View source for Words of Peace and Truth

{{Short description|1782 work by Naphtali Herz Wessely}}
{{Infobox book|
image= Wessely Divre Shalom VeEmet.JPG|
title_orig= דברי שלום ואמת|
author= [[Naphtali Hirz Wessely]]|
published= [[1782]]
}}
'''''Words of Peace and Truth''''' ({{langx|he|דברי שלום ואמת}}) was a Hebrew work produced by the [[Jew]]ish [[scholar]] [[Naphtali Herz Wessely]], an associate of [[Moses Mendelssohn]] and a prominent figure of the [[Haskalah]].
Published in 1782, the tract aimed to encourage Central European Jewry to accept the [[1782 Edict of Tolerance|Edict of Toleration]] issued by [[Emperor Joseph II]] of [[Austria]], which sought to promote a greater degree of acculturation and [[secularization]] among the Jewish community.   The text was geared particularly toward [[Rabbi]]nic leadership.
Wessely wished to convince the Rabbinic authorities that the spread of secular [[education]] would be to the benefit of the Jewish community, and was not something that they should fear.   He essentially differentiated between two different kinds of [[knowledge]]: ''Torat Ha-Elohim'' ([[divinity|divine]], or religious knowledge) and ''Torat Ha-Adam'' ([[human]], or secular knowledge).  While both components are necessary, Wessely argued that the acquisition of secular education must precede the acquisition of divine knowledge; ultimately, secular learning is a universal body of knowledge which is to be supplemented by the religious instruction of the [[Torah]].
In many ways, Wessely's reprioritization of education was contrary to traditional Jewish practice.  The study of secular subjects first and the Torah second seemed repugnant to many rabbis, who denounced the work in harsh terms.  In [[Vilna]], the book was burned publicly; however in [[Italy]] and other places, it was applauded as an enlightened and legitimate work.
==References==
* [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0411/is_3_51/ai_97722698 The Moses Complex in Modern Jewish Literature]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Words Of Peace And Truth}}
{{Jewish education}}
[[Category:Haskalah]]
[[Category:Jewish Austrian history]]
[[Category:Judaism-related controversies]]
[[Category:Jewish education]]
[[Category:1782 non-fiction books]]
[[Category:18th-century Judaism]]
[[Category:Hebrew-language books]]
[[Category:Manifestos]]
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