Long Term Memories
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Rabbis Demonizing the Opposition
Back in the early 60s sometime, there was a controversy in the synagogue. I don't remember (probably never knew) what it was about. However, apparently, a number of people in the Congregation opposed the Rabbi on some issue and the Rabbi lost.
My father was among the people opposing the Rabbi on the issue.
The next sabbath, the Rabbi gave a sermon about the report of 10 of the 12 men who were sent to Canaan to observe the land and report back ( chapt 13 of Numbers). It was easily inferred from his cadence and tone and some other things that he considered the people who opposed him on this issue to be like the 10 men who issued the bad report.
I thought of this today because our Rabbi was giving a drash about a Rabbi Yisachar Shlomo Teichtal who wrote a work called, "Eim HaBanim Semeichah". This man writing in 1942 essentially demonized his opponents as similar to the 10 men also.
The image is by Gustave Dore from his illlustrations for the bible.
