[NGFP-BookClub] Wandering dead

Tue Sep 16 23:56:45 EDT 2008

Dear Professor,

After reading the travels of Petahiya from Regensberg, it feels like a
stretch to connect his journey with the journey of the wandering Jew.
Though I can see it in a poetic way, riffing off the word wandering and
turning it around to see what other meaning it might hold.  

I'm finding it hard to get beyond the negative stereotype that the Christian
community is compelled to keep this story alive because Jews chose to remain
Jews and not become Christian- to see the "Truth".  Whether Catholic or
Protestant- when the Jews did not join in the new religion of the day, it
set in motion deep resentment and outright fury fueled by stories like this.
The fact that this story went to Finland even before Jews!  I find it a
sample of the power of stereotype and hatred.  Even if the Judaic components
were mostly eliminated, you detailed the versions that still had them as
well.  We can never know the difference between book form and oral forms,
true?  I imagine along with this story came the writings of Luther and
particular his tirades against the Jews.  I've been reading Constantine's
Sword by James Carroll and I'm sickened by how predominant and insistent
anti Jewish teachings were at play.  I wonder how his writings were received
in Finland.  While it is a great testimony that Finland and Northern Europe
retained their humanity and did not allow the Jews to be killed, in
Constantine's Sword, he demonstrates over and over how the Pope's were often
"protectors" of the Jews, opposing clergy who were advocating massacres from
the pulpit.  Because the wandering Jews prove Christianity's correctness.
This is a simplification, though it is behind my view.

You asked us about what we heard of this story growing up.  I wonder, since
you are from Finland, did you know of this story as a child?  Did you
experience anti-semitism ?

With this out of the way, I'd also like to say I found last weeks reading
fascinating.  Especially that you compared Petahiya's travels with Sefer
Hasidim.  I've never thought about the role of fabulous travelogues in
Jewish life, and finding out how it jumps into Sefer Hasidim is very
interesting.  This is a unique example.  

I wonder how much can we pay attention to the role of the statement in the
opening of the travelogue that the fabulous events are to connect us with
awe, wonder, and amazement for Hashem?  Is it really a text to promote
religious/sacred connection or just a necessary opening for audiences of the
day?  Sefer Hasidim seems really to be a text for ethical behavior and
relating to Hashem.  Interesting because it is also filled with fabulous
legend.  Is there any reason to believe that both were not looked at
literally, as truth, describing the road to Jerusalem as well as the road to
the Holy life?

Lastly, I found this story in Eli Yassif's folktale book.  It's from a
medieval exemplar collection (maybe Sefer Hasidim?)  It jumped out to me
because it seems to respond to the Wandering Jew stories from within Jewish
culture- The story is R. Akiva and the Wandering Dead- here's a synopsis
from Yassif:

On the way through a forest, R. Akiva meets a spectacularly ugly man
carrying a load of wood.  Upon questioning, the man tells him that he is a
dead Jewish man.  On account of his heinous sins, he falls short even of
Gehenna's standards, and so he must wander and collect the firewood which he
must burn each day.  He goes on to say that he left behind a wife and son ,
and that only if his son is called up to the Torah (or recites the mourner's
Kaddish) will his punishment be mitigated.  R. Akiva discovers the son and
finds that he is illiterate and teaches him.  After the boy is called up to
read from the Torah, and begins to take on Jewish precepts (full halacha?)
the dead man appears to R. Akiva and thanks him for delivering him from his
horrible torments.  

I find it interesting that the dead man walks because some deeds are too
horrible even for Gehenna (goes against even the worst offender goes for 11
months not 12!)  Confronted with an eternal wanderer by their neighbors,
perhaps here is a response.  Also, it brings it back to normative Jewish
behavior as the antidote.  And then the man is saved and is not destined to
walk for eternity!  Though he might if his son never learns.

Any thoughts?

Again, thank you for sharing this provocative material.  

Until next time,

David Arfa

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