IF NOT HIGHER BY IL PERETZ (FOUR LEVEL)

If Not Higher

I. L. Peretz , Poland (1852-1915)

Literal comprehension

In every Friday morning, at the time of penitential prayer, The Rabbi, teacher of Nemirov’s Jews used to disappear; he was not found in his house or the place where religious services were performed. Some Jews of calculated about by saying he might have gone to heaven to report what he sees. Among them LithuaniaN Jews, Litvak planned to know Rabbi’s reality.

Right after the evening prayer, Litvak went to see the reality at the Rabbi’s house lay under his bed secretly and observed what Rabbi was doing by being awake all over the night. In the early morning, after all people went for the penitential prayer, Rabbi wore the peasant clothes and went to the jungle by taking an axe. He cut the trees and carried the bundle of firewood on his back to the town. He stopped at the door of the hut and knocked. There was a sick, widow, Jewish woman wearing ragged clothes. He gave the firewood to her in credit and started kindling the fire. He put the firewood in to the oven and recited the first part of the penitential prayer. He kindled the fire and recited happily the second part and finally when the fire was set out he recited the third/last part of the penitential prayer.

  Looking all these activities and Rabbi’s Human services, Litvak was influenced very much from him and became his disciple. After this, when other disciples tells about Rabbis ascending to heaven, he does not laugh but only adds ‘if not higher’. It means if the heaven is not the higher position he has gone more than that, Rabbi can go at higher position than heaven.

Interpretation:    

This story ‘If Not Higher’ is written by I. L. Peretz, one of the most respected writers of Poland. In this story, he has described about the important way of practicing the religion. The writer wants to say that service to Humanity is the best way to get the favor of the God. The pious and good activities of Rabbi are the greatest activity in religion. Rabbi is doing much human services. He is not going at Synagogue in the time of penitential prayer. It means that only reading/reciting the holy books or mantras in front of the statues of the Gods in not the way to be religious to keep the God happy. The best way to keep the happy is helping the poor and helpless people. It means services to humanity are the services to God. Therefore, we can conclude by saying that this story glorifies the service of Rabbi to humanity.

Critical analysis:

The story ‘If Not Higher’ had described the important way to practice religion. Along with it, it has other things created confusion in me and makes to disagree somewhere else. The Jews of Nemirov’s are calculating about Rabbi’s ascending to heaven. How is it possible to calculate Human being’s ascending to heaven in their life? The Rabbi, teacher of Nemirov’s Jews is spending very ideal life. He is to conduct penitential prayer by going at synagogue. He did not go there; instead, he went to human service. Can all Rabbi/priest do like him? Can the entire Rabbi disappear from synagogue? Can the entire Rabbi know what the poor are doing without seeing them? Can we regard someone as Rabbi/priest if he doesn’t practices the traditional way of praying? Is it possible to find out such ideal person in this world?

Assimilation:

 I think it is very useful story to any religious people who think the religion means only going to the temple and church and participating there in praying. They do not take human service as the part of the religion to keep God happy. They think that they can keep god happy by going at religious places and they can ascend to heaven by such activities. So, I think, if such people read this story, they will know that they are not getting the favor of the God and they are not the actual follower of the God. After reading this story, they will realize that they can get the favor of the God when they are able to serve human being equally in need. Then their activities will be oriented for human services like Rabbi of Nemirov. This story reminded me of Devakota’s ‘Yatri’ poem as well.

Literal comprehension: 

Early Every Friday morning at a time of penitential prayers, the rabbi of Nimirov would vanish .He was nowhere to be seen. Other People were of the opinion that during the prayers, he would go to heaven while the litvak did not believe that openly. In order to find out the whereabouts of the rabbi, the litvak managed him to go secretly to his room on the eve of the penitential prayers and hid under the bed. Early morning when others were praying for the people of Israel, the rabbi disguised himself as a peasant and left the house. After sometimes, he went to the nearby forest and cut the firewood and made a bundle of firewood. He, then, entered the house of poor Jewish women and persuaded her to buy the firewood but she did not buy as she was poor, than, he gave the firewood and candled the fire to her, He then started reciting the different portions of penitential prayers. Having seen such humanistic deeds of the rabbi, the litvak was deeply moved and from that time onwards, he becomes his disciple.