How Antinomian Threads in Chassidus Gave Us Heretics like Nathan Lopes Cardozo

Authored by: העורך Editor

A recent Jewish Press interview quotes meshumad “Dutch-Israeli Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, and Jewish scholar Nathan Lopes Cardozo” rejecting the mitzvah to wipe out Amalek.

When he bloviates irrelevantly about Avraham arguing whether Sedom should be destroyed, the interviewer raises the obvious counter: “And yet shortly thereafter, God tells Abraham to execute his son Isaac, and gives him kudos for the fact that he tried to comply.”

Here is Cardozo’s response:

I am of the opinion that Abraham, by being prepared to do so, to execute his son, failed the test. I think that the reading of the binding of Isaac should be different from the conventional approach as some Hasidic texts indeed seem to suggest. For an excellent overview read: The Fear, the Trembling and the Fire by my dear friend, Professor Jerome (Yehudah) I. Gellman, published by University Press of America in 1994.

It goes on, of course, Afra lepumei.

This isn’t to say there’s no difference between saying a Chassidic homily on the one hand, and pretending, as does Cardozo, this has any bearing on practical halacha, on the other. Still, the earlier imputed authority was a necessary condition for the later perversion. And this assumes it really was all just homilies, after all, of which I’m not so sure.

I found this through Rabbi Grossman’s powerful rebuttal of some sections.

Did the Tosafos Yom Tov Misremember the Gemara?

Who said it?

Let me share with you a puzzling commentary by Rabbi Yom-Tov Lipman Heller in his work “Tosafos Yom Tov” on Avos.

The Mishna in Pirkei Avos Chapter Two (Mishna 4 or 5) is widely understood to encourage religious “Communitarism”. It reads –

הלל אומר אל תפרוש מן הצבור כו’

Hillel says: do not separate yourself from the community.

Rabbi Bartenura (ad loc.) comments –

(אל תפרוש מן הצבור) אלא השתתף בצרתם שכל הפורש מן הצבור אינו רואה בנחמת הצבור

(Do not separate yourself from the community), rather participate in their distress, for all who separate themselves from the community will not merit seeing their recovery [Source: Taanis 11a].

The Gemara Ta’anis mentioned by Rabbi Bartenura says –

תנו רבנן בזמן שישראל שרויין בצער ופירש אחד מהן באין שני מלאכי השרת שמלוין לו לאדם ומניחין לו ידיהן על ראשו ואומרים פלוני שפירש מן הצבור אל יראה בנחמת צבור

Our sages taught: When Israel is steeped in distress and one of them separated himself from the community, and does not share in their pain, the two ministering angels that accompany a person come and place their hands on his head, and say: This man who has separated himself from the community shall not witness the consolation of the community when they are delivered from their affliction.

Now we arrive at the Tosafos Yom Tov (ad loc.), the focus of this post –

(אל תפרוש מן הצבור) פירש הרב ברטנורא שאינו רואה בנחמת צבור. וקשיא לי דאי משום הא. יש לבעל דין לחלוק ולומר משל אומרים לצרעה לא מעוקצך ולא מדובשך. ורש”י מסיים ואינו רואה סימן ברכה לעולם. בפרק אחרון דתענית. עד כאן. ועוד יש ליישב דודאי דנחמת צבור עדיפא מצרתם שכן מדה טובה מרובה. אי נמי שאינו רואה וימות בלא עתו או יגלה ממקומו.

(Do not separate yourself from the community), Rabbi Bartenura comments that he will not merit seeing their recovery. I find this explanation difficult. If the only reason not to separate from the community is the “loss” of seeing recovery, why would anyone wish to take part in suffering in the first place? As the common expression goes: “Neither your honey nor your sting (i.e., ‘don’t do me any favors!’)”.

Answer: Further on in Ta’anis a similar imprecation of failure is emended by Rashi ad locum to indicate eternal failure. By adding this word Rashi effectively solves our problem with this Mishna; failure is no deterrent but eternal failure certainly is. Another possible solution is the famous principle of “The measure of Divine reward exceeds the measure of Divine punishment”. Alternatively, “not seeing” is not neutral, but in fact, implies untimely death or exile for the dissident.

It sounds good until the mentioned quotes are scrutinized. Rabbi Heller is referring to the following passage in Ta’anis 30b –

רבי עקיבא (\רשב”ג) אומר כל העושה מלאכה בתשעה באב אינו רואה סימן ברכה לעולם

Rabbi Akiva says: Whoever performs work on Tisha Be’av will never see a sign of success.

Basically, the proof is that one who works on Tisha Be’av demonstrates his lack of concern for the public’s distress and is punished by eternal lack of success as well.

The Rashi referred to adds only two words –

מאותה מלאכה

Translation: From that labor.

The curse of perpetual failure refers only to the specific action taken violating Tisha Be’av, not work performed earlier or later. Tosafos agrees, by the way.

Not one word from Rashi on the length of time. Even the heading in Rashi does not include the word “Le’olam”!

Where did the Tosafos Yom Tov get the idea about this quote being from Rashi? The Gemara itself says “One will never see success”, not Rashi either here or there!

It tentatively seems to me he simply forgot. Perhaps the Gemara was not before him at the time of writing. To the best of my historical information, it is highly unlikely that the Tosafos Yom Tov is in typographical error. What do you think?

I believe the emerging dilemma is highly relevant to publishers and editors: What is the publisher of a new edition of Tosafos Yom Tov (or other such works) to do in such instances? Ignore them? Delete them? Comment respectfully? Maybe some combination of the above is appropriate.

Have something to say? Write to Avraham Rivkas: CommentTorah@gmail.com

Its Almost as If the Politicians Were the Ones Writing the Laws…

During the recent municipal elections, Jerusalemites were bombarded with calls and text messages from the candidates, to the point where it was a major public nuisance. Somehow, Israel’s generally-strict spam laws don’t apply to election campaigns.

Continue reading more on Janglo…