"Bubbe meises" is Yiddish for old wives' tales, but they typically contain a kernel of truth. Rabbi Isaacs provides clarification on such topics as basic Jewish beliefs, ethics, observances, expressions, and opinions about Jews. For example, he debunks the common misconceptions that King David wrote all of the psalms in the Book of Psalms and that Jews are smarter than other people who place a high value on education. Not referenced. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

BUBBE MEISES

Jewish Myths, Jewish RealitiesBy Ronald H. Isaacs

KTAV PUBLISHING HOUSE, INC.

Copyright © 2008 Ronald H. Isaacs
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-60280-032-8

Contents

Introduction.....................................................xiiiChapter One BASIC JEWISH BELIEFSChapter Two ETHICSChapter Three HEBREW AND JEWISH EXPRESSIONSChapter Four JEWISH HOLIDAYSChapter Five DEATH AND DYINGChapter Six RITUAL OBJECTS AND OBSERVANCESChapter Seven JEWISH SUPERSTITIONSChapter 8 SEXChapter 9 OPINIONS ABOUT JEWSChapter 10 ISRAELChapter 11 MEDICAL ETHICSChapter 12 PRAYERChapter 13 BIBLE

Chapter One

1. Judaism has no established creed for all Jews to follow

A dogma is usually defined as a doctrine of belief that has the support of a central authority such as the hierarchy of a church. It is generally agreed that the Hebrew Bible does not contain dogmas, nor does the Talmud (the rabbinic interpretation of the Bible) dwell on formulating them. Although most of us would like to be able to state what we believe, as well as to articulate the basic principles of Judaism in a few sentences, especially if we are asked questions about our religious beliefs and the Jewish tradition by others, it simply isn't that easy. Statements about Judaism for Jews to memorize and then repeat word for word to others would rob us of the opportunity to struggle with Jewish belief and arrive at a decision about personal faith on our own. Churches, however, do have dogmas for their adherents to follow. In Roman Catholicism, belief in the Trinity is an accepted dogma.

The Jewish people have never had a central authority that issued dogmas to which all Jews were required to adhere. Over the centuries Jewish scholars have asserted that Judaism contains no single creed, thus differentiating it from Christianity. The German philosopher Moses Mendelssohn posited that Judaism was primarily a rational religion, and that reason and dogma were incompatible. Judaism, he asserted, would never require Jews to accept a doctrine merely on faith, especially if such a doctrine was irrational.

Solomon Schechter, the Jewish Theological Seminary's first president, was the first to challenge Mendelssohn's view, in his essay "The Dogmas of Judaism." Although Schechter agreed that Judaism has no single authority that proclaims Jewish dogma for all to follow, he contended that Judaism does contain doctrines of faith and guiding principles by which Jews are expected to lead their lives.

In the Mishnah Sanhedrin we find the beginning of a creed for Jews to follow: "These are excluded from the world-to-come: one who says there is no resurrection after death, one who denies that the Torah is divine, and the epikoros," often understood as one who denies belief in reward and punishment or who treats Scripture in a non-serious manner.

During the Middle Ages, when Judaism was being challenged by Greek philosophy, Islam, and Christianity, more serious attempts were made to establish a creed of dogma for all Jews to follow. The best-known of them was Moses Maimonides' Thirteen Principles of Faith, found in his commentary to the Mishnah (Sanhedrin 10:1). His creed included the principles of belief in the existence of an incorporeal and eternal God, belief in prophecy, belief that the Torah can never be changed, and belief in the coming of the Messiah. Maimonides went so far as to assert that Jews could not attain immortality if they did not adhere to certain specific beliefs. And he said that unbelievers were to be excluded from the Jewish community.

Maimonides' Thirteen Principles were accepted by many Jews and eventually made their way, with some variations, into many traditional prayerbooks. Each article of faith was introduced by the Hebrew words ani ma'amin ("I believe"), with the intention of formalizing the creed. This was one of Judaism's first attempts to introduce dogmas in order to stimulate correct and consistent belief. Although Maimonides was widely accepted, some rabbinic authorities opposed his principles, while still others chose different principles.

Since there is no central rabbinic authority that speaks for Jews throughout the entire world, it would be difficult to demand a single set of dogmas for all to follow. Interestingly though, the liturgical poem known as Yigdal, often used as a closing hymn in the Friday evening Shabbat service and in some synagogue settings as an opening hymn, consists of thirteen lines which summarize the thirteen principles of faith as formulated by Maimonides.

For many Jews, Judaism is not merely a religion of beliefs. It is very much a religion of action. Some will even say that what one does is more important than what one believes. As the popular saying goes, "Actions speak louder than words."

2. There is no such thing as a Jewish saint

The word "saint" comes from the Latin word sanctus, which means "holy." In the Catholic and Orthodox churches, a saint is someone who has been formally canonized as a holy person known for the ability to perform miracles. Saints are able to act as intermediaries between God and people praying to God.

In the Hebrew Bible the root zdk, generally translated as "righteousness," occurs more than five hundred times. In the writings of the prophets, righteousness is synonymous with ethical conduct, but not with sainthood in the Christian sense. Although there is no official doctrine in Judaism that would elevate a person to sainthood, there has always been interest in those who have exceptional virtue and faith. Such people are often called tzaddikim-people of extreme righteousness. The ancient rabbis often called them hasidim -people of exceptional piety, goodness, kindness, and godliness-and some modern scholars translate this term as "saints," although others prefer "pietists." The ancient rabbis discussed the special virtues of the hasid, and especially noted that such individuals go well beyond the mere observance of the law. Thus for example, they would prepare for congregational prayer by meditating and concentrating, and would continue to pray long after other worshipers left the congregation to go home.

In medieval Germany, a special type of pietism existed whose saintly followers were known as the Hasidei Ashkenaz, the Pious Ones of Germany. Their ideas and practices are described in the famous book Sefer Hasidim, written for the most part by Rabbi Yehudah he-Hasid (Judah the Pious), who died in 1217. Although written centuries ago, his observations on the world are strikingly relevant to the contemporary scene. The work addresses subjects ranging from love of God to how to deal with anger, and scattered throughout the volume are examples of actual life experiences to illustrate profound moral lessons.

In the twentieth century the great Bible professor Louis Ginzberg wrote a book entitled Students, Scholars and Saints. In the book he defines saintliness as "only another word for heroism in the domain of ethics and religion." He dedicates a chapter to Rabbi Israel Salanter, the nineteenth-century rabbi and moralist who best personifies the ideal of the Jewish saint and founded the musar movement for the study of ethics. Salanter was the kind of man who would always seek to act kindly to his fellow human beings, even those who might have wronged him.

In the modern Hasidic movement, which came into being during the eighteenth century, the tzaddik is looked upon by his students as the living incarnation of the Torah. The...