RECIFE

latter overthrew the dynasty of Omri and suppressed the worship of Baal (11 Kings 10:15-27; 742 B.C.E.). They were still in existence as late as the time of Jehoiakim of Judah (608-597 B.C.E.) when, due to the invasion of the Babylonians, they were compelled to forsake their encampments and seek refuge in Jerusalem, where they were visited by Jeremiah, who praised them for their constancy (Jer. 35). The Rechabites appear to have been a group which rejected the civilization of Canaan, because of its idolatry and immorality, and sought a return to the simple, sober ways of the desert. They were particularly opposed to the agricultural Baal worship which was fostered by Ahab and his successors.

Their point of view is echoed by some of the early literary prophets, such as Amos, Hosea and Jeremiah, who contrast the purity of Israel in the wilderness with its corruption after it entered Canaan. The prohibition of wine is reminiscent of the Nazirite vow, and it is possible that the Rechabites may have aided in creating that institution, which lasted through the period of the Second Temple. Despite the favorable prophecy of Jeremiah (verses 18-19), there is no indication that the organization survived the Babylonian Exile.

Lit.: The commentaries on Jer. 35.

RECHT, CHARLES, lawyer, poet and novelist, b. Varvazov, Pisek county, Bohemia, 1887. His father, Marcus Recht, was for twelve years mayor of three contiguous communities: Varvazov, Paseka and Most.

Charles Recht attended the Gymnasium at Pisek and the Academic Gymnasium in Prague. He was brought to the United States in 1901, attended New York University Law School (LL.B., 1909) and acquired American citizenship in 1910. While serving as legal counsel for a variety of unpopular causes-such as those furthering the Irish Free State, the Soviet Government (from 1922 on), and the movement for Hindu independence-Recht contributed significant poetry and prose to numerous literary journals on two continents. He made the first renditions into English of published Czech literature soon after he arrived in America. He translated and adapted a number of foreign plays for the American stage.

From the early days of the first World War, Recht has been active in legal processes of public importance. He represented the defendants in numerous cases arising from wartime hysteria, notably in the prosecutions involving the right of free press (New Masses trial, 1917); the right of asylum (the "Red special" deportations and the Paimer raids, 1919); prosecutions against members of the Industrial Workers of the World (1919-20); the defense of Ludwig Martens, unrecognized first ambassador of the Soviet Union in the United States (1919). Recht also conducted various civil litigations on behalf of Soviet interests during the period of non-recognition, the most notable being the Russian Volunteer Fleet case, in the course of which he was instrumental in discrediting and exposing, on the witness stand, the notorious Czarist anti-Semite Boris Brasol.

Recht's first novel, Rue With a Difference (1924), was hailed as "a new departure in fiction" in its treatment of a psychoanalytical figure, a half-Jew. The book created considerable literary controversy, as did his later novel, Babylon-on-Hudson (published anonymously, 1932), which mirrors graphically the author's preoccupation with social issues and ideological dialectics. In the pamphlet Right of Asylum (1935), which had wide circulation, Recht dealt authoritatively with the basic problems affecting racial minorities and political dissenters who in periods of economic depression become the victims of harsh laws under pressure of alien-baiting. This followed an earlier valuable study on American Exclusion and Deportation Laws.

A collection of Recht's finest poems appeared as Manhattan Made (1931); one of his verses was included in the Oxford Anthology (1923) of best poetry. His literary translations were mainly from German, Czech and Polish, including August Strindberg's first play to be produced in English, Countess Julie (published 1910; staged 1915).

He also translated Ludwig Thoma's Moral (1927), Lajos Egri's Rapid Transit (adapted 1927), and others. In all his writings Recht reveals a keenly perceptive intellect, widely ramified cultural associations, and evocative beauty of style.

Recht's travels took him to many parts of the world and frequently back to his native land. In 1936 he was received in audience by President Eduard Benes of Czechoslovakia. On October 28, 1942, Recht broadcast by shortwave to his compatriots abroad (under the auspices of the U.S. Office of War Information) the message of democracy. As an authority on Russian affairs, devoted to the dissemination of truth about the Soviet Union since the days when he was virtually that country's sole legal spokesman in the United States (1919), Recht was made honorary member of the Institute of Soviet Law of the Moscow University.

Recht also engaged in theatrical ventures, including the management of a group producing plays for children.

His Jewish activities embraced participation, by juridical and published means, in battles against anti-Semitic manifestations, and a role in the councils of Ambijan. In 1936 he visited Biro Bidjan, then wrote and lectured extensively on the subject in the United States. He contributed extensively to the Jewish periodical press: Menorah Journal, American Hebrew, Opinion, and other magazines. At one time he engaged Ludwig Lewisohn in a debate on intermarriage (American Hebrew, April 16, 1928).

LAJOS UJLAKI.

RECIFE, seaport and capital of the state of Pernambuco, Brazil; in 1943 it had about 1,500 Jews. Recife is of especial historical interest as the seat of one of the earliest Jewish communities in America, and the source of migrations to other parts of the Western Hemisphere. In 1631, when the Dutch conquered Pernambuco from the Portuguese, they proclaimed the right of religious freedom for all.

The Marranos of Recife and the neighboring Olinda, who had hitherto maintained Judaism in secret, were now able to profess it openly. Marranos from all parts of Brazil flocked to Recife to become Jews again, and in a short time the community numbered several thousand. It was augmented by other arrivals from Holland, including Isaac Aboab da Fonseca and Raphael de Aguilar. The community worshipped in two large synagogues; owing to the opposition of the Calvinist clery, they were closed from 1638 to 1642, but were finally reopened after repeated appeals by the Jewish community to the Dutch West Indies Company.

In 1646 Recife was attacked by the Portuguese and the Jews participated valiantly in the successful defense. In 1654, however, a new attack by the Portuguese led to the surrender of the town and brought the flourishing Jewish community to an end.

They were allowed to depart peaceably; some went to Surinam and other Dutch settlements in South America and the West Indies, while a group set out for Nieuw Amsterdam (New York), where they became the first Jewish group in North America. Among the famous Jews born in Recife were Elijah Machorro and Jacob de Andrade Velosino. The modern community of Recife dates from about 1900.

See also BRAZIL.

Lit.: Files of the Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society; the literature under BRAZIL.

RECKENDORF, HERMAN (Zvi Haim ben Solomon), Semitist and historian, b. Trebitsch, Moravia, 1825; d. 1875. He was a lecturer at the University of Heidelberg. Eugène Sue's Les mystères de Paris prompted Reckendorf to undertake the writing of a five-volume study, Die Geheimnisse der Juden (185657), in which he attempted to show the continuation of the House of David as far as the time of the Abravanels.

This was partly translated into Hebrew by Abraham Kaplan as Mistere Hayehudim (1865). A complete translation appeared in 1893 as Zichronoth Lebeth David. Reckendorf translated the Koran into Hebrew, under the title Aikuran o Hamikra (1857), with an introductory essay discussing pre-Mohammedan Arab history and the life of Mohammed. He was also the author of Das Leben Moses (1886).

RECONCILIATION. According to the Biblical conception, sin estranges man from God, and its evil effects can be removed only by reconciliation and a sacrifice. According to the view generally held by the Semitic peoples, sacrifice is a means of communion between God and man; it accordingly is also a means of reconciliation. This idea still appears in the Christian dogma of the reconciliatory power of the blood of Jesus. According to the prophets, however, sacrifice was not sufficient for reconciliation unless it was accompanied by repentance and a return from sin. Since man not only offends the holy God but estranges himself from Him, he must acquire “a new spirit and a new heart" before he can approach Him.

The divine love desires the return of man to Him and receives the repentant sinner with grace and mercy. "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the man of iniquity his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have compassion upon him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon" (Isa. 55:7). "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin" (Ex. 34:6-7).

Reconciliation is therefore not only dependent on the expression of man, but also upon the divine grace, which both forgives and aids man to attain to a moral rebirth. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you” (Ezek. 36:26). Man by his repentance makes reconciliation possible, God makes it actual. The prophetic teaching of repentance became universally accepted in the Jewish religion in the time of the Second Temple. However, the belief in the potency of sacrifice remained, and an elaborate ritual on Yom Kippur was devoted to the idea of atoning and reconciling sacrifice.

Other forces calculated to reconcile God and man were prayer, fasting, charity, the study of the Torah, service of parents, the Holy Land and even suffering and death. However, the greatest of all was repentance. "Great is repentance, for it reaches the divine throne" (Yoma 86a). But repentance must be sincere. "If one says, I will sin and repent, it will not be enough for him to repent" (Yoma 8:9). Since it is thus possible to reach God directly by repentance, Judaism requires no intermediary to reconcile its followers to God. Said Akiba, "Happy are you, O Israel' Before Whom do you purify yourselves and Who purifies you? Your Father in heaven!" (Yoma 8:9).

See also ATONEMENT. For reconciliations between ran and man, see AMITY; ANGER; APOLOGY; ARBITRA

TION.

Lit.: See under ATONEMENT.

RECONSTRUCTIONISM, see JUDAISM; KAPLAN, MORDECAL MENAHEM.

RED HEIFER

RECORDING ANGEL. Although the Bible contains a number of references to a book in which the actions of men are recorded (Ex. 32:32; Ps. 69:29; Mal. 3:16 and others), there is no distinct mention of this record as being kept by any angelic being. However, it is probable that something of the sort was in the minds of the Biblical writers. The Talmud is somewhat more definite, speaking of angels that follow each man and record his deeds (Taan. 11a). The angel Gabriel is said to have made an entry in the book of records of Ahasuerus, replacing the record of Mordecai's service to the king after it had been erased by an enemy (Meg. 16a). Otherwise, no angels are mentioned specifically by name as recording angels.

RED HEIFER. According to the legislation in Num. 19, persons who had become unclean by reason of having come into contact with the dead were to be purified by a special "water of sprinkling." This water was to contain the ashes of cedar wood, hyssop, scarlet and "a red heifer, faultless, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke" (verse 2). Captives of war and certain spoils of conquest were also to be purified in this manner (Num. 31:21-24). The ashes of the red heifer were to be kept outside of the camp, and even the persons who performed the rite of cleansing were regarded as unclean until evening.

According to Bible critics, the above passages come from priestly sources in the Torah, although it is agreed that the regulation itself is of ancient origin. Num. 19 seems to consist of two different parts, verses 1-13, and 14-22; the latter is probably the older account. Its present place in Numbers is explained by Josephus (Antiquities, book 4, chap. 4, section 6) by the statement that it was instituted by Moses at the time of Miriam's death, which is recorded in chap. 20. Ibn Ezra, however, regards it as the conclusion of the enumeration of priestly duties, which was begun in chap. 18.

There has been much speculation as to the origin of the custom. In fact, the rabbis held that no good reason could be found for it, and that all discussion about it should be abandoned. "Satan asks questions about four different commandments of the Torah: those about the Levirate marriage, Shaatnez (the mixture of wool and linen), the scapegoat and the red heifer. Only in the world to come will we learn the reason for these commandments" (Midrash Yelammedenu, Hukkath 7). Many primitive peoples considered the body of the dead taboo, and believed that those of the living who came into contact with it were ritually defiled. Water mixed with ashes was a ritual cleansing instrument among nations as diversified and widespread as the Navaho Indians, the Zulus and the Tibetans. Since the violation of the taboo was a sin, and dirt and sin are synoynmous in a number of languages and folk concepts, it was natural that water, which removes dirt, should also be the agent for the removal of sin.

The expiatory function of the water was strengthened by the admixture of a symbol of life; for that, the Bible repeatedly chooses a female animal as the sacrificial object (Lev. 4:27-28; 5:6; 14:10; Num. 6:14; Deut. 21:3). The rabbis explained the redness of the heifer by the fact that red represents sin (cf. Isa. 1:18); in Egyptian rites red oxen were offered in a similar manner. The provision that the animal must not yet have come under the yoke finds its parallel in Greek and Roman customs. The hyssop and the other ingredients of the water of sprinkling were also symbols of healing and protection among many nations. This has led Scheftelowitz to conclude that this custom may have been a concession to pre-Israelite heathenism.

It is doubtful whether the provisions of the law in Num. 19 were ever carried out scrupulously over a long period of time, particularly in view of the fact

that the rabbis interpreted "faultless" (verse 2) to apply to the red color of the heifer (Parah 2:15 and Rashi to the passage; Sifre Num. 123), and that such an animal must have been extremely rare.

The Midrash estimates that a true red heifer was worth ten thousand pieces of gold (Midrash of the Ten Commandments 5). The ashes of the heifer were kept in the Temple (Parah 3:11), and the custom seems to have survived the destruction of the sanctuary by about fifty years. According to the rabbis, defilement might come from the body of any person, Jew or non-Jew (Ibn Ezra to Yeb. 61a). Detailed regulations as to the rites of sprinkling and the preparation of the ashes are contained in the Mishnah tractate Parah. W. GUNTHER PLAUT.

Lit.: The commentaries to Num. 19, especially those of Greenstone and Gray; Scheftelowitz, Isidor, "Die Sündentilgung durch Wasser," Archiv für Religionswissenschaft, vol. 17 (1914) 353 et seq.; idem, "Das Opfer der roten Kuh (Num. 19)," Zeitschrift für alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, vol. 39 (1921) 113 et seq.

RED MAGEN DAVID, 1. a medical aid organization which was formed during the first World War. Like the Red Cross and the Red Crescent, it had as its purpose the providing of medical assistance. In Palestine it worked mainly among the members of the Jewish Legion; the financial support was derived to a great extent from contributions to the American branch of the organization. A similar organization also was formed in Lithuania. All the branches of this organization ceased functioning at the close of the War.

2. The American Red Magen David for Palestine was formed under the auspices of the Order Sons of Zion in 1941. It was supported entirely by funds contributed by and through the Order Sons of Zion, and functioned in Palestine, Libya and Egypt. In 1942 there were thirty-seven medical units in action, including two

ambulances sent from the United States. The organization was non-sectarian in the administration of aid.

RED SEA (Hebrew, yam suf, Sea of Reeds; called also yam mitzrayim, Egyptian Sea, Isa. 11:15), arm of the ocean which separates the Arabian peninsula in Asia from Egypt in Africa and extends from the Strait of Bab el Mandeb to Suez. Its northern part is divided into two gulfs: the Gulf of Suez to the west, now joined to the Mediterranean Sea by the Suez Canal, and the Gulf of Akaba, otherwise known as the Elanitic Gulf, to the east. These two bodies of water wash the shores of the Sinai peninsula. It has been suggested that originally Asia and Africa were connected at this part and that the Red Sea was formed as the result of an irruption of the waters. The Red Sea is over 7,200 feet deep; its breadth is about 217 miles, and its length more than 1,240 miles. The coasts along the Red Sea are steep, and there are few good harbors; navigation is perilous because of the numerous coral reefs and the sudden onset of storms, and it is only in modern times, with the advent of steamships, that there has been a greater amount of marine traffic there. The two gulfs, Suez and Akaba, are also called Sea of Reeds.

There has been an extended controversy on the question whether the Gulf of Suez, during the historical period, ever reached further north. Küthmann, Gardiner and others maintain that this gulf was never any larger than it is at the present time, while Guthe thinks that it once reached much further north. The Gulf of Akaba has the same nature as the Red Sea. For this reason the Exodus could not have taken place through the Sea of Reeds; in this locality the Israelites would have been confronted by an abyss. The more probable location for the journey through the Red Sea is the much shallower Gulf of Suez. At the time of the

Exodus, it has been conjectured, this reached as far as Pithom (Heroonpolis), but was navigable only at flood-tide, when the water rose more than seven feet. At ebb-tide the sea was easily fordable. It is still an open question just where the passage of the Red Sea took place.

All the Biblical passages which refer to the Exodus mean the Gulf of Suez by yam suf (for instance, Ex. 10:19; Josh. 2:10); all others refer to the Gulf of Akaba. This formed the southern boundary of Palestine and was the base of the expeditions which Solomon sent out to Ophir; the best harbors were Elath and Ezion-geber (Ex. 23:31; 1 Kings 9:26-28; II Chron. 8:17-18). Jehoshaphat of Judah, in later times, attempted to revive the trade with Ophir, but his ships were wrecked in the gulf (1 Kings 22:49-50). The Greeks and Romans used the term Red Sea (Mare Rubrum) to denote not only the Arabian and Persian gulfs, but also the Indian Ocean (Josephus, Antiquities, book 1, chap. 1, section 3); on the other hand, the Vulgate and the Septuagint understand the term as we do today.

It is difficult to explain why this body of water was called the Red Sea. The water is a bluish green, but the seaweed has a reddish color in some places. The mountains on the coast are mostly white, and only a very small portion is red. Ebers conjectured that the Red Sea derived its name from the Erythreans, a red-skinned people that lived on its shores. There is also no satisfactory reason why it

should have been called Sea of Reeds. Latterly reeds were found only in the vicinity of the old gulf; however, they seem to have been more numerous in the Red Sea in former times, when the name arose.

The word suf is undoubtedly derived from an Egyptian word meaning "papyrus," "reed," as has been recognized by all Egyptologists. The name Sea of Reeds, may, therefore, originally have been applied to the marshy lakes to the north, the modern Bitter Lakes. BERNHARD LEVY.

Lit.: Ebers, Georg, Durch Gosen zum Sinai (1881) 91-92, 532 et seq.; Kittel, Rudolf, Geschichte des Volkes Israel, 538 et seq.; Hastings, James, edit., Dictionary of the Bible (1927) 785-86.

REDAK, see KIмHI, DAVID.

REDEEMER (go'el). In the long history of Israel the term "redeemer" has been used in a number of ways. With the passing of the centuries the term go'el has lost its original connotation, but this ancient usage is historically significant. Originally the go'el was the blood-avenger whose duty it was, when a kinsman was slain, to punish the offender. In connection with the legislation regarding the three cities of refuge (Deut. 19:11-13) it is decreed that "if any man hate his neigh

REDEMPTION OF THE FIRST-BORN

bour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die; and he flee into one of these cities; then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood (the go'el), that he may die."

This practice of blood revenge, which prevailed in the simple, nomadic society which predated Israel's entrance into Canaan, underwent modification when the Hebrew people were established on the land. In Numbers (chap. 35, part of the Priestly Code which reflects a more recent point of view than that of Deuteronomy) the avenger of blood is still permitted to take the life of the wilful murderer, but if the offender smote the victim accidentally, "then the congregation shall judge between the smiter and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances" (verse 24).

This advance in the meting out of justice did not minimize the importance of the next of kin. As the go'el, or "redeemer," he continued to serve his kinsmen. "If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not be married abroad unto one not of his kin; her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her" (Deut. 25:5). In Ruth, Boaz is expected to perform this duty for his deceased kinsman; in this connection the word go'el is used (Ruth 3:12). It was also the duty of the go'el to buy back land sold by an impoverished kinsman (Lev. 25:25).

In prophetic literature, as well as in Psalms, the term go'el always refers to the Deity. He is the Redeemer of Israel. It was only natural that the redemptive power of God should have been stressed in days of national affliction. The Deity's redemptive power was Israel's assurance that his future would be secure. He has taken Israel from Egyptian bondage, bringing him from the darkness of slavery to the sunlight of freedom in his own land (Ps. 74:2). He will redeem Israel from the exile (Isa. 48:20). The people will return in joy to Zion; with their return the land itself will be redeemed (Isa. 51:9-11). This redemption, which at first meant the physical return of the Jewish people to their own land, underwent reinterpretation under the influence of the universalism of the prophets. It came to mean not only the physical return of Israel to Palestine but also his spiritual reawakening. "In the days to come I will implant My law in their minds and I shall write it in their hearts" (Jer. 31:31-44). This recognition of the truths of monotheism will spread to the nations of the world. This will be mankind's redemption. "The Holy One of Israel is thy redeemer, the God of the whole earth shall He be called" (Isa. 54:5).

It should be borne in mind that Israel has always considered God as the Redeemer. It is true that He chooses His agents through whom He will bring the redemption to Israel and mankind, but these agents are always only temporary instruments of the Most High. Deutero-Isaiah speaks of Cyrus as God's anointed, chosen to bring about Israel's redemption from the tyranny of Babylonia (Isa. 45). But his mission is of a temporary nature, while God is the everlasting Savior and Redeemer (verse 21).

A distinction must be drawn between this unchanging monotheism of Israel and the Christian conception of the Redeemer. Paul declares that by his blood Jesus obtained eternal redemption for mankind (Hebrews 9:12). In Christianity, redemption is forgiveness of sins, to which mankind could not attain without the blood of Jesus, the redeemer (Col. 1:14). "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:23-24).

In Christian thought the redeemer thus becomes a permanent intermediary between God and man. No redemption is possible except through him. In Judaism there is no intermediary power. Forgiveness of sin is obtained by man in direct communion with God. Israel regards sin as a

rebellion against God or as a perversion of man's way on earth. Sin is always something which man commits. Therefore, the call comes to Israel, "Return, ye backsliding children, I will heal your backslidings" (Jer. 3:22). Forgiveness is granted to any man who is truly repentant. In seeking it man approaches God without mediation. This point of view is reflected in the Atonement Day ritual. After confession of sin man receives the assurance, "And the Lord said, 'I have pardoned according to thy word'" (Union Prayer Book, vol. 2, p. 96).

Unlike the Christian, to whom redemption means primarily remission of sin, the Jew thinks of God as man's redeemer in a more positive sense. Through His power all men will become aware of the reality of the moral law which will be inscribed indelibly on their hearts. They shall all know God and understand His ways, from the least even unto the greatest of them (Jer. 31:34). As the result of this spiritual awakening, those evils which man has invented will disappear. War and strife will be no more (Isa. 2:3-4). This will be the redemption. The Redeemer is God, in whose light man must walk (verse 5).

See also: BLOOD REVENGE; MEDIATION AND MEDIATOR; SIN. ABRAHAM SHUSTERMAN.

REDEMPTION (ge'ullah). The term "redemption" has been used in Jewish life and literature in two main significations. The first, which prevailed during the time of the settlement in Palestine, was that of legal and material redemption, such as that of land and real estate which had been sold and was "redeemed" by being purchased again for the family (Lev. 25:24-54). The second, which became predominant after the loss of independence, was that of the deliverance of Israel from its afflictions; later it signified the hope for the end of all tyranny and violence on earth. The seventh of the Eighteen Benedictions and the doxology after the Shema prayer are known as Geullah in the liturgy, because they praise God as the redeemer of Israel and express the Jewish belief in the ultimate deliverance of both the Jews and the world with the coming of universal peace and brotherhood. In modern times the first meaning of the word has been revived as a term to indicate the recovery, through purchase, of land in Palestine for Jewish use.

These concepts of redemption differ from those in other religions, such as Buddhism and orthodox Christianity, in which redemption is a deliverance from the evils of life itself-life being conceived as being essentially afflicted by a burden of sin which is too great for man himself to overcome unless aided by divine intervention. This doctrine is totally contrary to the Jewish view, which regards man as capable of attaining his own spiritual salvation.

See also: CHRISTIANITY; ORIGINAL SIN; REDEEMER; SIN.

REDEMPTION OF THE FIRST-BORN (pidyon haben). According to the Bible (Num. 18), the first-born sons of all the people, who, like all other first-born things, belonged to God, were redeemed by God's taking the tribe of Levi instead; in return for this, every first-born Israelite was to be redeemed, at the end of a month after birth, by paying five shekels in silver to a Levite (Num. 18:1-19). This ceremony is still observed by Jews who are not priests or Levites even after the Levites have ceased to officiate as priests. It ordinarily takes place on the thirtieth day after birth; but if the thirtieth day happens to fall on a Sabbath or festival, it is postponed until the next weekday. It is the usual custom to summon a Cohen (Hebrew, Kohen; a descendant of the Aaronitic priesthood); the father then presents the child to the Cohen, announc