It has been told that Serge Koussevitsky, the conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra invited Dr. Louis Finkelstein to tea. Dr. Finkelstein drank the tea but refused the cookies. When Koussevitsky asked why he would not eat them, Dr. Finkelstein replied that they were not kosher.
Koussevitsky said, “But surely a modern man like you does not believe in this old-fashioned nonsense. Why all the fuss over these little cookies?”
Dr. Finkelstein responded, “In that case, would you please play a Beethoven symphony and leave out the last three notes.”
“Of course not,” protested the conductor. “That would be unfaithful to the total composition.”
Dr. Finkelstein replied, “Judaism is a religious symphony. When any part is deleted it is not only an act of unfaithfulness but it spoils the beauty of its total composition.”
Comments