This film is something of a treasure trove for German Orthodoxy. This time we have a non-TIDE figure according to the Wikipedia - even though he had a PhD of his own and great respect for R' Hirsch. See 2:55 in the film.
"He was a student and an admirer of Hildesheimer and S.R. Hirsch, nevertheless he remained throughout his life an "old" German Jew. He judged neo-orthodoxy critically, with all due respect for Hirsch. His primary contention was that whereas Hirsch based Judaism on an ideology, old German Jewry was based simply on living life as a Jew. Dr Kohn felt that the traditional Jewish world outlook is formed by the inner experience of observing the Torah and through the external world experiences that are encountered as Jews." Wikipedia
Friday, February 27, 2015
Film Footage of R' Yaakov Rosenheim
And now, with the same film, back to the subject of German Orthodoxy and some excellent footage of R' Yaakov Rosenheim in Vienna.
Moreinu Yaakov Rosenheim at 3:25.
It occurs to me that this is the first time that most of us have ever seen a real Yekke in action in a German country in the era before the War when the IRG was in existence before there was any dilution of GO with Eastern Europe or America.
Moreinu Yaakov Rosenheim at 3:25.
It occurs to me that this is the first time that most of us have ever seen a real Yekke in action in a German country in the era before the War when the IRG was in existence before there was any dilution of GO with Eastern Europe or America.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Film Footage of the Chofetz Chaim.
And now for a break from the topic of Torah Im Derech Eretz, an incredible find courtesy of the On the Main Line blog.
Film Footage of the Chofetz Chaim.
Some similarly incredible footage has surface in recent years of Reb Moshe, the Chazon Ish, Reb Yaakov, and Rav Kook. But this is really unexpected. It feels almost like a techias hameisim.
Does anyone out there have any footage of R' Breuer?
For what seems a decent attempt to identify all subjects in the film, see http://www.cross-currents.com/archives/2015/02/25/the-chofetz-chaim-video-the-rosetta-stone/
Film Footage of the Chofetz Chaim.
Some similarly incredible footage has surface in recent years of Reb Moshe, the Chazon Ish, Reb Yaakov, and Rav Kook. But this is really unexpected. It feels almost like a techias hameisim.
Does anyone out there have any footage of R' Breuer?
For what seems a decent attempt to identify all subjects in the film, see http://www.cross-currents.com/archives/2015/02/25/the-chofetz-chaim-video-the-rosetta-stone/
We All Matter
"...however scattered we may be and however differing in abilities, resources, position and calling, we are yet all equally required to co-operate in a holy work of God." Judaism Eternal, Vol. I, "Adar."
I find that Rav Hirsch seems to bring the antidote for so many of the poisons from which we suffer today. One of them is a feeling of inadequacy, even worthlessness in a society that is focused on the celebrity. I recall R' Hershel Schachter speaking about this, how many people feel a sadness about their lives and their perceived lack of success. Even in the frum world, there seems an excessive focus on the gadolim, ie not on their Torah but on their celebrity, as if they are the only people worth talking about.
Comes R' Hirsch to remind us that we all are important to this national mission, however different our abilities.
I find that Rav Hirsch seems to bring the antidote for so many of the poisons from which we suffer today. One of them is a feeling of inadequacy, even worthlessness in a society that is focused on the celebrity. I recall R' Hershel Schachter speaking about this, how many people feel a sadness about their lives and their perceived lack of success. Even in the frum world, there seems an excessive focus on the gadolim, ie not on their Torah but on their celebrity, as if they are the only people worth talking about.
Comes R' Hirsch to remind us that we all are important to this national mission, however different our abilities.
Saturday, February 21, 2015
The Decline and Fall of Classical Music
As I may have mentioned in an earlier post, classical music started in monasteries with devotional song. They were religious songs, no mistaking that. As they became increasingly instrumental, the religious themes were not as obvious, but still in the Baroque composers like Bach they felt plenty religious with their order and discipline. As R' Avigdor Miller reminded us often, Torah life is a life of self-discipline. Thus, disciplined music can help a religious life. With Hayden, Mozart, and Beethoven, if they were not religious, the religious base was still there and the effect could be the same if you took them that way.
I'm not saying that everything we do has to be overtly religious. Science is not religious, but it becomes a religious experience when we recognize, as textbooks rarely do, that the ultimate author is Hashem.
With Classical period music one can do that as the material is still decent even if the themes are just about life and not specifically religious life.
By the Romantic period it was all over. This is the music when song constituted love song. Consider those of Robert and Clare Schumann for example. Or Berlioz who was arguably was sacrilegious. You couldn't make that music religious if you tried. There was nature song, but to me that is not religious. Nature on its own is frogs and frostbite. We must connect it God.
And the impressionists were similar. The music of Debussy of France is original and relaxing. But if you ask me it borders on the decadent as it takes the mind to strange places with all its exoticism.
Now the musical periods overlap and that of Tchaikovsky could still inspire the mind. He did write in the German style with its themes, counterpoint, strong melody and beat, and conclusons.
And then you have Aaron Copland and George Gershwin (yidden) who gave us some terrific modern period music. It might be significant that they were American and perhaps influenced by the Germanic culture of America.
I don't want to get overly rigid here on a topic I don't know that well anyway. But I think it's fair in general to track the rise and fall of classical music as one that begin with religion and then fell away from it. Today, it has nothing to do with religion and even the players when playing the old masters appear in a way that contradicts the musical themes.
So with classical music as with literature, one might consider sticking with the 19th century and earlier, with earlier being preferable.
A key point to consider is that the composers turned away from religion far earlier than the public did. So once upon a time, a composer like Bach could uplift the people. But came a time when composers, like many philosophers and writers, tore the public down and led the way to sin. We see why many rabbanim came to oppose secular anything because by the 19th century the intelligentsia, as tied into the decadent affluent class, were one of the primary causes of the turn from God.
Seems to me the Germans are the safest bet. They were more wholesome than the Italians or French. I think you see this in the German influence on America and its religious orientation - once upon a time. And yes I realize that the Germans became the lowest of the low. It is possible that the good in that culture give the bad materials to be very bad.
Still, the best of classical music was inspired by Xianity. And the worst is traife. So we must proceed with caution.
All of this is material for thought for the TIDE person. How do we navigate culture to find its best elements? We do have to proceed in an educated fashion.
I'm not saying that everything we do has to be overtly religious. Science is not religious, but it becomes a religious experience when we recognize, as textbooks rarely do, that the ultimate author is Hashem.
With Classical period music one can do that as the material is still decent even if the themes are just about life and not specifically religious life.
By the Romantic period it was all over. This is the music when song constituted love song. Consider those of Robert and Clare Schumann for example. Or Berlioz who was arguably was sacrilegious. You couldn't make that music religious if you tried. There was nature song, but to me that is not religious. Nature on its own is frogs and frostbite. We must connect it God.
And the impressionists were similar. The music of Debussy of France is original and relaxing. But if you ask me it borders on the decadent as it takes the mind to strange places with all its exoticism.
Now the musical periods overlap and that of Tchaikovsky could still inspire the mind. He did write in the German style with its themes, counterpoint, strong melody and beat, and conclusons.
And then you have Aaron Copland and George Gershwin (yidden) who gave us some terrific modern period music. It might be significant that they were American and perhaps influenced by the Germanic culture of America.
I don't want to get overly rigid here on a topic I don't know that well anyway. But I think it's fair in general to track the rise and fall of classical music as one that begin with religion and then fell away from it. Today, it has nothing to do with religion and even the players when playing the old masters appear in a way that contradicts the musical themes.
So with classical music as with literature, one might consider sticking with the 19th century and earlier, with earlier being preferable.
A key point to consider is that the composers turned away from religion far earlier than the public did. So once upon a time, a composer like Bach could uplift the people. But came a time when composers, like many philosophers and writers, tore the public down and led the way to sin. We see why many rabbanim came to oppose secular anything because by the 19th century the intelligentsia, as tied into the decadent affluent class, were one of the primary causes of the turn from God.
Seems to me the Germans are the safest bet. They were more wholesome than the Italians or French. I think you see this in the German influence on America and its religious orientation - once upon a time. And yes I realize that the Germans became the lowest of the low. It is possible that the good in that culture give the bad materials to be very bad.
Still, the best of classical music was inspired by Xianity. And the worst is traife. So we must proceed with caution.
All of this is material for thought for the TIDE person. How do we navigate culture to find its best elements? We do have to proceed in an educated fashion.
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