ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a commentary of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, an already-mentioned leader of early modern Orthodoxy. In a discussion of “symbolism” in the commandments, Rabbi Hirsch offers an explanation of why such acts as the blowing of the shofar, circumcision, and rendering legal judgments must be carried out in daylight hours and are invalid when performed at night. Hirsch contrasts the “psychology of night” with a “psychology of daytime.” During the day, he argues, people take control over their lives, regain a confidence that they can cope with reality and live responsibly. Hirsch’s insight stands in sharp contrast to at least one feature of George Orwell’s well-known allegorical novel of Communist total-itarianism, Animal Farm. Hirsch is taking conscious issue with that “pie in the sky” orientation. Religious sensibilities, convictions, and loyalties, he is saying, are not an escape from real life.
