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Judaism Without God?
 Judaism Without God?

Judaism as Culture, Bible as Literature

Yaakov Malkin

1
gorgias press
2009
Gorgias Press LLC, 180 Centennial Ave., Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
www.gorgiaspress.com
Copyright © 2009 by Gorgias Press LLC

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright

Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise without the
prior written permission of Gorgias Press LLC.
2009

1
ISBN 978-1-60724-341-0

MILAN
PRESS

Printed in the United States of America

To Felix Posen who turned a dream into reality
 Judaism without God Q / Yaakov Ma Ikin

Contents
Parti
Judaism as Culture
Chapter One
Judaism as Culture in Light of Secular Jewish Beliefs .... 13

Chapter Two
Basic Concepts in Judaism as Culture 21
Definitions are Essential to Dialogue • Definitions: Culture of a
People • Judaism • Jewish Works • Religion • Jewish Religion,
Free Judaism, Jewish Sources • Jewishness • Who is a Jew?
• Humanity, Humanization, Humanistic Values • Jewish Values
• Values vs. Precepts • Culture, Humanity and Their Influence on
Quality of Life • Nationality, Identity and Self-Identification -
Jewish Humanistic Education • Pluralism in Judaism • Pluralism
is not Relativism • National Unity • One History, Many Beliefs
• Judaism's Openness to the Cultural Influences of Other Peoples
• Jewish Contributions to World Culture • God as a Literary Figure
• Humanistic Atheism in Judaism • Religious and Ideological
Fanaticism • Streams in Judaism • Chosen/Choosing People
• The Secular Stream in Judaism • Secular Judaism's Inherent
Weakness • Kulturkampf

Chapter Three
Pluralism Characterizes Judaism throughout the Ages 70
History begins with the Present, A Brief History of Jewish
Pluralism • The Split in Judaism in the Hellenistic and Second
Temple Periods • Types of Pluralism in Mediaeval Judaism
• Integration into other Cultures during the Renaissance and
Enlightenment • A Variety of Works Represent Each Cultural

5
Era • Constant Change in Judaism • One Cannot Claim "Judaism
says", Just as One Cannot Claim "the Bible says" • Judaism's
Many Judaisms • All Judaisms Take Part in the Creation of Judaism
as a Culture • What do Israeli and Diaspora Jews Have in
Common? • The Main Points of Contention within Judaism
Today • Pluralism in Religious Judaism • "Normative Judaism"
Exists Only in the Eyes of Those who Believe in it • Debate in
Hellenistic and Contemporary Judaism • The Debate over the
Existence of a "World to Come" • The Basis of Judaism: Bible
or Talmud? • The Multiplicity of Religions and God Concepts
in Judaism of the Biblical Era • The Victory of the Golden Calf -
a Sign of Pluralism in Yahwist Religion • Sacrifice Culture -
an Expression of the Anxiety of Believers in a Personal God
• The Synagogue • A Revolutionary Innovation in Jewish
History • Foreign Influences on Jewish Culture and Judaism's
Contributions to World Culture • The Bible, Monotheism, the
Sabbath, the Synagogue • Jewish Contributions to World Culture
• The Effects of Mystical Mythology on Jewish Pluralism
• Polytheism and Goddesses Enter the Jewish Religion • Belief
in God as a Man in Jewish Kabbalistic Mythology • The Bible
as a Source of Inspiration for Contemporary Jewish Art and
Literature • Atheism Joins Judaism's Many Beliefs • Theogonic
Theories in Atheistic Belief since Hellenism • The Principles
of Atheism • In Israel, the Bible is Once Again the Basis for
Jewish Education • Nationhood, Humanism and Tradition in
Judaism Free from Religion • Non-Religious Humanistic Beliefs
and Values Reflected in Most Contemporary Jewish Works

Chapter Four
Humanism and National Culture 151
Humanizing and Dehumanizing Education • Education

6
• Socialisation, Culture and Personal Independence • Recognising
Israel's Jewish and Arab Identity • Internalising Equality and
Safeguarding the • Rights of Individuals and Society through
Education • Nationalistic Education - a Threat to Humanisation
• Humanistic Values • Standards for the Evaluation and Criticism
of Precepts and Laws • Humanistic Education Depends upon
Extensive Study and Social Involvement • Social Involvement
• The Role of Classical Literature • What do Classical Literature's
Sinful Characters Contribute to Humanistic Education? • Eve
and Prometheus • Developing Poetic Sensibility in Humanistic
Education • Jewish Education and the Development of Artistic
Sensibility • "I-It" and "I-Thou" Relations in Humanistic Education
• Education as a Means to Humanization • Teaching Democracy
and its Jewish Sources • Developing Linguistic Ability

Part II
The Bible as Literature
Biblical Literature and Its Role in Secular Jewish Culture

Chapter One
Approaching the Bible from the Perspective of Cultural
Criticism 185
Questions for Discussion Regarding the Roles Played by the Bible
in Judaism as Culture • Secular Jewish Beliefs Shape Secular
Jewish Approaches to the Bible • Separating the Plain Meaning
from Midrashic Interpretation • Historical Evidence in Biblical
Fiction • The Bible in Secular Education - Humanisation in
Judaism as National Culture • Fostering Poetic Sensibility and
Critical Ability • Fiction Reflects and Embodies Human Experience

7
 Chapter Two
Literary Genres in the Bible 201
Lyrical Poetry • Epic Poetry • Sagas • Rhetoric • The Philosophical
Drama • Historiography • Proverbs • Mystical literature • Short
Stories Biographies »Historical Novels
Religious, Cultural and Ideological Pluralism Reflected in
Various Works of the Bible • Two Versions of Creation: The Poem
of Creation of the Universe and the Story of God's Original Sin.
How Perceiving God as a Literary Figure Affects Approaches
to the Bible and its Place in the Moral Education of its Readers
• The Philosophy of the Prophets of Yahweh: Recognising ours
as the Sole Existing World and the Supremacy of Justice and
Charity • The Conflict between Man and God in Biblical Literature
in Light of Secular beliefs in God as a Human Creation • The
Conflict between Man and God in Biblical Literature Reflects
Man's Struggle against the Forces that Shape his Destiny • Jacob
Struggles and Overcomes his Destiny and the God who Stood
in his Way • Opposing Viewson Collective Punishment of
Wicked Kingdoms in the Book of Jonah • In Job: Who is to Blame
for the Holocaust? Its Innocent Victim or an Omnipotent God?
• Historical Evidence of the Existence of a Multiplicity of Religions
in Biblical Judaism: Separating National and Jewish Identity
• Biblical Jewish Pluralism Continues to Develop in Culture
Judaism in throughout the Ages • Spiritual Affinity for Biblical
Israel Literature in Secular Judaism and Particularly in Secular

Chapter Three
Secular Literature in the Bible 259
Song of Songs: A Secular Masterpiece Arbitrarily Distorted
by Midrashic Interpretation • The Independent Status of
Midrashic Literature

8
 Chapter Four
Individual Interpretation at every Reading and Peshat as
the Common Denominator for All 274
Peshat in the Hellenistic Era - Greek and Aramaic Translations
of the Bible • The Advantages of Reading the Bible as Literature
and the Danger of Giving Biblical Criticism Exclusive Rein
• The Danger of Appending Semiological Midrash to Biblical
Literature Like the Danger of Appending Religious Midrash
•The Role of the Bible in Judaism as Culture, Past and Present
• Rebellion against God, The Basis of Man's Humanity

Chapter Five
God and Moses
Literary Protagonists that Became Historical Figures,
Leaders of the First Struggle for Liberation and Causes of
the Suffering it Entailed 297
Introduction: God and Moses • Literary Protagonists that Became
Historical Figures • Developing the Character of Moses as a
Living and Unique Literary Figure • Narrative Style • Recounting
Events that Make up Jewish History • Moses' Perception of the
Divine as Precursor to that of the Philosophers and Atheists
• The God of Moses: Abstract Concept and Personified Literary
Protagonist • Yahweh: Source of Morality and Violator of its
Principles, Liberator and Would-be Destroyer of His People
• A Literary Work Describing the Process of God's Invention
• The Religion of Israel as Opposed to the Israelite Religions of
the Biblical Period, and their Convergence in the Hellenistic
Era • Anti-Semitism in the Hellenistic Era • AReaction to Jewish
Profession of the Mosaic Religion as a Unique National Faith
• Insurrections against Moses and the Cost of Freedom in Light
of a Reasonable Account of Historical Events • The Dramatic

9
Conflict between the Victims of Liberation and the Liberators
• Moses and his God • The Unique Personalities of Moses and
Yahweh as Revealed in their Biographies and in Descriptions
of the Roles they Played in Historical Events • Correlation
between the Exodus Story and the Historical Background that
Arises from Scientific Research.

10
 Parti

Judaism as Culture
 JtuiaismWitfwutQocCB /'JaaH^vMa[%in

Chapter One
Judaism as Culture in Light of Secular Jewish Beliefs
Secular Jews believe in the freedom to choose one's own path
in Judaism and in freedomfromreligious authority,fromthe obligation
to observe religious precepts, and from exclusively religious
interpretations of the Bible, holidays, tradition, and all of the
works of Jewish literature created within all streams of Judaism.
Prevailing beliefs among secular humanistic Jews support
the perception of Judaism as a culture rather than a religion:

• Belief that Jewish national identity is determined by

membership in the Jewish People, regardless of a person's religion.
Jews are members of the Jewish nation, whether by birth or choice.
Their Jewishness is expressed in their awareness of their national
identity, just as others are aware of theirs - just as Englishmen
or Frenchmen, for example, are aware of their respective national
identities - as members of a people and participants in its culture.
• Belief that joining the Jewish People does not require religious
conversion. One joins the Jewish People by joining a Jewish family
or community, in a personal process, requiring no religious or other
ceremony. That is how men and women have joined the Jewish People,
from Biblical times to the present.
• Belief in humanistic values in keeping with Hillel's principle:
"that which is hateful to you, do not unto others". Such values
are essential to our humanity and to the existence of humanising
society. Humanistic values are means by which one may evaluate
and prefer specific behaviour and laws, and are based on belief
in man as the source of authority, creator of commandments
and laws, creator of God.
• Belief in humanistic values and humanisation as a supreme

13
value. It is by these values that secular Jews - free from religion
and religious authority - judge all laws, religious precepts, regimes,
individual and group behaviour. The morality of an individual -
the internalisation of humanistic values - stems from her/his
humanisation within society: through family, community
and culture.
• Belief that man's humanity is associated with her/his nationality -
since the humanisation process occurs within the family,
community, society, national language and culture. There is no
such thing as a supra-national culture. Every nation lives
among a group of nations and cultures, and every national culture
is influenced by, and is an integral part of, international culture.
Jewish studies should therefore be combined with study of the
cultures within which Judaism took shape and within which
Jews have lived.
• Belief in the freedom to choose the way in which Jews realise
their Jewishness and their Judaism. Jews are not the "chosen
people", but they are a "people of choice", inasmuch as they are
a people whose members must choose the way in which they
wish to realise their Jewishness - in one of Judaism's many
Judaisms - and the lifestyle and education that reflect that choice.
• Belief in "Judaism as culture" that includes religion but is
not equivalent to it, contrary to the belief that Judaism is exclusively
a religion. Belief in Judaism as culture affects one's attitude to
democracy and the separation of religion and state, and is a
determinant factor in policy, humanistic education and choice of
Jewish texts. The culture of the Jewish People includes the Jewish
religion in all its forms - Sadducean, Pharisaic, Orthodox, Reform,
Conservative, Hassidic, Messianic and others. "Judaism" is not
identical to any one of them. Judaism has always included many
different Judaisms. Today, these beliefs are widely held in the largest

14
 JtuiaismWitfwutQocCB / 'JaaH^v Ma[%in

of Judaism's Judaisms - the various streams of non-religious Judaism.

• Belief in God as a literary figure is common to many Jews,
who believe that Yahweh, like the gods of all peoples, was created
and fashioned by men and women in the ancient literature of the
culture of the Jewish People. Like other literary figures in this body
of literature - Moses, David, Jeremiah - God/Yahweh is an active
force in Jewish culture, and in the consciousness of religious
Jews who believed and believe in his existence beyond literature.
In secular Jewish culture, God continues to function as a literary
figure, in works that evoke an intellectual and emotional response
in readers even if they do not believe in an immanent or a
transcendent god, or in God as a figure of authority, whose
commandments must be obeyed.
• Belief that Jews realise their Jewishness in fulfilling their
obligations to society and in participating in the culture of their
people runs counter to the belief that Jewishness can be realised
only in observance of the halakhic precepts. Many of the prophets
believed that social justice was preferable to ritual observance -
sacrifice and prayer. There is no equivalence between Jewishness
and Jewish religiosity, and most Jews today are "non-religious"
as the term is understood in the Jewish religion: they do not observe
precepts and prayers, do not belong to a synagogue, do not send
their children to religious schools, do not obey the rulings of rabbis,
and do not vote for religious parties.
• Belief that the Jewish religion exerts only a marginal influence
on the culture and lives of most Jews today. In Israel, religious
parties have a significant impact on the character of the country,
through participation in government coalitions. The Jewish
religion, in all its streams, exerted a decisive influence on the
culture of the Jewish People until the nineteenth century - periods
in which religion was a powerful force in the lives and cultures

15
of all peoples. The impact of religion on the lives of most Jews
has been on the decline ever since the late nineteenth century,
and in the early twenty first century it plays only a minor role
in their lives.
• Belief that the Bible is the basis of Judaism and the only
element common to all Judaisms runs counter to the belief that
the Talmud and Halakhah are the source and foundation of
Judaism. The biblical anthology comprises a variety of literary,
historiographical, legal, philosophical, rhetorical and poetic
(religious and non-religious) works, representing the culture
of the Jewish People in its formative period. Jewish culture at
this early stage, as reflected in the Bible, was rife with tension
between clashing religious streams and beliefs, such as the
cult of Yahweh as an abstract and exclusive deity, or the cults of
the calf, Baal and Ashtoreth.
• Belief that pluralism has characterised Jewish culture
throughout history in the spirit of the pluralism we find in biblical
Judaism. In every era, Judaism's many streams have produced
a variety of philosophical, literary and artistic works - such as
mysticism and rationalism in the Middle Ages, Hassidism and
Haskalah in the Modem Era, or today's religious and secular streams.
• Belief in the universality of humanistic values, whereby
" Yahwistic values" are universal values in Jewish form. Hillel
characterised his "meta-value" as "the entire Torah", since it
encapsulated the universal humanistic values expressed in the
Commandments and the Prophets: the preference of social justice
over religious ritual. These values coincide with, and complement
those of Kant, who asserted that only a universal value can be
considered moral, and that every person is an end and not a means.
• Belief that there have been, and continue to be anti-humanistic,
tendencies within Judaism - racism and chauvinism - the sources

16
 Judaism without Qodfi /<yaal{gv'Maflqn

of which can also be found in the Bible and later Jewish literature.
Anti-humanistic principles run counter to the principle of Hillel,
inasmuch as they discriminate against women, treat non-Jews
with contempt, and advocate the killing of vanquished peoples,
including women and children (as in the books of Deuteronomy,
Joshua and Samuel).
• Belief in pluralism not only as a characteristic trait of Jewish
culture, but as a guiding principle in the development of Jewish
thought and Halakhah. The talmudic principle of "both [opinions]
are the words of the living God" expresses recognition of the
legitimacy of debate, and its indispensability in the search for
truth. Every debate encourages and develops the reciprocal
criticism that helps define the concepts and issues at hand. Another
talmudic concept is that of "teku" - concluding a particular debate
with the admission that some questions have no answer, and some
debates are irresolvable.
• Belief that Judaism is not an ideology, but a process. Halakhah
was never a fixed constitution, but an evolving, dynamic system,
shaped by its human creators in a process of constant reform -
continuing to this day in those streams that adapt liturgy, ritual,
customs and precepts to their beliefs and changing circumstances.
Such was the practice of the sages of the Oral Law, contrary
to the orthodox religious-sacerdotal Sadducees.
• Belief in the principles of democracy, including decision by
majority, and safeguarding minorities and their views. This belief
also finds validation in the talmudic culture of majority decision.
Since no man can speak in God's name, it was believed, the power
of decision was granted to a human majority. Some even went so
far as to assert that when a human majority contradicts divine
will - it is the human majority that takes precedence (as in the
story of Akhnai's oven). At the same time, minority opinions must

17
be preserved, because they might prove right some day (according
to Rabbi Judah).
• Belief in human rights and democratic values coincides with
the principles declared in Israel's declaration of independence.
Israel's Basic Laws - cornerstones of its future constitution -
continue to develop Halakhah, in keeping with Jewish tradition's
openness to change. Such laws, along with the separation of
powers - that together form the basis of democracy in the Jewish
state - could bring about a re-examination and abrogation of all
anti-humanistic halakhic precepts; precepts that discriminate
against the female half of society for example, or against religious
minorities such as the Reform or Conservative movements, or
others, like the deaf, children of halakhically illicit unions
(Mamzerim), or those forbidden to marry.
• Belief in Judaism's openness to the cultural influences of
other peoples, which has characterised Judaism in all eras, contrary
to the belief in spiritual ghettos, perpetuated by limiting education
to traditional halakhic literature. This openness has stimulated
the creation of original Jewish works from biblical times to the
present, enriched Judaism in each and every period of its history,
produced generations of highly educated Jewish intellectuals with
a command of many languages and cultures, and enabled Judaism
to influence other cultures in turn, through the monotheistic
faiths it inspired.
• Belief in the revitalisation of the Sabbath, historical holidays
and personal celebrations, as part of the lives of Jews free from
the religion of Halakhah. This process of revitalisation and change
is one that all Jewish holidays have undergone - from biblical times
to the present. Witness the hundreds of new Passover haggadot created
within the various religious and secular streams of contemporary
Judaism. Religious holidays that developed from sacrificial and

18
 Judaism. Without Qod Q / Jaai(ov'3\{alk,in

nature festivals intended to placate God, are today, in secular Judaism,

national and historical holidays without religious significance.
• Belief in the uniqueness of the Jewish People - unique like
all other peoples. Peoples are unique not only in their characteristics,
but in their very definition. The definition of the Swiss is unlike
that of the Welsh, American or Jewish. Just as the biography of
an individual defines her/his personality, so the individual history
of a people and its culture simultaneously defines it and sets it apart.
• Belief in a single national historical legacy, common to
adherents of both religious and areligious beliefs. This consciousness
of a common history and heritage, distinguishes Judaism from
peoples who share a single religious faith (Catholic, Protestant,
Shiite, Sunni. etc.), but come from diverse national-historical
backgrounds (French and Italian, Norwegian and German, Egyptian
and Iranian etc.). This distinct characteristic allows Jews to continue
celebrating historical holidays even after they have lost their
religious significance, and to study Judaism as culture and
history - including religion - even if they are not religious, but
are conscious of their living national culture and heritage.
• Belief that Zionism is the national liberation movement of
the Jewish People, and unique among national liberation
movements. Zionism strove to liberate Jews from a state of national
inferiority - living as tolerated or persecuted minorities - and from
the influence of anti-Semitic movements - the moderate to the
murderous, past and present. As a fundamentally secular movement,
Zionism sought to liberate Jews from the control of Jewish religious
leaders, who sought to perpetuate exile, passively awaiting the
coming of a divine messiah. Zionism succeeded in its goal of
establishing a Jewish state for all Jews who desired - or were
forced - to immigrate to it. The foundations for a state had been
laid before the Shoah, and the need for it discovered in its wake.

19
 • Belief in the peace process as a precondition for the success
of Zionism. Peace with the Arab peoples, who tried to destroy
the State of Israel and its people before having begun to accept its
existence in their midst, is a precondition for the continued success
of the national liberation movement of the Jewish People. The
failure of this process could bring back dangers with which
Zionism and the Jewish state have had to contend in the past.

20
 Judaism without Qod H /'Jaaf;ovMaii^ïn

Chapter Two

Basic Concepts in Judaism as Culture

Definitions are Essential to Dialogue
The definition of a concept is a description of the role we assign
to the word that designates it within the context of a particular
discussion. A description of the fundamental concepts in secular
Jewish discourse and their meanings can facilitate dialogue
among secular Jews, and with members of other Jewish streams.
Key concepts in discussions of Judaism include: culture,
religion, Judaism, Jewish works, Jewish sources, free Judaism,
Jewishness, humanity, humanism, humanisation, humanistic
education, Jewish religion, cultural level, values, Jewish values,
national culture, national identity, nationalism and racism,
pluralism in Judaism, national unity, God as a literary figure,
openness to foreign cultures, and chosen/choosing people.
Humpty Dumpty was right of course, that words mean just
what we choose them to mean. Wittgenstein was alsorighthowever,
that without agreement regarding the roles we assign to words in
conversation, we would never be able to understand one another,
since "meaning" is merely the agreed role played by a word in a
given discourse. (Words are like "pieces" in a game, the "meaning"
of which we determine when we describe the rules of the game
and the roles played by the various pieces - which will assume
different meanings, or roles, depending on whether the game
is chess or checkers, for example.)
It is thus essential that we define and clarify the meaning of the
concepts we employ in a specific discussion, since key concepts
can be understood in many different ways.
The following chapters offer definitions - descriptions of the
roles and meaning - of concepts, as they are understood by many

21
secular Jews, in discussing their Judaism. Such definitions may play
a key role in the promotion of dialogue, based upon a shared meaning
of basic concepts, even when the parties hold differing views.
"Definition" also means restriction, placing a fence around the
meaning of a word, to keep all other meanings out. Every definition
reflects prior assumptions, in accordance with one's beliefs
regarding a given topic. The definition of Judaism as culture for
example, is at odds with the definition of Judaism exclusively as
a religion, because it extends the fence of meaning of the concept
of Judaism. Jewish culture is more than a system of religious precepts.
It is the sum total of creative works, phenomena and customs -
religious and not religious - that together constitutes the spiritual
environment in which members of the Jewish people are raised.

Definitions: Culture of a People

We use the term culture in reference to a particular group, including
the Jewish People, in the sense of a unique composite of lifestyle,
language, founding works of art and literature, common historical
and spiritual heritage, shared holidays and symbols, traditions and
ongoing development. A cultural composite of this kind can be the
mark of a specific community, national society, or group of nations.
Since there are many Judaisms in Judaism, each with its own
culture, we distinguish between "national culture" shared by the
entire people, and the culture of a specific community (e.g.
Yemenite Jewish culture or American Jewish culture) or stream -
secular Jewish culture or Haredi Jewish culture, for example.
Israeli Jewish culture is unique among Judaism's cultures: while
diaspora Judaisms differ from one another in the extent to which
they have integrated into the culture of the lands in which they
reside, Israeli Jewish culture develops as an independent national
culture, influenced of course by western and eastern cultures,

22
 Judaism. Without QodB /'Jaai(ov•Mail<in

but living within neither. The uniqueness of Israeli Jewish culture

stems from the revival of Hebrew as a spoken and creative
language, coupled with the encounter between diverse Jewish
cultures that developed in dozens of lands and cultures.
Every national culture bears an affinity to the culture of a
particular group of nations: western or eastern culture, for example.
Familiarity with the culture of a given people would thus also
entail familiarity with the cultures that have influenced it in the
past and the present. Religion is one of many aspects of culture.
Its influence often dominates all areas of cultural activity, as was
the case in Jewish culture prior to the 18 th century; and sometimes
its influence is very minor, as in the case of 20th century Judaism.
We distinguish between "cultuiie" and "civilisation", or in the words
of Buber (Penei Adam): Civilisation is the intellectual shaping of
scientific, practical and utilitarian order, and the concrete realisation
of that order through government and other instruments. Culture
is the movement of the human soul for the sake of its expression,
desire, and attempt to give form to its essence. Before this movement,
all things are merely substance without form. Its creations are the
ephemeral symbols perceived as the soul's truth. Unlike civilisation,
culture cannot be accumulated, it must be created anew in each
generation, its products not a means to an end, but an end in
themselves, their own meaning, with which they imbue life. Culture
provides the forms with which man shapes himself, employing the
materials and traditions afforded by the society in which he lives.
In the masterpieces that represent a given culture we find
expression of the isolation and uniqueness of their creators and
of man in general.
Creativity and tradition are the two faces of culture. It is only
together that they possess cultural value.

23
 Judaism
The term Judaism describes the pluralistic and evolving culture
of the Jewish People, including its religion and various streams,
and is not synonymous with Jewish religion in any of its forms.
The history of Judaism is the history of the culture of the Jewish
People, including the development of its religious and secular
streams, and the religious and secular works of art and literature
it has produced in all eras.
In the twentieth century, a majority of the Jewish People
resided among the peoples of Europe and America, whose
cultures underwent processes of extreme secularisation. Rapid
secularisation rendered the greater part of Judaism a "secular
culture" - free from the religion of Halakhah. Most Jewish works -
"Jewish sources" - created over the past century, are products
of non-religious Judaism.
Zionism and the development of the Israeli cultural and political
entity were a turning point in twentieth century Jewish history
and culture, even before the establishment of the State of Israel.
The development of Judaism in Israel began to exert an influence
on all of Judaism's Judaisms. Late twentieth - early twenty first
century "Judaism" differs in both essence and character from
biblical Judaism (from the period of wanderings to the return
from exile in Persian times), Hellenistic Judaism (from the
conquests of Alexander and the Maccabean wars to the completion
of the Bible and the Mishnah), Byzantine and mediaeval Judaism,
Judaism of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, Judaism in
the age of emancipation and the ninteenth and twentieth centuries.
The most significant differences between late twentieth - early
twenty first century Judaism and past Judaisms pertain to changing
attitudes toward religion and national identity and the relationship
between the two, the disbanding of traditional communities, and

24
 JiidaismWitfwut§oc(B / 'Jaa({ov 'j\(ati{in

attitudes to the spiritual and cultural centre developing in Israel.

As early as the ninteenth century, Judaism began to be perceived
as the culture of a people, rather than a religion. In western Europe,
the "Wissenschaft des Judentums" ("Science of Judaism")
developed in Jewish intellectual circles, with the objective of
studying the culture of the Jewish People. From that time until
the present, images of the historical circumstances of past Judaisms
have undergone constant change. The scholarship, thought and
creative work produced during this period, free from the religion
of Halakhah, have cast past Judaism in a new light.
Israeli Judaism, secular for the most part, produces an
unprecedented wealth of art and literature, engages in intensive
Jewish educational activity encompassing the majority of Jewish
youth in the world today, and possesses the largest number of
Jewish institutions of higher learning, the greatest concentration
of research institutions and scholarship, Jewish publishing houses,
Jewish theatres, Jewish film and television production companies.
As this development gains momentum, and the experience and sheer
quantity of works produced in Israel grows, so does the impact
of secular Israeli Judaism on all Judaism throughout the world.

Jewish Works
Jewish works are works that are influenced by the Jewishness
of their creators or join the body of works that play a role in the
Jewish cultural life of a particular period or stream within the
Jewish People.
The culture of a people is represented in its unique works,
sometimes adopted by other peoples as part of their own body
of classical works (for example: the Iliad, Oedipus Rex, the
Bible, Shakespeare).
Selections of Jewish works constitute "Jewish sources",

25
representing specific periods in Jewish history. The selection of
works included in the biblical anthology are a sample, representing
the culture of the Jewish People in its formative period, and its
history - as reflected in its collective consciousness and memory.
Since religion was the dominant element in the culture of ancient
Israel - as in other cultures of the time - most works in the biblical
anthology attest to the religious beliefs of their authors. In the
process of the Bible's compilation and redaction, secular works
such as Song of Songs and Esther - in which the authors make
no reference to God - were also included.
The Jewish works of the Bible - mostly in Hebrew, with certain
passages in Aramaic - reflect the prevailing cultural and religious
pluralism within the Jewish People at that time. Its historiography,
oratory, narrative and drama, poetry and philosophy, laws and
jurisprudence, represent a broad range of streams and trends in
Jewish culture, in the realms of religious ritual, ait and literature,
holidays and ceremonies, beliefs and opinions.
Similar anthologies could represent the totality of Jewish
culture in any given period. Contemporary Judaism is represented
in Jewish poetry and narrative, drama and screenwriting,
philosophy and academic research, historiography, jurisprudence,
painting and sculpture, music, theatre and film - in all of the
languages of the countries in which it is produced.

Religion
Religion is one form of culture: an aggregate of rituals, precepts
and beliefs. Religion generally includes belief in either an immanent
or a transcendent supernatural deity, who is the source of authority
and author of religious precepts - both moral and immoral. Most
religions credit God with the ability to punish or reward as he
sees fit, or in keeping with the instructions of those who purport

26
 Judaism Without Qod B / 'Yaai(ov 'Ma.Clq.n

to speak in his name. Members of most religious communities

believe in those who speak in God's name, as if invested by them
to serve as God's representatives, and to mediate between them
and the divine - figures such as priests, clerics, prophets, etc. Most
religions require members to show loyalty to their institutions and
leaders, provide for theirfinancialsupport, obey all of their commands,
and defend them and their authority against all who oppose them.
Obedience to religious leaders often assumes extreme forms -
like obedience to the Pope, whom many Catholics believe
infallible; or obedience to rabbis, on the part of political leaders
or democratically elected parliamentarians. Obedience to a
religious leader or rabbi, who acts independently of those chosen
by the public to be its legislators, undermines the democratic
principle by virtue of which they were elected.
Religion generally encourages fear of punishment or
expectation of reward in the hereafter, or of supernatural beings
and unexpected phenomena, present beyond the perceptible world.
At the same time, most religions cultivate a sense of superiority
to members of other faiths, and to those they consider irreligious.
Religious leaders often believe they have the right or duty to
impose the laws of their religion upon those who are not religious,
members of other religions, or those who merely espouse beliefs
different from their own.

Jewish Religion
The Jewish religion comprises many different streams that, in
one fashion or another, observe the halakhic precepts. These streams,
such as the Conservative and Reform majority and the Orthodox
minority, contrast and clash with one another. What all Jewish
religious streams have in common is the observance (according
to various approaches) of the halakhic precepts, prayer and

27
blessings to God, study of ancient Jewish religious texts, belief in
a common heritage contained in the Bible, and in most cases -
synagogue membership or attendance, within the respective streams.
The Jewish religion exerted a significant influence on the
culture of the Jewish People and most of its works until about
two hundred years ago. Constant change and numerous streams
and tendencies - from the Mosaic and Aaronic currents to present-
day divisions - have been characteristic of the Jewish religion
throughout its history. Since the completion of the Bible and
the Talmud, many have tried to cast the Jewish religion as
monolithic - based on a permanent system of halakhic precepts,
according to the majority rulings found in the Talmud.
Most Jewish religious communities accepted the principle of
observance of the halakhic precepts and prayer, although
differences in customs and rites were often significant (for example:
the prohibition or permission of polygamy, liturgical variations,
differing attitudes to magic, to the Oral Law, to the Shulhan Amkh
and its commentaries). The Jewish religion as the religion of practical
precepts does not require belief in a specific divine phenomenon.
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Judaism and the
Jewish religion underwent a series of revolutionary changes, under
the influence of radical agents such as: Kabbalah and messianism,
Spinoza and Jewish philosophy, Hassidism and Mitnagdism,
Reform, Neo-Orthodoxy, Haskalah, moderate Conservatism,
radical and anti-Zionist conservatism, secular nationalist and
religious-Zionist movements.
In light of these changes, the influence of the religion of
Halakhah, fixed in hallowed tradition, diminished. In the ninteenth
century, emancipation and spiritual auto-emancipation led
to widespread secularisation among Jews, as among non-
Jewish Europeans.

28
 Judaism without QodQ /'Jaa(;ov'Maik^in

Mass immigration and the collapse of many shtetl communities

in the late ninteenth century, and the concentration of Jewish
population in the capital cities of western culture, changed the face
of religion and accelerated the secularisation process in Judaism.
The Jewish religion and the halakhic precepts underwent far-
reaching change in most Jewish religious communities in the western
diaspora. Most communities eliminated the women's gallery in the
synagogue, with some allowing women to serve as rabbis, cantors,
religious judges and halakhic authorities. Many effected liturgical
and ritual change. Members of most religious communities ceased
observing the halakhic precepts in most aspects of their lives.
Most Jews in Israel and the diaspora are not "religious", in the
sense that they do not observe the precepts of Halakhah, are not
synagogue members, are not guided by rabbis, and do not send
their children to religious schools.
In Israel, Orthodox religion has once again become a significant
force, due to the division of non-religious Judaism into two
camps - on the basis of attitudes toward the Arabs, war and
peace - and the need of both camps to win the support of the
small religious minority in order to hold power in Israeli
democracy. However, even in Israel only about 20 percent of
the population belong to religious communities - a percentage
that has remained unchanged since the state's establishment.

Free Judaism
Free Judaism is Judaism that is free from the religion of
Halakhah. It is the Judaism of secular Jews, just as Haredi Judaism
is the Judaism of the ultra-Orthodox, and Religious-Zionist
Judaism is the Judaism of the Israeli neo-Orthodox - including
some who have moved closer to the haredim, and others who
have remained moderate.

29
 Free Judaism is the largest and least structured of all Judaisms.
It consists primarily of "congregants", without congregations.
Most Jews in the world live according to its principles and share
its beliefs, but few belong to organised communities (with the
exception of the more than 200 communities of the secular Kibbutz
Movement in Israel, and some 60 secular congregations in America).
The lives of free Jews reflect their beliefs regarding the ethical
principles of human rights and obligations toward the society in
which they live and the people to which they belong. They reflect
the prerogative of humanised man to criticise, change and revitalise
tradition and shape values, which forms the basis on which to
evaluate and choose or reject laws and customs. Guided by these
beliefs, secular Jews are free from halakhic precepts of which
they do not approve, but are able to adopt customs, traditions or precepts
that pass the test of humanistic criticism; the test of ethical values that
promote the quality of life of the individual, family and community.
Secular Jews observe the Jewish traditions they find beneficial
and pleasurable, such as: Sabbath and holiday meals in the
company of family and friends, sometimes including traditional songs
and texts, modified to suit their tastes and beliefs, like the new Passover
haggadot, or haggadot for Tu Beshvat and Israel Independence Day.
Free Judaism is the Judaism of most Jews and Jewish writers
and artists in the world today. Most contemporary Jewish works
are produced within free Judaism, and become part of its culture.
Some of these works are used in its educational institutions, and
the best among them become points of reference in the discourse
of Jewishly educated secular Jews in Israel - for example, the
works of Heine, Bialik, Tchernichowsky, Alterman, Sholem
Aleichem, Agnon, Yizhar, Buber, Brenner, Chagall, Danziger,
Mahler, Bernstein and others.
Free Jewish education must strive to impart to students, the

30
 Judaism Without Qodft /'JdaH^ovMaCQn

culture of their own and surrounding peoples. Education within

the context of free Judaism will provide students with a thorough
introduction to Judaism and world culture, and to humanism
as a system of culture and universal and Jewish ethical values.

Jewish Sources
As a constantly evolving culture, Judaism's sources can be found
in Jewish works representing every period, stream and movement. In
the course of Jewish cultural development, works produced
centuries ago are employed alongside contemporary works.
In order to get to know Judaism's sources, one must look beyond
the "Jewish bookcase"; a term that has become synonymous
with talmudic and midrashic literature, purported to represent
the essence of Judaism.
Judaism's new and ancient sources reflect Jewish culture as it
has been expressed in every artistic medium. Such works were
produced in the fields of literature and philosophy, frescoes and
mosaics in ancient synagogues, painting and sculpture from the
time of the first three temples to Yahweh and the Hellenistic period
to the present, music and theatre, film and television.
In the twentieth century, the culture of the Jewish People was
enriched with more works than in all of the previous three
millennia. This wealth can be seen in the variety of works produced
in various languages and diverse Jewish cultures throughout the
world, and in their sheer quantity.
Jewish education in all Judaisms strives to impart the customs,
values, literature and art that best represent its culture in the present.
Through these things, students become acquainted with the Jewish
culture in which they are being raised. As they grow up, and to the
extent to which they are afforded the freedom to do so, they may
explore other streams of Judaism, as well as other cultures.

31
 Judaism free from the religion of Halakhah must do the same.
All study units and subjects should include selected Jewish works
produced over the past two hundred years, through which students
may become acquainted with the culture of the secular society in
which they live, and the way in which it illuminates Jewish sources
of other streams and periods that act upon and influence
contemporary Judaism.

Jewishness - Who is a Jew

"Jewishness" is a term that denotes membership in the Jewish
People. A person is Jewish because s/he was born into a Jewish
family or community and raised a Jew, or because s/he joined the
Jewish People by joining a Jewish family or community. One
may be Jewish or join the Jewish People regardless of one's
religion, or the religious or secular stream to which one subscribes.
Joining the Jewish People is therefore not contingent upon any
process of conversion.
Since the Jewish People is - like all peoples - unique not only
in its characteristics, but in its very definition, Jewishness is also
unique. Since the Roman Empire granted citizenship to members
of different nations, and since nation-states began to grant
citizenship, or "nationality" to their residents, the concepts of
"nationality" and "citizenship" have become practically synonymous.
In Israel, for example, there are today over five million citizens
who are "Israeli Jews" - alongside a million non-Jewish citizens,
including "Israeli Palestinians", "Israeli Druse" and "Israeli
Christians". The national identity of Jews and Palestinians is in no
way compromised by their being "Israeli", just as Welsh national
identity is not affected by UK citizenship, and the national identity of
French-Quebecois is not affected by the fact that they are "Canadians".
National identity, including "Jewishness", is usually not a

32
 Judaism without Qod H / 'Jaa/(ov Mai^in

matter of desire or choice. It is determined by family origin and

the process of education in national society. Only in exceptional
cases is it the result of a conscious decision - generally the decision
to join a specific family or community.

Humanity, Humanisation
Humanity is the potential within every human being; manifested
in a range of characteristics acquired by those raised in human
society - just as "wolfishness" is the quality acquired by one
raised in a wolf pack (including a human child lost among wolves).
"Humanity" is also the realisation of man's unique potential,
through humanising education in national society and the society
of nations. Man's humanity is thus contingent upon education in
national society, because there are no supra-national societies.
Humanisation entails nationalisation of the individual.
Education in national culture also entails awareness of and
openness toward the cultures of neighbouring peoples, because
all peoples live among other peoples and all cultures are influenced
by other cultures. Exceptions to the rule are isolated groups, like
the Papuan tribes discovered in Fiji.
Humanity is the sum total of characteristics acquired by man
through the process of humanisation - socialisation and
acculturation - including the internalisation of the humanistic
values that ensure the continued existence of humanising society
and constant improvement in the quality of human life.

Humanisation
Humanisation becomes the standard for the evaluation and
preference of values, education, customs and traditions, laws
and precepts.
Protagoras' assertion that "man is the measure of all things"

33
can be said to represent humanism, only when its subject is
humanistic man, i.e. one who adheres to humanistic values. A racist
or a chauvinist cannot be a measure for ethical evaluation and
preference, since the values s/he espouses ignore man's duty
toward the other and the universal, and result in the dehumanisation
of persecutor and persecuted, subjugator and subjugated alike.
The subjugation of women results in their dehumanisation and in
the dehumanisation of those who subjugate them; discrimination
against members of another people, and their enslavement leads
to the dehumanisation of both occupier and occupied.
Dehumanisation is the loss of the ability to distinguish between
good and evil - termed psychopathy in the fields of psychology
and criminology Dehumanisation is manifested in unbridled
selfishness, undermining society's ability to function as a
humanising force, so that most individuals are prevented from
realising their unique human potential.
In the long term, the dehumanisation of rulers and ruled, within
a family, people or group of peoples, will result in the disintegration
of society, its economic and political sustainability. Such has been
the case in societies - such as Nazi Germany, the USSR, Cambodia
and Iraq - controlled by selfish and psychopathic tyrants.

Humanistic Values
Values are the standard for the evaluation and preference of
behaviour and laws. They can therefore be either humanistic or
anti-humanistic.
Humanistic values are those that comply with the "meta-values"
of Hillel, "that which is hateful to you, do not unto others", and
Kant, "treat man always as an end and never as a means only;
a law cannot be moral unless it is universally valid". These three
principles are meta-values (on the basis of which other values

34
 Judaism without Qod H / Jaai{ov MaClçin

are judged and preferred or rejected), and are compatible with

one another.
Humanistic values thus include equality between the sexes and
between peoples, freedom of expression and personal autonomy,
the duties of the individual toward society and the rights of
every individual within society, the obligations of society
toward the individual, and democracy as the best possible form
of government.
The standard for evaluation and preference of values is the
humanisation process itself - since only values that promote
humanisation arc worthy of approval and preference, and those
that cause dehumanisation should be rejected.
Humanism is the belief in humanistic values and the authority
of man to establish such values and rules, in order to safeguard
the rights of all people, and create the social and educational
conditions for individual humanisation.

Jewish Values
Jewish values are universal values in Jewish form, like Hillel's
meta-value that is, in his opinion, the essence of "the entire Torah".
These values are the common element underlying Moses'
Commandments, the Prophets' preference for social justice over
ritual and prayer, Abraham's protest against the injustice of
collective punishment, and Job's outcry against those who ascribe
sin to one struck with misfortune - justifying God even when he
is in collusion with Satan.
Universal humanistic values, that promote humanisation and
quality of life, are shared by many peoples - religious and secular
Jews included. Anti-humanistic values that give rise to
dehumanisation may also be shared by religious and secular Jews.
Jewish historical and literary tradition laid the foundation for

35
values of freedom, equality and justice in making the epic of
liberation from slavery in Egypt the founding story of the Jewish
People, and the foremost justification for laws of justice (e.g. "And
if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not do him
any wrong... [he] be unto you as the home-born among you, and
thou shalt love him as thyself for ye were strangers in the land of
Egypt."-Lev. 19).
Erich Fromm, who viewed humanism as the aspiration toward
the unity andfreedomof man, saw in the exodus myth and its centrality
to Jewish culture, the basis of humanistic values in Judaism.
Humanistic Jewish values clash with anti-humanistic and racist
Jewish values; values that sanction a sense of Jewish superiority
over members of other peoples; of men over women; or the right
of Jews to murder or drive conquered peoples from their land -
as described in the book of Joshua, and advocated by some
contemporary secular and religious Jewish political parties
and individuals.
Anti-humanistic values lay behind the mass murder of
worshipers at the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs of the
Jewish nation at the hands of a murderous doctor from Kiryat
Arba, later glorified by rabbis and others. The same values led
rabbis to decree Yitzhak Rabin a "rodef' (a halakhic term for
one who poses a mortal threat to others) for having furthered the
peace process - thereby sanctioning his murder at the hands of
a religious Jewish assassin.

Values vs. Precepts

Humanistic Jewish education must bring students to internalise
humanistic "Jewish values" - identical to universal humanistic
values - and inoculate them against anti-humanistic, nationalistic
and chauvinistic Jewish values.

36
 JtuiaismWitfwutQocCB / 'JaaH^v Ma[%in

"Laws" and "precepts" differ inherently from "values", since

laws are rules that permit or prohibit certain specific behaviour,
whereas values are standards for evaluation and preference, or
rejection of laws, precepts and behaviour.
Values are shaped by humanistic or anti-humanistic belief.
Laws orprecepts are enacted by a ailing legislator or majority decision,
i.e. by human beings, under specific circumstances, and therefore
require re-examination with every change in circumstances or beliefs.
The precepts pertaining to the sacrificial cult for example, were
enacted, according to Maimonides, at a time when the Jewish
People worshiped the gods of other peoples, who believed that
their deities required nourishment and the "sweet savour" of burnt
flesh. In Maimonides' opinion, these precepts remained in force
after the religious revolution of Moses, only because of the
difficulty in eliminating any customary practice - even one based
on a discredited belief. These practices - which would have been
meaningless to believers in an incorporeal God with no need or
desire for the slaughter and incineration of living creatures - could
only be eliminated gradually. Maimonides offers an example,
indicative of his approach to the precepts in general: had the
Israelites at the time been told to stop bringing sacrifices, they
would have been astounded; it would have been as if Jews today
had been told to stop praying or observing Halakhah.
This approach underscores the difference between values and
precepts. Values stem from the beliefs of rational and intuitive
man. The commandments of human legislators (who sometimes
purport to speak in God's name) on the other hand, must only
be obeyed as long as required by custom or democratic law.
The halakhic precepts sustained by religious authorities - like
state laws - cannot be considered values or "Jewish values".
Giving precepts precedence over values entails rejecting the

37
humanistic essence of Judaism as perceived by Hillel, because
one who observes precepts that are incompatible with such
values, will continue for example, to insult half of humanity, when
he thanks God in his prayers, for not having made him a woman.
One who discriminates against women, adhering to Halakhah
and traditions he believes to be sacred - in divorce, marriage, or
the appointment of religious court judges, rabbis and community
leaders - acts in a fashion that runs counter to Jewish values;
identical to universal, humanistic values - including the principle
of equality between all human beings, male and female. One
who banishes women to a "women's court", far from the men and
the Torah scroll (although the "Women's Court" in the Temple in
Jerusalem was an inner courtyard, open to both men and women),
behaves as a male chauvinist, contrary to the value of equality,
and without halakhic justification. If the intention were merely to
separate men from women, for reasons of menstrual impurity, the
men could just as easily have sat in what is now the "women's gallery",
leaving the women to stand near the Torah and the cantor's podium.
The prevailing belief among those free from the religion of
Halakhah, that values take precedence over halakhic precepts, is
diametrically opposed to the prevailing belief among adherents
to halakhic Judaisms. The latter place the precepts of Halakhah
above humanistic values, including those adopted by Judaism.
This contrast between belief in the supremacy of values and
belief in the supremacy of religious precepts, lies at the heart of
the unbridgeable gap between secular and religious Judaism; the
gap between democracy - whose laws and statutes are subject to
the scrutiny of the supreme court, on the basis of humanistic
values - and halakhic-religious Judaism that observes sacred
precepts and obeys the rulings of rabbis not elected by the
democratic system. Yeshayahu Leibowitz therefore rightly claimed

38
 Judaism Without QodB / 'J""ICz''Mafl(in

that he does not consider himself a humanist, because he sanctifies

all of the precepts, even those that are racist and murderous, such
as the commandment to murder the entire people of Amalek,
including women and children.

Culture, Humanity and Their Influence on Quality of Life

The level of humanity and culture one enjoys is proportionate
to the extent to which one realises one's human potential, engages
in spiritual activity, internalises humanistic values, and participates
in national and international culture. Most people today are exposed
to a profusion of media and information, symbols and works
common to various cultures, alongside the works, events and
phenomena that represent the national culture in which they live.
When people devote all of their time and efforts to their narrow
field of expertise - whether in science, technology or business -
their spiritual potential remains dormant. The more they engage
in spiritual and artistic activity that allows them to take part in,
and appreciate the living culture of their own and surrounding
peoples, the more of their spiritual and emotional potential they
will realise. Their spiritual world will be enriched with experiences
and challenges, acquaintances and topics for discussion -
connecting them to society, from which they are separated by
their limited field of professional activity.
A higher level of culture ensures greater quality of life in the
context of family, friends and community. The greater awareness
people have of the representative works of their culture; the greater
their involvement in spiritual, social and educational activities,
the richer and more varied their lives. Consequently, they have
access to a greater variety of emotional and spiritual enjoyment,
enriching conversation with friends and family and increasing
their sources of interest and experiences - including those that

39
are independent of health or financial means, as explained by
Aristotle in the Nicomachean Ethics.
Aristotle was the first to point out an association between ethics
and quality of life. People who relate to themselves and to others
on the basis of rules deriving from their humanistic values; people
who strive to realise their spiritual, domestic and social potential,
enrich their lives with pleasurable and challenging activity, even
when they are poor in material goods.
Quality of life is contingent upon spiritual and social activity,
possible only when experts look beyond their specific field of
expertise, and join the rest of society in shared cultural activity.
Active involvement in Jewish life, as a living, evolving culture,
within the larger context of world culture, will foster the type
of enrichment that raises the level of culture and improves
quality of life. Education that familiarises people with the totality
of their culture and its sources will provide the means for active
involvement in the spiritual life of their community

Nationality, Identity and Self-Identification

Nationality is the socialisation of an individual within a people,
comprising both national identity and involvement in national
culture. While national identity in itself is a fact over which individuals
generally have no control, national self-identification entails a
range of social, spiritual and educational activities, through which
the individual may become acquainted with the culture of the
nation, its problems, and the various approaches to their resolution.
National self-identification requires that one be acquainted with the
requirements and duties of solidarity toward members of the national
society, and with the rights afforded by membership in that society.
An individual's level of culture shapes the content of her/
his nationality: awareness and involvement in national and international

40
 Judaism without Qod Q / 'Yaai(ov 'Maik^in

cultural life, familiarity with the representative works, the ability

to participate in the education - within national culture - of her/his
children and those of the community, and the ability to impart the
moral values that sustain national and international society, and
their expression in national cultural heritage.
Although a person's nationality is determined by causes beyond
her/his control, it provides the potential and impetus for cultural,
social and political activity.
Many had believed that nationality, as a significant factor,
was disappearing from the lives of individuals and society,
due to economic and technological tendencies toward
internationalisation, and the need for a stronger international
community, with a concomitant weakening of nation states. In recent
years however, we have seen a strengthening of nationality -
in the aspirations of small nations to greater political independence;
in a growing of awareness of the sources and distinct character
of national cultures; and in the promotion, through education,
of national self-identification in cultural and spiritual life.
Alongside ever-increasing exposure to international media and
works of entertainment enjoyed by people of different nationalities,
there has been a bourgeoning of national cultures, including
a growing interest in their roots and sources.
The rebirth of Hebrew language and culture in Israel - home
to Jews from dozens of countries and cultures, who have taught
their children to identify with the culture of the Jewish People - is
one of the most striking examples of national revival in the
twentieth century. Exploring the meaning of "Jewish identity", in an
era in which "Jewishness" has lost its religious character for most
Jews, is one of the ways in which Israeli and diaspora Jews engage
in national self-identification. The passage from national identity
to national self-identification requires a corresponding passage

41
from cultural passivity to activity, involving exposure to abroad range
of Jewish cultural works of all kinds within Israeli Judaism - stimulating
and affecting creative and scholarly activities in the diaspora.

Jewish Humanistic Education

Humanistic education, Jewish humanistic education included,
operates on two seemingly contradictory planes:
1. It strives to humanise individuals, acculturating them to society,
bringing them to internalise its prevailing humanistic values, and
acquainting them with its representative works, as well as their
own obligations and rights, in accordance with its laws.
2. It strives to promote spiritual independence and develop each
individual's unique personality, by cultivating creativity and a
critical approach to society's conventions, to the classical works
that represent its culture, to its traditions, religious and cultural
heritage, and the laws and precepts by which it is governed.
In fact however, these two tendencies are not contradictory at all.
Like Aristotle, many humanistic educators believe that they must
help students realise their own potential: the potential that
will allow each of them to make a unique contribution to society.
In fostering critical ability and creativity, society encourages
development and enriches its culture, engendering greater
openness to new ideas, as well as the constant re-examination
of laws and conventions, in light of changing circumstances.
Erasmus saw knowledge as a prerequisite for human freedom -
since the more a person knows, the more s/he is aware of the
reality in which s/he lives, the potential and choices it offers, the
changes it undergoes and the ways in which to deal with them.
Imparting knowledge is a necessary but not a sufficient
condition for humanistic education. Without the internalisation
of moral values that are the standard for evaluation and preference,

42
 Judaism without Qod H / 'Yaa^ozi •Mal^iii

knowledge can be detrimental to a person's humanisation,

inasmuch as it provides tools that can enhance her/his ability
to act in a racist or chauvinist fashion.
Jewish humanistic education, like all western humanistic
education, strives to achieve its goals through a variety of social
activities, engaging students in creative pursuits, study and
discussion, while acquainting them with contemporary culture
and the cultural legacy of their own and other peoples.
Works of art, literature and philosophy play a central role in
humanistic education, not only as a way of introducing students to
the cultural legacy of their society, but also as models of innovative
and unprecedented creativity, coupled with social and moral criticism.
The protagonists of classical works of art and literature are not
paragons of virtue. Their lives arefilledwith transgressions, judging
by humanistic standards. Abraham and such literary figures as
God, Jacob, David, Medea, Oedipus, Macbeth, Lear and Faust -
are all guilty of terrible sins, in terms of humanistic values.
The educational value of the works that fashion such protagonists,
lies in the way in which they are portrayed - offering readers
not only unique, emotionally and aesthetically moving forms
of expression, but also timeless human and moral dilemmas,
involving clashes between individuals and society, individuals
and themselves and their values, between their minds and their hearts.
A culture's classical works play a crucial and twofold role
in humanistic education. They introduce students to the common
elements of the culture in which they live, and encourage critical
thought and deliberation with regard to the dilemmas they present.
Works that represent the culture of the people and peoples,
within which the students live, comprise not only timeless classical
works (considered superior over the course of many generations)
but many contemporary works as well.

43
 Humanistic education is an ongoing process of discovery, through
encounters with works of philosophy and ait, produced and presented
today - as in the past - in all areas and all media. In Judaism, such
education exposes students to the wealth of Jewish culture present
and past in the context of its surrounding cultures.

Pluralism in Judaism
Judaism's pluralism is reflected in the numerous streams, beliefs
and views it has boasted throughout history; in the pluralistic
principles that have guided Jewish thought and discourse since
the days of the Talmud; in the recognition of the legitimacy and
value of debate in the search for truth, and an approach to conflict
that treats "both [opinions]" as "the words of the living God".
Pluralism in Jewish culture during the period of the First Temple
to Yahweh in Jerusalem and the temples to Yahweh in Beth-El
and Dan is reflected in the biblical stories that represent and
describe the multiplicity of religions, beliefs and cults to many
gods, which prevailed among Jews at the time. The concept of
God as an abstract being clashed with the conception of the God
of Israel as a golden calf. God's inherent justice, as presented
in the Prophets, clashed with opposing views - like those found
in the stories of Abraham, Job and Ecclesiastes (Koheleth).
Judaism of the Hellenistic period saw theriseof various independent
movements and sects: Hellenistic Jews and their opponents, Sadducees,
Pharisees, Hassideans, Essenes, Jewish Christians, Zealots and
their opponents. The growth of the Jewish diaspora in Africa, Asia and
Europe, also resulted in greater decentralisation of Judaism. In Palestine,
opposition to the Sadducean religious-sacerdotal establishment
arose, and at the time of the Maccabees, civil war again erupted,
between those who had adopted western culture and their opponents.
The Sadducean religious establishment adopted a western lifestyle,

44
 Judaism without Qod H / 'Yaa^ozi •Mal^iii

believed in the Written Law, and opposed all reform. The Pharisee
reformers objected both to the Sadducees' Hellenistic tendencies
and to their religious conservatism, seeking rather, to pursue further
development of the Jewish religion, Halakhah and belief, by means
of the Oral Law.
At the time of the war against Rome, there were also factions
opposed to the revolt - figures such as Yohanan ben Zakai and his
students, or the Jewish military commander and historian Joseph ben
Matityahu (Josephus Flavius) - who went over to the Roman side,
greeting the commander of the Roman forces and winning his
protection for the continued development of Jewish culture under
Roman rule. The war factions split, and began to fight among
themselves, leading the Judean commonwealth to ruin.
"Both [opinions] are the words of the living God" is a talmudic
principle that symbolises the passage of pluralism from a Jewish trait
to a guiding principle in Jewish thought.
It expresses the belief that anyone can speak in God's name,
and that all sides of a debate are therefore worthy of attention;
that minority opinions must be preserved - for they might someday
become majority opinions and thus binding as law; or that
some debates cannot be resolved, and must be declared "teku"
(a draw, literally "let it stand", i.e. remain undecided). This is
a revolutionary concept in the history of religion and theology.
Halakhah thus appears as a process rather than a constitution; an
ongoing progression (halikhah in Hebrew) toward truth and justice.
Since the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Jewish pluralism
has increased, with the development of numerous communities
on different continents, within many different cultures, in addition
to the proliferation of various religious and philosophical streams:
rationalists and mystics, messianics, Hassidim and Mitnagdim,
Maskilim and assimilationists, apostates and forced converts. In

45
the Modern Era, Jewish pluralism has developed at an ever greater
pace, as it has split into secular and religious factions, each with
its attendant streams, and far-flung diaspora communities. The
democratic system in Israel has strengthened relations between
the various factions within pluralistic Judaism, due to the increased
interdependence between Jewish communities, ethnicities and
religious streams - each of which has the ability to influence policy,
government coalitions, the economy, and security of all Israelis.
Unity is contingent upon a lack of uniformity, upon the
multiplicity of ways in which one can realise one's Jewishness
without cutting oneself off from Judaism as a whole.

Pluralism is not Relativism

Pluralism is the recognition of the multiplicity of beliefs and
views, streams, lifestyles and religions that exist within the culture
of the Jewish People. Pluralism has been a distinctive feature of
Judaism since its conception in biblical times. Since the days of
the Talmud, it has also been one of Judaism's guiding principles.
Pluralism is not relativism, which ascribes equal value to every
belief and opinion, humanistic and anti-humanistic.
Jewish pluralism encourages debate between those who hold
different opinions, each believing their view to be superior to that of
their opponents, and striving to prove they areright- with vehemence,
confidence, determination and tenacity - like the schools of
Hillel and Shamai, and like Jewish disputants ever since.
Relativism today implies renunciation of belief in the
preferability of one position over another, in the existence of
absolute values, vital to society. Relativism demands tolerance
even toward racism and nationalism.
Nationalism and racism are types of selfish arrogance that view
one's own nationality, race, gender or religion, as superior and

46
 JtuiaismWitfwutQocCB /'JaaH^vMa[%in

deserving of greater rights than other human groups - like the

"Aryan" Nazis, or male chauvinists. Nationalism and racism have
been shown to cause dehumanisation and social disintegration,
on the basis of values that ignore the rights of members of society
who do not belong to one's own gender, nationality or race, or
do not share one's beliefs.
Racist values, such as anti-Semitism, are thus absolute - and
not relative - evil. No relativistic approach can justify them, even
if those who believe in them have been inculcated by parents,
teachers and their cultural heritage.
Racists and chauvinists - like the Taliban in Afghanistan, the
Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, or the Nazis in Germany - pose a
threat to the quality of life of every family and community. The
more that racists shun the culture and society of those whom they
reject, so their spiritual and emotional lives are impoverished,
and their humanity is threatened with the danger of psycopathy.
The cultural relativism that Herder began to develop in the
ninteenth century, in the belief that there are no inferior or superior
cultures, regained currency in the late twentieth century, on the fringes
of multiculturalist and postmodernist theory. Those who espouse
cultural relativism and compare cannibal culture to the culture of open,
western society, renounce their belief in humanistic values as a
standard for the evaluation of worthy and unworthy, good and evil.
The struggle against racism and its theoretical apologists
is vital to humanistic education, which therefore strives not
for compromise between beliefs, but for dialogue between
their adherents.

National Unity - One History, Many Beliefs

In Judaism as culture, all streams have always shared a belief
in a common national history - one that has co-existed with various

47
and often contradictory beliefs in the religious and other realms.
Cultures that have developed under the influence of Christianity
and Islam on the other hand, have boasted common religious
beliefs alongside beliefs in diverse national histories.
In every period of Jewish history, Jews have espoused
conflicting beliefs regarding: God, his exclusivity, essence and
existence; Judaism as a binding religion or evolving culture;
Jewishness, its definition and the conditions for becoming Jewish;
the halakhic precepts and the supremacy of humanistic values
over Halakhah; openness to external cultural and religious
influences; Jewish education, its goals and its content. Judaism's
multiplicity of beliefs and streams has never shaken the belief
shared by all Jews, in a common national history, in the Bible as
the basis of Judaism and its ancient historical record.
Jewish unity is expressed in the issues on which Jews fail to
agree. All of Judaism's Judaisms debates the same issues, and
the bond that exists between opposing sides in a common dispute,
makes the dispute itself a source of unity.
Such issues include: the form and content of Sabbath and
holiday observance in Israel; the Bible or the Talmud as the basis
of Jewish education; "who is a Jew" and the Law of Return as
positive discrimination, or an expression of a sacred right to the
Land of Israel; relations between religion and state; the right to
reform Halakhah (like the sages of the Oral Law and Reform
Judaism today), or freedom from all of its precepts.
Debates between adherents of various Jewish beliefs, take on a
political hue in Israel, demanding the attention and involvement
of all participants in Israeli democracy - secular and religious
alike. In Israel, these and all debates concerning Judaism increase
contact and interaction between the various Jewish streams,
deepening their consciousness of belonging to a single people.

48
 Judaism Without Qodft /'JdaH^ovMaCQn

Judaism's Openness to the Cultural Influences

of Other Peoples
Judaism has been exposed to, and influenced by the cultures
of other peoples, throughout its history. Its art and literature and
the distinctive features of its religion and culture - from the
Bible to the present - show clear traces of the influences of
Mesopotamian, Canaanite, Phoenician, Egyptian, Greek, Islamic,
Christian, Indian, Persian, Slavic and secular European and
American cultures.
In every period of Jewish history, these influences have favoured
the creation of original Jewish works. "Biblical criticism" has
demonstrated the originality of the works of the Bible, in
comparing them to the works and mythology of the Ancient Near
Eastern cultures that influenced them. Naturally, the works of
the Bible - like all cultural works - were influenced by older and
neighbouring cultures. It is specifically in comparison to the
products of these cultures however, that the Bible's originality
in form and content, religious and philosophical messages,
stands out. One example of this is the biblical creation story,
which in fact comprises two contradictory versions. Elements of
polytheistic Mesopotamian mythology were incorporated by the
authors-redactors in a work that is both the basis of monotheism
and of humanistic belief in equality between the sexes - Adam
having initially been created both male and female, in the image
of her/his God.
This constant openness to external cultural influences can be
seen today in the development of Judaism within secular Israeli
culture - influenced by all of the cultures with which it comes
into contact on a daily basis, while producing its own original works.
In the past, this combination of receptiveness and originality,
created cultural bridges between Judaism and other peoples. The

49
national memory preserved in the Bible credits Solomon with a
pluralistic approach to culture in the capital of the Jewish kingdom.
In Jerasalem, he built temples to all the neighbouring peoples' religions
and cultures, marrying their daughters, and turning Jerusalem into
not only the world's first monotheistic capital, but its first multi-
religious city as well. (There is of course no proof of the historical
truth of these accounts. It is significant however, that national
memory ascribes such things to Solomon, while at the same
time considering him the ideal king of Judaism's golden era.)
Thanks to its openness to external influences and its own
originality, Judaism has managed to preserve its continuity and
distinctive character, while maintaining contacts with other
cultures and religions. The influence that Judaism has exerted on
the religions and cultures of all peoples, who have come under
the sway of Christianity and Islam, began under the Roman Empire,
in the early first millennium.

Jewish Contributions to World Culture

In the part of the world united within the single political
entity of the Roman Empire, various forms ofJewish belief proliferated
among the "God-fearers" - those who accepted the principles of
Jewish ethical monotheism, but not the yoke of the halakhic precepts.
"God-fearing" communities, scattered throughout the Empire -
alongside Jewish communities - were particularly receptive to
Christian versions of Judaism. Paul's approach, whereby the duty
to believe supersedes the duty to observe the precepts, naturally
appealed to those who already tended toward ethical monotheism
but had little interest in observing the precepts of Halakhah.
This form of monotheism, with its commitment to justice and
charity, and belief in the promise of redemption, was one of
Judaism's contributions to the peoples who adopted it through

50
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Men søvnige som de var, løfted de bare hovederne og la sig igjen i
ro.
Da kom han til at tænke paa Sambo og Kvimbo, som han pleide
at kalde ind til sig, naar det var som værst med ham om natten.
Raskt tog han sit horn ned fra væggen og gik ud i døren og blaaste
et par gjennemtrængende toner.
Det varte ikke længe, før de to svarte karene kom farende, og
snart bar det saa løs med drik og sang og hujing i stuen.
Da Kassy mellem kl. 1 og 2 kom tilbage fra Tom, hørte hun støi
og spetakel fra dagligstuen, og skjønte at Legree havde faat i gang
et af disse vanlige drikkelagene. Hun gik op paa svalgangen og saa
ind gjennem vinduet. Jo rigtig—der sad de tre drukne mænd, som
hun havde set saa ofte, og skar ansigter og ramled med stolene og
alt som løst var. En kjendsel af sterk harme steg op i hendes sind.
Vilde det være synd at skille verden af med et sligt umenneske,
spurte hun sig selv.
Hun gik saa op til den ulykkelige Emmeline, som sad i den største
fortvilelse og sang salmer.
Den unge pige fór forskrækket op; men da hun saa hvem det var,
kom hun mod døren og greb Kassy i armen:
«Kassy, er det du? Aa jeg var saa ræd—at det var—.... Aa, du
kan ikke tænke dig hvor rædsomt opstyr de har holdt der nede i
kveld.»
«Jeg har hørt noget sligt før,» svarte Kassy tørt.
«Aa, Kassy, kan vi ikke komme bort fra dette sted? Det er mig
det samme, hvor vi kommer—i sumpene mellem slangerne eller hvor
som helst, naar vi bare kommer bort.»
«Det har saa mange sagt før dig; men jeg ved fra før hvorledes
det gaar dem som flygter.»
«Ja, men jeg er ikke det mindste ræd slangerne, og jeg kunde
godt leve af bark, om det skulde være.»
«Det er mange som har prøvd at flygte ud i sumpene, men de er
snart blit opsporet af hundene, og saa har de faat det ti ganger
værre end før.»
«Hvad vilde han da gjøre med os, om vi blev fakket,» spurte den
unge pige angst.
«Hvad han vilde gjøre med os? Jeg er ræd for du fik ikke sove i
nat, om jeg gav mig til at fortælle dig alt det jeg har set og oplevet
her paa gaarden. Jeg har hørt skrig som jeg aldrig glemmer. Nede
ved hytterne staar et forbrændt træ og luter over en sort askehaug
—du kan kanske gjette hvad som er gaat for sig der.»
Emmeline blegned.
«Ja paa den maade steller han sig med sine folk.»
«O Gud! hvad skal vi da gribe til?»
«Gjør du som jeg: gjør det bedste du kan; gjør det du maa gjøre,
og søg trøst i had og forbandelse.»
Emmeline fortalte nu at han havde villet ha hende til at drikke
brændevin.
«Du gjør bedst i at drikke; det har jeg gjort, og det er det eneste
her er at gjøre.»
Emmeline knuged hænderne sammen. «Aa gid jeg ikke var
født!»
«Jeg synes synd paa dig. Jeg er mor og har en datter som nu er
en ung pige som du ... Gud ved hvorledes det er med hende,»
afbrød hun sig selv; «men hun er vel ulykkelig, hun som vi.»
Emmeline vendte sig til side og skjulte ansigtet i hænderne.
I dagligstuen var det nu blit stille; de to negrene raved ud til
hytterne sine, Legree var sunket sammen paa en stol, hvor han sad
og saa syner.
Han syntes at se en tilsløret kvinde, som kom nærmere og
nærmere, og til sidst stod hun tæt ved ham og snoed en haarlok om
fingrene paa ham og slynged den helt op om halsen hans;
strammere og strammere kjendte han den blev snøret om strupen,
han var nær ved at kvæles. Da slog hun sløret til side—det var hans
mor.
 Da daggryets rosenskjær den næste morgen igjen oplyste
Legrees værelse, reiste han sig og tylled i sig et glas brændevin. «En
helvedes nat!» mumled han for sig selv.
Kassy kom ind med det samme.
«Hvad vil du, din heks?»
«Jeg vil advare Dem.»
Han saa paa hende. «Er det Tom som endnu staar i hovedet paa
dig?»
«Ja, jeg vil raade Dem til at De lar ham være i fred nu,» sa hun
rolig.
«Hvad kommer det dig ved,» svarte han heftig; men da han
havde tænkt sig lidt om, loved han at han ikke skulde gjøre Tom
noget ondt mere, naar han bare vilde bede om tilgivelse for sin
opførsel.
«Det gjør Tom aldrig; han ved med sig selv at han ikke har noget
at bede om tilgivelse for.»
«Ikke det?»
«De skjønner Dem ikke paa det slags folk som Tom er af; De kan
slite dem i stykker tomme for tomme; men De faar dem ikke til at
gjøre noget som strider mod deres tro.»
Legree tog nu ridepisken sin og gik ud til det gamle skur hvor
Tom laa. Han var fortumlet i hovedet efter nattesviren og alle de
uhyggelige synerne, en underlig uro af tvil og angst gjæred i ham.
Hvad kunde nu egentlig Kassy mene med disse advarslerne sine? Og
hvorledes hang det nu i grunden sammen med Tom ... dette
trollskab.
Han vilde nu være ene med Tom et øieblik og se om han ikke
skulde faa ham til at give kjøb.
«Naa, slubbert!» grynted han og sparked Tom med støvlen. «Kan
du holde en liden morgen-præken for mig om mine synder?»
Tom svarte ikke.
«Op med dig, bæst!»
 Den stakkars mand var øm og stiv over hele kroppen og havde
vondt for at komme paa benene.
«Hvad kommer det af, at du er saa stiv, Tom? Har du kanske
forkjølet dig i gaaraftes, hva?»
Tom kunde saavidt reise sig. Han saa rolig og frygtløs paa sin
herre.
«Naa, du kan da røre dig alligevel,» sa Legree og maalte ham
med øinene. «Du har vist ikke faat nok pryl i gaaraftes. Ned paa
knæ med dig og bed mig om tilgivelse for din opførsel!»
Tom rørte sig ikke.
«Ned med dig, hund!» brølte han igjen og gav ham et drag med
pisken.
«Massa, jeg kan ikke bede Dem om tilgivelse; jeg har ikke gjort
andet end det jeg mente var ret.»
«Tom, du ved ikke hvad jeg kan finde paa at gjøre med dig; du
mener kanske at den medfærd du har faat var slem nok, hva? Men
hvad vilde du nu synes om at blive bundet til et træ og faa tændt en
langsomt brændende ild rundt omkring dig? Tror du ikke det vilde
more dig, hva?»
«Jeg ved De kan finde paa de rædsomste ting; men—han retted
sig op og folded hænderne—jeg er ikke ræd for døden; efter den
kommer evigheden.»
Evigheden! Dette ord fyldte Toms sjæl med lys og kraft, mens
han udtalte det; men det trængte ogsaa ind i synderens sjæl lig
biddet af en skorpion. Legree skar tænder; men han orked ikke at
faa et ord frem, saa forbitret blev han.
«Massa,» blev Tom ved, «da De har kjøbt mig, vil jeg være Dem
en tro tjener. Jeg vil ofre Dem al min arbeidskraft, al min tid; men
min sjæl vil jeg ikke ofre for noget menneske. Jeg vil være min egen
herre i himlen tro og lyde ham, fremfor nogen anden, enten jeg skal
leve eller dø. De kan piske mig, sulte mig, brænde mig—det vil kun
gjøre at jeg kommer snarere did jeg haaber at komme.»
 «Jeg skal nu alligevel ikke slippe dig før du gir tabt,» sa Legree
rasende.
«Jeg vil faa hjælp,» sa Tom. «De skal aldrig faa bugt med mig i
dette punkt.»
«Hvem vil hjælpe dig?» spurte Legree haanlig.
«Den almægtige Gud.»
«Saa, det tror du?» svarte Legree, og med den vældige næven
sin gav han Tom et slag, som med ett strakte ham til jorden.
I samme øieblik rørte en kold haand ved Legree. Han vendte sig
om—det var Kassy; men den kolde haanden minded ham om hans
drøm natten før, og alle de rædsomme billeder fra de vaakne nætter
fór som lyn gjennem hans sjæl.
«Lad ham være i fred!» sa Kassy. «Gaa Deres vei, og lad mig
tage mig af ham!»
Det siges om alligatoren og næshornet, at de, endda de er
indesluttet i et skudfrit panser, alligevel har et punkt hvor de kan
saares; et sligt punkt har vanlig raa og voldsomme mennesker
ogsaa, og dette findes hvor frygten og overtroen har sit sæde.
«Nu vel, saa lad det være som du vil denne gang,» sa han barskt
til Kassy og snudde sig om til Tom, uden at tænke paa at gjøre mer
af det denne gang. «Du slipper med dette nu; men jeg glemmer
aldrig noget; din regnskabstime kommer en gang.» Saa gik han.
 «Ja, De gaar nu,» sa Kassy og saa efter ham med et mørkt blik;
men husk det, at Deres regnskabstime ogsaa skal komme!»
 TRETTIENDE STYKKE.
Frihed.

Georg og Elisa—hvorledes var det gaat dem?

Fra kvækergaarden, hvor Loker laa syg, tog de veien op mod
Eriesjøen. De vidste at forfølgerne var efter dem endnu, og de
maatte derfor reise om natten og holde sig skjult om dagen.
Efter nogen dage kom de til en liden by, Sandusky. Her fandt de
et tilflugtssted hos nogen gode mennesker og hvilte en stund, før de
tog over Eriesjøen.
De var nu nær maalet, og mange slags tanker optog Georg; han
kunde nu snart faa leve og aande som en fri mand, have ret til at bo
og bygge hvor han vilde, og have myndighed til at verne om hustru
og barn, være et menneske med fri vilje!
Men rigtig trygg kunde han endnu ikke være; han vidste at
forfølgerne havde hjælpere ogsaa i Sandusky, og at disse havde faat
nøiagtige oplysninger om hvorledes de saa ud. Han fandt det derfor
rettest, at Elisa paa resten af turen gik klædd i mandsklær, og hun
fik sig da en net dragt og klipped af sig haaret.
«Er jeg ikke nu en vakker ung mand?» sa hun til manden sin, da
hun første gang viste sig for ham i et par smaa mandsstøvler,
benklær og kappe, og med en liden hue paa snei.
«Du er vakker, hvorledes du end er klædd,» sa han og trykked
hende ind til sig.
 Et par glædestaarer lyste i hendes øine; hun havde nu fast haab
om at Gud vilde føre dem lykkelig mod maalet.
Og det havde nok Georg ogsaa, endda han vidste godt at det var
folk paa dampskibsbryggen som vilde have tak i ham.
«Men hvorledes skal jeg nu te mig? Jeg maa vel trampe med
fødderne, ta svært lange steg og sætte et uforskammet ansigt op?»
Georg drog paa smilen. «Du maa vist heller lade det være; for
det findes nu ogsaa velopdragne unge mænd, og jeg tror du vil ha
lettere for at ligne dem!»
«Men disse svære hanskerne! Mine hæn der blir jo rent borte i
dem!»
«Dem maa du endelig have godt paa, for ellers vil de smaa fine
hænderne dine let kunne røbe os alle sammen.»
«Ja men tror du da vi har nødig at være saa svært ræd for at
vække mistanke?»
«Ja, det har vi. Fru Smitt har hørt at det har været folk nede ved
sjøen og advaret skibskapteinerne mod at ta med en mand og en
kone og en liden gut, som de har beskrevet nøie for dem.»
Denne fru Smitt var en dame som for øieblikket opholdt sig i
huset. Ogsaa hun skulde reise til Kanada, og det var aftalt, at hun
skulde give sig ud for tanten til Georg og Elise.
Netop som Georg havde sagt de sidste ord, kom fruen ind med
vesle Harry ved haanden; han var fra top til taa blit iført jenteklær
og tog sig svært godt ud i den dragten.
«Nei for en sød liden jente!» skjemted Elisa og snudde gutten
rundt. «Hun heder vist Harriet—ikke sandt?»
Gutten stod og saa alvorlig paa moren; han kunde ikke kjende
hende igjen.
«Kjender du ikke moren din?» spurte hun og vilde ta ham i
armene.
Gutten skeled efter hende og fór bort til fruen.
«De skal ikke bry Dem om at han ikke kjender Dem,» sa fruen.
«Det er netop heldigt, at han holder sig borte fra Dem.»
 «Det er vist det; men det er saa underligt, at barnet er ræd for
sin egen mor. Men hvor blev det af kappen min? Hvorledes skal jeg
nu ta den paa?»
«Slig!» sa Georg og kasted kappen om sig.
«Naa, paa den maade.» Hun tog kappen og slog den om sig med
et raskt kast.
Endelig kom vognen som skulde føre selskabet til
dampskibsbryggen.
Da de var kommet ned paa bryggen, bød Elisa høflig fru Smitt
armen og førte hende om bord.
Mens Georg stod og løste billetter, hørte han styrmanden tale
sammen med en mand om nogen flygtninger.
«Jeg har havt øinene godt med mig,» sa han; «jeg er viss paa de
ikke er her om bord.»
Den mand styrmanden talte med, var ingen anden end den vesle
ihærdige Marks, som hele tiden havde været i hælene paa Georg og
Elisa.
«Det er ikke let at skjelne konen fra en hvid,» sa Marks. «Og
manden er ogsaa meget lys, og han har et brændemerke i
haanden.»
«Jeg ved det; jeg indestaar for at de ikke er her om bord.»
Det var ikke frit for at Georg skalv lidt paa haanden, da han rakte
den frem for at tage mod pengene som styrmanden gav ham
tilbage; men han lod som ingen ting og slentred ligegyldig over til
den andre siden af skibet, hvor Elisa stod og vented.
Fruen gik ned i damekahytten, hvor den «vesle pigen» hun
havde med drog opmerksomheden paa sig ved sit vakre mørkladne
ansigt.
Klokken ringte for sidste gang.
Hvor Georg blev let om hjertet, da han saa Marks gaa i land!
Dampskibet gled langsomt fra bryggen, og afsted bar det over den
gyngende vandflade.
 Det var en herlig dag. Eriesjøens blaa bølger dansed sprudlende
og tindrende i sollyset. En frisk bris blaaste fra stranden, og det
prægtige dampskib arbeided sig stolt frem gjennem vandet.
Timerne gik, og endelig saaes den kanadiske strand tydelig i det
fjerne, den velsignede kyst, hvor frihedens sol lyste.
Arm i arm stod Georg og hans kone, da damperen løb ind i den
vesle havneby hvor de skulde af. Med korte aandedrag og taarefyldte
øine trykked han sin hustrus haand, uden at sige et ord. Klokken
ringte, og skibet la til bryggen. Uden næsten at vide hvad han
gjorde, saa han efter tøiet og samled sit følge. Endelig gik de i land.
De stod stille, til dampskibet var afgaat. Da knæled mand og kone
med barnet mellem sig og lod sine taarer strømme frit, mens de
opsendte sine hjerters tak til ham som havde ført dem lykkelig til
denne strand.
Det glade egtepar og barnet førte fru Smitt til en missionær, som
havde gjort sit hus til et gjestfrit hjemsted for ulykkelige og husvilde
mennesker som søgte op til denne kyst.
Hvor det var herligt for den unge mand at tænke paa at han nu
som andre fri mennesker kunde lægge sig trygt og rolig til hvile om
aftenen! Og hvor det var herligt for den unge mor, at hun nu kunde
rolig sidde og se paa sit sovende barn, dette barn som var blit hende
dobbelt kjært, fordi hun havde udstaat saa meget for at frelse det.
Det var i den første tid næsten umuligt for de to menneskene at
faa sove, slig som hjerterne deres banked, og slig som det jubled i
dem med lov og tak og pris. Og endda eide de ikke saa meget som
en torve jord de kunde staa paa, ikke tag over hovedet. Alt de havde
eiet var gaat med til reisen; de eide ikke mer end fuglene under
himlen og blomsterne paa marken. Alligevel kunde de ikke faa blund
paa sine øine af bare glæde.
 EN OG TRETTIENDE STYKKE.
Seiren.

Mens Tom stod ansigt til ansigt med sin herre og hørte hans
trusler, tænkte han i sit sind at hans time snart var kommet. Han var
da modig og trodde han skulde kunne holde ud baade pinsler og ild;
for han syntes det var ikke mer end ett skridt mellem ham og Jesus
og himlen. Men da Legree var gaat, og smerterne af hans saar igjen
vendte tilbage, faldt han rent sammen.
Længe før hans saar var lægt, bød Legree at han igjen skulde ud
paa markarbeide sammen med de andre. Det voldte ham svære
smerter at gaa med de aabne saar ude i den brændende solheden
og slite fra morgen til kveld, og at han stadig var udsat for haan og
spot af sin herre, skulde nu heller ikke gjøre hans lidelser mindre.
Nu kunde Tom skjønne hvorfor de andre slaverne var saa sure og
tverre; han selv var ofte fristet til at opgive enhver tanke om at blive
fri, og som et træt dyr give sig sine usle trælekaar i vold.
Det var nu aldrig tale om at læse i bibelen; det blev ikke tid til
det. Naar han om kveldene kom hjem fra arbeidet, var han saa træt
at alt løb rundt for ham; han havde da bare én tanke: at kaste sig—
sløv og ligeglad med alt—paa det usle leiet.
Hvor var Gud henne? Havde ikke Kassy i grunden havt ret, naar
hun havde sagt: «Gud er ikke paa dette sted.»
Det gik lang tid, før han kom til kræfter igjen. Ofte havde han
tænkt paa det brevet som Ofelia havde skrevet til hans venner i
Kentucky. Tro det vilde komme nogen penger? Eller tro det en dag
vilde komme en mand og sige: «Jeg kjøber Tom fri?»
Dag efter dag gik, men det kom ingen; bare slit og møie var det
dagene førte med sig—Gud var ikke paa dette sted.
Af og til saa han et glimt af Kassy, stundom ogsaa af Emmeline;
men han talte aldrig med dem; det blev aldrig tid eller leilighed til
det.
Saa var det en kveld han sad og kared i nogen glør som var blit
igjen efter den ild han havde stekt brødet sit ved. Han la nogen
pinder paa glørne og fik ilden til at blusse op. Endda han som vanlig
var svært træt, prøvde han at læse noget i bibelen; men han fandt
ingen trøst i det han læste. Ordet var dødt for ham; han lod hovedet
synke.
Med ett stod Legree for ham og lo.
«Naa, Tom, skal vi ikke nu være enige om at kaste de fedtede
bladene der i ilden? Du ser jo at din hellighed ikke hjælper dig en
døit.»
Tom svarte ikke. Den hjerteløse haan og spot syntes han var
værre end sult og kulde og nøgenhed.
«Du er en god tosk, du Tom. Du kunde havt gode dage. Du
kunde endog havt det bedre end Sambo og Kvimbo. Istedenfor at
faa pryl til hver dag kunde du havt frihed til at kommandere og pryle
de andre, og af og til vilde du have faat dig et godt glas toddy inde
hos mig om kveldene. Tror du ikke, Tom, at du nu gjør klogest i at
gaa over til min kirke?»
«Nei, massa.»
«Du kan da selv skjønne at din Gud ikke er tænkt paa at hjælpe
dig; han havde aldrig ladt mig faa tak i dig, om han havde tænkt paa
det. Dette med religionen er bare noget sludder. Det er da bedre du
holder dig til mig. Jeg er da noget, og jeg kan gjøre noget for dig.»
«Nei, massa,» svarte Tom. «Jeg vil holde mig til Gud og tro paa
ham til min sidste stund, enten han hjælper mig eller ikke.»
 «Des større tosk er du.» Legree spytted paa ham og gav ham et
spark. «Jeg skal nu alligevel faa bugt med dig til slut.»
I et tvilende og nedbøiet menneskes liv kan det komme et øieblik
da en ny vældig kraft bryder frem i sindet. Et sligt øieblik kom for
Tom i denne nat.
Tom sad ved den sluknende ild, træt og fortvilet. Saa fik han med
ett se en hudstrøgen blødende tornekronet mand nærme sig til ham.
Tom stirred med frygt og undring paa det majestætiske taalmod som
stod præget i denne mands ansigt, og da han saa hvorledes
tornekronen lidt efter lidt blev til en straalekrans, med en pragt og
skjønhed som han aldrig havde set magen til, faldt han paa knæ for
mandens fødder. Manden bøier sig ned og lægger haanden paa hans
hoved og siger: «Jeg vil give dig hvile.»
Hvor længe Tom laa paa sine knær, vidste han ikke. Da han kom
til samling igjen, var ilden sluknet, og hans klær var blit vaade af
natteduggen; men den haarde sjælekamp var slut, og den glæde
som fyldte hans sind jaged enhver kjendsel af kulde og sult og
elendighed bort. Han var blit som et nyt menneske. Han var ikke i
tvil om at det var Frelseren som havde gjestet ham; han kjendte en
ny kraft gjennemstrømme sig. I denne stund var han rede til alt,
rede til at dø, naar det skulde være. Jublende glad stemte han i en
salme, som han ofte havde sunget i sine lykkeligere dage, men
aldrig med den fylde og inderlighed som nu:
"Naar her vi mødig segner og dør,
og kjødet blir lagt i jord,
da skal vi finde bag dødens slør
et liv i Guds glæde stor.
Og naar det er rundet i tusend aar
over himlens skinnende vang,
vi synger saa glad som i første vaar
gudsbørnenes jubelsang".
Da de pjaltede og forfrosne slaverne den næste morgen drog ud
paa arbeidsmarken, var det én mellem dem som gik med lette faste
steg. Borte var hans tvil og rædsel, det evige livs lys straaled for
haans øine.
Alle merked det omskifte som havde gaat for sig med Tom; han
var blit glad og frisk og tog mod haan og spot med den største ro.
«Hvad gaar det af Tom?» spurte Legree. «For en stund siden var
han helt nedbøiet, nu springer han som en græshoppe.»
«Han tænker mulig paa at rømme,» sa Sambo.
«Det skulde være fornøieligt at se ham prøve paa det,» sa
Legree med et grin; «ikke sandt, Sambo?»
«Jo vel, haa, haa,» lo det svarte troll. «Det skulde være moro at
se ham sidde fast i myren, mens hundene griber ham.»
«Ja ja, hold nu bare godt øie med fyren, og skulde han gjøre
mine til at ville løbe bort, saa er du nok mand for at fakke ham.»
Simon Legree stod netop færdig med sin hest for at ride til den
nærmeste by i et erend. Da han kom tilbage ud paa natten, gjorde
han en sving bort om hytterne for at se om alle var gaat til ro.
Det var en straalende maaneskinsnat. Skyggerne af de yndige
kinatrær laa skarpt tegnet over grønsværet, alt hvilte i høitidelig
stilhed.
Da Legree nærmed sig hytterne, hørte han det sang. Det var
noget uvanligt at høre noget sligt der. Han stanste for at lytte.
En vakker tenorstemme sang:
 "Naar kaldet jeg hører og tegnet jeg ser
hist oppe i himlens stad,
da byder farvel jeg hver en frygt
og tørrer mit øie glad.
Lad verden rase med pisk og slag
og lukke mit øies lys,
jeg orker at smile ad hver en nød,
ja selv af den ondes fnys.
Jeg skjælver ikke, om sorg og gru
som skybrudd over mig faldt;
jeg har en tilflugt, trygg og god:
min Gud, min himmel, mit alt!"
«Ja saa!» sa Legree ved sig selv, «er det saaledes han tænker?»
Han kjendte i dette øieblik en djævelsk uvilje mod disse salmer.
«Hør, du neger!» ropte han og løfted ridepisken, «hvorledes tør du
vaage at sidde her og skraale nu midt paa natten. Vil du se til at
komme dig ind i hulen din, og det fort!»
«Ja, massa,» svarte Tom og reiste sig.
Det ærgred Legree, at Tom var saa glad og lykkelig; han red bort
til ham og gav ham et slag med pisken. «Der, du hund! se til om du
føler dig saa fornøid efter dette.»
Tom gav ikke en lyd fra sig.
Da skjønte Simon med ett, at han ikke havde nogen magt over
denne slave længer, og den tanke, at det alligevel maa være en Gud
til, fór som et glimt gjennem hans aand, en Gud som kan hjælpe og
gjøre de svageste til kjæmper.
 Toms sjæl strømmed over af medynk med de arme stakkarer han
saa omkring sig. Det var som hans egne sorger og lidelser nu var
slut; han tænkte bare paa hvorledes han skulde faa givet de andre
med sig noget af den fred og glæde som var blit ham selv til del.
Vistnok saa han ikke ofte udvei til at gjøre stort for dem; men om
morgenerne paa veien ud til arbeidet, og om kveldene paa
hjemveien, og nu og da ogsaa til andre tider, fandt han leilighed til
at hjælpe de mest trætte og lidende af sine fæller, og slige
leiligheder lod han aldrig gaa unyttet. Vante som de alle var til
raahed og trældom, kunde de fra først ikke skjønne dette; men da
han blev ved med sin hjælpsomhed uge efter uge og maaned efter
maaned, vaagned lidt om senn i dem kjendsler som deres sløve
hjerter havde været fremmede for i mange aar. Villig og gjerne delte
han sit brød med de sultne, hjalp de trætte med at plukke bomuld,
laante de syge sit dækken om natten, endda han vidste at alt dette
vilde paaføre ham haan og pinsler.
Han prøvde ogsaa at tale til de andre slaver om Jesus, alle
lidende menneskers ven. Da onnen var slut, og det kom en noget
mindre travl tid, var det gjerne flere som samled sig om ham om
søndagene for at høre hans enfoldige ord. Snart holdtes,
sammenkomster et sted, snart et andet. Men saa forbød Legree
disse møderne, og det blev da vanskeligere for Tom at virke med
ord. Hos flere af slaverne var det dog alt vakt tanker om Frelseren
og længsel efter et evigt liv, og mand og mand imellem faldt mangt
et ord som gjød himmelsk trøst fra hjerte til hjerte.
Den stakkars mulat-kvinde var nær ved helt at bukke under ved
det overmaal af lidelser hun havde maattet udstaa; men ogsaa hun
fik ny kraft ved de bibelsprog og salmevers som Tom fandt leilighed
til at hviske hende i øret; ja selv Kassys halvt ødelagte og forvildede
sjæl blev mildere og roligere ved hans simple og stillfærdige
paavirkning.
Kassy var ellers ikke let at faa bugt med. Haard og bitter som
hun var blit af de svære lidelser hun havde gjennemgaat, kunde hun
ikke dæmpe den hevnlyst som gjæred i hende.
Mens Tom en nat laa vaaken, efter at de andre var sovnet, fik
han med ett øie paa hendes ansigt, som kom til syne i den glugge i
væggen som tjente som vindu. Hun gjorde tegn til ham, at han
skulde komme ud.
Tom gik ud til hende. Klokken var mellem 1 og 2 om natten. Det
var klart maaneskin, og alt var stille. Tom saa straks at det i de store
sorte øinene hendes brændte en egen ild.
«Kom her, Tom!» sa hun og tog ham om haandledet og drog ham
til side med en uvanlig styrke. «Kom her, jeg har et arbeide til dig.»
«Hvad er det?» spurte Tom ængstelig.
«Tom, kunde du ikke ønske at faa din frihed?»
«Jo, naar Guds time kommer, frøken.»
«Men den time kan komme alt i nat. Kom med mig,» bød hun og
saa paa ham med de store mørke øinene sine. «Han sover—fast. Jeg
blanded saa meget i hans brændevin at han ikke skal vaagne saa
snart. Havde jeg bare havt endnu mere at blande i med, skulde jeg
ikke havt nødig at bede om din hjælp. Men kom nu! Bagdøren staar
aaben, og jeg har sat en øks til dig der. Døren ind til stuen, hvor han
ligger, staar ogsaa aaben; jeg skal nok vise dig veien, jeg. Jeg skulde
gjerne gjort det selv; men jeg har ikke kræfter nok. Kom!»
 «Ikke for alt i verden,» svarte Tom og holdt Kassy tilbage da hun
vilde gaa.
«Men tænk paa alle disse arme skabningerne,» sa hun, «vi
kunde sætte dem alle i frihed, og saa kunde vi flygte til en ø ude
mellem sumpene og leve for os selv der. Ethvert andet liv vilde være
bedre end dette.»
«Nei,» sa Tom fast. «Det kommer aldrig noget godt ud af en ond
gjerning. Jeg vilde heller bruge øksen til at hugge min høire haand
af med.»
«Saa skal jeg gjøre det selv.» Hun vendte sig fra ham og gik.
«Frøken!» kaldte Tom og kasted sig ned for hende. «For den
kjære frelsers skyld, som døde for os, sælg ikke din dyrekjøbte sjæl
til djævelen. Gjør det ikke Kassy, vi maa lide med taalmod og vente
til Herrens time kommer.»
«Vente!» sa Kassy. «Har jeg ikke ventet?—ventet saa mit hoved
er blit forrykt og mit hjerte sygt! Hvilke lidelser har han ikke paaført
mig? Hvad har han ikke ladt hundreder af stakkars skabninger lide?
Jeg venter ikke længer, jeg vil se hans hjerteblod rinde.»
«Nei, nei, nei!» Tom holdt fast i haanden hendes. «De maa ikke
gjøre det! Vor kjære herre udgjød aldrig andres blod end sit eget, og
det udgjød han for sine fiender.»
«Fiender? Skulde vi da elske en slig fiende som denne mand? Det
kan intet menneske gjøre.»
«Nei, vist ikke ved egen kraft; men han som led for os kan lære
os det,» svarte Tom, mens taarer lyste i hans øine.
Hans ord og hans taarer havde en dæmpende virkning paa
Kassys sind. Udtrykket i hendes øine blev mildere, og de spændte
armsener slappedes.
«Har jeg ikke fortalt dig at jeg blir forfulgt af onde aander,» sa
hun til Tom. «Aa bare jeg kunde bede ligesom du! Jeg har ikke
kunnet det siden min datter blev solgt.»
«Jeg skal bede for Dem, frøken! Maatte De rigtig kunne give
Dem Gud i vold! De maa tro at han baade vil og kan hjælpe Dem.»
 Kassy stod taus, og nogen store taarer rulled ned over kinderne
paa hende.
«Frøken,» blev Tom ved, «end om De kunde komme bort herfra
paa en skikkelig maade—jeg mener uden at udgyde blod—saa tror
jeg det vilde være rigtig af Dem at flygte—Emmeline med.»
«Vilde du følge med da, Tom?»
«Nei, ikke nu; det var en tid jeg vilde have gjort det; men nu har
jeg faat en gjerning her hos vore lidelsesfæller, og jeg vil være hos
dem og bære mit kors sammen med dem til min sidste stund. Med
Dem er det en anden sak; De kan ikke holde pinen ud, De maa
heller se at komme bort, om De kan.»
Kassy havde i lange tider været paa det rene med at hun burde
flygte, og hun havde tænkt meget over hvorledes dette skulde
kunne lykkes, men altid havde det stillet sig tusend hindringer i
veien. Først nu i dette øieblik kom hun paa en ny plan, som gav
hende trygt haab. «Jeg prøver,» sa hun og gik fra Tom.
 TO OG TRETTIENDE STYKKE.
En krigslist.

Oppe paa loftet i Simon Legrees hus var et kvistkammer. Det var
fuldt af støv og spindelvæv og alslags skrap af gamle møbler og
andre ting som var slængt op der. Et mat lys faldt ind gjennem et
skiddent vindu og gav rummet et underligt spøgelseagtigt udseende.
Det var ogsaa noget andet som gjorde dette værelse uhyggeligt.
For nogen aar tilbage havde en negerkvinde paadraget sig Legrees
vrede og var blit indesperret i dette rum i flere uger. Hvad som gik
for sig med kvinden der, vidste folkene paa gaarden ikke saa meget
om, men alle var viss paa at hun blev baaret ned som lig og
begravet. Efter den tid trodde snart den ene og snart andre at høre
piskelag og skrig og støn oppe fra kvistkammeret. Saa kom Legree
en dag til at høre nogen af slaverne hviske med hverandre om disse
uhyggelige lydene. Han blev da rasende og loved at gjøre en ulykke
paa den første som vaaged at nævne noget om dette.
Men endda ingen turde tale om det de syntes at høre oppe fra
kvistværelset, blev trappen som førte op til det i lang tid skydd af
alle folkene i huset; selv gangen bort til trappen vilde de helst holde
sig borte fra. Lidt om senn blev dog det hele glemt af de fleste.
Legree selv var, som vi før har hørt, meget overtroisk, og han var
kanske den som havde vanskeligst for at faa ud af tankerne det som
var blit fortalt om værelset.
Dette skjønte Kassy, og det var denne svaghed hos ham hun nu
vilde bruge som middel for sig og Emmeline til at komme bort.
 Kassys soveværelse laa lige under kvistrummet. En dag gav hun
sig til at flytte alt sit bohave ned i et andet rum som laa langt fra
hendes værelse. Folkene som hjalp hende med flytningen gjorde
svært braak.
Dette hørte Legree, som netop var kommet hjem fra en ridetur.
«Kassy!» ropte han, «hvad er nu paa færde?»
«Intet; jeg vil bare ha et andet værelse.»
«Hvorfor vil du det?»
«Jeg vil gjerne faa sove lidt en gang imellem; men det er umuligt
paa det værelset jeg har havt; for naar det lider udover kl. 12 om
natten, saa tar det paa oppe paa loftet at sukke og stønne og braake
udover til lyse morgenen.»
Legree satte i en tvungen latter. «Hvad skulde det være som
sukker og stønner og braaker der oppe om natten?»
Hun saa ham i ansigtet og spurte: «Ja hvad skulde det vel kunne
være? Kan ikke De sige mig det?»
Legree satte i en ed og løfted sin ridepisk for at slaa til hende,
men hun sprang til side, løb ind i sit værelse og vred nøklen om.
Han bandte og trued med at han vilde sprænge døren; men om
lidt gav han sig og lusked ned i dagligstuen.
I et hul paa loftet havde Kassy gjort fast en tom flaske, slig at
den ved den mindste vind gav en sørgelig klagende lyd, som ved
sterk blæst kom til at ligne skrig og rædselsfuld jamren. Denne lyd
hørtes af slaverne, og mindet om den gamle spøgelseshistorie blev
igjen opfrisket. Endda ingen vaaged at tale til Legree om dette,
kunde en se paa ham at han merked uroen i huset. Det var for ham
som luften i og omkring gaarden var fuld af angst og gru.
En stormfuld nat sad han ved kamin-ilden i dagligstuen. Den
blafrende ild kasted et sælsomt lys over værelset. Det suste og
hvinte og knaged fra alle sider. Vinduerne klirred, skodderne smeldte
mod muren, og blæsten slog en gang imellem ned i skorstenen, saa
røg og aske stod ud af kaminen.
 For at faa tiden til at gaa greb han en bog som Kassy havde lagt
frem paa et sted hvor han maatte se den. Denne bogen handled om
blodige mord, spøgelser og gjengangere.
Da han havde læst nogen sider i den, kasted han den bortover
gulvet.
Kassy viste sig i døren. Med store forfærdede øine spurte hun:
«Hvad i al verden kan det være som gaar og spøger der oppe?
Endda jeg havde lukket døren i laas, kom en skikkelse til min seng
og rakte hænderne bedende mod mig.»
«Du lyver!» ropte Legree.
«Saa prøv selv at ligge der oppe.»
«Tror du jeg er ræd for at gaa der op? Jeg vil ha greie paa dette;
jeg tar to pistoler med....»
«Tys! hvad er det?» afbrød Kassy ham. Han fór sammen. Et stort
gammelt ur, som stod i det ene hjørnet af stuen, tog langsomt paa
at slaa 12. En underlig angst fyldte hans sind. Kassy saa paa ham
med et spottende blik, mens hun talte urets slag.
«Tolv!» hvisked hun. «Nu faar vi se.» Hun vendte sig om, lukked
døren til gangen op og lytted. «Tys! Hvad er det?»
«Det er bare vinden,» svarte Legree.
«Kom!» Hun drog i ham. «Ved De hvad det er? Hør!»
Et hult klageskrig lød ned til dem fra kvistkammeret. Legree skalv
i knærne. Han var bleg som et lig.
«Var det ikke bedst De tog pistolerne Deres og gik der op?»
spurte Kassy og drog spottende paa smilen.
«Nei ... jeg har ikke noget der at gjøre.»
«Saa maa jeg selv gaa op.» Hun sprang op vindeltrappen. «Kom
med, De ogsaa!»
«Nei, nei, gaa ikke der op!» bad han.
Men Kassy lo vildt og fløi afsted. Han hørte hende aabne dørene
som førte til kammeret. Et heftigt vindpust kom farende ned og
slukte lyset som han holdt i haanden. I det samme lød igjen et
forfærdeligt klageskrig lige i ørene paa ham.
Rent som fra sig af skræk fór han ind i stuen og smeldte døren
igjen efter sig.
Lidt efter kom Kassy ned igjen. Hun var bleg, men rolig og kold
som en hevnens aand. «Jeg haaber De skjønner nu at det er noget
galt fat der oppe.»
«Gaa med dig, heks!»
«Jeg kan da ikke for at det spøger paa kvistkammeret.»
At hun havde aabnet dørene ovenpaa bare for at give vinden luft,
saa han kunde blive end mere skræmt af dens hyl, holdt hun
klogelig inde med.
Paa denne maaden drev hun sit spil med ham i længere tid, og
opnaadde til slut at gjøre ham saa ræd for kvisten at han aldrig
turde komme nær den.
Kassy selv gik og pusled paa loftet midt paa natten. Hun stelte til
en seng i en af de store kasserne som var sat op der, og hun samled
forraad af madvarer som hun og Emmeline kunde faa nytte af, naar
hendes vel gjennemtænkte plan til flugt lod sig udføre.
Endelig var tiden kommet til at gaa i vei med flugten. Kassy og
Emmeline holdt paa at lage til bylterne sine.
«Tag nu hatten paa og lad os se til at komme afsted.»
«Ja men de kan jo se os,» indvendte Emmeline.
«Det er netop det de skal,» svarte Kassy rolig. «Har jeg ikke
redegjort for dig det hele tydelig nok?»
Aftalen var, at de først skulde rømme paa skrømt. Sambo og
Kvimbo vilde da selvfølgelig faa øie paa dem og sætte efter dem.
Saa var det bare om at gjøre at komme ud i sumpen. Da kan de ikke
følge os længer, men maa vende tilbage for at faa fat paa hundene.
Imens skulde Kassy og Emmeline snige sig ad en omvei tilbage, vade
over bækken, for at hundene skulde tabe sporet, og skynde sig ind
paa gaarden igjen og skjule sig paa loftet. Der maatte de holde sig
en stund, indtil al eftersøgen var opgivet, og alt paa gaarden igjen
var kommet i ro. Først naar deres flugt halvt om halvt var glemt, og
Legree og hans hjælpere havde opgivet at faa tak i dem igjen, var
den rigtige tid til at flygte kommet.
«Se saa!» sa Kassy og tog Emmeline i haanden. «Kom saa!»
De gik ud af en bagdør og skyndte sig ned mod hytterne, og
videre ud mod den store sumpen. Maanen hjalp det sidste
dagsskjær at vise dem hvor de skulde gaa. De hørte nogen rope.
«Aa!» udbrød Emmeline. «Jeg kan ikke mer, jeg er ved at gaa fra
mig selv.»
«Gjør du det, stikker jeg dig ihjel paa stedet!» trued Kassy og tog
dolken frem.
Det hjalp; Emmeline fik nye kræfter, og som to flygtende dyr fór
de ind i krattet.
«Hallo! Sambo og Kvimbo ... alle mand paa benene og afsted
med dere!» ropte Legree oppe paa gaarden. «To af kvindfolkene er
rømt ud i sumpen. Den af dere som faar tak i dem, faar 20 kroner.
Slip hundene løs, og afsted med dere!»
Det blev et skrækkeligt opstyr paa gaarden. Slaverne fór
pustende og ropende om hverandre, nogen laged sig fakler af
furutræ, andre slap hundene løs. Legree kom med en rifle til Sambo
og sa at han kunde gjerne skyde efter Kassy, men ikke efter den
andre.
Saa fór da hele flokken afsted. Faklerne lyste, hundene gjødde
som rasende, folkene hujed og skreg—jo det blev en lystig færd!—
alle folkene paa gaarden var ude for at se paa jagten.
Da Kassy og Emmeline lykkelig naadde tilbage til haven, var det
ikke et menneske at se paa gaarden.
«Se der!» sa Emmeline, da de var kommet ind i dagligstuen, hvor
de gjennem vinduet kunde se ud mod sumpen. «Jagten er i fuld
gang! Se hvor lysene danser omkring mellem trærne! Og hør paa
hundene! Om vi var der nu, vilde vort liv ikke være mange ørene
værdt.»
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