That was, well, a bit lazy on my part, since I never actually read How Much Is Enough?, but now I’m hard at work, reading a cut-down version of Robert’s magnum opus, John Maynard Keynes, 1883–1946: Economist, Philosopher, Statesman. According to Bob, the one-volume book I’m reading is about 40% shorter than the full, three-volume set, and I have to say that I don’t regret knowing 40% less about Big John’s grandparents than I could have, and I’m frankly grateful that coverage of the entire Bloomsbury crew was similarly reduced. But now that we’re deep in the cut and thrust of mid and late Twenties politics, who could not be enthralled to watch Asquith and Lloyd George slug it out one more time?
Well, anyway, if you’re the sort of person who knows what a “Margot”* is, you’ll probably enjoy this stuff too. If not, then not. But the point I was reaching for in my headline occurs with regard to one of Keynes’ best students, Richard Ferdinand Kahn, an orthodox Jew described by Skidelsky as “more faithful to the letter than the spirit: he would get his gyp (college servant) to open his letters on the Sabbath, even though he wasn’t allowed to himself.”
As a matter of fact, virtually all observant Jews would fall into Skidelsky’s “more faithful to the letter than the spirit” category, as discussed in this article from “The Goy Issue” of Heeb magazine. There are all sorts of mundane things that need to be done on the Sabbath, and if they’re going to get done, well, you need a Shabbat goy to do them. As Heeb notes, the greatest shabbat goy of all time was the young Elvis Presley, who used to turn on the lights and perform other chores for Rabbi Alfred Fruchter and his family when they lived down the hall from Elvis in Memphis. Heeb doesn’t tell us, but I’ve read that Elvis refused to accept any payment for his services, on the grounds that no one should have to spend money simply to honor the dictates of their religion. I don’t know if a “whole kosher” Elvis would have been a good idea, but laying off the fried peanut butter and bacon sandwiches probably wouldn’t have hurt the King one bit.
Afterwords
Skidelsky obviously worked more than fifteen hours a week putting his biography of Keynes together, and I’m glad he did.
*A “Margot” was any outrageous comment delivered by Margot Tennant Asquith, imperious second wife of Herbert Henry Asquith, Liberal prime minister of Great Britain from 1908 to 1916.
