The Rabbi of Worms. M. K. Hammond
Father Albert, but he couldn’t tell him the whole truth either.
Josef went to the garden and sat down to think. Soon Father Albert was at his side. Josef looked into his wrinkled face. “Father, I have to leave early today.”
“Really?” The old man raised his eyebrows, creating more wrinkles.
“Yes, it’s very important.”
“Can you tell me where you’re going?”
“Not exactly.”
“Can you tell me approximately what you’ll be doing? Maybe a little hint?”
Josef thought a moment. “Learning something.”
Father Albert smiled. “Ah. Learning is good. But learning can occur in many different ways, some of them dangerous to body and soul. You’re not going to climb a steeple, are you?”
“No, Father.”
“Step on hot coals?”
“No.”
“Handle snakes?”
Josef laughed. “No, Father, none of those things.”
“All right then. You know the ten commandments and the seven deadly sins. If you promise to keep the first and refrain from the second, you may go with my blessing.” He touched the boy’s head.
“I promise. Thank you, Father.” Josef jumped up and ran out of the garden.
Mosche was waiting for him when he arrived at Jews’ Alley. “I’m glad you got here early. People are already going in. Let’s find a seat before it gets too crowded.”
The boys entered the school building and settled into a corner behind a large group of noisy men. It would be nearly an hour before the rabbi spoke, so Josef focused his attention on the conversations swirling around him. He heard words and vocal sounds that were completely foreign to him, in languages that were unrecognizable. He couldn’t even imagine where these people came from. Maybe Mosche would tell him later. There was too much clamor to ask about it now. The noise had a hypnotizing effect that might have put the boys to sleep in other circumstances. Today, however, there was too much excitement in the air, and they were infected by it. After a time, the side door of the schoolhouse opened. Through the door came eight or nine men, some of whom Josef recognized from the synagogue service he had attended. Others were strangers. Which one was Rabbi Scholomo? Maybe it was the tall one with silver hair. There was another man whose beard hung nearly to his waist. Was it him?
The tall man with silver hair raised his hand as the others took seats behind him. The room suddenly became silent. The man announced that Rabbi Scholomo ben Itzhak would be giving the sermon, and that in order to be understood by as many as possible, he would speak in Hebrew. A murmur of approval went up from the crowd. The men near Josef and Mosche whispered to each other and nodded. The tall man recited a brief prayer and turned to face the men behind him. One of them rose. He was a slight man of thin build and less than medium height. His head was nearly bald and his beard neatly trimmed about six inches below his chin. Could this be Rabbi Scholomo? Josef looked questioningly at Mosche, who nodded eagerly. The rabbi came forward. He was assisted by the tall man in stepping onto a platform on which a stone chair had been placed. It was a beautiful piece of stonework, carved with geometric patterns on the back and arms.
The rabbi first addressed the crowd in the local dialect, saying he was grateful for the warm hospitality he had received. It was good to be back in Worms, he said, where the Lord had inspired him and provided the means for him to begin his interpretations of Scripture. He would speak today about those interpretations and about the commentaries he was compiling, not in order to glorify himself, but to show how the Law might be set before the people like a table of good food fully prepared for them to eat. With their indulgence, the rabbi said, he would sit while he delivered his sermon. He had walked a long way from Troyes and his feet were sore.
Once seated in the stone chair, the rabbi looked around at the eager faces before him, smiled, and closed his eyes for a moment. Then he began his oration. At this point it was more difficult for Josef to follow what he said because many of the Hebrew words he used were unfamiliar. Besides that, Josef missed words on account of coughing and other inevitable crowd noises. The rabbi’s voice was strong and confident but not overly loud.
He began by saying that Torah is a portable homeland for the Jews who have been scattered around the world. It serves as sustenance when they are deprived, shelter when exposed, and armor when attacked. Therefore study of Torah should be of utmost concern to every Jew.
Josef understood this much fairly easily. As the discourse became more technical, he strained to hear and interpret the words he did not recognize. The general sense of the sermon was that Scripture could be interpreted in different ways. The two most important were peshat and derush. The rabbi himself preferred peshat, or plain meaning of the text. If a passage was simple and clear in its historical context, then there was no need to twist the words to find new meaning. On the other hand, if a passage was confusing, it might be necessary to introduce less literal interpretations. The rabbi spoke of midrash and aggadah, but Josef was not sure what these words meant. Sometimes it was useful, said the rabbi, to tell stories, introduce folklore, and give examples from everyday life. These supplements would draw people into the text, making it comprehensible to those who were not scholars. Other ways to interpret Scripture were remez and sod, but these must be used with great care, he said, especially the latter. Again, Josef did not recognize or understand the Hebrew words. The rabbi went on to say that scholars should be wary of taking their interpretations too far, leading to foolishness. Students, he said, have an important role in scholarly pursuit—to ask questions. They should ask about anything and everything, all the questions that occur to them. They should not worry about looking foolish. They should not hesitate to challenge their teachers. Only by free discussion and investigation would their minds be sharpened. Not only would students’ minds be sharpened but also the minds of their teachers, as their knowledge would be drawn out by persistent questions. Students themselves might have insights that would be helpful to their teachers, because, after all, even a master needs instruction.
After about forty minutes, the rabbi stopped speaking. Again he closed his eyes. The congregation remained quiet as the tall man with silver hair rose from his chair and stepped forward. He thanked the rabbi for his sermon and announced that their honored guest would now take questions from those in attendance.
Each man called out his question in the language he spoke most fluently. The rabbi answered in that same language when he could; otherwise he spoke Hebrew. Many of the questions and their answers Josef missed entirely, but a few he understood. One man asked when was the best time for a busy merchant to study Torah.
“You should study Torah not only at certain times but at all times. By this I mean keep the Law always before you in your mind’s eye. While you work, while you eat, while you bathe, even while you relieve yourself. As a practical matter, it is good to appoint a regular time so that you may study a little today, a little tomorrow. And if you cannot study every day, remember that one day studying Torah is better than a thousand burnt offerings brought to the altar.”
Another man asked who are the best teachers.
“To that question I have three answers, and I will tell you two of them. First, the Lord is your teacher. The Lord gives you his Torah, and through much labor you can make it your own. Second, the best and wisest teachers do not dictate to their students but rather guide them to come up with their own ideas. When you find this kind of teacher, your feet should wear out the steps to his door. The third answer is implicit in the first two.”
Someone inquired which was more valuable to study, written law or oral law.
“You cannot say one is more valuable than the other, since both are part of the same divine teaching. Written law came first and therefore it is the beginning of wisdom. Oral law was compiled to help us interpret and understand written law. Commentaries have been written to give further clarification of both. All of these we study, interpret, and debate with one goal in mind, namely right conduct. Remember this: one who studies but