Tales of the Righteous, by Simcha Raz and Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins, Foreword by Elie Wiesel, Gefen Publishers, 2012, Jerusalem, ISBN 978-965-229-540-8. $24.95.
By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel
CHULA VISTA, California — I enjoyed reading a translation of Simcha Raz’s latest new book, Tales of the Righteous. This book reminded me much of Louis Newman’s classical digest of Hassidic teachings, Hassidic Anthology. When I was a young teenager, Newman’s book inspired me toward the rabbinate. I believe Tales of the Righteous, will inspire people who are struggling to find meaning in an age of great upheaval such as ours.
Simcha Raz is no stranger for many of us who loved reading his biography, A Tsadik in Our Time, which tells the remarkable story of one Haredi Judaism’s greatest saints of the 20th century, Rabbi Aryeh Levin. Unlike today’s Haredi leaders, who act as if Zionism is a great sin, Rabbi Levin became famous for his support of the Jewish prisoners that the British held in the time of the Mandate. This man used to memorize thousands of messages each week, since the British did not allow families to contact their loved ones in jail. Every aspect of this man’s life endeared him to every segment of Israeli society.
Simcha Raz reminds all of us that there are truly righteous people among us, whose teachings inspire us to live a life dedicated to personal integrity and compassion.
• This wide range of stories and tales, with their unique characterization, are laid out in their varied forms in this book. They embrace the entirety of existence, whispering of this world and the World to Come, of the life of matter and of spirit, of the experience of the individual and that of the collective. It is my hope that by reading these stories and tales readers will uncover new landscapes which will deepen their consciousness and bathe them with grace and kindness (p. ix).
The old proverb says it best, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” Keeping this thought in mind, here are some choice examples I think our readers will enjoy perusing. The first story I will quote was one of my favorites. Simcha Raz tells us about the great 19th century teacher of the mussar movement, Rabbi Yisrael Salanter (who happens to be one of my ancestors, related on my mother’s side of the family):
- · Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, father of the Mussar movement, was standing in the marketplace one day engaging in small talk with one of the passersby. Rabbi Yisrael continued the conversation with words of humor and wit, causing the listener to laugh at his jokes. People standing by were astonished. Rabbi Yisrael, who was constantly studying Torah, and whose heart was always concerned with issues of import, was just standing around in the marketplace? One of those nearby turned to Rabbi Yisrael and inquired about the reason of his behavior. “What you see is what it is,” responded Rabbi Yisrael. This gentleman is filled with sadness, and a dark bitterness fills his soul. Whoever can make him laugh is doing a great act of kindness (p. 80).
This anecdote reminded of the Talmudic passage, which in all likelihood probably inspired Rabbi Yisrael’s willingness to leave his normal habitat to bring joy to another human being. The Talmud reads:
- As Rabbi Joshua and the spirit of Elijah were conversing, two men passed by and Elijah remarked, “These two have a share in the World to Come.” R. Beroka then approached and asked them, “What do you do for a living? They replied, “We are comics; when we see men depressed we cheer them up; furthermore when we see two people quarrelling we strive hard to make peace between them. (BT Ta’anit 22a).
Unlike Newman’s Hassidic Anthology, Raz’s Tales of the Righteous includes numerous stories about non-Hassidic teachers, whose wisdom and wit matches their Hassidic counterparts. The topics vary and each section includes anecdotes that should get in touch with our inner-Hasid or inner-Mitnaged (“Opponents of the Hasidim” who followed in the footsteps of the 18th century rabbinical savant, “The Vilna Gaon). The author selects teaching covering a span of about 240 years.
On the subject of anger, Raz tells another profound anecdote:
- · A woman once brought her case before a court headed by Rabbi Hayyim Halevy Soloveitchik, only to have the court rule against her. The woman became arrogant an angry to the point that she scorned the dignity of Rabbi Hayyim, and one of the judges became angry with her. “Shut up your mouth, you arrogant woman!” he shouted. Rabbi Hayyim silenced the judge, saying, “Why is she subject to your anger? This is a fine Jewish woman, but she is worried about her finances, and her soul is embittered since she believes that she had justice on her side. Therefore she is screaming and furious. Let her yell and ridicule me until she settles down.” (p. 1).
Since we seem to live in a time where people express anger about the Other, here are some choice Hassidic teachings that all of us could certainly take to heart:
- · We get up in the morning, and immediately get angry. And we look for any excuse to cast our anger and fury on someone—Rabbi Gershon Henokh of Radzin.
- · Never wear a garment whose top is made of pride, and whose bottom part is made from anger, and is sewn with threads of dark gull.
- · The study of Torah is good when combined with a worldly occupation [derech eretz—literally, the way of the earth]” (Pirke Avot 2:2).
This counsels us to learn from the earth: The ground gives life to every living thing, and from it all existence emerges. Yet, even though everyone treads on it, it does not get angry or annoyed—Rabbi Avraham “the Angel” (p. 3).
- · The world is of the opinion that humans have a great virtue in that they are born with the ability to speak. But I think an even greater virtue is that humans are endowed with the ability to listen—Rabbi Naftali of Ropshitz (p. 178).
Raz will often begin a section with some anecdotes and conclude with some pithy remarks and teachings. I enjoyed reading the aphorisms, which for the most part, were quite nice and inspirational. It is a pity he did not add these comments to every topical section, as one might have expected.
On fasting, Raz adds another great aphorism, “It is better to teach the heart, than to teach the stomach to fast” —Rabbi Menahem Mendel of Kotzk.
What kind of audience could Tales of the Righteous appeal to? Well, any synagogue or Havura might want to use this book in conjunction with the study of Pirke Avoth, which takes place between Passover and Shavuoth.
Each anecdote and aphorism ought to create some lively discussions.
Unfortunately, I did not see any Sephardic teachings in the book. Perhaps in a future edition, the author may want to include some wonderful stories about the Sephardic rabbis whose wisdom touched so many lives. It is also a pity the author did not include any stories or teachings from Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, or, Rabbi Aryeh Levin. If nothing else, the words of these two sages would present an alternative view of Haredi Judaism that is life-affirming and healing for our times.
The translator Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins did a masterful job in his translation. Elie Wiesel’s foreword is another good reason for everyone to purchase this book.
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Rabbi Samuel is spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom (formerly Temple Beth Sholom). He may be contacted at michael.samuel@sdjewishworld.com