Not long after my acceptance of the Faith, I became unwilling to attend synagogue, and to observe Sabbath rituals according to Hebrew custom. Still, I did not dare to tell my father this fact for he was so prejudiced, ill-tempered, rough and foul-mouthed. I was waiting for an opportune time to break this news to him, and in the meantime, I engaged myself in learning Baha'i practices, observing them secretly. Then an event took place which enabled me to free myself from the hold of the synagogue.
My progress, both materially and spiritually, went hand-in-hand. By the bounty and grace of God, I cared for spiritual matters. As a result of my discipline, hard work and thrift, I was not materially lacking either. My life was good--much better than before. In accordance with the command of Baha'u'llah, I took great care to be tidy and clean. I let my hair grow longer and took care grooming it. This was not looked upon favourably at the time and was considered somewhat anti-religious. Not only was this not practiced among Jews, but pious Muslims would shave their heads and cut short their beards. They would consider shaving their beards a sin. Only the friends of God (i. e. the Baha'is) following the wish of the Blessed Beauty, would grow their hair for the sake of beauty and would shave their faces according to the practice prevalent among advanced countries.
One Sabbath, after having closed my shop, it happened that, out of respect for my father I reluctantly attended the synagogue, when a very rude youth jumped at me, yanked off my hat and shouted: " Look everyone, look at this! What kind of religious observance is this? Just look at the hair of this son of the rabbi, take a look at his hair! With him like this, what are others going to do? This kind of behaviour from a youth causes others to go astray also. "
There was no foul word which did not fall from his lips and no insult he failed to invent. I was just standing there, quiet and composed. I just looked at him and said nothing. Since I had earned the respect of my peers, and my father had always taken pride in such a son, who had brought respect, honour and solace to his father and family, this attack on my honour hurt very deeply.
I used this episode as an excuse not to go to the synagogues anymore. At first, my father would be silent about it, and later on he could not force me to go, as he no longer had the same authority and influence over me as previously. But, the gentle behaviour of the Baha’is and their kindness, together with my own attraction to the Baha'i Faith, impelled me to be present at many of their gatherings and feasts. I also willingly offered my services.
Of course, these activities could not be kept secret for long, and news of some of this eventually reached my father's ears. At first, he refused to believe what he was told. But my continued involvement, itself considered a sin, together with my neglect of Jewish custom and ritual and my conspicuous absence from the synagogue, would cause my father to wonder and doubt. Still, he could not imagine how a child of a rabbi, with such deep knowledge of the Torah and sacred tradition, could suffer himself to be misled and join ranks with the Baha'i religion, which to him was manmade and baseless. But over time, repeated events increased his suspicion and eventually he grew certain that the child he had so implored God to grant him, so that it might become a faithful observer of Jewish tradition, had easily slipped from his grasp.
How Father Attempts to Prevent the Baha'i Faith from being Taught Among the Jewish People
My father was among the most severe opponents of the Baha'i Faith, and was ever trying to find means to prevent Jewish youth from associating with the Baha'is. To accomplish this, he would seize any opportunity possible, even to the extent of forbidding school and study.
In those days, there was a school established by the French in Tehran. It was supervised by Monsieur Kazes. My father was very dissatisfied and would often bring complaints to the principal of the school. He would insult Kazes and demand that only the Torah be taught in school and nothing else. He would even complain about the plight of his own son and had begged the principal to show him a solution.
The interested reader should believe that I am not exaggerating. My father went to great pains to achieve his objective and cursed insistently the one who had caused his son to abandon his faith. As always, poor Monsieur Kazes was the recipient of his complaints. This continued until Kazes succeeded in convincing him and some of the Jewish rabbis to agree to a debate during which they could put forth persuasive arguments to win back his son. However, it seemed impossible to calm down my father who was torn with anger.
Once in a while, my father would allude to the Baha'i Faith, while talking to my mother in front of me. He would curse and insult the Faith profusely, hoping to provoke some reaction in me or at least make certain it was true, that his son really had become a Baha'i. But most of the time I would keep silent without reacting and would keep him wondering.
My progress, both materially and spiritually, went hand-in-hand. By the bounty and grace of God, I cared for spiritual matters. As a result of my discipline, hard work and thrift, I was not materially lacking either. My life was good--much better than before. In accordance with the command of Baha'u'llah, I took great care to be tidy and clean. I let my hair grow longer and took care grooming it. This was not looked upon favourably at the time and was considered somewhat anti-religious. Not only was this not practiced among Jews, but pious Muslims would shave their heads and cut short their beards. They would consider shaving their beards a sin. Only the friends of God (i. e. the Baha'is) following the wish of the Blessed Beauty, would grow their hair for the sake of beauty and would shave their faces according to the practice prevalent among advanced countries.
One Sabbath, after having closed my shop, it happened that, out of respect for my father I reluctantly attended the synagogue, when a very rude youth jumped at me, yanked off my hat and shouted: " Look everyone, look at this! What kind of religious observance is this? Just look at the hair of this son of the rabbi, take a look at his hair! With him like this, what are others going to do? This kind of behaviour from a youth causes others to go astray also. "
There was no foul word which did not fall from his lips and no insult he failed to invent. I was just standing there, quiet and composed. I just looked at him and said nothing. Since I had earned the respect of my peers, and my father had always taken pride in such a son, who had brought respect, honour and solace to his father and family, this attack on my honour hurt very deeply.
I used this episode as an excuse not to go to the synagogues anymore. At first, my father would be silent about it, and later on he could not force me to go, as he no longer had the same authority and influence over me as previously. But, the gentle behaviour of the Baha’is and their kindness, together with my own attraction to the Baha'i Faith, impelled me to be present at many of their gatherings and feasts. I also willingly offered my services.
Of course, these activities could not be kept secret for long, and news of some of this eventually reached my father's ears. At first, he refused to believe what he was told. But my continued involvement, itself considered a sin, together with my neglect of Jewish custom and ritual and my conspicuous absence from the synagogue, would cause my father to wonder and doubt. Still, he could not imagine how a child of a rabbi, with such deep knowledge of the Torah and sacred tradition, could suffer himself to be misled and join ranks with the Baha'i religion, which to him was manmade and baseless. But over time, repeated events increased his suspicion and eventually he grew certain that the child he had so implored God to grant him, so that it might become a faithful observer of Jewish tradition, had easily slipped from his grasp.
How Father Attempts to Prevent the Baha'i Faith from being Taught Among the Jewish People
My father was among the most severe opponents of the Baha'i Faith, and was ever trying to find means to prevent Jewish youth from associating with the Baha'is. To accomplish this, he would seize any opportunity possible, even to the extent of forbidding school and study.
In those days, there was a school established by the French in Tehran. It was supervised by Monsieur Kazes. My father was very dissatisfied and would often bring complaints to the principal of the school. He would insult Kazes and demand that only the Torah be taught in school and nothing else. He would even complain about the plight of his own son and had begged the principal to show him a solution.
The interested reader should believe that I am not exaggerating. My father went to great pains to achieve his objective and cursed insistently the one who had caused his son to abandon his faith. As always, poor Monsieur Kazes was the recipient of his complaints. This continued until Kazes succeeded in convincing him and some of the Jewish rabbis to agree to a debate during which they could put forth persuasive arguments to win back his son. However, it seemed impossible to calm down my father who was torn with anger.
Once in a while, my father would allude to the Baha'i Faith, while talking to my mother in front of me. He would curse and insult the Faith profusely, hoping to provoke some reaction in me or at least make certain it was true, that his son really had become a Baha'i. But most of the time I would keep silent without reacting and would keep him wondering.
From : Crown of Glory, by Jinab-i-Aziz'u'llah Azizi
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