Shadal series #14 - On Shadal's unusual rabbinic ordination - a guest post by Daniel A. Klein

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One day I was lazily browsing through a microfiche reel and I suddenly stopped. It was the long lost semicha certificate of Samuel David Luzzatto! I copied it and promptly took it home and asked Dan Klein to translate it for me. 

Actually, I kid. I was looking for it of course. After Shadal's passing in 1865, his son Isaia made it his business to collect and publish as much of his father's literary legacy as he could (or wanted to; I've seen one too many references to letters in archives that contained more material than was actually published in, e.g., Igrot Shadal). One interesting thing, which he evidently considered fairly ephemeral, he chose to publish in August of 1877 in a magazine called the Corriere Israelitico (and, unfortunately, only in Italian translation without the original Hebrew). This was the text of a certificate of rabbinic ordination awarded to Shadal by the Chief Rabbi of Gorizia. 

In his own memoirs Shadal writes that his primary teacher, Rabbi Eliezer Abraham Ha-levi of Trieste, informed him at age 15 that he could be on track to receive rabbinic ordination at age 20 if he chooses. Shadal, however, did not consider himself suited for the rabbinate, being shy on the one hand, and dramatic and harboring lofty visions of scholarship for its own sake, on the other. So he declined. To which his rabbi remarked: "Luzzatto wants to be a hakham, but not a rav." 

As shocking as this sounds now, apparently in Italy one was called to the Torah as one had been ordained. (I know!) Thus, even if you were already a world-renowned talmid hakham, and even the teacher of a rising percentage of all the Italian rabbis to-be, without rabbinic ordination one could not be called to the Torah as a rabbi, not even Shadal. 

So digging through the dusty, squeaky, heat-emitting microfilms I located Isaia's article, took it home, and shared it with my friend Dan Klein who was inspired to translate it. Read - or skip - to the end. 

Actually, the article consists of two separate documents, and a short letter by Shadal. Isaia explains that the first is a recommendation letter by the Chief Rabbi of Trieste (Abram de Cologna, formerly the Chief Rabbi of Paris) and the second is the text of a semicha granted to his father by Isaac Samuel Reggio's (Yashar) father, Rabbi Abraham Reggio. Included is SDL's reply to the elder Reggio. Although Isaia is not completely sure, he guesses that the reason this ordination was given to his 38 year old father was  that the powers-that-be at the Rabbinical Seminary where Shadal taught considered it unseemly for him, one of its two teachers, to lack ordination, and instructed him to get it. This would make sense, as why else would he have gotten such an honorary degree, so to speak, from his friend's father? Perhaps the rabbi was the only one he didn't feel like a fool writing to ask for it. On the other hand, perhaps someone else (the younger Reggio himself, for example) was the one who asked for it. The latter interpretation might be inferred from Shadal's response to the semicha, also included here, in which he says it was "unexpected." Taken literally  - it was unexpected. In any case, here it is. 

Thanks, Dan! - S. 

PS A partial translation of this article did appear once before, but it is long lost, I believe. If and when I publish my Shadal essays both versions will appear, at least if Dan is kind enough to give his permission to me.

ACertificate and a Diplomafor SamuelDavid Luzzatto
I believe I am doing something thatwill be appreciated by the readers of the Corriere, andespecially by the people of Trieste, by offering them two unediteddocuments regarding the life of my revered father and theirillustrious fellow citizen, extracting these documents from a longseries of Materials Concerning the Life of Samuel David Luzzattothat I am busily collecting, andfor the compilation of which I appeal for the cooperation of all thefriends of S.D.L., but especially that of his scholars, those of theSchools of Padua and Trieste, some of whom have already accepted myproposal most eagerly.
It isonly proper that these documents should see the light of day for thefirst time in that Trieste which gave him birth, and which stillpreserves so vividly the traditions of that Samuel Davidson of the "tornidor" of Pondares,¹who, as long as he lived,gloried in being its son.
Thefirst of these documents is in Italian, because it evidently was madeuse of in the application for the professorship at the IstitutoRabbinico of Padua.
The second, which is actually arabbinic diploma, set forth in Hebrew and written in the antiquestyle on parchment, was translated into Italian at my request by mydear friend, His Excellency MoisèCoen Porto, Chief Rabbi of Venice,²overcoming more than a few difficulties that arose in the translationprocess whenever an exact and faithful version was sought to be made,rather than a free paraphrase. Whenever a request is made to me topublish the original itself in some Hebrew publication, I willwillingly furnish a copy.
This document was written on April 26,1838, and in a letter written two weeks later (May 10, 1838) by theillustrious Isaac Reggio to my father, I find the followingpostscript: "After having written the present letter, today yourpaper directly reached His Excellency my father [Abraham Reggio], whorenders thanks to you for the courteous expressions used in hisregard."
Concerning the relevant request thatmust have been made by my father, I have found nothing, either in thecopies of his letters or the letters in his own hand in mypossession. However, from a letter of his of April 19, 1838, Iperceive that on the previous day he had arrived in Gorizia, takinglodging in the Reggio home.
With respect to the motive thatcould have induced him to seek this title of Hakham, although it wasquite alien to his nature to seek titles, lacking for the time beingany positive information, I will make a simple hypothesis: I supposethat since his distinguished colleague, Prof. Lelio della Torre, hadalready been bestowed with the title of Rabbi, while my fatherpossessed merely that of Maskil ve-Navon, as may be inferredfrom this document itself, the director of the Institute wanted myfather, for the sake of the Institute's own dignity, to procure asimilar title from some distinguished rabbi, especially for thesolemnities attending the opening and closing of the Collegio, whichwere probably conducted in the synagogue, and that my father, havinggone to Trieste and Gorizia in April 1838, spoke about it withReggio.Dr. Isaia Luzzatto Padua, June 27, 1877*
* After having written the above, Ifound within a bundle of various autograph writings of my father arough copy of a letter addressed, on May 8, 1838, to His ExcellencyR. Abraham Reggio, which I transcribe here in its entirety:
Most excellentSir:
The mosthonorable letter of Your exalted Excellency³and the attached Diploma were as sweet to me as they wereunexpected⁴,and they afforded me a new proof of that goodness which so eminentlydistinguishes your character. I will always regard as the greatestof my honors the approbation of the venerable Nestor⁵of the Rabbis of our age, whose wisdom, piety, and virtue I affirm asequally exemplary, notable, and renowned.
May Your exaltedExcellency continue to inspire, for many more happy years, the joy ofall those who have the good fortune of knowing you, and to receivethe deserved homage of your admirers and devotees, among whom willalways have the glory of being counted.
Your humble and most obedientservant,S.D.L.Padua, May 8, 1838
Here, then, are the two documents:
Certificateby Rabbi Cologna
I attest that Signor Samuel DavidLuzzatto, a native of Trieste, is recognized here as a man ofexemplary morality and of the finest character; that he isdistinguished for his vast knowledge in various branches ofliterature, both sacred and secular; that he is a professor of Hebrewlanguage and sacred exegesis, and is a profound philologist; and thathe has acquired a distinguished reputation as the author of variouscompositions published by him, which have obtained full approbationon the part of the literary public.
I attest, then, that the said S. D.Luzzatto is, in my judgment, indisputably capable of occupying, withrespect to said subjects, the chair of Professor in a RabbinicalInstitute.Chief Rabbi A. ColognaTrieste, November 11, 1827

DiplomaIn the Name of God
O contemporaries, see this new flaskthat is full of old wine, the oldest, without adulteration. Anall-containing cluster, a reasoning thinker and intellectual likeHalcol and Darda^†,in Bible as well as in Mishnah and Gemara.
This star that emits a splendid lightis the wise and intelligent Signor Samuel David Luzzatto, Professorat the Collegio Rabbinico of the famed city of Padua. The lion ofsociety, who points the plain way to men of heart who eagerly learnin his school the statutes and laws of God in clear language. Renowned grammarian of the twenty-four books, celebrated poet inrhyme and meter. Behold, it is he who, from the chair ofinstruction, guides them on the path so that they may know and makeknown the things prohibited and lawful, together with morality, untilthey become chiefs of communities, in whatever places they may findshelter; hence (it may be deduced that) he who causes to be done isgreater and more honorable than he who does. Seeing this greatphenomenon, of which there has not been the like for centuries uponcenturies, and his great wisdom in all and for all, to his friendsand acquaintances I say that clear are the courses of the river ofhis wisdom, and that he has force and vigor. I say, let not hiserudition be enclosed in a corner, notwithstanding his pure humility,and notwithstanding that titles and ranks of dignity have noimportance to him; everyone should take hold of him as a shield andbuckler, and thus the inhabitants of the world will see how great isthe office of the law.
Therefore my heart tells me, and Ihave the word (ready) on my tongue, to exalt him and to crown him,throughout the regions of Israel, with the Rabbinic cloak of royalty,for to him pertains the firstborn's share; and with the assent of theHeavenly King and of the Tanna and Amora^‡,I place my two hands upon him and invest him with a glorious crown,and I authorize him to be called to the Torah with the title of "themost excellent, learned, intelligent, and wise Signor Samuel DavidLuzzatto (Magnalad Achacham)⁶;this is an honor that comes of its own accord to one who bears theheavy weight; let this be done so that all the Community of Israelmay hear and say, "This is the Law, and this its recompense."
And now, with palms stretched forth toHeaven in awe, I pray that God may render great and mighty theProfessor of His just law, and that He raise him to all therabbinical degrees in abundant and overflowing measure, with longlife, plentiful sustenance, and riches of every kind. Amen, may thisbe His will.These are the words of the weak voiceof the one who is placed in the position of religious authority herein Gorizia and its environs, who writes and subscribes with his seal,today, the first of the month of Iyyar of this year (whose number isderived from numerical value of the plene form of the wordbiyrushalayim in the verse [Zech. 2:16]), "And He shallagain choose Jerusalem" ([5]598).
The words of the Hebrew servant whosename is Abraham Reggio.
1 "Tornidor" is evidently the Trieste dialect's equivalent of the standard Italian "tornitore," meaning "turner" or "woodworker." This was the occupation of Hezekiah Luzzatto, Shadal's father. The family lived at 1306 Contrada Pondares in Trieste.2 Porto (1834-1918) was a student of Shadal at the Collegio Rabbinico. 3 In the original, "Sua Magnalad Ecc.ma," a combination of Hebrew and Italian; magnalad is the Italian Jewish pronunciation of ma'alat.4 Emphasis in the original as transcribed by Isaia Luzzatto.5 Nestor, a character in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, came to be a proverbial figure of an elder statesman and wise counselor. † Names of wise men in the time of Solomon, see I Kings 5:11 [note by M. Coen Porto]. ‡ "Tanna" is the author of the Mishnah and "Amora" is the author of the Gemara; here this means, with the assent of the greatest celebrated Rabbis [note by M. Coen Porto]. 6 The Italian Jewish pronunciation of ma'alat ha-hakham, "the exalted scholar," i.e. Rabbi.