Then he fell silent and with an audible sigh and open eyes, he breathed his last.
Shepsel recited the Shema in a whisper, imagining that his father was thinking it too as his soul departed the earth. Then, “Yisgadal veyiskadash shemei raba…” through copious tears and with the Torah cradled in his arms Shepsel wailed the Kaddish the prayer for the dead.
Shepsel was a traditional rabbi as opposed to his father Meir who was a Hasid. The Hasidic movement originated with Israel Ben Eliezer in the 18th century, and he arose at a time when the vast majority of his people were poor, illiterate, and helpless to control their own destiny.
The majority of the Jews, out of the mainstream of Jewish learning, felt disenfranchised, for only the privileged few, the religious scholars, could be in touch with the Divine. Into this void stepped Israel Ben Eliezer who taught that God was everywhere in all things and was served through all things including pleasures of life. Every Jew was able to reach the Divinity by enjoying the rituals of their faith, by enthusiastic praying, by singing and dancing, by deep love for their fellow man. It was not necessary to steep oneself in scholarship and intense study in order to commune with God. This was the Rabbi’s province from which they would seek guidance as the Hasidic Rabbis had a “holy soul” inherited from their ancestors.
Many of the Jews of the day embraced this concept for it liberated them from their superstitions and the depression brought on by their illiteracy and second-class status. They were now as good as the best religious scholar, because of their good acts, their intense prayer, their joy and love, their singing and dancing. They thus had camaraderie, not only with one another but also with the Almighty.
The rabbi, responsible for the intense study, the deep thinking, and the philosophical interpretations will guide them through all trials and tribulations. At the same time, the Hasidic Rabbi embraced his followers, in contrast, they thought, from other rabbis who remained aloof from their congregants.
The first Hasidic Rabbi, Israel Ben Eliezer, known as a Baal Shem Tov or BeSHT (good master of the name) was a man of total devotion and righteousness: the first tzaddik. Hasidic adherents believed that their tzaddik had a direct line to God Almighty by virtue of the purity of his soul unencumbered by human temptation and failings. Jewish folklore writes that every generation of Jews has within its ranks thirty-six righteous devoted tzaddikim, known as lamed-vavniks. The Hasidim believe that this ability is under genetic control and therefore handed down from father to son. This movement slowly grew as the average Jew remained in poverty, shackled by government fiat and anti-Semitic legislation.
Rabbi Shepsel Tepperovitch did not agree with the Hasidic movement. First, the devoted and worshipful adherence to an all-righteous, divinely inspired individual raised the fear of the growth of false Messiahs. In addition, the focus was no longer on intense Torah study as the rabbi, now responsible, was of questionable insight and scholarship as far as he was concerned. Therefore, he was certain that Jewish law would not be followed, thus threatening the deep roots of history and stability of the Jewish religion.
On the other hand, he recognized the situation of the Jews residing in the Pale of Settlement and the hatred directed toward them by the populace, which was fearful of the competition they offered. He also understood that the Czar and the Russian government were anxious to keep the Jews in their place and do everything in their power to proselytize them and limit their power by restrictive measures meant to destroy their religion. The threat was real, and he felt that the threat to the stability of the Jewish religion and his way of life was twofold: external from the Czar, and internal from Hasidism.
Those who opposed the Hasidim are misnagdim, or opposers. The leader of this movement was an Einstein of his day, Elijah ben Solomon Zalman. A child prodigy and self taught Torah and religious scholar, the Jews called him the Wilno gaon (genius from Vilna). He also steeped himself in secular scientific and mathematical studies. He felt that the Hasidic movement would result in a schism in Judaism. He led the opposition against Hasidism, going so far as to recommend excommunication and burning of books by the BeSHT. The Hasids, not to be outdone, excommunicated the gaon.
Shepsel felt himself in the middle of these extremes, but, as if that wasn’t enough, a larger force was manifesting itself that he was sure would have a profound and long- lasting impact on Judaism. This powerful force was international in scope, and he knew that its impact would change the entire structure of Judaism. Neither he nor anyone else was powerful enough to stop it. His concern and focus was to do what he could to promote the inevitable change, but not allow any destruction of emphasis on Torah and religious scholarship. He felt if that would occur; the Jewish religion would pass into history. This would accomplish from within what the anti-Semitic forces of history could never accomplish.
This movement, known as Haskalah, or enlightenment, promoted the incorporation of secular studies as a critical part of the education of Jews. This ran counter to the Rabbi Shepsel’s belief that the study of Torah was so all encompassing and difficult that there was no room or time for any other studies. Any study of subjects other then the Torah would threaten Judaism itself and could alienate the students from observing Jewish law.
CHAPTER 5
The next afternoon, Shepsel was preparing for the Sabbath.
Six days shall you labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord, and that day you shall not work, neither you, nor your son, or daughter, nor any of your servants, nor your cattle, nor the stranger that is within your gates.
The Sabbath was a day of rest for all people and animals as well. From Friday night at sundown to Saturday night at sundown, the day was kept holy, because as Moses told the Israelites, God blessed this day as a symbol of creation.
From Monday to Thursday the Jews worked and earned their living, but on Friday morning, Jewish women started preparing the Sabbath meal of soup, fish, fowl and hallah. This was the most important meal of the week, and they would save whatever scraps of food they had in order for the meal to commemorate the start of this holy day.
The Sabbath, was the time when all work stopped for a God directed day of rest, and the Shtetl residents praised the Almighty for their heritage and for the health of their families and for allowing them another week of life. Then the men of the family, including young sons, went to the synagogue for prayers.
Rabbi Shepsel and Anna took great pains to prepare for the Sabbath and awaited its coming with joy and anticipation. Three-year-old Jacob understood the significance of the day and the preparation involved prior to its arrival.
After morning synagogue services this was a day they kept to themselves, so it was a surprise when the rabbi heard a knock on his door. The surprise turned into fear when he opened the door and found Evgeny Kolakoff standing there. Instead of his usual scornful look, he had a serious, thoughtful expression.
“Good afternoon, Rabbi.”
“Good afternoon. To what do I owe the honor of this visit?” asked the rabbi, trying not to appear fearful.
“I have news to discuss with you, Rabbi, because we’ll be having an important visitor Monday, and he has to talk to you and some of the other leaders of the Jews.”
“Yes, come in. And what does he want to talk about?”
“I don’t know all the details, but what I do know is that the Czar is interested in all his subjects. He is concerned about the fact that you Jews don’t take advantage of the fine education we provide for young Russians, so the Czar is trying to make some improvements.”
“We’re