Revelation and Tradition As Religious Categories in Judaism

Warning Concerning Copyright Restrictions The Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research. If electronic transmission of reserve material is used for purposes in excess of what constitutes "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. The Messianic Idea in judaism AND OTHER EssAYs oN JEWISH SPIRITUALITY GERSHOM SCHOLEM SCHOCKEN BOOKS • NEW YORK Copyright © 1971 by Schocken Books Inc. Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 70-130212 Manufactured in the United States of America Michael A. Meyer translated the following essays from the Ger man: "Toward an Understanding of the Messianic Idea," "The Crypto-Jewish Sect of the Donmeh," "Martin Buber's Interpreta tion of Hasidism," "The Tradition of the Thirty-Six Hidden Just Men," "The Star of David," "The Science of Judaism," "At the Completion of Buber's Translation of the Bible," "On the 1930 Edition of Rosenzweig's Star of Redemption," "The Politics of Mysticism," and parts of "Revelation and Tradition as Religious Categories." Hillel Halkin translated "Redemption Through Sin" from the Hebrew. See also "Sources and Acknowledgments," pp. 365-66. REVELATION spiritual foundations and implH plicate. It was he, more than a Revelation and Tradition Judaism, who helped to crystallli system of sheer indestructible vi as Religious Categories death the following was told: When Moses ascended onto the in judaism found the Holy One, blessed be : crowns] to the letters. He said to l is holding You back?" (That is, · letters as they are, so that You a flourishes which occur on certain answered him: "There is a man w. JuDAISM, AS IT HAS constituted itself in distinct historical forms by the name of Akiba ben Joseph over the last two thousand years, is properly recognized in the of laws upon every tittle." Then h history of religions as a classical example of religious tradition vers·e, show him to me." He rep alism. For present purposes it is of no consequence whether this went and sat down behind eight rc is an advantage or a disadvantage; our intent is not to evaluate, he did not understand what they but to understand. Moreover, what tradition has meant in the strength left him [i.e., he was p household of Judaism-and to a high degree still continues to follow discourses concerning the ~ When Akiba came to a certain m mean--eminently merits our attention, especially where we intend how he knew it, he said to them: to discuss in general, human terms the function of creativity and Sinai." Then he [Moses] was co spontaneity in relation to that which is given. What directs a man One, blessed be He. He said to I or what can enable him to direct his life's work is, after all, mani have a man like that and You gi1 festly dependent on his ideas about his place in the world or his "Be silent, for this is the way I har total orientation to life. Thus a discussion of the meaning of "Master of the Universe, You ha tradition is one of the most enlightening aspects under which Torah, show me also his reward." the theme of our conference can be regarded. For within all turned around and saw that Akit human groups tradition demands an absolutely central position, market stalls [his flesh was torn I even as the creative impulse, which insinuates itself into every Then he said to Him: "Master of tradition, calls our attention to the living relationship of giving this is its reward?" He replied: " determined it." 1 and receiving. We desire to understand how the given and the spontaneous-that which newly flows into the stream of tradi This story, in its own way n tion-are combined in passing on the patrimony of each genera of the questions which will com tion to the next. In considering the problc It may be in order if at the beginning of this discussion-to tinguish between two questions; indicate its climate, as it were-I tell you a little story which the a tradition endowed with relig Talmud, not entirely without tongue in cheek, relates of Moses The other question is: How w and Rabbi Akiba. In this connection you must know that Akiba it had been accepted as a religi* developed from an illiterate shepherd into the greatest scholar promptly discard the historical c of his generation who died as a martyr during the Hadrianic per tradition; this is the usual pte secutions. In the history of Judaism he is one of the most signi ligious systems. Yet for the hi; ficant representatives of that conception of tradition whose mains fundamental: In order tc 282 REVELATION AND TRADITION AS RELIGIOUS CATEGORIES 283 spiritual foundations and implications we shall here try to ex plicate. It was he, more than any other single great teacher in Judaism, who helped to crystallize rabbinic Judaism as a religious system of sheer indestructible vitality. A hundred years after his death the following was told: When Moses ascended onto the heights [to receive the Torah], he found the Holy One, blessed be He, sitting there tying wreaths (or crowns] to the letters. He said to Him: "Master of the Universe, who is holding You back?" [That is, why are You not satisfied with the letters as they are, so that You add crowns to them, i.e., the little flourishes which occur on certain letters of the Torah scrolls?] He answered him: "There is a man who will arise after many generations by the name of Akiba ben Joseph; he will expound heaps and heaps of laws upon every tittle." Then he said to Him: "Master of the Uni verse, show him to me." He replied: "Turn around." Then Moses went and sat down behind eight rows (of the students of Akiba]. But he did not understand what they were talking about. Thereupon his strength left him [i.e., he was perplexed because he was unable to follow discourses concerning the Torah which he himself had written]. When Akiba came to a certain matter where his students asked him how he knew it, he said to them: "It is a teaching given to Moses at Sinai." Then he [Moses] was comforted and returned to the Holy One, blessed be He. He said to Him: "Master of the Universe, You have a man like that and You give the Torah by me?!" He replied: "Be silent, for this is the way I have determined it." Then Moses said: "Master of the Universe, You have shown me his knowledge of the Torah, show me also his reward." He answered: "Turn around." He turned around and saw that Akiba' s flesh was being weighed at the market stalls [his flesh was torn by the tortures of the executioners]. Then he said to Him: "Master of the Universe, this is the Torah and this is its reward?" He replied: "Be silent, for this is the way I have determined it." I This story, in its own way magnificent, contains in nuce many of the questions which will concern us here. In considering the problem of tradition, we must dis tinguish between two questions. The first is historical: How did a tradition endowed with religious dignity come to be formed? The other question is: How was this tradition understood once it had been accepted as a religious phenomenon? For the faithful promptly discard the historical question once they have accepted a tradition; this is the usual process in the establishment of re ligious systems. Yet for the historian the historical question re mains fundamental: In order to understand the meaning of what. THE MESSIANIC IDEA IN JUDAISM REVELATION AND the faithful simply accept, the historian is not bound to accept J. F. Molitor has excelles: fictions that veil more than they reveal concerning the origins of written and oral tradition: the accepted faith. Thus, tradition as a special aspect of revelation Scripture crystallizes incessl is historically a product of the process that formed rabbinic evanescent word as a perpetual Judaism between the fourth or third pre-Christian centuries and In this respect it is the best anc the second century of the Common Era. sure, Scripture, on account of In all religions, the acceptance of a divine revelation originally (since in its case falsification is referred to the concrete communication of positive, substantive, oral tradition. But every writter and expressible content. It never occurred to the bearers of such a eral picture of reality which tol revelation to question or to limit the specific quality and closely vidual dimension of real life aJ delineated content of the communication they had received. misinterpretation. The spoken ' Where, as in Judaism, such revelation is set down in holy writings therefore be the constant COIIlJ word, which otherwise remairu and is accepted in that form, it initially constitutes concrete com lacking all vitality and tangible munication, factual content, and nothing else. But inasmuch as In modern times, where re such revelation, once set down in Holy Scriptures, takes on life, where everything has been authoritative character, an essential change takes place. For one it has been thought possible to thing, new historical circumstances require that the communica inherent reciprocal relationship tion, whose authoritativeness has been granted, be applied to ever between theory and practice, h changing conditions.

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