The haredi must be starved out, by DK

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/opinion/09friedman.html?_r=1

From "The Regal Way: The Life and Times of Rabbi Israel of Ruzhin" [aka "Derech haMalchut"] by David Assaf (Stanford U.P. 2002), notes to Ch. 4, p. 361 n. 16 — paraphrasing from "Der Rebbi von Sadagora" by Arnold Hilberg, printed in "Die Gartenlaube," Leipzig 1870, no. 28, p. 473:

"Hilberg […] recounts that when visitng his followers in nearby towns, Rabbi Israel always went to the local bathhouse, and that a heretic approached him there one day and aggresively attacked Hasidism. Shocked by the man's audacity, the zaddik ordered him thrown into the boiling water, which was immediately done. The heretic was then pushed with pitchforks into the furnace until he was cremated. Rabbi Israel, who witnessed the murder, returned to Ruzhin the same day."

Up through the ashes of Babylon, Cannibus Chassidus shall rise — Jah!

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/05/24/world/AP-EU-Austria-Temple-Shooting.html?_r=1&hp

BIGOT!

[On the messianism of the circle of Sefer ha-Meshiv – Castile, Spain c. 1470-1492

Part II - The real story behind the death of R. Joseph della Reina]

Here is the link to Part I: http://7fatcow.com/2009/05/09/if-you%e2%80%99re-going-already-go-all-the-way%e2%80%a6/ 

One of the prominent members of this school of thought was the notorious magician and Kabbalist R. Joseph della Reina. Kabbalisitc as well as more popular stories relate that this band of Kabbalisits, apparently including the anonymous writer himself and della Reina, were visited by a heavenly revelation commanding them to cause the two princes of evil, Ammon of No and Samael, to descend and be tied, subdued, and have their wings clipped, which meant the Kabbalists were destroying the powers of evil. This neutralization of the powers of evil by destroying their princes or, according to a certain version, converting them to Judaism is tantamount to the destruction of Christianity, considered to be a product of evil. Thus, the redemption will be made possible. According to some of these texts, Christianity will have to undergo a total revolution which involves its abolishment only in order to be transformed into an army, namely into some sort of defending body of the now-victorious Judaism. In the apocalyptic Armageddon, Samael’s contemporary embodiment will have to change its spots, forfeit its position as prosecutor and become its enemy’s defender, a revolutionary turn of events. This is the inverse of the Christian view that when the redemption does come in the Second Advent, all the Jews will convert to Christianity. The Kabbalisit who authored the Sefer ha-Meshiv and his followers in the sixteenth century envisioned the exact opposite scenario. Here we have a hitherto nondominant emphasis on the apocalyptic side of Kabbalistic messianism, a side that was not emphasized by Abulafia or the Zohar and only partially by Abulafia’s earlier contemporary R. Yitzhaq ben Jacob ha-Cohen. Thos thirteenth-century Kabbalisitc circles were not so heavily influenced by the popular apocalyptic literature of the seventh and eighth centuries. But now, in the last third of the fifteenth century in some circles of Kabbalists, the apocalyptic element became much more prominent: Armageddon was supposed to include blood baths, the participation of superhuman evil beings – although not so monstrous as their prototype found in the original apocalyptic literature – a novel idea introduced by this circle into Kabbalah. From this perspective, there is a deepening of the use of demonology in discussion of the apocalyptic battles. Besides the magical techniques, which include oneiric devices, incantations, and medical recipes, in this huge corpus there is an attempt to describe the entire span of history. These Kabbalists attempted to describe the whole chain of evil powers and incarnations engaged in perpetual conflict with the Jewish people, only to be resolved by their religious metamorphoses in the end, believed by these Kabbalists to be witnessed in their time. This is an example of a comprehensive messianic historiosophy unlike the Kabbalistic systems discussed earlier. During the sixteenth century this view was embellished in the book called Galia’ Raza’. Despite the fact that the wars themselves are depicted as involving hordes of demonic powers, for these Kabbalists the conflict was real and was due to occur in an historical context.

This messianic theory was not to be realized through inner intellectual or divine perfection explicitly described as gradual processes, but by a group effort to work together toward a national goal, bound to bring about the divine redemption as well as to attempt to bring to a halt an insufferable historical situation. This is the perception of people who see themselves as acting on the stage of history and not exclusively on some inner level. It is appropriate to emphasize the group nature of these activities. The most popular stories found in this literature, concerning magical practices and R. Joseph della Reina, depict the rites as the product of a group of Kabbalists and not as the outcome of one man’s activities, for all have to join forces in order to vanquish evil. There is a wide gap between this magical model and the one developed by Abulafia, in which the individual who has reached his own perfection can then act alone on behalf of the whole nation. The roots of the concept of group effort can be traced back to the Zohar, which stipulates that theurgic activity was accomplished by a group as opposed to individuals acting alone.

Della Reina’s attempt to secure the redemption by magical means, only twenty years or so before the expulsion from Spain, of course failed. Later on the two “events” were inextricably bound in the minds of some Kabbalists, who connected the unorthodox method of magic to hasten the redemption and the ensuing expulsion. The strong messianism of Sefer ha-Meshiv drew mixed reactions from later Kabbalists in Safed, who condemned the use of magic for religious or messianic ends. Accordingly we find after the expulsion that the messianic theories of Sefer ha-Meshiv are continued by a small group of Kabbalists, whereas the great majority of the Kabbalists who had been compelled to leave the Iberian peninsula have rejected this magical model, whether by ignoring it in their writings, as in the case of the famous Kabbalists R. Yehudah Hayyat and R. Meir ibn Gabbay, or by explicitly stating their reservations. Sefer ha-Meshiv is one of the largest Kabbalistic compilations ever written, possessing tremendous scope and expressing a redical position on messianism and magic. It would be logical to expect that after the expulsion, Kabbalisitc-messianic thought and activity would be no less represented than already demonstrated by the apocalyptic concerns of the author or the group of Kabbalists related to Sefer ha-Meshiv. Yet the empirical evidence shows that this vast literary phenomenon remains unduplicated after the expulsion. Therefore, the only realistic way to describe the subsequent development of messianism in Kabbalistic literature in to presuppose a certain tendency to moderate the eschatological elements, in comparison with those found before the expulsion.

(Moshe Idel, Messianic Mystics, 130-32)

 [Part I - On the messianism of the circle of Sefer ha-Meshiv – Castile, Spain c. 1470-1492]

What are the main Kabbalistic theories of these compositions and how do they contribute to the messianic model under discussion? Apart from the revelatory element, which is quite dominant, there are other fundamental characteristics, such as the rise in the importance of demonology in the general scheme of Kabbalistic thought. Some of the works in this corpus generated a strange type of Jewish demonology, including names of demons that were hitherto unknown in Jewish magical literature. The repercussions of such a conception will have to be examined in terms of messianism, as the revelation of secrets is traditionally thought to be licit in the period which immediately precedes the advent of the Messiah.

This Kabbalistic literature involves a strong demonization of Christianity as well. Though not totally novel, this trait is unparalleled in its potency in comparison to earlier Kabbalistic literature. Strong demonization is a process that can be well understood against the contemporary historical background and as a counterattack on the Christian formulation of the Synagogue of Israel as the Church of Satan. Here the notorious cliché asserting that the Synagogue itself is the congregation of Satan, which had already a long history, has been inverted. This is a point we will return to in the context of messianism.

A third feature characteristic of this literature is a strong effort to demonize philosophy and medieval science. Just as in the case of Christianity, so philosophy and science are depicted throughout these texts as satanic revelations. From this perspective, they exhibit a view that presents authentic Judaism, according to its Kabbalistic interpretation, as a sublime revelation that does not come into contact with its general surroundings in a significant manner, nor is it affected by prior cultural progress. This general demonization demands what is essentially a fundamental reformation of the spiritual structure of contemporary Judaism and of the prevalent types of science. For instance, the argument in this literature that the Jewish people are still in exile solely because that studied and continue to study philosophy is but one illustration of the desire to purify and purge Judaism of all foreign influences. This Kabbalist, who offers instead an “unadulterated” Judaism and science, understands theoretical Kabbalah as “genuine” science, which is to be coupled with practical Kabbalah viewed as technology. Such were the conditions of the creation of this magnum opus of magical Kabbalah, which attempts a novel reinterpretation of no less than all of Jewish and scientific culture.

The new revelation of secrets is part of the messianic process. So, for example, the Deity reveals the following eschatological imperative to the Kabbalists in order to conquer the demonic powers: “You should recite unto them the ‘terrible hand’ when they [the two demonic archangels] are bound…and you and R. Joseph together should beswear and compel those [demonic] angels using this formula in order to bring the redemption because the year of redemption has already arrived previously. Despite the fact that there were sages of Israel who knew how to bind them, the time of redemption did not arrive until now.” Dealing with the powers of evil, which constitutes a great danger in the eyes of Kabbalists from this group and which, according to the famous legends dealing with R. Joseph della Reina, has materialized, this attitude is part of the redemptive via passionis. Since the time for the redemption has arrived, it is permitted and, according ot this corpus of writings, even necessary to disclose all of the lost secrets of Judaism. These secrets, dealing with a wide range of topics – astronomy, mathematics, medicine, and such theological issues as the Garden of Eden – were lost during the long exile, but they have now been revealed from above or forced to descend, or communicated in the first person by God.

As far as the subject of messianism is concerned, the line of reasoning that we described above is continued: God revels the technique needed to succeed in the struggle against Christianity and the new secrets of the true science, but he also reveals the way in which the power of Christianity can be shattered in order to be able to bring the redemption. From this perspective messianism was not perceived as personal initiative, a need of the Kabbalists as part of their enterpize to free themselves of the yoke of history; rather the formulations of Sefer ha-Meshiv concur that this is a divine imperative coming from above. These revelations include specific orders meant to inspire messianic activity. Many of the revelations found in Sefer ha-Meshiv are in fact descriptions of a variety of magical incantations necessary for the destruction of the demonic realm. Mysticism here is viewed as a means of attaining and eventually transmitting magical information. Heavenly revelation is now the channel for the descent of supernal magic, the main tool for the annihilation of the powers of evil as well as the bringing of the redemption. Since magic is the basic means of abolishing evil, I will call this messianic model the magico-Kabbalistic one. At the heart of this model lies the conviction that the time of the Messiah is fixed and immanent, the only impediment to the final advent being the presence of the forces of evil. The annihilation of evil by means of incantations is described numerous times throughout this body of literature.

(Moshe Idel, Messianic Mystics, 128-30)                  

The emergence of criticism of death camp trips from the Religious Zionist camp - or, more accurately, from the right wing of this camp - comes as a surprise to many. Criticism until now has come almost exclusively from the left. Dovish critics have taken issue with the way such programs pair the Holocaust and Jews as victims with flag-waving Israeli nationalism.

The reasoning behind the unlikely convergence of opinion against the Poland trips between some on the left and some in the Religious Zionist camp could not be more divergent. The trips that some consider too Zionist are, for the rabbinic critics, the antithesis of Zionism.

In the run-up to Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day (April 21), Zalman Melamed, head of the Bet El yeshiva in the West Bank, published an opinion discouraging religious school students from going to Poland. He cited the Talmudic prohibition, echoed by Maimonides and other authorities in Jewish law, that those living in Israel are forbidden from leaving except to perform a religious act.

Until now, many Religious Zionists have argued that death camp visits do, in fact, have religious value and therefore merit leaving Israel. This is the view of the March of the Living's rabbi, Yochanan Fried, and of regular trip leader Yisrael Meir Lau, chairman of Israel's Yad Vashem's Holocaust Museum council, former chief rabbi of Israel and Holocaust survivor.

Fried said in an interview with the Forward that the trip can be seen as a fulfillment of the religious requirement to study history. The trip's educational content, he said, actually could be classified as "learning Torah." Fried also claimed that students on the trip fulfill the religious act of honoring the dead.

But those rabbis speaking out against death camp trips reject this logic. A year ago, Hebron and Kiryat Arba chief rabbi Dov Lior, who is regarded as the leading disciple of Religious Zionist icon Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook, cited his teacher in arguing that a desire to honor the dead does not justify the trips.

The argument that the trips are valid as they involve historical study has been challenged by Aviner, who was born in Nazi-occupied France and now heads Yeshivat Ateret Yerushalayim, formerly Ateret Cohanim. "It is certainly a mitzvah to reflect on history," he wrote. "But the intent is not to study historical facts but to observe the hand of God which acts in the world. There is no mitzvah at all to see historical places."

"I do not see educational value in [the trips]," Lior wrote, arguing that people can read books, visit museums and take advantage of other resources available in Israel. He concluded, "To understand what is anti-Semitism and why they hate the Jewish nation there is no need to travel abroad."

Aviner believes that from a pedagogical viewpoint, Holocaust education should focus on content-based learning, not emotion.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1083387.html

Since Woody Allen is acting like an imbecile suing Dov Charney like a petulant autistic child, we are offering free t-shirts with Woody Allen as Rebbe embossed. The t-shirts will be available in ten days. (I can't find the post now but 7fatcow was the first website to post a pic of the ad on Allen Street)

This address was written by Freud on the occasion of the celebration of his seventieth birthday by the B'nai B'rith Society of Vienna, on May 6, 1926. It was to be given by him in response to the official speech by Professor Ludwig Braun, one of his disciples. However, illness made it impossible for him to be present and it was read for him. By 1926 Freud's theories had won enough acknowledgment if not acceptance to make his fame worldwide. He was no longer the prophet crying in the wilderness. Coming at this point in his career, his expression of obligation to his fellow-Jews of the B'nai B'rith Society has particular interest.

ADDRESS TO THE SOCIETY OF B’NAI B’RITH

Most honourable Grand President, honourable Presidents, dear Brethren,-

I thank you for the honours you have paid me to-day. You know why it is that you cannot hear the sound of my own voice. You have heard one of my friends and pupils speak of my scientific work; but a judgement on such things is hard to form and for a long while yet it may not be reached with any certainty. Allow me to add something to what has been said by one who is both my friend and the physician who cares for me. I should like to tell you shortly how I became a B.B. and what I have looked for from you.

It happened that in the years from 1895 onwards I was subjected to two powerful impressions which combined to produce the same effect on me. On the one hand, I had gained my first insight into the depths of the life of the human instincts; I had seen some things that were sobering and even, at first, frightening. On the other hand, the announcement of my unpleasing discoveries had as its result the severance of the greater part of my human contacts; I felt as though I were despised and universally shunned. In my loneliness I was seized with a longing to find a circle of picked men of high character who would receive me in a friendly spirit in spite of my temerity. Your society was pointed out to me as the place where such men were to be found.

That you were Jews could only be agreeable to me; for I was myself a Jew, and it had always seemed to me not only unworthy but positively senseless to deny the fact. What bound me to Jewry was (I am ashamed to admit) neither faith nor national pride, for I have always been an unbeliever and was brought up without any religion though not without a respect for what are called the ‘ethical’ standards of human civilization. Whenever I felt an inclination to national enthusiasm I strove to suppress it as being harmful and wrong, alarmed by the warning examples of the peoples among whom we Jews live. But plenty of other things remained over to make the attraction of Jewry and Jews irresistible - many obscure emotional forces, which were the more powerful the less they could be expressed in words, as well as a clear consciousness of inner identity, the safe privacy of a common mental construction. And beyond this there was a perception that it was to my Jewish nature alone that I owed two characteristics that had become indispensable to me in the difficult course of my life. Because I was a Jew I found myself free from many prejudices which restricted others in the use of their intellect; and as a Jew I was prepared to join the Opposition and to do without agreement with the ‘compact majority’.

So it was that I became one of you, took my share in your humanitarian and national interests, gained friends among you and persuaded my own few remaining friends to join our society. There was no question whatever of my convincing you of my new theories; but at a time when no one in Europe listened to me and I still had no disciples even in Vienna, you gave me your kindly attention. You were my first audience.

For some two thirds of the long period that has elapsed since my entry I persisted with you conscientiously, and found refreshment and stimulation in my relations with you. You have been kind enough to-day not to hold it up against me that during the last third of the time I have kept away from you. I was overwhelmed with work, and demands connected with it forced themselves on me; the day ceased to be long enough for me to attend your meetings, and soon my body began to rebel against a late evening meal. Finally came the years of my illness, which prevents me from being with you even to-day.

I cannot tell whether I have been a genuine B.B. in your sense. I am almost inclined to doubt it; so many exceptional circumstances have arisen in my case. But of this I can assure you - that you meant much to me and did much for me during the years in which I belonged to you. I ask you therefore to accept my warmest thanks both for those years and for to-day.

Yours in W. B. & E

Sigm. Freud

P.S. Freud apparently first presented his theory of sexual development to an audience at the B’nai B’rith and, as I heard from Prof. Sidorsky, by the end of the lecture everybody had their chairs moved six feet back in shock.

-atgate231