Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 28 December 1956 — Page 3

THE NATIONAL JEWISH POST

Friday. December 28, 1956

FREEDOM OF THE PRESS

66 First Graders Contribute $13.30

Chicago Social Group

Letters must t>e typed or printed clearly double-spaced, on one side oj the page only and should txt no more than two pages tong Only letters bearing the writer’s signature and address will be printed The POST reserves the right to condense letters No material submitted to Hie POST will be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope BELIEVES SRO LANGUAGE ABOUT TEMPLE INDECENT

• Editor, National Jewish POST: It is none of my business as to what you publish in your very worthy and informative journal; but there is a limit to the kind of language which is in keeping with the dignity of certain aspects of Jewish life. Many of your subscribers In Washington are in agreement with me that Revy Balkin should have been somewhat more discreet and restrained in her language concerning Temple Em-anu-El. It should go without saying that some low estate has been reached w*hen a house of worship and its spiritual leader are included in the same category as dog tracks, races and night club shows and "tops in the hit parade."

I would venture the assertion that Rabbi Lehrman, as spiritual leader who has done so much to build this fine congregation which he heads, does not relish this kind of publicity. I do believe that a little more care should have been taken because this description of a temple of worship such as this might have its repercussions to congregations aH over the country. ABE SHEFFERMAN Washington, D.C. Editor’s Note: We have a sneaking suspicion that Rabbi Lehrman was delighted with the note in Revy Balkin's breezy new column, "Miami Casing,” describing the overflow conditions at services in his congregation.

• Editor, National Jewish POST: Enclosed please find a check for $13.30 for the Ambulance Drive Fund, from the first grades of Adath Jeshurun Sunday school, Minneapolis, Minn. The children of my class, IB, first heard about the drive late in October when we were talking about Israel in class. They immediately wanted to collect their Keren Ami for your ambulance drive. Some of the more practical children thought the other first graders would like to help, it would mean more money for the ambulance. The children are actively interested in the new State of Israel, though they are not aware of all of the political factors involved. The children brought their pennies for four Sundays and were anxious to have a weekly accounting. The idea caught the imagination of the whole Sunday school at Adath Jeshurun; therefore, the total contribution is considerably more than some 66 first graders could have collected. The children are sending along their contribution with genuine

Tells Why Jewish Months Pagan, Not Jewish

• Editor, National Jewish POST: As stated in my previous letter (NJP, Nov. 30, ’56) our socalled "Jewish" calendar is not Jewish -at all, except that we adopted it as our own. The names are a mixture of Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, and Canaanitish. As I mentioned in my previous letter, one will look in vain for mention of the name of a month in the entire Pentateuch. The months are either referred to by number, the first, the second, etc., or by some event recurring each year in that month, as "the month of ingathering," **the month of planting," "the month of ears of corn," etc. And even in the rest of the books that comprise our Bible we find only a few of the months mentioned by name. For instance, Nehemia mentions the months Nisan, Elul, and Kislev. Zachariah mentions the month Kislev by name, and Ezra tells ms "the house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar." These are the only places where the names of the months as we know them are designated as such, excepting the book of Esther, which Is a much later book and in which Nisan, Sivan, Tevet, and, of corse, Adar are mentioned. Even in Kings and Jeremiah, when they speak of the destruction of the Temple, they use only the numeral designation. And the Talmud, too, uses the names of the months sparingly. Even the tractate Sanhedrin, where they deal with intercalation of the calendar, on rare occasions do they signify the months by name. Professor Langdon, in his book, "Babylonian Menologies and the Semitic Calendar," says: "The meaning of the words borrowed by the Jews were almost entirely unknown to them." They undoubtedly did know, however, that Tammuz (Dummer Zi) was a Sumerian-Baby-lonian deity, for in the book of Ezekiel we get a glimpse of what Tammuz was. For Ezekiel cried out: "Behold the women uit weeping for Tammuz. Hast thou seen this son of man! Thou shalt see yet greater abominations than these.” Who was this God Tammuz and how did the Semties obtain the names of the months Tammuz, Ab, Elul? It is possible

they inherited them from a primitive Semitic race who invaded Mesopotamia from Syria and Canaan, when they founded the kingdoms of Babylonia and Assyria in the 24th century. Our authority, however, feels "this seems incredible in view of the fact that these names express the salient feature of the Sumerian myths and cults in these months." The Sumerians celebrated the death of their god Tammuz (the god of pastures and flocks) who perished in the summer sun. In the second month, Eyar (Airu) Tammuz was married to the \ virgin Ishtar and in the fourth month he (Tammuz) descended into hell. The Sumerians broke bread at the funeral feast of their god and in Ab (Abu) they were burning torches for him and for the souls of the dead. The fire gods descended from heaven. Tlie heroes of the courts of the nether world ascended by the gates on the ninth day. In Elul (Elulu) the sixth month, there was puricifcation of the virgin Ishtar. The Sumeriaii word Elulu meant "purification”; also in Babylonian “to shout for joy," inasmuch as the month represented the resurrection of Tammuz. Thus did Tammuz. Ab Elul form a cycle of the dying god Tammuz, his resurrection, and the purification of the virgin Ishtar. One of my authorities says: "When the Jews borrowed the word Av for the fifth month, they must have known what the word meant. Somehow', this knowledge they never passed on to their descendants." It is quite evident, however, that the rabbis in the Talmud were not aware of their meaning. As to the meaning of the other months: Nisan (Nissuni) meant "to start." lyar (Aim) from "aru," bright, or "ir," to send out, to sprout, the month of blossoming and sprouting. Sivan (Sivannu) unknown. Tishre (Tishritum) meaning "origin," "begin," "dedicate." The Canaanites began the year at this month with the feast of ingathering, OSKF. "Abib," the of-old Hebrew name for Nisan, was in reality the seventh month originally. In the Bible when

they name Abib the first month they are speaking in terms of the Babylonian calendar. Marheshvan—origin unknown. Kislev (Kislavu), Nippurian name meaning "bringing forth of braziers," showing lights in honor of the sun god at the winter solstice. Tevet (Tebetum) "to sink," "dip," probably on account of the rainy season. Shvat (Shabatu), origin unknown. Adar (Adaru), "to be dark," also meant "fire-god." Several facts revealed themselves in the course of my research. At Lagash, at Ur, at Nippur and Babylonia, the month Ab had a great significance, and culminated with the ninth of Ab, when the heroes of the nether world ascended by the gates. When I reread the story of the destruction of Jerusalem, both in Jeremiah and in Kings II, I observed that both tales were exactly the same, literally verbatim, except when the day on which Jerusalem fell was mentioned. The book of Kings places it on the seventh, and Jeremiah on the 10th. I recollect that somewhere in the Talmud a rabbi remarked: "Were I consulted, I would have placed the day of fasting on the 10th instead of the ninth day of Av." The rabbis in the Talmud, too, noted the discrepancy in the dates, for they observed that "the Temple started burning on the seventh and burned until the 10th." But they do not explain why the ninth day was selected. Then you have the story of the death of a god, his resurrection, and running parallel with this story the one about his virgin mother. No doubt another religion borrowed this concept and incorporated it in its owm. We may well surmise that both Hanuka* and Christmas are a carryover from the Nippurian "feast of lights" ceremony. The fact that both Nisan and Tishre are considered as a New Year is substantiated in.the Talmud. In fact, the tractate Rosh Hashana concedes that there are four New Years and that Tishre is the beginning of the months. I know that J will be con demned by some of your read ers as an ignoramus and an

concern and charity. They kow that there is now peace for a while in Israel, but they have indicated that they would like to have other projects for Israel, too. In the words of the first graders, we all hope for the early and successful completion of your goal. It has given many of us an opportunity to actively support the State of Israel in a very real way. MRS. STANLEY STARK 316 Oak Grove Minneapolis 3, Minn. P.S.: In this letter I have condensed the words and expressions of 22 children, whose letters were slightly illegible! • Pupils Identified With Israel's Struggle Mogen David Adorn Fund: The students of Beth Shalom religious school are happy to contribute $40 to the Mogen David Ambulance Drive. The students wished to identify themselves with our people’s struggle for freedom and set aside Hanuka, Sunday, Dec. 2, as a special Kerem Ami day. They are proud to participate in the ambulance drive and extend their wishes for a very successful campaign. EUNICE R. BARADON Principal Pittsburgh, Pa. • $20 From Sell. Son Mogen David Adorn Fund: Enclosed, please find niy check in the amount of $20, of which $5 is from my son, Morris Myers. His money is for not being able to fast on Yom Kippur. The $15 is from myself. All money is to be applied to the Ambulance Fund of Israel. MRS. REBECCA B. MYERS Greensboro,, N.C.

apicarus for some of the things that I mentioned. I will plead guilty to the first, but I may have to resent the second allegation. MEYER T. LAZAR Chicago 15, 111.

TOURISTS RETURN JERUSALEM — According to the ministry of interior, 2,384 Israelis abroad returned home during November, as compared with 4,493 in October.

Contributes $35 Mogen David Adorn Fund: I am enclosing herewith a check in the amount of $35 as a contribution to the Mogen Da« vid Adorn Ambulance Fund from the Parent Lamed organ* ization of Downers Grove. This organization is a small social group made up of Jews living in the western suburbs of Chicago. They contributed to your Care packages project when you sponsored that and are now equally happy to contribute to this fund, which they consider a very worthy cause. We wish you luck in your efforts and hope it won’t be long before your goal is reached. BEN ARONSON Chicago 14, 111.

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