OPx, 
 
 AFew Words io the Jews 
 
 E W I 
 
 i-NRLF 
 
 EfiS 
 
rNIYHRSITY OF CALIFORNIA. 
 
 THK SLOSS COLLECTION OF THE SEMITIC LIBKAKY 
 OK THE LMYERSITY OK CAL1KORMA. 
 
 Accession No. 
 
 GIFT i >l 
 
 LOUIS SLOSS. 
 
 FEBRUARY. 1897. 
 
 C/j.ss No. 
 
WHAT IS JUDAISM? 
 
 OR 
 
 A FEW WORDS TO THE JEWS. 
 
 1 
 
 BY 
 
 >'* 
 
 f Tt VI- 
 
 4 
 
 NEW YORK : 
 D. APPLETON & CO., 
 
 90, 92, and 94 GRAND STREET. 
 1870. 
 

 
 
 Entered according to Act of Congi'ess, December. 1869, 
 
 By KAPHAEL D'C. LEWIN, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States 
 for the Southern District of New York. 
 
 Stereotyped by LITTLE, RENNIF, & Co., 
 645 & 647 Broadway, New Yorfc. 
 
TO 
 
 HIS JEWISH BRETHREN, 
 
 THROUGHOUT THE 
 
 IS 
 
 WITH FEELINGS OF SINCERE REGARD, 
 
 RESPECTFULLY 
 
 DEDICA TED 
 
 BY 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
-*^YJ 
 . . i 
 
 / B 
 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 THE VOICE OF REASON is THE VOICE OF GOD. With 
 this earnest conviction deeply impressed upon my 
 heart, the following pages have been prepared, and 
 are now respectfully presented to the public. 
 
 I am aware, however, that in thus unreservedly de- 
 claring my full opinions on the absorbing subject of 
 the Jewish religion, I am rendering myself liable to 
 much severe and harsh criticism. My views will 
 not only be opposed with much bitterness by hun- 
 dreds of my co-religionists, but my motives will even 
 be, either wilfully or innocently, misunderstood. My 
 opponents will not be likely to deal very mercifully 
 towards me in their judgment, while among my 
 friends and well-wishers there will be found some 
 (and I could easily name them, even now, as I write) 
 who will be apt to regard this publication, if not, 
 indeed, the writer, with feelings akin to distrust and 
 dislike. Still, I hope and believe that among those who 
 will read this little essay, there will be many who will 
 endorse my sentiments, and give me credit for at least 
 being sincere in my intentions. To them, therefore, 
 a few words of explanation should be given as to 
 
6 Preface. 
 
 the reasons which have influenced me to undertake so 
 arduous a task, and the object which I hope to attain 
 thereby. 
 
 The age in which we live is an age of reason, of 
 inquiry, and of investigation. The Educated, as a 
 rule, are no longer content to be led by the dictates 
 of blind faith in any branch of human knowledge, 
 and least of all, in religious belief. Political equality, 
 civil and religious liberty, the march of civilization, 
 the rapid strides which science is everywhere making, 
 have all combined to remove the scales from the 
 eyes of men and to lessen the immense power which, 
 until lately, crafty priests and ecclesiastics have exer- 
 cised over the minds of the populace. Among all 
 religions denominations there is now a healthy agita- 
 tion, and the tendency is to purify the Church of those 
 spurious elements which were engendered in times 
 of bigotry and superstition, and thus by degrees to les- 
 sen the bar which separates the children of one Eternal 
 Father from each other. That there is still a large 
 amount of intolerance and bigotry manifested in cer- 
 tain quarters which will sometimes lead to very la- 
 mentable results, is, unfortunately, but too true ; and 
 while we deplore this fact, we not only can pray to 
 Almighty God to remove this evil, this plague-spot 
 from society, by bringing knowledge into those quar- 
 ters, but we can ourselves diminish the evil by diffusing 
 education among all classes, and by using every legiti- 
 
Preface. 7 
 
 mate and honest means at our command to sup- 
 press intolerance and bigotry in whatever shape they 
 may present themselves. But, thanks to God, the 
 miscalled orthodoxy of all creeds, which engenders sel- 
 fishness, exclusiveness, illiberality, and finally despotism 
 of the worst kind that of the mind is fast dying out, 
 sinking into the grave to which long ere this it should 
 have been consigned. Thus it happens that in this free 
 and glorious country, perhaps more than in any other, 
 the pure and holy principles of religion are becoming 
 widely understood, and the differences which still exist 
 among men upon religious points form no barrier to 
 the general peace and happiness. Every day the 
 field of religious thought is being explored, and as the 
 light of reason is the more reflected upon the scene, 
 so are the several unholy doctrines and dogmas ar- 
 
 * ^j 
 
 rayed before the tribunal of intelligence, condemned 
 as follies and sentenced to oblivion. In this way do 
 the several religions of the world form subjects for 
 just criticism, and thus has Judaism among the others 
 been brought prominently to public notice. Yes, 
 Judaism, the religion which has been so long despised, 
 scorned, and trampled under foot, is now a matter of 
 grave importance in the eyes of the world, and in this 
 country especially is attracting the attention of thou- 
 sands of our non-Jewish brethren. Doubtless this 
 agitation and curiosity have been produced partly 
 from the schism which exists in our midst, the sig- 
 
8 Preface. 
 
 nal triumphs which have attended the efforts of the 
 Reform School of Judaism, the magnificent tem- 
 ples which are being erected in almost every large 
 city, the noble charitable institutions which are so 
 largely supported by Reform Jews, and the action of 
 the Rabbinical conferences recently held in Europe 
 and in Philadelphia. Be the cause however what it 
 may, it is a fact that we are now being closely observed 
 by our neighbors, who are evincing considerable desire 
 to become better informed about Jews and their religion. 
 " What is Judaism ? ' : is by no means an uncommon 
 question ; and that it should be a question is a matter 
 of no surprise. Why should there not be a question 
 upon the subject, when so much has been done and 
 said to mystify the public, and when the Jews them- 
 selves indirectly assist in this mystification. 
 
 The very existence of the numerous factions and 
 sects in our midst, the different shades of opinion, 
 even in the same sect, the weekly ravings of the so- 
 called orthodox press, the incomprehensible inconsis- 
 tency of those who pretend to adhere to the traditions 
 of our race, must surely excite the wonder, and, 
 perhaps, even the amusement of the Christian world. 
 And when it is remembered that, although much has 
 been written about Judaism, and many learned works 
 have been published for the information of the world, 
 yet there is nothing in the vernacular of such a charac- 
 ter as to present within a moderate compass the full 
 
Preface. 9 
 
 principles, doctrines, views, object, and destiny of the 
 Jewish religion, it is certainly not a matter of astonish- 
 ment that so little should be known about our faith. 
 To the majority of Jews themselves, this subject is, 
 from the same cause, very imperfectly understood ; 
 and hence the great opposition which is made to the 
 Reform School by many pious and well-meaning 
 persons, who not only know nothing of the aim of 
 Reform, but even have erroneous impressions as 
 to what constitutes true orthodoxy, according to the 
 Rabbins and the traditions of Israel. To supply this 
 want, therefore to place before the public a brief 
 but thorough explanation of the principles of Judaism, 
 in a style simple enough to come within the range of 
 all has this essay been prepared. In it will be found 
 all that I believe to be included under the title of 
 Judaism. I have endeavored faithfully to state my 
 full views on the religion of my race ; to point out 
 carefully whatsoever I deem of importance, and to 
 declare unreservedly what I consider to be incon- 
 gruities, inconsistencies, and altogether abuses quite 
 foreign to true Judaism. 
 
 Wherever, in the course of this essay, allusion has 
 been made to the hypocritical deceptions of miscalled 
 Orthodoxy, I wish it to be perfectly understood, that 
 it is only the practices of mock orthodoxy which have 
 been condemned, and not of real Orthodoxy. Against 
 the truly pious and consistent orthodox Jew who 
 
io Preface. 
 
 religiously believes in the traditions of his people, in 
 the infallibility of the Talmud, and who faithfully puts 
 into practice all that he professes in theory, not one 
 disrespectful word should be uttered. How much 
 soever this steadfast adherence to the practices of the 
 past which in the reasonable mind have long ceased 
 to be obligatory may be deplored, the sincerity of the 
 intention is eminently deserving of respect. It would 
 be against the teachings of the Reform School, there- 
 fore, to condemn those who thus act up to what they 
 believe. But to those violent fanatics from the ranks 
 of a self-constituted orthodoxy, who profess one thing 
 and perform another ; who desert the ancient land- 
 marks whenever fashion or convenience or worldly 
 motives must be gratified, but who, nevertheless, 
 clamor against every movement intended to advance 
 the interests of Judaism ; who denounce in public 
 what they practise in private ; \vho openly desecrate 
 the most sacred commands, and yet revile Reformers 
 as heretics ; who substitute brute force for argument, 
 passion for reason, and the fulmination of anathema 
 for logical discussion ; who by their outward sancti- 
 monious mien and inward rebellious spirit, bring dis- 
 grace on the name of Jew to them no explanation 
 or apology is made. The masks which they have so 
 long worn must now be torn down, and the utter 
 nothingness of their professions exhibited to the public 
 gaze and contempt. 
 
Preface. 1 1 
 
 To the truly orthodox as well as to the moderate 
 reformer, I have only to say : Do not decide too hastily 
 in your judgment of this essay. Read patiently the 
 arguments, study carefully the references from the 
 Scriptures and from history, weigh well the ' proofs, 
 and let your Reason be your guide. 
 
 Whether the object of these pages will in any degree 
 be accomplished, time alone will show. But whatever 
 may be the result, I cannot be otherwise than con- 
 scious of having e~. -ved upon the task with pure 
 feelings and with the earnest desire of benefiting my 
 people and my religion. And so I hopefully send 
 forth my little work among my brethren, and humbly 
 implore the blessing of God on the issue. 
 
 R. D'C. L. 
 
 The ECLECTIC COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE, 
 617 Lexington Avenue, cor. 53d St., 
 New York, Dec., 1869. 
 
WHAT IS JUDAISM? 
 
 HE night of religious persecution has forever 
 passed ; the morning light has dawned, and 
 the Sun of Progress is shedding his refulgent 
 rays upon the world, dispelling the clouds of darkness 
 and illumining mankind with celestial truth, to the 
 everlasting glory of Almighty God, and the eternal 
 happiness of the human race. Yes, religious perse- 
 cution is dead. It now lies numbered among the 
 things which have been ; it rests in the tomb of the 
 past, and will never again be resuscitated. We pause not 
 here to inquire as to the agencies which have been em- 
 ployed by an all-wise and directing Providence, in effect- 
 ing this happy consummation. We seek not to ascer- 
 tain the causes which have been instrumental in thus 
 revolutionizing those very thoughts and opinions of 
 men which for centuries had obtained such irresisti- 
 ble control over their actions. Enough for our pur- 
 pose that truth has triumphed, that the inalienable 
 rights of conscience have been acknowledged, that the 
 being possessed of a heaven-born immortal soul, en- 
 dowed with the high faculty of reason, blessed by God 
 
14 What is Judaism ? 
 
 with the capacity to act according to the impulses of 
 his own heart, is at length permitted by his fellow- 
 being to exercise those divine rights which constitute 
 him the child of God, is at length free to worship his 
 Almighty Father and Creator, agreeably with the 
 promptings of his own nature. 
 
 Glorious, indeed, have been the results produced 
 by this revolution in religious thought. The minds 
 of men, no longer enslaved by the tyranny of Church 
 or State, assume now their legitimate powers, and re- 
 gard all subjects as food for investigation and discus- 
 sion. The claims of humanity are felt and acknowl- 
 edged, irrespective of religious differences. The pecu- 
 liar tenets held sacred by any man, occasion none to 
 withhold from him the free enjoyment of those privi- 
 leges to which, as a man, he is justly entitled. The 
 state or commonwealth, which is made up of individ- 
 uals and not of individual opinions, imposes no 
 restraint on the liberty of the individual on account 
 of his religious convictions ; and indeed in almost 
 every country where the refining influence of modern 
 civilization has penetrated, the same political rights 
 and distinctions are shared in common by every man, 
 notwithstanding his private views on religion, or the 
 peculiar manner in which he may worship the God 
 of his belief. 
 
 And now that this glorious epoch in the world's 
 history has been fairly inaugurated, surely we Israel- 
 
What is Judaism ? 15 
 
 ites, above all others, should experience the purest 
 emotions of holy joy and the deepest feelings of grati- 
 tude, when we reflect on what has been and what 
 is now. Religious freedom is indeed a sweet thing 
 to us. Who can better appreciate it ? We have been 
 the martyrs of martyrs. For eighteen unbroken cen- 
 turies the world has conspired to hunt us down, to 
 torture and oppress us, to drive us without the pale 
 of humanity, to exterminate us from among men, or 
 compel us to disavow our blessed inheritance, and 
 swear allegiance to strange gods. Truly no nation 
 upon the face of the earth has ever endured such sys- 
 tematic persecution, such relentless cruelties, such 
 fearful sufferings, as that nation to which, praised be 
 God, we have the honor of belonging. What then 
 should be our bounden duty, now that God has given 
 us rest from our enemies, now that He has turned our 
 adversaries into our friends and brethren, now that 
 the world has so far advanced in religious knowledge 
 as to comprehend the great truth that conscience can 
 never be forced ? Surely it is, to adhere as steadfastly 
 to that hallowed faith in our prosperity as we did in 
 our adversity. Surely it is, to remove all the impuri- 
 ties from that faith which, during those centuries of 
 persecution, bigotry, ignorance, and fanaticism, have 
 grown so thickly around it, as almost to hide its tran- 
 scendent beauties. Surely it is, to understand that 
 faith according to its God-like purity, to transmit that 
 
1 6 What is Judaism ? 
 
 faith to our children as a priceless treasure, to pro- 
 claim that faith to the world, through the teachings of 
 our lives, and thus show that Judaism is indeed a 
 Religion emanating from the Deity himself, and that 
 none know better than Jews how to serve that Deity, or 
 how to fulfil those divine laws of universal love and 
 truth which He has framed for the government and 
 welfare of all his children upon earth. 
 
 But these duties are incumbent upon us, not alone 
 in order to evince our gratitude to God and our ap- 
 preciation of the blessings of religious liberty, but 
 because, free as we may be, our faith has still its ene- 
 mies, who, though powerless to harm, are yet power- 
 ful enough to detract from its excellences by painting 
 it in false colors and exhibiting it under a garb which 
 never belonged to it, in the hope thus to accomplish 
 by fraud and treachery what never could be accom- 
 plished by tyranny or oppression. Would you know 
 where to seek those enemies ? Look for them without 
 our fold. Look for them within our fold. 
 
 Look for them without our fold, in the many con- 
 version societies which disgrace the age in which we 
 live ; in the "so-called" societies for the diffusion of 
 the Gospel among the Jews, which infest our land, 
 and which are so zealously maintained by thousands 
 of foolish, bigoted men and women, who expend, an- 
 nually, fortunes upon the feeble attempt to convert 
 the Jews, and rejoice when some poor miscreant, who 
 
What is Judaism j> 17 
 
 has but little sense, still less honor and a great amount 
 of poverty, falls into their clutches fortunes which 
 could be better bestowed upon the aged, the destitute, 
 the widow, and the orphan of their own sects for- 
 tunes which could aid in diffusing education among 
 the ignorant masses of the Christian Church, and 
 teaching the sublime lesson, that God is the Father 
 of mankind, and that all men are alike his children 
 and will be saved in Him. 
 
 Look for them without our fold, in the doctrines put 
 forth every Sunday from too many of the Church 
 pulpits ; doctrines which take hold upon the ignorant 
 minds of the populace, and cause them to believe that 
 Judaism is corruptive ; that Jews think it their duty to 
 cheat and swindle their Christian neighbors ; that Jews 
 must still be held responsible for the crucifixion of 
 him whom the Gentile world revere as a Saviour, that 
 all who believe not in him will be condemned to eter- 
 nal perdition, and that therefore it is a meritorious 
 action to convert the Jew, even if that conversion be 
 accomplished by means not in themselves fair or hon- 
 orable. 
 
 Look for them within our fold, in the unholy and 
 ridiculous opinions entertained about Judaism by too 
 many of its own followers ; in the follies and super- 
 stitions which have crept into Judaism, and which 
 st.ill cling to a portion of the House of Israel ; in the 
 ignorant declarations of faith which are occasionally 
 
 * 
 
 2* 
 
1 8 What is Judaism r 
 
 ushered into the world as being Judaism ; in the very 
 slight knowledge possessed by a large majority of our 
 people as to what really constitute the principles of 
 Judaism, and the duties of Jews. 
 
 Look for them within our fold, among the self-con- 
 stituted leaders of the people, who, to accomplish their 
 own wicked ends, to gratify their own private animosi- 
 ties, to pander to their own intolerable vanities, or to 
 ensure their own private interests, labor earnestly to 
 depress, to mystify, to blind, to subjugate those who 
 look up to them for light and instruction. Thus they 
 offer ignorance to the people, and call it knowledge ; 
 darkness, and call it light ; folly, and call it wisdom ; 
 deception, and call it honor. 
 
 Shall we then be silent, when our sacred heritage is 
 being thus trifled with ? Shall we hold our peace 
 when our pure and spotless religion is being thus 
 assailed by enemies without our fold and by enemies 
 within our fold ? Shall they who hold the exalted and 
 responsible positions of teachers of God's Holy Word, 
 allow themselves to be intimidated or awed, because 
 their enemies happen to be strong or many ? Shall 
 the guides of the people whom God has appointed to 
 work out the happiness of His children, prostitute their 
 holy office because worldly wisdom would tell them, 
 "Do not jeopardize your own temporal interests?" 
 They who dare listen to such admonitions, they who 
 dare betray their sacred trust, they who dare think 
 
- :;- 
 
 \/> 
 
 What is Judaism /> 19 
 
 more of themselves than of the duty they owe their 
 Master, are unworthy of their calling, unworthy their 
 lineage, unworthy their mission, and merit the scorn 
 
 . 
 
 and indignation of every right-minded man. 
 
 We are those teachers ; we are those guides ; we, 
 Israelites whom God has appointed as "a covenant of 
 the people, a light of the nations. " 1 
 
 Let us then go forth against our enemies "in the 
 name of the Lord of Hosts." Let us raise above us 
 the banner of our mission Truth holy, divine, 
 heavenly Truth ! Let us battle with our enemies 
 without our fold and within our fold, for we can fight 
 them both, even at the same time, and all the arms 
 that will be necessary, are but a perfect knowledge of 
 our faith, and a firm determination to live in accord- 
 ance with that knowledge ; and while thus giving prac- 
 tical illustrations of the recondite beauties of Judaism, 
 we will most signally defeat our enemies, and victo- 
 riously return from the strife, having benefited our- 
 selves, improved mankind, advanced the interests of 
 pure religion, and promoted the honor and glory of 
 the Eternal God of Heaven and Earth. 
 
 Come, then, Israelites, let us examine our faith by 
 the light of reason and intelligence. Let us not be 
 afraid to handle it it will bear investigation. Let us 
 not hesitate to test our religion. If it will not meet the 
 test, it is unworthy the name of Religion. If we shrink 
 from testing it, we are unworthy the name of Jews. 
 
2O What is Judaism ? 
 
 Come, then, with hearts and minds bent upon this 
 holy task. Come with the firm resolution to abide by 
 the consequences. Come in the name of God, in the 
 name of Religion, in the name of Truth, and let us 
 ask ourselves the all-important question, What is 
 Judaism ? 
 
 In order to solve this question satisfactorily, we 
 must, in the first place, be certain as to the sources 
 whence we have derived our religion. These sources 
 are three in number : ist, Reason ; 2d, Nature ; and 
 3d, Revelation. 
 
 Without reason, truth could not exist upon earth, 
 for it is only through the agency of our reason that we 
 are enabled even to comprehend the very fact of our 
 existence. A renowned Jewish philosopher has said, 
 "The angel that communicates /between God and 
 man is man's reason." 2 So also a profound thinker 
 of modern times has asserted, "On earth there is 
 nothing great but man ; in man there is nothing great 
 but mind." 
 
 These are powerful assertions, and they are true. 
 Man is the masterpiece of creation, and it is only his 
 reason which makes him so. Man only, of all God's 
 
 * ' 
 
 works, is capable of understanding that he has been 
 created, and it is only his reason which gives him that 
 capacity. "Man," says the great Pascal, "is but a 
 reed, the very frailest in nature; but he is a reed 
 that thinks. It needs not that the whole universe 
 
What is Judaism P 21 
 
 should arm to crush him. He dies from an exhala- 
 tion, from a drop of water. But should the universe 
 conspire to crush him, man would still be nobler than 
 that by which he falls ; for he knows that he dies ; 
 and of the victory which the universe has over him, 
 the universe knows nothing. Thus our whole dignity 
 consists in thought." 
 
 Reason, therefore, above everything else, must be 
 the source whence man derives knowledge. Pos- 
 sessed, then, of this reason, his attention is directed 
 to the wonders of creation. He beholds and reflects. 
 Nature speaks aloud to him through her innumerable 
 voices, and becomes the second great source whence 
 he derives religious knowledge. And nature is indeed 
 a noble instructor. Who, possessed of reason, can 
 fail to see, in the mighty works of nature by which we 
 are constantly surrounded, the goodness and greatness 
 of an all-wise Creator? Who can be so dull as not 
 to receive invaluable lessons from the many grand 
 objects which are found in the external world ? Who 
 can pass through this life, beholding, reflecting, and 
 understanding, and not see, in nature, nature's God ? s 
 
 From Reason and Nature, then, Revelation is de- 
 veloped, and man's religious belief is formed. But 
 this revelation is by no means a sudden result of the 
 other sources. It is a progressive work. As God is 
 the Creator of the human race, so also is He the 
 Educator of that race ; and as man's greatest happi- 
 
22 What is Judaism ? 
 
 ness consists in continual development and progres- 
 sion, 6 it has pleased Him to make known his will 
 gradually, and to choose certain agents through whom 
 the happiness of man may be secured, and His gra- 
 cious will made the permanent inheritance of all His 
 children. Thus was this education of the human 
 race commenced by God's communicating His will, 
 through the means of Revelation, first to Adam, then 
 to Abraham and the Patriarchs, and subsequently to 
 their descendants, the children of Israel, -whom God 
 has chosen to be his missionaries upon earth, and the 
 guides of all his children to the shrine of Religion. 7 
 
 Herein consists the grand mission of Israel. Not 
 for our weal alone did it please God to bestow this 
 commission upon our race, not that our prosperity or 
 happiness alone may result therefrom, not that these 
 blessed truths should be monopolized by any one race 
 or set of God's children, as the inalienable right of 
 that one race or set of men, and the right of none else 
 besides. No ! exclusiveness forms no feature in Is- 
 rael's mission. 8 Israel is the chosen of the Lord only 
 for the purpose of bringing spiritual happiness to the 
 world. Otherwise God has no chosen people. All 
 are his people, all are his creatures, all are his chil- 
 dren, hence all are chosen by him. As the universal 
 Father, God loves the beings formed by his creative 
 hand, and seeks to promote the happiness of all alike. 
 The means, however, for the accomplishment of this, 
 
What is Judaism /> 23 
 
 are known alone to Him, and so He has willed that 
 Israel should become His missionaries upon earth, in 
 order to cause the light of divine truth to shine upon 
 the world, and thus conduce to the happiness of all, 
 by imparting truth as the common inheritance of 
 mankind. 
 
 From the three sources Reason, Nature, and Rev- 
 elation our knowledge of Judaism is obtained ; and 
 from these three sources also we learn that Judaism 
 exists under two phases, according to both of which 
 separate definitions are necessary. The first is its 
 Eternal phase, and may be thus defined : 
 * Judaism is the grand universal system of all the 
 religious truths necessary for man to believe, and of 
 all the moral laws which God in His inscrutable wis- 
 dom and goodness has framed for the government of 
 his children upon earth, in order that through the 
 belief in these truths, and the observance of these 
 laws, every human being may become good, and con- 
 sequently happy, and thus approach that state of per- 
 fection which is the highest pinnacle of godliness and 
 of supreme felicity. 
 
 In this sense, Judaism is Religion in the purest 
 conception of the word, for the belief in these truths, 
 and in the necessity for practising these laws, which 
 together constitute the very essence of Judaism, in- 
 spires the soul of man with an indescribable longing 
 to soar upward to the Great Spirit of spirits, the 
 
24 What is Judaism /> 
 
 Almighty Fountain of truth and purity and wisdom ; 
 and while thus inspiring it, renders it conscious how 
 impossible it is ever to completely attain that exalted 
 summit to which it will, nevertheless, continually 
 aspire. And this is indeed Religion. 
 
 True, genuine religion, is nothing else but the term 
 whereby we understand that exaltation of the soul, 
 which recognizes its own superiority, while at the 
 same time it is forced to confess its own finiteness and 
 dependence. 
 
 True, genuine religion, is nothing else save that 
 intense and earnest longing of the divine spirit placed 
 by God into man, after the Noblest, the Purest, the 
 Highest that unconquerable desire to look up to the 
 Infinite Being, as the embodiment of perfection that 
 fervent attachment, love, and veneration for the Au- 
 thor of all that devout and constant wish to come 
 into perfect connection with Him that deep humility 
 with which it acknowledges the impossibility of such 
 intimate connection, and feels the immense distance 
 which must still exist, how near soever it may ap- 
 proach. 
 
 Thus Judaism and Religion are synonymous terms. 
 
 But Priests and dogmatists of all sects have endeav- 
 ored to give other definitions of them. For Religion 
 is represented as being the offspring of the Bible, the 
 work of Revelation alone, the communication of doc- 
 trines through supernatural agencies, the entire immo- 
 
What is Judaism t> 25 
 
 lation of our own reason, thoughts, and feelings upon 
 the altar of faith, the firm adherence to certain set 
 formulas of creed and such other manifestations of 
 piety whereby the love of God may be gained or his 
 anger avoided. And as for Judaism, very many of its 
 own followers and friends, to say nothing of its ene- 
 mies, will not allow it to be a creative power at all ; 
 nay, will not even allow it to be a spiritual power, but 
 zealously labor to associate with it traditional edicts 
 and observances, forms and ceremonies, and a rigid 
 adherence to everything which time has honored by 
 the name of Judaism. Thus we find, even at the 
 present day, the grossest follies and superstitions be- 
 ing put forward by a certain school of bigots, 
 who wear the sanctimonious mien of religion merely 
 to screen the defects of their own private lives, as the 
 religion of our race, the religion which is destined by 
 God to become the religion of the world. Thus 
 Judaism is by these self-constituted, self-opiniated, 
 ignorant, pseudo-orthodox Jews, deprived of its holy 
 spirit, and sent forth into the world, shorn of every- 
 thing which may proclaim it the Religion, and retain- 
 ing only those customs and laws which the exigences 
 of certain times rendered necessary for the preserva- 
 tion of the inward spirit, but which have long since 
 become obsolete to the detriment of the interests of 
 Judaism, and the mental debasement of Jews. Where- 
 as Judaism is indeed pure Religion, and Religion is 
 
 3 
 
26 What is Judaism P 
 
 indeed far exalted above such conceptions. For it is 
 Religion which has formed the Bible, and not the 
 Bible which has formed Religion. Religion is life. 
 Religion is the common inheritance of humanity. 
 Religion lives with man, and is a portion of his na- 
 ture. It has been, is now, and will forever remain an 
 everlasting monument of the very existence and truth 
 of God himself. 
 
 Having, then, arrived at the proper definition of Ju- 
 daism, as regarded from its eternal phase, let us direct 
 our attention to those religious truths imparted by 
 Judaism, and which are the only truths which man 
 need believe in. These truths are all the doctrines 
 which Judaism teaches us about God, the World, and 
 Man. 
 
 Concerning God, we are taught to believe that He is 
 Spirit, 9 Most Holy and Pure, 10 Incorporeal and In- 
 divisible, 11 Eternal and Immutable, 12 One and only 
 One, to whom none can be compared, to whom no 
 likeness can be ascribed ; 1S Omnipotent, u Omnis- 
 cient, 1 ' and Omnipresent, 16 All-Good, but All-Just, 
 Supremely Intelligent, 18 Merciful 19 and Beneficent, 
 the Great "I am/' 21 the Beginning and the End, 
 the First and the Last, 23 the Reason, the Life, and the 
 Motion of all beings, 24 the Producer of everything, 26 
 the Eternal King, Lord, Ruler, and Preserver of the 
 world, 26 the only Creator, 27 and the sole Saviour of 
 mankind." 
 
 17 
 
 22 
 
What is Judaism ? 27 
 
 This peculiar Jewish conception of God is the car- 
 dinal truth upon which all other truths are based. It 
 is the grand centre to which everything else con- 
 verges. It is the first great step toward religious per- 
 fection, the point from which all other doctrines must 
 emanate. 
 
 Concerning the world, Judaism teaches us that it 
 owes its origin to God ; 29 that he called all the mate- 
 rials which compose it into existence, created the 
 forces, and ordained the laws through which every- 
 thing in the world performs its appointed object ; 3 ' 
 that these forces and laws are wisely arranged in order 
 to give regularity and harmony to all things, and thus 
 form the Universe into a perfect whole ; S1 that there 
 exists no absolute evil in nature, since everything has 
 its purpose, and that purpose is a wise and good one, 
 calculated to produce the greatest advantages to man- 
 kind at large ; 32 that even where our ignorance of the 
 workings of Nature may make us regard some things 
 as evil, yet they only seem so to us, but are in reality 
 features in that government which is intended for the 
 general weal ; 33 that the world itself was called into 
 existence so as to produce happiness, and so that there 
 might be objects upon whom God could lavish His 
 infinite love, and thus cause His creatures to rejoice in 
 Him, and be supremely happy in His gracious favor. 3j) 
 
 This idea of the world blended, with the sublime 
 idea of God, naturally leads us to the contemplation 
 
2 8 What is Judaism ? 
 
 of Man, the noblest work of creation, for whose bene- 
 fit the world has been created. 
 
 Upon this subject Man we are taught to believe 
 that God has endowed him with a nature essentially 
 higher than any other being, for where all other crea- 
 tures are but material beings, man possesses an im- 
 mortal soul which continues to live after the dissolu- 
 tion of the body, and thus partakes in some degree 
 of the spirit of God. 36 And not only in his twofold 
 nature is man superior, but even in his material form ; 
 for he bears upon him the impress of divinity, and 
 is the only being gifted with the power of speech. 
 Through his spiritual nature, man inherits reason and 
 conscience, by means of which, combined with the 
 power of free will, he is enabled to develop his intel- 
 lectual faculties and thus become perfect ; to conform 
 his conduct to the will of God, and thus become hap- 
 py. 3l But as in consequence of the union between 
 body and soul, a continual struggle between the ani- 
 mal and spiritual propensities will forever continue in 
 the breast of man, it is impossible for him, during his 
 earthly life, to attain the summit of perfection. 37 He 
 will fall into sin, although he is not compelled to do 
 so, since sin can be subdued by the strong will of his 
 spirit. s( When man sins, therefore, he loses for the 
 time his God-like nature, and receives his punishment 
 in this very loss. 3i But he is able to regain his former 
 eminence, through the medium of repentance. 40 Thus 
 
What is Judaism /* 29 
 
 man carries the mediator between himself and God in 
 his own heart. 
 
 All that is necessary for his forgiveness and his re- 
 storation to his original position, is sorrow on his part 
 for the sin which he has committed, and a sincere 
 amendment of his conduct in the future. 
 
 Thus man's highest destiny is to triumph over his 
 material propensities, and thereby elevate his God-like 
 nature, which will in return elevate him ; and this he is 
 enabled to do through his knowledge of those Divine 
 Truths concerning God, the World, and Man, and by 
 being thoroughly conversant with those Moral Laws 
 which God has framed for the government of His 
 children upon Earth. 
 
 The moral laws prescribed by Judaism teach us our 
 duty to God, to our fellow-men, and to ourselves. 
 
 To God, in regarding Him as the Highest Good, 
 in loving, 41 adoring, 42 and obeying 43 Him with all the 
 energy of which we are capable. To love God, we 
 must love all that He loves. The world and its con- 
 tents have been made for man because God loves man, 
 hence we also must love man, and strive to promote 
 his happiness. To love God we must love virtue, and 
 must always practise what our heart tells us will be 
 pleasing to God ; and by so doing we again fulfil our 
 destiny, for we will become happy in the very thought 
 of God, and our spirit will then soar uoward to Him 
 
 44 
 
 and aspire to perfection. 
 
 3* 
 
 - 
 
 *r 
 
 ri.A 
 
3C What is Judaism /> 
 
 To adore God, we must feel that notwithstanding 
 our superiority we are yet but very insignificant beings 
 when compared to Him, and that therefore it becomes 
 us humbly to trust in Him, to believe in His good- 
 ness, wisdom, and justice in all things, and to pray to 
 Him, so that through the power of prayer, our natures 
 may be strengthened, our souls invigorated, and thus 
 be the better enabled to triumph over sin, so as to ac- 
 complish our destiny and be happy here and hereafter. 4 ' 
 
 To obey God, therefore, becomes only the conse- 
 quence of loving and adoring Him, and this we must 
 do by observing all those duties contained in the Reli- 
 gious Truths and in the Moral Laws taught by 
 Judaism. 
 
 Our next duties are those we owe our fellow- 
 men, and these are embodied in the Divine pre- 
 cept : "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." 
 To fulfil these duties we must abstain from doing or 
 saying anything against our fellow-men, which we 
 would not like them to do or say against us. We 
 must be just in all our actions, and as fair in our deal- 
 ings with others as we would like others to be with us. 
 We must perform acts of charity and benevolence, 41 
 we must be kind and forgiving," we must be forbear- 
 ing and tolerant ; 48 and in the performance of all 
 these duties we must never forget that, as all men are 
 God's children, we are bound to regard all men as 
 brothers, irrespective of creed or nationality. 
 
 49 
 
What is Judaism r 31 
 
 By a faithful observance of these duties, we will be 
 enabled to fill worthily all the social stations of life, 
 and in our relations to our fellow-beings bring happi- 
 ness on them and happiness on ourselves, and thus 
 place us on the road to perfection, which is the grand 
 object of religion. 
 
 With these duties toward God and our fellow-men, 
 we have also duties to perform to ourselves. 
 
 The chief of these is, to use all our energies and 
 faculties for the attainment of our God-like destiny. 
 We must therefore cultivate our minds, and store them 
 with all the treasures of learning, as far as we have the 
 ability. 50 But especially must we acquire religious 
 knowledge, for that is the greatest of knowledge, since 
 it leads us to perfection. 51 We must be industrious, 
 temperate, and patient ; holy in our thoughts, holy in 
 our feeling. , and endeavor to attain happiness on 
 earth and eternal happiness in the future world by ob- 
 serving all the laws of our Maker, and feeling that the 
 nearer we in our lives approach unto Him, the nearer 
 are we to that state of perfection and happiness for 
 which we are intended. 62 
 
 This, then, is our Religion. 
 
 And now we ask, where is there a belief so true, so 
 pure, so godly as Judaism ? Is not Judaism Religion ? 
 Is not Judaism life, spirit ? Has it not the stamp of 
 God upon it ? Surely it is a great power, a power 
 which has been working from time immemorial, a 
 
3 2 What is Judaism ? 
 
 power which will forever work, animating mankind, 
 reforming mankind, elevating mankind, and glorify- 
 ing mankind with its hallowed influence. 
 
 Thus far have we considered the first phase of 
 Judaism, which is the greater, for it is its eternal phase. 
 It is under this phase that Judaism becomes pure re- 
 ligion, and that we as Jews become God's missionaries 
 upon earth to teach mankind the knowledge of their 
 Father, and his word of truth. 
 
 There is yet another phase, however, under which 
 Judaism is of peculiar interest to us as Jews alone, 
 and this is its temporal phase. But before we pro- 
 ceed to examine Judaism according to this phase, 
 some preliminary remarks are necessary. 
 
 Religion lives with man and is a portion of his na- 
 ture. At no time since the creation of the world has 
 this power been inoperative. Long before the Bible 
 was written, Religion exercised its influence and gave 
 repeated manifestations of its existence. Thus in the 
 life of the very first man, we find the religious senti- 
 ment recognizing God and feeling the immensity of 
 His Spirit. In the picture presented to us of the early 
 happiness of Adam, previous to his having yielded to 
 his material propensities, we discover his religious 
 nature rejoicing in the love of God and soaring up 
 toward Him in humble recognition of its own supe- 
 riority, and yet of its own dependence. And when, 
 having sinned, we hear him confessing, "Thy voice 
 
What is Judaism j> 33 
 
 I heard in the garden and I was afraid," * we again 
 perceive the influence of religion in the power of his 
 conscience, which makes him feel ashamed to meet 
 his God and bitterly reproaches him for his sin. So 
 also when Abel in grateful appreciation of the bless- 
 ings of God offers up to Him a portion of his earthly 
 treasures, he is actuated by the promptings of his re- 
 ligious nature, which at that early age associated the 
 worship of God with the presentation of gifts, in the 
 hope thereby to propitiate His favor. 54 Again, when 
 jealousy and envy combine to produce the unnatural 
 crime of fratricide, we hear the voice of Religion pro- 
 nouncing the great truth : "Sin lieth at the door, 
 and unto thee is its desire, but thou canst rule over 
 it."" At a later period of the world's history the re- 
 ligious sentiment of man becomes more purified, and 
 Abraham perceives in God, not the Being who is alone 
 vested with Supreme power, not the Being who covets 
 sacrifice and desires the debasement of his creatures, 
 but the Infinite God of Love, who having created man 
 in His own divine image, who having bestowed upon 
 him an immortal soul, which is capable of being 
 elevated to the highest point of honor, delights to see 
 him elevating that soul and ennobling those feelings 
 which constitute his God-like nature." Following in 
 the path of religious thought traced out for them by 
 
 
 
 their illustrious progenitor, the Patriarchs continue 
 the holy work of disseminating religious knowledge 
 
34 What is Judaism j 3 
 
 and impressing mankind with the true belief in God. 67 
 And at length arises the immortal legislator who is 
 destined by God to establish a nation and to give that 
 nation laws and statutes, which while preserving its 
 nationality and rendering it distinct and peculiar 
 among all nations, as long as it was necessary for its 
 nationality to be preserved, would, at the same time, 
 give it the capacity to receive and retain those divine 
 truths and those moral laws which form the very es- 
 sence of religion, and thus cause it to become so 
 thoroughly permeated with the pure spirit of Religion, 
 as to enable it, not alone to exist without the aid of 
 those national laws and statutes, but also to conquer 
 the world and bring all mankind to the same state of 
 religious truth, and so place the entire human race on 
 the road to perfection and supreme happiness. 
 
 Thus it is Religion which has formed the Bible, and 
 not the Bible which has formed Religion. 
 
 But to what advantage were those national laws and 
 statutes, if in themselves they form not the principle 
 of religion? 
 
 The history of the human race incontestably proves 
 that religion has existed among all nations, how crude 
 or imperfect soever their moral and intellectual culture 
 may have been. 68 But because religion has always 
 lived with man and will forever live with man, and 
 because man is a creature of progression requiring 
 time to develop his higher faculties, and because this 
 
What is Judaism r> 35 
 
 development being essential to happiness will be eter- 
 nal, Religion manifests itself in a people according 
 to that people's moral and intellectual standard. The 
 great power of the religious sentiment, innate in the 
 breast of man, is to direct his attention to a Superior 
 Being, and to make him feel that it is his duty to 
 worship that Being. But upon this very worship Re- 
 ligion assumes different phases, according to the de- 
 velopment of its votaries and the times in which they 
 live. Thus, in connection with the spirit of religion, 
 arose those outward manifestations of religious feeling, 
 which tending to familiarize man with the spirit and 
 to promote the great end of religion human perfec- 
 tion and happiness have also assumed the name of 
 religion, and have come to be regarded as such 
 through the force of association. At first, however, 
 these outward manifestations had no intention of ren- 
 dering the mind familiar with the spirit of religion, 
 but were intended solely to give expression to the re- 
 ligious feeling which then regarded worship as its 
 chief end and aim. Thus among all rude and unciv- 
 ilized nations the idea of God is associated with the 
 idea of a superior power, before which the inferior 
 must bow and pay homage. Hence came sacrifices, 
 which formed the most conspicuous feature in the 
 worship of ancient nations. The end to be gained by 
 these sacrifices was the propitiation of the Deity, the 
 idea being that by offering up to ' Him something 
 
36 What is Judaism ? 
 
 which was prized very dearly, by depriving themselves 
 of what they valued most, by enduring privations and 
 sufferings, they might either appease His wrath or 
 win His favor. The rudest form of giving expres- 
 sion to this feeling was in human sacrifice. All those 
 nations which were plunged into barbaric heathenism, 
 regarded this form as the greatest token of piety and 
 reverence for their gods. 6 * But this is indeed the very 
 lowest degree of religious feeling, for this misconcep- 
 tion of the Divine Being tends to degrade man by 
 forcing him to do violence to his natural feelings and 
 affections. 
 
 Now it must be remembered that when Judaism 
 made its appearance, the entire world was in darkness 
 upon the subject of spiritual religion. The religious 
 feeling could not grasp anything higher than the con- 
 ception of a God and the recognition of his power. 
 It had yet to be trained to see in God the perfection 
 of purity, the embodiment of love. It was this task 
 which Judaism had to perform in its earliest days. 
 But as to accomplish this, was to introduce into the 
 world a new idea, and as all new ideas, especially in 
 the field of religious thought, have to battle with old 
 established customs and predilections, it would have 
 been impossible for Judaism to have entered upon its 
 mission of reforming the world, without being invested 
 with an outward covering of a coarser nature, so as to 
 protect it in the struggle which it would have to 
 
What is Judaism f> 
 
 encounter. Especially was this necessary when we 
 recollect that the Israelites, who were to be the deposi- 
 taries of this Idea, were themselves undeveloped and 
 uncultivated. 
 
 True, in religious feeling they were very superior 
 to their neighbors, for they recognized in God a Unit, 
 and knew that human sacrifice was murder ; but still, 
 having for years witnessed the debasing rites of the 
 Egyptians, they were entirely unable to comprehend 
 the abstract idea of religion ; and the very Idea would 
 have been crushed out even among themselves, had it 
 not been for its coat of mail, in which it was purposely 
 enveloped." Hence those national laws and statutes 
 which Moses imparted to the children of Israel, were 
 of considerable advantage, and even bore the sanction 
 of God, since they acted as the preservers of the Re- 
 ligious Idea, and were well calculated to serve as the 
 means to the end. Thus have we Judaism in its 
 temporal phase, and according to the considerations 
 already given we are enabled to define it as follows : 
 
 Judaism is that peculiar system of Religion which 
 embraces all those national laws and statutes prescribed 
 by Moses, the founder and legislator of the Jewish 
 nation, for the Jews alone, and obligatory only upon 
 them, so that by means of those national laws and 
 statutes, the minds of the people may become more 
 purified, and the people holier and more sanctified, 
 and thus be the better prepared to retain and pro- 
 
38 What is Judaism ? 
 
 mulgate those Divine Truths and Moral laws which 
 constitute the very essence of pure Judaism and of 
 pure Religion. 
 
 Very many of these statutes have lost their practica- 
 bility since the overthrow of the Jewish nation as a 
 body politic, and the destruction of the Temple. And 
 this is, above all, the greatest proof of the truth of our 
 religion. THE IDEA is CAPABLE OF LIVING WITHOUT 
 
 ITS MATERIAL COVERING. 
 
 These national laws and statutes, be it remembered, 
 were intended by the legislator only to serve as the 
 means to the end ; they were never to usurp the place 
 of the spirit of Religion ; they were not destined to be 
 eternal, but yet they had the sanction of the Deity, and 
 are obligatory upon Israelites as long as they effect 
 the purpose for which they were intended. 
 
 As soon, however, as Reason has decided that the lime 
 for their observance has passed, that they no longer effect 
 their purpose, that according to the age in which we live, 
 the religious Idea, if requiring an outer covering at all, 
 needs one of different materials ; then the observance of 
 them has forever passed, and a continuance of them is but 
 a violation of those grand eternal principles which consti- 
 tute pure Judaism. 
 
 To such class belong the laws of sacrifices. Ani- 
 mal sacrifice, though not so degrading and immoral 
 as human sacrifice, is yet but a token of a very low 
 religious state of feeling. Sacrifice was never com- 
 
What is Judaism ? 39 
 
 nranded by Judaism ; it was only tolerated. The 
 Israelites, rude and uncivilized as they were when they 
 left the chains of the Egyptian serfdom, could not 
 naturally have been expected to have shaken off, at the 
 very commencement of their religious career, a custom 
 which every nation regarded as pertaining to religion, 
 and one which they had witnessed for centuries. Hence 
 to have deprived them of this means of giving expres- 
 sion to their religious sentiment would again have 
 been to have crushed out the Idea immediately : so 
 sacrifices were tolerated, but only tolerated. As soon 
 as the proper moment arrived, the best of Israel's 
 leaders denounced them. Thus the Prophets Israel's 
 greatest reformers continually inveighed against the 
 sacrificial observances ; and indeed to such an extent 
 did Jeremiah carry his opposition to this mode of de- 
 grading the Divine Being and the divine nature of 
 man, that he actually contradicted the very assertions 
 of Moses, for where the legislator had sanctioned sac- 
 rifices in the name of the Lord, Jeremiah declared 
 with remarkable emphases "I spake not unto your 
 fathers, saith the Lord, nor commanded them, when 
 I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning 
 burnt-offerings or sacrifices. " We, at this age, can 
 perfectly understand that Jeremiah's words were not 
 contradictory to Moses' ; since Moses, also, knew the 
 baneful consequences of sacrifices, and only permitted 
 them through the force of circumstances, and because 
 
4O What is Judaism /> 
 
 Religion lives with man, and must adopt such outward 
 manifestations as the state of man's intellect permits ; 
 but surely at the age when Jeremiah lived, his words 
 to the Israelitish nation must have seemed little bet- 
 ter than rebellion against the very word of God. 
 
 Yet did the sacrifices fall. During the second Tem- 
 ple, in which sacrifices were continued, houses of 
 Prayer arose as rivals to the Temple, and became 
 infinitely above it in real religious importance. " And 
 why was this ? Because sacrifices had entirely lost 
 their hold upon the Jewish people. The nation had 
 developed and could well sustain the religious Idea 
 without the aid of sacrifice. As soon therefore as the 
 Second Temple is destroyed, sacrifice vanishes for- 
 ever, and is lost to the Jewish people as it is to the 
 world. If then we attempt to establish religion upon 
 the basis of sacrificial worship, if we attempt to assert 
 that sacrifice has only vanished for a time, and must 
 be commemorated by certain additional prayers and 
 ceremonies, if we attempt to look back upon the an- 
 cient mode of worship with feelings of regret, and long 
 for a return of such worship then indeed are we little 
 better than the rabble who came forth from Egypt ; 
 then indeed do we long for a relapse into heathenism, 
 and become unworthy to continue our mission of 
 promulgating God's Word of Truth. 
 
 SACRIFICE is DEAD. THE JEWISH NATIONALITY AS A 
 
 SEPARATE POLITICAL ORGANIZATION IS OVERTHROWN. 
 
What is Judaism ? 41 
 
 THE BELIEF IN THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL TO THE 
 LAND OF THEIR FATHERS, AND THAT THE REDEEMER 
 WILL COME TO ZlON, is AN EXPLODED THEORY ; AND GOD 
 BE PRAISED FOR ALL HlS MERCIES. 
 
 To such class also belong the Dietary Laws, which 
 indeed were very valuable for the people to whom 
 they were given, in the age in which they existed, and 
 for the countries for which they were intended. As 
 sanitary laws, they are even now of importance at cer- 
 tain seasons of the year and in certain climates, but 
 that they are Religious Laws, or that they were ever 
 intended as such, the very spirit of Religion de- 
 nies. 
 
 To such class also belong all those laws which have 
 reference to the political government of the Israelitish 
 nation, which being no longer in existence, the laws 
 themselves are of course inoperative. 
 
 And now we will consider those laws and statutes 
 which have not yet lost their practicability, but which 
 form Judaism according to its temporal phase, and 
 will continue to be obligatory upon Israelites, until 
 history has set them aside. 
 
 These laws may be divided into two classes : ist, 
 The Holy Seasons, and 2d, The Ceremonies. 
 
 The Holy Seasons are those days and especial 
 portions of the year appointed for rest, prayer, and 
 reflection. They are : i. The Sabbath ; 2. The Three 
 Festivals, Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles ; and 
 
 4* 
 
42 What is Judaism r 1 
 
 3. The Two Great Holy Days, New Year and Day of 
 Atonement. 
 
 The Sabbath is the fundamental statute of Judaism. 
 Through its observance we are the better enabled to 
 realize and appreciate all the blessings which are con- 
 ferred by those divine truths and moral laws which 
 constitute pure religion. The Sabbath is one of the 
 greatest means of sanctification, because it relieves us 
 from the yoke of worldly labor, invigorates our minds 
 and bodies, thereby rendering them better fitted for 
 the duties of life, and affords us the opportunity of 
 reflecting upon the goodness of God, the beauty of 
 His works, the wisdom of His laws, and our own 
 God-like nature and heavenly destiny. Symbolically, 
 the Sabbath is a type of what a good man's life should 
 be every day ; but as labor is the lot of man, as he is 
 wisely compelled to work for his living, and as many 
 have indeed to toil with all their energies for the 
 means of providing for the necessities of themselves 
 and families, the Sabbath literally becomes a day of 
 rest, a day of comfort, and above all, a day of holi- 
 ness. It is the oldest religious institution, for it is 
 coeval with the creation. It commemorates that au- 
 gust event, proclaims God as the sole author of the 
 universe, and reminds us of the glorious mission 
 which it has pleased God to bestow upon us. 
 
 To Israelites, therefore, the observance of the Sab- 
 bath is especially obligatory ; and to fulfil our duty in 
 
What is Judaism r> 43 
 
 this respect, we must abstain from the usual avo- 
 cations of the week by which we earn our liveli- 
 hood, and devote the day to communion with our 
 Heavenly Father, to meditation on the excellencies of 
 religion, to rational and innocent pleasures, and to 
 those domestic and social enjoyments which are so 
 pleasing in the sight of the Beneficent Parent of 
 mankind. 63 
 
 The Festivals represent God as the Preserver and 
 Ruler of the World, and are intended to be vivid 
 testimonies of that love and benevolence so con- 
 stantly manifested by Him towards all His creatures. 
 They are accordingly affixed to those seasons of the 
 year when the protecting power of God is especially 
 visible. At the same time they commemorate im- 
 portant events in the past history of Israel, and pro- 
 claim God as the Guardian of Israel, who watches 
 over His chosen people and protects them from the 
 machinations of their enemies, so as to accomplish 
 through their instrumentality His glorious design of 
 universal happiness and perfection. 
 
 The Festival of Passover, called also the Feast of 
 Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Redemption, is 
 celebrated in the season of Spring, at the time of the 
 ripening of the grains in the land of Palestine. 
 
 Its observance commences on the eve of the fifteenth 
 day of the first month, A T isan, and continues seven 
 days. Of these, however, only the first and last days 
 
44 What is Judaism j 3 
 
 are considered holy. The Festival is the birthday 
 feast of liberty, and is commemorative of Israel's 
 deliverance from Egyptian bondage. As such, its 
 annual return is hailed with feelings of joy and grati- 
 tude ; the more so, as with the event of this redemption 
 our nation entered upon the discharge of its heavenly 
 mission, and went forth into the world as the religious 
 teachers of mankind. 
 
 Its name, Pasach or Passover, is derived from the 
 sacrificial repast prepared by our forefathers on the 
 eve of their redemption, in token of their faith in the 
 promised deliverance. It is termed the feast of Un- 
 leavened Bread on account of the Mosaic command, 
 by virtue of which nothing leavened was to be eaten 
 during the Festival, in order to commemorate the 
 exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, which was ef- 
 fected in such haste as to prevent them from even 
 leavening the dough which they had taken with them 
 at their departure. The most important portion of 
 the Festival is the first night, because it commemorates 
 that august occasion when "with a strong hand and 
 an outstretched arm" the Lord God broke the iron 
 bonds of tyranny, and proclaimed freedom as the 
 inalienable right of man. For this reason it has ever 
 been the pious custom in Israel to celebrate that night 
 with songs of praise and thanksgiving, and to render 
 the home a temple of devotion, wherein the memory 
 of an event so fraught with the most glorious results 
 
What is Judaism f 45 
 
 to the world at large, may be cherished by those who 
 are the depositaries of the true religious idea and of 
 God's holy word of truth. 64 
 
 The Festival of Pentecost is celebrated on the sixth 
 day of the third month, Sivan, which is the fiftieth 
 day after the first day of Passover. It is held in the 
 season of harvest, and originally had no other signifi- 
 cance than that of celebrating the conclusion of the 
 harvest, which, in the land of Palestine, usually lasted 
 fully seven weeks. For this reason it is called Sha- 
 buoth, or " Feast of Weeks. " Religious solemnities 
 and rejoicing were the characteristics of the Festival, 
 and during the existence of the Jewish nationality 
 and the Temple in Jerusalem, two full measures of 
 fine flour had to be prepared into sacrificial bread as 
 an offering of gratitude. Hence, the Festival is 
 termed also the "Feast of the Full Harvest," and 
 the "Feast of the, First Offering." The Mishna 
 furthermore called it "Azereth," or "Festival of 
 Conclusion," having reference to the conclusion of 
 the harvest. 66 
 
 In later times, however, another and very important 
 significance became attached to this Festival, .for a 
 historical reminiscence connected with Israel's mission 
 was introduced, which gave it additional sanctity. This 
 was no other than the memory of the Decalogue, 
 which, through the power of inspiration, figuratively 
 represented in the Bible by the revelation on Mount 
 
46 What is Judaism ? 
 
 Sinai, was communicated to Israel as the root and 
 foundation of all religion, to be, by them, transmitted 
 to all the inhabitants of the world. 
 
 The connection between the memory of this event and 
 the harvest feast is perfectly natural, for aside from the 
 consideration that the delivery of the Ten Proclamations 
 is supposed to have taken place on the fiftieth day after 
 the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, these Divine 
 Commandments constitute the richest spiritual harvest 
 which man has ever received. Upon them every sys- 
 tem of theology has been established. They have 
 been, and will forever remain, throughout all times 
 and generations, sufficient to nourish and sustain the 
 religious idea in the mind of man. Of their inestima- 
 ble value, all religious denominations which claim to 
 partake of civilization are living witnesses. ' ' They 
 represent to us," writes a celebrated Christian divine, 
 " both in fact and in idea, the granite foundation, the 
 immovable mountain on which the world is built up, 
 without which, all theories of religion are but as shift- 
 ing and fleeting clouds ; they give us the two homely 
 fundamental laws, which all subsequent revelation has 
 but confirmed and sanctified the law of our duty 
 towards God, and the law of our duty towards our 
 neighbor. " es 
 
 The Festival of Tabernacles is held in the seventh 
 month, Tishri, and lasts seven days. It commences 
 on the fifteenth, and ends on the twenty-first ; but the 
 
What is Judaism ? 47 
 
 first day is the only one which is sacred. Celebrated as 
 an autumnal festival, at that peculiar season of the year 
 when the ingathering of all the productions of the 
 fields takes place, it truly becomes a festival of gratitude 
 and of thanksgiving to God for the innumerable 
 favors which He so lavishly bestows upon His children. 
 At the same time the Festival is intended to com- 
 memorate the especial goodness of God in preserving 
 our forefathers during the forty years they wandered in 
 the wilderness, prior to their entry in the land of Pal- 
 estine. In order more forcibly to impress this event 
 upon our minds, the Bible ordains the dwelling in 
 booths or temporary houses, by virtue of which the 
 Festival derives its name as the Festival of Tabernacles 
 or Booths. 
 
 The day immediately following the seventh day is 
 termed Azereth, or the concluding feast, and is also 
 kept holy. The intervening days between the first 
 day of Tabernacles and the Azereth feast are half holy- 
 days similar to the intervening days between the first 
 and last days of Passover, and are called Choi Hamoed. 
 On these days the usual business avocations of life are 
 permitted. The entire Festival, together with the 
 ceremonies observed on the occasion, symbolically 
 represent the rich blessings which God in His good- 
 ness is pleased to bestow upon man through the 
 workings of Nature. They appeal to the imagination, 
 inspire the heart with sentiments of love and devotion, 
 
 % ' "^ <* ~ * 
 
 
 
48 What is Judaism /> 
 
 and proclaim the Eternal Creator as the great, good, 
 pure, and holy Father of all, who, loving the beings 
 formed by His creative hand, and seeking to promote 
 their happiness, adopts the surest means for accom- 
 plishing this end, and makes all nature subservient to 
 His will. 67 
 
 The two great holy-days are not intended either to 
 refer to certain natural phenomena or to commemorate 
 historical events in the life of Israel, but they are 
 founded on the moral nature of man, and on those 
 peculiar qualities which render man human. The 
 union between body and soul, the intimate connection 
 between the physical and spiritual propensities often 
 engenders sin, and makes man forget his heavenly 
 mission and his glorious destiny. 
 
 To afford him the means, therefore, of regaining that 
 position of eminence which he originally maintained 
 before matter had triumphed over spirit, our Religion 
 has instituted the two great holy-days New Year and 
 Day of Atonement to act as the means whereby the 
 end may be attained. For on these days the Israelite 
 is called upon to examine his past life, to turn his 
 thoughts from worldly matters, to scrutinize his actions, 
 to test his moral and religious state, to become con- 
 scious of his failings, and to atone for them sincerely 
 before God. Rosh Hashana, or New Year, called also 
 Yom Zikaron (Day of Memorial), and Yom Teruah 
 (Day of the Cornet), is celebrated on the first day of 
 
What is Judaism r 49 
 
 the seventh month, the commencement of the year 
 being affixed to the autumnal equinox. In the Bib- 
 lical time, New Year's Day was not kept as such, but 
 was regarded as a festival which was to proclaim the 
 advent of the seventh month, in which the holiest of 
 days (Day of Atonement) and the most joyful of 
 feasts (Feast of Tabernacles) were to be observed, 
 and for this purpose the cornet is ordered^ to be 
 sounded on that day. At a later period, however, 
 when it was felt necessary to celebrate a feast at the be- 
 ginning of the year without introducing a new festival 
 for this purpose, it was found the more appropriate and 
 expedient to connect the celebration of this desired New 
 Year's Day with the Day of the Cornet, as this day 
 being the only festival which falls on the first day of 
 the month, and the precursor of the great Day of 
 Atonement, affords the right mood for those serious 
 meditations which the New Year invites. On this day, 
 perhaps more than on any other, we regard God as the 
 King and Judge of the world. We are aroused to a 
 consciousness of His greatness and of our own noth- 
 ingness, we discover the frailty of life, we acknow- 
 ledge our proneness to sin, and before the Throne of 
 Grace we humbly confess our failings and transgres- 
 sions, and implore the Divine forgiveness. Thus is 
 afforded us the opportunity of effecting our peace with 
 Heaven, and of atoning for our sins through the 
 medium of repentance." 
 
50 What is Judaism P 
 
 The Day of Atonement (Yom-Hakipurim) is cele- 
 brated on the tenth of the seventh month, Tishri, and 
 is regarded as the holiest of all the days in the year. 
 Emphatically termed in the Bible the Sabbath of Sab- 
 baths, it imposes upon us the most serious obliga- 
 tions, for not only must we abstain from all worldly 
 occupations, but also from all physical enjoyments. 
 Increased devotional exercises, fervent prayer, a con- 
 scientious retirement from the outer world, a rigid self- 
 examination, and an earnest and sincere atonement 
 are to be the characteristics of that most holy day. 
 The institution of the Day of Atonement is founded 
 upon the weakness and the power of man, upon 
 the weakness, because man is a human being, and is 
 liable to the failings of frail mortality; upon the 
 power, because man is formed in the image of God, 
 partakes in a degree of His Divine essence, combines 
 spirit with matter, and is capable of subduing his ma- 
 terial yearnings by the strong will of his spirit. The 
 Day of Atonement exemplifies three essential truths 
 of Judaism : i. Repentance is necessary to every one, 
 because there is no one so good as not at some time 
 to commit sin. 2. God is gracious, all merciful, and 
 forgiving. He desires not the death of the wicked, 
 but rather that they may return to Him and live ; 
 therefore He pardons the truly repentant sinner and 
 opens to him the gates of eternal salvation. 3. Man 
 needs no Mediator to go between him and his God ; 
 
What is Judaism j 3 51 
 
 he and he only must and can atone for his sins by 
 repenting and amending his course of conduct. fi9 
 
 Therefore are these two great holy-days New Year 
 and Day of Atonement regarded by Jews in every 
 part of the world with the greatest reverence, not be- 
 cause they think or believe that God is nearer to them 
 on these days than at any other time in the year, but 
 because they feel that these institutions contain the 
 genuine spirit of religion ; and by removing them for 
 the time being from the thoughts and actions of the 
 world, they are brought nearer to God, by which 
 means they will gain additional strength to conquer 
 the desires of the body, to elevate the qualities of the 
 soul, and thus to approach that state of perfection 
 which is the highest pinnacle of godliness and of 
 supreme felicity. 
 
 Thus far have we considered the Holy Seasons as 
 ordained by Moses, and which continue to be re- 
 garded as Judaism, because the time has not yet 
 arrived to set them aside. 
 
 Besides these, however, we celebrate two half-festi- 
 vals, instituted in later times in commemoration of 
 some happy events which occurred in the history of 
 Israel. These are the Feast of Purim and the Feast 
 of Channuccah. 
 
 The usual avocations of life are permitted on these 
 occasions ; and indeed they partake of no sanctity 
 whatever, being merely historical remembrances, main- 
 
5 2 What is Judaism i> 
 
 tained more for the purposes of social and domestic 
 enjoyment than for any intention of especial devotion 
 or religious service. 
 
 The Feast of Purim is celebrated on the fourteenth, 
 and in some places of the East on the fifteenth day of 
 the twelfth month, Adar ; except in a leap-year, when 
 it is held on the same days of the thirteenth month, 
 Adar Shenee. 
 
 It commemorates the happy deliverance vouchsafed 
 to the Jews in the ancient Persian empire, through 
 the medium of Esther and Mordecai, when the 
 wicked Haman planned the destruction of the He- 
 brew race throughout the entire dominion of the 
 Persian monarch. 
 
 The full history of this event is set forth in detail in 
 the Book of Esther, and is perhaps one of the most 
 pathetic and interesting narratives recorded in the 
 Bible. 
 
 The Feast of Channuccah commences with the 
 twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, Kislev, and lasts 
 eight days. It is intended to commemorate the glo- 
 rious deeds of valor accomplished by the priestly 
 family of the Hasmoneans, and especially by their 
 greatest hero, Judah, surnamed Maccabeus, who after 
 a severe struggle of many years succeeded in effecting 
 the freedom of his people from the Greek tyrant An- 
 tiochus Epiphanes, who was then the ruler of Judea. 
 The triumph in this victory consisted in the restoration 
 
What is Judaism f> 53 
 
 of the Jewish religion, which Antiochus had endeav- 
 ored to exterminate ; for when the immortal Judah 
 entered Jerusalem, his first care was to repair the 
 Temple, which had been profaned by the tyrant, to 
 re-dedicate it, and to illumine it. This event gave rise 
 to the name of the Feast-Channuccah signifying, Feast 
 of Dedication. The various incidents connected with 
 the wars between the Maccabees and Antiochus, to- 
 gether with all the events of the victory, the restoration 
 and re-dedication, are to be found in the Apocrypha, 
 in the Books of the Maccabees. 
 
 Until recently it was also the custom in Israel to 
 observe certain fast-days in commemoration of what 
 was considered as sad events in our past history, and 
 especially of the fall of Jerusalem and the destruc- 
 tion of the Temple. The fasting on these days, how- 
 ever, was, according to the opinion of the Prophets 
 and inspired men of Israel, only custom, and no 
 religious requirement. 70 Of these fasts but one re- 
 mains, that of the Ninth of Ab, still held as the day 
 on which the final overthrow of the Jewish nationality 
 occurred. The others have fallen before the power 
 of education, increased religious freedom, and the 
 advance of thought. With the progress of the age, 
 they have been banished from our religious observ- 
 ances, and are now lost to Israel as they are to the 
 world. The Ninth of Ab, though by no means ob- 
 served as a day of fasting and humiliation, is unfor- 
 
54 What is Judaism f> 
 
 timately maintained, even by those in favor of decided 
 progress and reform, as a day for serious reflections 
 and profound solemnity. Whereas it should be con- 
 sidered one of the most joyous days in the Jewish 
 calendar, for it was indeed a blessing to Israel and to 
 the world, that the Jewish nationality was overthrown, 
 the Temple destroyed, and the Jews scattered unto 
 the four corners of the earth. To Israel it was a 
 blessing, because thenceforth every Israelite became a 
 seed, which, sown into different portions of the world, 
 was hereafter to become a tree, the fruit of which 
 should even be as the tree of knowledge, giving 
 instruction to all men. Thenceforth every Israelite 
 became a missionary of the Most High, to promulgate 
 His Word of Truth and to diffuse the true Religious 
 Idea, so as to bring happiness and perfection to the 
 human race. To the world it was a blessing, because 
 through the Jews and through Judaism has the world 
 learnt the knowledge of God, and of those grand 
 moral laws which have been framed bv Him for the 
 
 * 
 
 government of His children. To Israel indeed the 
 world owes all that is good in the respective theories 
 on religion in which men_ believe; and though the 
 day is yet far distant when mankind will discard the 
 follies of creed and unite in the pure and holy prin- 
 ciples of Religion, truly and surely it is coming, 
 through the help of Israel, the influence of Judaism, 
 and the blessing of Almighty God. Surely, then, 
 
What is Judaism r* 55 
 
 when we reflect upon the mighty changes which have 
 been wrought by the hand of time, we cannot feel 
 otherwise than grateful to God for having made us 
 the instruments whereby so much good has been 
 accomplished ! Truly the Ninth of Ab, the day when 
 God wisely destroyed our political existence FOREVER ; 
 wisely overthrew our Temple and our Temple wor- 
 ship FOREVER ; wisely dispersed us among all nations 
 FOREVER, is becoming more and more recognized as 
 a day of honor and triumph, a day to be commem- 
 orated by the purest feelings of joy and gratitude. 
 
 And now, having considered the first class of those 
 laws and statutes which have not yet lost their prac- 
 ticability, but which form Judaism according to its 
 temporal phase, we turn to the second class, and pro- 
 ceed to consider The Ceremonies. 
 
 The Ceremonies are those outward observances 
 commanded with the intention of rendering us more 
 familiar with the spirit of religion, and accordingly 
 either remind us of events in our past history or of 
 some religious truths. In all cases they are to serve 
 merely as the means to the end, but never are they to 
 usurp the place of the spirit of religion, which alone 
 is capable of rendering our actions acceptable in the 
 sight of God. These Ceremonies may be classified 
 under the following heads : ist. The Divine Service ; 
 2d. The rites connected with that service and with 
 the observance of the Festivals ; 3d. The ordinances 
 
56 What is Judaism ? 
 
 by which we outwardly attest our high calling, of be- 
 ing a people peculiarly selected and consecrated by 
 God to be His missionaries upon earth. 
 
 The Divine Service is founded on the principle 
 that prayer is essential to our happiness, since it 
 affords us the means of communicating with our 
 Heavenly Father, and pouring out to Him the emo- 
 tions of our souls, thereby rendering us better fitted 
 for the performance of those grand duties of life which 
 are to lead us to perfection and supreme happiness. 
 
 This service is either PUBLIC held in a sanctuary 
 especially devoted and dedicated to that purpose, and 
 in the presence of an assembly of at least ten persons ; 
 or PRIVATE held alone or in the family circle. 
 
 Public worship is of especial importance : first, be- 
 cause it acts as the centre of union of our nation ; 
 and secondly, because the effect thus produced upon 
 the individual cannot be equalled by any private de- 
 votion, how solemn or pious soever it may be. The 
 regular assembling together of the individual mem- 
 bers of a family, and of many distinct families, in one 
 common house, dedicated to the worship of the same 
 God the impressions thus produced by this mingling 
 of strangers at the shrine of religion, must tend to fos- 
 ter a love for that religion, and to cement, in a lasting 
 bond of union, the members of that race which is 
 destined to live, dispersed throughout the world, until 
 such time as its glorious mission shall have been 
 
What is Judaism 
 
 
 accomplished, and all God's children shall belong to 
 one common family and believe in one common reli- 
 gion. Thus public worship acts as the centre of 
 union of our nation. So, also, this scene of an entire 
 congregation united together for the holy purpose of 
 praising God ; the sublime beauty of the prayers ; the 
 solemn and heart-stirring strains of music and song ; 
 and, above all, the spiritual seed sown by the sermon, 
 must take effect upon the individual, and must raise 
 the soul heavenwards in a far greater degree than 
 when in solitude or even in the family circle. Thus, 
 in a spiritual point of view, public worship is likewise 
 to be regarded as possessed of much importance to 
 each and every individual. 73 
 
 Public worship, to be efficacious, should consist of 
 two elements, Devotion and Instruction. 
 
 To the former belong : i. The Confession or Proc- 
 lamation of God's Unity, called the "Shemang;" 
 2. The Prayer proper, called "Tefillah," and con- 
 taining Praises, Petitions, and Thanks. To the lat- 
 ter belong : i. Readings from the Law ; 2. Readings 
 from the Prophets ; 3. The Sermon or Religious 
 Discourse. 
 
 These elements of the Ritual were instituted by the 
 "Men of the Great Assembly," and were observed 
 even during the existence of the second Temple of 
 Jerusalem. The ritual itself, however, such as has 
 been used until lately by the great mass of Israelites, 
 
58 What is Judaism r> 
 
 was not an emanation from any ecclesiastical author- 
 ity vested with supreme power, nor was it the produc- 
 tion of any one distinctive epoch, but was the result 
 of the gradual formation of many centuries, and the 
 aggregate of individual contributions. 
 
 Hence it is the perfect right of each and every con- 
 gregation to adopt such ritual as is best adapted to the 
 spiritual requirements of the members, and is most in 
 accordance with the demands of the age. The ritual of 
 the Jews has, as already stated, been the result of the 
 work of centuries. It is, therefore, not to be wondered 
 at that it should at length have assumed those gigantic 
 proportions which characterize the old Minhag of the 
 so-called Orthodox Jews. Loaded with extracts from the 
 Mishna and Talmud, replete with needless repetitions 
 containing sentiments antagonistic to the spirit of the 
 age, and with petitions the utterance of which in the pres- 
 ent period of our history is little better than deliberate 
 falsehood and blasphemy; it seemed as though the 
 Jewish idea of prayer was founded on the number of 
 pages and the bulk of the volume. Whereas Judaism, 
 even as regarded in its temporal phase, repudiates such 
 idea, and emphatically maintains that prayer is only 
 prayer when it proceeds from the heart and is uttered in 
 that language which is understood by the one who prays. 
 The very Doctors of the Tradition those who claim 
 infallibility for the Talmud assert that ' ' better is a little 
 prayer with devotion than a great deal without devo- 
 
What is Judaism j> 59 
 
 tion. " 72 Therefore, when the Reform School of Juda- 
 ism arose and declared that the Ritual of the Jews was a 
 disgrace to Jews, to the age, to the country in which we 
 live, and above all, to the spirit of our Religion, it merely 
 echoed the simple teachings of Judaism ; and it accord- 
 ingly acted only consistently with those teachings when 
 it discarded the old ritual and prepared others, which 
 should contain the elements prescribed by the "Men 
 of the Great Assembly," while at the same time they 
 should exclude everything unsuitable to our times and 
 condition. Important as have been the changes made 
 within the past quarter of a century, and many as have 
 been the prayer-books written, published, and adopted 
 by individual congregations, there yet exists no form 
 of prayer which is thoroughly in consonance with the 
 spirit of Judaism. Prayer to be efficacious, and to be 
 indeed prayer, must be understood. Now, in a coun- 
 try like ours, where English is the vernacular, where 
 the rising generation of Jews and Gentiles are Ameri- 
 cans, English should form no small feature in the 
 public religious services of the Jews. The want of this 
 feature is one of the crying evils which exist in our 
 midst. It is one of the great defects in the prayer- 
 books of the Reform School. 
 
 With the exception of but one congregation, 78 the 
 prayers are performed either in Hebrew or in German, 
 or in both. English is altogether ignored. True, most 
 prayer-books contain an English translation, but this 
 
60 What is Judaism P 
 
 surely is not sufficient if that translation is never read 
 in public, or if the Hebrew is not understood. And 
 the Hebrew is not understood ; for to their shame 
 be it said, the majority of our brethren are satisfied 
 if their children are able to read the original lan- 
 guage without comprehending the meaning of a 
 single word. If, then, the Hebrew tongue is not 
 to be studied if there is no necessity to impart a 
 knowledge of that language in which the sacred volume 
 is written, if Hebrew is to be entirely expunged from 
 the curriculum of our school studies, then should it 
 be altogether abolished from the sancuiarv. There 
 
 O -- 
 
 remains, therefore, but one alternative : either public 
 worship must be conducted mainly in English, or it 
 must become a mere pretence to the rising generation, 
 for certainly German is not thoroughly understood 
 by the mass. 
 
 To ignore German, however, would be to deprive 
 many of the worshippers of the only means of render- 
 ing their prayers truly acceptable ; and to abolish the 
 Hebrew altogether from our services, would be to 
 take away from Israel a very effective means of pre- 
 serving that union which, from time immemorial, 
 has existed among the members of our scattered peo- 
 ple. The time has not yet arrived when Hebrew can 
 be safely dispensed with. Israel must still be a unit; 
 Israel must still be linked together by the mystic tie of 
 the Hebrew tongue ; for Israelites have still to work 
 
What is Judaism ? 6 1 
 
 together for the accomplishment of their Heavenly 
 mission. The time will assuredly arrive when, with 
 God's blessing, every vestige of error, of idolatry, of 
 false belief, of bigotry, of superstition, of ignorance, 
 will be banished from the earth ; when all the petty 
 differences which various religious systems now build 
 up, to separate the children of one eternal Father, 
 w r ill become merged in a lasting bond of union ; 
 when there will be no more Jews and no more 
 Christians, no more Mahomedans, no more Pa- 
 gans ; when the world will no longer resound with 
 the clamor of opposing doctrines ; but when all 
 mankind will be regenerated by the universal recog- 
 nition of God's Divine Rule ; when all mankind will 
 hail each other as brothers, and rejoice in the glorious 
 title of MAN ; when all the inhabitants of the world 
 will unite in acknowledging God as the sole and Om- 
 nipotent Lord, Ruler, and Savior of His creatures ; 
 when Peace and Love, Virtue and Knowledge, shall 
 reign among men ; when there wall be but one God 
 and one Religion, one Kingdom and one Temple, 
 one Creator and one Human Family. All this will, 
 undoubtedly, be accomplished in God's own good 
 time ; for then will be the true Messianic period, 
 and then will Israel's mission be fulfilled. But, as yet, 
 the realization of God's gracious promise, foretold by 
 Israel's prophets through the power of inspiration, 
 
 the advent of ' that glorious event, lies hidden in 
 
 - i 
 
 6 
 
 
 j n 1 
 
 . 
 
62 What is Judaism ? 
 
 the womb of time ; and though we are to-day nearer 
 to that eventful period than at any past epoch in the 
 world's history, we are, nevertheless, exceedingly far 
 from it, and may remain so for ages to come. There- 
 fore must Israel the agent through whom this spir- 
 itual regeneration of the world is to be effected still 
 continue to be united by certain external forces ; 
 and foremost among these forces is the power of the 
 Hebrew language. Enough schisms have taken 
 place in the camp of Israel, enough differences 
 exist, enough heart-burnings have been caused. The 
 rise, progress, and development of the Reform School 
 of Judaism have been unwisely permitted to loosen 
 those ties of love which should bind our people to- 
 gether. And though we firmly believe in the saying 
 of our ancient sages, that "every discord, for a holy 
 purpose, tends in the end to a consolidation," l yet we 
 cannot but pray to God to put an end to these dis- 
 cords, and to awaken Israel to a full sense of the po- 
 sition which we are now called upon to take in the 
 moral race which is agitating the world. Let not the 
 Hebrew, then, be abolished from our public religious 
 services ; but, on the contrary, let it occupy a con- 
 spicuous part, so that it may act as the beacon-light 
 for those poor misguided travellers who are now grop- 
 ing their way in darkness, and blindly walking in the 
 paths traced out for them by a mis-styled Orthodoxy, 
 because they know nothing of the Reform doctrines, 
 
What is Judaism ? 63 
 
 and, in consequence of that ignorance, hate Reform 
 and all its votaries. But, aside from these consid- 
 erations, once let the Hebrew language be entirely 
 abolished from our religious services, and it will soon 
 cease altogether to be studied. Then will a massive 
 library of literature which, for beauty of style, pro- 
 fundity of thought, sublimity of sentiment, cannot 
 be equalled by the literature of any nation, pro- 
 fane or sacred become lost to Israel and to the 
 world. 
 
 No ! we are not yet ready for the total abolition 
 of Hebrew. Let it remain ; but for the sake of all 
 that is pure and noble, for the sake of virtue and 
 honor, for the sake of religion, for the sake of truth, 
 let it be properly acquired, so that the words of prayer 
 which are put up to Heaven in it, may indeed be 
 prayer, and not a mere hollow outward pretension, a 
 deception of the weakest nature. But while Hebrew 
 is to be thus studied and maintained, it must also be 
 remembered that under existing circumstances, pre- 
 judices, and predilections, it would be rather improba- 
 ble that the mass of Israelites in this country would 
 at once admit and appreciate the necessity for its culti- 
 vation and maintenance. Much time would, there- 
 fore, have to be consumed before the rising generation 
 would so thoroughly understand the Hebrew language 
 as to be enabled to pray in it. And if even this were 
 so, we have a duty to perform to our Christian breth- 
 
64 What is Judaism ? 
 
 ren in placing before them the doctrines of our faith 
 and the prayers we offer to our God, in that language 
 which they best understand. Now it is altogether im- 
 possible for Hebrew ever to become that language, 
 and it is certainly quite improbable that German will 
 eventually usurp the place of English. Be this, how- 
 ever, as it may, it is a fact patent to all, that English 
 is at the present time the vernacular of these States, 
 and accordingly English must be employed as the 
 medium of disseminating our principles, and of giving 
 utterance to our orisons. From these considerations 
 it then becomes evident, that our public Divine Wor- 
 ship, to be truly efficacious, should be performed in 
 the Hebrew, English, and German languages, that 
 is, the prayers should be read in the Hebrew and 
 English, and the sermon spoken alternately in the 
 English and German languages. That the desire 
 even for German preaching will eventually cease, is, 
 to us, a settled matter, but until such time arrives, it 
 would be unwise to deprive a large portion of our 
 brethren of pulpit instruction. In holding religious 
 exercises in two or even more languages, we can see 
 nothing inconsistent, nothing strange, and certainly 
 nothing in antagonism to the Jewish Idea. It is not 
 necessary to have a uniform Ritual, nor would any 
 practical good arise therefrom. At no time in our 
 history have we had a general Minhag, and it is not 
 likely we will ever have one, simply because it is not 
 
What is Judaism ? 65 
 
 necessary. Israel can remain a unit without a uni- 
 form prayer-book ; but Israel cannot remain a unit 
 if the Hebrew is to be expunged : nor can our public 
 religious services become worthy of the name of 
 Prayers, unless the language of the country, the lan- 
 guage which is best understood English is used 
 to a considerable extent. In this, then, much has to 
 be reformed ere the Reform School of Judaism should 
 be content to repose upon its laurels, and lay down 
 the gauntlet it has taken up in defence of the true 
 Judaic Idea. But still greater evils exist in the man- 
 ner in which the element of Instruction is fulfilled. 
 
 As already stated, Public worship must consist of two 
 elements Devotion and Instruction ; to the latter of 
 which belong : i. Readings from the Law. 2. Read- 
 ings from the Prophets. 3. The sermon or Religious 
 Discourse. Among "so-called" Orthodox Congre- 
 gations, it is customary to read the Law, by which is 
 meant the Pentateuch or Five Books of Moses, once 
 in every year ; that is, to read a certain portion every 
 Sabbath, beginning with the first chapter of the book 
 of Genesis, and continuing on the following week 
 from the place at which the previous week's portion 
 was terminated, and so on, until the work has been 
 read through to the last verse of Deuteronomy. 
 
 According to this rule, an enormous portion of the 
 Bible is recited every Sabbath, the fatigue of which, 
 added to the unbecoming manner in which it is read, 
 
 6* 
 
66 What is Judaism ? 
 
 and the ridiculous tone of voice or intonation which 
 accompanies it, renders this part of the service intolera- 
 bly irksome, and consequently devoid of any religious 
 sentiment whatsoever. 
 
 Among Reform congregations the reading of the 
 Law is gone through once in every three years, thus 
 materially lessening the weekly Sabbath portions ; and 
 in some few congregations, though very few, this is 
 even done once in every seven years. The tri-annual 
 cycle of reading the Law, it may be well to state, was the 
 custom which prevailed in ancient times in the land 
 of Palestine, with the full sanction of the highest 
 ecclesiastical authorities. Important as this reform 
 has been, when compared with the miscalled orthodox 
 system, it yet does not come up to the spirit of the 
 age and the requirements of the Judaic Idea. 
 
 Judaism, it must again be asserted, is Religion, and 
 Religion is life, spirit ; it is neither letter nor law. The 
 Bible is the word of God only when it is construed from 
 its spiritual signification. There is nothing supernatural 
 about the Bible. It is not a revelation of God's will 
 imparted to any certain man under mysterious circum- 
 stances, nor is it a direct communication from God to 
 man. It is a book, and only a book ; a book written by 
 mortal hands, a book containing ideas, sentiments, 
 and doctrines emanating from the brain of man. But 
 this by no means diminishes aught from its lustre, 
 since it is the greatest of all works, and bears upon its 
 
What is Judaism / 67 
 
 face the impress of divinity. For in every passage, 
 aye, in every word in which the pure spirit of religion 
 is to be found, there also is the direct work of God, 
 since He it is who vouchsafed to man those sublime 
 conceptions of Himself which have been transmitted 
 to the world through the pages of the Bible. It is in 
 this way that God communicates His will to man it 
 is in this way only that the revelation which is con- 
 stantly coming to us through the workings of nature 
 can be fully developed. Wherever then, in the Bible, 
 the spirit of religion is seen, wherever the sentiments 
 which it contains harmonize with the innate senti- 
 ment of Religion which God has implanted in the 
 breast of man, and which becomes gradually more 
 and more developed according as man comes away 
 from the dominion of the senses and enters the do- 
 minion of the intellect, according as man becomes less 
 the material being and more the spiritual being, 
 according as man progresses in reason, in education, 
 in thought ; there, indeed, is the Bible the true inspired 
 word of God, and as such is entitled to our highest 
 veneration. But the Bible contains, and must ne- 
 cessarily contain, more than the spirit of Religion, 
 for being in the first place partly the record of certain 
 historical events, and partly laws and regulations in- 
 tended for the government of the Israelitish nation 
 under especial circumstances ; and in the second place, 
 being in its details adapted to the requirements of the 
 
68 What is Judaism P 
 
 people who were contemporaneous with its author or 
 authors, it certainly must contain matter which not 
 only does not partake of the spirit of Religion, but is 
 even devoid of any further interest to us at the present 
 time, than that it affords us the means of studying the 
 past, and becoming acquainted with the history of the 
 growth and development of the Jewish nation and 
 the Judaic Idea. Now, how important or interesting 
 soever such information may be, it surely ought not 
 to be thrust before public notice during Divine wor- 
 ship in the House of God. The very sentiment of 
 devotion must be lessened when the attention is de- 
 manded for matters in which the soul can find no 
 enjoyment. Nor is this all ; for the careful reader of 
 the Bible must know that there are many chapters 
 which are positively unfit to be read aloud in a public 
 assemblage, and which certainly would not be tolerated 
 in decent society if read aloud in English. Why, then, 
 ought they to be permitted in the Hebrew language ? 
 Is this not in itself positive proof that the Hebrew is 
 not understood, and that consequently this portion of 
 the service is a mockery and deception ? 
 
 It is, indeed, sad to find how people, although de- 
 cidedly in favor of progress and reform, can be so 
 wedded to the past as to be content to permit such 
 anomalies to be presented to the world under the garb 
 of Judaism. 
 
 The Reform School has yet to accomplish the task 
 
What is Judaism ? 69 
 
 
 
 of amending the Scriptural portions recited in public 
 during the hours of divine service ; and this can easily 
 be done, either by expunging from the biblical por- 
 tions such as are unfit for our times and condition, or 
 by ceding to the Clergymen of the respective houses 
 of worship the right of determining what chapters 
 shall be recited aloud in the sanctuary. In like man- 
 ner, also, should the Readings from the Prophets be 
 regulated. The Prophets were, indeed, the chosen 
 depositaries, the agents of the true religious Idea ; and 
 their beautiful words of inspiration portray their deep 
 love for their God, their religion, and their country, 
 and exhibit in bright colors the magnificent con- 
 ceptions they formed of Israel's calling and Israel's 
 glorious destiny. Truly it may be said, that Israel's 
 greatest Reformers were the Prophets. Yet even their 
 writings should not be indiscriminately read aloud in 
 the Sanctuary. Care should be taken in the selection 
 of the passages, so that nothing might be introduced 
 into the service which is not fully adapted to our time, 
 condition, and requirements. 
 
 As essential as the Readings from the Law and the 
 Prophets, is the Sermon, or Religious Discourse. 
 No house of worship should be without its regular 
 Preacher. The institution of the Pulpit is one of the 
 oldest in Judaism. It was original in our faith, and 
 has from us been borrowed by the followers of all 
 religious systems. It therefore becomes our bounden 
 
What is Judaism i> 
 
 
 
 duty to foster this institution, to labor for it, and to 
 maintain it, as one of the greatest auxiliaries to the 
 Jewish Idea. Until within comparatively late years, 
 however, the Jews of this country have not been fully 
 sensible of the great advantages to be derived from the 
 Pulpit ; and even at the present day, the Jewish Pul- 
 pit of the United States is in a very unsatisfactory con- 
 dition ; for in many of our Synagogues there exists 
 no pulpit at all, and, with but few exceptions, those 
 which maintain pulpits do so only in the German 
 language. Now, all that has been said about the 
 necessity of conducting the ritual mainly in English 
 will apply just as forcibly to the Pulpit. Vernacular 
 preaching in this country is indispensable, if the Re- 
 form School of Judaism desires to continue the holy 
 work of disseminating the true Judaic Idea, and of 
 bringing Jews and Gentiles to one common faith. 
 There are certainly a few preachers who speak to the 
 people in the English language ; but of these few, 
 only four are enabled to claim the English as their 
 mother tongue. Yet there are over two hundred con- 
 gregations in the United States. 
 
 This great want will soon have to be supplied ; for 
 a marked change is coming over our people, and the 
 desire for English discourses is being daily mani- 
 fested. Already some of the leading Congregations 
 have taken measures towards obtaining the services 
 of divines capable of preaching in the vernacular, 
 
UI1TI1 
 
 rf ar 
 
 What is Judaism P ' ''fi. 
 
 and have, praiseworthily, determined to support an 
 English as well as a German Pulpit, so that the re- 
 quirements of all classes will be properly fulfilled. 
 So soon as the great majority of Congregations shall 
 have progressed so far as to have arrived at this stage ; 
 so soon as a proper ritual shall have been adopted, 
 which will effectually answer our time and condition, 
 so soon will the Public Worship of the Jews be in ac- 
 cordance with the spirit of Judaism and the object for 
 which Public Worship is held. 
 
 Upon the subject of Private Worship, but few words 
 are necessary. In this, as in our public services, the 
 prayers we offer up to the Throne of Grace must 
 not be mere lip-service, performed so as to keep 
 within the letter of the law, but must spring from the 
 heart, and be the genuine offspring of a pious mind. 
 Accordingly, it would not be desirable to fix any one 
 particular form of prayer to be used at our private de- 
 votions, in preference to any other form. Our own 
 prayers, which flow spontaneously from the soul, and 
 which are sent upward by the breath of sincerity, how 
 poor soever the language may be, are the more ac- 
 ceptable, in the sight of Him who readeth the heart, 
 than all the eloquent and learned effusions we may 
 utter, if unaccompanied with that true devotional feel- 
 ing, which can alone render the words which escape 
 our lips words of prayer. Yet while this freedom is 
 allowed to the individual, and it is optional with him 
 
72 What is Judaism ? 
 
 to pray when and in what manner his own feelings 
 prompt, it would be well for us all to accustom our- 
 selves to regular devotional exercises, morning and 
 evening, and at meal-time. Indeed, the Bible gives 
 some intimation of this, in many passages. 75 
 
 The reading of the Bible and other religious books, 
 also comes under the head of private worship, and 
 forms one of the most efficacious means of preserving 
 man's communion with God, and guarding him 
 against sinking into complete worldliness. Thus 
 through Divine Worship, be it Public or Private, man 
 is constantly reminded of his divine origin, of his 
 immortal soul, and of his heavenly destiny ; and by 
 thus being trained to direct his thoughts above the 
 material desires and cravings of life, he is led on the 
 road to perfection and to supreme happiness. 
 
 The second division of The Ceremonies, as already 
 stated, comprises the rites connected with the Divine 
 service, and with the observance of the Festivals. 
 
 These rites which are nothing more than those 
 outward manifestations which all ceremonial religion 
 adopts, in order to impress the minds of the people, 
 and especially those of the uneducated classes, more 
 strongly with the nature of the service have grad- 
 ually diminished before the efforts of the Reform 
 School, and will, doubtless, vanish altogether before 
 another generation shall have passed from earth. 
 
 Those which still remain among us to show that 
 
What is Judaism ? 73 
 
 we have not yet arrived at a proper appreciation of the 
 true inherent beauties of Judaism, are : first, the sound- 
 ing of the Cornet on New Year's Day ; second, the 
 exhibition of the Festive wreath during the Feast of 
 Tabernacles ; and third, the kindling of extra lights 
 on the Festival of Channuccah. Besides these rites, 
 which are openly performed in the House of Worship, 
 we have the following : i. Abstinence from leavened 
 bread on the Feast of Passover. 2. The eating of 
 unleavened bread on the first night of this Feast. 3. 
 The fast on the Day of Atonement. Among the most 
 progressive of our co-religionists, however, the first 
 has already commenced to fall into desuetude. 
 
 The third division of The Ceremonies is, the ordi- 
 nances by which we outwardly attest our high calling 
 of being a people peculiarly selected and consecrated 
 by God to be His missionaries upon earth. 
 
 These Ordinances, which were also given by Moses 
 for certain wise purposes, and were to femain opera- 
 tive so long as the times and condition of the Israel- 
 ites demanded them, have, like the Rites, become by 
 degrees abrogated, until the only one which now 
 remains is The Circumcision. 
 
 This ordinance does not properly come under the 
 category of ordinances given by Moses, since it dates 
 back to the days of Abraham, who, according to the 
 Bible, first conceived the idea of thus implanting in 
 the flesh the seal of the covenant in other words, of 
 
74 What is Judaism / 
 
 thus pre-eminently distinguishing Israel as a peculiar 
 people, selected and appointed for some especial pur- 
 pose. 76 It has, therefore, at all times been regarded 
 with great veneration, and will, most probably, endure 
 longer than any other of the Ceremonial Laws. That 
 it must fall eventually, however, is as certain as that 
 the heavens and the earth exist. And when the time 
 shall have arrived for the nations of the earth the 
 children of One Eternal God to be brought nearer 
 to each other, and thus to fulfil the gracious promise 
 of the Almighty that through Israel all the families 
 of the world shall be blessed then truly will this cere- 
 mony have been abrogated and placed among the 
 relics of a past age. 
 
 To hasten this glorious event should now be the 
 aim and hope of Israel. We have seen that Judaism, 
 regarded in its Eternal phase, is, indeed, pure religion, 
 and is destined to become the faith in which all the 
 world will eventually believe. We have seen also that 
 Judaism in its temporal phase, even as maintained by 
 the Reform School, is yet capable of much improve- 
 ment ere it is in full accordance with the spirit of the 
 age and the true spirit of Religion. It behooves us 
 then to unite heart and soul in purging our faith from 
 the impurities of the past impurities which tarnish 
 its lustre and serve only as impediments to the fulfil- 
 ment of our heavenly mission. Yes, Israelites, ours 
 is a glorious mission, a God-like destiny, a brilliant 
 
What is Judaism ? 75 
 
 future ! Much have we already done towards the ele- 
 vation of mankind, but much more has yet to be 
 accomplished. As the missionaries of the Most High, 
 we have been constant in our calling, and willingly or 
 unwillingly, we have been compelled to work out His 
 grand idea of universal fraternity. We have taught 
 the world sublime truths under all circumstances and 
 conditions : when in the enjoyment of an independ- 
 ent political nationality, and when as captives on the 
 soil of our conquerors ; when as aliens in strange 
 lands, down trodden and oppressed by our fellow- 
 creatures, and when as citizens in those states and 
 countries over which the flag of liberty floats. 
 
 Ever true to the leading fundamental idea of Ju- 
 daism the Unity of God we have in all ages and 
 climes adopted such outward aids to Religion as were 
 most conducive to the preservation of the inward spirit. 
 Let us then not flinch from our mission, now that 
 God has blessed our cause and opened to us the way 
 of reaching the hearts of the nations by whom we are 
 surrounded. At no past epoch in the world's history 
 have the chances been as favorable for the dissemina- 
 tion of the Judaic Idea, as they are at the present 
 time. Let us avail ourselves then of the opportunity ; 
 let us remove the bar which exists between man and 
 man ; let us, by our own acts, give the world, upon 
 the subject of our Religion, that best of lessons the 
 lesson of example, and thus draw nearer and nearer 
 
76 What is Judaism /> 
 
 to us our non-Jewish brethren, until at last all those 
 petty prejudices which ignorance, bigotry, and super- 
 stition have established to separate the children of one 
 common Father, become merged in an eternal bond 
 of union. 
 
 Then will the words of the Prophet be realized, 
 "On that day will the Eternal be acknowledged One 
 and His name be One." 
 
 May the Almighty Parent of all, in His infinite 
 mercy and love for His creatures, hasten that eventful 
 day, and so promote the happiness of Israel, the hap- 
 piness of mankind, and the glory and honor of His 
 great, good, and hallowed name, which we most fer- 
 vently praise and bless now and evermore. 
 
NOTES AND REFERENCES. 
 
 1 " I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and 
 will lay hold on thy hand and will keep thee and appoint 
 thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the na- 
 tions." (Isaiah xlii. 6.) 
 
 " Maimonides. 
 
 3 Sir William Hamilton. 
 
 4 Pensees, p. i, art. iv., 6. 
 
 6 " The fool saith in his heart there is no God." (Ps. 
 xiv. i.) 
 
 ' The greatest thinkers of ancient and modern times 
 entertain the opinion that man's happiness does not con- 
 sist so much in the actual fulfilment of his desires as in 
 the excitement of the pursuit ; in other words, that man's 
 happiness can only be produced by continual progres- 
 sion. Thus Aristotle says, "The intellect is perfected, 
 not by knowledge, but by activity." Plato defines man 
 "the hunter of truth." "If," says Malebranche, "I 
 held truth captive in my hand, I should open my hand 
 and let it fly, in order that I might again pursue and 
 capture it." So also Lessing remarks, ".Did the Al- 
 mighty, holding in his right hand Truth, and in his left 
 Search after Truth, deign to tender me the one I might 
 prefer, in all humility, but without hesitation, I should 
 request Search after Truth." " Truth," says Von M tiller, 
 " is the property of God, the pursuit of truth is what be- 
 longs to man;" and in like manner Jean Paul Richter 
 says, "It is not the goal, but the course which makes us 
 happy." Compare Sir William Hamilton's Lectures on 
 Logic, Lect. i, p. 8. 
 
 T "And the Lord said unto Abraham : Get thee out 
 
7 8 Notes and References. 
 
 of thy country and in thee all the generations of 
 
 the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis xii. 1-3.) 
 
 Vide Deut. ch. 4, especially v. 6, as follows: "Keep 
 therefore and do them ; for this is your wisdom and your 
 understanding before the eyes of the nations, that shall 
 hear all these statutes, and will say, Nothing but a wise 
 and understanding people is this great nation." 
 
 ''And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and 
 a holy nation." (Exodus xix. 6.) 
 
 Isaiah xlii. 6, as in note I. 
 
 6 Even in the Rabbinical works, which often contain 
 very bigoted and exclusive ideas upon several subjects, 
 the great truth is told that man is responsible to God 
 alone for his religious belief. " The pious of all creeds," 
 say the fathers, "have a share in the future world." 
 The doctrine that belief in one particular creed is essential 
 to salvation is nowhere to be found in Judaism. If, 
 therefore, so much freedom of thought is ceded to our 
 neighbors, and the grand, leading idea of Judaism is the 
 universal recognition of God and of the Moral Law, it 
 surely follows that in the mission of our race there can 
 be no exclusiveness, but that the divine blessings of our 
 Religion are destined to become the common inheritance 
 of mankind. 
 
 9 " And God said unto Moses : Thou canst not see my 
 face, for no man can see me and live. " (Exodus xxxiii. 20. ) 
 
 10 "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole 
 earth is full of his glory." (Isaiah vi. 3.) 
 
 "Every word of God is pure." (Proverbs xxx. 5.) 
 "As for God, His way is perfect." (2 Sam. xxii. 31.) 
 
 11 "The heavens and the heaven of heavens cannot 
 contain Thee:" (i Kings viii. 27.) 
 
 " And take ye good heed unto yourselves, for ye saw 
 no form on the day that God spoke unto you on Horeb 
 from out of the fire." (Deut. iv. 15.) 
 
 12 " Before the mountains were brought forth, and ere 
 thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from 
 everlasting to everlasting thou art God." (Psalm xc. 2.) 
 
 "I the Eternal, I change not." (Malachi iii. 6.) 
 
 13 "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is One Eternal 
 God." (Deut. iv. 39.) 
 
Notes and References. 79 
 
 " Know this day, and reflect in thy heart, that the Lord 
 is God in the heaven above and on the earth beneath, 
 there is none else." (Deut. iv. 29.) 
 
 " To whom will ye liken and assimilate me, and com- 
 pare me, that we may be like?" (Isaiah xlvi. 5.) 
 
 14 " He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and 
 it stood." (Psalm xxxiii. 9.) 
 
 " He doth great things, which cannot be searched out, 
 and wonders without number." (Job ix. 10. ) 
 
 15 "Before a word was on my tongue, thou, O Lord, 
 didst know all." (Psalm cxxxix. 4.) 
 
 " The eyes of God survey the whole world." (Zechariah 
 iv. 10.) 
 
 "The Lord hath with wisdom formed the earth, and 
 with understanding established the heavens." (Prov. hi. 
 10.) 
 
 16 " Can any one hide himself, and I not see him, saith 
 the Lord, do I not fill the heavens and the earth ?" ( Jer. 
 xxiii. 24.) Compare Psalm cxxxix. 7-10. 
 
 17 " Good is the Lord towards all, and his mercy is over 
 all his creatures." (Psalm cxlv. 9.) 
 
 "The Rock His work is perfect, for all His ways 
 are just." (Deut. xxxii. 5.) 
 
 "Far it is from God, that he should act wrongfully, 
 and from the Almighty that he should do injustice." 
 (Job xxxiv. 10. ) 
 
 18 "For as heaven is exalted above the earth, so are 
 my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than 
 your thoughts." (Isaiah Iv. 9.) 
 
 " The Lord hath with wisdom formed the earth, and 
 with understanding established the heavens." (Proverbs 
 Hi. 10. ) 
 
 ' "The Lord, the Lord is a merciful and gracious 
 God, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth ; 
 he forgiveth iniquity, transgression, and sin." (Exodus 
 xxxiv. 6-7.) 
 
 ii " Thou openest thy hand and satisfies! the desire of 
 every living creature." (Psalm cxlv. 16.) 
 
 81 "And God said unto Moses: I AM WHO I AM." 
 (Exodus iii. 14. ) 
 
 22 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the 
 
8o Notes and References. 
 
 earth." (Gen. i. i.) Compare Psalm xc. 2; Isaiah xlvi. 
 9-10. 
 
 . . . "But them art ever the same, and thy years will 
 have no end." (Psalm cii. 25-28.) 
 
 23 "Thus hath said the Lord, the King of Israel, and 
 his Redeemer, the Lord of Hosts ; I am the first and I 
 am the last; and beside me there is no God." (Isaiah 
 xlv. 6 ; also Isaiah xli. 4. ) 
 
 24 Compare Psalm civ. 
 
 25 " Lift up your eyes and look. Who hath created 
 these things?" (Isaiah xl. 26.) Compare Job xii. 7-10. 
 
 26 " The Lord is King for ever and ever." (Psalm x. 
 16.) 
 
 'Even Thou art Lord alone." (Neh. ix. 6; Isaiah 
 xxxvii. 20.) 
 
 " He turneth the changes by his counsels," &c. (Job 
 xxxvii. 12.) 
 
 " For in his hand is the soul of all living and the spirit 
 of all flesh." (Job xii. 10.) 
 
 "O Eternal, thou preserves! man and beast." (Psalm 
 xxxvi. 6.) 
 
 27 u p or t j lus sa jth ti ie Lord : the Creator of heaven is 
 God," &c. (Isaiah xlv. 18.) 
 
 28 "I am Lord, besides me there is no Saviour." 
 (Isaiah xlii. n.) 
 
 " There is no Saviour beside me." (Hos. xiii. 4.) 
 
 29 "In the beginning God created the heaven and 
 the earth." (Gen. i. i.) 
 
 30 " God hath created all things to respond to His pur- 
 poses." (Prov. xvi. 4.) 
 
 31 "The Lord hath with wisdom formed the earth." 
 (Prov. iii. 10. ) 
 
 32 " And God surveyed all that He had made, and be- 
 hold it was very good." (Gen. i. 31.) 
 
 33 "Your thoughts are not my thoughts, neither are 
 your ways my ways." (Isaiah iv. 8.) 
 
 34 "The world is built up in mercy." (Psalm Ixxxix. 2.) 
 
 35 " And God created man from the dust of the earth 
 and breathed into him a living soul." (Genesis ii. 7.) 
 
 " In the likeness of God hath He created man." (Gen. 
 i. 27.) 
 
Notes and References. 8 1 
 
 "And dust returneth into dust, as it was, but the 
 spirit returneth unto God who gave it." (Ecclesiastes 
 xii. 7.) 
 
 36 " Life and death, blessing and cursing, I have set be- 
 fore thee ; choose life !" (Deut. xxx. 19.) 
 
 " Walk before me and be thou perfect." (Gen. xvii. I.) 
 Compare Proverbs ii. 10, II. 
 
 37 " For the imagination of man is evil from his youth." 
 (Gen. viii. 21.) 
 
 38 " Sin lieth at the door, and after thee is its desire, 
 but thou canst rule over it." (Genesis iv. 7.) 
 
 39 " And the wicked are like the troubled sea, that 
 cannot rest, and of which the waters cast up mire and 
 dirt. There is no peace, saith the Lord, to the wicked." 
 (Isaiah Ivii. 20, 21.) 
 
 40 Compare Ezekiel xxxiii. 10-20 and Isaiah Iv. 6, 7. 
 
 41 "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy 
 heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." 
 (Deut. vi. 5.) 
 
 42 " O Lord our God, how excellent is Thy name in 
 all the earth." (Psalm viii. i.) 
 
 43 " Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is 
 the whole duty of man." (Ecclesiastes xii. 13.) 
 
 44 " How good and how beautiful it is for brethren to 
 dwell together in unity ; for there the Lord will command 
 the blessing and life to dwell evermore." (Psalm cxxxiii. 
 
 1-3 ) 
 
 45 . ..." What is man that thou art mindful of 
 
 him . . . ?" (Psalm viii. 1-4.) 
 
 " Good is the Eternal to all, and His mercy is over all 
 His works." (Psalm cxlv. 9.) 
 
 " Whom God loveth he chastiseth." (Proverbs iii. 12.) 
 
 "We should thank God for the good as well as for 
 the evil." (Mishna, Berachoth, ix. 5.) 
 
 "Trust in the Lord with all thy heart, and rely not on 
 thy intellect." (Prov. iii. 5.) 
 
 " Give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good." (Psalm 
 cxviii. i.) 
 
 Compare Isaiah Iviii. 6, 7 ; Deut. xv. 7, 8. 
 
 Thou shalt not avenge nor bear a grudge." (Levit. 
 xix. 1 8.) 
 
 46 
 < 
 
8 2 Notes and References. 
 
 48 "If a stranger sojourn with you in your land, you 
 shall not afflict him. . . . thou shalt love him as thy- 
 self." (Levit. xix. 43.) 
 
 49 "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." (Levit. 
 xix. i 8.) 
 
 "Have we not all one Father? Hath not one God 
 created us?" (Malachi xii. 10. ) 
 
 Besides the general duties to our fellow-creatures, our 
 Religion prescribes particular duties to be observed in all 
 the social relations of life. Of these the following are the 
 principal divisions : Husbands and wives ; parents and 
 children ; teachers and pupils ; masters and servants ; 
 state and citizen. The biblical authorities upon these 
 duties are too numerous for insertion, but can be easily 
 found in the books of Exodus and Leviticus. 
 
 so a When wisdom, entereth into thine heart, and 
 knowledge is pleasant to thy soul, discretion shall pre- 
 serve thee, and understanding shall keep thee. " (Prov. 
 ii. 10, u.) 
 
 61 "Teach my words to your children," c. (Deut. xi. 
 19.) 
 
 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." 
 (Prov. i. 7.) 
 
 5 ' 2 " The Eternal God took man and placed him in the 
 garden of Eden to cultivate it." (Gen. ii. 15.) 
 
 "The soul of the diligent shall be made fat." (Prov. 
 xiii. 4.) 
 
 "And ye shall not follow the inclinations of your 
 hearts and of your eyes, after which ye are wont to go 
 astray." (Numbers xv. 39.) 
 
 "Ye shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am 
 holy." (Levit. xix. 2.) 
 
 "Keep my commandments, that thou mayest live." 
 (Proverbs vii. 2. ) 
 
 "Be watchful of thy heart above everything." (Prov. 
 iv. 23.) 
 
 B Genesis iii. 10. 
 
 64 Genesis iv. 4. 
 
 55 Genesis iv. 7. 
 
 56 Compare Genesis xxii. 
 
 57 Genesis xxvi. 25; xxxiii. 20; xl. 8; xli. 16; xlvi. I. 
 
Notes and References. 83 
 
 88 The Egyptians, Grecians, and Romans had their 
 Religions, and how simple or imperfect soever their My- 
 thology may have been, it was yet the result of that reli- 
 gious sentiment innate in the human breast. 
 
 59 When Judaism arose, nearly all the nations by which 
 the Israelites were surrounded offered human sacrifices to 
 their gods, and this fact is fully proved from the biblical 
 commands respecting Moloch, and the charge, repeated 
 so often, "Not to go after the gods of the nations." 
 
 60 No greater proof of this need be given than the fact 
 of the Israelites having compelled Aaron to make the 
 golden calf, before which they exclaimed, "These are 
 thy gods, O Israel, that have brought thee up out of the 
 land of Egypt." (Exodus xxxii.) 
 
 61 Jeremiah vii. 22. 
 
 62 Mishna, Taanith, iv. 2, 
 
 es (i Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep, for it is a sign 
 between me and you," &c. (Exodus xxxi. 13-18.) 
 
 Compare Gen. ii. 1-3. 
 
 " Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy," &c. 
 (Exodus xx, 8-1 1.) 
 
 " If thou restrain thy foot for the sake of the Sabbath, 
 not doing thy business on my holy day ; and if thou call 
 the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, 
 and honor it by not doing thy usual pursuits, by not fol- 
 lowing thy own words and speaking vain words." (Isaiah 
 Iviii. 13.) 
 
 64 Compare Exodus xii., especially the following pas- 
 sages : " Seven days shall ye eat only unleavened 
 bread." (15.) 
 
 11 And on the first day there shall be unto you a holy 
 convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be unto 
 you a holy convocation." (16.) 
 
 " In the first month on the fourteenth day of the month 
 at even ye shall eat only unleavened bread, until the 
 twenty-first day of the month at even." (18.) 
 
 11 It was a night of Watch unto the Lord from bring- 
 ing them out of the land of Egypt ; this night therefore 
 is holy to the Lord, a memorial unto all the children of 
 Israel, for their generations." (42.) 
 Compare Leviticus xxiii. 15-22. 
 
 Co 
 
84 Notes and References. 
 
 11 Seven weeks shalt them number; from the time them 
 beginnest to put the sickle to the corn, shalt thou begin 
 to number seven weeks." (Deut. xvi. 9-12.) 
 
 Mishna, Rosh Hashana, i. 2. 
 
 66 Right Rev. Arthur P. Stanley, D. D. Lectures on 
 the History of the Jewish Church. Lect. vii. p. 198. 
 
 67 Leviticus xxiii. 33, to the end of the chapter. 
 
 b " In the seventh month, on the first day of the 
 month, shall ye have a rest, a day of memorial of sound- 
 ing the cornet, a holy convocation." (Levit. xxiii. 24.) 
 Vide Numbers xxix. i. 
 
 69 " In the seventh month, on the tenth of the month, 
 ye shall afflict yourselves, and do no manner of work, 
 both the native and the stranger who dwelleth amongst 
 you ; for on that day he atoneth for you to purify you 
 from all your sins ye shall purify yourselves before God. 
 It shall be a Sabbath of Sabbaths unto you." (Levit. xvi. 
 29-3 1 -) Vide Levit. xxiii. 32. 
 
 70 " Speak ye unto all the people of the land and to the 
 priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth 
 and seventh month even those seventy years, did ye at all 
 fast for my sake ? These are the things that ye shall do : 
 speak ye the truth every man to his neighbor, execute 
 the judgment of truth and peace in your gates. Thus 
 hath said the Lord of Hosts : The fast of the fourth, and 
 the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the 
 fast of the tenth months shall become to the house of 
 Judah gladness and joy and merry festivals, only love ye 
 the truth and peace." (Zechariah vii. 5 ; viii. 16, 19.) 
 
 71 "My Sabbaths shall ye keep, and my Sanctuary 
 shall ye reverence. I am the Lord." (Levit. xix. 30.) 
 
 "I rejoiced when they said unto me, Let us go to 
 the house of the Lord." (Psalm cxxii. i.) 
 7 ' J Shulchan Arooch. Oro Chayim, i. 4. 
 
 73 Temple Emanu-El. 
 
 74 Mishna, Aboth, v. 17. 
 
 T5 " O Lord, in the morning do Thou hear my voice." 
 (Psalms v. 4; lix. 16 ; Iv. 17, 18; Deut. vi. II, 12.) 
 
 76 Genesis xvii. 9-27. 
 
 77 Zechariah xiv. 9. 
 
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