Letters of a Young Ex- Hasid

We live in a time of a universal striving for science and civilization, and the spirit of the time warms the hearts of everyone alike with its breath. It permeates the depths of the soul and reason, taking no notice of the barriers and Chinese walls that attempt to dam its advance; it knows no barriers, and paves the way for itself even where it would be least expected, in the bosom of backwardness and fanaticism . . . in the bosom of Hasidism. And there it embraces young minds, stirring up in them the lust to become acquainted with the external world, and incites people to partake in the triumphant parade of the human spirit. Despite the obstacles set against it, the sensitive minds of these young bet midrash (house of learning) captives cannot remain indifferent to what is occurring beyond what is circumscribed for them. Indeed, traditional youth desire secular knowledge; the science with which they were hitherto fed, an education that revolves around a tight circle of mystical inquiries that they regard as inadequate, is no longer satisfactory to them; but they are not yet in a position, or rather have had no opportunity, to speak out about this.

At this point, I should more clearly explain my reasons for the very sake of clarifying things, in particular with regard to the present mental conditions of young Hasidim, and otherwise to avoid an objection that I might easily encounter on this occasion, of which I do not consider myself deserving.

It is very wrong to claim that I am condemning the learning of Talmud and am presenting it in an unfavorable light because it is the only subject of study among traditional youth, particularly the Hasidim. I am far from advocating such nonsense. He who is more or less acquainted with the contents of the Talmud knows that, contrary to what some may think, it is not exclusively a collection of theological teaching, fabulous allegories, and unpractical investigations, nor is it “full of superstitious notions, ignorance, and fanaticism,” as the respectable author of The Christian-Jew has idealized in her imagination; rather, it is something far superior to this. In our time, many people agree with the view that the Talmud is easily classified among the most celebrated and most enduring monuments of human spirit and reason. What the Talmud required of its authors, as scholars and commentators of Mosaic jurisprudence, was, on the one hand, immensely gifted abilities and mental brilliance, while also, on the other hand, to possess an enormous reservoir of comprehensive knowledge, spiritual and insofar as was possible at the time, positivistic, experiential; this is proven by their work, the Talmud, where on almost each page we encounter views that reflect all branches of secular study known at the time. [ . . . ]

The thing is, namely, that this state of affairs no longer satisfies young Hasidim, that is to say, those who already have had occasion to learn that apart from the rebbe, Hasidim, and mysticism in the world, there are other people, and other areas of study that may and should be of interest to us. These young minds finally want to extricate themselves from the circumscribed circle within which they are almost forcefully kept. A few days ago I myself witnessed two young Hasidim, who instead of going to welcome the rebbe, who had arrived on that very day in our town, and after being preoccupied with the Talmud all day, stealthily endeavored to leave the procession of their elder colleagues and made their way to their own home. When I asked one of them why he was staying at home, he replied to me: “We have more worthwhile tasks for the time be-ing”—and they sat down to study a book whose content was not at all Talmudic but was a Polish grammar. I could recount hundreds of such examples for you; unfortunately, however, they are not yet in a position to speak about this, and even then, how could a pronouncement like this be helpful to them? For in whom could a young Hasid confide his thoughts? His parents, kinsmen, or other Hasidic acquaintances?—they would have him stoned. A colleague who shares this line of thinking? But how can such a person help him? “So, why could he not go talk to another progressive person of his religious persuasion”—many a reader would naïvely exclaim—so that he could offer the young man advice, and perhaps something more. Lastly, why could he not go to his young progressive fellow believers, who would support him with action, sharing with him a portion of their own knowledge? Young hearts, they can easily understand one an-other.”—Hah! that’s true, the young progressive, if he were willing to listen to the young Hasid, the latter being willing, in turn, to go and talk to the former, then they would probably understand each other with ease. But by means of what miracle could this ever happen?

For one has to realize that the youth of these two classes of our coreligionists tend to avoid one another to an even greater extent than their fathers have done; they are not brought closer to one another by affairs of the mind, nor by monetary affairs. . . . A young Jew, with a more or less secular education, shuns Hasidim like a pariah, and is ready to repudiate any trace of tribal commonality that makes him related to the latter—almost hating him. Albeit the young progressive would give excuses for this antipathy, but what a weak and inane argument he employs! In the first place, he says, I am offended by his outer appearance. “How could one,[”] he says, [“]approach a man who is weird, in his attire as well as his entire composition; and, what is central, a dull-witted man, a fanatic?” And what is it that repulses a young Hasid from a European Jew, so to name him? There are certain justified reasons, perhaps! Namely, he can’t find anything in this Europeanness that he would characterize as Jewishness, and this is what a Hasid, even if thoroughly rational (for they exist as well), very much cares about. He first and foremost wants to be a Jew, and to find a Jew in a Jew; or else, he would never enter into any confidential relationship with another [i.e., such a Jew], fearing that he himself may suffer because of this. Is he himself, the Hasid, wanting to be a Jew, one that he ought to be? This is another matter; but it is partially not his fault. Let us enlighten him, and he will become a European Jew, one that Judaism wants to have, one that Mendels[s]ohn wanted to have in Germany, and one we all want presently. If a Hasid is not yet one, then this is only because he has a perverted idea of what he actually should be.

This is how the youth of the two streams interact with each other. Yet, all the same, their rapprochement, while offering enormous benefits to one party, would probably not remain without a redemptive influence upon the other. Let us, however, leave this reciprocity aside for now, since our young progressives might readily impute that my intention is to turn them into Hasidim. The point here is, the benefit would mainly go to the traditional youth. But, how to reconcile such two extreme elements? Let us try to intercede.

Understandably, I do not at all intend to address Hasidic youth at present. First, because these words will probably not reach them, and second, because the matter concerning them is not in fact so difficult to tackle. Let me confine myself, for the time being, to asking our young progressives whether, having somewhat reconsidered what it is that, in their own words, repulses them from approaching their backward fellow-brethren, would they not recognize the unfoundedness of their accusations? Above all else, is it seemly to hate, almost to despise a man considered spiritually backward? Would it not be right, rather, to extend the hand to those whose rescue remains within our potential and who will not despise our relief, which is sincere and salvific, instead of indifferently gazing at them standing at the edge of the abyss and calling in vain for help? Rather than avoiding them, let us appear keen in respect of them, let them become convinced that we don’t want to foist alien convictions upon them, and before long, we will see that they will not be avoiding us.