Letters to the Editor

Sir,

In the article “And Dinah the Daughter of Leah Went Out,” by Gilad J. Gevaryahu (Issue XXXVII:2 – April-June 2009), mention might have been made of the word vateze in Judges 4:18 describing Jael. As was the case with Dinah and with Leah, the term here also has sexual connotations (see 5:27, bein ragleha even though it is translated as “at her feet”).

Fred Gottlieb Jerusalem

AUTHOR’S REPLY:

Thanks for the comment. Indeed vateze in Judges 4:18 is an excellent parallel situation, but since Rashi does not comment on the word there, I did not use it. The same applies to Judges 4:22. I agree that it has the sexual connotation, especially based on Judges 5:27, but again Rashi is silent there, and so I could not use it to advance my understanding of Rashi.

Gilad Gevaryahu Bala-Cynwyd, PA

Sir,

“Koheleth and Goethe’s Faust” by Isaac Rosenberg (Issue XXXVII:2 – April-June 2009) is highly interesting. Years ago, I held a conference on the same topic, but I came to different conclusions. Instead of finding “the same theme and the same basic idea,” I see a fundamental difference in aim and problem setting, Goethe representing the Hellenistic science-orientated views of the world and Koheleth the Jewish ethical one.

When it comes to evaluating a piece of art it is always necessary to consider the time and place from which it stems. Goethe lived at the beginning of modern technology (1749-1832); his generation was drunk on the perspectives opened by the discoveries of the previous century. For the first time in human history, machines supplied energy and made its use independent of wind, water, and muscular force; the basic discoveries of chemistry, physics, and astronomy changed the comprehension of the universe and challenged religion. There was a belief that in the near future everything could be known and done.

Reflecting this genius of the period, Faust in the opening verses of his monologue, after despairing of the uselessness of what he has learned, longs to know “was die Welt im Innersten zusammenhält” (what holds the world together at its core). This is a scientific question, not an ethical one. His pact with Mephistopheles is that the devil will serve him as long as he is striving, and will win his soul only if Faust says “Verweile doch! du bist so schön” (Stay! thou art so fair). In contrast to this, Koheleth is satisfied with modest pleasures and does not strive for unlimited knowledge. There is no pact, no devil, and no damnation in Koheleth.