THE SERMON
175
"I don't accept it!" he repeated, with the stubborn insistence
of one who had come to a final, fixed opinion. "Not a single point,
not a line, not
.a
dot. Nothing, nothing ... nothing at all! Will you
believe me? Will you believe me? You can't even imagine how I'm
opposed to it, how. I reject it, and how . . . how . . . I don't respect
it! Now, look! Just think ... what is there in it? Just give me an
answer: What is there in it? Oppression, defamation, persecution,
martyrdom. And again oppression, defamation, persecution, and
martyrdom. And again and again and again, without end. . . .
That's what's in it, and nothing more! After all, it's ... it's . . . it
bores you to death, it's just plain dull! Just let me mention one fact,
just one little fact. It's well known that children everywhere love to
read historical fiction. That's where you get action, see, bold deeds,
heroes, great fighters, and fearless conquerors. In a word, a world
full of heroism. Now, here now, in Palestine, our children love to
read, unless they're stupid. I know this for a fact. I've looked into
it. Yes, they read, but historical novels about
goyim,
not about Jews.
Why is that so? It's no accident. It's simply because Jewish history
is dull, uninteresting. It has no glory or action, no heroes and con–
querors, no rulers and masters of their fate, just a collection of
wounded, hunted, groaning, and wailing wretches, always begging
for mercy. You can see for yourselves that it can't be interesting. The
least you can say is it's uninteresting. I would simply forbid teaching
our children Jewish history. Why the devil teach them about their
ancestors' shame? I would just say to them: 'Boys, from the day we
were exiled from our land we've been a people without a history.
Class dismissed. Go out and play football. . . .' But that's
all
in
passing.
So,
let me proceed. I'm sure you won't take me wrong. I
know that there is heroism in the way we stood up to all that oppres–
sion and suffering. I take it into account.... But ... I don't care
for that kind of heroism. Don't laugh . . . I don't care for it! I
prefer an entirely different kind of heroism. First of all, please under–
stand me, it's nothing but the heroism of despair. With no way out,
anyone can be a hero. Whether he wants to or not, he must be, and
there is no credit or honor in that. In the second place, this heroism
after all amounts to great weakness, worse than weakness, a kind of
special talent for corruption and decay. That's how it is! This type
Qf
h~ro
soq.p.c;r or la.ter begins to :pride himself
Q.P.
hi$
'ller<;>~m' ~nQ
