Episode 135: Reb Moshe's Struggle with the Priests Who Abused the Jews

00:00 We are continuing with the meeting between Reb Moishe, the young Rabbi Baruch’s grandfather, and the priests of Pozna, who are leveling a grave accusation against the Jews. Reb Moishe spoke clearly, with firmness and confidence. The enemies of the Jews had not been accustomed to hearing words like these for a long time. They were also surprised by how eloquently the Jew spoke, and in their own language, no less. Reb Moishe’s words made a powerful impression, and for several minutes they sat as if paralyzed, unable to say a word. Suddenly, one of the younger priests rose from his seat. His face was full of rage, his eyes flashed fire, and he seemed consumed by murderous fury. “Why do we need proof that the Jews committed this vile act?” he shouted. “It is the height of insolence for those who consider themselves the leaders of the Jews to come here and claim that the Jews are innocent, and thereby escape their obligation to atone for their crime by paying a large sum of money. Isn’t the very fact that the icon was found lying in the filth enough to accuse the Jews? Only the Jews, who crucified that man, could commit such a crime.” The two community leaders who had accompanied Reb Moishe sat in shock. They feared that the young priest’s outburst might ignite murderous fury among everyone present, with terrible consequences. But Reb Moishe remained calm and composed, with a slight smile on his lips. The other priests began showing signs of anger and talking among themselves about the Jews’ terrible insolence. “Tomorrow they’ll attack the churches,” they said to one another, “and desecrate all the objects used in Christian worship. They must be taught a lesson before that happens.” When the uproar reached its peak, Reb Moishe rose to his full height and called out in a thunderous voice, “Silence, you savages! What is all this noise you’re making?” His firm, confident voice struck the priests with dismay, and they fell silent. Reb Moishe was quick to take advantage of the silence and turned

02:44 to the head priest, addressing him in Italian, since, as mentioned, he was close to the pope. In [unclear], Reb Moishe said, “It is a disgrace for a man to go hunting when he cannot control his dogs.” He continued, “We know very well that the entire aim of those who spread these accusations, the enemies of the Jews, is to extort money from us. But let me make this absolutely clear: we will not try to bribe anyone, because this accusation is false. The Jews had nothing to do with the crime committed against the statue.” He had intended to stop there, having categorically denied the priests’ charge that the Jews had dishonored their idol’s statue. He thought that once the priests realized they could not extort money from the Jews, as he had told them, they would drop their ridiculous accusation. But so that they would not misunderstand, and so that they would see that he, Reb Moishe, was not frightened by false accusations, he explained that there were documents containing black-and-white proof of the money the Jews had handed over in previous years to line gentile pockets and keep them quiet. That evidence was in safe hands outside Pozna. His words were meant as a warning to the priests: if necessary, the evidence would be presented to the appropriate authorities, and they, the priests, would be publicly disgraced as bribe-takers. But Reb Moishe had made a mistake. The priests were brazen enough to ignore his warnings. The young priest who had erupted in anger earlier began shouting insults at the Jews. “This is a dreadful threat from the Jews, pretending they are innocent!” he thundered. “The only way to put them in their place and show them who is stronger is to attack them, give them a sound beating, and destroy their property. Then they’ll learn to stop behaving so insolently.” Waving his fist at the members of the Jewish delegation, he shouted with murderous

05:19 fury, “Your heads will be the first to be cut off. Then Christians zealous for their faith and its honor will take revenge on the Jews for the wrong they have done to their holy one.” The young priest’s words emboldened the other priests, who broke into a chorus of threats and shouts. “You’ll all be led like sheep to the slaughter, and not one stone of your homes will be left standing!” They went on in this vein. Their shouting grew louder by the moment, and their tempers flared. The stream of insults and curses swelled until one of them screamed, “Get out at once if you don’t want to be the first victims of our anger!” The younger priests even began advancing toward the community leaders with clenched fists, intending to attack them. At that point the head priest intervened and held back the inflamed young priests. He sharply condemned their unrestrained behavior, which brought disgrace upon the clergy. Meanwhile, Reb Moishe found an opportunity to speak. “We did not come here to debate matters of faith and belief,” he said forcefully. “I once said, during a debate with one of the leading cardinals in Rome, that force and violence cannot convince anyone in matters of faith. Only wisdom, reason, and sound arguments can do that. The pope himself agreed with me on this point.” These words, which the priests knew to be true, had their effect, and Reb Moishe continued. “I see no need to repeat that Judaism does not make a practice of disparaging another person’s religion or beliefs. But following what I said about the pope, I want to tell you that when I finished my debate with the cardinal in the pope’s presence, the pope extended his hand to me and promised me protection wherever I might need it.” With that, Reb Moishe took out a letter and handed it to the head priest. It was a letter on behalf of the pope, signed by one of the cardinals, expressing the pope’s appreciation for Reb Moishe’s great wisdom and learning, which he had demonstrated when he rose to defend his faith and religion. The priests stood stunned, and Reb Moishe continued. “I now intend to travel

07:53 to Rome and appeal directly to the pope to put an end to the constant, grave accusations against the Jews of Poland and Bohemia.” After a brief silence, Reb Moishe suddenly exclaimed, “If you truly wish to judge whoever dishonored the statue, the accused is standing right before you.” He pointed an accusing finger at the young priest who had incited the others against the Jews. Raising his voice, he said, “There he is. Judge him!” The priests were stunned and bewildered. Reb Moishe quickly took leave of the head priest and departed with his companions. Once outside, Reb Moishe made his two companions swear not to reveal the details of the meeting. Days passed, and the whole matter was hushed up. The gentiles stopped talking about the affront to their religion. The threats to Jewish lives ceased. The Jews of Pozna were pleasantly surprised and very much wanted to know what had happened, but they could get nothing out of the members of the delegation. They knew only that, thanks to Reb Moishe’s firm and upright stand, they had been saved from a terrible calamity. Reb Moishe and his wife Sarah had three sons and one daughter. Freida, the eldest child, was their daughter. After her came Avraham, Yaakov, and their youngest, Schneur Zalman. They engaged the best teachers to teach their sons Torah. Freida was taught only to read, so that she could daven and say Tehillim. This was in keeping with Reb Moishe’s view that girls did not need to study Torah, in contrast, of course, to the view of the hidden tzaddikim and the Kabbalists, who taught girls Torah as well. As mentioned, Reb Moishe had been raised among opponents of the teachings of Kabbalah, and he raised his children the same way. In Pozna itself, however, things were changing. The number of followers of Rabbi Yoel, the Baal Shem of Zamość, was steadily growing. Rabbi Baruch Batlan’s personality was influential in this regard. Despite his title, “Batlan,” he was not only a great Torah scholar but also a major merchant. For Rabbi

10:35 Rabbi Baruch had many character traits in common with Reb Moshe. Although Reb Moshe was an opponent of Rabbi Yoel’s chassidim, he respected Rabbi Baruch, and that in itself softened his opposition. At the same time, he kept a watchful eye on his sons to make sure they did not associate with adherents of Kabbalah. But however much Reb Moshe wanted to keep his children from falling under the influence of the kabbalists, he could not prevent their friendship with two young men their own age: Binyamin, Rabbi Baruch’s son, and Kaddish, the orphaned son of Rabbi David the kabbalist, Rabbi Baruch’s brother. These two children, Binyamin and Kaddish, had rare talents, and their reputation spread throughout Poznań. No one would have understood Reb Moshe, who was known for his great love of Torah and those who studied it, had he forbidden his sons to associate with Binyamin and Kaddish. Beyond this, there were other reasons for the ties that developed between Reb Moshe’s family and Rabbi Baruch’s, despite the great difference between their ways of life. Sarah, Reb Moshe’s wife, was exceptionally charitable. She devoted herself especially to supporting people who had lost their fortunes and poor families of various kinds, particularly families whose poverty was not known in the city. To learn about the circumstances of people in the community, Sarah befriended those who had contact with its broader population. She became especially close to Tzviyah, Kaddish’s mother. Although Tzviyah’s late husband had been a kabbalist and a follower of Rabbi Yoel Baal Shem, Tzviyah ran a sewing workshop, as we have related, and earned a comfortable living from it. Through her work, however, she always knew which families were in straitened circumstances and needed help and support. She was therefore an invaluable source of information for Sarah. Tzviyah was also a learned and righteous woman, and Sarah greatly admired her. A close friendship grew between them, and so

13:20 naturally, each knew a great deal about what was happening in the other’s home. Sarah knew a great deal about Kaddish, Tzviyah’s talented only son, while Tzviyah knew everything about Freida, Sarah’s gifted only daughter. Freida also felt drawn to the path of the kabbalists and the hidden tzaddikim. After she was not permitted to study Torah, she decided to learn sewing, even though she was the daughter of a wealthy man. At that time, the Poznań community, under Reb Moshe’s leadership, established a school where poor and orphaned girls could learn a trade. Freida decided to learn a trade there too, although the community’s prominent householders considered it beneath their dignity for their daughters to do so. Once Freida began, other girls from wealthy and distinguished families also came to learn a trade, particularly sewing. Sewing brought Freida closer to the widow Tzviyah, who, as we recall, sewed to support herself and her son. It also gave Freida the opportunity to befriend Rachel, the daughter of Rabbi Baruch Batlan. As the daughter of a man who followed the path of Kabbalah, Rachel was very learned: her father, Rabbi Baruch, agreed with the hidden tzaddikim and kabbalists that girls should be taught Torah. Gifted as she was, Rachel excelled in her studies. Still, she wanted to learn a trade as well, and so she came into close contact with Freida, even though Freida had very little education. In this way the two families grew closer, and although they belonged to opposing camps, Rachel and Freida met often. Divine Providence thus paved the way for marriage ties between the families. Rachel, Rabbi Baruch Batlan’s daughter, married Schneur Zalman, Reb Moshe’s younger son, and Freida, Reb Moshe’s only daughter, married Kaddish, Rabbi Baruch’s nephew. Yet despite the union of the families, Reb Moshe remained opposed to the path of

15:54 Kabbalah.