The Justice

On Wednesday, Sept. 10, speaker Sarah Morris Ph.D. '95 came to Brandeis to discuss the influence of Kabbalah on the Czech writer Czech Kafka. Morris, a Brandeis graduate who now teaches at Bar Ilan University in Israel, was first exposed to Kabbalah by her husband, which engendered in her more than just a passing interest. The teachings of Kabbalah "[make] for a healthy psyche," she said.

If anyone needed a healthy psyche, it would be Kafka. Stories of alienation and psychological conflict like 'The Metamorphosis' are frequently associated with the neurotically tormented image of the Czech writer. However, one concept that is usually not associated with Kafka is Kabbalah. For much of his life, Kafka felt alienated from the Jewish community and knew very little about his heritage. In his own words, "What have I in common with Jews? I have hardly anything in common with myself and should stand very quietly in a corner, content that I can breathe." But Kafka still had an interest in Eastern European Jews because of their spirituality, and he became more acquainted with Judaism through his close friends Max Brod and Georg "Giri" Langer, who had become a Chasid. So it was through Langer and Chasidic Judaism that Kafka became familiar with the teachings of Kabbalah much later in his life. In 1911, Kafka began to write about Jewish heritage, and certainly by this point in history he had felt the wave of mainstream Kabbalaism, which had changed from a theoretical and intellectual concept into one that was commonly practiced in the Jewish population.

Having read several of Kafka's stories, I wondered how the speaker would approach such a multifaceted writer from the viewpoint of Kabbalaism. His writings can be interpreted on an endless number of levels, whether one sees them as existential, socially and politically satirical, nihilistic, metaphysical or psychological. How can one talk about Kafka on a single level, since his writings seem to suggest such an infinite number of associations and depths?

There was a sparse showing of students at Morris' discussion, perhaps six or so, and an equal number of faculty members. The presentation featured many parallels between the works of Kafka and the stories of Jewish mysticism, focusing in particular on his parable "Before the Law." The story is an excerpt from his posthumously published novel The Trial, although "Before the Law" was published during his lifetime.

The parable features a man from the country who seeks entrance into the Law through an already-open gateway but is denied entry by the doorkeeper. Despite a lifetime of trying to gain admittance from the passively adamant guard (although he never actively tries to enter the gateway), the countryman's pleas are rejected, until at the end of his life, the gates close.

Continued...

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