Word: bernstein
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1950-1959
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
What do modern Jews believe? To answer this question briefly for U.S. Christians and for Jews themselves, Rabb Philip Bernstein, president of the Centra Conference of American Rabbis, wrote an article for LIFE last fall. Now expanded and published in book form, with wood cuts by Quaker Fritz Eichenberg, Wha the Jews Believe (Farrar, Straus & Young; $1.25) is a lucid and readable primer of Judaism from a cheerfully humanistic point of view...
...Adult Males. In marked contrast to Christianity's promises of salvation, Jewish religious thought concerns itself primarily with the here & now, says Bernstein ; the Jew's chief reward for an ethical and God-centered life is the good life itself. "Most Jews have assented to the judgment of an olden rabbinic teacher who, after describing our earthly life as an antechamber, added, 'One hour of repentance and good deeds in this world is better than the whole life of the world to come...
Rallying Point of Loyalty. Torah is the keystone of Jewish spiritual life. The word Torah, according to Bernstein, has a triple meaning-the sacred scrolls used ritualistically in every synagogue, the first five books of the Bible which they contain, or the whole body of Jewish learning. Trie study of Torah is the duty of every religious Jew. "It is an unending source of inspiration, wisdom and practical help. Its requirements bring God into his life every day, constantly. He begins and ends the day with prayers. He thanks God before and after every meal, even when he washes...
...through the U.S., the same thing was going on last week. In Milwaukee, Fifth Army buyers paid $20 and $25 for items the Army had sold for $1. In Philadelphia, Army trucks drove up to Stanley Bernstein's Stan Textile Co. to haul away three truckloads of "surplus" war goods it had bought back from Bernstein...
Stanger has done a fine job of orchestra building. His interpretations are as carefully planned out-often to the exact gesture. He did not seem, however, to have many deep personal convictions about the music he played last night. His motions look like a synthesis of Bernstein, Koussevitzky, and Munch. These mannerisms are often annoying in the original, but in the imitation they seem ludicrous. Furthermore, his beat lacks clarity, and as a result, there were many sloppy entrances. But these criticisms do not detract from his spectacular job of orchestra training...