Does Judaism have any list of banned books?
Ask the rabbi.
Rabbi Raymond Applebanned
BANNED BOOKS
Q. A Jewish high school in Sydney recently banned a certain book from study by English students. Does Judaism have any list of banned books?
A. The Mishnah in Sanhedrin chapter 10, warns that a person who reads “external books” (probably meaning the Apocrypha, books excluded from the Tanach) has no share in the World to Come.
Some understand this as referring to the public Synagogue lectionary, not to reading by an individual in private.
However, by the Middle Ages the passage was generally seen as banning even the private reading of unacceptable books.
That this was applied to the sensual poetry of Immanuel of Rome can be understood, but some even placed a ban on Maimonides’ philosophical writings.
The Shulchan Aruch is opposed to certain books (Orach Chayyim 307:16) as is Rabbi Moses Isserles (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De’ah 246:4).
In more recent centuries the modernist works of the Haskalah were severely frowned on, though some yeshivah students used to secrete such books under their big Gemara folios and read them when the rabbi was not looking.
The best approach is self-discipline and inculcating the instinct to recognise things to avoid – not only books but TV shows and anything else that does not fit with decency and faith.
A TU BISH’VAT ALPHABET
APPLE IN PARADISE – despite the popular view, the fruit eaten by Adam and Eve was probably an etrog; fruit-eating on Tu BiSh’vat was regarded by Kabbalah as atonement for Adam and Eve’s sin.
BAGHDAD – Baghdadi Jews marked Tu BiSh’vat by a ceremony in the house of mourning, symbolic of resurrection (as trees become green again, so will the dead return to life).
ETHICS OF TREES – in the Midrash, Jews are like a vine which, though plucked up from one place, can flourish in another; Iike a vine which does not lose its leaves, Israel is never abandoned by God.
FRUIT – Tu BiSh’vat is a fruit festival. Rabbi Jacob Levi Saphir ate 50 kinds of fruit. Chayyim Vital ate 30 kinds. Most people keep to 15. Some people eat dried, not fresh fruits.
HAGGADAH – we not only celebrate, we philosophise and talk about it.
KEREN KAYYEMET – the KKL (JNF) built up Israel’s forests, giving everyone the opportunity of taking part in the mitzvah; JNF preferred timber trees to fruit trees.
MAN – the Torah likens man to a tree (Deut. 20:19), which has firm roots, is nourished by streams of water (Psalm 1:3), grows up towards the heavens and symbolises God’s blessings.
MESSIAH – springtime is symbolic of the redemptive shofar. Planting trees shows concern for those who will come after us.
ROSH HASHANAH LA’ILANOT – New Year for Trees: originally it lacked ceremonies but eventually became a way of remembering the Holy Land; in Europe the festivities lit up the gloom of the cold weather.
SAFED (TZ’FAT) – the place of origin of many Tu BiSh’vat ceremonies, especially amongst Sephardim.
SEDER FOR TU BISH’VAT – many people create their own Tu BiSh’vat Seder with scriptural verses that acclaim and describe Israel’s fruit trees; the ceremony culminates in song (Psalm 116:12).
TREES – Trees provide strength and stability (Prov. 3:18); the Bible commands concern for “the trees of the Lord”; tree-planting ceremonies became customary on Tu BiSh’vat in both Israel and the Diaspora.
TU BISH’VAT – 15 Sh’vat, separating the Israeli winter and spring, is the New Year for Trees and began in the Mishnah; the festive ceremonies evolved later.
Tu Bish’vat falls on February 6
Rabbi Raymond Apple served for 32 years as the chief minister of the Great Synagogue, Sydney, Australia’s oldest and most prestigious congregation. He is now retired and lives in Jerusalem where he answers interesting questions.
It’s a slippery slope when you start censoring, even self-censoring, reading literature of all kinds. And what corresponds with decency and faith can widely vary in an individual’s perception and judgement. I am talking here more of ‘higher’ literary works (even those are subjective insofar as opinion goes, of course). Many throughout history have been burned at the stake, imprisoned, exiled or made to be quiet over new and revelatory opinions, especially in science, viz. Copernicus, Galileo, Spinoza, Charles Darwin, et al.
We should leave this idea of narrowing reading to Jewish Holy works only. It’s not good in any way. Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks was one who utilised and referred to all kinds of works non-Jewish in weekly Parsha discussion. It added strength, not weakness.