Ha-‘Olam Editorial Statement

To the Readers

We are tired of being hungry! There is hardly a Hebrew word [to be found]. There is neither vision nor examination, no memory of the ancients, no expressions for the present generation, and neither expectations nor aspirations for the generation to come! The art of literature is relegated—not to a corner, but has nearly disappeared. There are no authors nor readers. And the few seized by a longing for the Hebrew word are as if stunned. And who knows—perhaps they will soon forget their longing as well?

Is this the nation whose power was in its thinking, and its thoughts dwelt upon its glorious antiquities; its spirit was solid and sturdy; its endurance mightier than that of giants; its study the most precious of its treasures; its language was its fortress and consolation in times of suffering? And behold the overflowing scourge has passed (Isaiah 28:18), and [the nation] has already begun to follow other gods, and it has swiftly sold its birthright for a mess of pottage¹ that he has not yet received. Could there be such an upheaval?

Some people might say: Yes indeed! That is all cock and bull, there are no people and no language. It was a dream, and here is its interpretation. You can distinguish the nation by its speech; and its character by its nature: [the nation] races after the glow of every rotten wood, it is capricious, betraying its parents, grabbing only to throw away, studying only to abandon. [The people] today draw near that which it repulsed but yesterday, and it has even decided to cast away its Hebrew language.

There is no proof for the aforementioned judgments that the great mute is about, and of, the people! Everyone speaks and everyone writes, and the testimony is not one that can be refuted, and the living cannot contradict the living. And indeed, we feel we must say, that the judgment of those who have despaired is a false one. For is this not the nation that recently had many writers and many readers—the nation whose literature began to flourish. And not only did knowledge of the language spread, but it was also spoken by many, and desire greatly increased to revive it, to restore it to full life, and there was much discussion about spiritual renewal. For without it, even material redemption would certainly have been like the life of a body without a soul. And perhaps this is the true character of the nation, its spirit and its manner. And only due to tribulations was the [people’s] light extinguished, and it was distracted for but a moment: during a flood, the constellations ceased their movement.² But we preach in vain, for in truth these are naught but words of preaching. Just as my first words were also only the words of people declaring their spiritual vision.

There is no sign, but there is an emotion; people express their emotions, and there is a spirit in man (Job 32:8). We feel the energy of the Jewish spirit. We know what it is lacking. We cling to our Hebrew language—therefore, there is a Jewish spirit and a Hebrew language. And, therefore there is a need for both! There are many or a few like me; even if there are very few, the tyranny of the majority will not sway us. One must not mix the lots,³ and one must not [merit only the majority’s] counted votes, and one must not make a formal decree about the living few [who still adhere to Hebrew] that claims they [the minority] will pass away and be removed from the world (due to the majority, who detest the minority’s [way of] life). Weeds would have sprouted on the cheeks of the Hebrew nation if the verdict of the overwhelming majority had prevailed. [ . . . ] Not from the peels that drop off spontaneously, not from the dry branches, not from the withered leaves will the tree grow, but from the seed.

The will of the people is also the highest determinant. The people’s we will do, and we will hear (Exodus 24:7) is also our final legal sentence—this holds true when the entire nation speaks, and it speaks as a whole only when past and present are combined; even those who are in the great tombs have an opinion. The nation does not live and die every day anew; it lives in continuity; in continuity it expresses opinions and its desire; its desire is revealed generationally; its inner needs are revealed by those treasured values that it has preserved; this is the appropriate and decisive majority.

For the sake of this old-new Jewish spirit, let its home be Ha-‘Olam! We are dispersed exiles, dispersed in our languages and in our diaspora communities. May this corner be an ingathering of exiles, for the sake of the language, for the sake of revival! [ . . . ]

Ha-‘Olam was not created to fulfill others’ duties. It will not boast of supplying any more than an iota of its audience’s needs. Its desire is to supply something small and good; its desire is to be a magnet—to draw all the choice, tried, and excellent creations of authors—and to serve as a model; its desire is to fill the Zionist leadership with a Hebrew literary soul and besides all of the above, to disseminate from this center the Hebrew word—a deep word, witty, the reverberations of our history and the echo of our spiritual sentiments.

These ideas inspired us to establish Ha-‘Olam, and they will be our guides in the work that lies ahead.

Ha-‘Olam