Rabbi Eliezer b. Nathan’s Message to Future Generations
O God, Isolent Men was written in the early twelfth century by Rabbi Eliezer b. Nathan, with the purpose of divulging current and future jewish generations of the fact that the jews who took their own lives and the lives of their loved ones in the face of crusade slaughters were justified in doing so and deserve to be avenged. To get this message across, Rabbi Eliezer b. Nathan sheds negative light upon the character and actions of the christian crusaders. In contrast, he portrays the Rhinehard jewish population as innocent and virtuous, who's acts were pertinent in the situation brought forth by the crusaders. Rabbi Eliezer b. Nathan uses words with strong negative context to persuade the audience that the character and actions of the …show more content…
Nathan is addressing not only the current generation, but also future jewish generations. After having informed his audience of the violence that the crusading caused against the jews in Rhine Valley, he states, setting an example for the readers, that he “will avenge their blood, and [he] will not clear the guilty” (271). He goes on to say that his audience should “cry out and call out to [their] creator demanding the blood of His servants from those who shed it” (271). He wants the jews to respond to these acts of violence by pleading their God to “give [the crusaders] what their evil deeds deserve” and to “give them broken hearts, let [Gods] curse be upon them” (271). “Their blood spatters on [God’s] purple robe. In exchange for silver, [they brought] gold” (270). Rabbi Eliezer b. Nathan is saying in this quote that the individuals who sacrificed their lives provided the needed cost by God to avenge the deaths of the Rhineland Jews. If the needed sacrifices have already been provided, the future jewish generations should be able to interpret that they will be just in pleading for God to avenge their
O God, Isolent Men was written in the early twelfth century by Rabbi Eliezer b. Nathan, with the purpose of divulging current and future jewish generations of the fact that the jews who took their own lives and the lives of their loved ones in the face of crusade slaughters were justified in doing so and deserve to be avenged. To get this message across, Rabbi Eliezer b. Nathan sheds negative light upon the character and actions of the christian crusaders. In contrast, he portrays the Rhinehard jewish population as innocent and virtuous, who's acts were pertinent in the situation brought forth by the crusaders. Rabbi Eliezer b. Nathan uses words with strong negative context to persuade the audience that the character and actions of the …show more content…
Nathan is addressing not only the current generation, but also future jewish generations. After having informed his audience of the violence that the crusading caused against the jews in Rhine Valley, he states, setting an example for the readers, that he “will avenge their blood, and [he] will not clear the guilty” (271). He goes on to say that his audience should “cry out and call out to [their] creator demanding the blood of His servants from those who shed it” (271). He wants the jews to respond to these acts of violence by pleading their God to “give [the crusaders] what their evil deeds deserve” and to “give them broken hearts, let [Gods] curse be upon them” (271). “Their blood spatters on [God’s] purple robe. In exchange for silver, [they brought] gold” (270). Rabbi Eliezer b. Nathan is saying in this quote that the individuals who sacrificed their lives provided the needed cost by God to avenge the deaths of the Rhineland Jews. If the needed sacrifices have already been provided, the future jewish generations should be able to interpret that they will be just in pleading for God to avenge their