Recently an anonymous publisher tried to reprint a book
written by leading Haskalah figure Naftoli Hertz Wessely in
Berlin, and to distribute it within the chareidi sector,
despite scathing denunciations by the gedolei hador of
over 200 years ago. The introduction carries a recommendation
to study the text as a mussar sefer and attempts to
recast the ignominious author as a "tzaddik yesod
olom," presenting the severe cheirem of gedolei
Yisroel against him as a "machlokes tzadikim."
Sefer Hamiddos was written by Naftoli Hertz Wessely in
5545 (1785). Born in Hamburg, he later lived in Copenhagen
and Amsterdam. Raised in an observant home, he chose to
devote his intellectual abilities to the study of Hebrew,
publishing several works on biblical grammar and linguistics,
the analysis of synonyms, and similar subjects.
At which stage in his life he went astray and decided to beat
a new path as one of the first disseminators of Enlightenment
ideas remains a mystery. What is clear, however, is that
after he moved to Berlin and joined the Enlightenment circle
there, he decided to put the dangerous ideas he harbored to
use.
While in Berlin he wrote poems of praise of the infamous
Moshe Mendelssohn sheim reshoim yirkav, and even
helped him edit and distribute his books.
In 5542 (1782) he published his famous letter, "Divrei
Sholom Ve'emes," in which he demands that his Jewish
brethren introduce secular studies into their yeshivos and
into children's education. His call for change came in the
form of an explanation to the Jewish community of the
Austrian Kaiser's decree regarding Jewish schools, the so-
called "Edict of Tolerance," but Wessely carried out his task
zealously, presenting the decree as a worthy endeavor in its
own right.
In addition to the Kaiser's original order to teach German in
Jewish schools, he added a firm demand to teach general
subjects of a wide scope, prioritizing secular studies over
limudei kodesh and limiting gemora study to a
small minority of gifted students, claiming "we were not all
created to be Talmudic scholars."
In his letter Wessely draws a distinction between "the laws
of man" (Toras Ho'odom, such as codes of conduct and
secular knowledge) and "the laws of G-d and His doctrines,"
even declaring the former to be the more exalted of the two,
for at least the nations of the world derive some benefit
from the civilized man! He even goes one step further by
claiming that a Torah scholar who does not acquire knowledge
in secular fields and codes of conduct is "a talmid
chochom who lacks daas."
His writings, which disgraced and belittled Hashem's Torah
and talmidei chachomim, were virulently opposed by the
Torah greats of his generation, who considered him an
apikores who aimed to destroy the fundamentals of
Judaism, particularly chinuch habonim.
The battle against Wessely was headed by leading rabbonim in
countries where his influence threatened to destroy education
and emunoh: the Noda BeYehudo, HaRav Dovid Tevele of
Lissa, HaRav Yosef Hatzaddik of Posen (the son-in-law of the
Noda BeYehudo), the Baal Haflo'oh and others. In Vilna, the
Gra ordered his book burned in the heart of the Jewish
quarter.
The Noda BeYehudo spoke against him in a drosho in
Prague (printed in Drushei Hatzlach) and wrote an
acerbic letter in which he calls Wessely a heretic who has no
belief in Torah: "Never has such an enemy appeared among the
Jews, who removes the mask of disgrace from his face to write
and sign and testify against himself that he has no part in
G-d or His Torah . . . The very existence of this pamphlet
["Divrei Sholom Ve'emes"] is to deny and scorn the
Written Torah and the Oral Torah, and to say that they have
no useful purpose."
The Noda BeYehudo would have issued a cheirem against
Wessely but the law required obtaining permission for such
steps from the secular authorities and he was wary of the
potential repercussions. "He is damned and cursed and cut off
from Adas Yisroel . . . And from this point onward I
hope anyone from Adas Yisroel who is aware of this
will not give him overnight lodgings or receive this
rosho, Hertz Wessely, in his home . . . And if this
Hertz Wessely comes to Vienna, no Jew should greet him or
bring him into his home under any circumstances. Everyone
should beware of a punishment from Heaven for coming near
this rosho and apikores, and he who keeps his
distance from him and loathes him will be blessed from Above
. . . And one should not buy any of this writer's books
chas vesholom, which were written to defile others
with his tumoh. Even Yein Levanon should not be
bought from him," emphasizes the Noda BeYehudo, who himself
had granted Yein Levanon a haskomoh, before the
author's true colors became apparent. Even then he took the
precaution of noting he had not read the text himself and
gave his approval on condition it adhered to traditional
sources.
The Noda BeYehudo worked to spread the word of Wessely's
heresy to Jewish communities far and wide, asking rabbonim
from well-known kehillos to launch similar campaigns
against Wessely and to condemn him publicly. "I have asked
his High Honor to publicize this matter in Vienna so this
pamphlet will not present a stumbling block for anyone . . .
Although I have already denounced him . . . please forward
this letter to the geonim near Vienna, such as the
Gaon of Pressburg and the Gaon of Nicholsburg, and they
should do the same, publicizing the infamy of this
rosho, Hertz Wessely, may his name be blotted out, to
the masses."
That year gedolei hador retracted the haskomos
they had given his previous books. The leaders of the
generation saw a pressing need to wage war against Wessely
because as the Noda BeYehudo said, "He has deceived people
since his youth" ("mine'urov gonev daas habriyos") by
presenting himself as a writer of Torah-based books.
Gedolei hador believed he posed a serious threat
because many people might be tempted to read his books and to
perceive him as a legitimate Torah scholar who had uncovered
Haskoloh ideas based on sources supposedly gleaned from
Tanach and midrashei Chazal.
Wessely printed Sefer Hamiddos in 5545, three years
after the publication of "Divrei Sholom Ve'emes"
rocked the Jewish world. This time he did not have the daring
to print the recanted haskomos he had earlier obtained
from gedolei Yisroel through chicanery. Nevertheless
he was not dissuaded from quoting excerpts from the widely
denounced pamphlet. He repeats his recommendation to pursue
secular knowledge (to strengthen religious practice,
supposedly), referring to the fields of knowledge "we
discussed in the four well-known letters." In a chapter
devoted to "yiras Shomayim umussar" he even has the
audacity to claim "what must be stressed in raising children
and in their study program we began to outline a bit in our
estimable letters we called `Divrei Sholom Ve'emes'
and in three other letters appended to it. And he who adds
intelligent ideas to expand on the details of this great
mitzvah, of which it is written "velimadetem osom es
beneichem ledabeir bom," will receive a just reward from
Heaven." One critic wrote that the Sefer Hamiddos
"reflects contemporary [i.e. non-Jewish] philosophical and
ethical German thought."
*
@Big Let Body=In recent weeks many chareidim aware of
Wessely's notoriety, were astonished to find a new edition of
Sefer Hamiddos in bookstores selling sifrei
kodesh.
According to the title page, the recently published edition
includes "important excerpts from his remarks in other works,
with a comprehensive prologue to his approaches by Rav Chaim
Lifshitz, author of Emunas Chachomim." Yet the
identity of Rav Chaim Lifshitz remains a mystery and efforts
to locate him proved unsuccessful.
Even the distributor, Yerid Haseforim (which decided to
discard all copies of the book after rabbonim issued scathing
condemnations), said the publisher left neither address nor
phone number. Although inquiries and extensive searches in
large libraries showed no book called Emunas Chachomim
has ever been published, the title was mentioned in a book
called Beis Yechezkel written decades ago by Rabbi
Moshe Tzuriel. On page 143 he writes, "And if I have the
zechus I will publish my book, Emunas
Chachomim, which contains a reservoir of further
proofs."
The opening pages of the new edition of Sefer Hamiddos
contain a letter of approbation from Rav Moshe Tzuriel, who
refers to the notorious Haskalah author as a "gaon olom,
tzaddik yesod olom" He promotes the publication of
Wessely's book "in this generation that has been blessed,
boruch Hashem, with a reawakening of the Mussar
Movement. How good it is to turn once again to the words of
our predecessors, as Chazal said, `Better the fingernail of
Rishonim than the belly of Acharonim.' "
In his introduction he emphasizes how the book is distinct
from other sifrei mussar in that the author's approach
is based on "a depth of understanding of biblical
phraseology." He praises Wessely for his focus on an analysis
of biblical linguistics--an emphasis gedolei Yisroel
viewed as a major deficiency--and even suggests the failure
by bnei yeshivos and talmidei chachomim to
focus on this area stems from "the great slyness of the
yetzer hora, which steals from Bnei Yisroel their
primary weapon and tempts them not to occupy themselves much
with Tanach, weakening them [in the fight] against
evil." He also dismisses statements made by gedolei
Yisroel by claiming "the Diaspora caused mistakes and
unnecessary suspicions." In conclusion he writes, "I hereby
encourage all of our brethren among Bnei Yisroel to engage in
this work with the appreciation and scrutiny this fabulous
book deserves."
Rav Dovid Tzvi Hilman wrote a long, detailed letter to the
publisher and the enigmatic approbation writer, denouncing
the series of fundamental historical distortions included in
the introduction to the book in a directed effort to defend
the author and even to present him as a "tzaddik yesod
olom."
When gedolei haTorah vehahoro'o learned the book was
being distributed, they wrote and publicized letters against
the dangerous publishing enterprise, expressing their fears
over this renewed attempt to breach the walls of our
generation by introducing works by the pioneers of the
Haskalah Movement, who hoodwinked the masses by disguising
their ideas as Torah scholarship that some readers would fail
to recognize as venomous heresy.
Dayonim from the Badatz Eida Chareidis wrote,
"Sefer Hamiddos by Naftoli Hertz Wessely, one of the
heads of the Haskalah thinkers of his generation, has been
reprinted and reintroduced, and the publisher had the
audacity to write that the author is a gaon and
tzaddik, etc. In his day Rabbenu Hagodol Baal HaNoda
BeYehudo zt'l launched a battle against him, writing,
`It is apparent that he does not believe in religion or Torah
at all, and such an enemy has never risen up among the Jews .
. . and that he is cut off from the community of Israel' --
who would come after the king to question his remarks chas
vesholom?
"Therefore we hereby issue a warning and a position statement
reflecting daas Torah that it is an outright
prohibition to study from these books or to distribute them,
or to print any further editions of this author's books and
books by his fellow Haskalah figures, in order not to place a
stumbling block before the public by leading them to read
seforim chitzonim chas vesholom, of which it is
written, `Kol bo'eho lo yeshuvun.'"
The signatories include HaRav Nosson Gestetner, HaRav Shmuel
Eliezer Stern and HaRav Shmuel Halevy Wosner.
