The Phoenix Jewish news., 1963-09-06
Jewish Book Corner
HeScheI Makes
Prophets Live

does not get TO the heart of what
he really said. DIR. Heschel wrote
this book because he wanted to
study the prophets, not as an ex-
ternaI Interpretation of a theo-
lOgy foreign to the prophets
mind, but to speak out of the in
ner ideas of the prophet. The au-
thor wanted to present the ideas
of the prophetic theology as the
prophet himself understood them
and dealt with them in his life.
The most important point that
our author makes is that the prop
het was a man who is deeply sensi-
tive to the evils of his time. He
was not a person to deal with the
questions of philosophy, but his
concern was for the widow the
orphan, the corruption of the mar
ket place, the evils of idolatry. He
would not take US through the mag
nificent corridors of the intellect,
but down into the dust and tragedy
of the slum. The prophet saw the
world not only as place of beau
ty; he was hurt and ScandaliZed
that the world had rejected its
moral responsibilities
HOW MAGNIFTCENTLY does
DR.. Heschel express this great
purpose of the prophet when he
says: Indeed, the sort of crimes
and even the amount of delinquen-
cy that fill the prophets of Israel
with dismay do not go beyond
what we regard as normal, as typi-
cal ingredients of social dynamicS.
To us a single act of injustice -
cheating in business, exploitation
of the poor is slight; to the prop
hets, a disaster. To us injustice is
injurious to the welfare of the peo-
pie; to the prophets il Is a death
blow to existence; to us an episode.
to them a catastrophe, threat 10
the world"
Here DIR. Heschel brings into
focus the fact that the prophets
were the strange men Of God,
who awaken within man that
deep moral earnestness 10 speak
out against injustice as the most
damaging affr0nt 90 God. The
prophets made man realize how
hypOcritical they were. how
false, how empty, and how they
failed to understand the moral
responsibilities Of their lives. The
prophet was concerned even with
the grave injustice when he cried
out In the words of Amos:
"The Lord hath sworn by the
pride Of Jacob; surely viii new
er forget any of their deeds, shall
not the land tremble on this ac-
count, and everyone mourn who
dwells In IL, and all Of ID rise like
the Nile, be tossed about and sink
again, like the Nile Of Egypt"
DR.. Heschel points out how the
prophets made us realize how little
we understand what is the right
moral comprehension of life. 1t was
through the prophets that we be-
gan to sense the depth OF misery
caused by mans failure and in
ability to act. 1t showed the terri
BILE cruelty that one man can do
to another, and all can remain Si-
lent. The prophet, however, was a
man who felt fiercely, spoke deep
ly and cried out of the fullness OF
his voice what the meaning t h
human misery can bring to human
beings. Prophecy, DR.. Heschel
says, ''iS the voice that God has
lent to the silent agony, voice to
the poor, to the profane riches OF
the world. 1t is a form of living,
a crossing point of God and man.
God is raging in the prophets
words"
The grave difference between
ourselves and the prophets is that
we do not have any language in
common. For we do not understand
the real suituation as they under
stood it. We go by a standard OF
silent modesty, but our sense OF
injustice is very timid and weak.
They spoke out with great moral
indignation, and made their voice
heard as few voices have ever
been heard. This, perhaps, is
where DR.. Heschel makes his
greatest point, that the prophets
stirred up in the hearts of men the
fact that there is God who con-
fronts man. and man who must
confront God.