The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1869-01-23

OF absurdity, aud Rabbi endcavors to out
strip Rabbi in the most outrageous ly-
ing.
One says: They tEat go down to
the sea in ships have told me that when
wave is about to overwhelm ship,
sparks OF white light are seen on its head;
but ii we strike 1t with staff on which
are grayed the words T am that am.
Jah, Lord OF hosts, amen, amen, selah,
1t subsidies. They that. go down to the
sea have told me that the distance be-
tween one wave and another is three
hundred miles. 1t happened once that
we were making voyage, and we raised
upon Il wave until we saw the resting
place OF the last Of all stars 1t was
large enough to sow forty bushels Of
mustards seed and ii We had risen higher
we should have been burned by the va
por OF the star. One wave raised its
voice and called to its companion oh.
companion, hast thou left any thing in the
world that thou hast not overflowed
Come, and let us destroy it, 1t replied:
Come, and see the power of the Lord |
could not oycrpass the sand even hair s.
breadth, for it is written Fear ye not
me 2 saith the Lord. Will ye not tretn-
BILE at my presence, which have placed
the sand for the limit Of the sea by !. ner-
petual decree that it cannot pass p"
Another Rabbi not to be outdone by
any OF his companions, says Il saw a
frog which was as big as the village Of
Hagaronia. And how large was uaga-
ronia ! \ town Of sixty houses And
there came dragon which swallowed the
frog, and there came crow which wal
lowed the dragon, and flew away and
sat on tree. Behold how great the
strength of that tree' Another tells OF
kid, one day old, which was as large as
Mount Tabor.
Most Of these absurd stories arc fin
ished off with a passage Of Scripture, as
though they clearly proved the truth Of
the sacred text, aud would confirm the
same to all generations.
Ofone Of the ancient fathers it is writ
ten Jacob went out, from Beersheba
and went toward Haran, and came to the
place and when he came to Haran, he
said 'Perchance [ went through the
place where my father worshipped, and I
did not worship there aud he intended
TO 20 back but as he considered of his
going back, the earth-that is, the place
where he would have worshipped-leaped
towards him, and he came to that place"
Here is q story Of a staff given to
Adam, said to have been created between
the stars-that is, in the evening, and
given to Adam. Adam gave it to Enoch,
Fnoch gave it to Noah, Noah gave it to
Shem, Shem gave it to Abraham, be to
Isaac, he to Jacob, who carried it along
with him into Egypt and gave it to his
son Joseph. When Joseph died, his
| houshold goods were seized and car
ricd to the Palace of Pharaoh. There
was an inscription upon it, and when
| Pharaoh read it he set an esteem upon
the staff, and planted it in the midst of
his garden. None but he might ap-
proach it. But when Moses entered the
| garden, he drew near and read the in
i scription; then laid hold upon it and
carried it away. 1t said to be of the al
mond tree, and bearing the Talmudic
writings as cut from the tree of knowl-
| edge OF good and evil. And when Moses
had sinned. it was said that this was ta-
ken away from him, for he had beaten
the rock with it. When be repented
another staff was given him, made out of
the tree of life. The inscription on this
staff was the wonderful, "Schemhamm-
phorasch.' This astonishing word is the
key which was given by the angel Mich
ael to Pail, and by Pail to Moses. eff
thou canst read Schemhammphorasch
then shalt thou understand the words of
all men, the words of cattle. the whistl-
ing of birds, the word of beasts, the voice
of dogs, the language of devils; the
language of ministering angels, of date
trees the motion of the sea the unity
| of ha Of ha
nay, even the thoughts of the rain
| The Talmud is to the Jew what the
legends of the saints are to the Roman
1t forms complete system of tradition
airy law, treating indeed upon nearly
every subject engaging mans time or at
tention.
The Gemara-that is, the Complement
or perfection contains the disputes and
opinions of the Rabbins on the oral ira
ditions. The veneration of the Jews for
these writings may be discovered in the
following comparison found in the
Masseceth ,Sopherina
eThe Biblical text is like water, the
Mishnah like wine, and the six orders
| (sedarim) like aromatic wine" And
again ssThe law is like salt, the Mish-
nah like pepper; but the six orders are
like fine spices" And ''The words
of the scribes are lovely above the words
of the law for the words of the law are
wcighty and light, but the words of the
scribes are all weighty." Thus fulfill
| ing the words of Christ in Mark Z: Is
Making the Word of God of none
effect through your traditions which we
1 havo da1ivered !"