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Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, an unclassifiable personality

The Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz is known worldwide for his translated edition of the Babylonian Talmud. First Hebrew (Talmud is mostly in Aramaic), then in English, Russian, English and French of course.

He was in Paris this week to celebrate the release of a new volume translated into French: the Treaty Makoti. Sunday, October 25, he participated in a debate with Jacques Attali moderated by Rabbi Josy Eisenberg .

Jacques Attali who became the new target of fascist-nags of the Jewish Defense League and is now receiving death threats for words with which we may disagree but have partial merit to show that some institutions can not process this problem otherwise than epidermal. And perhaps that should respond more actively to attack a little unworthy of which he is currently the subject.

But this was not the issue. The idea is to consider the future of the Jewish people and Israel. Faced with this huge issue, we find the first touch of mischievous humor that we know from Adin Steinsaltz: "Finally, there are only two places where the Jewish people have problems to solve: in Israel Diaspora!

But it is also recognized audacity dare to speak when the disappearance of the State of Israel "There was in many cases the history of Jewish political independence in the Land of Israel. The kingdoms of Judah and Israel, which have both disappeared. Today the State of Israel is a new form of Jewish political independence. Nobody wants her disappearance. But if that happened, the important thing safeguard the future of the Jewish people. That is what matters and at all times. "

I would call this out-of Leibowitzo Habadnik. Near Leibowitz, which if attached great importance to the existence of the State of Israel did not make a sacred value that should idolize uncritical analysis nor cold. And if you want to save something that is dear to us, it becomes fundamental to imagine that something can disappear one day if we do not create the conditions for its sustainability.

Habadnik (movement of Chabad Lubavitch, Rabbi Steinsaltz which is very close) because it focuses primarily on the existence of the Jewish people and the belief that every Jew has, whatever its level religious practice or tradition of closeness.

On conversion, the output of Attali was less noticeable than on anti-Semitism but it is perhaps more crucial, Attali believes that for the Jewish people so it must reach some critical mass he estimated at 200 million people. One way to do this: mass conversion.

To this, Rabbi Steinsaltz answers in different ways. First a little parable: "When you see a cat, you recognize a cat. If you cut your ears, you still always a cat in front of you. If you cut the legs, and is still always a cat. And so on. But when you are asked to draw a cat, you will not draw not without legs, without ears and without a mustache. For a Jew is the same. You can not ask someone who wants to become a Jew to get rid of all the characteristics that apply to a Jew, even though many "Jews by birth" would be freed "

Then by invoking the history and meets Jacques Attali, who claimed that the conversion conditions were once much less stringent than today. Prior said Rabbi Steinsaltz (say until the 19th century and in this Leibowitz joined it yet), a converted Jew who was returning necessarily in a people distinct from other peoples and accepted de facto take upon himself all the practical life of the Jewish people and especially the mitzvot. This is not the case at all today. The era is different, the conversion conditions necessarily change. Which does not intervened Josy Eisenberg, considering that the movement of stiffening conversions might have pushed the pendulum too strong and that it would be silly to reconsider.

Monday, October 26, the next day, Rabbi Steinsaltz was at the synagogue at Boulogne for the first dinner organized by the newly Association of Friends of Rabbi Steinsaltz . Very nice evening, punctuated by several interventions, including that of Rabbi about the new treaty translated into French, the treaty Makoti.

It should not be mistaken: Despite the obvious opening of Rav Steinsaltz, his interest in many things and its propensity to connect with Judaism on pedagogy, Adin Steinsaltz does not lose sight of the subversive nature of the Talmud and that c is very good news.

A small example: the treaty talks Makota said that such punishments guilty is supposed to cash it. In addition to the fines and pecuniary compensations, the Talmud knows the death penalty (although in practice its implementation is virtually excluded) and flogging.

In criminal law, the Talmud does not know the prison. And Adin Steinsaltz to justify this: "What is prison? That a person does not repeat his crime? But if someone kills his stepmother, he has no reason to start over! At what it becomes a better person? not won since the greatest villains have their main training in prisons in contact with other inmates. batons is certainly faster and more efficient. "

Obviously, this tells a humorous but showing that the study of Talmud does not support any evidence, not even that of denying judicial corporal punishment in the name of a certain "dignity" of man. And remember that more than 30 years after the publication of Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault, who was the founder in this area, places of study of the Talmud are still places where we think about what it means to "punish ". As well as how the prison and more generally the desire to monitor widespread in our modern societies have deprived of liberty not only prisoners but also each of us.

Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz is unclassifiable, but after listening to you tell yourself that the two things are truly "live" the future of the Jewish people and the ability of man to be free .