Hebrew Humor and Other EssaysChotzner, J. (Joseph)
History
Hebrew Humor and Other Essays
Chotzner, J. (Joseph)
Hebrew wit and humor -- History and criticism
In spite of his multifarious literary occupations Luzzatto devoted
particular care and attention to his professorial duties in the Collegio
Rabbinico. It was his ambition to make it a model for all Rabbinical
colleges. His disciples, consisting as they did of Italians, Germans,
Poles, and Russians, loved and revered their master, who, in his turn,
treated them as if they were his personal friends, and took the liveliest
interest in their affairs. He took a special pride in noting in his own
works any clever idea suggested by his pupils in the course of his
lectures, and he thus encouraged them to literary enterprise on their own
account. If the question were asked what the leading feature of Luzzatto's
character was, it might unhesitatingly be answered that it was
conscientiousness. When it is remembered how he had to struggle against
absolute poverty for many years, and how frequently his home was visited
by sickness and death, his whole-hearted devotion to his duties, his
enthusiasm in his literary pursuits, and his universal kindness become
intensified. It was this conscientiousness which led him to decline the
post of _Haham_ to the Spanish and Portuguese congregation in London,
because he thought that he could not acquire sufficient mastery over the
English language to enable him to preach in it satisfactorily.
It is interesting to note that Luzzatto's literary activity continued
almost till his death. His very last literary production was a Hebrew
sonnet composed in commemoration of the sixth centenary of the birth of
Dante. Luzzatto died after a short illness, on the eve of the Day of
Atonement, in 1865.
The limits of an essay do not permit of entering on any detailed account
of Luzzatto's multifarious books and treatises. Suffice it to say that, if
put together, they would occupy a large space in a small library. It is,
however, not the quantity but rather the quality of his writings that
commands our close attention. This is specially the case with those which
deal with the exposition of the Bible. To this particular branch of study
Luzzatto devoted much time, and to his credit it must be said that he was
one of the first Jewish scholars of the nineteenth century who took it up
seriously and with conspicuous success.
It would be idle to ignore altogether Luzzatto's faults and
inconsistencies, which resulted in a rupture with some of his best
friends. As an instance may be mentioned his quarrels with Rapoport,
Geiger, and some other friends. Again, he sometimes expressed the most
radical views concerning the _Massorah_, and, on the other hand, attacked
the works of Maimonides and Ibn Ezra on account of their liberal ideas in
the exposition of certain Biblical subjects. But, in spite of all this, we
cannot and must not diminish our admiration for a man like Luzzatto, whose
self-sacrificing efforts were always directed towards the advancement of
the interest of Jewish literature generally.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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