Jewish Observer targets Hertz Chumash, Shadal &c.

This month's Jewish Observer features a symposium on "The Cosmic Question: Random Evolution or an Intelligent Designer," which features a three-part article by Telshe Chicago rosh yeshiva R. Chaim Dov Keller. In it he damns discusses the Hertz Chumash, taking on the idea of שמע האמת ממי שאמרה because R. Keller interprets תורה בגוים אל תאמין differently than the rishonim do.

He also bites off quite a bit to chew in dismissing Shadal, among others, as "an 'iconoclastic Jewish commentator[s]' (Maskillim) who do violence to the simple understanding of Torah in order to minimize the supernatural nature of the obvious miracles performed by Hashem for His people."

This isn't a great scan, but then, it isn't a great attack on the beleaguered and admittedly dated (but heroic) Hertz Chumash.


As usual, click to enlarge.

The editor of Jewish Observer, R. Nosson Wolpin, has a close relationship with Artscroll, a competing enterprise which partly succeeded in burying the Hertz but I sincerely believe the Jewish Observer would put the Hertz Chumash into its sights even if he did not have anything to do with Artscroll.

PS there is substance of the critique I agree with. I mean, I do not think that an eclipse in New York City in the 1925 (pg. 251) really offers much insight into makat choshech, for example.