Dying on Tisha B'Av: Rabbi Yaakov Yizhak Halevi Horowitz, Seer of Lublin, Poland

 Nadene Goldfoot                                    

                              Rabbi Yaakov's Tombstone

Rabbi Yaakov Yitzhak HaLevi Horowitz (1745-1815) – known as the Hozeh(Seer) of Lublin – was one of the famed hasidic masters who has captured the imagination. Hasidic collective memory remembers the Hozeh for his miraculous ability to look at a person’s face, peering deep into the soul and perceiving that person’s innermost struggles. Hasidic lore recounts his dramatic demise after mysteriously falling out of the window on Simhat Torah 1814.  He was injured in a fall from a window on Simchat Torah night, following the ritual hakafos dancing, and died almost a year later on Tisha B'av  (August 15, 1815) from injuries relating to this fall. He is buried in the Old Jewish Cemetery, Lublin. His great grandson was Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira of Piaseczna.  During his stay in Lublin, Horowitz was opposed by a prominent mitnaged rabbi, Azriel Horowitz. He established his synagogue there at Szeroka 28 in the Jewish Quarter of Lublin. Even after Horowitz's death the synagogue remained the heart and soul for the scholars of the city.

Horowitz was a descendant of Isaiah Horowitz, a prominent rabbi and mystic, and his maternal grandfather, Yaakov Koppel Likover, also a prominent rabbi and scholar, as well as a contemporary of the Ba'al Shem Tov.

The Hozeh’s mark has been indelible. His many disciples and their students should be credited with the emergence and flourishing of Hasidism in Poland during the nineteenth century – one of the golden periods of the movement.  Chelm was originally said to be a Polish town.  Jews lived there since the 15th century; at least after the Spanish Inquisition of 1492.  It was destroyed during the Cossack massacres of 1648  but later was re-founded.  The community numbered 7,615 before World War II.

Even today, the Hasidic group with the greatest political clout in Israel, Gur, traces its spiritual origins back to the Hozeh.

My Jewish Encyclopedia lists a Jacob Isaac as the Rabbi of Lublin who also died in 1815 and was a Hasidic rabbi  (same person as Yaakov).  He was originally from Galicia and then moved to Lublin in about 1800".  

It happens that some Germans were moved to Lublin, Russia's town of Chelm, center of Jewish folklore containing the fools.  Many Jews happened to also live here.  At the beginning of September 1939, Chełm was occupied by Nazi Germany, but on 25 September, the Germans withdrew in advance of Soviet forces. The Ribbentrop-Molotov agreement stipulated that Chełm should be under German control, and on 9 October the city was ceded back to Nazi Germany. During their brief period in Chełm, the Soviet authorities established a civil government under a Jewish major, who was a Soviet sympathizer. Fearing reprisals from the Polish residents in Chełm, hundreds of Jews fled together with the retreating Red Army. Immediately following the German occupation, the Jews who remained in Chełm were attacked and brutalized, in part because of their central role during the Communist occupation.  Some escaped to Russia in 1939 when Germany entered Poland.  The remainder, Jews,  were killed by the Nazis. 

"Jacob's saintliness was legendary and the Hasidim believed him to be possessed of the Holy Spirit, calling him Ha-Hozeh ("The Seer").  Jacob wrote works on the Bible and emphasized the importance of the tzaddik".  

 The naive inhabitants of Chelm figure in many anecdotes of Jewish folk-humor.  Because Jews have lived among so many and varied peoples with diverse culture, their humor has had a rich and versatile foundation and has enjoyed and continual stream of influences.   

Reference:

Book:  The Enneagram and Kabbalah;  Reading Your Soul by Rabbi Howard A. Addison; p.vii

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

https://elmad.pardes.org/history/early-hasidic-era/2018/11/the-tisch-disentangling-facts-from-myth/

https://www.yadvashem.org/communities/chelm/german-occupation.html

Jon Stuart on Egyptian TV with Satirist Bassem Youssef's Show

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                        

John Stuart, born as Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz, American Jewish political satirist, born November 28, 1962 in New York City, has been in Cairo, Egypt for the past 2 weeks.  Jon was invited onto Egypt's TV show with Bassem Youssef, another satirist.  Jon  spoke some Arabic when he came out on stage like Shohran (thank you).  He seemed to be a big hit as you can check out if you go to the website listed below which includes a video of the program.

However, he said something that was taken fairly quietly on the program but wasn't evidently appreciated  by the Muslim religious censors when he said that,   “As you know my people like to wander the desert, that’s what I’m doing now…it’s been two weeks, I’ve got 38 years and 50 weeks left.”  Of course, this was in reference to Moses and the Israelite slaves wandering during the Exodus for 40 years.  The Muslims were hep to why Moses had to wander for so long, being Israel is right next door to Egypt.  It was because the spies that Moses sent out were not faithful enough to the move and 2 reported back that they thought it was going to be too hard for them to accomplish.  It's considered a sin, and that's the way the Koran takes it.  They were not happy with the comment which I'm still trying to figure out how it is an affront to them.   I kid all the time using this as the reason I have no sense of direction and am always getting lost.  I thought it was genetic!  

Jon has had some experiences that he talked about.  One was of an Iranian friend in the film making-business that he contacted not knowing he was in Iran at the time of their revolution in the 90's.  

Just for this visit, Jon grew a beard and mustache.  He was led onto the stage with a black covering over his head which was whipped off to show who he was; a star-Jon Stewart!  

It was amazing to me that people in Cairo knew and laughed with Jon Stewart.  It shouldn't have surpised me since I was told that NCIS was seen in Syria.  Our culture does get around.  Satire is good.  Jon said if a government is sound, satire is not going to hurt it.  It doesn't kill anyone.  It's just words; but boy, words are as powerful as guns, Jon, sometimes even stronger.  Nice to see the the in house-audience was very receptive and that Jon has been treated royally.  

Update: 6/30/13 Resource:http://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2013/04/satirist-in-egypt-bassem-youssef-does.html
 http://www.algemeiner.com/2013/06/23/bizarre-comedian-stewart-accused-of-making-fun-of-koran-with-40-years-in-the-desert-joke-video/

Jewish Thought on Slander: or Making Fun of Someone

Nadene Goldfoot
Saying things that are not true is slander.  In Hebrew this is called Leshon ha-ra, said (loshen hora).  The spreading of malicious reports to damage another person's reputation is regarded in Judaism as the greatest of crimes.  The Midrash, a book explaining the Torah with more legends including ethics, says "The slanderer speaks in Rome and kills his victim in Syria."  To listen to slander is equally forbidden.  Our scripture cites only the case of a husband who falsely questions his newly-married wife's virginity.  His punishment included both a flogging and a heavy fine.  The Rabbinic courts were given the power to fine and excommunicate the offender until he apologized to the satisfaction of the person he had injured.  Sometimes fasting was required as an additional penance.

You know what this means?  It kills gossiping.  It stops listening to gossiping as well.  I think it has caused us to be researchers and get to facts only, not hearsay. That has even led to people becoming lawyers.

Judaism is big on  the rules for a witnesses.  That is a person who is in possession of testimony and is obliged to give evidence before the court and testify.  We are not to give false testimony and this would be punishable according to the rule, "Then shall ye do unto him, as he had purposed to do unto his brothers."  Two witnesses are usually required.  One is only acceptable in matters of purely religious law regarding things permitted or prohibited.

I'm awfully proud to be Jewish.  Our constant word is "Life". " To Life' or" L'Chaim" is our toast.  If Judaism stands for anything, it is of reverence for life and the preservation of life.  Life is precious for all, people and animals.  Israel was also a land of rules which Moses started with the 10 commandments.  Judaism is concerned with doing right by our family and neighbors so is very judicial, something others have found fault with.  After all, our people had Judges before we had kings.  Deborah (c1150 BCE) , a female was an important judge and a married woman that everyone respected and listened to.  Besides that, she may have had an occupation considering she was the nurse of Rebekah.  .  There's another thing to be proud of; respect for the leadership of a woman at an early period.  The wife in a home has great respect in a Jewish household.  "G-d could not be everywhere so He created mothers."  Leopold Kompert, novelist (1822-66)

There was no one in our history that was for killing or slaughtering of others except during the taking of the Promised Land, and that happened at least as far back as 1313 BCE or 3, 313 years ago when Moses headed there.  He couldn't make it and had to hand over the reigns of authority to Joshua.  Slaughtering was the accepted norm in those days. Moses had reacted violently when he saw the boss of slaves kill a slave for being too slow, and he killed him for doing it.  That was not acceptable, even for a prince in Egypt, so he knew he had to get out of town and state which in later life led him to leading the Exodus.   After Joshua settled the 12 tribes of Israel, they were following the teachings of Moses who had much to say about life with not only the 10 basic commandments but with 613 more.

It's not a religion concerned with what happens when we die.  It's up to G-d and in his hands so we don't speculate as we're not in a hurry to die nor do we worry about it.  If we follow the laws of Moses and live a life of being righteous to everyone, things will be okay.  What's important is what we do when we're here on earth.

I love the fact that we have schools of students intent on understanding the laws from the Torah who can sit around and argue with each other, delving into all the meanings and bringing it all up to date.  Solomon's wisdom is something we all hope to share and to use.

I am appalled at history's people who have hated Jews and who have made fun of our religion.  They only show to us how little they understand.  Usually they make fun of us about things that are the opposite in our religion, like saying we kill children and drink their blood at Passover.  They use our no no's, things we would not do at all, and tell the populace that we have done these things.  That's what hatred is.  Blind ignorance.  The only people affected are the people doing the ridiculing.  Jews know that these mean people are wrong and blind.  What's appalling have been the people who swallow these false stories.

I've seen so many things that make fun of us that I've lost count.  Before and during the 2nd WW there were  many posters and pictures going around calling Jews sheenies and kikes, derogatory terms for "Jews"  and  ugly pictures exaggerating the nose.  None of us have ever rebelled with rioting.  Our rabbis have not issued orders to kill those responsible.

We've had this problem since 1654 when Peter Stuyvesant, governor of (New Amsterdam) New York, banished Jews from that city.  Why?  They were looked down on because they were not Christians.  Here it was the Jews who had invested money and owned shares with the West India Company in Amsterdam, so  the directors of the company asked for the rescinding of the order.

Our problems loomed in the 1920s.  prejudices were openly voiced.  The government wanted to keep Jews out of the country and stop their immigration and a bill by Mr. Burnett was created January 29, 1919. People were reading the " Protocals of Zion" and then "Mein Kampf.".  

One way to fight such things like anti-Semitism is to continue to be a better person or group and show the world that they are wrong.  I think I see that our religion promotes this as well as being a good citizen in the country we live in.  Here, it would be the USA, as most Jews outside of Israel live here. 

Ammunition we use is that of humor and laughter.  Jewish comedians can make a point, and we can laugh at ourselves a lot.  It's better than turning to bullets and hatred.  Of course we do have an Anti-Defamation League.  "The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry in the U.S. and abroad through information, education, legislation, and advocacy.

Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exodus
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
Book: Kike!  by Michael Selzer
http://www.adl.org/about.asp?s=topmenu
Book: Just Because They're Jewish by M. Hirsh goldberg