DOCSLIB.ORG

A Musar Response to the Holocaust: Yehezkel Sarna'sle'teshuva Ule'tekuma of 4 December 1944*

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Musar Response to the Holocaust: Yehezkel Sarna'sle'teshuva Ule'tekuma of 4 December 1944* The)ournalo/)ewish Thought and Philosophy, Vol. 7, pp, \01-138 © 1997 Reprints available directly from the publisher Photocopying permitted by licence only A Musar Response to the Holocaust: Yehezkel Sarna'sLe'teshuva Ule'tekuma of 4 December 1944* Gershon Greenberg Department of Philosophy and Religion, The American University, Washington, D.C. 20016, USA The Scene Wartime Musar thinkers constituted a distinctive reaction to the Holocaust - separate even from the Agudat Israel rabbinical or- ganization with which many of them associated themselves. Eliezer Schweid's analysis of the thought of Eliahu Dessler (1891-1954) in England and Marc Shapiro's ofYehiel Weinberg (1885-1966) have pioneered research in the area.1 Here I will focus on the * I am grateful to the staffs of the Maimon Library, Mosad Ha'rav Kook; the Hebraica Section, Library of Congress; and to Naomi Altmann of Haifa University Library for providing materials. The students of my 1994 graduate seminar i,n historiosophy and Holocaust in the Jewish Philosophy Department at Tel Aviv University, and of Dalia Ofer's 1994 graduate seminar on the Yishuv and the Holocaust at the Institute of Contemporary Jewry, Hebrew University, as well as the respondents at the Christian Scholars Group Colloquium at St. Paul's College of Catholic University (October 1994), all provided important insights. Haggai Dagan of the Tel Aviv University Depart- ment of Jewish Philosophy provided explanations of parts of Sarna's text, and Haim Weiser identified several rabbinic sources. Research support was provided by the Institute of Holocaust Research, Bar Han University. 1 See Eliezer Schweid, "Hatsdakat Ha'elohim Be'torat Ha'musar shel R. Eliahu Dessler", Ben Hurban Le'yeshua: Teguvot she! Hagut Haredit Le'shoa Be'ze- mana (Tel Aviv: Ha'kibuts Hame'uhad, 1994), pp. 155-192 and "An Ethical- Theological Response to the Holocaust as it was Evolving," Henoch 17 (1995), 101 102 Gershon Greenberg movement in the Land of Israel, as centered around the address of Yehezkel Sarna (1889-1969) on 4 December 1944.2 By bringing this material to light, I hope that others will follow with studies into other wartime Musar developments and the relationship of wartime thought to earlier Musar ideology. On 8 November 1944, Musar dignitaries met in Jerusalem to plan a response to the Nazi murder of Jews, who died in sanctification of God's name (at Kiddush Hashem), and to the destruction of Torah centers. The meeting included Isser Zalman Meltser (1870-1953), Head of Ets Hayim Yeshiva in Jerusalem since 1924; Eliezer Yehuda Finkel (1877/78-1965), son of the Slobodka Yeshiva founder (in 1882) Natan Tsevi Finkel ("Saba of Slobodka", 1849-1927) and Head of Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem; Yitshak Eysig Sher (1880/81-1952), Head of Keneset Israel- Slobodka Yeshiva in Bene Berak and Sarna, disciple of N atan Tsevi Finkel and successor to Moshe Mordekhai Epstein (1866- 1933) as Head of Keneset Israel-Slobodka (Hevron) Yeshiva in Jerusalem. 3 They issued a statement, that since the 70 AD Temple destruc- tion no such shocking disaster, of such satanic machination, had taken place - including the Crusades of 1096 and the Chmielnitsky pogroms of 1648/49. Jews were left paralyzed, and response pp. 171-196. Marc B. Shapiro, "Between East and West: The Life and Works of Rabbi Yehiel Jacob Weinberg" (Harvard University, Ph.D dissertation, 1995). 2 Shraga Firstman, "Ha'hashkafa Ha'yeshivatit: De'otehem U'tegu- votehem al Ha'sovev Ume'orot Ha'yamin shel Ishe Ha'yeshivot Halita' iyot- Musarniot Ba'arets, Shanim 1925-1972" (Haifa University, MA thesis, 1974) provides a comprehensive description of wartime Musar activity and thought in Palestine. I am indebted to Tamar Ross for leading me to this study. 3 On Sarna see Ya'akov Hayim Sarna, "Hakarat Tova", in Zikaron Keneset Yehezkel Le'rabenu Ha'gadol Ha'gaon He'adir Maran Rabi Yehezkel Sarna Ztsvek"l: She'shemesh Ke'rosh Ha'yeshiva De'yeshivat Hevron Keneset Israel, Karov Le'yuval Shanim, Niftar Le'bet Olamo 15 August 1969, ed. Y. Goldschmidt and N. Zikhovski (Bene Berak: Hit'ahdut Hanikhe Yeshivat Hevron, 1970/71), pp. 197-201. Cf. Ahar He'asef Me'asef Zikhron Le'rabi Yehezkel Sarna (Jerusalem: Ha'sekhel, 1970/71). Of his relationship to Natan Tsevi Finkel, Sarna wrote: Everything is from him. Without him, I would have been blind and deaf. Solely because of him was I worthy, with God's help, for my eyes to be opened a little, and for my ears to be opened a little. Sarna, "Ha'iyunim", in Moses Hayim Luzzatto, Mesilat Yesharim (Jerusalem: Ha'sekhel, 1956/57), p. 13n..
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Orthodoxy in American Jewish Life1
    ORTHODOXY IN AMERICAN JEWISH LIFE1 by CHARLES S. LIEBMAN INTRODUCTION • DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF ORTHODOXY • EARLY ORTHODOX COMMUNITY • UNCOMMITTED ORTHODOX • COM- MITTED ORTHODOX • MODERN ORTHODOX • SECTARIANS • LEAD- ERSHIP • DIRECTIONS AND TENDENCIES • APPENDLX: YESHIVOT PROVIDING INTENSIVE TALMUDIC STUDY A HIS ESSAY is an effort to describe the communal aspects and institutional forms of Orthodox Judaism in the United States. For the most part, it ignores the doctrines, faith, and practices of Orthodox Jews, and barely touches upon synagogue hie, which is the most meaningful expression of American Orthodoxy. It is hoped that the reader will find here some appreciation of the vitality of American Orthodoxy. Earlier predictions of the demise of 11 am indebted to many people who assisted me in making this essay possible. More than 40, active in a variety of Orthodox organizations, gave freely of their time for extended discussions and interviews and many lay leaders and rabbis throughout the United States responded to a mail questionnaire. A number of people read a draft of this paper. I would be remiss if I did not mention a few by name, at the same time exonerating them of any responsibility for errors of fact or for my own judgments and interpretations. The section on modern Orthodoxy was read by Rabbi Emanuel Rackman. The sections beginning with the sectarian Orthodox to the conclusion of the paper were read by Rabbi Nathan Bulman. Criticism and comments on the entire paper were forthcoming from Rabbi Aaron Lichtenstein, Dr. Marshall Ski are, and Victor Geller, without whose assistance the section on the number of Orthodox Jews could not have been written.
    [Show full text]
  • Form 990-PF Return of Private Foundation
    Return of Private Foundation OMB No 1 545-0052 Form 990-PF or Section 4947(a)(1) Nonexempt Charitable Trust Treated as a Private Foundation Department of the Treasury 2009 I n t ernal R evenue Service Note . The foundation may be able to use a cony of this return to satisfy state reoortmo reaulrements. For calendar year 2009 , or tax year beginning , and ending G Check all that apply. Initial return 0 Initial return of a former public charity 0 Final return Amended return Address chanae 0 Name chanae Name of foundation A Employer identification number Use the IRS label. Otherwise , JOSEPH CHEHEBAR FAMILY FOUNDATION 11-3388342 print Number and street (or P O box number if mail is not delivered to street address) Room/suite B Telephone number ortype . 1000 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE ( 718 ) 485-3000 See Specific City or town, state, and ZIP code C If exemption application is pending , check here ^ Instructions. BROOKLYN , NY 11207-8417 D I. Foreign organizations, check here 2. meeting s% test, H Check type of organization: ® Section 501(c)(3) exempt private foundation =are comp on 0 Section 4947(a )( 1 ) nonexem pt charitable trust 0 Other taxable private foundation E If private foundation status was terminated I Fair market value of all assets at end of year J Accounting method: ® Cash 0 Accrual under section 507(b)(1)(A), check here (from Part Il, col (c), line 16) 1 Other (specify) F If the foundation is in a 60-month terminatio n 10- s 3 0 5 917. (Part 1, column (d) must be on cash basis.) under section 507( b )( 1 ) B), check here Part I Analysis of Revenue and Expenses (a) Revenue and (b ) Net investment (c) Adjusted net ( d) Disbursements (The total of amounts in columns (b).
    [Show full text]
  • 2018-YOSS-Advancing.Pdf
    YOSS Advancing Winter 2018 Rav Binyamin Kamenetzky zt”l LEGACY CAMPAIGN Honoring the memory and impact of our founding Rosh Yeshiva, a visionary leader ...................................... Page 6 MENAHEL SPOTLIGHT A conversation with Rabbi Robinson and Rabbi Davidowitz ....................................... Page 3 REMEMBERING RAV BINYAMIN With warmth & dedication, he built a thriving Yeshiva and community .......................... Page 4 YOSS MEMORABLE MOMENTS Sharing the excitement .......................... Page 10 PAGE 2 MESSAGE FROM THE ROSH YESHIVA Sefer Shemos is the story of the emergence of Klal Yisrael from a small tribe of the progeny of Yaakov, to a thriving nation with millions of descendants, who accepted upon themselves the yoke of Torah. It is the story of a nation that went out to a desert and sowed the seeds of the future – a future that thrives to this very day. More than sixty years ago, my grandfather Rav Yaakov Kamenetzky, zt”l, charged my father and mother with the formidable task, “Go to the desert and plant the seeds of Torah.” What started as a fledgling school with six or seven boys, flourished more than a hundred fold. With institutions of tefilah, and higher Torah learning, all the outgrowth of that initial foray into the desert, my father’s impact is not only eternal but ever-expanding. This year’s dinner will mark both the commemoration of those accomplishments and a commitment to the renewal, refurbishment and expansion of the Torah facility he built brick by brick in 1964. Whether you are a student, an alumnus, a parent or community member, my father’s vision touched your life, and I hope that you will join us in honoring his.
    [Show full text]
  • Kabbalah As a Shield Against the “Scourge” of Biblical Criticism: a Comparative Analysis of the Torah Commentaries of Elia Benamozegh and Mordecai Breuer
    Kabbalah as a Shield against the “Scourge” of Biblical Criticism: A Comparative Analysis of the Torah Commentaries of Elia Benamozegh and Mordecai Breuer Adiel Cohen The belief that the Torah was given by divine revelation, as defined by Maimonides in his eighth principle of faith and accepted collectively by the Jewish people,1 conflicts with the opinions of modern biblical scholarship.2 As a result, biblical commentators adhering to both the peshat (literal or contex- tual) method and the belief in the divine revelation of the Torah, are unable to utilize the exegetical insights associated with the documentary hypothesis developed by Wellhausen and his school, a respected and accepted academic discipline.3 As Moshe Greenberg has written, “orthodoxy saw biblical criticism in general as irreconcilable with the principles of Jewish faith.”4 Therefore, in the words of D. S. Sperling, “in general, Orthodox Jews in America, Israel, and elsewhere have remained on the periphery of biblical scholarship.”5 However, the documentary hypothesis is not the only obstacle to the religious peshat commentator. Theological complications also arise from the use of archeolog- ical discoveries from the ancient Near East, which are analogous to the Torah and can be a very rich source for its interpretation.6 The comparison of biblical 246 Adiel Cohen verses with ancient extra-biblical texts can raise doubts regarding the divine origin of the Torah and weaken faith in its unique sanctity. The Orthodox peshat commentator who aspires to explain the plain con- textual meaning of the Torah and produce a commentary open to the various branches of biblical scholarship must clarify and demonstrate how this use of modern scholarship is compatible with his or her belief in the divine origin of the Torah.
    [Show full text]
  • Tanya Sources.Pdf
    The Way to the Tree of Life Jewish practice entails fulfilling many laws. Our diet is limited, our days to work are defined, and every aspect of life has governing directives. Is observance of all the laws easy? Is a perfectly righteous life close to our heart and near to our limbs? A righteous life seems to be an impossible goal! However, in the Torah, our great teacher Moshe, Moses, declared that perfect fulfillment of all religious law is very near and easy for each of us. Every word of the Torah rings true in every generation. Lesson one explores how the Tanya resolved these questions. It will shine a light on the infinite strength that is latent in each Jewish soul. When that unending holy desire emerges, observance becomes easy. Lesson One: The Infinite Strength of the Jewish Soul The title page of the Tanya states: A Collection of Teachings ספר PART ONE לקוטי אמרים חלק ראשון Titled הנקרא בשם The Book of the Beinonim ספר של בינונים Compiled from sacred books and Heavenly מלוקט מפי ספרים ומפי סופרים קדושי עליון נ״ע teachers, whose souls are in paradise; based מיוסד על פסוק כי קרוב אליך הדבר מאד בפיך ובלבבך לעשותו upon the verse, “For this matter is very near to לבאר היטב איך הוא קרוב מאד בדרך ארוכה וקצרה ”;you, it is in your mouth and heart to fulfill it בעזה״י and explaining clearly how, in both a long and short way, it is exceedingly near, with the aid of the Holy One, blessed be He. "1 of "393 The Way to the Tree of Life From the outset of his work therefore Rav Shneur Zalman made plain that the Tanya is a guide for those he called “beinonim.” Beinonim, derived from the Hebrew bein, which means “between,” are individuals who are in the middle, neither paragons of virtue, tzadikim, nor sinners, rishoim.
    [Show full text]
  • Rav Yisroel Salanter's Grave Has Finally Been Located by A
    The RYS Daily 3/13/07 The Resting Place of RYS From http://chareidi.shemayisrael.com/archives5761/nasso/NSOarysrl.htm Rav Yisroel Salanter's Grave has Finally been Located By A. Cohen Last week we were privileged to hear some exciting news: with obvious siyata deShmaya the burial place of HaRav Yisroel Salanter ztv"l in the ancient cemetery of Koenigsberg was located. Those involved in this holy task these past few years could not find an adequate way of giving expression to their feelings of joy and gratitude to the Creator. "They that sow in tears, shall reap in joy." Many years of tireless work to locate the final resting place of the founder of the mussar movement and guide of the yeshiva world during the last few generations finally bore fruit. No joy is as great as that of having doubts and uncertainties resolved. However it is too early to congratulate ourselves. We now have to invest all our efforts into recruiting funds for setting up a gravestone befitting this giant figure, and building a mokom tefilloh for the masses who are sure to come in the future to this site, and to continue to rescue the whole of this ancient cemetery and to revive the Jewish community in this town where Rav Yisroel was active in his last years. We must do everything in our power for the sake of this gaon, who created a revolution in Torah and yir'oh in the last few generations and who "through his activities and methods of learning mussar saved all the yeshivos from falling prey to the maskilim and the accursed haskolo" (HaRav Shach shlita in his letter printed in Writings of the Alter of Kelm and his Students).
    [Show full text]
  • Till Death Do Us Part: the Halachic Prospects of Marriage for Conjoined (Siamese) Twins
    259 ‘Till Death Do Us Part: The Halachic Prospects of Marriage for Conjoined (Siamese) Twins By: REUVEN CHAIM KLEIN There are many unknowns when it comes to discussions about Siamese twins. We do not know what causes the phenomenon of conjoined twins,1 we do not know what process determines how the twins will be conjoined, and we do not know why they are more common in girls than in boys. Why are thoracopagical twins (who are joined at the chest) the most com- mon type of conjoinment making up 75% of cases of Siamese twins,2 while craniopagus twins (who are connected at the head) are less com- mon? When it comes to integrating conjoined twins into greater society, an- other bevy of unknowns is unleashed: Are they one person or two? Could they get married?3 Can they be liable for corporal/capital punishment? Contemporary thought may have difficulty answering these questions, es- pecially the last three, which are not empirical inquiries. Fortunately, in 1 R. Yisroel Yehoshua Trunk of Kutna (1820–1893) claims that Jacob and Esau gestated within a shared amniotic sac in the womb of their mother Rebecca (as evidenced from the fact that Jacob came out grasping his older brother’s heel). As a result, there was a high risk that the twins would end up sticking together and developing as conjoined twins. In order to counter that possibility, G-d mi- raculously arranged for the twins to restlessly “run around” inside their mother’s womb (Gen. 25:22) in order that the two fetuses not stick together.
    [Show full text]
  • Tzedakah As the Defining Social Marker of Jewish Identity
    Tzedakah as the Defining Social Marker of Jewish Identity A. The Test of a True Jew: Check the Pocketbook B. Maimonides: Appealing to Jewish Genes – The Perfect “Pitch” “[God] has told you, human being, what is good and what Adonai requires of you: Nothing but to do justice (mishpat), to love kindness (hesed), and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8) הִ גִיד לְָך ָאדָ ם מַ ה-ּטוֹב ּומָ ה-יְהוָה ּדוֹרֵ ׁש מִמְ ָך כִ י אִ ם- עֲׂשוֹתמִׁשְ טפָ וְַאהֲבַת חֶסֶ ד וְהַצְ נֵעַ לֶכֶת עִ ם- אֱֹלהֶ יָך. Noam Zion, Hartman Institute, [email protected] – excerpted form from Jewish Giving in Comparative Perspectives: History and Story, Law and Theology, Anthropology and Psychology. Book One: From Each According to One’s Ability: Duties to Poor People from the Bible to the Welfare State and Tikkun Olam Previous Books: A DIFFERENT NIGHT: The Family Participation Haggadah By Noam Zion and David Dishon LEADER'S GUIDE to "A DIFFERENT NIGHT" By Noam Zion and David Dishon A DIFFERENT LIGHT: Hanukkah Seder and Anthology including Profiles in Contemporary Jewish Courage By Noam Zion A Day Apart: Shabbat at Home By Noam Zion and Shawn Fields-Meyer A Night to Remember: Haggadah of Contemporary Voices Mishael and Noam Zion www.haggadahsrus.com 1 Our teachers have said: "If all troubles were assembled on one side and poverty on the other, poverty would outweigh them all." - Midrash Shemot Rabbah 31:14 "The sea of a mighty population, held in galling fetters, heaves uneasily in the tenements.... The gap between the classes in which it surges, unseen, unsuspected by the thoughtless, is widening day by day.
    [Show full text]
  • Knights for Israel Honored at Camera Gala 2018 a Must-See Film
    Editorials ..................................... 4A Op-Ed .......................................... 5A Calendar ...................................... 6A Scene Around ............................. 9A Synagogue Directory ................ 11A JTA News Briefs ........................ 13A WWW.HERITAGEFL.COM YEAR 42, NO. 40 JUNE 8, 2018 25 SIVAN, 5778 ORLANDO, FLORIDA SINGLE COPY 75¢ JNF’s Plant Your Way website NEW YORK—Jewish Na- it can be applied to any Jewish tional Fund revealed its new National Fund trip and the Plant Your Way website that Alexander Muss High School easily allows individuals to in Israel (AMHSI-JNF) is a raise money for a future trip huge bonus because donors to Israel while helping build can take advantage of the 100 the land of Israel. percent tax deductible status First introduced in 2000, of the contributions.” Plant Your Way has allowed Some of the benefits in- many hundreds of young clude: people a personal fundraising • Donations are 100 percent platform to raise money for a tax deductible; trip to Israel while giving back • It’s a great way to teach at the same time. Over the children and young adults the last 18 years, more than $1.3 basics of fundraising, while million has been generated for they build a connection to Jewish National Fund proj- Israel and plan a personal trip Knights for Israel members (l-r): Emily Aspinwall, Sam Busey, Jake Suster, Jesse Benjamin Slomowitz and Benji ects, typically by high school to Israel; Osterman, accepted the David Bar-Ilan Award for Outstanding Campus Activism. students. The new platform • Funds raised can be ap- allows parents/grandparents plied to any Israel trip (up to along with family, friends, age 30); coworkers and classmates • Participant can designate Knights for Israel honored to open Plant Your Way ac- to any of Jewish National counts for individuals from Fund’s seven program areas, birth up to the age of 30, and including forestry and green at Camera Gala 2018 for schools to raise money for innovation, water solutions, trips as well.
    [Show full text]
  • PURIM-PAKS Will Deliver an Attractive Carry-Case Filled with Goodies Right in Time for Purim
    s”xc If you have family or friends in 24 Years YERUSHALAYIM, TELZ-STONE of Satisfied OR BEIT SHEMESH… Customers! BRIGHTEN UP THEIR PURIM WITH OUR SHALACH MANOS! PURIM-PAKS will deliver an attractive carry-case filled with goodies right in time for Purim. Contents are in sealed packages with Badatz Eida HaCharedis Kosher supervision. Fill in the form (on reverse side) and send with $30.00 U.S. check by February 25, 2009 To: PURIM-PAKS, Apt. 308 17000 N.E. 14th Ave. North Miami Beach, FL 33162 More Info? Call Toll Free: 1-800-662-8280 (Please turn over) FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What is in the Purim-Pak? Purim-Pak (shown) contains: a bottle of Pepsi, hamentashen, pretzels, potato chips, chocolate bar, onion crackers, banana chips, snack bar and noisemaker, all in a festive, zippered bag. Contents will be comparable to the picture. When will it be delivered? Delivery is between Taanis Esther and Purim. (For technical reasons, some may be delivered a day or two earlier.) Please note: Purim is celebrated in Yerushalayim after your Purim. Do you deliver to Betar, Bnei Brak, Haifa, Kiryat Sefer, Raanana, Tel Aviv? No. We deliver in Jerusalem, Telzstone and Beit Shemesh, plus to yeshivas in Beit Meir and Mevasseret Zion. Can I pay with a credit card? No, sorry! Please send check drawn on U.S. bank - $30 includes delivery! I only have a box # for an address. What shall I do? We do not deliver to post office boxes. However, if the P.O. box is for a Yeshiva or Sem student, we can verify the school’s street address.
    [Show full text]
  • Rabbi Danziger's Review of Rabbi Elias' 19 Letters
    BOOK REVIEW ESSAY Rediscovering the Hirschian Legacy Three books have been published in the past year which illuminate the life and thought of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch. In the following pages, two eminent scholars, Rabbi Shelomoh E. Danziger and Dr. Judith Bleich, explore the world of Rabbi Hirsch and the meaning of his legacy today. THE WORLD OF RABBI S. R. HIRSCH The presentation of biographical and historical background, the moving eyewitness account of the THE NINETEEN LETTERS meeting of Rav Yisrael Salanter and Rav Hirsch, the synopses that preface each Letter, the clarifying com­ Newly translated and with commentary by Rabbi mentary and the liberal provision of cross-references - Joseph Elias all these inform and fascinate the reader who wishes to Feldheim Publishers, 1995,359 pages understand the world of ideas of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch zt"l. Rabbi Elias has performed an arduous task REVIEWED BY in presenting this well-crafted, valuable work to the RABBI SHELOMOH E. DANZIGER public. Yet, devoted followers ofRav Hirsch, including abbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888), the this reviewer, may well object to the numerous views, great Frankfurt rav, was the gaon and tzaddik cited at every opportunity, of those of different orienta­ R who inspired Western Orthodoxy to conquer, to tion who opposed, and still oppose, Hirschian princi­ "Toraize," the new derech eretz (i.e., civilization) of the ples. The virtual effect of this is to counteract, or at post-ghetto era. In the words of Dayan Grunfeld: "The least to moderate, some of the most "Hirschian" con­ universality of Rav Hirsch's mind, the range of his cepts of the Nineteen Letters.
    [Show full text]
  • Holiness-A Human Endeavor
    Isaac Selter Holiness: A Human Endeavor “The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy1.” Such a verse is subject to different interpretations. On the one hand, God is holy, and through His election of the People of Israel and their acceptance of the yoke of heaven at Mount Sinai, the nation attains holiness as well. As Menachem Kellner puts it, “the imposition of the commandments has made Israel intrinsically holy2.” Israel attains holiness because God is holy. On the other hand, the verse could be seen as introducing a challenge to the nation to achieve such a holiness. The verse is not ascribing an objective metaphysical quality inherent in the nation of Israel. Which of these options is real holiness? The notion that sanctity is an objective metaphysical quality inherent in an item or an act is one championed by many Rishonim, specifically with regard to to the sanctity of the Land of Israel. God promises the Children of Israel that sexual morality will cause the nation to be exiled from its land. Nachmanides explains that the Land of Israel is more sensitive than other lands with regard to sins due to its inherent, metaphysical qualities. He states, “The Honorable God created everything and placed the power over the ones below in the ones above and placed over each and every people in their lands according to their nations a star and a specific constellation . but upon the land of Israel - the center of the [world's] habitation, the inheritance of God [that is] unique to His name - He did not place a captain, officer or ruler from the angels, in His giving it as an 1 Leviticus 19:1-2 2 Maimonidies' Confrontation with Mysticism, Menachem Kellner, pg 90 inheritance to his nation that unifies His name - the seed of His beloved one3”.
    [Show full text]