Jewish Literature Review Assignment: Shem and Japheth (Essay Sample)

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9/23/2015
Jewish Literature
Shem and Japheth were the sons of Noah alongside Ham. The two sons avoided looking at their naked father and covered his nakedness. For that act, Japheth was blessed by extension of his territory and shared the "tents of Shem”. Shem was Noah’s eldest son. There is a possibility for his name from the Hebrew word for "name”. From Shem came the Semitic nations, and specifically, twenty-six nations came from him. Shem is commonly referred to as the father of all the children of Eber. His first son, Arpachshad, was born when he was one hundred years old. Shem’s five sons were Elam, Lud, Arphaxad, Asshur, and Aram. His designated sons spoke a Semitic language except the Elamites (Levy, 2000).
Japheth was the second son of Noah but occupied the third place in the enumeration order of the sons of Noah. He and his wife were among the eight people who entered Noah’s Ark. "May God make wide" or "enlargement" are explained as the meanings of the word Japheth. The word is represented by the same consonants as yapht that has its root from pathach meaning "to make wide”. While being referred to as a great philosopher responsible for the vast intellect spread to humanity Japheth was described as a man filled with knowledge (Levy, 2000). Semitic affinities set forth distinguish descendants of Shem and Japheth given that Japheth descendants are given first.
Though Japheth had seven sons, there came out fourteen nations from him. Japheth is thought as the "Father of the Japhetic Race" and the "Father of the Europeans”. His sons were Gomer, who was the father of the Cimmerians that settled north of the Black Sea and occupied the British Isles, France, Germany, and Spain. Javan was the descendant to the Greeks or the Ionians who settled in Greece. The Hebrew name for Greeks is Javan. Madai was the descendant to the Medes, who included the Indians, Iranic, Persians, Afghans, and Kurds. Madai’s descendants settled south of the Caspian Sea. Tubal was the descendant to the Turks who settled south of Black Sea. Tiras was the descendant to the Etruscans who included the Thracians, Teutons, Germans, Scandinavian, Anglo-Saxon, and Jutes. Tiras’ descendants are located west of the Black Sea. Meshech was the father of the Slavs including the Russians who lived between the Caspian and Black Seas. Japheth’s last son was Magog, who was the father to the Scythians who lived north of the Caspian Sea (Levy, 2000).
The Japhetic race proceeded to the north of Asia and the east of Europe after the collapse of the Tower of Babel under Nimrod. The Bible states their destination as the "Isles of Gentiles" that have in recent times believed to be Pacific Islands and the Islands of Asia. They dwelt in the present Asia, Americas, and the Mediterranean Russia. A fraction of them dwelt in Europe and were driven to the northern areas due to the conquest of the Shemitic tribes (Levy, 2000).
Shem’s sons make up the five Semitic nations. These are Arphaxad, the descendant of the Babylonians that settled in Chaldea and Aram the descendant of the Syrians who are located north and east of Israel (Lewis, 2015). Asshur was the father of the Assyrians who settled between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, and Elam the father of the Persians who settled northeast of the Persian Gulf. Lud was the descendant of the Lydians who settled in Asia Minor while some of them settled in northern Africa after sailing across the Mediterranean Sea.
Semitism comes from the name Shem with Semites being the Phoenicians, Arabs, Akkadians, and Hebrews (Lewis, 2015). From a Biblical perspective, anyone opposing these groups was anti-Semitic. However, antisemitism in the political world came into existence in late 1879 through Wilhelm Marr, who announced an anti-Jewish fight political party. Ernest Renan’s views concerning Jews were dismissed as anti-Semitic by Jewish scholar Moritz Stein-Schneider in 1860. Suggestions that Semitic languages were derived from a single original language, whose people were descended from one people, caused further anti-Semitic views. Eber was Shem’s grandson who had descendants that were Hebrews. One of these descendants was Abraham who had a son called Ishmael, the father of the Arabs. The Arabs and Jews have often traded the word anti-Semitic while referring to their fathers and descendants leading to heated debates and war (Lewis, 2015).
In the "Scene from Limbo”, the author, Peretz presents a voice of non-Zionist, non-maskilic but one of Jewish socialism. The empty admiration of the Land of Israel that is portrayed in the Hebrew proto-Zionist literature and the Haskalah is criticized in the story. Though Peretz does not present an explicit ideological alternative as in previous works such as "Married”, he advocated for a folkish voice. He indirectly confronts the harsh socio-economic condition of lower class Jews through the use of ironic humor. The author mocks the Haskalah’s supposed social progression from the introduction of the maskil (Peretz).
One of the enlightened characters in the "Scene from Limbo" is the rabbi. In the salvaged small town, he presents himself as a modern man who appears good-intentioned. This is portrayed in his manner of dressing. His lack of facial hair, as opposed to the rabbis in the Orthodox rabbinate, speaks a lot about him. The people in the small town fear that his son would corrupt things in the town due to their modern nature. The rabbi can see from the character of his son that the son was not interested in his mother. The government-appointed rabbi tells the clockmaker that the only reason his son came was to collect his mother’s inheritance (Peretz).
Favoring doikayt (making changes to societies’ mistakes where they reside) over Zionism shows the rabbi’s mode of operation. He yearns for increased morality in the maskilic educational model. His enlightened nature is thus directed at social justice (Peretz).
The Zionist poet, Mikhail, who is a Hebrew, is parodied by Peretz as a semi-modern figure. The poet writes about "all four seasons and about the Jewish people and its redemption". He is against and vehemently opposes any plans to settle Jews in Argentina. He states that they have no connection with Argentina. Despite the town unwillingness to welcome the rabbi’s son, the poet alongside Shmuel is ready. This character strives to join the "Haskalah wagon in the town of Limbo" (Peretz).
Gabriel attacks Jewish education. He is characterized as a maskilic cliché, one of Peretz enlightened characters. Peretz further terms him as a self-parody (Peretz).
Shmuel is a blond portrayed as one of progressive bourgeois figures of the semi-modern generation. She aspires to become a Hebrew, prose writer. She is included...