Language:
English
Year of publication:
1991
Titel der Quelle:
Tradition; a Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought
Angaben zur Quelle:
26,1 (1991) 35-64
Keywords:
Elberg, Simha.
;
Holocaust (Jewish theology)
Abstract:
Discusses the life and thought of Torah scholar Simha Elberg, who was born in Poland and escaped from the Nazis through Vilna and Shanghai. He wrote the treatise (in Yiddish) "Akedat Treblinka: Gedanken un refleksen" in Shanghai in 1946. This and other writings show his theological development before, during, and after the Holocaust. In the treatise, Elberg views Jewish existence in mythical rather than historical terms. The "akedah" (sacrifice), which is intrinsic to Judaism, is situated closer to eternity than to time. In the battle between the satanic evil of Hitler and the holiness of Israel, the Holocaust was the process of sanctification, and the holiest Jews - those from Poland and Lithuania - were the new "akedah." God's universe survived the destruction - even Hitler was but an instrument of God, and mankind would ultimately turn to Torah. Concludes that although Elberg's views raise several questions, his work reveals a courageous attempt at maintaining Jewish belief despite the obliteration of Judaism's worldly context.
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