We began our day in Kazmierc named after the humble kasmier. it was here where jews had lived since the 12th century. There we went to see 4 synagogues. The first one we went to was named the "Alt" or just the old synagogue. We could not go into the mens section because of construction but it we could still admire the beauty of the section from a distance. During this time we also learned about the shamash (helper) of the synagogue. His duties included waking people up for services, alerting us if there is danger, and providing us with new news everyday. Another fun person we learned about was the chief rabbi. I had no clue that the rabbi had the power to excommunicate/ jail any jew under his jurisdiction. After the Alt we saw the synagogue built after the old synagogue and cleverly named the new synagogue. The name was later changed to the רמא named after the רמא. רמא was a very important man who created what is known as the shulhan aruch which was very similar to the maimonade's guide to the perplexed. though this would have more interpretations from the eyes of רמא. This later created competition between the two and people would argue between which one was correct. The shulhan aruch follows the pattern of judaism in history example being judaism expands and compresses over time. Are these compressions beneficial for Judaism or does this hurt our ability to further interpret jewish law because they are set in stone?
After Kazmierc we went to the krakow ghetto. We began our journey in silence over the bridge and then to the chair memorial. There we learned about many righteous gentiles and their actions that helped the jews to survive. One man by the name of kaddosh tadeusz pankiewicz stuck out to me. He was pharmacist who had his shop on the outskirts of the ghetto. unlike some of the other ghettos the krakow one lived in a very german area. Pankiewicz would sell drugs to the jews for health and the germans allowed it because they did not want sickness to leak out from the ghetto walls. By selling drugs to the jews they could be healthy and continue their lives in any way they could. Do you think Pankiewicz sold drugs to the Jews out of the goodness of his heart or do you think he did it for self gain. We later took a small walk to Shindler's factory. Dsaul then gave us a brief history lesson about the jews of Denmark and how so many of them were saved by the Danish government. I left with more respect for Denmark and overall I thought it was a great way to end the day.
As methods for practicing Jewish law I think that the guides such as the Schulchan Aruch are incredibly valuable because they give us clear guidelines of how to follow Halakha. It's important to note that they are guidelines. We always have the individual power to create our own interpretations of Jewish law and to follow it in our own ways. Guides are just that: guides. There is no inherent holy power in them, only in the Tanakh.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there is any question that Pankiewicz was helping the Jews for any other reason than him being a Mensch. The risks that he took to help the Jews right on the Umschlagplatz outweigh any personal gain taking pitiful fees from starving Jews. If he was caught giving information to the Jews there is no doubt that he would be taken on the next train to Treblinka. I think what he did could only come from the goodness of his heart.
-Noah Arnold
I don't think the fact that the laws are written down means that all interpretation is settled and set in stone. Even in the american judicial system we see that although the laws are written down, they are not necessarily all obeyed the same way. Also we see in reform Judaism that we can all still practice freely and in our own way.
ReplyDeleteI do think, however, that Pankiewicz was merely trying to help Jews because he put himself severely at risk with everything he did. I don't see why one would take this risk for the sole reason of self gain. I think he is a hero and i admire everything he did to help the jews.
I don't think writing things down set them in stone, I agree with both Noah and Celia, saying that the Schulchan Aruch is a guideline, and that means you can interpret those instructions as you see fit. I also agree with them on the motives of Pankiwicz. The risk of being caught far outweighs the benifits of having Jewish customers. Pankiewicz knew this, and this makes him a good person for helping even so.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that this hinders Judaism. Just because something is written down that doesn't mean that it can't change. Going along with that it also means that you don't need to follow what is written. This is one of the reasons why I love reformed Judaism. You get to choose which rules to follow and adapt written ones to fit your life.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Jewish law is written down does not change the fact that Jews love to argue. The law has always been open to interpretation, and having it written down just means that it's easier to refer back to a concrete source during lengthy arguments.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of Pankiewicz, I believe that he acted out of the goodness of his heart and that he acted justly and righteously. The amount of danger he put himself in had to have outweighed any benefit to himself, and having accepted that willingly, you have to say that Pankiewicz was simply a mensch.
I don't think that law being written down hinders or effects the progression of Judaism at all. Like Jacob, I think it can still be argued and discussed just as much. With the pharmacy, I don't think there's anyway that putting yourself at such high risk is possible when you're just trying to make money. I think that what he was doing was purely out of the kindness of his heart, and he was just trying to help the Jews live.
ReplyDeleteAll of the laws being written down feels very final when first thought about, but it really doesn't completely stop the hanging in Judaism and is laws. The American Constitution was written down an we have made many amendments for that document as our country has grown and changed. I believe Pankiewicz's story is like a mini version of Schindler's. Maybe at first, he did it for monetary gain, but when he realized his impact on the Jewish people he realized the real importance of what he was doing.
ReplyDeleteI don't reckon that written law is any more important than spoken law and nor it it set in stone, it's open to interpretation. Like many other situations, there are ways and things going around written pieces of importance which may I add are still fully on the table for debate. Also with the pharmacy I think everything he did for the Jews heavily outweighs his own personal gain so that being said, I think he was just being a mensch.
ReplyDeleteI think Judaism is about growing and becoming better. Jewish history is being built everyday, and the students in 5 years from now will have a different Jhis class because it is always growing. I also believe that more will be added into the amidah in the next 100 years commemorating the shoah.
ReplyDeleteI don't that writing down the laws runs or differentiates the meanings of the laws. Just because the laws are written down doesn't mean they lose any sort of meaning I think that writing down these laws is a good thing because it allows the Jewish people to "pick and choose" which laws they want to follow and which they don't see as necessary.
ReplyDeleteI think compressions hurt our ability to interpret because they are set in stone. I think Judaism is very much about questioning, and if everything is set in stone, how are we supposed to be able to question and receive answers? I think Pankiewicz sold drugs to Jews for both his own benefit and the benefit of the Jews. I think that he truly cared enough to save the lives of the Jews, but also had the motivation of his own self gain to back his actions.
ReplyDelete-Rachael Coleman
I believe that the entire concept of compressing and expanding Jewish law over time denies the fact that Jewish law is set in stone. Jewish law changes, and I think that writing down the oral law at one period in time is very valuable for historical reference and to remember our past. I think that no matter how often oral law is written down, it will continue to change.
ReplyDeleteBecause Judaism has changed and will continue to change over time, I don' think that anything is set in stone. I think that Jewish law can be interpreted in many ways which is why Judaism is special. I believe that the actions of Pankiewicz were purely made to help the Jews survive in the ghetto. He put himself at a high risk by helping the Jews and made that decision out of the goodness of his heart.
ReplyDeleteI believe that oral law in Jewish tradition, no matter how many times it is written down it will always be subject to change. Evolution is inevitable so to say that Jewish law is set in stone it is impossible. I also believe that Pankiewicz sold the Jewish people medication because he truly felt the need to help his people and he knew that by staying in business he could bring in and out information that was greatly needed for survival.
ReplyDeleteAny guide to practicing Judaism is valuable. For a guides is never set in stone, it is only there to help you complete your journey. So a guide to Judaism is only there to help you with your own Judaism and help pick you back up when you fall and make mistakes.
ReplyDeleteI believe he sold the Jews medicine in order to help them while they face a horrible death. I believe he wanted to help as many Jews he could due to his knowledge that Jews are people like any other people and to commit such atrocities on them- or anyone at all- is horrendous and should be stopped. So since he could not stop it, I believe he did what he did in order to save anyone he can.