STACK 
 
 ANNEX
 
 SB 
 
 THE 
 
 <$> of 4> Humanity 
 
 A TREATISE 
 
 throwing some light on certain movemements of 
 
 the day 
 BY CH. W. ROSENFELD. 
 
 Translated from Hebrew by M. M. 
 
 .LONDON. 
 
 1890.
 
 

 
 P^EEHCE. 
 
 Our Sages say: "Blessed be the generation, whose great 
 men listen carefully to what others less important than them- 
 selves have to say". Again the say: "Just as a small burning 
 candle can light a big fire so can sometimes an ordinary man en- 
 lighten those who have reached already to fame". I do not 
 pretend to place myself amongst the great or even the learned 
 but nevertheless, I feel, I can be useful by communicating my 
 experience to my fellow-men. 
 
 Having carefully studied and examined the character 
 of different shades and classes of our fellow-men, I feel that 
 many will agree with my ideas and conclusions, and those I 
 intend to awaken and induce to use their best efforts 
 and endeavour to ameliorate the state of our poor brethren 
 and to implant into their hearts the love to each other. I 
 also wish to show to the Antisemites especially, that our Law 
 is strictly based on principles of morals and humanity point- 
 ing and le iding to the way on which all can be united. I 
 hear a question: "How can a perfect union practically be 
 brought about?" The never forgotten Maimonides (Rambam) 
 says: "If there were no fools and madmen the world could 
 not exist". Curious as these words seem, they prove perfectly 
 true after a careful examination. Though logically speaking 
 two contrary reactions can never act simultaneously, yet we 
 find for instance that the mutual reactions existing between 
 heaven and earth are quite opposed to each other and that 
 
 206384' 7
 
 IV 
 
 these very reactions the power of repelling on one hand that 
 of attraction on the other make both of them keep in firm 
 state of constant and inevitable dependence of each other. 
 Physical theory shows that every thing we see and observe 
 is composed of little parts (atoms) which equally attract 
 and repell each other and yet they exist and remain in 
 connection with each other by the power of attraction. 
 Such is the case also with the revolvings of the earth and 
 heavenly bodies. We see also opposed extremes in nature as 
 summer and winter, heat and cold, life and death all contri- 
 buting and absolutely necesssary to the existence of the 
 world and mankind. We find also proofs of it in Meteorology, 
 Physics and Chemistry. Chlor and Natron for instance, 
 each separately taken being a strong poison for itself, when 
 united, produce salt, an article indispensable in human life 
 We come to the same conclusion if we consider the positive 
 and negative electricity and magnetism, two opposed extremes, 
 and see that without these very two extremes electricity or 
 magnetism and its principles would be impossible. We find 
 it also to be eo with art, trade and science- Every human 
 being shows an inclination to another branch of art, science 
 or trade, and whilst reaching a certain degree of perfection 
 in this one special branch disregards the other branches, 
 yet this is very good and practical since union of all bran- 
 ches has, does and will produce all articles we invent, and 
 find in our every day's life- If people would only want clothing 
 to cover their nakedness and to warm them, we could only 
 employ one thousandth part of working hands actually en- 
 gaged in supplying our wants. Only because every one likes 
 and finds pleasure in one special fancy, colour shape or
 
 V 
 
 make, disliking any other, we can give work to those 
 thousands who need it. True we must call those who fancy 
 certain shape and colour or fashion to some extent madmen, 
 but as we have shown such must exist in the world. These 
 fancies give pleasure the ^ae class of poeple and contribute 
 
 a great deal to encourage them to life, on the other hand 
 they support all those who offer opportunity to enjoy them. 
 But in as much as these enjoyments give pleasure to 
 one part, they can sometime hurt others, nay they can, when 
 satisfying one's inclination, ruin another morally and mater- 
 ially, and such kind of enjoyment involves upon those who 
 indulge in it, not only a great moral responsibility, but make 
 them severely answerable by law, which says that every 
 pleasure must be indulged temperately without bringing 
 hurt to anyone and does not acknowledge the satisfaction 
 of one's inclination or desire as a legal and reasonable excuse. 
 same we find with nationalism and patriotism- 
 To many great and reknown men of war who have 
 shown themselves brave on the field of battle, although great 
 harm has been done by this to many a family, depriving 
 them of their father and husband, monuments are erected to 
 commemorate this bravery, or better saying, this cruel act ot 
 humanity. But since now this has also been looked to, and 
 when I arrived here, I heard that humanity has so far advan- 
 ced that a Congress has lately assembled to see and choose 
 ways and means, that wars should not be undertaken, unless 
 those who undertake them are necessarily compelled to do 
 so in order as to defend themselves, we must be grateful to 
 these promoters of noble humanity. I am sure this will bring 
 much good to mankind, and although we may not be able to
 
 vi 
 
 reach such standard at once, we must go slowly and educate 
 the world by degrees as we do with a little child, and the 
 further we will go in this way, the more perfection the 
 world will attain, and a time will thus come when people 
 will despise such monuments, hitherto so greatly esteemed. 
 We must also necessarily understand that no idea 
 can be called reasonable, because it has a great many 
 followers. The wise and great Roerne being once asked: 
 "What is sense"? said: "The folly of the great majority". 
 Thus as every creed regards another as a folly, as one 
 profanes the holy relics of another, a Jew kissing the 
 Fringes or frontlets, a Christian kissing and embracing 
 a wooden or metal cross- we would be wrong 
 in justifying one or the other so doing. So we can 
 see some laughing at a woman in fashionable dress, others 
 ridiculing one dressed to the contrary. The europeans laugh at 
 the sight of a nigger, and the niggers despise the Caucasian 
 race. But this laughing, despising and ridiculing on one side, 
 the honouring, esteeming and respecting on the other, would 
 not suffice to justify either of them. And this is what 
 the legend tells of the Millennium that Elijah will come 
 not to cleanse or profane the human race but to attract 
 the ideas repelled by the majority and to repell such opinions 
 that a great many have accepted and adhere to, to propagate 
 moxalsaud humanity repelling disregard, hatred and enmity. 
 To repell "humanity"as understood hitherto by the so called 
 "nationalists"and to attract true humanity and real national- 
 ism. For the real principles of true nationalism are only 
 that every one should support hig fellowman, as a father 
 supports and maintains his family, risking his life for
 
 VII 
 
 their happiness and this helps the existence of the world. 
 But as every one could not possibly care for all the world 
 at a time, it would be well that every one should have 
 a certain circle, for the welfare of which he should work 
 with all his best efforts, however not hurting or ruining 
 another working in the same direction. But by all means, 
 we must not understand that everyone should care for his 
 fellowmen as he cares for his own natural family, since this 
 would be against nature, as our Rabbis say: "He who spends 
 shall never spend more than one fifth of his income. So 
 is the creeil founded only to the good of the human race, 
 thus showing, that we must, however we esteem our 
 own creed, never laugh or ridicule another, nor must we look 
 upon other poeples religous actions critically or with disregard. 
 For the chief principle is that every one shall try to improve 
 his own actions showing due respect to his neighbour. We 
 must leave to Providence to lead a man to repent the wrong 
 he may do towards his Creator and to the judges on earth 
 to make poeple do right to their fellowmen. 
 
 We thus come to the conclusion that however important 
 the repelling power may influence the world, to make 
 ideas as different as faces of human race; the chief power 
 is the "attracting strength" This essay is therefore called 
 "Teaching of humanity" for according to Rabbi Akiba the 
 word "DiNn" means all mankind, signifying thus upon the 
 neccessity of humanity in life. For if "Man has been created 
 in the image of God", whoever has this image must be 
 righteous and truthful, must be a man in the full sense of 
 the word. 
 LONDON, NOVEMBER 13th, 1890. 
 
 The Author.
 
 This work has been published as a humble thank offering 
 to her mostGracious Majesty the Queen and Royal Family and 
 to her Majesty's Ministers and also to the Nobility and Gentry 
 of Great Britain for their humanity and advanced civilization 
 and for their just and humane laws, also that there is no distinction 
 between creeds, as I see one of my co-religionists elevated to the 
 Peerage. This work was intended to be brought forth during 
 the Mayoralty of Sir Henry Isaacs Bart, for the great pleasure 
 I felt that the third time one of my co-religionists has been 
 elevated to that great distinction of chief Magistrate of London. 
 My work would have been forthcoming at the time, but as I 
 had not sufficient command of the English language to under- 
 take the work myself, I had to employ translators with whom. 
 I had great difficulty to convey my ideas, and there are many 
 important items left out, owing to their inability to translate 
 them, and then again I was not in such a condition financially 
 to publish this book in such a manner as I intended. 
 
 I sincerely trust that this work will greatly interest you, as 
 you will notice in page 17 it greatly alludes to the development 
 of civilization and humanity of mankind. I wish to point out to 
 those of my readers who wish to criticise this book that they 
 will do so after looking over its contents thoroughly. This 
 work strongly opposes Socialism, it is simply undertaken to 
 propagate pure humanity amngst mankind. 
 
 July 15th 1891. The Author. 
 
 N. B. The figures in the text indicate the notes which will 
 be found at the end of the Book. A list of misprints is to be 
 found on page 106 etc.
 
 he stranger that dwelleth with you, shall be unto you 
 as one bora among you and thou shalt love him as thyself" 
 (Leviticus XIX, 24}. 
 A stranger cannot bat feel admiration and gratitude 
 for the advanced principles of humanity among the 
 English without regard to religious denomination, so strikingly 
 displayed in the Election of a Jew for the dignity of Lord 
 Mayor of London. Already 3000 years ago Moses based religion 
 on this principle, as I hope to demonstrate in a special work, 
 whilst I must be satisfied for the present with a short sketch. 
 Indeed, he based religion on the love of God and love of Men, 
 which two principles are identical; since the love of 
 God can only be realised by benefitting humanity, (1) whereas 
 true love of Man can only be attained through the love of 
 God. (2) Even freethinkers, who, like Spinoza, invest nature with 
 divine attributes, must admit that there is some hidden in- 
 comprehensible power at the bottom of it, aud this idea under- 
 lies the prohibition of Moses to represent God by any image, 
 for we can only know Him through His works. (3) 
 
 God's "Work or nature offers an endless field for human 
 investigation and exertions, and by thus raising himself to self- 
 consciousness, man is enabled to appreciate the rights of others, 
 which is implied in the commandment of Moses to love one's 
 neighbour as oneself (4). The strictly orthodox R. Akiba called it 
 the first principle of the Law, whilst his philosphical contempo- 
 rary Ben Asai called it the Charter of Humanity(5). Hillel, too 
 summarized the whole law to a convert in this single sentence: 
 "Do not treat thy neighbour as you should not like to be
 
 treated yourself" The above mentioned R. Akiba placed the 
 love of man on a level with the love of God, in whose image 
 he was created, and this interpretation is applied by the com- 
 mentators to all men without distinction of Race and creed (0). 
 
 Now, love of men finds its highest expression in the love 
 of strangers, who are liable to excite ill-will of natives by their 
 different manners ond real or imaginary competition. That is 
 why Moses has uttered not less than forty six injunctions to 
 love the stranger, reminding them of their own condition of 
 strangers in Egypt, and concluding with the formula: "I am 
 the Lord", thus intimating the close connection between religion 
 and humanity. I even consider the residence of the Jews 
 in the land of Egypt as an act of Providence, having for its 
 purpose the preparation of the Jews for such a humanitarian 
 and hospitable religion. (7). 
 
 It is true, there are many who consider immigration as an 
 evil, but they are mistaken, since notwithstanding its partial 
 drawbacks and injuries to individuals, it is beneficial for the 
 majority and even indirectly for the whole of the community. 
 The prejudice against immigration is just so fallacious as that 
 against machinery or cheap production, which are considered 
 by some as a calamity, since there is no absolute and universal 
 good, as there is no absolute evil. And these alternations of 
 good and evil are necessary for the due apreciation of the 
 first just as in the economy of nature the enjoyment of light 
 is determined by the existence of darkness. 
 
 Hate against strangers is thus produced by unreasoning 
 jealousy, which as the bible teaches us in the case of Cain and 
 Abelwas the first source of crime, though there were only two 
 persons to divide the world, People do not consider that real
 
 happiness and abundance are only produced by mutual assistance 
 and universal cooperation. Spain is a case in point, since through 
 the Expulsion of the Jews it gained no advantages, but, on 
 the contrary, is much inferior to countries in which there is 
 a Jewish population. 
 
 The Jewish Law did not require a stranger to become 
 a convert to Judaism, but merely imposed on him the essential 
 claims of justice aud morality as a condition of his addmission 
 to the fall rights of citizenship(8). He was merely required to re- 
 linquish the abominable practices of those peoples, of sacrificing 
 their children and other barbarities(9). Our law is thus thoroughly 
 based on principles of humanity,iuspite of seeming exceptions, 
 which I hope lo explain in their true light on some future 
 occassion. As Maimonides justly explains, sacrifices, which 
 have no visible humanitarian purpose, were a necessary con- 
 cession to the spirit of that age which was not yet sufficiently 
 developed for a purely spiritual worship(lO), and could only by 
 these means be turned away from idolatry and pagan sacrifices; 
 though later generations, attributed to them greater importance, 
 either through ignorance or through the influence of a greedy 
 clergy. But the prophets always protested against the sacrifices, 
 and included no ceremonies whatever in their formulations of 
 the Jewish creed, basing it exclusively on morality. In more 
 modern times Albo has reduced to three the thirteen dogmas 
 of the profession of faith. People are however never wanting 
 whose perverted judgment mistakes the principal for the im- 
 material and vice versa (11). 
 
 The Jewish religion was not the only one to become thus 
 perverted: Christianity has shared the same fate in a much 
 greater degree. Though the Chief principle of its founder was
 
 love, since he even commanded it to one's enemies, his blind fol~ 
 'owers turned his attemps of reform into a new religion, per- 
 secuted the adherents of the Law followed by Christ himself, 
 and inaugurated in his name an era of extermination with Auta 
 de fes etc. (12). 
 
 At present the civilised World stands in danger of leing 
 infected with the same spirit of perversion under the noble and 
 more novel name of nationalism. It is true that nationalism is 
 a very fruitful idea, since Society is based on the family, which 
 gradually widens to the patriotism of a tribe, city or country, 
 (and just a sit is only natural for a father to care for his own 
 child more than for itrangers and thus the existence of man- 
 kind is made possible so it is easier for a given town or country 
 to take care of their own poor as I have explained in the preface), 
 whereas the socialistic idea of abolishing all local and social 
 differences in an all-absorbing state is an impracticable chimera 
 But good as this idea is in its legitimate proportions, it becomes 
 a source of danger when abused, just as fire and water, indi- 
 spenable as they are when regulated, cause havock when let 
 loose. Evidence of this is afforded to us by cultured Germany, 
 where an exaggerated idea of nationalism has led them to acts 
 worthy of the Middle Ages, as the wholesale expulsion of itran- 
 gers. The noble emperor Frederick of imperishable memory 
 wanted to put a stop to this pernicious kind of nationalism* 
 but untimely death prevented him from giving effect to his 
 enlightened views (13). Nationalism of that sort is so far from 
 improving the situation, but, on the contrary, leads to egotism 
 and atrocities, and is more baneful in its effects than the in- 
 quisition, which had at last an excuse in religious fanaticism 
 and might be condoned as a species of madness, whilst intolerant 
 nationalism has no other basis but egotism, in spite of all choice
 
 names. We must therefore again express our gratitude to the 
 English for their progress, as proved by the election of a Jew 
 for the third time as Lord Mayor, thus realising the old hu- 
 manitarian teaching of Moses. 
 
 But the idea of nationalism has been spread among some of 
 the civilised Jews, who hope to solve the Jewish question by colo- 
 nising Palestine, but it is a mistaken idea. It is not only contrary 
 to common sense, as proved in previous pages, it is also against 
 the Mosaical Law. Moses said: "Then the load is mine and you 4/ 
 shall be to me a Kingdom of priests, e. g. our national aim is 
 that of being the spiritual guides of mankind; to preach the 
 monotheistic Idea; to further religious and moral life, but never 
 to form a political dominion or to have national proclivities. 
 We were even partly forbidden the luxury of possessing a King 
 and were taught by our great teacher Moses, that, should we 
 ever feel inclined not to heed his wise precautions and be longing 
 for the possesion of a King like all other nations around us, he 
 be dependent on the prophets who are to be his guides and coun- 
 cillors. He is not even allowed to strengthen his bodyguard 
 by procuring many horses and horsemen, as even the Kings 
 power should not lie in a political but in a spiritual direction. 
 "Neither with might nor with strength but with my spirit 
 saith the Lord" (14). It is always the spiritual Judaism which is 
 surviving all manners of onslaught, whereas material strength 
 is always exposed to all manners of destruction. Whilst all 
 worldly power is transient, the spirit of Judaism is immortal^ 
 "The spirit of the Law is your wisdom in the eyes of the 
 nations" (15). Even at the time of the political fall of the 
 nation their only desire was not to retain the shadow of 
 political independence but the freedom to teach and to study
 
 the written as well as the oral law, they preferred to remain in 
 the new centres of learning which were developed by them at a 
 time when the national fanatics have sacrificed the flower of 
 the nation to the national Moloch, they preferred to remain in 
 the centre of the diaspora in order to send in all directions 
 where Jews lived dispersed among heathens, who had no notion 
 of humanitarian feelings or morality, rays of Jewish learning 
 and comfort in time of need. This was all the more necessary, 
 considering the fate which befell the ten tribes after the cap- 
 tivity who were swallowed up in a very short time, by the 
 nations surrounding, without being able to fulfill their national 
 mission. Now, our mission being to a certain extent realised, hu- 
 manitarian wisdom is no more the patrimony of Israel in particu- 
 lar, but became the common good of Humanity in general, our 
 duties will be confined to our being foremost among the nations, 
 or even individuals, who are the standard-bearers of these noble 
 ideas. Our duty is to live in peace with all nations, to be true 
 and faithful to the laws of the lands whore we live, to serve 
 our Fatherlands and to sacrifice even our lives for the welfare 
 af our Kings. Then even the Kings will reciprocate these feelings, 
 they will assist us in our intellectual development, as it was 
 expressed by Isaja in the sublime words; "and Kings will be 
 thy Instructors". ( haia L1X, SB.) 
 
 But besides these few hints tending towards discouraging 
 us Jews from re-establishing Palestine, we find several passages 
 in the Thalmud where such tendencies are strictly prohibited. 
 The Medrash explanation of Song of Solomon II. 7. "I charge 
 you, ye daughthers of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the 
 hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till 
 she please, is: God made the Jews take three oats (1.) they should
 
 not hasten the termination of the captivity, (2) they should 
 not rebell against their kings during time of exil, and (3) not 
 to reveal the date of the Millenium (the End ]>~> (17). 
 
 Now, while the first two oats are well understood, the 
 third one is quite unintelligible. We are forbidden or charged 
 not to reveal the day of the Millenium. This charge is quite 
 uncalled for, for the simple reason, that even if we felt the in- 
 clination to reveal it, we should be at a loss to know how to 
 do so, as we ourselves labour under the disadvantage of not 
 knowing it. If the Medrash chooses to say in another place. 
 Our father Jacob wished to reveal the day of the Millenium 
 but he immediately forgot it, we might perhaps understand 
 it by assuming Jacob to have been a prophet and supposed 
 to know things which are hidden from other mortals. But why 
 was it necessary to charge the nation at large not to reveal a 
 thing of which they had no notion whatsoever. Evidently 
 the Medrash can only be understood thus. Besides the two 
 first named two oaths we are charged never to anticipate the 
 Almighty with Plans how to bring about the days of the Mess- 
 iah but must. leave even the details of this matter entirely in 
 his hands. We are charged to wait patiently for things to come 
 without any interference whatsoever on our part, and according 
 to this explanation Jacob's intended revelation and his sudden 
 forgetfulness will be understood. Jacob in his endeavour to 
 teach his children the desirability of the continual development 
 of humanity was anxious to describe to them the happy state 
 in which humanity will be when this development will reach the 
 highest degree imaginable, but when he saw with the far sight- 
 cdness of a Patriarch that human development has no end, he 
 therefore stopped in the middle of his discourse.
 
 And in another place in the Thalmnd we find npjr 
 
 W3ttf npbnoji ppn m^ When Jacob wanted to reveal 
 the Millenium the glory of heaven has departed from him. 
 This shows, that it is very imprudent that the world should 
 await the absolute end of all evil. For the chief point of re~ 
 semblance of Man to God is, that mortals always know good 
 or evil and have the choice left to themselves. But had they 
 not the option of choosing between right and wrong, good or 
 evil, they were nothing more than cattle and this last state 
 is meant by the "departure of the glory of heaven". But the 
 highest quality of man is that if he betters himself ever so 
 much, there will always be found place to correct and improve 
 his character, and this places him as high if not higher than 
 the Angels. 
 
 The Thalmudist Samuel therefore remarked: The difference 
 between our days and the days of the Messiah is only the 
 universal freedom, i. e. that kings will no longer rule the world 
 as heretofore, when they could do with a man as they liked 
 that they were when at liberty to deprive him of his life and 
 freedom at their pleasure as one deals with his cattle. The 
 learned Rambam (Maimonides) also adheres to this idea, so 
 that the whole only intends to the realization of the words: 
 "And the earth will be full of "knowledge as the waters cover 
 the sea". The ruling and dominion of the Almighty shall be 
 acknowledged by the whole of the world and we Jews will 
 be justly proud to have been the founders of this great idea 
 and may look forward to a time when all mankind will live 
 in peace, concord and union and love each other, this being 
 the chief principles of the Jewish Religion and its two ele- 
 ments. Thus this highest degree of nationalism can only be
 
 manifested by our love to each other and by our trying to 
 establish place?, where we are able to enjoy and educate and 
 instruct our fellow men in the highly moral principles of our 
 holy scripture and the Thalmud, and by supporting one 
 another materially where such support is needed. One of the 
 principle aims in view would be that the workingmen should 
 have a place where they could apply for a situation, and a 
 register of vacant places be constantly kept so that they 
 should not want to linger about in the streets, especially those 
 who have just only immigrated to this country and are 
 ignorant of the language. Then to instruct our workingmen 
 properly in reading and writing so that they need not spend 
 their leisure hours about the public and gambling houses, 
 where they lose their scanty but hard earnings. 
 
 True Nationalism teaches that every nation should en- 
 deavour to study its own faults and try to ameliorate and 
 avoid them, thus freeing themselves from evil, gaining and 
 deserving the love of all mankind. 
 
 But you must not thiak, dear Readers, that I mean to 
 advocate assimilation, that we should mix ourselves between 
 and with other nations. No, this is not my idea, Since I 
 cannot agree with the fanaticism of one creed I am not likely 
 to recommend that of another. Ju.st as a Russian politician 
 and philosopher Wladimir Solowiew wrote once to the Synode 
 when speaking of the Jewish question "The Jewish question" 
 said he ,,will never be settled as long as the question about 
 yourselves is not decided upon. One holds with the Slavians 
 another with the Catholics a third with the Protestants ect. 
 just as in Africa there are many sects of Muselmen. When 
 the world will reach that standard that all will understand
 
 10 
 
 the two chief principles of belief, you will have no need of 
 asking how this question will be settled as it will be settled 
 by itself. ". 
 
 Thus if every nation will try and endeavour to propagate 
 humanity and love to fellowmen, we will not only have true 
 and real nationalism, but at the same time also answer the 
 question of the freethinkers who ask: "Why should I subject 
 myself to criticism and hold with the .Tews, if I am a free - 
 thinker"? If we are so far advanced as to feel the absolute 
 necessity of love to kinship and fellowmen, the world will 
 surely become united. If we Jews have commenced educating 
 the world and ourselves in high human and moral principles, 
 let us not now neglect it in its very infancy. We must try to 
 support mankind morally and materially in every way so as 
 to fulfil the holy words: "Israel, I shall be gloryfied through 
 thee", that the world should love and esteem, not despise us. 
 
 We Jews are like a Company of explorers going through 
 wilderness and dangers to discover far off lands for the benefit 
 of humanity, having attained their object, their duty is 
 clearly not to seperate but to stick together till the end. 
 
 We Jews must never think of Nationalism in a political 
 sense. For what is the use of it as long as the world is not 
 united? as long as one will fight against his fellowman? as 
 long as one is affraid of his neighbour? But if we leave out 
 the political point, when the world becomes utiited in all re" 
 spects, why then should you need a special fatherland? Does 
 not an old proverb say "Ubi bene ibi patria" or "Where it 
 is good there ia the fatherland"? But, dear Readers, you 
 must not think I am in any way against the Colonisation 
 of Palestine. I think the idea of colonising Palestine very
 
 11 
 
 good and practical, but I cannot approve of the ways and 
 means taken to its realisation. It must and can never be done 
 out of charity or weekly collection. I highly esteem the idea 
 itself, provided, certainly, that the children of the colonists 
 will devote themselves to thoroughly study the Hebrew lan- 
 guage and recall it to life again. 
 
 For if even there are now the Volapiic and Esperand 
 languages, which are intended to become universal and are 
 much easier to learn than the Hebrew, yet this language 
 no doubt deserves ours highest esteem and preference to all 
 others, because in this language Moses and the Prophets have 
 spoken to the people and taught them those high morals 
 and sublime human ideas of which the whole world is proud 
 after thousands of years and always will be so. It thus be~ 
 comes to us the dearest and most valuable living memorial 
 of the time gone by, much dearer than all costly monuments 
 erected by other nations to their heros, who brought out 
 thousands of people to the field of battle, where they lost 
 their lives, a memorial of horror and cruelty. Our in- 
 tention is quite to the contrary, viz. to propagate a spiritual 
 reign in the World in the quiet and most peacefull way as 
 the Prophets Isaiah and Michah said ''And I will turn their 
 swords into sickles" etc., that there will be no more war 
 in the world". To commemorate this idea we erect a living 
 memorial, in supporting the colonists and cultivating the 
 Hebrew language. But my advice is not to establish these 
 monuments by way of charity because to provide for one 
 colonist we should want as much as 300 or 400 whilst we 
 could with this capital help many families amongst us. I am 
 quite sure that many a family is well helped with a Loan
 
 12 
 
 of one Pound or so. I did once prove this in my native country 
 in the city of Petrokow (Russian-Poland) that a man can, with 
 but a trifling support, do much more than by Colonisation. 
 
 Agriculture being the principal and most useful means of 
 livelihood in the world (18), though it cinnot lead to great richess, 
 is very necessary, and it is nothing but our duty to help those 
 who would like to devote themselves to tilling the ground. But 
 this can only be successfully gained, if we establish Companies 
 on shares, repayable after a certain limit of time with 2 percent 
 to 6 percent interest, part of which should go towards a drawirg 
 which can be held, say, twice a year. It would also be possible 
 to issue small shares divided in parts, so as to enable the less 
 wealthy to purchase them, and I am sure they will sell very 
 well. 
 
 Thus a large sum can be obtained to provide land for 
 agriculturists, and when this expended, new series of shares 
 can be issued etc. In this way ground can be acquired in 
 Palestine and other places to settla colonists thereon, who 
 should educate their children giving them a thorough knowledge 
 of Hebrew and the high morals of religion. They must a'so be 
 taught Volaptic or Esperand which will c( nnect and unite the 
 whole world and one will no more be looked upon like a stranger 
 as the Prophet Zephania says *npb mm nattf DOJ? !? fians* m 
 ,in DDttf myb 'n Dun obnr (For then I will tarn unto people 
 pure language that they may all call upon the name of the Lord 
 to serve him with one consent, Zephania III. 9.) that they 
 will all speak au understandable language which will lead 
 them to a perfect spiritual union in knowing and acknowledging 
 the might of God. 
 
 But you must not be surprised that I advise to colonise
 
 13 
 
 also other places, for we find even in the Thalmud pt- rrvru? 
 abuTi S21 tottffinrw i>>nur "The Land of Israel will extend 
 over all the world" i. e. that the high human principles of 
 morality which we have been taught in Palestine will be 
 propagated throughout all the World (19). And basing on the 
 words of Michah: And all the nations will love Palestine and 
 go hither, for from Zion comes the law and the word of God 
 from Jerusalem" this would be the best monument we can erect 
 for all times and generations. 
 
 It would be very good, I say, to erect such an eternal 
 monument, but I would never advise to depend on futile ideas 
 and imaginations, for my explanation and way of reasoning is 
 one agreeing fully with philosophy and religion. And we can 
 hope that the greatest advantage will arise of it to the 
 world, if we only try to propagate humanity, as the Prophet 
 Habakuk says: "And the earth will be full of knowledge as 
 the water covers the sea", to what we can add as a consequence 
 the words of Joel: "Hereafter I will pour out my spirit upon 
 all flesh" and the words of Isiah ''The glory of god will be re- 
 vealed and all flesh will acknowledge it together". We need 
 not be hated by any class or sect of the human race as long 
 as we try and endeavour to propagate humanity and love within 
 us, as the Prophet Isaia says: 'i2i >irt 'r(? in^' n! "One will 
 say I am the Lord's, and another shall call himself by the name 
 of Jacob, and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the 
 Lord and surname himself by the name of Israel"(Ina& XLIV 5) 
 that there will be different sects, each of which will thiak different 
 but that such an arrangement will be a blessing for all. For through 
 this we will be able to come to a perfect union, freeing our- 
 selves from every fanaticism, little by little, so that we will
 
 at last reach that standard, of which Moses speaks before 
 giving us God's ten Commandements; "And ye shall be unto 
 Me a beloved nation from all other nations for Mine is all 
 the earth" .pn bs 'b '3 trorn roo n^o ^ crrvn meaning that 
 Israel will be an example for all other nations and lands which 
 God equally loves. 
 
 I will here repeat again, we Jews must sincerely congra- 
 tulate the English nobility that they have reached such a stand- 
 ard of gentleness as I have spoken of, but I shall ask you to 
 kindly excuse me if I will point out a few still existing faults. 
 We know that if even the world will exist for thousands of years 
 we will always find something to amend and improve, for there 
 is no limit to science and no end to perfection of humanity. 
 It may also be possible, that these faults are not known to 
 you and you can therefore not understand how bad and injurious 
 they are. In the first place 1 will mention the fighting in the 
 open street. It is shameful to see two grown up persons settling 
 their difference* commercial or private, by way of fight. 
 
 The word "fight" ia so holy amongst the lower class, that 
 they feel no shame or disgrace for their actions, and the 
 police being used to it, do not take the trouble to interfere, 
 and certainly it is not a moral or human sight for our children 
 fo see. It does not improve the morals of the public and it puts 
 me in mind of the middle ages in Rome when wild beasts 
 used to be put in the arena to fight with man, and then again 
 if a man asks another to fight it would be a disgrace for the 
 other to refuse, thus the hospitals are kept busy and it is a 
 pretext for thieving. The most striking feature is that some- 
 times the severely, nay fatally injured party, owing to the diffi- 
 culty of bringing the offenlerto justice, stands a doubtful chance
 
 15 
 
 of getting his right by way of law. We may unfortunately often 
 see a poor traveller, who earns his bread with the sweat of 
 his brow surrounded by a swarm of blackguards who throw 
 stones at him, lay hand on his goods and property, knock him 
 about and deprive him of his substance, brutally injuring his 
 health, sometimes nearly or totally injuring him. 
 
 Those bojs who are by no one prevented in their evil doing, 
 having no moral principles implanted into their hearts in their 
 infancy, become as wild as beasts, and if they grow up, they 
 are but thieves and murderers. They know not, they have 
 never .baen taught to respect anyone and as soon as they catch 
 s ight of somebody, whose appearance they do not quite like, 
 immediately a rush is made at him and he is being ill treated 
 in a most abhorrent and dispisable way. Especially when they 
 notice a stranger, an old man, a foreigner of whom they know 
 that he is unable to understand and answer to their vulgar 
 and abusive slang, this man is hardly sure of his property and 
 person. In every other civilised or even only partly advanced 
 and enlightened country, we will find boys highly respecting 
 and strictly taught at school and home to show regard to elder 
 people .because of their age and experience and especially to 
 a stranger, because he is etrange to the languge and customs of 
 the country. Unfortunately we notice quite the reverse in 
 England which boast to be more advanced in civilisation than 
 any other europeau state. Here the boy therefore takes advan- 
 tage of his artificial fist defence in illegal purposes, and brings 
 this with him from the school into his private and public life. 
 The teachers ought to teach the children moral principles 
 and if the teacher finds that a boy misbehaves himself when 
 out frcm school, the boy ought to be punished for it, also
 
 - 16 
 
 that every boy should guard the morals of the other, and the 
 teacher by giving prices to those who inform to the bad be- 
 having of the other boys out of the schools. 
 
 Although England is a free land still one has no right to 
 shoot in public as he may do injury to another the same aught 
 to be with the boys, they may be allowed to enjoy themselves but 
 not to injure anyone, therefore my idea is that there can never 
 be au end until fighting is totally abolishe,!, not that they should 
 take the law in their own hands, we pay the judges for that. 
 
 Why if we look at Moses, we will see that, when still 
 a mer-s boy, he saw an Egyptian illtreating his brother, 
 he became so excited that under the impulse of the moment, 
 he has committed a crime, for which he could pay with his 
 life. He was not at all nervous or softhearted, for we observe 
 what he had to suffer and to stand, what troubles he had to 
 endure at the head of his nation, but the sight of cruelty made 
 him forget himself and, disgusted by the impression, he became 
 guilty of murder, he endangered his own life. Our Rabbis also 
 teach us: "Who ever lifts up his hand against his fellowman 
 to injure him is a wicked and unworthy man", I therefore hope 
 that our gentle and influential citizens will endeavour to 
 banish this disgraceful custom from their midst, that they 
 will find a way to have the boys taught morals of life and be- 
 haviour, that they will influence the teachers and spiritual guides 
 of the young generation to command their pupils to leave o'ff 
 fighting at all, and punish severely anyone who will disobey 
 such command. 
 
 In conclusion I must humbly ask our noble brethren, with 
 
 their kind permission, that they shall pay mure strict attention 
 
 to the management of their Benevolent Institutions. They spend
 
 17 
 
 and contribute a great deal of money towards these Institutions 
 every year, but, they cannot have always at the head of these 
 Institutions such men, who are thoroughly acquainted with 
 the position of our poorer brethren, and who should recognise 
 a really deserving case, wanting immediate attention. It is very 
 seldom the case, that a really deserving person is duly attended 
 to, since the investigating officers are already quite used to the 
 bitter cry of need and poverty, and thereby do very little care 
 to listen to really deserving persons and to become impressed by 
 the details put before them. Their rules are quite bare of strict 
 principles, so that if one wishes to enjoy the privelege of 
 their support, it, in the long run, costs him more time and money 
 than the support is worth. 
 
 I will illustrate this by just one case, which happened to 
 come especially under my notice. Here is an Orphan Asylum called 
 "Neveh-Zedek", where children are taken in by votes of members. 
 I happened to know a poor striving widow, whose child was 
 well deserving support. Since she had no acquaintance with any 
 members of that institution, she had to advertise in the papers 
 for votes, this entailing an expense of 16/- besides petty expenses. 
 After all, her endeavours proved a failure, and not only has she 
 attained nothing good, but the expense in the hope of bettering 
 her poor child's future, has devoured her only and sma 1 ! capital 
 and ruined her entirely. I think, in such cases it would be quite 
 sufficient, that parents should make an application to the Autho- 
 rities in writing, and this application be subject to a thorough 
 investigation. I should therefore request ' the Committees of 
 Benevolent Institutions, that when considering an application 
 for relief, care should be taken to distinguish a deserving case 
 when exception should sometimes be made to the general rules
 
 18 
 
 especially if a case is introduced by a Warden of a Synagogue or 
 other authority. Our Rabbis say: "Whoever gives right judgement 
 in case in its perfect truth, he makes the glory of God rest in 
 the midst ot the nation, for it says, God rests within the Congre- 
 gation of the just" bHittt'a rwaip rrwo "irvoM 1 -?,, nn pi pn !?3 
 b mya nva a'nbn :rroT In another place it says that he is a 
 partner to God and helps to support the world. 
 
 Thus we see that ajudge can even give right judgement in a 
 case, but he can and must i . place himself in the position, in which 
 the accused may have been whilst doing wrong, for if the judge 
 did so, he would always be able to find enough reason to discharge 
 him. For we know, that whatever a man will never do under or- 
 dinary circumstances, he is compelled to commit by fate or some 
 circumstances of life or lastly under the impuls of the moment. 
 
 I also wish to advice you not to spend so much money on 
 the Synagogues and their adornment. The principal is "large 
 and simple". For we find in the Thalmud: Two of our Rabbis, 
 (it says there Rav Hama Bar Hanina and Rav^ Ashia Rabba) 
 went past the Synagogue in Lud which was a beautiful building. 
 The former said to the latter: "How much money have our 
 ancestors spent on this building", whereupon the latter answered: 
 "How many lives costs this building" meaning how many could 
 be supported of these funds, (Shekalim, /9), especially learned 
 men worthy of support. The Rabbis also say in one place: "What 
 fools are human beings, who respect mauy scrolls of law and 
 disregard great poeple. 
 
 I again express my gratitute to the English nobility who 
 promote humanity with all efforts. I also am thankful to the 
 B.np-ror Francis Joseph of Austria, who with indefatigable 
 efforts tries to implant human feelings in the hearts of his sub-
 
 19 
 
 jects and bravely fights against antisemitism. Those countries 
 who persecute the Jews, because of the wicked and unjust 
 amongst them, institute special law and limitation of their 
 rights, such lands act very wrongly in so doing, for there 
 is not a single nation, that should consist of any rigtheous 
 members and have no evildoers in their midst- But it is a 
 law of nature tkat "one will sooner see a hair in his neigh- 
 bours eye than a board in his own", and so it is easier to 
 take notice of somebody else's oversight than cf one's own 
 sin, and should one even notice a fault of his own he looks 
 upon it as a trifling mattar whilst errors of others are looked 
 upon through a microscope and seem far greater than they 
 really are. 
 
 It is also a very wrong and unjust idea with man- 
 kind to blame a whole nation for the wrong of one single 
 individual, Moses asked of the Almighty: "If one man sinneth 
 will thou be wroth on all the congregation?" t*zorr inn u^ 
 ?Fp*pn myn b:> bjJi We must after all not forget, that a 
 great many of faults and the dishonesty existing amongst 
 the Jews, is not a fault of their own, but has been brought 
 about by their neighbours themselves. Jews having been 
 shut out from every means of earning a honest livelihood 
 and having only to satisfy themselves by living upon uucon- 
 stant and futile undertakings have been forced to cheat and 
 defraud their neighbours. Do not we all know that the prin- 
 cipal point of commerce is to dazzle the eyes of the buyer, 
 and if we only look for one moment upon England's commerce 
 at large, will we not clearly see that it is only founded to 
 dazzling and blinding the eyes of the costumer? Why*Kint:s 
 and sovereign's policy is only a means to blind a neighbours
 
 20 
 
 eyes and entails more dangers than commerce. Thus, the 
 more limiting rights and laws we creafc, the more do we 
 induce them to transgress these laws. 
 
 The only way to improve these great evil is, to give 
 equal rights and privileges to all citizens, where one will 
 not have to fear or dread, to avoid or shun his fellowmen. 
 We see clearly that in such lands where Jews are equally 
 priviledged with all citizens, they give the Government no 
 reason whatever to complain about them, they are honest, 
 true and loyal subjects, good and faithful citizens, loving the' v 
 fell owmen, and duly esteeming the heads of the Government. 
 
 In order as to promote improvement of humanity 
 amongst the Jews, 1 could advise, that DO obstacles shall be 
 put in the way of the Jews and permission be forthwith given 
 to them, upon their request, to establish Societies and unions 
 with a view to support their fellowmen, not as it happens in 
 other countries, that replies to such motions are usually 
 laid ad acta, or, that after a score or more years waiting 
 they are totally refused. 
 
 As an instance of the latter we can mention that in 
 one country Jews only after long years waiting obtained 
 Permission to open a Reading and Lecture Hall only at their 
 Synagogue. Such actions prevent greatly the advance of 
 civilization, for in Synagogues strict orthodoxy is observed' 
 and those who would like to be more advanced have no 
 room there and no other meeting place, they are thus 
 totally prevented from coming forward and propagating good 
 and healthy ideas. 
 
 It is also very unwise and unreasonable, that especially 
 in Russia, one can now-a-days not depend on the police for ful
 
 - 21 
 
 protection of his person and property. The police officials 
 are very covetous and do therefore hold only with the 
 rich, seeking for every opportunity to oppress and deprive 
 the poor. They also do not pay the slightest attention to 
 thieves, who give them a certain share of every successful 
 booty. Their eyes are only watching the honest poeple 
 whom they are anxious to catch in their trap. Amongst the 
 laws of several countries, especially Russia, one finds such, 
 that are still a remnant of the middle ages. How ridicu- 
 lous is for instance the law, that every one must be pro- 
 vided with a passport, to be produced when travelling from 
 one town to another, from one village to a neighbouring one- 
 If we will for one moment only consider the difficulties and 
 obstacles put in our way, before we ultimately get that 
 passport, a matter of great formality, trouble and substan- 
 tial cost, we will at once see how ridiculous it is and what 
 it is intended to. Now it is marvellous with what peculiar 
 severity the subordinate police officials are hunting to cont" 
 roll these passports. Suppose a merchant, having a great many 
 things to think of, being in a hurry, forgets to take his 
 document with him and upon the investigation of the officials, 
 late at night, is found without one, he, be he whoever he is, 
 is liable to be arrested, dragged to the Police Station and 
 is usually sent by Stape (all the way on foot) to the place 
 whence he came, in company with thieves and other notorious 
 criminals. But this happens only with honest and straight- 
 forward people, whilst a thief is usually provided with a 
 score of Passports and lives on ^friendly terms with the 
 police officers. There are, besides, many statutes of law, 
 that require alteration in the spirit of the piesent age.
 
 22 
 
 but space does not permit me to specify them. Although 
 those laws refer to Jew and gentile alike, yet, the Jews 
 who must only depend on commerce find most occasion to 
 break such law, and feel thus most bitterly the consequences. 
 
 It is extremely foolish on the part of Gentiles to 
 despise and hate the Jews because of those amongst them 
 who are morally corrupt wicked and evildoing. They seem 
 not to know that the Jews themselves despise such people 
 more because they bring shame and degradation upon the whole 
 nation of Israel. But, we find such wicked and corrupt per- 
 sons in every nation and every creed and should therefore 
 not blame the Jews because of a few excentions unworthy 
 of the name and nation they represent. And besides these 
 few are helped and supported by the police. Many times, I 
 have spoken on this subject to several very influential Gentle- 
 men asking them to assist me in putting a limit to the 
 dishonest dealings amongst the Jews and their neighbours, 
 but they declined, by reason of the officials having a part in 
 the booty. There is therefore no other and better advice 
 than to ask the Government to interfere and enable its 
 subjects to educate themselves morally and to thoroughly 
 study and acquire the principles of true humanity, that humane 
 Societies shall be established everywhere, which should try 
 to stop dishonest dealings between man and man and support 
 the needy morally and materially. If this will be done, out- 
 rages against law and government will be prevented. Let 
 me give one instance: 
 
 Owing to exce&sive smuggling of foreign goods, Russia 
 has issued an edict, limiting the pale of the Jewish settlement 
 to 50 werst from every frontier. At the same time, having a
 
 thorough experience in the commercial ways of those parts 
 of Russia and Russian-Poland, I can only say, that those who 
 occupy themselves with smuggling are of much more dis- 
 advantage to the Jewish merchants, not only of the frontier 
 and its neighbourhood, and even to Jewish merchants in gene- 
 ral, than to the Governement. The law requires that every 
 kind of goods and articles shall have a mark (plombe), and 
 as such sign or mark, can come off in the long run, either 
 owing to the goods being in stock for a long time or to their 
 being returned by the purchaser or other reason, the police 
 and custom officers finding a piece of stuff without the due 
 mark, confiscate the whole stock without distinction and the 
 trouble to get these goods back is great, costly and takes 
 years- 
 
 What can the poor Jews help against such dealing, when 
 the smugglers are helped and assisted in their work by the 
 bribed officials, and the more officers the more smugglers we 
 see? Nothing can prevent such an horrible state, bare the 
 establishment of the humane society I spoke of before, which 
 will take care to show up all disadvantages arising of this evil. 
 
 It is a real chance coincidence, that when writing these 
 lines I can commemorate the Mass Meeting called and 
 presided over by the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor of London 
 "on the treatment of the Jews in Rusia". It has been said 
 at this Meeting that the Emperor of Russia can impossibly 
 be aware ol the particulars how things are going on in his vast 
 empire. I am reaily thankful to these uoble Gentlemen, for 
 they have lut the right point. I know it for an established 
 fact, nay it costed me great trouble and exertions to learn 
 that not only the Emperor but even the governors of the
 
 24 
 
 ! 
 
 frontier provinces are positively unaware of the state of things. 
 When I was at home, I earnestly urged upon a few noble 
 gentlemen to reveal the particulars of the facts to the ad- 
 ministrative powers, but they answered me that since they 
 would not like to go against a great many of government 
 officials, who are each one and all bribed, in order that they 
 should make themselves overlook the fact, and since things 
 do not hurt them at all, tbey do not see their way clear to 
 interfere. It would therefore be my pleasant duty to ask 
 of those noble Gentlemen, who have kindly taken upon them- 
 selves to present a Memorial to the Russian Emperor on 
 behalf of the Jews, that when they reveal to him the true 
 state of things in his vast empire, they should also bring 
 before him my motion about the establishment of humane so- 
 cieties, such as I have described above, as the only way and 
 means, which will most speedily put an end to abominable 
 transgressions against law, country and 'crown, whereby the 
 whole nation is ruining itself by degrees. It will be advisable, 
 that such humane Societies, when established, should have 
 the absolute power to form such beneficial unions, as they will 
 con'sider necessary for the promotion of common health and 
 universal happinss. When this is done, not only will the 
 whole nation breathe free and happy, not only all obstacles 
 will be removed, which now make Russia an unhappy land, 
 and its subject a miserable burden to that country, but we 
 will also attain a great aim, so far away from within our 
 reach to day. We will shut up ths mouths of all the Jew- 
 haters and Jew-eaters, who are constantly sharpening their 
 teeth to find new faults with their Jewish fellow citizens. It 
 is our first and imperative duty to make them shut up, as
 
 25 
 
 our well-wishers do not see great faults with our Russian 
 Brethren even now, in a crisis of hatred and persecution, 
 need, suffering and misery. 
 
 Proofs of this we can find in the works of Prince Demi~ 
 doff St. Donate "The Jewish question in Russia" (translated 
 into English by I. Michael H- M. Consul in St. Petersbourg) 
 the Archimandrit Nikanor of Odessa and others. As to 
 those whose pleasure it is always to criticise and to blame, 
 we cannot take notice of them, and will never get rid of their 
 false conclusions, as they will always find something to say 
 against us, something to criticise in our actions, behaviour, 
 dealings etc. 
 
 That the Jews were always wrongly blamed by their 
 enemies, was sufficiently proved in a speech of Dr. Bloch, 
 delivered in the Austrian Parliament during the sittings in 
 February 1890. This is the extract: 
 
 ,,There are many in our nation, whom the Jews can 
 ,,never satisfy, however they would do. In Austria we hear 
 ,,a complaint, that the public schools are overcrowded with 
 ,,Jewish children, while on the other hand they gramble 
 ,,in Galizia, that a too small number of Jews send their 
 ,,children to educational institutions If a Jew is generous 
 ,,and liberal, spending a great deal of his money in every 
 ,,respect, he is accused of prodigality and extravagancy, 
 ,,or hunting after pleasures, whilst if he lives economising 
 ,,wherever he can and leads a modest life, they grumble at 
 ,,his avarice and he is looked upon as a miser. Does he 
 ,,abstain himself from interfering in politics, they say, 
 ,,he has no feelings for his native land, he has no love 
 .,for his mother country, whilst if he sticks to a political
 
 26 
 
 ,, league, trying to bravely defend its cause, he is pointed 
 ,, at as one who likes tj interfere everywhere. If he shows 
 ,,loyalty, sympathising with the government, they say, 
 ,,he holds always only with the stronger party, with the 
 ,, mightier power, whilst if he joins the liberals and opposes 
 ,, government, they grumble, that the Jew can only over- 
 ,,throw every good plan and will never assist a good cause". 
 If we now look upon Russia, we will observe just the 
 same. In former times, one always heard a complaint that the 
 Jews do not seed their children to school, they do not like to 
 work and will never take to a trade or profession, keeping only 
 to commerce in its different styles. Now they are being per- 
 secuted, driven out from their homes and property, their rights 
 and privileges are limited day by day, because they have de- 
 voted themselves too much to education, they have too many 
 learned men, too many good artisans, they have overcrowded 
 every trade, overfilled every profession. 
 
 But leaving all that on one side, let us now investigate some 
 other faults which the enemies of the nation of Israel find with 
 the Jews. 
 
 Some say, the Jews deprive their gentile neighbours of a 
 livelihood, and yet, we see that where, in opposition to Jewish 
 shops, Christians have established the same stores, with a view 
 of benefiting their customers by selling goods under cost price, 
 yet the buyers stick to the Jew, who, speculating on one hand, 
 and economising in his wants on the other, limits his profits 
 to the minimum and can thus sell his goods much cheaper 
 than his gentile neighbour. Where again, Jews are buying 
 goods of Gentiles, the sellers realise the highest prices, since, 
 as nearly all Jews are excluded from trades, they must live
 
 27 
 
 from hand to mouth, and there are always many anxious to 
 buy one article, and one tries therefore to offer a higher price 
 than the other, so that, when finally the goods are sold to the 
 highest bidder, they leave the buyer only a very small profit 
 
 From others we may often hear, Jews are usurers, lend 
 money on unreasonable interest etc. Now I happen to know 
 a great many, whom this profeision has entirely ruined, as they 
 lent their monies away and never had the chance of seeing 
 them again, neither capital nor interest, and then, I really fail 
 to see, how we can now-a-days wonder seeing a Jew, who, when 
 he risks all his money, wishes to make at least a good profit by 
 it, if we see, that those, who lend away articles or sell them 
 on "hire system", when the article is the property of the seller 
 so long, until the whole sum agreed is paid up in full, and 
 where, suppose the last two instalments are not paid within 
 as many as 3 weeks only, all previous payments are forfeited, 
 the agreement void, and the property returns to the seller. 
 
 If such dealing, with a profit of 200 or 300 per cent is 
 justifiable, surely the Jew is not wrong at all. 
 
 We meet again others who say: the Jewish publicans make 
 of their gentile fellowmen drunuards. Now do we not find many 
 nay too many drunkards in such towns where there is no Jewish 
 publican. Here in England, for instance, where only one of 
 every thousand public houses belongs to a Jew. and where 
 spirits are so dear, are we short of drunkards? Have we not 
 enough and more than enough, and do we ever find any Jews 
 amongst them. 
 
 This, I think, will sufficiently, prove, how^wrong it is of 
 our "every day criticisers" to ascribe such incredible faults to 
 the Jews.
 
 -- 28 
 
 A further proof how Jews will never succeed in pacifying 
 their enemies we find, if we remind ourselves of the accusation 
 brought against the Jews about their using human blcod for 
 Passover (mn nWi>). We all know how severely we are 
 prohibited to use meat that has not been soaked in water for 
 at least hour, how it then lies in salt for an hour and is 
 washed again to remove the last trace of blood from it. 
 We also knojr, that a Jew is not permitted to use an egg, if 
 the least bloodstain be found in it. Now especially human blood. 
 Is not the use of it repeatedly forbidden in a most decided 
 manner in the Holy Writ? Does it not say: "u?Djn trn Oin '3" 
 "For the blood is the soul"! Have not non-jewish clergymen, 
 nay even Popes, already taken a holy oath and piven their 
 assurance to testify, that the accusation, that the Jews even 
 only intend to use human blood, is ridiculous and false? Have 
 not great men of science, great statesmen, publicly expressed 
 their indignation on hearing such charges brought forward? And 
 yet, in the XIX century, there are still such men, and men 
 professing to be educated, who do not shrink from bringing 
 such false charge, ond persecuting the Jews or allowing them to 
 be persecuted by the poeple for a crime they never thought of 
 committing. 
 
 Our enemies will thus never be satisfied with us, and, 1 
 think, how wisely did our Rabbis teach us: ~[Tt *rn irn nDi 'ZTi 
 a-inpi^ mani rvwyb mnari NMU; ?3 ainmS Tirty mur 
 (Aboth II, 1.) "Which is the rigth course a man should choose 
 for himfelf? That which he feels to be honourable to himself, 
 and which brings him honour from every noble man". ("mn. 
 noble man as explained in the preface.) 
 
 Now, our great moralists (?) accuse the Jews, especially
 
 29 
 
 thosr, who come over to England of bad habits and corrupt 
 character. As a matter of fact, the noble Englishman can im- 
 possibly wonder if he finds amongst those of our foreign Brethren 
 whom he sees in England, such, whose character is corrupt and who 
 do not shrink before a transgression of law. For we must con~ 
 sider, that many who come over to this country from Russia, 
 with exceptions of course, are either such, as have hitherto 
 led a vicious course of life, and were therefore compelled to 
 leave their homes, or freethinkers, whose sense and understand- 
 ing has not yet quite developed itself. The better class of 
 people remain at their homes, notwithstanding the great suffer- 
 ings they have to endure. The orthodox Jews, who comprise 
 the greatest part of the Jewish population, and who, one and 
 all, are well and thoroughly educated, brought up in pure moral 
 and humane principles which they always show. In their commer- 
 cial relations they are as their gentile neighbours, and give 
 way to speculation and profits only, when prompted to do so 
 by circumstances of life. Otherwise their life is devoted to study 
 of law and charitable deeds. 
 
 We must therefore not wonder if amongst those whom 
 we see here we can find such with corrupt moral character. 
 We expect them to be such, but even this falls back upon our 
 wealthier brethren, who by not providing a place for their 
 poorer brethren, where they should meet and improve and 
 support each other morally and materially, have forced them 
 to remain as they were, nay, to become still worse. 
 
 Had such place been thought of, we would surely not meet 
 with wicked men amidst our Brethren, nor would the Socialistic- 
 idea have found so many blind followers, as it has gained 
 now-a days. May I therefore ask those of my noble readers,
 
 30 
 
 who feel themselves able to do so, that they should kindly pay 
 due attention to this fault and try their utmost to amend it 
 for the good of our nation and for humanity's sake. 
 
 It would also be necessary to urge upon our noble Breth- 
 ren that they should take a greater interest in the labour 
 question, 
 
 Those of our poor Brethren who live in such parts of 
 the Globe, where they must suffer under persecution and govern" 
 ment oppression by certain bye-laws, limiting their rights 
 and privileges enclosing them in a ghetto, where they have to 
 submit to privation in every way, and are exposed to uncred - 
 ible need and misery, I would heartily advise to be tolerant to 
 show themselves brave and patiently submit to everything put 
 upon them, difficult as it may be. 
 
 Such tyranical laws and restrictions^are like a pestilence, 
 like an infectious disease, which, though severe, cannot be of 
 long duration. We find in the Thalmud (Jebamoth p. 21) that 
 Rabbi Gamliel has one deplored tne wreck of a ship, which 
 amongst other passengers included the greai Rabbi Akiba. 
 The latter, when saved, told his faithful friend that he miracul- 
 ously saw a board floating and, taking refuge on this board, 
 he used to bow his head to every wave which rolled by. 
 
 "Hence we learn" say our sages, "that when the wicked 
 oppress a man, he shall bow his head unto them". We find the 
 same is told of Rabbi Meir (ibid. ) who relating his rescue snys : 
 "One wave transmitted me to the other, that to the next oae, 
 until I thus reach dry land". I hope every man with common 
 sense will understand in these allegorical descriptions but a 
 moral teaching to us to be tolerant towards our enemies and 
 to patiently bear every injustice done to us. Our oppressed and
 
 31 
 
 persecuted Brethren in Russia and elsewhere must not lose their 
 courage, but on the contrary, bravely submit to all, try to keep 
 the letter of the lawn, never transgressing them in the least and 
 seek consolation in their loyalty towards their superiors and in 
 the good hope for better days to come. 
 
 Acting in this way, they will, though never closing the mouths 
 of their enemies, yet on the other hand by their mute tolerance, 
 turn upon themselves the eyes of the Rulers and noble men of 
 those countries of the habitable globe, where humanity and civi- 
 lization has reached a high standard as the Queen of England, 
 the Kings of Austria, Germany, Italy, the Heads of France, 
 the United States and other governments, and they, by their 
 influential support and interference, will endeavour to soften the 
 hearts, to enlighten the minds of the oppressors, to open^ their 
 eyes on all subjects, which may be either concealed from them 
 or misrepresented to them, and destroying all hatred and enmity, 
 spread peace and welfare everywhere, thus realising the 
 words of Isaiah 72011* DO!?D vm "And Kings will be thy 
 nursing fathers" (LXIX 28). And as we have been taught by 
 our Rabbis "to pray for the welfare of the Kings" as will they 
 promoto our happiness and unite all the universe in peace, as our 
 Psalmist says: ~p aibttf N: mnn 'VTi TIN fj?D^> "For the sake of my 
 Brethren and friends will I speak of peace unto thee". And in 
 fact, nothing can so well promote the happiness of the world 
 as peace, as our Rabbis teach us: n:m p^ino ^D n"npn NVD &b> 
 .aibtm loj? n -p:r 'n jrv IDJ;> ny 'n -)o:ty m?u>n N!?N btrwb 
 The Almighty has found no better way and means to bring bless' 
 ings to Israel but peace, as it says: "God will give strength 
 unto Hisp oeple, blessing them with psace".
 
 32 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Before I commence to explain a fevi passages in this 
 work, may I be allowed to quote a lew Rules on which my 
 theory is based. 
 
 Rule 1. In some places of the Pentateuch we will find 
 that the words are not clearly explained, but that what is 
 wanted in one place, is explained in another. 
 
 Rule 2. Many times a verse consists of- two parts, 
 speaking of two different subjects, both being afterwards se~ 
 perately explained. Often we will find also the reverse, that 
 is that botli subjects are explained collectively owing to a 
 special motive. 
 
 Rule 3. A verse in the Holy Scripture can often be 
 explained in many ways, some even opposed and contradicting 
 each other. We must, therefore not be surprised, if one study- 
 ing the Books ot Moses will arrive at conclusions, which will 
 very much differ from those, made by another as arduous a 
 student. This difference of opinions, views and conclusions 
 drawn of the same subject is striking not only considering 
 single individuals, but we will observe that these views 
 and opinions differ greatly in every generation, and at last 
 there will be as much reason for one opinion as there will 
 be sufficient motive to justify another, even quite the opposed 
 theory. The orthodox will as bravely fight for the truth of 
 his conclusions, as will the more advanced philosopher find 
 sufficient ground to prove his ideas of the same verse, basing 
 on and guided by certain words in a text. But it is clear 
 that our great Legislator had been obliged to speak allegori- 
 cally, for he knew that different as the faces and features of 
 men, are their opinions, understandings, ideas and views.
 
 33 
 
 (1). A proof that we cannot love God without feeling 
 sincere love for and sympathy with our fellow creatures, we 
 will find in our Ten Commandments, the sole basis of our 
 holy creed. In the first commandment we read: "I am the 
 Lord thy God who hath brought thee out of the land of Egypt, 
 out of the house of bondage". Why does it not say: "Who 
 has created the Heaven and Earth and all thereonP'This tends 
 to prove, that since God so nuiraculeously delivered them 
 from the land of Egypt, where they were treated like Slaves, 
 since he has shown them so strikingly His abundant mercy 
 arid love, He wishes the Israelites to learn to be loving, kind 
 and merciful to their fellowmen, the poor and the oppressed 
 and this means, "to know and love God". Just so in the 
 second commandment, which concludes with the words: "Who 
 bestoweth gracious favours upon those who love Me unto 
 the thousandth generation". Here He speaks of those who 
 keep His commandments as such who love Him. 
 
 In the third commandment we find the way given, by 
 which judges are enabled to give right judgment in every ca- 
 se. We are commanded again to keep the Sabbath day. "Thou 
 sha)t do no work whatever", it says, "nor thy son, nor thy 
 daughter, nor thy man servant, nor thy maid-servant) nor 
 thy cattle or thy stranger in thy gates". But why the seventh 
 day? Because in 6 days God hath '--reated .heaven and earth, 
 the sea and all therein. All modern philosophers agree that 
 six periods have elapsed, before man has been able to exist 
 on the habitable globe. "Therefore" continues the command- 
 ment "God hath blessed the seventh day and inads it holy". 
 If we compare the text of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 
 to that of their repetition in Deutrouomy, we will find that
 
 34 
 
 in both different reasons are given for the sanctification of the 
 Sabbath. 
 
 In Exodus the principal stress is laid on "God created 
 Heaven and Earth'* what has hitherto not been mentioned 
 in the rmmn muw at all, and why it is expressly the seventh 
 day that we must keep holy. In Deutronomy we see as 
 reason of keeping the Sabbath holy "that thy man servant 
 and thy maid servant shall rest like unto thee, and thou shalt 
 remember that thou hast been a slave in the land of Egypt 
 and God hath brought thee out from there, therefore He 
 hath commanded to keep the Sabbath". This accounts for 
 what our Rabbis say 'nowi in -mm "noun ioi /( i. e. that 
 both the texts of the Ten Commandments, have to be regarded 
 as one sentence. They are unimaginable when separated and 
 can only be explained if closely connected with each other. 
 I need hardly continue to point out, how the rest of rhe 
 ten Commandments aim simultanously at love of man. as 
 every one of my readers will doubtless understand, that each 
 Commandment bids us to show our sincerest love to our 
 fellowmen in so decided a manner, that there cannot be the 
 slightest doubt about it. 
 
 We also find (Deutr. X, 18) 2mi ruot>ni Dirv toa^o ntyr 
 ynhit-* 'n ns-< 'IDT n:n nn annrwi nt>oun anh ib nn 1 -? "^ 
 pmn 131 -mjm imr-* t-o'n "He doth execute the judgement 
 of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger etc , 
 love ye therefore the stranger etc. Thou shalt fear the Lord 
 thy God, Him shalt thou serve and to Him shalt thou cleave 
 etc." In Deutr- XI, 22, 12 npm^i vrmn robi? DDV^H 'n n mnn^ 
 "to love your God, to walk in his ways and to cleave unto 
 Him". Speaking of this verse our Rabbis ask: How can one
 
 35 
 
 cleave to his creator? and answer: but by learning to walk in 
 liis ways and to imitate His abundant high qnalities, being 
 merciful as He is, bestowing favours as he does Dim win no 
 pan nn f]t* pon nin no Dim nn* t\n Thus our great Legislator 
 starts by specyfying the great qualities of the Almighty 
 and inducing us to imitate them and finishes that by so doing 
 we will love our God and cleave unto him. 
 
 (2). It is impossible to love mankind without truly feeling 
 love and reverence for our God. We find in Jeremiah XXII 
 Ii>-l6 >;y jn p .ib 3.1 to IN npvi joEtrc rma"i nriun bst* Ni>n -pz&i 
 .'n Dit*j TIN njnn Kin !?n IP 210 t p^to "Did not thy 
 father tat and drink and do judgmeut and justice and then 
 it was well to him? He judged the cause of the poor and 
 needy,then it was well to him. Is not this to know Me'r* saith 
 the Lord". Here we find a specification o qualities by learn- 
 ing which a man gains true love to God and knowledge 
 of his Maker on high. We find further in the Talmud: (Bra~ 
 choth 63) minrr 'su iottf njiop nuna win IP wisp in tyni 
 (6 j 'ptyo) Yniniin ~w t-^im T^n 73*11 i?D2 IDWJI^ na o^n 
 Which is the shortest sentence including the principal basis 
 of our holy law, it says "in all thy ways know Him and He 
 will straighten thy path". Thus if we do all that is good 
 humane and beneficial to mankind we learn to know our Crea- 
 tor to love Him truly and sincerely. 
 
 Frontlets p?sn and fringes nvftf which we are commanded 
 to wear do also clearly remind us of the connection existing 
 between love of God and lovo of man. With regard to pan 
 the Ebn Esra and the Rashbam have already given a most 
 detailed explanation in this respect, and I need not coment 
 upon it here. They pointed to the words -p^ mi> by nans Write
 
 36 
 
 them upon the tablets of thy heart and showed that, if we 
 truly comprehend the high morals enclosed in the command- 
 ment of -p'Bn we have to learn from it, that neither shall 
 our heart ever consent, our hand ever do, nor shall our eyes 
 ever dare to look upon anything that is wrony. Hereto we 
 may add that since in the first chapter of you? it says: vrr ; 
 "pmb by ovn TIYD 3i ium nbn annn "And the words 1 
 command thee this day shall be upon thy heart", and in 
 the second: 4&33G&ltorin > *7M nn ns annun* "!\nd you shall 
 put these My words upon your hearts", it means that we 
 have to thoroughly study the words of Grod and inscribe them 
 into our heart as a constant guide of our actions towards 
 our fellow men. 
 
 A pamphlet on the subject when frontlets have been first 
 introduced has been published not long ago by Mr. Rodkinson. 
 
 With regard to fringes JTYY it seems to me that since 
 at that time people did not know of trousers as a wearing 
 apparel, they used to cover themselves with long garments 
 and in order as to warrant to the future generations the full 
 preservation of their bodily health, as also to introduce 
 principles of morality and chastity, our great Legislator has 
 commanded in the name of God (Deutr. XXII, 12) O'Sij 
 . f ro norm ~m-* 10102 mew jmt- by i^ ntpyn Thou shalt 
 make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture 
 wherewith thou coverest thyself, Moses had, 
 in order as to bind his hearers to fulfill his commandments 
 aiming at the moral improvement of his beloved nation, been 
 obliged to speak in the name of the Almighty as an express 
 commandment, or else they would not make it their duty 
 to obey. And as he, Mosos, has thoroughly felt, that the
 
 - 37 
 
 love of God and the love of man is very closely connected, 
 and that man is only "man in full* when he has his godly 
 yift, his senses and feelings, this precious Q'nbt-* a W impressed 
 upon him, the great legislator commanded to chose the blue 
 colour n';on as the nearest to heavenly colour, and reminding 
 us constantly of our great and merciful father in Heaven. 
 
 I must clearly point out that I am far from intending 
 to dissuade any one nS'^n from the use of fringes and front- 
 lets. I ouly wish to express my opinion about how our 
 great legislator came to give these commandments, so as 
 to obtain the freethinking class of our Brethren to regard 
 it as fanaticism and to present it to the true believers as 
 a natural command. I refer also to the words, with which 
 the great Ebn Esra finishes his explanation about this sub- 
 ject: 'PITTI pmv pt-^ a'Don nm. "The words of our sages re- 
 quire no confirmation", which is a justification to all classes. 
 
 Thus, i think, it is sulh'ciently clear to everybody, 
 how we see from ryvy and p^an the close connection between 
 love of God and love of our fellowmen. 
 
 (3) '(via '-\ onm) n:ion to Dn>*o *o ^ aDVTWQji? amoun 
 "Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves for ye saw 
 no manner of Similitude" (Deutr. IV. 15). mn nt* or-wrti 
 (aD j"i> rnou?) ito 1 t>h MQI And thou shalt see My backparts 
 but My lace shall not be sten" (Exod. XXXIII, 23). Many of 
 our great philosophers and commentators of the holy writ 
 agree that where it says of God mnn, it means that part oi 
 His heavenly glory which He has manifested in thib world, 
 in His works. This ;-, the only part of the knowledge of God 
 ncce.ssible to us. \Ve have no power nor right to study the 
 glory of our heavenly Father, but of his creation, creatures
 
 38 
 % 
 
 and actions. Unfortunately we meet a great many who like 
 to acknowledge the benevolent hand of God only as long as 
 they are happy, whealthy and successful in their undertaking?, 
 but he, who has thoroughly learnt to know human life, he, 
 who has ever tried to study the creator of his glorious work 
 of creation, who has reached a high standard of human de- 
 velopment and perfection, will ask the questiou of Job: 
 ('' 'a *jvtf) r'bnpi tb jr.n ni cv&Mn no tapa niton n "Shall we 
 receive the goodatthe hand of God aud shall not receive evil" 
 (Job II, 10.) Although there are many whom one or another 
 arrangement in this world may displease, hurt or dissatisfy, 
 yet they are only few, whereas th<3 great majority at large 
 derives unlimited Benefit of all that God has willed to give 
 to this world or to d<> therewith, as ic will be further on ex- 
 plained in Nr. 17. 
 
 There is still another way to explain this verse. Up to 
 the present about sixty five elements are said to exist in 
 creation, by composing and separating whicb, all discoveries 
 in chemistry have been made hitherto and new ones will be 
 made in future. Supposing that the word *aa points to these 
 very elements, the sentence could thus be explained. However 
 much we will study the mystery of creation, we will only 
 know these bare elements, but the way of creation, and the 
 source of such an element, will always remain a mystery, 
 which man will never be able to solve, nor will human know- 
 ledge ever be able to produce a new element, Whilst all the 
 greatest capacites have and will have to devote the whole of 
 their lives to discover these elements. Moses, in his time, 
 was so far advanced in knowledge and wisdom, that he knew 
 all of them, and made use of them in performing all the mi-
 
 39 
 
 racles dictated by God to Pharao in Egypt in presence of all 
 the poeple. This would also explain the verse: TIJ> Dp vH^ a 
 DTiEnom nnn W a>:a !?* c'je 'n IJTP iu nu>DD ^witrn win 
 (N" '' i"i? Dn:n) nnvo pto irtw^ 'n in^u; ityw i. e., and 
 yet there has been no prophet in Israel, like Moses, who 
 had so great a knowledge of God that he knew the use of all 
 elements in creation and the compositions thereof. But he knew 
 still more, his knowledge was further advanced. He understood 
 to use the elements in creation for producing such substances 
 that will be useful for posterity, and to utilize them when 
 necessary for the advantage of the world. Wishing to bring 
 his beloved nation out of Egypt, their laud of bondage, and 
 to make them receive the Thorah, his knowledge helped him 
 to perform the greatest miracles. This has given foundation to 
 Religion, that holy cord which unites the whole of the human 
 race on earth. Without humanity, humane and moral principles 
 all knowledge is of no value, as it says: you?: '"Wn i:n f\\o tl 
 "tD-wn,, io m D TIDU; vmvo ni to ovtbK n "Let us hear 
 the conclusion of the whole matter, fear God and keep his 
 commandments, for this is the whole man (Eccles. XII, 13.) 
 Rifles, Guns and other firearms are of great importance and 
 value, as they protect us before the wild beasts, dynamit is 
 necessary and very useful to split great stones, to remove 
 mountains, when laying a railroad, navigating a river etc. Now- 
 a-days we find the very same inventions used in quite a different 
 way and for quite another purpose. Rifles, guns and firearms 
 in General, poeple, under the lioly mask of politics, use, to 
 take the life of innoi ent human beings on the field of battle, dy 
 namit to kill thousands of their fellowmen in war. Such a use 
 of tliose harmless chemical substances, surely was never intended
 
 40 
 
 by our Almighty Creator, and for this object, it would be 
 far better, if knowledge would never have discovered them. 
 
 (4). "TIDD im? raring "Love thy neighbour like thy- 
 self (Levit. XIX, 18) This commandment bids us to love every 
 one with whom we associate, who can be of use and advantage 
 to us in any way whatsoever, of whom we can learn morals, man- 
 ners etc. All they are entitled to our uninterested and sacrificing 
 love, which we feel tor our own selves. And since only he can 
 truly love himself, who bases his life upon morality and human- 
 ity, who is aware of the high qualities, which place him higher 
 above every other creature, such a man will always love hi* 
 neighbour, without distinctions of race or creed. 
 
 This is the reason why the commandment of love to our 
 fellowmen finishes with 'n : "I am God", an expression, 
 which, though interpreted in many ways must always lead to 
 the same conclusion. 
 
 It suould be mentioned, that all passages of the Holy 
 Writ commanding us to love the stranger terminate with 
 'n 3Ni 
 
 (5). "QD m non MI p niinihmj 'til rn isi t-*ypv '~ 
 mun nnSin ''Rabbi Akiba, referring to the verse of the above 
 note says, it is the principal law in the Bible Ben Asai says 
 it is the Hook of Generations of mankind. What can be hi .'her 
 than the term of Rabbi Akiba, and why is Ben Aaai induced 
 to call it different? But Ben Asai, when giving his opinion, 
 was thinking of the question: What have men been doing be 
 fore they received the Thorah? What were those doing, who did 
 wot know yet of the holy Writ? Or what do the freethinkers 
 do, who do not acknowledge the authority of the Holy Script- 
 ure, the necessity of religion? He came to the coU'ilusion, that
 
 - 41 
 
 the feeling ot love to our fellowmen is a gift of God, implanted 
 into the heart of every map born child and he explains this 
 opinion by saying: "this is the book of human generations" i. e. 
 This quality was with every human being at pli times. 
 
 (6). D-rht* cStfa iD:^ '01 aSvn t~i2:ty cnurr ran 
 'DID p>jr o; DU? zo"'Din p>a? p" ' : r 1121 * 'P'*) D " n nw N " a 
 (/J t'v 'cnni K" mpa 1 "Beloved is a man for he was created 
 in the image (of God) etc. for jt says: In the image of God 
 made he man" (Aboth III. 18. Compare also Tosvoth Yomtov 
 there and Tosvoth in Jebamoth 11 and Aboda Zara 3.) In all 
 places above mentioned we find clearly explained by our Rabbis, 
 that wherever it says: 'Dl.sn. with q. definite /( n" (njrrn n) it 
 means all men that fill the habitable globe, whilst the word 
 ain (without the definite n) means only the Israelites. I just 
 think to explain the meaning of our strictly orthodox and lear- 
 ued Rabbis this way. A human being only then deserves the 
 name "man", when possesing humanity. But at the time of 
 our great legislator all nations, except the Jews, had not yet 
 learned to know the importance of humanity in life, nay some 
 were even so wicked and corrupt that they offered their children 
 up as sacrifices to their idols and were thus not worthy of the 
 name cm. Yet if amongst these wicked and evildoing masses 
 there were men, who understood the importance of humanity 
 and distinguished themselves, by moral principles, from others, 
 such were regarded as equal to the Jews, no matter to what 
 nation or creed they belonged, and wishing to point especially 
 to such man, Moses used the word Dinn with the definite ar~ 
 iicle "the man". We also find that our Rabbis call such except- 
 ionally good with the name "friend" ~Dn jn Just so we read: 
 ton atJiyS p?n on? w obim moit* Ton "The pious men of 
 
 '
 
 to 42 
 
 every race have their share of future grace". 
 
 (7). ")jn ttfBi n onjrr DDK 3 "For you know the spirit 
 of a stranger (Bxodus XXIII 9.) This .great and important 
 commandment is many times repeated in the Holy Scripture. 
 But the Jews would never have been able to feel with the opp- 
 ressed and persecuted, had they not themselves been subjected 
 slavery and illtreatment in Egypt. 
 
 We all know, that one can never feel anything deep enough 
 before he experiences it himself, and our Rabbis wisely teach 
 us: iDipo!? jPJJDttt TJJ TOn n pnb "Judge not thy neighbour 
 till thou art come into his place" (Aboth II, 5) i. e. never give 
 your opinion upon anybody's position until you have duly ex~ 
 perienced and investigated the same. Let me just give a parable 
 to illustrate this: There was onne a King, who was affraid, that 
 his son and heir to tne throne, being brought up in tenderness 
 and surrounded with every kind of luxury, as Rulers' children 
 usually are, will never be able, when taking the lead of Government, 
 to listen to the cry of oppressed, to feel the position of the un- 
 fortunate of his subjects. He therefore decided to send him 
 abroad and to limit his allowance gradually to a minimum When 
 the son returned home he said: My father, there is no'.hing that 
 can teach us so well as personal experience. 
 
 So would Jews never be able to acknowledge the pitiable 
 position of the oppressed and persecuted, were they not subjected 
 to slavery and illtreatment themselves in Egypt. 
 
 This very feeling caused by personal experience was one of 
 the principal reasons why they were at once ready to accept 
 the high morals of religion, prescribed by Moses in the name 
 of God founded solely on humane and moral principles. 
 
 Oar great Legislator went even so far, that he distinctly
 
 43 
 
 told the Israelites, that even when they come to the holy land, 
 the promised land, their inheritance, they have still not to forget 
 that they are only sojourners there, and that they must thus 
 all the more feel with the stranger. Therefore Moses says unto 
 them in the name of God pun ;>3 'S '3 mrvoy^ "Oon !? p**m. 
 "The land shall not .(;:: n3 top>i) noj? ann o'3Uflrn D'IJ '3 
 be sold for ever, for all the land is Mine, for ye are only 
 strangers and sojourners with me" (Levit. XXV. 23). 
 
 The Israelites have proved wonderfully obeying this Com- 
 mandment, as we find that on a piece of land 33 by 20 miles 
 they had as many as 153,600 strangers. This is confirmed in 
 Chronicles II. 2, v. 6 (.1 '3 '3 D'DTi n3i)' 
 
 (8). Whenever the law speaks of "the stranger" *u it always 
 adds "who dwells in your midst" D33in3 "Un That the word 
 "la did not refer to one who has , ~ x .. newly embraced 
 the Jewish faith is clearly seen in Deutr. XXVIII, 43, and 
 Isaiah LVI. 1~9. 
 
 (9) o D33in3 IJH -urn m)n nbun nninnn ^D inum t-^-i 
 
 "And ye shall not commit any of these abomiaations, neither 
 any of your nation, nor any citizen and stranger that sojourneth 
 amidst you. For all these abominations have the men of the 
 land done, which were before you and the land became 
 defiled. (Levit. XVIII. 26-27) 
 
 (10). adroit on IU>N orrmt n >*our '33 i3' "m-* po 1 ? 
 .Q*vywb Dn^nni m nil? innr h '131 'n> D3ni mtrn ^Q Sr 
 "In order that the children of Israel shall offer up their sacri- 
 fices, which they offer in the open field, and that they may 
 bring them unto God etc. And they shall no more offer their 
 sacrifices unto devils. Levit. XVII, 5~7.
 
 44 
 
 
 In the explanation of these verses the Middraeh agrees 
 
 with the Rambam and adds an example in his commentary. 
 
 (11). rro -w Da'n 1 -?*-* 'n ma n inatwi JB DD!? nonm 
 '131 TrjijH 'n TIY -WN b mien ioa D: onnrin DDDI? "Take 
 heed unto yourelves, lest you forgt the covenant of the 
 L ord your God, which He made with jou, and make yon 
 a graven image the likeness of any thing, which the Lord 
 thy God hath forbidden thee". (Deutr. IV. 23). It seems to me 
 that Moses wished in this verse to guard his poeple against 
 fanaticism oi any kind. All commentaries experience great diffi- 
 culty in wishing to explain the words pni^M 'n -py itim I think 
 Moses meant to say: "Take heed that in studying the Com- 
 mandments of Go 1 , you should not make them merely stand* 
 ing forms and formalities as the images are blindly worshipped 
 without further moral principles. There were, for instance, many 
 amongst the Jews who regarded p^en mvo the commandment 
 of frontlets and other commandments as a commandment, to 
 which they have blindly to obey, without taking the trouble to 
 consider its meral connection with the duties of men and hu- 
 manity, to which I referred above. 
 
 An illustration bow fanaticism was brought about, will be 
 seen in the following: Amongst the priests and clergy, who at 
 all times were and still remain the spiritual guides of the Con- 
 gregation we see three different classes. Some who really feel 
 and acknowledge the high moral principles of humanity contain- 
 ed in the law, but who in order as to make them accessible to 
 all mankind who shall abide by them, they had no other way 
 but daggling the eyes of their congregants, others again did so 
 out of the simple reason that they knew that to be a priest 
 is a good position and pays well. But there were also such,
 
 ' -45 
 
 ~ ""- Wf " 
 
 especially in later days, who after having seen and heard the 
 details related of the previous two classes, took the command- 
 ment simply as a fanaticism ard treated it as such. To this, 
 I think, it is due. that we meet now-a-days fanaticism so often 
 not only with the .fews, but in every creed. But in face of this, 
 already the prophets, knowing that the true basis of every com- 
 mandment is only morality and humanity, strongly protested 
 against blind obedience and fanaticism, trying to press upon 
 and preach only of true religion, bare of any fanatical ingredient 
 and based solely upon our moral conduct snd human feelings. 
 
 (Isaiah X, 2 and "the whole chapter LVIII etc.) 
 
 * . c?rri 
 
 (12) Think not that I am come to destroy the law or 
 
 the prophets; I am not come to destroy but to fulfill. Whoso- 
 ever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, 
 and shall teach men so he shall be called the least in the King- 
 dom of Heaven. (St. Mathew V! 17. 19.) 
 
 The passages quoted above from the Now Testament, will 
 show, that Christ did not intend to give his followers a new 
 creed, but he showed the Pharisees a way of making religion 
 more comprehensible to mankind in developing its moral and 
 human principles in a popular way to his disciples, who all 
 were offsprings of the Jewish race, in order as to induce all 
 nations of the habitable globe to acknowledge the unity of God 
 and the necessity of love, sincere love, not only towards our 
 friends but even towards our enemies. 
 
 Religiously speaking we can only hate and despise a man 
 who is of corrupt and immoral habits, and as such a man not 
 only is hated by others, but he also feels love for nobody, he is 
 called "*ottf,, (enemy i. e. one who hateth thee). But at the same 
 time, with reference to such enemies of ours, we are command-
 
 - 46 
 
 . 
 ed by Moses: ,r? mnpn ntyn nr^n ron IN p>N -nty jnen '3 
 
 .iay 3itj?n nrr it> niyo rnm imtro nnn pi nwtr iion nin 3 
 ('n 'T ;''3 rnottf) '<If thou meetest thy enemy's ox or ass erring 
 thou shalt surely return it unto him. If thou seest the ass of 
 thy foe lying beneath his burden and thou willst not help him; 
 thou must surely help him. (Exodus XXIII 4, 5. 
 
 Our sages say; (j'p 'noBi 3"? a* a) Dip wiu? pytot> fcoun p-iBi> inn 
 When having to unload the cargo of a friend and to take the 
 enemy's cargo, we must give the preference to the enemy, 
 doing his first. 
 
 niaoin explains there, that as an enmity because of corrupt 
 character always entails another enmity, because of personal 
 interest, we can never be able to weigh, which of the two is 
 mightier, and therefore we must serve our enemy first. This 
 has been afterwards repeated in the new Testament, where to 
 explain it distinctly it says: "But I say unto you, love your 
 enemies, bless them that course you, do good to them that 
 hate you. and pray for them which despitefully use you and 
 prosecute you etc. For He maketh His sun rise on the evil 
 and on thn good and sendeth rain on the just and on the un- 
 just. (St. Mathew V. 44, 45). 
 
 These high moral principles have been accepted and acknow 
 ledged by many good thinking poeple, who were ready to sac- 
 rifice even their lives for their true und strict observance. But 
 in course of time, owing to the fanaticism of the clergy, which 
 gradually predominated in the manner aforesaid, their prin- 
 ciples were so misinterpreted, that the fanatics became tyrants 
 and thousands were brutally slaughtered, because they stuck 
 to the very principles, which Christ himself preached. This wa<
 
 47 
 
 the origin of the great hiptorical event, called the "Spanish 
 Inquisition". 
 
 Many Christians hate Jews because their forefathers have 
 killed Christ- If we will carefully study the New Testament and 
 secular history of the beginning of the Christian era, we will 
 easily find, that both, the sentence and crucification of the 
 Founder of Christianity were, but a conspiracy of Pilate and 
 Herod, who were both not of Jewish descent. Jews have even 
 always been against them. But as it was in their own interest 
 to gain the favour of the government and the people, they have 
 done their cruel deeds through the priests, who, in their turn 
 found it then very practical, and were even compelled to 
 seek the sympathy of the rulers, because they appointed them. 
 Moreover we find it many times mentioned in the New Testament 
 that the Herodians were great enemies of Christ and tried to 
 interfere on every occasion acting against Christ and his 
 followers. Compare: Mathew XXI L 16; Mark III. 6; VI, 14; 
 VIII. 15; XII. 14; Luc. VI. 7; XXIII, 7 etc.) In St. John 
 XVIII, 37, we read: "Pilate therefore said unto him: "Art 
 thou a King"? he answered "thou sayest I am a King". 
 
 If we follow the contents of the whole chapter, we find 
 that Pilate fully believed Christ was King and wished him 
 punished as an impostor, but Christ never gave a plain and straight 
 answer to his questions. Moreover Pilate had reason to fear 
 that Christ will proclaim himself a King. In Luc. XXIII. 11 we 
 see that Herod and his elders laughed at Christ and mocked 
 him, and we will see in onother chapter, when Pilate pleads 
 his cause before the people, he tries also to defend Herod and 
 to take his part. Now what reason had Pilate to defend Herod, 
 who mocked Christ? If Pilate again believed Christ, why did
 
 - 48- 
 
 he assault when he sent him away? Why did he allow his 
 soldiers to illtreat Christ? It was not only Christ whom Herod 
 tried to get rid of, He also put to death Zaducees Pharisees 
 eren Members of the Sanhedrin and others. 
 
 As a proof that the Jews were innocent <>n that senten- 
 ce, we can see, that Rabbi Gamliel, who, when the Apostles 
 were brought up for sentence before the Sanhedrin, exclaimed: 
 "By cruel law, you will not destroy this, if it is the will of 
 God". (Acts V, 34). We also read in St. John (XVIII, 31) 
 that when Pilate brought Christ for sentence before the Jews, 
 t^ey said: "Jtis not lawful for us to put any man to death." 
 
 But, after all, if we should even suppose for a moment 
 that more than 1800 years ago, some ancestors of tbe present 
 Jews were concerned in Christ's crucification, what of it? May 
 w.e blame their posterity now after so many centuries? Dit not 
 Jeremiah say: "Prunpn D'n rrun ion iio mm Tii? no' ?" 
 "They will no more say, Fathers have eaten unripe fruit 
 and the sons' teeth shall become hollow" (Jeremiah XYXI, 29) 
 DJ4 not Ezekiel say "mon ton rmionn tyaai n pin t*ty !? p A 
 "The son shall not bear the father's sin, and ths person that 
 ainneth shall die? (Ezekiel XXXI 18). All that referreed to 
 the time when the world will be far enough advanced in 
 humanity. Now, is it possible, and is it not a shame, if it be 
 a fact, that in the XIX century, the century of civilisation, the 
 world should still be so far back as to make the thousandth 
 generation sijffer for a nearly two thousandth years old sin 
 of their ancestors? If we think to open the books of history 
 and go to account, every nation beginning from the Greeks and 
 finishing with the most civilised deserves persecution. The 
 
 Greeks treacherously killed Socrates and every nation has to 
 
 f ;
 
 - 49- 
 
 meraorate plenty of cruel inhuman and atrocious fleeds in 
 their history. Happily, time makes us forget, but we must 
 forget all, and if we remember one, why not think of 
 the others? 
 
 Just speaking of the verse ion iio rna *ny now' 1 Vt 
 mnpn n'33 ^un in Jeremiah, I remind myself, that in the next 
 verse, where it says: "And I shall make a new covenant with 
 the House of Israel and the House of Judah". The Mission- 
 aries wish to mean the teaching of the New Testament as the 
 new covenant. But, since a new covenant can only be made 
 when sins of fathers will not be visited on their offsprings, 
 how can they wish those to believe their teaching, upon 
 whom they constantly throw the guilt of their ancestors? 
 Jeremiah further says: msn nw UPKI Vh ttf' *nj? 110^ vfa lt 
 "o^n; Tin D:topDi5 imt* ijn' C3bi2 D 'n n ijn IDW^I i'And they 
 will no more teach each one his brother and each one his 
 friend saying: Know ye the Lord, for all will know Me from 
 the least of then), unto the greatest of them". Yes, when 
 all will know God and there will be no more want of teachers 
 then will the possibility of a new covenant be a fact, but now, 
 when each one does not believe the theory of his neighbour, 
 when each one fights for the truth of an idea opposed to by 
 his friend, when the truth, the absolute truth, acknowledged 
 by the whole human race, is still a dark mystery, can we 
 speak of a new covenant? Can we say that the time, that 
 blessed time of perfect knowledge and a new covenant has 
 already approached? that the new covenant has already been 
 made? 
 
 I should therefore ask those generous, liberal and be~ 
 uevoleut men, who, true to their creed, support Missions,
 
 50 
 
 that they should take great care, to make these Institutions 
 a school and home where iamates should be kept to learn 
 morals and rules of true humanity, not as these institutions 
 are DOW a stock-exchange for creeds, for the purchase of 
 souls, for getting Jews who have a too limited knowledge 
 of their faith to embrace Christianity fora promise, and apro- 
 inise only of monetary reward. We know that the Jews 
 were and are still now the teachers of morals and humanity 
 to all the universe. Surely they do not want to be taught. 
 But there are many of other creeds, who require and badly re- 
 quire such teaching. Let them be taught, let these institut- 
 ions be open to such destitute and ignorant poeple, and I 
 am sure, the church will reap much more Benefit, than by 
 bargaining Jewish souls, dear, nay, too dear bargains for the 
 present civilized XIX Century. 
 
 Every creed ought to strive to propagate humanity 
 amidst its own followers, leaving other creeds to do the same 
 for themselves. This will be the only means for promoting 
 universal peace and happiness, as will be seen from the 
 letter of the great russian philosopher W. Solovieoff 011 
 page 9 of this pamphlet and in the New Testament from St. 
 Matthew XXII v. 36 40 according to which this is one 
 principal destination in our earthly life. 
 
 (13). The two letters, written by the late Emperor 
 Frederic III to the lleichskanzler Bismarck ''the iron prince" 
 will remain a living memorial to this everlamented humane 
 Ruler. The Emperor therein complained, that owing to their 
 insufficient development in science and study, the german 
 people are unable to value the merits of true humanity. 
 It makes one's heart rejoice, seeing the present young
 
 - 51 
 
 Emperor William If. walking in the footsteps of his never 
 to be forgotten father, of his royal mother, and of his heloved 
 grandmother Her Most Gracious Majesty Victoria Queen of 
 Gt. Britain, Empress of India. Only lately he has expressed 
 himself, after the style of his father's enlightened views, and I 
 hope, that, young and vigorous as he is, he will serve as a 
 good example to other european states. 
 
 Speaking about the German Emperor, I may perhaps be 
 allowed to offer a humble suggestion. According to my idea 
 the peace and prosperity that the european nations now en* 
 joy depend entirely on Emperor William II., and the first 
 step towards disarmement and general peace, would be that 
 Germany and France shall co-operate together, and I hope, 
 that France will compensate Germany with such a sum, that 
 Germany will be satisfied with such an exchange. 
 
 (14) 'Piif-ov 'n ID*-* vrm cm r: nm p-*tn i?vn vh> 
 (Zechariah) IV. 6. 
 
 (15) D'-nyr-' wyb oanrni anno^n NTT o. (Deutr. 4, 6.) 
 
 (17.) These three oaths are also mentioned in the Tal- 
 mud (Kesubottf Jv nmro) 
 
 From all that has been said about the last of the three 
 oaths and Jacob's forgetfulness, when desirous of revealing 
 the Milenium to his sons, we must understand: 1) that we 
 mortals must never allow ourselves to think of plans for an 
 end of all things and for the approach of the Milenium, for it 
 is not iu human power to bring about this happy period- We 
 must arm ourselves with tolerance and patiently await the 
 time when all mankind will be so far advanced as to proper- 
 ly understand each other, to have the same views, equal 
 ideas and to arrive at the same conclusions. Then, in those
 
 52 
 
 happy days, all will be understood by human race alike. 
 2) We can impossibly think, that the world will be in time 
 so far advanced, that we will see but good and not meet 
 with evil. This is absolutely unimaginable and ridiculous. 
 
 For, as it is repeatedly proved in this pamphlet, we can 
 only know what is good, if we see the evil, we can only 
 distinguish the perfect, if we see the imperfect at the side 
 of it, and, were there no evil, we could never think of good, 
 as when there is no nice, we cannot imagine the ugly, with- 
 out light we would never be able to concevie and imagine the 
 dark. Just because we know that something is wrong 
 we avail ourselves of the opportunity to choose the better. 
 Just because we know of something nice, we endeavour to 
 avoid the ugly; because we know tedious and monotonous 
 ways, we will try to find that which is pleasant and agree- 
 able. Thus, if we have the bad, the wrong, the ugly and 
 the unpleasant, we find ample scope to improve our fancy, 
 taste and imagination, our thoughts, ways and actions, and 
 avoiding carefully that which opposes our desire, we will 
 do our utmost to reach always the better, to gain perfection 
 and pleasure at the same time. 
 
 It is the same with science and it? offspring inventions. 
 Whatever is made by a skillful hand, is being improved by 
 others and the longer we will live, the more, inventions of 
 the present day will gain in improvement- 
 
 Fully conscious of this we should never say that, because 
 we have chosen some object or some plan or way, it is the 
 very best. In whatever we do we cannot, as mortals, be so 
 careful as to give others no opportunity to improve our work. 
 We see that in a great many of our modern inventions, as
 
 53 
 
 Railway, Gaslight etc. only the advantageous points were 
 considered by the inventors, who, of course, could by no 
 means foresee, that the slightest oversight, a trifling mistake 
 in u&e, will do great harm. And, speaking of inventions at 
 large, we must say, that, whilst they do a great deal of 
 good, they will do much more harm, if we would for one 
 moment abandon the greatest care, which is needed, whilst 
 making use of such inventions. And it must be so; for hu- 
 man mind, just because it is human, is absolutely unable to 
 foresee all that may arise in consequence of such or other 
 use of our inventions, and, most perfect as it may be in 
 course of time, human mind will never be able to remove 
 all disadvantages of anything it invents with the best of 
 intentions for the use of posterity. 
 
 We will thus find nothing unconditionally perfect in 
 this world, and it would be as ridiculous to think of some 
 thing absolutely good, absolutely right, perfect, nice or 
 pleasant, as it is impossible to find something absolutely 
 bad, wrong, imperfect or ugly, as it is expressed in the 
 words: "mtom rnmn vn *h p'ty ^BD,, "Out of the Most 
 High proceedeth not the evil and the good" (Lament III 38.) 
 i. e. the absolutely evil and the unconditionally good. 
 
 Some thing will only appear bad and unpractical for a 
 moment, but we will soon find, on careful consideration, 
 that its goodness or practicability will depend on our care, 
 we use it with, and were a certain useless or even noxious 
 invention used with due care on our part, we will very soon 
 find its practicability and use. 
 
 Just as it is with inventions it is with thoughts, opinions 
 and ideas.
 
 - 54 - 
 
 For instance, if we find hundreds of workingtnen com* 
 plaining, that owing to the fact that a certain trade having 
 become overcrowded in course of time, they are not able to 
 earn half as much as they used in days gone by, - - such a 
 state, we would say, is deplorable. But if we will consider, 
 that owing to a greater number of people having taken to a 
 certain trade, the articles this trade produces, have become 
 much cheaper, easier accessible to the poorer class, that the 
 want of such articles has gone so far as to give employment 
 to so many hundreds of poeole, we will find the advantage 
 of it. It is very bad, if a place is visited by a contagions 
 disease, and at such times medical advice being needed every- 
 where, the medical men at disposal will never satisfy the wants 
 of the population. The consequences of this are, that hund- 
 reds must fall victims to the desease, because they were not 
 attended to. But if we would endeavour to have always a 
 sufficient number of Doctors, chemists and inventors, why, we 
 would easily be able not only to attend to all our patients, 
 not only to quench the malady, but we would have such means 
 discovered as to prevent the ingress of the morbid disease 
 and who knows not that: "prevention is better than cure". 
 
 I therefore think, that the monies used by the world now 
 for the produce of fire arms, war materials and monuments, 
 which besides that do no good, cause great harm to the world 
 at large, if those monies, I say, would be used for the sup- 
 port of those, who devote themselves to study and science, we 
 would feel no lack of good medical men, thorough chemists 
 and very clever inventors in the moment of need. 
 
 We hear very often people complain of poverty, day by 
 day, nay hour by hour, we see heartrending proofs of need.
 
 55 
 
 want and misery. But this state of things must necessarily 
 exist in the world, or else we would know nothing of pity, 
 of commiseration, of charity and Benevolence. There would 
 be no love of one mau to another. Moses was therefore justi- 
 fied by saying unto his people in the name of God: inrr b o 
 pn mpo p H nM "For the poor shall never cease out of the 
 laud" [Deutr. XV, ll.J (Relying on this Verse of the Bible 
 the Kabbi Samuel found his theory of mo'b mn any rno p p 
 "ora nvsfo iiiuru? H^S* rvttfon) [v. page VIII, 15.] We find a 
 Medrash in Exodus XXXI, where in verse 7 of Psalm 61 is 
 referred to irmyj' \n noto ten DTI^N vtb ainy 3ty "He shall 
 abide before God for ever mercy and truth may preserve him. 
 Following the Hebrew text and explaining this verse 
 the Medrash tells us: David asked of God "why the world 
 is not entirely perfect, why are all men not equally gifted 
 materially and morally"? and received the reply: "If the 
 world will be all perfect aud good, without any difference, 
 who will exercise benevolence and deeds of charity, mercy 
 and kindness? And no human being, be he whoever he is, 
 can possibly exist without being dependent on his fellowmen. 
 A Kotzebue in his "Ausbruch der Verzweiflung" says: 
 ,,Kaurn geboren findet schon 
 ,,Jedes Huhn sein bischen Futter; 
 ,,Kaum geboren, hiipft schon 
 ,,Jedes Huhn um seine Mutter; 
 ,,Nur der Mensch, ein Gabelthier 
 ,,Kann sich keinen Schritt entfernen, 
 ,,Und der Schopfung stolze Zier, 
 Muss erst geh'u und essen lernen. 
 Whilst nearly every animal, from its very infancy can
 
 56 
 
 and does try for its own maintenance, a human being, when 
 born, must for long years be dependent on the care of his 
 parents in every little trifle, and when he reaches manhood, he 
 still cannot call himself independent of his fellow citizen, both 
 in material and moral way. And as one man can only improve, 
 being influenced by another, so can the whole world, consist" 
 ing of human beings, reckon only upon advance, if every in- 
 dividual does endeavour to exercise its whole influence upon 
 another. 
 
 This is the law of nature and it can impossibly be diff- 
 erent. For if it were to the contrary, viz. if human beings could 
 exist independent of each other and every one for himself, the 
 world would come not one step forward and men would be 
 nothing more than cattle 
 
 An illustration of this true idea we will find in the philo- 
 sophical and allegorical teachings of our Rabbis: Rabbi Elieser 
 ben Pedos, so says the Talmud, once complained before the 
 Almighty of his extreme poverty. He received the following 
 reply: t*njmn rvacn IU;BNI rms mm xntyh nnnT ~\b t-trr: 
 -ityarti ^n 'bi3 objn rmm mop mb .'iiion "Wilt thou be 
 satisfied if I overthrow the universe, and then perhaps, thou 
 mayest be created in a time of plenty. (Taanith III.) 
 
 Two questions crop up unwillingly, when reading this 
 description. 1.) Rabbi Elieser ben Pedos was very poor, did 
 he, that pious and tolerant Rabbi, really complain about his 
 poverty to the Almighty himself? 2.)If he did, would the 
 eternal answer him "perhaps", would he speaK of a probability? 
 to creat a new world in which he, Rabbi Elieser, may be, will 
 feel himself more happy? 
 
 These two questions, important as they seem, will be easily
 
 57 
 
 solved and answered, if we follow my above theory. Rabbi 
 Elieser ben Pedos was at the verge of poverty need and star" 
 vation. Pious as he was, he armed himself with as much 
 perseverance and constancy as he possibly could and many 
 a time went into counsel with his heart, soul and mind, his 
 'yyo'o n 1 ?** phn "by a part from on high". He could not com- 
 prehend, why need and misery is existing at all? and why 
 Providence has willed it that he, the good and pious shall 
 tremendously suffer, whilst some wicked and careless are 
 happy and wealthy? ib mi pnv ib'nuDi jmn And what did he 
 find? When his experience in human nature was so far ad- 
 vanced, that he knew well, what position men occupy in 
 this world, he became aware of the great fact, that the world 
 can by no means be arranged different to what it is now. 
 If we had only good and perfect men in this world, we 
 would see DO evil in opposition to it, thus we would not 
 recognise the good from th.3 bad, losing the choice between 
 the good and evil rrvm unable &> do the right and 
 avoid the wrong. 
 
 Again, if we would see the world arranged so that all 
 righteous men should be affluent and happy and all wicked 
 men miserable ,who would like to he wicked? Would they not 
 all be good, perfect and just?(We often see that a man doe 8 
 wrong notwithstanding that he is aware of the severe punish- 
 ment awaiting him b} 7 law. We can accout for it either because 
 he sees that if even he is righteous, he is bad off or because 
 he thinks the authorities will not notice Jus wrongs. But if 
 Providence would have rewarded the good and punished the 
 wicked, would one be so stupid to do wrong?) Thus we would 
 only witness the good, the right, the perfect aud see no trace
 
 58 
 
 of evil and injustice, but in this way we could never form 
 an opinion about the evil, we would never know, what to do 
 and what to avoid, and as the *'good" is precious only because 
 there is "evil", we would never know how to value the good 
 and avoid the bad. Such were the thoughts of our pious 
 Kabbi when he considered his position. And it was then 
 that he heard the reply of his spirit within, of his n^rt pbrt 
 5j?aa to the effect, that for the worlds own benefit and ad- 
 vantage, things must remain as they are, and that hence the 
 world will learn to recognise the great difference between 
 good and evil, and always have an open way for moral 
 improvement- 
 
 This is also the reason why as the Thalmud describes 
 there Rabbi Elieser was then seen in a fit, laughing and crying 
 alternatively and a apark of fire flashed across his face, this 
 spark indicating the standard of perfection he had reached, 
 understanding, that if the world were not managed by pro- 
 vidence as wisely as it is, men would be no more than cattle/ 
 And what human being would allow even to be only com- 
 pared with cattle? Surely noone> and in order as to fulfill the 
 duty of man every one tries to become perfect and wise- 
 But we find in Eecles- (rf 1 'M rtnp) aw m nn^n ma "The 
 more wisdom the more wrath". True, the wiser we get, the 
 more do we feel, how much we neglect our duties- But though 
 we are never satisfied with the standard of wisdom we reach, 
 yet we would never change with those who stand lower than 
 we do. We may often even envy them, think them happier, 
 but we will not play their part. Although we may sometimes 
 gee the wise man envying a fool, who is much more satisfied 
 with his life, than he ever will be, who has all he wants and
 
 59 
 
 wishes no better yet he will never change with the fool. How 
 often does a freethinker believe the fanaticist to be more happy 
 than himself, more content with the course of his moral life 
 yet he will never think of parting with his opinions and adopt- 
 ing fanaticism. 
 
 Let us then adopt as the best of all the advice of Eccle- 
 siastes (n"' ': nbnp) im ma rntin^i mou^ cm ^ on ma p 
 ''There is nothing better than to rejoice one's life and to do 
 good." 
 
 We can, basing on this theory easily explain the dispute 
 which existed between Beth-Shamai and Beth-Hillel on the 
 subject "rttfyDn U;BU?B> torutw vu^in Nin^o trail wbt^ 2110 
 (;"> pmiT), on which they could not agree for full 2 years 
 and a half. Our Rabbis say in Erubim 13. "It is better 
 for man not to be created than to be created, but if he is once 
 Created let him see that all his actions should be perfect, just 
 and useful to himself and of benefit to the world at large- 
 
 This explanation also expresses the difference between 
 public opinion and that of the socialists, who think that 
 if work and wages, capital and labour, pleasures and enjoy~ 
 ments will be equally divided, all will be happy and satisfied, 
 one will love his fellowman and poverty will ultimately cease. 
 As we have shown above, this is against law of nature and 
 can never become a reality. 
 
 Looking upon the different trades people are devoting 
 their lives to, we will find amongst them a large number, 
 which endangering the lives of those, who cultivate them 
 on the other hand are of the greatest use and benefit to the 
 world at large. We will also find such callings, which people 
 would have quite neglected, were it not for the sake of earning
 
 60 
 
 their scanty living, for which they are bound to try. Would 
 for instance a coal, salt, gold or silver miner undertakes to go 
 down into these mines for the purpose of finding one of these 
 articles, an act connected with the risk of his life at any 
 moment, if he had not the profit in view which he realizes by 
 performing so audacious and dangerous a task. Would he, 
 we ask. be ready to put his life, the dearest treasure of his 
 own and his family at stake, if he were not prompted 
 by need, by poverty or by the desire of earning a livelihood? 
 And yet all the articles such miners find are of the utmost 
 importance to the world and whilst theyin ay entail the risk 
 and sometimes loss of human life, on the other hand the} 
 are of enormous benefit to the world at large, the uncon- 
 ditional companions in our daily life, they give us health, 
 pleasure and comfort. 
 
 Besides those who make a calling their own as a means 
 of livelihood, there are others, who indulge in a trade in 
 order to increase their wealth, their capital. Their only wish 
 is to have more than a neighbour has. 
 
 To do this may be a very wroag motive, but if we leave 
 reasons aside for a moment, we must admit that whatever 
 such people do, be it for one reason or another is always use- 
 ful to the world at large. Nay even the bad qualities, they 
 are possessed of, are of great benefit, provided of course, such 
 bad qualities are not indulged in to excess, so that they might 
 hurt or interfere with our fellowman's rights and privilege?, 
 or limit his moral freedom. 
 
 Envy, money, honour etc. are then often the principal 
 
 reasons, why one devotes himself to one trade or branch of 
 
 cience, the other to another and so it must be. For should
 
 this desire die away, as the Socialists argue, we will always 
 meet with revolutions, dissatisfactioD, we will hear of wars 
 over and over again. The world will aud can never be satisfied 
 entirely ! 
 
 We see in our daily life, that father and son or t\&o 
 brothers, brought up in the same way, trained by one master 
 entirely differ in their. opinions, views and ideas, whilst one 
 approves of something the other blames it, and prefers to take 
 quite a different view of the subject. How can we than 
 expect a whole world to agree? 
 
 After all that has been above said we will be well able 
 to easily explain the allegorical meaning of the history about 
 the man and runn py the tree of knowledge of which we 
 are told in Genesis, the Book of creation. On speaking of 
 the nmn py the Rambam o"2Oi tells us, that he was asked 
 the question; if Adam committed a sin by transgressing the 
 command of God, why is it, that instead of being punished 
 by degradation, he was promoted to a higher standard of 
 progress? 
 
 Following the explanation given below this question 
 will easily be answered. 
 
 It is to be regretted, and yet it is a fact, that there 
 were, are and that there will at all times be such individuals 
 and even whole nations or provinces, who either by their own 
 religious fanaticism or by that of their rulers, kings, clergy- 
 men or spiritual guides disregard and despise education, as 
 to their opinion disadvantageous t > the world or weakening the 
 strength and power of religion. History tells us that in the 
 middle ages hundreds of people were barbarously put to death 
 in certain countries in the name of religion or rather religious
 
 62 
 
 fanaticism for the only reason that they sought for know 
 ledge. It is natural that such nations will hate and ridicule 
 every new discovery every invention, as for instance they 
 say that the Chinese were overcome with an immense fright, 
 seeing a miniature locomotive-engine, which their emperor 
 ordered to be made for his private use. As every advance 
 in knowledge and science was regarded by such people a 
 sin, in the name of God and religion, JVIoses has been forced 
 to call those advanced men, who, in fact, wished to promote 
 progress, but whose influence was regarded by the religious 
 fanatic guides as unhealthy and poisonous to their subject, 
 "serpents" who beguiled mankind to do what they were for- 
 bidden. The whole passage about Eve, the serpent and man 
 in relation to the tree of knowledge, tends to show the be- 
 ginning of development of human mind, the first step of man 
 towards the knowledge of good and evil, a sin in the eyes of 
 people and in face of religion, therefore as dangerous and 
 poisonous as a serpent, but in fact, in reality the most evid- 
 ent mark of progress. That it is so, we can see from the 
 words jm me jnv DW&O nrwn DWV inpsn lion oabot* ovn o 
 ('n 'j nntfrtia) "For on the day ye eat therefrom your eyes 
 will be opened and ye will become as gods knowing good and 
 evil". (Gen. Ill 5.) And indeed, as soon as man had tasted 
 the fruit of the tree of knowledge, his first step towards ad- 
 vance was made, as we read afterwards in v. 22 of the same 
 chapter (n"D ': CDty) jm ma run? 1200 into rrn ain ff~i 
 "Behold the man became as one of us in knowledge of" good 
 and evil" thus giving us to understand that the know, 
 ledge of the difference between good and evil constitutes one 
 of the points of similarity of likeness of man unto his Maker
 
 Bat the word D'!ib does not only apply to the'Almighty 
 alone, it also signifies , judges, rulers^' <etc< as we find tD'nh> 
 (n"3 n"s mew) ^bpn *o "Thou shalt not revile judges" 
 (Exodus XXII. 28.) ('n n"D oty.) emu; im i' n^nt>t-< *ij; 
 "'The cause of both parties shall come before the judges" 
 (ibid XXI K 8.) The learned Rambam fully agrees with this, 
 and in his "Moreh Neboehim" Chapt. 2, he brings the same 
 Verse and refers to the Thargum, where OTibfc* is translated by 
 irm:n and means kings, judges etc. (n2 Mn a'Jina mm p>i>) 
 (According to this opinion of the Rambam, whereas CDTD 
 means also kings, judges and spiritual .guides, wo may explain 
 the verses cmb inp^i run maiio '0 cnn man n D^nS ^n ITI 
 ('n 'i iatt^) nnn Y^N '^DD t3>u;j "And the sons of the superiors 
 saw the daughters of men, that they were nice looking and 
 they took wifes unto themselves whichever they choose" (ibid 
 VI. 2.) The children of the highest civil and ecclesiastical 
 authorities were morally so far advanced that they choose their 
 wifes not as hitherto irom amidst their equals, family or re- 
 latives, but from amoogst the people, whilst the people them- 
 selves reckoned this as a sin, as we can see in the next verses 
 and in the Thalmud.) With regard to mrr there is an important 
 jpassage in the "-Zohar" 'prr vm in the explanation of the 
 verse -pD? bz PJ.ST rcau spoys ttf'ritf. (Moreh Nebuchim I. 65, 
 wherever the words "saying" or "speaking" is mentioned in 
 connection with God it indicates only a desire.) 
 
 We can therefore come to tire conclusion that not only 
 *God, but also Kings, Judges and spiritual guides of the people 
 (their clergy) have forbidden their congregants at different tioies 
 in the past to stretch ot a hand for the tree of knowledge
 
 64 
 
 nmn tfy But in the long run they could not always }Te~ 
 vent it, and people's mind had to break the yoke of submission. 
 They had to act against the command of their superiors, and so 
 they began to advance and to grasp gradually more and more 
 from the fruits of the ninn yy, of moral progress. 
 
 But, as soon as they had tasted the sweet fruits 
 of progress, another tree presented itself to their sight, it was 
 the :rnn py "the tree of life" that tree of which it is said, 
 that whoever tastes it's fruits Q'ytyb *m "and he will live for 
 ever". But "Dtny,, does not always mean "for ever" eternity, it 
 means also unlimited, pleasant, free, as we find of a servant 
 who loves his master, it says aSi)^ 11221, whereupon the 
 Thalmud says it means till the hov the jubilee year. 
 
 People, as we said above, had already a notion of progress 
 they knew the taste of its sweet fruits and felt now a desire for 
 a pleasant and agreeable life. On the other hand the rnlers and 
 clergy of the people, in forcibly keeping them back from lon- 
 ging after knowledge and wisdom, eo ipso prevented them from 
 dreaming even of a free and peaceful life. 
 
 Having seen how their command was being transgressed 
 and disregarded, they feared, that they will lose their influence 
 with their subjects and congregants and thought rrn nzcmn p 
 T3OD in.^2 "behold man has become as one of us", In order as 
 to prevent this, they sought for a plan, if they could no more 
 prevent the people from grasping the fruit of the tree of know, 
 ledge, to at least do all in their power to barricade the way 
 of the tree of happy life. In order as to secure : the success 
 of their endeavours the clergy and rulers placed two sentries 
 before the way leading to the tree of life, the o'ni"O the sym- 
 bol of religion, the mysterious religious fanaticism passing into
 
 65 
 
 bigotry and superstition, the art of inventing new creeds, 
 each one hating and despising the other and the Tinr! ton!? 
 roannn-r "the flaming sword that revolveth", the politics and 
 political wars. Both these sentries have shut up the way 
 and "guarded the tree of life" as the Bible says. Religious 
 fanaticism on one hand taught the people to follow the super- 
 stitious ideas of their clergy and rulers to hate every other 
 creed but their own, and made life very miserable and un- 
 happy. The other, the so called "politics" had quite the same 
 effect. Wars, fights and battles by reason of envy and other 
 paltry circumstances, cause only great harm to the people and, 
 ipso facto, prevent a happy and peaceful life. 
 
 Unfortunately within the last decades the number of ob- 
 stacles to progress and haj piness has increased by a third 
 addition, another enemy of all that is good and useful, an off- 
 spring of the two former, the so called "religious and political 
 press". This new enemy has shown himself in the shape of 
 newspapeis, conveying to the people the mind and intention o* 
 their rulers and priests, working either in a religious or in a 
 political direction has no pure, neutral uninterested tendency, 
 and whilst it defends the interests of one creed or political 
 party, it condemns the affairs and principles of another. It is 
 only too evident, how disadvantageous and dangerous this enemy 
 is and that it must prevent people from finding the good or 
 even from looking for it at all. 
 
 Having thus transgressed the command of their superiors 
 and plucked oft the fruit of the tree of knowledge, all who have 
 participated in this transgression were cursed. So tells us the 
 Scripture further. \Ve will investigate these curses and endeavour 
 to show that they were intended to show to the human race,
 
 66 
 
 that where "good" has come into existence, "evil" rose im~ 
 mediately in opposition to it, in other words, that good and 
 evil are twins born at the same moment and bred by one an- 
 other, and that these curses on the whole promoted the amel- 
 ioration of the state of human race, benefitted the world at large- 
 First came the serpent, i. e. those who being themselves 
 far advanced in education and" science, trying to spread light 
 of wisdom in the world, were regarded as poisonous as a 
 "serpent" by the untaught majority and their spiritual guides. 
 They were doomed to be in their position worse off than 
 cattle, for cattle hiive no feeling for their lot, they bear it in- 
 stinctively and patiently aud are satisfied, whilst men of science, 
 the more they study, the more they deplore their state and 
 position, as we read in proverbs ("i'tyo) TitOD f]"DV njn FJ'DV 
 "the more knowledge the more woe" They were further cursed 
 to be always in trouble for their daily bread, as we often see 
 that most learned men are in a very pressed, nay sometimes 
 destitute financial position, CDH? D'oani? nb "the wise have no 
 bread". That their food be unto them like dust i. e. that they 
 may never enjoy their hard but scanty earnings with comfort 
 and satisfaction, but always be in trouble about, their necessaries 
 of life. That enmity shall exist between them and their fellow- 
 men, which shall continue between the offsprings of both, a 
 cruel and unremitting hatred. That the general public despise 
 them "first" (beginning u*o) laughing at and ridiculing their 
 best plans, thoughts and ideas, but, that after all, they prove 
 victorious at the "end" (heel, end, 2py) and disregard those who 
 scorned their wise and healthy ideas. (Gen. III., 14-15) Next 
 came the woman.
 
 - 67 
 
 If we follow Scripture we will fin 1 that the human race coming 
 into life knew absolutely nothing of moral or material, men- 
 tal or bodily want, as we read N'T) irwni DIKH D'ony omttf vm 
 (n r/ 3 '3 rru?Ki:i) lumrorv "They were both naked, the man and 
 his wife and were not ashamed" (Genesis II, 25). They did not 
 care at all about their nakedness. But immediately after 
 having tasted of the fruit of the tree of knowledge we find a 
 great change ('] '; DU>) an D'nni? o ijrn Drrjty >ry iunpsm 
 ''And the eyes of both were opened and they knew that they 
 were naked (ibid III. 7.) 
 
 Curious enough, their nakedness, which did not concern 
 them before, was the very condition which called forth their 
 attention and awakened them to better their condition both 
 morally and materially. Then only it came to pass that they 
 thi'ii.qht of means for covering their nakedness, in order as to 
 prevent the increase of man's animal-feelings, which, when 
 they were naked, could only encourage frivolity and immorality 
 But to remove this inclination of man to immorality and cor~ 
 ruption was not the work of days, or years, it took centuries, 
 nay it is in some nations still struggling for its abolition. Why 
 the services offered in later days, in and long after Bible times, 
 by the non-jewish population to their gods, were still full with 
 apalling scenes of cruelty and moral corruption. The way people 
 served the Baal-Peor and the other gods was but a succession 
 of immoral and evil acts of horror, (we find therefore in the 
 Bible the expression (tc^ IE> -moi) omriK a'Mt cnn num Comp. 
 Numb. XV. 39 and Deutr. XXXI. 16, etc. The mythology of 
 the Greeks and Romans contains not less abominable and hor- 
 rible descriptions of services. Thus, in course of time, men began 
 to feel, how injurious their way? are to themselves and the
 
 68 
 
 world at large, they did thir first step to the better. So far for 
 the moral advantage of covering the body of man. Its material 
 advantages are just as great The necessity of something in 
 the shape of clothing (um:>D) to protect us from ruin, cold 
 heat and other changes of the air gave rise to shape, taste, 
 fancy and became the mother of manufacture, trade and com- 
 merce, without which the world could not possibly exist. As 
 it were, those people who were the first to feel the neces- 
 sity of a means for putting a stop to the increase of demorali- 
 sation, those people, who, though the then wisest of men, were 
 regarded HS serpents by their less instructed fellowmen, did their 
 best to approach that class of human beings, which was both 
 morally and materially the initiative to corruption, that class 
 most sensitive towards vanity, fancy and beauty, most sns" 
 ceptible to religious fanaticism "the woman' 1 , 
 
 At a glance we will see that whilst originally human kind 
 was forbidden to eat of the fruit of the tree of know- 
 ledge, the woman answered the serpent, who tried to beguile 
 and influence her "that they were bid not even to touch it", 
 whereupon the Thai mud remarks, that the serpent pushed the 
 woman on to the tree of knowledge, thus showirg her, that 
 the touch of the tree of knowledge emtails no evil consequen- 
 ces. And the serpent succeeded to beguile the woman, who 
 outstretched her hand and tasted the sweet fruit. But punish- 
 ment came very oon after. The spiritual guides pronounced 
 their curse upon her. They put it into her mind, that because 
 she has transgressed their command and longed for know 1 edge 
 her delivery and conception will be conn- cted with great 
 pains. 
 
 Such teachings repeat themselves very often in the history
 
 69 
 
 of mankind, aui even now at the end of the XIX century of 
 civilzation, we will come across the fact, that a fanatical clergy- 
 man will make his superstitious congregants believe, that a 
 su iden accident, that visited them, a misfortune which has 
 come about unexpectedly is the consequence of their sins, the pu- 
 nishment for their transgressions. 
 
 They Turther made a very good step forward, which, how- 
 ever, not properly understood by the majority, was regarded, as 
 all other benefits derived from science, as a curso.They took 
 the chie motive of corruption, out of the power of the woman 
 as it says (DU>) 13 bittfD' Him inpityn *]t^ ?i "And unto 
 thy husband shall be thy desire, but he shall rule over thee" 
 (ibid) i. e. that a woman shall in all her wishes, physical and 
 mental, material as well as moral, be subdued to her husband, 
 who shall rule over the desires of her heart, who is to super- 
 vise her inclinations, and as the case may be, allow o r dis- 
 allow them. How great the power of man over the 
 heart of the woman and her inclinations has become in course 
 of time, is sufficiently proved by the commands given by Moses 
 to his people in the name of God in Numbers Chapter XLIl . 
 (s'o 13102) 
 
 The man because he has tasted the fruits of the tree of 
 knowledge has also been cursed like unto the "serpent" the cause 
 of his moral gain and progress. He was told, that this desire 
 for "the forbidden fruit, for knowledge", brought about by 
 the influence of his well persuadd companion of life "the woman" 
 will make him feel that he must work with the sweat of his 
 brow for his daily bread, that the world will never appreciate 
 his endeavours It put into his mind ths words spoken centuries
 
 70 
 
 later by Fredrick v. Schiller, the unforgotten German poet; 
 ,,Wer nie sein Brod in Thraenen ass. 
 ,.Wer nie auf seinem Bette weiaend sass, 
 ,,der kennt euch nicht, ihr himmlischen Maechte". 
 
 ,,Who never eat his bread in tears, 
 
 ,,Who never weeping spent his nights, 
 
 , , Who in search of good not evil fears, 
 
 tie know ye not, ye Heaven's mights". 
 
 Whilst he will have to struggle bitterly for his existence 
 
 plenty of thorns and thistles will meet him, plenty of obstacles 
 
 will be found on his way. Every thing he will invent, every 
 
 thing he may discover will meet with mockery and ridicule, 
 
 and once he started to gain knowledge, he will feel that there 
 
 w 11 be no end to his endeavours, once he began to study and 
 
 Jearn, he will always find that the end of knowledge is the 
 
 true conviction that we know nothing. He will understand 
 
 hat on his banner of which he "the king in creation" boasts 
 
 the words will be written "For thou art dust and unto dust 
 
 thou wilt return". Whatever he will think good, others will 
 
 find bad, whatever seems to him healthy, nice and useful, will 
 
 be regarded by others as noxious, ugly nnd useless, the more he 
 
 will seek ''the good" the mor will he find "the evil''. However 
 
 perfect his idea may be, there will always be others, who know 
 
 better and Mus the latest ages will bear only infant sages. 
 
 (Comp. Genesis II.) This passage then finishes up with the 
 
 words Dtyo'-ri TIJ? rruro inty*?-" mt*i> DVK 'n uwi "And the 
 
 the Lord God made unto Adam and his wife garments of skin 
 
 nnd clothed them (ibid). 
 
 The Thalmud tells of Rabbi Meir, that in his copy of 
 the Torah or after his style (~I^D U*i bu; irmro) Tiy was spelt
 
 71 
 
 with an N meaning "light". Tnis would tell us, that he who 
 understands the Torah from a scientific point of view, in a 
 philosophical light, as Rabbi Meir, without ingredients of super- 
 stition and fanaticism, will clearly see that these curses brought 
 with them a covering of true light, unmingled purity and holi- 
 ness upon the world, whilst at the same time unto the fana- 
 ticist or passionate student, these curses will be a garment of 
 skins tending to harden him against and prevent every influ- 
 ence of education and wigdom. 
 
 The theory of the curse o human race so explained will 
 also disprove the system propagated by the modern socialists 
 who wishing for equality of all mankind would only desire to 
 reduce them to their very primitive state, i. e. that all go ahoat 
 naked. For if we will only begin to speak of clothing we 
 will at once meet with shape, colour, fancy etc., which will 
 satisfy one and dissatisfy another producing the results quoted 
 above. We have sufficiently illustrated in the foregoing pages 
 how injurious nakedness is to man bodily and morally and will 
 without further comments, see now how ridiculous their theory 
 becomes. 
 
 Just as Moses thought it necessary to prescribe the sacrifices 
 as a command of God in order to bring his people to the 
 standard that they may acknowledge the absolute necessity 
 of love of God anl love of man, as we explained above, so 
 has he been obliged to reproduce the tD'CTO Cherubim in 
 an allegorical way, meaning to brintj God's chosen people near 
 to humanity and morals, to feel IOVP to the Creator and their 
 fellow creatures. This will explain the verse 'ti^na D'man vm 
 bt* vnt* !? ur amen msDn by Dire^m O'DDID nSrn^ r'sa:: 
 ('t n"3 morn) n-oran via V.-P masn "And the Cherubim shall
 
 72 
 
 stretch forth their wings on high | covering the mercyseat 
 with their wings and their faces shall look one to another* 
 towards the mercyseat shall the faces of the Cherubim be" 
 (Exod. XXV. 20.) The great Lawgiver meant thereby that 
 the Cherubim, symbol of religion and creed shall spread 
 their wings, shall turn their intentions heavenward to re- 
 mind us about our likeness unto our heavenly Father. They 
 shall further have the duty of guarding and watching over 
 the mercyseat, the ten commandments, the place whence men 
 gained light of life and joy and pleasure, whence came the 
 shining sun or moiality and humanity. Although all of 
 us cannot agree in our ideas concerning the Supreme Being, 
 yet all our ideas shall be turned one toward the other i. e., 
 they shall not be opposed to one another, they shall aim at 
 the same result, aud as this can only be done if we all, like 
 one man, strive to exercise true morals of humanity to do 
 good aud seek brotherhood, (therefore vrm > ur wordly 
 translated "one towards his brother",) if we try to fulfil 
 the Ten Commandments both with regard to G"d and to 
 fellowman, then, ipso facto, they will turn their faces towards 
 the mercyseat, towards the stone-tablets with the golden 
 teachings of true religion, that holy treasure which alone 
 leads to a happy and unclouded life. 
 
 In the next verse the two stonetablets are spoken of AS 
 miy "testimony", two living and eternal witnesses, one 
 pointing to our duties towards our Father in Heaven, the 
 other reminding us of what we owe to our fellowmen. And 
 the latter duties are innate with us i. e. we are taught them 
 by a certain impulse of nature, so must the former be binding 
 to us. And since we cannot behold our benevolent Father by
 
 73 
 
 means of our naked eye, we must arm ourselves with faith, 
 with creed and faithfully believe in God's abundant love and 
 mercy shown to us on every step in life. 
 
 Many of our ancient and modern philosophers cannot make 
 belief agree with study, investigation and research. They ask: 
 How may we investigate research, if we truly believe? And 
 again, how can we faithfully believe, if we study and research? 
 But the plain answer is; As men, gifted with sense and thought 
 it is our duty to study and to investigate as far as our feeble 
 human efforts can go, as far as our mind reaches. "Where un- 
 derstanding ends, there belief commences", where we can no more 
 p enetrate with our thought and reason, there we must, we are 
 bound to believe. It is just absurd to belong to those light- 
 minded men who believe in everything without previous in- 
 vestigation, and of whom our wise King Solomon said ('bttfo) 
 in ?D> pCfO ^na "A fool believeth in everything, as it is ridi- 
 culou? and humilating to belong to those who believe nothing, 
 who do not acknowledge the necessity of creed, who refuse 
 ^o admit the fruit of an idea, though it leads them to good 
 conclusions, and of whom the sam wise King poet says: (DU>) 
 ^D3 Kin 1151 ntoll "And he who confideth only in his own 
 heart is an idiot". 
 
 We will always observe that every new idea, every new 
 invention is always ridiculed and laughed at in the beginning 
 by the greatest capacities of the day, a,nd only after thorough 
 examination, after due consideration of all its advantages it will 
 be believed, it becomes admired, popular and a fact; the very 
 same idea which years ago has been mocked by the most ce- 
 lebrated stars has established to its inventor an everlasting 
 monument and an unforgotten memory. Who for in-
 
 74 
 
 instance believed Copernicus, when he so convicingly spoke 
 of the revolving of the earth and stillstand of the sun? Who 
 did not laugh at George Stephenson, when he undertook to 
 produce the first railway engine? And yet have not both dis- 
 coveries, on being thoroughly investigated and proved, gained 
 the most laudable victory, have they not after due con- 
 sideration was given them, done immense good, have they not 
 opened an immense new field to the world at large, and do 
 we not reward with a hearty laugh the incredulity of those, 
 who, then stars of the day, did not believe the possiblity of 
 this invention? 
 
 We will find the same with creed. We ought, nay, we 
 must, we are bound to investigate, to search, to study every- 
 thing we can with the help of our small human efforts, and 
 where our understanding ends, there belief commences, what 
 we cannot reach with our human sense that must be believed. 
 Biit it is also certain, that the more we will understand the 
 more will we yet find to believe! Now if in nature nothing 
 is a fact, before it is subjected to a most minute investigation; 
 if in our daily life, in studying the mysteries of nature, we 
 are compelled to re-echo the words of Maimonides (D f 3Di) 
 Vu vb 13 JHJ "IUM wvn rvbDn,, "The aim of knowledge is 
 to learn that we know nothing", how much more is this the 
 case in supernatural subjects and ideas, where, we grapple like 
 blind men. We can easily compare this to one who, born 
 blind, is anxious to distinguish one colour from the other. 
 After all, we see that man possesses an innate sense of believ- 
 ing which is inseparable from our existence as reason and 
 understanding. Those who i eel an interest for Physiology and 
 medicine will know how bodily abilities are connected with
 
 75 
 
 mental abilities, and this principle helps them to fin<i out the 
 reason of nervous diseases, paralysis etc. 
 
 The very learned Prof. Dr. Hufeland, late medical ad~ 
 viser to H. M". the King of Prussia has published a treatise 
 on ."Longevity", where he clearly explains how inseparable 
 the bodily powers are from the mental abilities. This learned 
 study has been read by the eminent philosopher Emanuel 
 Kant, who fully agreeing with the views and conclusions of 
 bis colleague, published an explanatory essay entitled "on 
 the power of the soul to master one's ill feelings by the strong 
 will alone." The reference and relation between body and 
 mind is being compared by Professor Hufeland to one riding 
 on a wild horse, where, if he does not properly hold the 
 reins and directs his horse, it will positively throw him 
 down and wound him. So with our body and soul. The 
 spirit of man is the rider, the body the animal, nliich must 
 subdue to the rider's directions. If one can master his animal 
 passions, he leads a happy and enviable life. Should the body 
 not subdue but seek to master the soul then we see man 
 hunting after all sorts of corruption and evil, and in the long 
 run he looses bis track and perishes amidst his passions. 
 This comparison, concludes the learned philosopher, will tell 
 the man the task of hit life. Both Emanuel Kant and the 
 Prof. Hufeland agree in the principle, that should man no t 
 allow his mind to be troubled with the feeling >f illness, 
 ha would prevent disease entirely befalling him. Moreovei, 
 if he, when visited by illness, will not grieve about it, if he 
 will not take it so very much to heart, but if he has courage 
 enough to bear it bravely, n >t allowing sorrow to overpower 
 him, he is sure to get sooner well than with the help of
 
 76 
 
 medicine. Besides, imagination plays a very important part 
 in influencing the state of our body. We will often observe 
 that an imaginary illness, i. e. that if it appeared to one 
 that he is someway er other indisposed, this will weaken 
 and discourage him so much, that it will in the long run 
 cause real illness. On the other hand we can often see, that 
 he who believes in mysterious powers and influences can easier 
 be cured by such powers and influences than by medicine. 
 The belief alone that a certain means will cure him, makes 
 him cheerful and restores him ultimately to health. For in- 
 stance: an illness caused by sudden grief can by remedied by 
 sudden joy and vice 'versa. Generally speaking, the chief 
 motive of illness of man is the interrupted action of his men" 
 tal abilities on one hand on the other, the growth of 
 his bodily animal passions. 
 
 This idea in general, pronounced by Prof. Dr. Hufeland 
 and confirmed by Eraanuel Kant (17i'4 1804) was not 
 new. It has been spoken of in the Thalmud in several places 
 of which let us quote some. We find in Berachoth p. 60 
 ('D rro"a) an explanation of the verse p3J NT b nm runotyn 
 ('] yp n^nn) 'n2 niton in!? "He is not afraid of evil tidings 
 his heart is fixed trusting in God'' (Psalms CXII, 7.) where 
 each half of the. verse is regarded to be an explanation to 
 the other. The Thalmud tells us then of different Rabbis, 
 who seeing their disciples in fear of something to come said 
 to them, this fear will entail grief and sorrow, and after that 
 illness and bodily harm. 
 
 We find in r"p D'nce) nm TBp TDpn bz "whoever is 
 superstitious his t-uperstition will become reality" (Pfcsachim 
 110). This was the state of ''hyjirotic suggestion" in the
 
 77 - 
 
 times gone by. But in course of centuries the study of hyp- 
 notism and nervous diseases has considerably advanced and 
 improved, and we know now, how greatly our mental abilities 
 are being influenced by our bodily power. Nowa-days, such 
 a substance as p. e. pure water can on one hand make a 
 healthy person ill and on the other, the same water can 
 restore health to a weak person. It is an open secret that just 
 as nervous diseases can be and are being remedied by mys- 
 terious powers and imaginary influences, hypnotism can destroy 
 many diseases, as long as and provided, that the original 
 idea, the origiual imagiaation (Phantasie) of man has un- 
 dergone some respective change or is done away with entirely. 
 (It appears, curious as it may seem, that women, who were 
 barren for years sometimes beget children, through outside 
 influences, imagination or illusion of their being enceinte- 
 There are some women, who, though childless for years, have 
 begotten children, having been guided by the imagination, that 
 a receipt of some Rabbi or otherwise pious and godfearing man 
 has helped them to obtain their desire a child. In one 
 case a woman childless for 19 years was suddenly spoken 
 of by one of her personal enemies, as being enceinte. Of course 
 when this became known to her neighbours, they did so 
 much molest her with questions about the truth of this 
 statement, and her imagination grew so strong that, in the 
 long run she was delivered of a child). 
 
 Having thus shown clearly, what power belief is able to 
 exercise over mind of man, we arrive at the direct conclusion 
 that the belief in a Supreme Being, which supervises, guides 
 and directs our actions prevents us from comitting actions, 
 which tend to disgrace us, cheers up our mind and renders
 
 78 
 
 us happy, satisfied and promotes our constant well being. 
 
 This conclusion has been also arrived at by the learned 
 Rambam and is pronounced in his Moreh Nebuchim T. I. 
 chap. 32, where he says that just as a h^alrhy person who 
 strains his eyes too much to see too small writing or for too 
 great a distance becomes afterwards so weak-sighted, that he 
 at last is unable to see a large type or a thing near him, and 
 this is making him ill; so also if one overexerts his brains 
 trying to deny facts, positive truth, for the denial of which 
 he has no absolute foundation, he will in the long run become 
 so disconfiding and wicked, that he will disbelieve or even 
 attempt to deny such positive facts and events which really 
 occured and are attested by eye-witnesses ' 'n c^inj rmo p-y 
 z"b 'a In this way he arrives at the verge of demoralisation and 
 evildoing and entails the most harmful consequences to himself* 
 
 No wonder therefore, that as we will easily find after all 
 that is said above, the socialists, those who teach social 
 equality, equal distribution of labour and equal share in the 
 good of lifs and living for all mankind, can do nothing good 
 at present. They fight against a law of nature, a law, that 
 is as eternal as the world, and in this attempt they become 
 so weak "minded, so unreasonable, that the}' at last doubt 
 facts, the truth of which is open to all. Now let us suppose 
 for one moment that the world has attained that de- 
 gree of perfection that labour is equally destributed and the 
 profits equally shared between all human beings. It is well 
 known that amongst all men we must find good workmen 
 and artisans, i. e. such who attained the greatest perfection 
 in their trade, medium workmen, i. e. such whose work though 
 not the best, yet can satisfy the wants of the world, and
 
 79 
 
 unskilled workmen, i. e. such whose work is very far from 
 good and leaves very much to be wished for. Also in food 
 and necessaries of life we will find dear food which is rare 
 and excellent, and cheap, ordinary food, of which we have 
 always plenty at hand. Since there is always less of the good 
 than of the ordinary, how shall we divide between all the 
 articles made by skilled artisans or the dear and rare food, 
 moreover since by natural impuls every human being wishes 
 always to have the best he can find. If for instance it will 
 be found practical to divide by casting lots, there will be some 
 freethinkers who will say: "Why, we do not approve of lots 
 for lots are a matter of luck, luck a matter of chance, chance 
 a matter of belief, and since \va are unbelievers, we cannot 
 agree to lots, we want that all should be equal. Well, it seems 
 on the other hand quite impossible to divide work among 
 all without casting lots, so that all be satisfied. But as regards 
 the good food, suppose we were to divide say twenty good 
 and raxe fishes between 6000 men, would we not then want 
 to cast lots, deciding unto whose share shall fall the head 
 parts and for whom should be the tail parts? And the free- 
 thinkers do not want any lots! There are also three classes 
 of men according to their character, and as the good 
 and perfect men have pleasure when they do good to some- 
 body, so the bad men are pleased if they can wrong their 
 fellowmen, even those who did them the greatest favours. They 
 are ready to cause them the greatest trouble without pity 
 or mercy. We find such not only amongst the uneducated 
 classes, but even in high schools, in universities and in very 
 influential positions in society. Some of these wicked indi~ 
 viduals are very good and influential speakers and they have
 
 -. 80 
 
 the power of attracting a great many, like magnetism. And 
 such influence is constantly spreading like an epidemic or in- 
 fectious disease and is being clad into refined modern names 
 in order to dazzle the eyes of the hearers and make them 
 think, that in following such ideas they do the best service 
 to humanity. But this is only natural, and as long as 
 the world will exist we will have such characters amongst us 
 in hundreds, who, being treated most liberally by their fellow 
 men, will always try to repay them with the greatest harm, 
 will hate and despise each other. Just as we are told of Kaiii 
 and Abel, who, though they were only two, and two brothers 
 children of one father and brought up in one way, to share 
 the whole world, yet hated and despised each other, and 
 this hatred went no far that one Cain sought for means 
 and found a way to remove his brother Abel from his 
 
 way. 
 
 Just as we are told in the Torah to learn a moral from 
 
 the history of Joseph and his brothers. Joseph saw many actions 
 of his brothers which did not please him and without thinking 
 anything bad he reported them, or &s the Bible says, brought 
 evil reports to his father. He did not do so of enmity nor did 
 he wish to do them anything wrong, his desire was that their 
 father should kno\v and judge their actions. On the other hand 
 Jacob as a good and loving father could only wish that Joseph 
 should report to him all his (Jacob's) children did, for then 
 he had a way to watch over their actions and to show them 
 the way to do good. Yet, innocently as such informations 
 were, were they not the reason of hatred and enmity bet- 
 ween the brothers, hatred that went so tar, that they were 
 glad to find means to get rid of their brother. This shows us 
 how difficult it is to maintain peace and concord in the midst
 
 81 
 
 of one family only. All the more difficult is it to keep a whole 
 world together, to unite all mankind peacefully. For people 
 always long for things they cannot reach, and as soon as they 
 reach that they wished, there they want something else. There 
 is no end to their achievments and no limit to their wants and 
 wishes, as the Thalmud says &fiD rnfil mo ib W "He who 
 has one hundred coins wishes for two hundred" a. s. o. The 
 more one has the more one wishes. 
 
 The so called anarchists desire that liberty and freedom 
 should go sa far, that there should be no government at all, no 
 rulers or kings. But this is quite impossible considering the so 
 great difference existing between the character of one and 
 another, as we have repeatedly shown. 
 
 I personally can have an idea how that free and happy 
 land of the anarchists will be. In Russia which is only a 
 half civilized country and its people are also not in a very 
 high degree of civilisation, I have travelled through the 
 greater part of the country without being interfered or mo- 
 lested in any way, buc here in free and happy London but 
 how I must regret that freedom. My business compells me 
 to go through a great many small streets and turnings, 
 where I found a great many roughs congregated, who gamble 
 and do other objectionable things. I have on many occasions 
 narrowly escaped with my life by roughs throwing stones and 
 other missiles at me, not counting the blows I have received 
 and my clothes spoilt by the mud and other dirt thrown at 
 me, and this has also happened to me in the open roads. 
 
 I greatly thank the nobility of England for their endea- 
 vours for making this the most enlightened country in the 
 world, but the rough characters taking advantage of their
 
 82 
 
 position make it very hard and uncomfortable for the respect- 
 able person thus in England, where they have such a large 
 body of police, such things are carried on, then how will I 
 be in the happy land of the anarchists who wish to do away 
 with the police entirely. 
 
 Well, it would be quite useless to address oneself to f such 
 socialists or anarchists, because they aim only at their own ad- 
 vantage and have only their own benefit at heart. They desire 
 to become equal to the great bankers, to the wealthy men, who 
 are blessed with a great fortune and plenty of means. For them 
 words are purely wasted, because they are egotists, caring only 
 for themselves. We wish only to speak to those, who really think 
 of the benefit of the world at large, and who, by their brave 
 actions proved that they wish to raise and really did raise 
 the world to the present state of civilization. They must con- 
 tinue in their noble endeavours, but, so doing, not forget to 
 consider well which of their ideas it is possible to realise, and 
 which must remain only an illusion and can never become 
 a fact. Then there are a great many cases where we must say 
 with our Rabbis p pio pl natmi "though it is the law, yet 
 we are not taught to do so". Just as with not Simri, who 
 was put to death by Phinchas. According to Jewish law it 
 was not legal to slay him, but the Thalmud says 12 pjnia nwp 
 ''Zeal of revenge overcame him". 
 
 As we have sufficiently proved, it is never possible to re- 
 move the evil entirely and to have the good. The VI the evil 
 is, as we said, the twin-sister of the SIB the good, born at 
 the same time and bred by one another, and we will never 
 attain such a standard of perfect union as to free ourselves 
 entirely Iroin the bad and retain the good alone.
 
 83 
 
 But should we for a moment suppose, that we have done 
 away with all evil and retained che good, the perfect only, 
 why, we will not feel, not know not recognise it, as we can 
 have no idea of darkness, when constantly surrounded with 
 light. After all it is the duty of man to try to improve the 
 position of mankind, as far au it lies in our power, as we are 
 commanded by our Torah to be liberal in the charity. In 
 this case we might have possibly asked ourselves: "Why 
 should we give a man support, if it is not the will of the 
 Almighty to let him have his wants in plenty? yet our law 
 bids us that we must help the needy without asking why 
 God does not grant him richess. Just so, although we may 
 not be able to satisfy the whole human race, yet we must 
 be merciful and try to think of a scheme, how we shall help 
 those unfortunate men, who wish to work as good as they 
 can or according to their good abilities and can find 
 no^ employment. For there are many who would be only 
 too glad to live most economically, were only occasion given 
 to them to earn so much as to provide for their unconditional 
 wants. We must, we are in duty bound to help buch man, 
 as it says in the Torah -pvnKT i^yb Trmb TT ns nnDn nnQ 
 ("' V'to C'-m) .-jmt-o "Thou shalt open thy hand unto thy 
 brother, the needy and to thy poor in thy land (Deut.XV, 11) 
 and (DU>) p'Ot-* HIT b ^ "poverty will not cease" (ibid.) 
 We must try and endeavour to help and support them, but 
 the question arises, how? in which wayH We can advise to 
 establish a humane society in the strain described in this 
 pamphlet. To enlist the sympathy of those who understand 
 true and unbiassed religion to be founded only on the two 
 chief principles "love of God and love ot mau" and that
 
 84 
 
 all other principles in creed are but a way and means leading 
 to these two great fundamental principles. We must not enter 
 into investigation of the theory one or the other has formed of 
 a Supreme Being, for as we explained above speaking of the 
 Cherubim D^TO that it is impossible tha f , all should have one 
 thought, one idea, and that it is immaterial, however, one 
 thinks as long as vn i? UTN tamoi all these ideas lead to 
 and aim at one great principle "brotherhood". This society 
 can join ministers of all creeds without distinction, though 
 they are not bound to adhere all to the same minor prin 
 ciples. This society shall not make nationalism its chief point, 
 but it shall be cosmopolitan. Nationalism is implanting only 
 love to a certain nation working only in one direction, and as 
 it is not necessary to have a society for teaching mothers to 
 love their children, as this love is innate to human nature, 
 so it is unnecessary to have a society for promoting nation- 
 alism, for it is a natural feeling that one must love his com- 
 patriots, but we must have a society to teach mothers to love 
 strange children, and so must we have a society propagating 
 cosmopolitism love to all human race. 
 
 This humane society shall establish a company on shares, 
 which shall be at a moderate price, so that those who are 
 not gifted with richess should also be able to purchase them 
 and they shall buy plots of land and place at the disposa^ 
 of the shareholders on terms of repayment by reasonable in- 
 stalments with a small interest upon the capital part of which 
 interest shall be used towards holding a ballot say twice a 
 year. They shall also establish factories and workshops, where 
 they will be able to give employment to those who are 
 temporarily out of work and thus enable them to earn a res"
 
 85 
 
 pectable, if even not luxurious living, until they will have 
 a better situation. This may also be done on shares, and from 
 the profits thereof more land can be bought and more fact" 
 ories established every year. This society shall also endeavour 
 to open free reading rooms and to find good speakers to 
 propagate the ideas of humanity and also different 
 branches of science. One of the duties of this society shall be 
 to find cheap and comfortable dwellings for the poor so that 
 a workingman will not be obliged, as it is now-a-days, to pay 
 a considerable part of his earnings for a residence for himself 
 and family. It will become the duty of these Societies to 
 see at the same time to induce the working classes to lead a 
 steady and modest life, that they may abstain from spending 
 too much on drink, for the eight hours will then, and only 
 then be a boon for the workingmen. To reach this it would 
 seem advisable to suggest that about half an hour after the 
 workingmen leave off work, all public beer and wine houses 
 be closed. Very little good indeed can be expected to arise 
 of an 8 hours work day if the free time left be spent in pub" 
 lie houses. Let them rather, after they leave their work spend 
 their time reading useful and instructive Books, hear good 
 and educating lectures etc. Gambling is a vice and these so- 
 cieties will do a justice in influencing all their members, and 
 we think it will be all the human race, to do away with it. 
 These Societies shall also try to pacify the Kings in ft 
 friendly way and thus to abolish all kinds of war and politica 
 discord. Lastly every member of this society shall apply him- 
 self to study the universal language for all the world, either 
 the Volapuc or the Esperand whichever the learned professors 
 will decide upon. It is to be hoped that such societies can be
 
 86 - 
 
 established in a comparatively short time, and bring a great 
 deal of good to all the world. 
 
 The next step, I would venture to propose, is to form 
 a league between;. all the societies established all over Europe- 
 for humanitarian purposes, viz: all peace societies, the Anti- 
 Anti-Semites in Germany, Austria etc. 
 
 When this is carried out with the help of God and His 
 blessing, we hope to submit further schemes to promote the 
 welfare and wellbeing of all our fellowmen. 
 
 Fortunately the English Press, both religious and political 
 is free of ideas entailing the above mentioned deplorable con- 
 sequences. The religious press will perhaps point out the 
 better sides of that creed, for which it pleads, but it is liberal 
 at the same time and will not attack any other creed, giving 
 to each one due credit and respect. Just so the polical press 
 pleading the cause of their party will manifest due esteem 
 for the ideas of other parties. It is therefore that we must 
 once more take the opportunity to express our gratitude to 
 the English nobility, with His Eminence Cardinal Manning, 
 fehe Lord Archbishop of London and Canterbury, the Lord 
 Bishop of Ripon, the Earl of Meath, the Duke of Westminster 
 etc. at the head, for the zealous endeavours, with which they 
 make it their duty to remove the three mentioned obstacles 
 to universal happiness. 
 
 It is the duty of all subjects of Her Most Gracious 
 Britanic Majesty to implore the Almighty, to bless that 
 country where the Ruler is merciful, kind and humane, the 
 clergy benevolent, peace-seeking and peace-loving and the 
 press furthering the interests of all shades and [classes 
 of the population.
 
 87 
 
 18). We have here to deal with 2 questions: 1) the C oloni- 
 sation of Palestine, 2) Agriculture as a means of livelihood. 
 Concerning the Colonisation of Palestine, we will find some 
 of our Rabbis, if we guide ourselves by the Thalmud, who 
 were expressly and distincly against it. Our Sages say: 
 nVm IDN:U> ntyjn ~sy btnt^ p*t> tono rbyn bz i-mrr- 'i IDK 
 (irTw) 'n DIN: Dnn ^pe cv ttf vrv nnan i^ "Rabbi Jehudah 
 says; Whosoever goes from Babylon to Palestine, transgresses 
 a commandment, for it is said in Jeremiah: To Babylon shall 
 ye come and there shall ye stay until the day when I will 
 visit you, saith the Lord. (Kessuboth 111.) Rabbi Zeira, who 
 was very much devoted to the Holy Land did not fall in 
 with the views of Rabbi Jehudah, who, wishing to go to 
 Palestine had to keep such desire secret. Yet he acknowledges 
 the three oaths above referred to and says that by going 
 to and settling in the Holy Land, wd need not we dare not 
 anticipate the Almighty with any plans whatsoever regarding 
 the Millennium, who many times showed plainly his great 
 love to the Holy Land, and who is the author of many highly 
 sympathetic remarks on the subject, says after all, when 
 speaking of the three oaths: M IKP Di into D'D'pD Drm 2.-* 
 mtyn m^wi rnwnvD esmtzn n Trio "If you obey, well and 
 good. if not I will make your lives as that of the 
 gazelle and of the hart". Rabbi Eliezer with his farsighted- 
 ness understood that there will be a time when agriculture 
 will be the principal means of livelihood. This is expressed 
 in Rabbi Eliezer's words rpipn }>y noiru? nvjonn >L jjn to 
 pn by DTI 'tain to czpnbn BIWD WQD to DrrnvuKs ITTI -, 
 "There will be a time when all tradesmen will become 
 workers on the soil as it says in Ezechiel: All that haudle
 
 the oar, the mariners and all the pilots of the sea shall come 
 down from the ships, they shall stand upon the land". (Je- 
 bamoth 63). But, he says further, the expression i*n' "they 
 went down" shows, that the world will not make a progress 
 but a regress, a step not up but down, fD nmns nioit* -jb pHiy 
 ypnpn "For there is no trade inferior to agriculture. We read 
 about him in the same tractat, that when he once met an 
 agricultural labourer at work he told him ~\yo me NpDjn t*:rsn 
 "He who circulates his money in business does better than 
 you". 
 
 We find also in the Thalmud that Rav expressed himself 
 in the same manner seeing once as the ears of corn lifted up 
 their heads proudly waving in the air (ibid.) Rovo says: nun 
 'jjo K!?K TW Kin rrram nnto rums *oom totyi Kpojn in 
 K~un ib 'mm njn ii> ''A hundred florins in business enable 
 a man to have daily meat and wine, a hundred florins in 
 soil, only bread and salt and moreover make a man sleep 
 on the floor and entail aggrivation." (Jebamoth 63). There- 
 fore we can learn, time although we may love Palestine as 
 devoutedly as Rabbi Zeira and Rabbi Eliezer and Rovo 
 yet we may do so ouly, because Palestine remains to 
 us a living eternal memorial of our great historic past, but 
 we must never allow ourselves to think of other different 
 reasons. Concerning agriculture as the principal means of 
 livelihood and the absolute necessity of mankind to invest 
 capital in ground, we hear different opinions of our Rabbis. 
 Though Rabbi Eliezer, as we have seen abore, does not think 
 agriculture profitable, yet he says: ain IVK yplp li> pKty 'D PD 
 DIK ^ai> fru pKm 'r6 o^oty o^otyn :rn:n "Whoever has no 
 soil is not a man for it says: The heavens are for God and
 
 89 
 
 the earth he gave unto sons of man" (Psalms CXV. 16) 
 He certainly wishes every man to know that it is good to 
 buy soil for his money, but at the same time he concurs 
 with the advice of another Rabbi WsW vnyo DIN ty>bty D^yb 
 (I"D o f i) IT nnn ur>tw fm a"ion wbu> ypnpn "A man shall 
 divide his money into three parts, investing one third in 
 ground, one third putting into business and keeping a third 
 in cash in hand". Thus a man can always be provided for. 
 What he does not earn ot his soil he replenishes from his 
 business and if both fail to make up sufficient for his living, 
 the cash in hand balances the account. If we would thus 
 like to think of a scheme for the colonisation of Palestine, 
 we should understand, that every one should invest only a 
 certain part of his financial means in soil in Palestine, and 
 for this purpose there is only one practical way to establish 
 a Company on shares giving every one the privilege of hav- 
 ing as many shares as he likes, and making their prices so 
 moderate, as to give everyone, rich and poor alike, access to 
 them. To arrive at this end by means of small contributions, 
 donations and charity, is by all means a failure. 
 
 Our Sages have expressed this very theory in the follow- 
 ing words: npivrr JD "inv ion nib^DJ nSilJ "Acts of kindness 
 by way of business are preferable to charity". They base this 
 theory on the verse "ion w r.tfpi rrpnvb cri ijnr and put 
 (npiv) charity on a levell with sowing, while ion businesslike 
 acts of kindness is to them on a levell with harvest, because 
 charity is as doubtful in its results like the seed one throws 
 on the field without any guarantee of its taking root and 
 yelding a good harvest whilst ion is something substantial 
 like the harvest.
 
 - 90 
 
 Considering that Palestine cannot hold all Jews in exist- 
 ence, and further how beneficial it is for the world at large 
 that Jews are dispersed throughout all parts, as we find in 
 Pesachim $" pa DitQttf btouH? rrnpn nwy npnv "The All- 
 mighty has shown His love to Israel in spreading them all over 
 the habitable globe", we would think that not only tnust 
 we not be against, but it is our duty to encourage all faci- 
 lities offered by the generous Baron de Hirsch and others who 
 wish to transplant and colonise our brethren in other parts 
 of the world besides Palestine, leaving at the same time to 
 those who prefer the Holy Land opportunity to dwell there. 
 
 Speaking on this subject we may add that the mean- 
 ing of the Rabbis is that, while Israel is spread all over the 
 globe, people notice them less and are usually left alone, while 
 where they congregate in a particular spot, they are un- 
 willingly calling upon them the attention of their surroundings 
 which is not always favourably disposed towards them, and 
 should the Jews settle en masse in Palestine they would im- 
 mediately awake the envy of their enemies and who knows if 
 the Sultan's successors will be so very anxious to protect them. 
 
 19.) Commenting on Isiah LVIII, 14, npy> n^na ^n!?3m 
 pa "And I shall feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy 
 father'*. The Middrash asks why expressly of Jacob? and an- 
 swers: because unto him God t>aid: niun rmey nmpi no 1 nvici 
 0''' n3 rwH-n) "And thou shait spread abroad to the west, 
 and to the east and to the north and to the south" which 
 means that the idea of knowledge of God and love to our 
 fellowmen will spread all over the habitable globe. 
 
 According to the theory which I endeavour to explain 
 throughout this work, it is clearly seen, that all our holy law
 
 91 
 
 is founded only on love of man and love to a stranger especially 
 which, eo ipso, teaches us and shows us the way how we 
 can leve our Creator and cleave unto him. 
 
 Following this theory we will now understand the mean- 
 ing of the verse nnv DIN n3ni "Whosoever killeth a man 
 shall die (Levit. XXIV, 21.) The late Rev- Dr. N. M. Adler 
 in his famous commentary to the Bible asks, why the Thar- 
 gum translates mm by M^nof) (kill) in opposition to all 
 other commentaries, who say that nsci means "bruise, smite, 
 wound" end DTK refers to "a father"? The comentators 
 base their opinion on the fact that, since in v. 17 of the 
 same chapter it says nnv mo ait* ttteJ 73 H3 1 '3 ttPl "And 
 a man who slayeth any human being shall surely be put to 
 death", it would be needless to repeat a commandment a few 
 verses later, which would convey quite the same meaning. 
 But guided by the rules which precede those notes, we find 
 here v. 17 dealing with two quite different subjects which 
 are subsequently explained collectively. On this principle 
 the repetition is easily explained. 
 
 When Moses has comanded his peoble UfEU 73 ny ^ ttfW 
 nov rno ai (v. 17. DIK meaning Jews only as explained), 
 he was affraid that his hearers will not include also every 
 other human being, therefore he was compelled afterwaids 
 to repeat (v. 21) nov Di ri3oi continuing in v. 22 irm lostyo 
 rprr mito 1J3 D3b irrr 1 "Ye shall have one manner of law 
 as well for the stranger as for the citizen of your own country' 5 
 and concluding as usually 'n 'ON with the intention of point- 
 ing to God as the ideal of the best qualities, whom men 
 must endeavour to resemble. 
 
 We will also understand the meaning of Mendelsohn
 
 92 - 
 
 who in the verse 7ti?n '"^ translates nsa not stranger (of 
 another creed) but a "foreigner". In Levit. XXV, 85, we read: 
 Toy vn aunrn 1:1 in npmm -\ny vr ntom 711 H -pa' 'm "And if 
 thy brother be waxen poor and fallen in decay with thee, 
 then thou shalt relieve him a stranger or a sojourner that he 
 may live with thee". Hereafter follow verse 36 and 37 the 
 former dealing about charging one interest on money lent to 
 him and concluding again with "pj? 7nt* TD "and thy brother 
 shall live with thee" and the latter about paying interest on 
 monies lent to us and concluding with DDV^H 'n 'i in v. 39. 
 One of these verses would seem superfluous as since we are 
 once told not to charge interest, it is evident that we should 
 not give our monies away for interest. But the great legis 
 lator acted here according to rule 2 of these three rules 
 proceeding these notes i. e. he first included two subjects 
 into one verse and then explained them in particular. Thus 
 for 7n he says: (v. 36) -\oy 7n Tr '131 rvmrn -[ffj 7nn npn >H 
 <'Thou shalt not take from him usury or increase etc. and 
 thy brother shall live with thee". For the stranger, sojourner 
 or foreigner he says in v. 37 7^33 ib jnn "h IEDD n "Thy 
 money shalt thou not give him for usury" and concluding as 
 usual with 'n *JN. We are thus equally forbidden to take any 
 interest from our debtors as to pay any interest on the loan 
 to our creditors. And naturally since Palestine has never been 
 a manufacturing country, and agriculture was the principal 
 means of livelihood, it could not pay an agriculturer to bor- 
 row money on interest, k not only to or from Jews but from 
 all even strangers dwelling in our land. 
 
 Moses has also seen that, if Jews would even like to 
 lend out money without interest, they could by no means
 
 93 
 
 lend it out to all who would want it. Therefore he had to make 
 a distinction between the citizen and sojourner in in our land, 
 and the foreigner dwelling in a neighbouring country, and 
 being only in commercial connection with us. This will now 
 throw full light upon the above brought verse in Deut. where 
 nDJ mears a foreigner, living outside our land and being con- 
 nected with us only in business. That only a foreigner and not 
 a non Jew living in our country has been meant by Moses, 
 will be clearly visible if we read the continuation of v 35 
 in Levit XXV. ~\QV m nunrn ~u A stranger (non Jew living 
 in our country) or sojourner and he shall live with thee, i.e. 
 that any men Jew or non-Jew living in our land has to enjoy 
 t he same equal rights and must be supported- But, we may 
 charge interest on monies we lend out to foreigners i.e. people 
 living in other neighbouring countries, otherwise, we, would 
 as above explained not be able to do any business. It is pe- 
 culiar that Ttyn is put in the t^an (transitive) meaning 
 originally: pay interest. We may thus explain the verse also 
 so, that not only may we take interest from, but we are to 
 pay interest to the foreigner, when lending money to him 
 or borrowing some from him as the case may be. 
 
 A proof that n3j means only a non-jewish foreigner is to 
 be seen in the fact, that every law given for the ^33 13 im- 
 mediately followed by another for "prm meaning that all Jews 
 even those dwelling iu foreign lands, owing to their small 
 number and relationship, had to equally enjoy the privileges 
 and bear the hardships of the law, whilst a non-jewish 
 foreigner was subject to a different taw, which in some cases 
 was more beneficial to him in his daily life. 
 
 This would justify Rabenu Saadia Gaon pjn mj?D
 
 - 94 
 
 who quotes Ttyrn '-02!? amongst the 248 commandments 
 nuw rnvn of the Holy Writ, i. e. If a non-jewish foreigner 
 is promised interest on money he lends to us, we must payhim* 
 whilst if we even promise interest to any Jew we need not 
 pay it to him (as according to the Tbalmud). At the same we 
 will find right what the Rambam V't o"aoT says that we 
 are allowed to charge interest to any non-jewish foreigners 
 on monies we lend them, quoting the words of the Mishna 
 Dnb pfcoi p^ ''we may borrow from and lend to them '* first 
 specifying pb the borrowing and contending that just as 
 we may pay a non-jewish foreigner interest for money he 
 lends us, we may, eo ipso, charge interest on monies borrowed 
 from us, otherwise we should always be at a loss. 
 
 That strangers~non~Jews residing in our country must 
 be treated like our own brethren is also proved by Deutr. 
 XV 2, 8, where it says: tyon naan n 'im vn rwi injn n w^ N? 
 "He shall not exact it from his friend nor of his brother 
 etc. thou mayest exact it of the foreigner". Here inm means 
 the non-jewish citizen and vrm his Jewish brethren, otherwise 
 it would not be distinctly placed in two expressions n t related 
 to each other. Moses wished us to understand ibat all our 
 citizen jews or non-jews who dwell with us, must equally 
 enjoy the privilege of the ntDDttf year of release 
 whilst the foreigner can have no right to its benefits. Just 
 so he wished us to understand that by lending out money 
 to our citizens without interest, to foreigners on interest and 
 so borrowing money from each, we will be able to support 
 one another in time of need as he says, referring to both 
 nioDUfl rvm interest and year of release: fV3< "p rprv ? ^ DQK 
 "in order that there shall be no poor amongst you" (Deut.
 
 95 
 
 XV- 4.) That all poor must be dealt with mercifully without 
 distinction of nationality as long as they live with us is also 
 seen of verse 11 in the same chapter pun npo pnw !nn> ? >3 
 Tnb "P* "M nnon nno ID!? 71*0 ^3 p by 
 "For the poor will never cease within the 
 land therefore I command thee thou shalt surely open thy hand 
 to thy brother, thy poor and thy needy in thy land [thy brother 
 Jews, thy poor and thy needy non-jewish strangers]. 
 
 A similar instance can be given from Levit. XIX, 12, 
 jin r-iN piu>)?n b "Thou shalt not opress thy friend" and 
 Deutr. XXIV, 14, -pnnmum TOD IK THKD fvni vw iottf-pu>n b 
 pirun "Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor 
 and needy whether he be of thy brethren or thy strangers 
 that are in thy land within thy gates". In the word "jrvDy 
 the expressions ntyini iJ are included, therefore we find them 
 placed one instead of the other to show that all are placed 
 under the same law. (see Levit XIX, 11, 19 where we find 
 irvny (thy neighbour) Tjn (thy friend) TH (thy brother) 
 subject to the same law and placed one beside and albo in- 
 stead of the other. 
 
 But if slavery was really so great a hardship, how could 
 Moses, the great and human legislator have allowed Jews to 
 keep slaves? This question which is very important to all 
 who study the Bible, can also be easily answered fol. 
 lowing this theory. I have tried to point out several times 
 that Moses was compelled to give his people some laws, which 
 were only suited for the time, they were given at. He went 
 so far as to allow his followers to listen unto another prophet 
 after his death and to do what he biddeth, although it may 
 perhaps be not in accordance with or commenting the law
 
 96 
 
 of Moses. Now if we follow up history, we will find that 
 when Moses gave these laws they were absolutely indispensable. 
 At that time slaves were held by all nations, and tho-e slaves 
 were brutally illtreated, depending with their life and death, 
 on their breadgivers. Moses' laws had to warn the people of 
 Israel from doing so. On the contrary Moses wished to take 
 off the burden entirely from the non-jewish slave's shoulders 
 who was employed by an Israelite. Every servant, argued 
 Moses, be he whoever he is, must be politely dealt with. We 
 find him still further advanced, if we look into Deut. XXIII, 
 16-17, aty lay varm ayo T?K ITV;- -wx v:n !? iny ^;rn N^ 
 '01 TTty into im> it^t* cipon "plpa "Thou shalt not deliver 
 unto his master a servant that is escaped from his master 
 unto thee. He shall dwell with thee even among yon in that 
 place which he will choose in one of thy gates, where it liketh 
 him best, thou shalt not oppress him. (This law is still now 
 acted upon in several civilized countries). He prohibited his 
 people to buy slaves and keep them for ever. If they took a 
 hebrew servant he was to serve a term of 6 years and on 
 the seventh he was set free with gifts and presents according 
 to the richess of his master. During the whole time of ser- 
 vice such servant had to be treated in the kindliest way. 
 Just 80 a non-jewish servant had 1o be dealt with in the 
 most civil manner. Every wrong done to him personally, 
 every bodily harm caused to him, entailed his full liberty, as 
 we find in Exodus XXI, 26, 27 n* is my pj? m ur* na aV 
 '121 iry nnn untold WEnb int? py "And if a man smite the 
 eye of his servant or the eye of his maid that it perish, he 
 shall let him go free for his eye's sake etc. All servants male or 
 female, Jews and non-jews had to rest on Sabbath, had not to
 
 97 
 
 be oppressed etc." Such and other rights and privileges made 
 the service not a burden but a pleasant duty, and no wonder 
 that ft great many of the non -Jewish slaves oppressed by ncn- 
 jewish masters envied the servants of the Jews and wished to 
 become subordinates to an Isralite. Thus it came that, when 
 such slaves who succeeded to escape from their master's house 
 were well cared for, those who were less fortunate in trying 
 to gain their personal freedom, were bought by Jews for 
 money. Were the Jews not to buy these slaves, they would have 
 lead a very sad course of life as they were entirely, their life 
 and death, freedom and person, in the hands of their masters. 
 But again the Jews could not buy away all slaves, as 
 their number was large and whilst it wanted a vast amount 
 of money and would make those who spend much for this pur- 
 pose poor, what had, as aboTe said, to be avoided. Thus the 
 jews took as many slaves as they chose for their own use, to 
 attend to their personal wants, and very soon both the master as 
 well as the servant greatly profited. For while the mater was 
 replaced in instances of hard work by a i rustworthy and faith" 
 ful servant the servant was kindly treated and had ample 
 opportunity to learn off the jews the morals of religion, prin- 
 ciples of morality, and humanity. One hand washed ihe other. 
 The beneficial influence of mutual support we can even observe 
 now-a-days between England and the far parts of India, Africa 
 and Australia. Whilst the latter is taught by scientific English- 
 men principles of humanity, modesty, religion and knowledge, 
 the former derives the great material benefit of their produce. 
 Although I have shown myself to be a great antagonist of 
 wars for political reasons, I must say that to lead an army 
 against a land and to conquer it with the view of propagating
 
 98 
 
 there humanity and morals of religion is not only right but it 
 is even the duty of the more civilized nations. 
 
 In consideration of all that has been said in this pamphlet, 
 we will now see that, the verse which I have placed in the 
 commencement of this essay, will also explain the two following 
 Verses, treating about honesty in weights and measure. Many 
 students of the Bible are surprised why these verses terminate 
 with 'n 'Jtf "I am the Lord". In Levit. XIX, 33. the passage 
 commences with iriN 13 n t*b Esmto 1J D3D T)jp 2i "And if a 
 stranger sojourn with thee in your land ye shall not oppress him 
 Then comes the verse 33 given in full on p. 1., which is then, 
 followed by v. 34 an explanation of the foregoing verses, to 
 show where we must take care to be honest with and not to 
 cheat a stranger, dwelling with us, that we must have full and 
 just weights, scales and measures, that we must exercise justice 
 and be straightforward, and concluding as usually when re- 
 ferring to love towards strangers with 'n ": to point to the 
 ideal of all perfection as to an example for mankind. 
 
 We find in Tractat (i<f pbin) it>*} nvarr run rnajb TIBN 
 D''i3i> "It is forbidden to defraud the opinion of people, even 
 of non jews i. e.that we must not act so as to give anyone reason 
 to have an incorrect opinion about us. 
 
 In Tractat 'j mr rrroj? we read Kin nn mini poiy D iDy 
 onn TD a in cm ntwr ",tiK rrnrn trm P-IDD ''A non-jew 
 studying the law is equal to a high priest for it says, that 
 the man shall do them and live thereby". 
 
 I beg to cotiTey my humble and most heartfelt thanks 
 to hU Majesty the Sultan of Turkey for his human treat- 
 ment towards his Jewish subjects, and I also wish to convey 
 my grateful thanks to Baron Edmond de Rothschild in spend-
 
 99 
 
 ing such vast sums of money, not in stone monuments but 
 in living monuments, and I also wish to gratefully thank 
 the Rothschilds for their sterling friendship and truehearced- 
 ness towards their co-religionists. But above all I wish my 
 humble and grateful thanks to be conveyed to Baron de Hirsch. 
 Since the world exists there has not been such another, who 
 has spent so many millions and who intends giving many 
 millions more, for the better welfare and to place in a better 
 condition millions of his humble persecuted co-religionists 
 and I am greatly pleased that Baron de Hirsch has all the 
 same ideas as I have, and also by planting the Jews in 
 different parts, it will not alone be good for the Jews but 
 for the Christians as well, for the Jews are like spice, a little 
 of it gives great flavour to the food, put too much of it 
 in the food and the result is the food is spoilt thus show- 
 ing that if the Jews are settled in different parts of the 
 world they will show a good exnmple to their Christian 
 neighbours by their energy and thrift, and it is a great deal 
 better that the Jews should have a voice indifferent parlia- 
 ments of the world than to live in one place like China and 
 to have a consul, but we can see by facts that the Ame- 
 ricans do not greatly respect the Chinese who have a consul 
 as much as the Jews who have no consul. 
 
 Just a short remark on the charity exercised by tho local 
 Board of Guardians: 
 
 It has been repeatedly proved in this essay that the good 
 and the evil are two sisters, twins; born at the same time
 
 100 
 
 and created by the cause, and the more we try to amelior- 
 ate something, the more place will still remain for new 
 improvements, new corrections. 
 
 We admit the importance of charity and it is just for 
 this reason that we crave permission of the generous donors 
 who are constantly devoting their abundant means for this 
 noble purpose to submit to them the important points about 
 it and about the way it is now given. Though it is and re- 
 mains a fact that, however we may try, we will never get rid 
 of 3uch impostors, who whilst they make us believe by means 
 of false statements that they are destitute and poor, are in 
 fact not in want of oar support and charity, yet we cannot 
 say that because of these impostors we should not support 
 and help the really deserving poor? The Thalmud, speaking 
 of impostors above allued to, says: WttQ'H rmo pnrrn ii 
 "let us be thankful to the cheats". And we must really thank 
 them, for how could we otherwise face the question: Why 
 are so many poor left without assistance? As it is we can 
 and do reply: Why, there are so many impostors, that one 
 cannot distinguish the deserving case from the fraud and 
 therefore we refuse so many. 
 
 We would like to see the charity so dealt with, that at 
 least the really deserving man be not worse off than the im- 
 postor. Hitherto we met a great many really deserving aad 
 pressing cases unattended to or refused, because the applicants 
 cannot or will not humble themselves too much, or, as the 
 impostors usually do, take recourse to false statements, in 
 order to satisfy the requirements of the rules. Should there, 
 however, happen an exceptienal case where a honest man 
 has been driven by want and misery to state an untrue fact,
 
 101 
 
 it is at once found out, it is seen in his face, and as a 
 punishment naturally follows a refusal point blank. It is our 
 duty to remedy and prevent such unpleasant and heartrending 
 occurrences, and for this purpose it is most advisable to 
 arrange that the distribution of charity should not be through 
 certain individuals especially appointed for the purpose. They 
 in their constant rounds to the poorest of the poor become 
 so used to the cry of hunger, need and starvation, that special 
 important cases never influence them. They hear mechanically 
 reply and act instinctively; crying, sobbing, tears are con- 
 stant details of their daily round and must, by sheer force 
 of habit, discontinue to impress them. 
 
 We venture to suggest the following remedy. Every one 
 desirous of being helped or supported by or through the 
 Board of Guardians should find an introduction or recom- 
 mendation from the President or Vice President of any so- 
 ciety, Synagogue (in which case also from the acting minister) 
 or public body of which he is a member. Should it happen 
 that the applicant is not on the list of any of these establish- 
 ments, he is sure to find friends, countrymen or acquaintances 
 who will take the trouble to get such an introduction for 
 him. In that introduction, which of course, must be given 
 only after a thorough investigation of the case and must 
 contain a true and unbiassed statement, can be mentioned 
 the applicant's past position, his abilities, or other reasons 
 why he may be specially recommended. Such application being 
 laid before the Board, they may, if they think fit re-investigate 
 the case before they decide upon. 
 
 Such introduction need not be handed over by the 
 applicant personally. It may be forwarded to the Board by
 
 102 
 
 Post, as may also the respective amounts voted by the 
 Board in every case. This would do away with the over- 
 crowding of the doors of the Board's offices by 1&>**&*'.^ 
 daily, a circumstance which causes illfeeling towards us from 
 our gentile neighbours. It is most important, that the minis- 
 ters ol congregations should not refuse a recommendation to 
 a man they know as deserving. Treated thus, the deserving 
 man, who usually humbly begs for support, will not be worse 
 off than the impostor who boldly compels to assist him. 
 and the h&lp to given will be granted in a really humane 
 manner. 
 
 If this practical scheme is adopted it would be most advis- 
 able to reduce the amount of money distributed as charity, and 
 in its stead to increase the amount lent out as loans, making 
 them repayable by small instalments, ad minimo, and at in- 
 tervals best convenient to the position of the borrower. As 
 it is now greater difficulties are experienced when apply- 
 ing for a loan, than when asking for chanty. Yet we are 
 taught by our sages npivn fo inv D'HOH mVna irru "the loan 
 motey (acts of kindness) is greater than the giving of 
 charity". And indeed by giving alms we make a man a 
 professional beggar, and so reduce him to the state of self 
 negligence, humiliation and beggary, whilst a loan, by virtue 
 of its being repaid, induces and encourages a man to work. 
 We have often seen that one who is used to receive cha- 
 rity, will always want and need it, nay he will get lazy 
 to work and depend on it, whilst a honest man who being 
 poor cannot for one or another reason get a loan, will always 
 blush with shame, thinking he had to accept charity from 
 the Board. Charity should only be given to sick and dis-
 
 103 
 
 abled persons. They are fully entitled to claim it by virtue 
 of their being unable to work. 
 
 But if he is granted a loan, let it be given to repay 
 in such instalments the borrower is able to stand and let him 
 be allowed to repay it at any time he will be able according 
 to his circumstances. It would be advisable that the Board 
 should charge interest say one shilling in the Pound. This 
 will on one hand not make any difference to the borrower 
 on the other it will considerably increase the income of the 
 Board. 
 
 The Board should also do away with demauding from 
 the borrower securities when applied to for a loan. For being 
 on friendly terms with somebody and uot being able to 
 refuse doing him so great a favour as signing a loan as surety, 
 why should a person so signed have to suffer, if the borrower 
 is temporarily unable to pay his instalments? Especially if 
 the Board by lending this money means to exercise charity. 
 If the borrower can not repay the instalments of his loan 
 due in a time given to him, and the Board consequently 
 takes steps to recover this debt from the surety, who had no 
 benefit of it whatsoever, in order to do with the money so re- 
 ceived other charity, would that charity than not be a 
 frran rtrtan mvo "a virtue done by means of vice"? We know 
 many who were reduced to utter poverty and destitution, 
 nay, they had even to leave the country, house, home and 
 family, solely because they meant to help some of their friends 
 in becoming sureties for them. According to the present ar- 
 rangements it is so, that when one of the applicants for 
 a loan is sent before the Committee of the Board, 
 they ask him: "Have you no friends at all"? It is
 
 104 
 
 only natural that he cannot reply in that case that those 
 friends he has are already burdened as sureties at private 
 Loan Offices, and that, coming to the Board of Guardians, he 
 has no other place where his application should be granted, 
 and that the Board is his last means of salvation! Most of 
 the honest and respectable poor would rather, if they could, 
 go somewhere else and pay interest than stand for hours 
 and await their turn before the officers of the Board in a 
 crowd of so mixed a character as we may see there daily. 
 The Board on their part could only secure themselves so 
 much that they make it a duty of those who introduce the 
 applicants to them, to keep a watching eye over the state of 
 affairs of the borrower, and to use their best influence with 
 him should it happea that he can pay and would not, 
 and to report change of residence etc. It is to be hoped 
 that the losses, which may arise from this way of conducting 
 the business of the Board will not be as great at they may 
 at first sight appear. Why, do we not see a great many shops 
 and travellers giving away their goods on weekly payments 
 and making a first class living, even accumulating a con- 
 siderable profit, though they are likely to have a great risk. 
 The interest of one shilling in the pound proposed to be char- 
 ged by the Board might also cover the expenses of keeping 
 a paid collector to call upon the borrowers and get from them 
 the small instalments such borrowers do pay, as practice shows 
 that when a collector calls, he easily gets a small amount 
 whilst one cannot always find time to go to the offices of 
 the Board with a small account, nor is it sometimes worth 
 the trouble. It is impossible morover, when the husbands are
 
 - 105 
 
 out at woik and the wives have little children to look after 
 and nobody to leave at home. 
 
 The rules? of the Board should be so framed that they 
 be especially lenient to such applicants, who are introduced 
 to the Board on special recommendation either for their 
 past position, carreer, piety, learning etc- It is so in other 
 countries where people recommended on this basis are 
 especially cared for, that they live respectably by the support 
 of their co-religionists, whilst here one can often find them 
 in a daplorable condition. 
 
 One more point remains to touch upon- If the Board 
 considers and decides cases, when the applicants are to 
 be sent away t<r their native or another country, let 
 them not delay the execution of their decision so long. As 
 it is, one, who after a struggle and long weeks' waiting, at last 
 gets the fare home or elsewhere has to wait weeks and weeks 
 during which time his board and lodging cost him as much 
 as he may well pay for the fare, and so it is that llDty KIT 
 ITDB; m his gain is devoured by his loss. Now what if, as 
 in most cases it really is, the applicant has only limited 
 means or none at all, and cannot stand the expense of keep- 
 ing body and soul together during the long intsrval between 
 the decision of the Board and its execution? He then of 
 course undergoes a long list of privations and suffering, 
 waiting for his help to come- Would that this be avoided 
 and the assistance rendered by the Board will be humane 
 and beneficial to the needy, a pride and an honour to the 
 community and a good example to others. 
 
 And it would also be of inestimable good if there would 
 be an employment bureau, where workmen out of employment 
 could apply for work, and that employers requiring men 
 should also apply to the bureau, but I wish to state that 
 two persons should he appointed whose duty it should be 
 to look for situations for those out of work. It would greatly 
 relieve the Hoard of large sums that they give in charity 
 for temporary relief, whilst by finding employment for those 
 out of work, they would do permanent good.
 
 106 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 The following few words will explain some expressions 
 which might, as they are, be misunderstood or misinterpreted: 
 
 &age 7, gine 7. (n"3 nl) D'3tO?b D'yottN O^TUnttf ~mn ntl^H 
 {Page 6, S6ine 27. DUTipnn pmb pT intOTi NDO^ K3 irPi> p 
 
 .(rmy fyir) jmn nvmion aipbi jmn 
 
 Page 5 ; line 9, page 7^., line ^ /^y* -4-3 > ^ ne &. The 
 passages here quoted distinctly prove the importance of cos- 
 mopolitism. 
 
 &age 8, line 7. See Gen. III. 5, ini 31E >jnv D'iT>3 aiTTn 
 <>0y0 r<y, * j. inojo now p pn Here the word 
 inoni> seems superfluous, for if a judge gives "right judgment" 
 it is certainly given in its perfect truth. But it is possible that 
 conforming with the letter of the law, a Judge can sometimes 
 sentence a man to a punishment which he does not deserve in 
 this case. It is therefore incumbent upon a judge to investigate 
 a case thoroughly not being guided by the letter of the law alone. 
 He must even sometimes act above his authority ptn rmttfD n^B^ 1 
 as we find in the Thalmud WDynttf 'JQO N^K D'btirn 1 n:nn vh 
 ('*? D3) mm p ty D!T3n "Jerusalem has not been destroyed 
 but because they have given judgment according to the letter 
 of the law (Baba Meziah 30). We can learn therefrom that the 
 distributors of charity ought to consider the circumstances of 
 the cases more than the rules. 
 
 &age 5S > line 77. no means manners. 
 
 &age 63 f line 23. The passage from the Moreh Nebochim 
 here quoted refers to the end of the prevjous page (62). 
 
 0a,ge 73, line 22. See Ecclesiastes VII , 15-18. 
 
 &ag 87 f line 8. VT3 imi*J~l 'VH1 no DIM pt* A man dies 
 not possessing the h alf of what he desires. 
 
 Page 90, line 79 Because Palestine is considered holy by 
 many nations on the habitable globe. 
 
 &age 94 f line 5. This passage of the Rambam is not 
 rightly understood 
 
 ffiage 95 ; line 74- and page 98 line 78 See Baba Meziah 
 59. (B: oi). 
 
 &age 96 t -line 28. The same refers to one knocking out his 
 servants tooth as in next verse. 
 
 <!Page ff? ; line 72. Between "slaves" and "as" the words 
 ''and set them free" should be inserted.
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 Page I 
 
 V 
 
 ,. V 
 
 .. v 
 
 ,. VIII 
 
 17 
 
 instead Movemements 
 line 4 
 
 read Movements 
 ,, world because these 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 pleasure every class 
 
 ., 17 
 
 
 
 ,, But the same 
 
 
 , amngst 
 
 
 amongst 
 
 INSTEAD 
 
 READ PAGE 
 
 LINE 
 
 INSTEAD READ 
 
 24 
 
 34 
 
 23 
 
 24 
 
 Rusia Russia 
 
 land 
 
 earth 25 
 
 20 
 
 gramble grumble 
 
 af 
 
 of 28 
 
 ly 
 
 ond and 
 
 LIX 
 
 XLIX 
 
 28 
 
 26 
 
 rigth right 
 
 oats 
 
 oaths 
 
 31 
 
 20 
 
 as so 
 
 oats 
 
 oaths 
 
 31 
 
 30 
 
 Hisp eople His people 
 
 "two" 
 
 to be omitted 
 
 33 
 
 26 
 
 six five 
 
 his 
 
 His 
 
 34 
 
 17 
 
 simult- simult- 
 
 "when" 
 
 to be omitted 
 
 
 
 anously aneously 
 
 ect. 
 
 etc. 
 
 86 
 
 7 
 
 -pan!? -paV 
 
 human 
 
 humane 
 
 36 
 
 22 
 
 noiDD imoa 
 
 ours 
 
 our 
 
 37 
 
 4 
 
 chose choose 
 
 peacefull 
 
 peaceful 
 
 38 
 
 3 
 
 whealthy wealthy 
 
 human 
 
 humane 
 
 39 
 
 27 
 
 poeple people 
 
 human 
 
 humane 
 
 40 
 
 17 
 
 suould should 
 
 fo 
 
 to 
 
 41 
 
 1 
 
 ot of 
 
 despisable 
 
 despicable 
 
 44 
 
 28 
 
 daggling dazzling 
 
 boast 
 
 boasts 
 
 45 
 
 21 
 
 human humane 
 
 prices 
 
 prizes 
 
 46 
 
 17 
 
 course curse 
 
 aught 
 
 ought 
 
 47 
 
 27 
 
 onother another 
 
 advice 
 
 advise 
 
 48 
 
 18 
 
 XYXI XXXI 
 
 human 
 
 humane 
 
 48 
 
 21 
 
 refereed referred 
 
 is has 
 
 are has 
 
 48 
 
 26 
 
 thousanth thousand 
 
 cosiumer 
 
 customer 
 
 49 
 
 1 
 
 memorate commemorate 
 
 creat 
 
 create 
 
 51 
 
 25 
 
 things evil 
 
 fal 
 
 full 
 
 52 
 
 10 
 
 conserie conceive 
 
 jovernemen 
 
 Government 
 
 53 
 
 7 
 
 whilst while
 
 108 
 
 INK 
 
 5 
 
 8 
 
 INSTEAD 
 
 desease 
 found 
 
 HEAD 
 
 disease 
 founded 
 
 PAGE LINE 
 
 86 15 
 87 16 
 
 INSTEAD 
 
 polical 
 wd 
 
 HEAD 
 
 political 
 we 
 
 !8 
 
 creat 
 
 create 
 
 87 21 
 
 ma 
 
 aoio 
 
 !5 
 
 accout 
 
 account 
 
 89 22 
 
 non 
 
 pnon 
 
 t 
 
 undertakes 
 
 undertake 
 
 89 26 
 
 levell 
 
 level 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 !0 
 5 
 
 theym ay 
 subject 
 jnv 
 both 
 
 they may 
 subjects 
 JW 
 both 
 
 89 29 
 91 20 
 92 17 
 92 20 
 
 yeluing 
 peoble 
 
 pnwo 
 
 yielding 
 people 
 
 insc 
 
 5 
 
 wifes 
 
 wives 
 
 93 2 
 
 in 
 
 to be omitted 
 
 [8 
 
 irom 
 
 from 
 
 93 12 
 
 men 
 
 man 
 
 8 
 J2 
 
 n^nn 
 full with 
 
 full of 
 
 93 26 
 
 94 16 
 
 prilvileges 
 
 privileges 
 
 2 
 
 material 
 
 material 
 
 95 4 
 
 TT 
 
 -|T 
 
 5 
 
 17 
 
 eat 
 
 hat 
 
 ate 
 that 
 
 95 11 
 95 22 
 
 human 
 
 ptrrn 
 humane 
 
 10 
 
 o 
 
 of 
 
 98 28 
 
 human 
 
 humane 
 
 as 
 
 the 
 
 as the 
 
 98 30 
 
 in 
 
 for 
 
 9 
 
 fruit 
 
 fact 
 
 100 15 
 
 allued 
 
 alluded 
 
 4 
 
 8 
 (I 
 
 er 
 impuls 
 sa 
 
 or 
 impulse 
 so 
 
 102 20 
 104 8 
 104 30 
 
 uioney 
 officers 
 morover 
 
 of money 
 offices 
 Moreover 
 
 d 
 
 them 
 
 there 
 
 

 
 mtite&r. ?.-*
 
 A 000 062 244 9 
 
 The Library 
 liversity of California, Los Angel 
 
 The gift of Mrs. Cummings, 1963