23
B U S I N E S S
K I N G ’ S
T H E
January, 1933
ff
I N
T H E
J E W I S H
W O R L D
f S M Z C
B y J. A . V au s
T he true child of God never tires of tracing the intricate pattern of God’s movements in human affairs. Not only are “the steps of a good man ordered by the Lord,” but often, even in the lives of the unsaved, one can detect the movements of an invisible hand that shapes the des tinies o f men. As William CoWper, the poet, so well puts it : “ God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform ; He plants His footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.’jfcic The following incident bears ample tes timony to the truth of the old Latin pro verb : “Homo proponit, sed Deus disponit." “Man proposes, but God disposes.” From Rabbinical College to Theological Seminary While Judaism and Christianity have much in common, yet the gulf between tal mudica! Judaism and evangelical Chris tianity is wide indeed and apparently one that is impossible to bridge. However, strange as it may appear, we find in the fol lowing story of conversion a strange inter mingling of rabbinical Judaism and ortho dox Christianity interwoven in the fabric of one Jewish life. The young man whose picture, in talice (prayer shawl), cyarmulke (cap), and tefil- lin (phylacteries) accompanies this article, but whose name for obvious reasons is withheld, was born of extremely orthodox Jewish parents, His father was an orthodox Jewish rabbi o f the Chasidim school or type, as were also his grandfather and great-grandfather. He, too, had been edu cated for the rabbinate and had spent twelve years of his life in one of the most influential Yeshivahs (Jewish Theological Seminary) of Europe. Being of a studious turn of mind and with a serious outlook on life, he pursued his theological studies with a conscientious regard for the God of his fathers and the Holy Torah. His earliest recollections were associated with the colorful and most interesting life of his people in the Jewish community wherein his father served as official rabbi. Sighet, a city of Hungary, with a Jewish population of about 15,000, was the scene o f his father’s labors. The rabbinical duties o f his father fre quently required that he visit other Jewish communities, many miles away; where he would officiate in connection with some of the many Jewish festivals and holidays. At such times, his father, together with his gabbi (assistant pastor) would make the long journey on horseback. What' a pic turesque sight they must have made as they rode along with their long black silk robes, with silken girdles, large round black vel vet hats with fringes, and their long flow ing beards and side-curls, or “pace” (the distinguishing mark of extreme Jewish or thodoxy) ! Underneath their hats were worn close-fitting black velvet yarmulkes, or caps. These caps are worn constantly, day and night, by certain strict sects of or thodox Jews.
God would in some manner provide for his .needs. Passing the Bible Institute one day, on his way to the Public Library, it occur red to him that he might secure work here as a Hebrew teacher. After pausing in si lent prayer to the God of Israel for help in his emergency, he went in to see the Presi dent of the Institute. Dr. White, long a true friend of Israel, listened sympathetic ally to his story, sent him out to get a good hearty dinner, and then urged him to see the writer, who is director of the Jewish department. . .... ■■; "... • God permitted the writer to get a. good glimpse into this young man’s heart and to know him \for what he is, a young, un spoiled European Jewish boy, from a cul tured Jewish family, fresh from the Yes hivah and quite unprepared to cope with the unemployment problem of the present pe riod of depression. . Here was “an Israelite indeed in,Whom was no guile” and one with a genuine love for the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and a reverent regard for the Law and the Prophets. Arrangements were made to take him in to the writer’s home, where he remains at this time a most welcome guest. Here am ple opportunity has been afforded for many quiet talks together concerning matters of mutual spiritual interest. Long discus sions o f Messianic prophecies followed his coming, and day after day we pored over the Hebrew Scriptures with the attempt to convince this young man that Christ indeed is Israel’s long-promised Messiah. Mrs. Vaus, wfio is a Hebrew-Christian, added the weight of her testimony, her knowledge of the Word of God, and the encouragement of her own experience, and thus forged a link in the chain of his con version. Coming to the Light Objections concerning the. Messiahship of Jesus Christ, the virgin birth, the Trin ity, the deity o f Christ, and the identity of the “suffering servant” of Isaiah 53, were all carefully considered and explained from the Hebrew text of the Old Testament. Finally, one morning, the writer felt prompted to urge decision and gently but firmly pressed him to acknowledge Christ as Saviour. For a long time, he sat with bowed head as the writer plied him with multiplied reasons why he should then and there accept Christ. He complained of a violent headache, a thing unusual with him, ,and caused un doubtedly by the turmoil o f his mind. The struggle was a hard one, as every Hebrew- Christian could testify, and the dread o f all the misunderstandings of his relatives (which would be certain to result if he de cided for Christ) restrained him. Finally, out o f all the struggle between mind and heart, he looked up in a deter mined manner and said, “Mr. Vaus, I want you to know it is all settled, I do believe in my heart in Jesus Christ.’’ , Mrs. Vaus was called in to hear the sweetest music on earth or in heaven, the [Continued on page 40]
When a boy of five, H ........... made his first appearance at the Jewish Cheder where fie made his initial acquaintance with the Hebrew aleph^base (alpfiabet). Here in this Yeshivah, for a period of twelve years, he pursued a course of study in the Che- mosh, Targum, Rashi, and Talmud, de signed to prepare him for the Rabbinate. After tfie World War, the country in which he lived passed from under the do minion of the Austrian government to that o f Romania. The spread of anti-Semitism
A Y esh ivah B ocher (Talmudical Student)
and its resultant Jewish persecutions .per suaded the family to leave Romania for America. In New York City, the father secured work in one of the largest matsos manu facturing companies as a. naaman. A naa- man is a rabbi in whom the Jewish public has confidence, and who can safely be trusted to supervise the manufacture of the matsos and matsos meal, to insure that the matsos are manufactured with strict re gard for Jewish dietary laws. Five weeks after the family had arrived in America, the father passed away. The son, who had studied to fie a rabbi, decided to come to California. Here he expected to support himself by teaching Hebrew as he had done in New York City. Quite to his surprise, he found it practically impos sible to secure Hebrew pupils, and his lim ited funds were soon exhausted. For the first time in his life, he knew what it was to be really hungry. He hesitated to part with some valuable jewelry which he fiad, or to pawn one of the several good suits o f clothes that he had, feeling that
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