (which are part of our universe) are not even rationally comprehensible.
So what does all of this have to do with Torah? Well, the Torah has a different way of looking at the world than the ancient Greeks had. While the ancient Greeks believed that the universe is rationally comprehensible, the Torah view is that as a whole, the universe is incomprehensible to a finite human being. For instance, when the Torah says, "Thou shalt not murder", it does not give a rational explanation as to why murdering is wrong; the Torah viewpoint is that it is wrong to murder because G-d said so. In fact, Jews are commanded to uphold all of the 613 commandments of the Torah not because they make sense to us, but for no other reason than because G-d commanded us to do so. So Chaitin's Omega number shows us that mathematics is more in line with the Torah religious view of the universe than the ancient Greek philosophical view of the universe. And this is the first theorem in the history of mathematics to do such.
In my opinion, Chaitin's theorem should be called the "Fundamental Theorem of Mathematics", because it completely describes the nature of all of mathematics using just one number, the halting probability. I have used some of his ideas in an article that I wrote here: http://arxiv.org/abs/cs.CC/0507008
Acknowledgements: I would like to thank Gregory Chaitin for his helpful comments. His great work can be found here: http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/CDMTCS/chaitin/
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