/ersity of Call 
 Southern Regio 
 Library Facilit
 
 The Library 
 
 From the Theodore E. Cummings 
 
 The gift of Mrs. Cummings, 1 963
 
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 irr 1 ir
 
 jn 
 THE *WAY OF FAITH.
 
 The profits arising from the sale of this work will le distributed 
 in a series of numbers amongst the humble clauses of our brethren.
 
 Am 
 3 
 
 THE 
 
 WAY OF FAITH: 
 
 A MORAT. AND RELIGIOUS CATECHISM OF THE PRINCIPLES 
 OF THE JEWISH FAITH. 
 
 BY T1IK l.\1K 
 
 REV. DR. RAPHAEL MELDOLA, 
 
 LATE CHIEF RABBI OF THK SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE 
 JEWS* CONGREGATION. 
 
 TRANLATKD FROM THE HEBREW BY THE 
 
 REV. D. MELDOLA, 
 
 PRESIDING RABBI OF THE SAID CONGREGATION. 
 
 SEC. I. PART I. 
 
 LONDON : 
 PUBLISHED BY MELDOLA & BERLANDINA, 
 
 7 A, CAMOMILE STREET. 
 56091848. 
 
 Hebrew Union CoUt*g 
 Library.
 
 LONDON : 
 
 AND BERLANDIXA, MUSTERS, 
 
 A, CAMOMir.lv STREET.
 
 ADDRESS. 
 
 TO OUR BELOVED BRETHREN OF THE HOUSE OF 
 ISRAEL OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE. 
 
 DEAR BRETHREN, It is with sentiments of real 
 affection that I address and dedicate to all those 
 who hold the faith of our fathers this small treatise ; 
 and I do so without any reference to the rank or 
 station in life of any such to whom these pages 
 may come. We are all brethren, whether rich or 
 poor, learned or unlearned ; and all are alike in- 
 terested, or ought to be so, in the maintenance of 
 the essentials of our faith. Our religion is founded 
 upon Divine facts, and upon Divine command- 
 ments, and it is by faith that those facts are received 
 as such, and that those commandments are duly 
 observed. Faith is the root and foundation of our 
 obedience to the law, and is the chief characteristic 
 by which a true profession of our religion is distin- 
 guished. It was the firm conviction of these prin- 
 
 2070053
 
 VI 
 
 ciples which induced my late revered Father to 
 compose his excellent and useful work, " The Way 
 of Faith" naiDK "pi (anxiously desirous of dis- 
 charging his duty as pastor towards his flock, he 
 intended it as a guide to the religious education of 
 Israelites,) consisting of a complete catechism for 
 the instruction of our community, divided into sec- 
 tions suited to the three stages of life commencing 
 with the most simple question and answer for the 
 youthful student of religious truth, and progress- 
 ively adapted to those of mature years, whereby all 
 that will submit to receive instruction are taught 
 the fundamental points of our most holy faith, and 
 are led to know the truth, and encouraged and 
 assisted to conduct themselves in the world accord- 
 ing to the word by the mouth of the prophet "He 
 hath shewed thee, O man! what is good; and 
 what doth the Lord require of thee but to do 
 justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with 
 thy God?" (Micahvi. 8). 
 
 The task of composing this catechism was re- 
 garded by my Father as a very important object, 
 and one, therefore, upon which he bestowed much 
 labour and pains, carefully consulting, as he pro- 
 ceeded, all the most profound expositions of our 
 laws, and the most eminent authors, in order that
 
 VI 1 
 
 he might herein discover and extinguish doctrines 
 which are pernicious, and establish and maintain 
 only the pure axioms of our faith. And, indeed, 
 the task which he undertook and accomplished was 
 one for which none could be competent but a 
 Rabbi of profound learning and intimate acquaint- 
 ance with our laws, enlightened by a knowledge 
 of the sciences. That my father, the late Dr. 
 Raphael Meldola, who for four and twenty 
 years filled the high and important office of Chief 
 Rabbi of the ancient Congregation of Sephardim, 
 possessed those requisites will be admitted, by re- 
 calling some particulars of the history of his life. 
 
 It has been said concerning him, in an obituary 
 written soon after his death, " Our Rabbi at an 
 early age exhibited proofs of an extraordinary en- 
 dowment of mind. After proceeding through a 
 regular course of studies, at the age of fifteen he 
 was admitted a member of the first Rabbinical 
 University, where he had the opportunity of asso- 
 ciating with the most learned men of the age, and 
 of prosecuting his inquiries with assiduity. His 
 successive ecclesiastical promotions gave proof of 
 his early piety and learning, and in the year 1803, 
 after he had received the degree of Rab, or High 
 Rabbi, he was further honoured by the appoint-
 
 Vlll 
 
 ment of judge to try all cases amongst his own 
 people. This privilege was then enjoyed by the 
 Jews in Italy. In the year 1 05 the Portuguese 
 and Spanish congregation of London made appli- 
 cation to the different principal congregations of 
 Europe for a suitable character to be their chief 
 and ruler. The result was highly beneficial to 
 themselves : for in the person of Dr. Raphael 
 Meldola they found concentrated every requisite 
 for his professional duties, and a range of scientific 
 and literary acquirements. He was celebrated for 
 his discourses. His great end was the discovery 
 of truth, and the dissemination of scientific and 
 pious instruction amongst his people. He pub- 
 lished a valuable and interesting work, called 
 nroo pnp, Korban Minna, (Livorno, 5551 1 791,) 
 a literary comment on, and explanation of the 
 service of the High Priest, 7H3 JHD, which is read at 
 synagogue on the fast day of Kipoor. After which 
 he published D'3nn nQirt, Hupat Hatanim, (Livorno, 
 5557 1797,) universally applauded, and wherein 
 he has shown his abilities in the mathematical, as 
 well as the rabbinical branches of knowledge."* 
 
 In evidence of my father's solicitude for the 
 promotion of a proper system of education for the 
 
 * The Gentleman's Magazine for October, 1828, p. 377-8.
 
 nation at large, it may be mentioned, that twelve 
 months previous to his death he published a letter 
 upon the subject, dedicated to his friend D. A. 
 Lindo, Esq., dated 19th June 1827. His cha- 
 racteristic zeal in the cause, and his enlightened 
 views upon the subject, are therein conspicuous. 
 " It is education," he observed, " you well know, 
 Sir, that lays the basis of the future character 
 that developes the mental energies, and affords a 
 supply of wholesome and nutricious food ; and that 
 it is only by the adoption of such a course, conducted 
 upon liberal and enlightened principles, our nation 
 can rationally expect to keep pace with the march 
 of intellect and retain its station in the scale of 
 society, ' For this is your wisdom and your under- 
 standing in the sight of the nations, &c., and say 
 surely, this great nation is a wise and understanding 
 people,' Deut. iv. 6. And again ; " In laying the 
 foundation of a liberal education who can be con- 
 ceived so proper to direct the studies of others, as 
 he who has devoted his own attention and employed 
 his whole time in the study of the law, and those 
 branches of science so closely connected with its 
 exposition and illustrations. Such an one and such 
 an one only, can render efficient aid to the instruc- 
 tive mind in its pursuit after knowledge."
 
 The important office which he sustained, and 
 the occupation of much of his time by persons who, 
 from all parts, consulted him, as also his great bodily 
 infirmities, from which he suffered during the last 
 seven years of his life, prevented his preparing and 
 correcting the whole of his manuscript work for the 
 press. Soon after his decease, as a great portion of it 
 had had the benefit of his mature revisal, I re- 
 solved to publish it, both in Hebrew andEnglish, en- 
 tire in two volumes. With this view, I issued a pros- 
 pectus and proposals for its publication by subscrip- 
 tion, but did not obtain the encouragement necessary 
 to warrant so considerable an undertaking.* The 
 increasing interest which is now taken in the in- 
 struction of youth, and the numerous enquiries 
 which are made for elementary works, have led me 
 to think that a favourable time has arrived to pre- 
 sent my brethren with at least a portion of the 
 work. It consists altogether of three distinct, and 
 in themselves complete sections, each of which is 
 divided into brief lessons ; and of which the pre- 
 sent forms a part of the first section. The Hebrew 
 which although written in the purest style, I at 
 
 * It is but just on my part to acknowledge with gratitude the 
 encouragement I received from those gentlemen, who at that time 
 came forward as supporters and benefactors, and whose 
 names will appear in the list of subscribers in the next part.
 
 present omit. In this form I entertain the hope 
 that the design will be favorably received, and that 
 these pages will be found eminently useful. 
 
 I have only to add that gain is far from being 
 my object by this publication, but that the profits, 
 if any should be derived from it, will be devoted to 
 the continuance of the series, and also the produc- 
 tion of some of my own writings ; for it has ever 
 been the earnest promptings of my heart to com- 
 municate to my fellow-men whatever knowledge 
 Providence may have favoured me with, and to be 
 an instrument however humble, in promoting true 
 wisdom, which alone conduces to real well-being and 
 happiness. That the Divine blessing may rest 
 upon every reader, and that they may " be all taught 
 of the Lord " is the sincere prayer of their devoted 
 
 noy 1 ? 3ie> enn. 
 
 D. MELDOLA. 
 
 6, Gt. Alie St., Goodman's Fields. 
 
 6th Hes/ivan, 5609 2nd Nov., 1848. 
 
 V* A translation of the Author's very instructive preface to the 
 Catechism wiJl appear in the next part.
 
 LINES TO THE MEMORY OF THE REVERED AUTHOR 
 BY THE TRANSLATOR. 
 
 mm minn nst nan i ^j$ 
 n>jp pp ba hy IK inn' 
 rnnoj nD*.iy nosrumiynn 
 n"ip -piN N*a ' 
 m t^x 
 
 mnnn 
 
 nsaS N^n miynn nsr 
 
 mm i^y 
 nip '3pr a^ 
 
 33 / 
 
 m3ia ^C' m^fima 
 
 ns 
 
 nn 1 ? -in nuyn oy 
 : rvmn |i^ pmn 
 *vi 13 *D mpn nos im 
 n^iys w nsn n^ 
 V3K nn i^ nnpn 
 s ny ^n -]Tiy ; jn 
 ID* &6 ny ^D^iy-51 
 
 D'n "?j; n'm
 
 THE WAY OF FAITH. 
 
 LESSON I.* 
 
 THE LAW. 
 
 Rabbi. Since you have told me from what race or 
 people you are descended, can you tell me what obliga- 
 tions are incumbent upon you, and what duties you are 
 bound to perform as a child of Israel ? 
 
 Pupil. The Lord having, through love, revealed the 
 heavenly law on Mount Sinai to the children of Israel, 
 enjoined it on our forefathers ; and this law, which was 
 declared by the mouth of Moses, the chief of our pro- 
 phets, we are commanded by Moses himself to observe, 
 according to its import, in the same manner as it has 
 been observed by our forefathers who, for themselves 
 and their seed, swore to adhere to this law strictly. 
 
 R, Give me the derivation of the term law, and 
 explain its meaning ? 
 
 * This commences the third lesson in the original MS., the 
 first and second lessons being omitted, as the questions and answers 
 are similar to what is contained in most elementary works on this 
 subject.
 
 P. The term min law is derived from the verb nT>, 
 to instruct. The object of the law is to point out to us 
 the path of righteousness, and to remind us of those 
 duties which we are imperatively called upon to regard 
 as the commandments of the Lord. And hence, by 
 paying a due obedience to its injunctions, our virtue wilj 
 become strengthened, and we shall be placed in a posi- 
 tion to hope for the favour of the Most High. 
 
 R' For what prominent object has our law been 
 given ? 
 
 P. The law has a twofold object : First to implant 
 in our hearts the resolution to fulfil our duty towards 
 God. And secondly to exhort us to fulfil our duties 
 towards man. Such is the great and important princi- 
 ple on which the whole law is founded, and by the 
 observance and strict performance of those duties which 
 the law prescribes, every Israelite will arrive at the very 
 perfection of happiness in the state of a blessed immor- 
 tality. 
 
 It. Where is there a compendium of those duties to 
 be found ? 
 
 P. Such are the contents of the Ten Command- 
 ments, which constitute the substance of the whole 
 of the laws comprehended in the Pentateuch. The 
 whole House of Israel heard these laws delivered by 
 God, through Moses our teacher; as we read, "And 
 God spake all these words, sayirg, &c." (Exod. xx). 
 Also, " These words the Lord spake unto all your 
 assembly, &c." (Deut. v. 22). Also, " did ever people 
 hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of fire, 
 as thou hast heard and live." (Deut. iv. 33). In com-
 
 memoration of that moment, the most important in the 
 history of the world since the days of creation, M r e rise 
 in our houses of prayer when we hear the reading of the 
 Ten Commandments, even as our fathers stood around 
 the mount, when they heard the laws promulgated by 
 the voice of Divine Majesty. These commandments 
 were written on two tables of testimony, as written : 
 " and the tables were the work of God," (Exod. xxxii. 
 16), also, " The Lord delivered unto me two tables of 
 stone, written with the finger of God." (Deut. ix. 10). 
 These tables were also placed in the Ark, in the Holy 
 of Holies, as is testified in the text, saying, " And I 
 put the tables in the ark which I have made, &c., &c." 
 (Deut. x. 5) ; all which you have pointed out to me in 
 the course of our Scripture-reading. 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 DUTIES TOWARDS GOD. 
 
 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 
 
 FIRST COMMANDMENT. 
 
 " I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the 
 land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." 
 
 This first commandment instructs us that we are
 
 faithfully to believe that there is but one God, who is 
 the sole Creator of all beings, and of every existence 
 that, by his omnipotence all creation has been called into 
 existence from nothing. 
 
 It is He that brought our ancestors out of the land 
 of Egypt, and revealed Himself unto them by com- 
 mencing His laws with this declaration : 
 
 " I am the Lord thy God, that brought thee out of the 
 land of Egypt, &c." Thus were we taught that there is 
 a God who possesses an unlimited power (as the word 
 ilvtf, Eloah, denotes), and that the deliverance out of 
 Egypt, and those miraculous events which attended it, 
 were not accidental occurrences attributable to blind 
 chance ; but that they were originated, designed, and 
 executed by that great power, in fulfilment of the 
 promise and covenant made many centuries before with 
 our patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is there- 
 from justly laid down by the luminaries of tradition, 
 that the belief in this first commandment is the main 
 spiritual pillar of our religious edifice, and without 
 holding it unconditionally, no man can have a share in 
 the spiritual inheritance of Israel. 
 
 SECOND COMMANDMENT. 
 
 D^m -ratei 
 
 T T - - -.--;- 
 
 rnrr
 
 5 
 
 nhN p:_ ; 
 ^ npn rCTi. : 
 
 "Thou shalt have no other Gods before me, thou 
 shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any like- 
 ness that is in Heaven above, or that is in Earth beneath, 
 or that is in the water under the earth : thou shalt not 
 how down to them, nor serve them, for I the Lord thy 
 God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers 
 upon the children unto the third and fourth generation 
 of them that hate me : and shewing mercy unto thou- 
 sands of them that love me, and keep my command- 
 ments." 
 
 We are here commanded neither to believe in, nor to 
 worship any other God, or any other object besides the 
 God of Heaven and of Earth. 
 
 An Israelite, therefore, who would raise into a Deity 
 any created thing, to serve it by any kind of religious 
 worship, consisting in these four particulars: viz., sacri- 
 fices, incense, oblations, and prostrations, though he 
 acknowledged at the same time the supreme power, 
 would trespass the commandment " Thou shalt have no 
 other Gods before me," &c. The expression IJQ }y " be- 
 fore me," includes all place, all time, and every mode of 
 worship, inasmuch as the Creator is omnipresent and 
 eternal. We are no less prohibited from addressing 
 prayers to angels and saints, as our mediators ; we are 
 to address our prayers solely to God himself, and He 
 will answer us ; as we read in another part of Scripture
 
 "for what nation is there so great, who hath God so near 
 to them as the Lord our God is in all that we call upon 
 him." (Deut. iv. 7.) By the tenor of this command- 
 ment is also prohibited the making of such images as 
 are in use among the idolatrous for purposes of 
 worship. 
 
 The object of this strict prohibition manifestly is to 
 save us from temptation, by keeping far from us the 
 means by which we might be lured to the practices of 
 idolatry. The transgression of this prohibitive com 
 mandment, and of this alone, is visited by the Lord 
 upon the third and fourth generations of the evil-doers ; 
 whereas it is declared of every other kind of trespass, 
 " every man shall be put to death for his own sin." 
 (Deut. xxiv. 16.) 
 
 THIRD COMMANDMENT. 
 
 K nyr 
 
 " Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God 
 in vain ; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that 
 taketh his name in vain." 
 
 This commandment instructs us that we ought not to 
 take a rash and vain oath by the name of God, for we 
 ought to impress it well upon our minds, that God, 
 blessed be his name, liveth, and that the awe of His 
 Majesty transcends our conception : accordingly we are
 
 bound to utter his name with reverence and humility, 
 but not with levity or indifference on trivial occasions.* 
 
 A profane use of the Divine name for the purpose of 
 corroborating the veracity of our assertions, and an irre- 
 verent performance of prayer, are alike condemned by 
 the letter and the spirit of this prohibitive commandment. 
 
 The following are sentiments of Aben Ezra on the 
 same subject, he says " The gravity of this trespass is 
 plainly expressed in the text ' for the Lord will not 
 hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain,' &c. 
 As oaths by the name of God are so frequently in the 
 mouths of people, the prohibition and the punishment 
 were rendered the more severe ; murder, theft, and 
 adultery, are heinous crimes, yet it is not so easy for the 
 wicked to gratify their evil inclinations towards these 
 sins on all occasions, from fear of detection and other 
 impediments: but he -that is inclined to take oaths in 
 vain, may utter the Divine name many times a day 
 without hindrance ; at length his conscience becomes 
 callous, and if reproved for his profaneness, he fain 
 excuses himself by saying that it is but a custom of 
 speech with him ; nay, there are some who pretend to 
 a particular merit for having the name of God fre- 
 quently in their mouths on all occasions." 
 
 Again, the man of strong and dangerous passions will 
 desist from his evil practice when Lis wild appetite is 
 satiated : but the injury inflicted on the morals of a 
 people by the pernicious example of habitual profaneness, 
 is constant, progressive, and hence incalculable. 
 
 * The particulars of that commandment, and the different cha- 
 racters of oaths, are specified and treated upon at large in Talmud 
 Code Sebuot 19.
 
 8 
 
 FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 nw : isrrpS r\zm DV-HK 
 
 rnrv 
 
 ns^'n DVHN nin? 
 
 " Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy : six 
 days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work, but the 
 seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God ; thou 
 shalt not do any work, thou nor thy son, nor thy 
 daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor 
 thy cattle, nor the stranger that is within thy gates ; for 
 in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea 
 and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day : 
 wherefore the Lord blessed the seventh day and hal- 
 lowed it." 
 
 This commandment involves the most essential prin- 
 ciple in our religion ; so much so, that our Rabbies 
 declared that this one command balances the whole of 
 the remaining laws. For, by keeping that day sacred, 
 we assert the grand point of the belief in the creation : 
 as it is expressed " for in six days the Lord made 
 heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is, and 
 rested the seventh day." Reason dictates to us therefore
 
 to honour that day and to keep it holy namely, to 
 abstain by word and action from all kinds of works and 
 profane occupations, but to devote it entirely to sacred 
 objects, to fix in our hearts the belief in the creation, 
 which is the foundation of revealed religion and that of 
 the whole of the Divine Law. 
 
 The tenor of this commandment is, that we are bound 
 to devote one day in every week to the remembrance of 
 the revealed truth ; that in six days the visible world 
 was created, and that the seventh day was sanctified as 
 a day of rest by the Maker of All. The belief of the 
 fact which is stated as the motive for the holiness of the 
 Sabbath contradicts the arrogant assumption of the 
 " eternity of matter," and is therefore of the utmost 
 importance in our religion, which acknowledges an 
 Omnipotent Creator. 
 
 Besides the commemoration of the creation, there is 
 another object the commemoration of which is an 
 equally essential point in the Mosaic faith namely, 
 that of the deliverance from Egypt. While in Egyptian 
 bondage, our ancestors were deprived of every bodily 
 and mental comfort, of rest and leisure for devotion ; 
 but by the mighty hand of the Lord they were restored 
 to liberty, and made the keepers of that revealed religion 
 which by their instrumentality was propagated over the 
 surface of the earth. 
 
 We find this second and no less important sanction 
 for the institution of the Sabbath specified in the Ten 
 Commandments in the Book of Deuteronomy (v., 15) 
 "And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of 
 Egypt, &c. ; wherefore the Lord thy God commanded
 
 10 
 
 thee to keep the Sabbath day, &c." By the expression 
 remember, we are also commanded verbally to announce, 
 the sanctity of that day namely, by reading the "sanc- 
 tification," E^np (Kedush,) at the entry ; and the " dis- 
 tinction," n^2H> (Habdalah,) at the end of the Sab- 
 bath day : thus to distinguish symbolically between the 
 day of rest and the working days, all tending to the 
 great objects of faith namely, that of inculcating the 
 belief in the creation, and in the miraculous deliverance 
 of our fathers from Egyptian bondage by the Divine 
 power. As it is contrary to the letter of the law to 
 undertake bodily labor on the Sabbath day ; so it is 
 contrary to the spirit of the law to make of the Sabbath 
 an occasion of riotous sensuality. The Sabbath of the 
 Lord ought to be devoted to such devotional exercises 
 of the mind as will not fail to have an exhilarating influ- 
 ence on the spirit, freed from the trammels of daily toil. 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 DUTIES TOWARDS OUR NEIGHBOUR. 
 
 FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 . 12 
 
 "Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days 
 may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God 
 giveth thee."
 
 11 
 
 Reason and nature dictate the duty enjoined upon us 
 in this commandment, since every one is bound to be 
 grateful and obedient to his benefactors. If we con- 
 sider that parents not only give to their offspring the 
 treasure of life, but also the far more valuable gifts of 
 untiring attention and zealous care from birth to the 
 years of maturity, the duty which we owe to our pater- 
 nal benefactors requires no additional recommendation. 
 
 Holy though this commandment is, even in its obvi- 
 ous and literal sense, still its spirit leads to still nobler 
 duties. In it we behold, at the same time, an incentive 
 to obey, to love, and to revere God, our creator and per- 
 petual benefactor, the preserver of our existence, and 
 that of oui' forefathers, Him that gave us life, endowed 
 us with an intellectual soul, and fitted us for immor- 
 tality. By the same law, then, which dictates filial 
 affection towards our earthly parents, we are directed to 
 the contemplation of the unbounded gratitude ever due 
 from us to our great Heavenly Father. 
 
 From the same commandment, too, our sages rightly 
 deduce the duty of obedience and respect towards our 
 social superiors. 
 
 SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 "Thou shalt not kill." 
 
 The force of this commandment is intelligible to the 
 mind of every human being, since God created man in 
 his own image namely, endowed him with an intel- 
 lectual soul, a part of his own essence, and blessed him
 
 12 
 
 that he should "be fruitful and should multiply," &c. 
 He destined man to be the guardian and the cultivator 
 of this his earthly abode, but not a wilful destroyer of 
 its inhabitants. 
 
 It is to be observed that at a very early period of 
 man's history it was divinely announced that " he that 
 sheddeth the blood of man, by man shall his blood be 
 shed." It is held by our elders that not only is he 
 guilty of transgressing this law that murderously sheds 
 his neighbour's blood, but also he, no less, that maliciously 
 injures his neighbour's honour, by any public act or 
 speech. 
 
 Agreeably to this, the authors of the Mishnah say, "he 
 that insults his fellow-creature publicly has no share in 
 the world to come." (Abboth, sec. iii, les. 11). 
 
 Many are the wholesome lessons to be deduced from 
 this commandment, to guide us in our conduct towards 
 our fellow-men, and for this salutary purpose it has been 
 copiously cited in the writings of our sages. We may 
 resume them all in this one injunction to abhor the 
 exercise of all manner of oppression towards those whom 
 we may get in our power. 
 
 It is self-evident that this commandment lays on every 
 man the obligation to remove to the best of his ability all 
 causes of bodily danger to his neighbour, as declared by 
 the text, "Thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof 
 that thou bring not blood upon thine house." (Deut. 
 xxii. 8). 
 
 In connection with this subject, we learn, that he who 
 strikes or vexes his fellow creature, or he who sees his 
 fellow-creature in a state of danger is bound to save him
 
 13 
 
 with all might, and the neglect of doing so morally 
 amounts to the same crime as that of shedding a 
 fellow-creature's blood wilfully. Hence we read, " nei- 
 ther shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neigh- 
 bour." (Lev. xix. 16.) Mischievous deeds and calum- 
 niations are to be reckoned among the causes of 
 bloodshed, of the truth whereof we have an example in 
 the account of the slaughter of the priests at Nob, by 
 order of King Saul, who listened to the calumniation of 
 Doeg the Edomite. (1 Sam. xxii.) 
 
 To give false evidence so as to cause a man's death, 
 or to gire him a bad advice which may cause death is 
 also a breach of this commandment. It must also be 
 observed, that the heinous crime of suicide is one of 
 the crimes contemplated by this commandment, as being 
 an act of irreparable destruction. There is no difference 
 between the culprit who deprives the world of one of his 
 fellow-creatures, and the one who takes away his own life. 
 He that gave life has the power of taking it, according to his 
 own unlimited will and pleasure ; but the depositary 
 has no right wilfully to make away with his trust. Thus 
 we interpret the principle of the Divine words "And 
 surely your blood of your lives will I require." (Gen. 
 ix. 5). With great propriety have our Rabbies declared 
 " He that commits suicide has no share in the world 
 to come." 
 
 SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 "Thou shalt not commit adultery."
 
 14 
 
 The sanctity of marriage, which is the basis of all 
 domestic happiness, and this, in its turn, the only 
 guarantee of public peace and prosperity, is especially 
 protected by this divine commandment. As you increase 
 in experience, you will have ample opportunities of 
 learning, that, in proportion as a people respects chastity 
 and purity of manners, it is brave, independent, and 
 humane. 
 
 EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 " Thou shalt not steal." 
 
 Taking into consideration the foregoing command- 
 ments, the transgressors of which are all liable to 
 capital punishment, we may infer that this command- 
 ment is also of that order, that the transgressors of 
 this are also liable to the punishment of death ; where- 
 fore this prohibition is believed to have especial reference 
 to the act of man-stealing : for thus we read in another 
 part of Scripture, viz. " He that stealeth a man and 
 selleth him, &c., he shall surely be put to death." (Exod. 
 xxii. 16). As for such who steal effects, or any goods of 
 pecuniary worth, their punishment is specified in other 
 places of Scripture, and consists in an infliction of 
 pecuniary fines, either double, three-fold, or four-fold 
 the amount stolen. Still, in a wider sense, it may well 
 be interpreted to include the condemnation of theft in 
 general. This commandment includes the prohibition of 
 keeping false weights and false measures, and of deceiving
 
 15 
 
 a man in the acts of commerce, to contravene which, is 
 equal to the commission of theft. Moreover, he that 
 finds any property belonging to his fellow-man, and 
 does not return the same to its proprietor, or he that 
 keeps back the daily wages of the labourer, also com- 
 mits a breach of this commandment, as the object of all 
 such actions is the same, viz. to deprive fellow-men of 
 their property and of the produce of their labour. It 
 ought to ro observed that every trespass which a man 
 commits in violation of the ritual law, viz. such as 
 regulate the relation of man to God, may be atoned 
 for by repentance and confession ; but any wrong 
 committed by man in his actions towards his neigh- 
 bour, can never be expiated, unless he satisfy and recon- 
 cile his neighbour. And I have also to advert to another 
 point eminently essential, viz. not to think that these 
 commandments are to be observed only towards brother 
 Israelites, to the exclusion of non-Israelites. Far from 
 it! We are bound to observe as a rule, that in every- 
 thing which has a tendency to preserve and promote 
 the happiness of mankind at large, our law admits no 
 distinction of nation, creed, or class : for one God has 
 created us, and one father is common to us all. The 
 Rabbies class under the head of this commandment, the 
 prohibition of all acts tending to foster practices of dis- 
 honesty, and the endeavour to screen the dishonest from 
 the vigilance of the guardians of the law. (See Mai- 
 monides, Vol. 4 T! pID HT33 ITD^n). Py way of analogy 
 we also infer from this commandment the duty of 
 avoiding hypocrisy, which is " to steal the hearts and 
 minds of people," styled in Hebrew njn fQJJ, as is
 
 16 
 
 done by those who speak in one way and act in another. 
 So the Scriptures say : " And Absalom stole the hearts 
 of the men, &c." (2 Sam. xv. 6). 
 
 NINTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neigh- 
 bour." 
 
 The reason of this commandment is obvious, for even 
 as true evidence is the most useful guide in human 
 transactions, so false evidence tends to the confusion of 
 right and wrong. 
 
 From this commandment we deduce the following 
 important rules, as standing in a natural relation 
 to the furnishing of false evidence : not to propagate 
 injurious reports, to the prejudice of a neighbour, -]jn 
 fellow-man of whatever creed or class he may be, and 
 much less to invent such reports ; to abstain from fixing a 
 stigma on the character of a neighbour, even though we 
 may deem him deserving of reproach, because our judg- 
 ment may be erroneous, but the injury inflicted by us 
 would be certain. In fine, we should endeavor to 
 incline our minds towards a favourable judgment of our 
 neighbour, rather than otherwise, lest we fall into the 
 grievous sin of bearing false witness against the 
 innocent.
 
 17 
 
 TENTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 rti nieh 
 
 -j|- : T- :I - 
 
 "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou 
 shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his man ser- 
 vant, nor his maid servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor 
 anything that is thy neighbour's." 
 
 The object of this commandment is, to warn us 
 against the employment of cunning for the purpose of 
 obtaining possession of our neighbour's property or 
 right. Though the perpetrator of such an act of fraud 
 proposed to remunerate the defrauded party for the loss 
 of such property or right, the deed would still come under 
 the head of the transgressions provided for in this tenth 
 commandment, in which the employment of any strata- 
 gem whatever for such a purpose as is cited above, is 
 absolutely condemned. The reason of this law is evi- 
 dent. The indidgence of covetousness induces men 
 gradually to use violence, to avail themselves of unlawful 
 proceedings, and, at length, to scruple at nothing, pro- 
 vided the guilty purpose can be secured. Of which we 
 behold an example in Scripture, where Ahab, King of 
 Israel, having been refused the Vineyard of Naboth 
 of Jezreel, is represented to have prosecuted his plan 
 with stratagems, viz. by way of false accusations, and 
 false evidences (1 Kings xxi.), by which means Naboth 
 was killed, and the king obtained the vineyard. His- 
 tory furnishes, unfortunately, but too many examples 
 of the ravages caused among mankind by the prevalence
 
 18 
 
 of covetousness, especially when that sin enflamed the 
 hearts of potent monarchs and ambitious conquerors. 
 Although we have explained the commandment in this 
 place to refer particularly to acts produced by covetous- 
 ness ; still we ought not to omit that included within 
 this commandment is the rule, that we ought to watch 
 over our desires, lest they grow irresistible and produce 
 the lamentable effects of which we have spoken. Hence 
 we find, in the repetition of the tenth commandment, 
 in Deuteronomy (v., 21), the term niKfin, which imports 
 "desire;" and our sages have bequeathed to us the 
 pithy maxim envy, strong desires, and ambition cut 
 off a man's life. On the other hand the Talmud relates, 
 that, when R. Nehunia was complimented on the cheer- 
 fulness which distinguished him in his advanced years, 
 he replied, I have never felt gratified by the humilia- 
 tion of my neighbour ; have never lain down with an 
 evil wish to any man ; nor have I ever been greedy after 
 wealth ! (Megilla, fol. 28.) 
 
 nan ppa vnaaro * 
 rrn 'Jiaba pm nan rbhp
 
 psn jo 
 nny 1 ? IK> nna "im ^p i3iry 
 
 ns nan 
 ny 3ioK -|in nmsD p'-p enpa
 
 rniv V3Q nny i 2py M2> nny 
 b ovtaaa 1302 IC>K D3y3 ->yt23 
 Snan nan jnai nan oy en nKi "n ^2112 ytr on 
 nivisn ^cyi nnia nco nxinn ixn^ h nrn 
 nny rmnaan Wnow6i u^ en nsnn 1 ? 
 
 oa /VJB> ' z nnnn nyn 
 
 DV no nvsn ^san nt 
 a mins "?na "ip^y ms? 
 
 1 nnio* on jn D^ 
 ;n 3 nyi jnvn 
 
 Dn*ao ni33 s^ wmin 
 n onw nn^ nip 122^ oni^ ^x n^jnnn 
 
 2 D3ip "jins 0323 nionip^sni 
 nxt ^2N . nnrnn Divniynoi on non 
 
 n^npn i3*nnin HID^JD / "m DIK> nyn* 
 mm ;n > 3n22t^ mm |n 
 
 iBono n'pymn y*a^ DS 
 
 33 "hoy bo M> on nr 
 
 n^n nun3 *n3H2 ^2 
 63 lyi^i n3 . inin'pN DDna 1 ?! nisnv 
 
 Sinn sin 
 irnin 1 ? nmpS nrn 1102 o i| 33n
 
 ny "i3i D3K> ; n p n3K> wan nn^ns Tina 3 
 n anaiv TK nio^n TIDI yina 7nr6 n 
 
 jiaa visa 'nxan Da , bna nyi pa 
 D'D nipo o ntJ>N cna ntynj minnty nnD o- 
 mnm nnj mnsD *s*pn pm n'n in^nsc'o D"n 
 ^ jpoy nxn^ i^'-yn 1^1 n tty^ 'PSI npn niD^nn a 11 
 Tnn n^ nsrn nn^nsn -inxi D*yjD pn ny 
 
 nai^xnn DHID^ p^ns ono inx ^31 
 Q3s *3 -T pa 'i pa nn^ 1 ? hwaunnn 'bp 
 nnnxi ppnn ama oooya p^oyn^ 
 ps 'an ^K iyjn ny p *& vat^i 1^35^ D3 namon 
 n ntn main nx> -61 nw ^ a."ro IN 'ID 
 K'pnm PHWrtoi^un 3nna novo Kin nt^x nyn na 
 iBioai ninixn D'j^yn nn'oyon D' 
 s' no ma^i n.nna N*aN ' njios^ yawn ti^ 
 on K^ i-n^ar yin' a ntrnpn 12:1 
 ^y nan'pi xinpb snpoa pan 1 ? i^an nsi n nx 
 : p \m ma 'D 1 ? onio^ inp^n nta oa 
 
 n.nvn nan nasa noD xa^ n,a 
 nosn K'.n ^n ^>aa D^iyn *aa 
 pne>n OKI ^iasn po aK'nanoa 
 nns sns 
 
 ann pa man naN pB>nn oat^os ns 3 
 
 nya \yzh niosnn nse> nyn^ yaian p^n 
 
 iyTi n3* nioann nyn^ DB'sa npB> 
 
 w nrai xan pxoi lyatan n'ans no Sy p-n^a
 
 x -im nnriK W3n IPS ono B niyi 
 pn M*on p^n DJttpk omo^n -jinn Mafn D* 
 "ISD DnB^ok n^6o ny -nnn nn . 1^3 i^s nnys 1 ? 
 vat? a 
 
 ins isn niipn onjnn nc>K nin nyi 
 mt K^ no^n Dn:iX3 ipnnn TB 
 ^n'DKn niWDIb^jni n^iosn D^ptnion D 
 n ms 1 ? iN^in 0*3*0 nssoo oona 
 
 p s? T^S onm nn st^ *32 nya naon 
 "i3T3 K 1 ?^ no nwon <i yD2 mini D*3D 0^30 
 oisi ni3^D m I^KO nixxvn ni^pnm o-' 
 i-inrn Doan nnni o3nn 135^ nr ^ i^n nnna 
 :ni^3 n3in mnn KK> D3nn3 
 
 onnn iy3n *3 wnynsi ny ^33 mrxnn : nxrb ^ 
 
 13^3 13*KVKV1 13H3X HT^I 1p133 no3 3^5 21p3 
 
 n 13^3^ n^ nipD ny Tsrta p"iV > T t3E ' ''y" 1 ' 1 ' 1 
 
 nmoi 'nnsn p y -p3K nK nx yn 132 nn 
 oyi nins 1 ?! I3ny3^ H3133 1113 nmn 1 ? n^n nn^nn 
 
 D311 Htn 11135^ HXlin *33K *3 
 
 nyii H3i3n3 npini ^NI^ pni o^ 
 
 -in-nn 
 TTD sin 
 Kin ntn nnon DSK' p ^ vat? 
 
 jnn vh nnai nnnni n*a* nsxni nno^D xnpn minn 
 :n^v K^ vsnns no^oni nnys
 
 njnjji bswn nxT3 xnn 561 i nnnb ^3K>n:n erven 
 ty nnnp^y -IPX nioixn I&?D 'n 
 
 nxtn nxnpn n 
 
 iani i^yjj 1 s ? nn^n ny^ ? nns ny mo 
 on 1 ? nn 1 ? ^bnno DDB> DB> s^oai iiono 1 ? ^H o- 
 mas Q-iON'3 JHKT M^ ns pnnm niytDnS 
 p nnnn NQ"II 1x^1 rni DH^BD nni33i 
 nivn 1 ? D^n DD nipo iiry pKn 'oyo D^ 
 onnp^y mo aniNtn nna: pn pnnb nnr^: nnn 
 OKI an^nins^ pnoni nnoiya ins3 nn^an 
 vn uroiDK np^yn 0^3110 vn onnnio 
 nsr npy pbn n^sa K^I ons i:p"?n DK> x^ 
 D*aD nson Q'pow nin ina nnsoon no^s '3 myi 
 n 1 ? n-nao WJB^ pnoai 
 
 nn*D Nin I^N onoiNi jV3nnii ns^iDi^sn by 
 
 tvjnm ns^aiDisn ^m '-ay DHDVB nn 
 mnsn nx npa'i ^1^2 D^n^K B> a iyTi 1^3^ 
 nnti'^ ^0^5 non m nni nnapi ni3^on nxrn 
 srpo nine 1 ? pn DKI ib pn K^t? xSn Dian onsn 
 
 nnnnon IKO * Diyn iis? IKX^ 133 '3 T3K 
 loan ^>ix teon n^33 nyn no^ 
 onyan I'TW DKI p3Dp^ pn DIKI DJW D3ayn 
 
 B>m^ iipnS nynn raini 
 nx
 
 -noS non ninnbi DH^ aiaa cyn 
 
 wrrnn npj& Dmann 
 D 1| D333i onyjn ibis 11 ^ ny n^pi 
 
 DK nni3? tapno cn^y IHK-HD no o^as 
 nyn p^n" nt3i K'Jiyi nst? D'-o^n p mm ,*n 
 
 onmns? wa si lyi 11 N? 3ionn Kin 'Kn 
 nivo on 1 ? ni n*Dnn unnin *BHB> nn 
 DnninDK> pn onnra on^nns 3n3Di 
 : nnnn 
 
 ni 3ao EW3wi nnssnn s n^a^ on 
 
 ns Knon ^HQID typni mpn pns s 1 ? 
 nyipni B^D^a mn3 nD-iiQi r\^ n*n* 
 ^3 nn^D onsn 3^3 
 
 noin nny n^asn K nasi njyi t^si on 
 Dn3K> ninoinn 
 
 nn 
 
 n3 SD nonn K 1 ? IB>K no*onni noWn mn 
 nn onp 
 x 1 ? nan 
 
 B>K~in3*3D poiyi 1^3^ mou'Bnn oipo nv 
 IK 3 1^33 npKn I^N iiin SK nt33 onnsnoo 
 na yan n^ Dipoa K^S min 
 
 ry 
 J133 |aiK3 mo? mm mna
 
 rniv nosna mbn psn nprcn '3 ns-o xbn 
 ps ba n'ino "i 1 " 1 * -anoa 'Da nnt? (BKiaia) psn 
 obiyn ninn yanxb nni^aai rroinn ny 'jbaa 
 ps i3' nao ISK> an ny J" 1 ^D n^nno 
 
 (a" T m=M a'n nna) nwyDi nnn: Do< niynai nnn oneai 
 
 nosn moyn 
 niypnp rr 
 
 in i^s mm: .Dplun IBDO *S3 nypa^> 
 ypip mnoa enipn po u 1 ? mm tw minn B ^y 
 by imno pnt^nn pnpnb nnv |sniB> pa is D^ns pa 
 
 D1313 nso s'-n iss nnis cn ypnpno 
 
 N'S H31D1 D^S/3 p3j;3 p 
 
 |133 rim ? nstn noann 
 
 n^n ^n s"?n na^nnBipn'Bnnn tjmpmvoa naa 
 
 oBnp vnB> Jon Tan n*pa vne* 103 
 
 nnio 1 ?^ nto3 n^si nv S3OK> jaisn- rv&nn 
 
 mo psD nsnx nn sbsn na TIDHI na 
 
 by ponsi IKIBO p3aa ni nn:i3n ny sab 
 
 nain *3 nos }-| 
 jabbi.mab jnsba nD^D^ia obia D3iB> D3oo D^3^o 
 sba p:a ps *3 lyatsn n^ns no by rpnnioi n-npy 
 D3^b poiyai onnana na bs ipoyn one 
 msab im3intj> ly nyn jinnb D^aio DJ^S^ 
 npy by larop Dnoi n^i^ o^n^sa nst DJ^SI 
 nno ^ab pjyn tenupa n:n nns pi pnoa vbv mn 
 nyn cnoibb lann naaB> jaisa nna
 
 AUTHORS' PREFACE 
 
 : V'VT nnnan VOTK 
 
 minn nxw njn 
 
 JD ruirun nKvcnn wmm 
 
 TV T *?y n^pini niSipn ^K nun 1 ? -pno 
 nnn nai nin^vjn nimn ^ ^ nannn 
 
 minn 
 
 yatj'n'pi pnn 1 ? ninnao n^mvoo nos 
 
 -px 3 rrnw^nj n^nn nnwpn nioann mm 
 
 nano ntfn Sis^ x 1 ?^ "psn WIVB? no iiotwi 
 
 mo T' 1 ? n*3on nso nsion rna "?3 nra 
 
 nrano a^yai^n bs !?'Tn iny^^ 103 
 n3 nyi mn y^n aipo nT*K ny 
 3B> 3"3 jotn TSWI nio 1 ? ^3in^ 
 ;OT mis by nb nnvn nm nn 
 
 DT j"3 
 
 yaw nbuo lyn 11 sb DS n 1 ?n33 ^i^n p'pnn 
 a ypip
 
 f 
 
 u-t 
 
 
 ^OF-CAUFC 
 I
 
 A 000071 122 6
 
 California 
 [gional 
 Jility