יו”ל ע”י הועד לחיזוק טהרת ישראל
עם הסכמות של הבבא סאלי, האדמו”ר מויז’ניץ, הרב יעקב לנדא מב”ב, הרב שמואל ואזנר, הרב ניסים קרליץ, והרב נתן געשטעטנער זצ”ל
הערה: חילקתי וסדרתי את הדפים מחדש.
Introduction
This article, based extensively on the research by Professor Micha Gottlieb,[1] examines the sharp anti-Maimonidean writings by the nineteenth-century rabbi, Shimshon Refael Hirsch. In the previous article, “An ‘enlightened’ rejection of Maimonides,” we discussed how the Haskala (Jewish Enlightenment movement) wanted to adopt Maimonides as their official ideologue and ‘poster rabbi’ because he encouraged secular education, and elevated the position of the sechel (intellect) as the prime component of the human being. We then showed how this ‘enlightened’ focus on Maimonides was severely challenged by R. Shmuel David Luzzatto, initially a member of Wissenschaft des Judentums (the official arm of the Jewish Enlightenment). In this article, we examine another rabbi also somewhat associated with the Haskala, R. Shimshon Refael Hirsch (1808-1888), who similarly rejects Maimonides and his rationalism, but for different reasons.
The Nineteen Letters
However, by 1818, when R. Hirsch would have been ten years old, the Hamburg Jewish community had become more secularised and the first Reform Temple was established in that city. This means that R. Hirsh would have been aware of what he would have considered a downside to the benefits of the Haskala, something his predecessors might not have yet been alerted to. R. Hirsch then decided to devote his energies to promoting a culture of Halachic observance although within an ‘enlightened’ framework (Gottlieb 2009:271).
The problem was that by the mid-nineteenth century, even the moderate branch of the Haskala, was no longer able to maintain the delicate Halachic-Hasklic balance. And they were using Maimonides to argue for reform to traditional Judaism.
Maimonides is used as ‘leverage’ to promote the abandonment of the mitzvot
One did not have to look far for instances where previously religious people had used Maimonides as a precedent for abandoning their observances. Shlomo Maimon serves as such an example, and R. Hirsch would have been well aware of these occurrences:
From Kotzk Blog, here.
I ask for a detailed overview:
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Would Hyehudi.org repay my reading?
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Please summarize the Yehudi\Yerudi article:
The provided text appears to be in Hebrew. It tells a story about a king who had a son named “Yehudi” and his journey to understand what it truly means to be a Jew. The son initially believed he was not a true Jew but rather a “Yerudi,” someone of lesser status. However, through the guidance of a wise individual named Bar Nafli, the son learns that being a Jew is not determined by external labels or societal perceptions. The story emphasizes the importance of embracing Jewish identity and fulfilling mitzvot (commandments) while recognizing the diversity within the Jewish community.
Enough for now.
Reprinted with assumed permission.