The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-11-20

We have not any Of the proceedings Of this
venion We have looked for thsm and looked in vain
But by yesterdays mail received the followng:-
PROTEST.
According TO o statement in the Isrdeie Of October
&C. it appears that conference, composed OF several
bins and private persons lately met At Cleveland o. and
motion of the Rev. DR.. Isaac M. Wise OF Cincinnati
dopted the following part Of PLATFORM
THAT the Talmud is acknowledged BY all Qsraeltes)
az the legal and obligatory commentary Of the Bible"
We the undersigned having solely the interest of
holy religion ut heart respond to the solemn duty i
osed upon u.s. of offering most decided protest against
the said platform, and on the following grounds
1t is an inosputabe fact that very large portion Of
sraeites who admitted to profess profound know
ledge Of sacred Scripture and whose attachment to Jud
ism cannot be questioned do not consider the tanudc
xegesis Of the Bible which 80 frequently clashes With the
spirit and text Of scripture as legal and obligatory Even
Esa Mainonides, Samuel Ben Meir Levi Ben Gershon,
and othersare not seldom at variance with the tamuic
interpretation Of holy writ Is IT. therefore, as,aabe
that the great majority Of our fellow believers who
carry out In practice such anti talmudic inter
pretatons-who for instance, shave their boards with
razor-shouM be denied the name Of lsraelites The
members Of the German Rabbinica Conference who
counted among theic number theologians Of acknow-
lodged reputation took decided stand In many of their
propositions and resolutions against the whole tamndo
heachc exposition OF Scripture Can 1t hence be affirm
ed that these men have ceased to be laraelitass
The said platform would condemn Judaism to per-
petual stagnaton consgn its countless treasures avail
able for all times, to the narrow confines of exclusive
Jewish nationality and expose to derison its entire his
torca deyeopenent well the incon esabe results
Of wholesome biblical research The declared legiti
macy Of tamudc authority cannot heal, bat the
trary will render permanent o. ARSs.I:by religious
CONDITION, which consists not in the pe5 conflict of
parties but must be sought for in the demorazing ef
fecs of antagonm between theory and practice, and
in an opposition between prescripve rules and the
yeding nature Of gious and social wants With the
Ialmud in hand it is LONGER possible to obtain the
honorable and efficient means OF healing the gaping
wound in the heart of Israel, and reforms bearing
public worship and the general conduct in life at
best be only smugged in by disrega of the law and
resort TO nridical trick and chicsnery. An article in
recent number OF the lrGeite offers striking example
OF the manner In which eorms are intended to be intro
duced in conformity with the said platform 1t is there
proposed to obviae the force of the biblical enactment
known ~ the evrate law respecting Chalzh, by
OF the pre- arranged agreement that should the husband
die without ISSUE the Marriage shall be considered
null and void from the date Of its contamination and
consequently the parties understood having lived
in state of concubinage Such proceeding certainly
rather calculated to undermine than to increase this
estimation for religion and her institutions Attempts
OF this kind which endeavor TO re-enclose the Jewish life
current within tho inanimate forms OF bygone tamudc
views show in the cearest light the dangers which
threaten the most sacred provisions of the law Instead
o. with great pomp every door and closet Tor
the entrance OF the Talmud and at the time to pro-
vide means of escape from its powerful grasp BY some
back window part prefer to deny in the most
unreserved and emphatic language, the egi ative
thoity Of the whole Tmud and declare its conception
OF biblical legitimacy as opinion which has been left
far in the Of improved religious knowledge We
nevertheless confess profound regard for the tamudc
writings account Of their rich exu 5erance OF conr
buttons to religious progress and toe excellent forma
tons which Judaism had engendefed during this stage Of
its developement.
but peace which NECESSARILY degrades Judaism,
greatest boom to us to be too dearly bought and
is in the highest degree Of precarious tenure when
few In the Of collective Israel set up articles OF
faith which deny to disseners place ia the communion
Of protesting lsraetcs May the free American Israe,
keep strict watch herarchial movements which
would again forge its chains, though unier the most
charming lullabies of peace, now ia the guiss
of dogmas and long by Minhag America. The plan
Of consisory which originally intended to be esta
blshed, is omen Of significant import. The great
work ofpcacemaklng being finished, and everything
brought under hood 1t would be easy matter to
change this hood into bishops mitre-and nothing
reasonable but that the great united flock must needs
have chief pastorand a is ready for the advent Of
Jewish popes Let rather thank God for TIE blessings
OF religious liberty enjoy in this country, equally
secured to ali denomination and may not put yoke
shoulders which would in .erfere with the full
expansion Of the old and refornatory Judaism, and
eventually reduce both to miserable caricatuees
DR.. DAVID EfNTIoRN,
Rabin Of the Iar Sinai verein, Baltimore, Nd.
A. NACHMAN, President.
BALTIMORE, Nov. @, 1856.
Here follow the Of all the members of this
gregation.