The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-09-14
struction and peace than Of freprimand AM
admonition. s;zy
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UNION, THE BASIS OF TRUE RELIGION.
At the third circuit around the altar o
the Lord, says the tradition, the Leyites
chanted the last verses of Micah.
Who is a God like unto thee. that par
doneth iniquity and passeth by the trans
gression Of the remnant OF His inheritance
4 He retaineth not His anger forever, because
he deiighteth in mercy. He will turI
Iagain. He will have compassion upon US
He will subdue our iniquities, and cast theh
sin into the depth Of the sea.
Thou wilt perform truth unto Jacob and
mercy unto Abraham, which Thou hasl
sworn unto our fathers from the days o.
old.
| The great point, I may say, the Foundation
q of real Judaism, is that it is liberal in Its
views and intends to generalize the develop.
ment and the elevation of mankind. Real
Judaism does not teach exciusiyeness. Its
religious platform Is. broad, upon which the
whole human family can stand. Our God
is not national or denominational one; He
is the Creator of all, and therefore the
Father kindly inclined to all. 80
Our life here on earth has tocembrace love
toward all. There is nothing exclusive,
nothing confessional or denominational
embodied in our moral duties, but
only love and peace aud harmony
shall be practiced toward all mankind, and
Heaven and everlasting life is not claimed
by US, for US, the Israelites only, but also for
every pious and good man, even though he
| lives outside Of the boundaries OF our reli-
| gious creed.
Let us inquire, What are the necessary
characteristics of true religion? answer !:
| A religion whose moral sentiments and doc
| ,sx, Il do NJ ono cartofp nf
land, are not limited by time, and do not eX-
| clude any body from the benefits and bless
| ings thereof, bEtare everlasting, unbounded,
and unlimited, as is God the author Of these
laws and precepts religion which is de-
veloping good will, love, charity, and for
giveness, and is uprooting hatred. malice,
and revenge, and all unkind feelings from
our heart, to initiate God, the source
of our happiness, who is full of love,
of mercy, and forgives our iniquities ;
religion which is founded on wisdom,
knowledge, and philosophy; which is such
system of trut ths that no philosophical re-
searches and investigations can shake it, and
historical facts and scientific results can be
| in opposition to it, but is eternal like God
himself in truth; religion which does not
depend on human institutions, but whose in
stitutons, ceremonies, and usages show q
transparent design for ennobling the senti.
ments of mankind. In other words, rell-
gion which is not seeking believers. but has
| to be sought for the sake Of salvation. Such
is true religion.
Well, friends, all that we claim for Judaism.
Do we claim too much for it? No. First
| let us look upon upon our Sabbath. That day
is not instituted as Jewish day OF rest, cut
as q monument of the creation OF the world
for all mankind.
Even the revelation on Mount Sinai was
q solemn manifestation against the cruel enc
mics of mankind, namely ldolatry and the
horrid companions of it--yiz., adultery,
murder, theft, and other high crimes. Man
kind had to be secured in their progress,
had to be freed from the fetters of heathen-
ism, and therefore were revealed at the same
time the commandments, eternally true, eter-
naly good as God himself: to be grateful
unto parents and to honor them, not to bear
false witness, and not to cOvet. But, above
all, our present festival, Rosh Hashanab,
must convince you Of the prevailing noble
sentiments Of Judaism. Rosh Hashanah
roots in the creation, and is Intended for the
unification of the great human family into
one brotherhood. 1t is day of friendship
and love, day Of remembrance that we are
all of one father, and the Shofar has to arouse
such noble feelings in our hearts.
Show me, my friends, festival COM
manded 10 and celebrated by other denomi-
nations, an festival for the union of man.
kind, and then judge whether Judaism
teaches hatred or goodwill towards nor
Israelites, and whether Judaism is liberal or
not. Show me Il sentence like our text-a
confidence expressed that God will turn
again. He will have compassion upon US.
Hawill subdue our iniQuities and will cast
| the sins of the other nations into the depth
of the sea. There has been an old custom
among us practiced, to 60 on New Years
Day to the rivers, to the quick running
streams, and to cast into the depth OF the
waters our accusations and complaints, to
| bury all wrongs committed against US, and to
pray that the Lord may forgive our enemies
for the wrongs and cruelties done to us.
| Represent picture before your eyes: a
cruelly-treated, scorned, down.trodden Jew
goes and buries his ill-feelings and prays for
| forgiveness for his tyrant, and then answer
whether Judaism is not liberal?
| Another point Judaism is not depending
| on place. Judaism, as such, has not suffered
| by the Punishment from Palestine and
other countries.
The temple has been destroyed. the
| priests driven away, sacrifices and many
| local commandments had to be abandoned,
the old mode of worship ceased, but Juda
ism, as such, remained untouched. Our fore
fathers adopted another mode of worship,
prayers substituted blood sacrifices, teachers
| took the places of priests, and Judaism, be-
cause independent of Palestine priests and
| temples, yet was still Judaism.
| Again and again we had to change our
customs and habits and manners brought
from the Orient by coming in contact with
civilized nations of the Occident and adopting
theirs. Many Of our pious fathers tremDled
| for fear of the future of judaism. They
! thought it in danger-but Judaism passed
safely through all those processes of clvl!iza'
| ton and maintains still the same glorious
mission as of old.
Nearly one hundred years ago new de-
parture took place. Modern Philosophy
| declared war against the barbarian middle
ages. Angels and devils who have inhabited
| so numerOusy heaven and hell had to be drlV-
en- ont. and knowledge had to take the place
of the OLYMPUS of mankind, and ignorance
and superstition to be cast into the Tartalus.
Again many ofour pious fathers trembled for
| the future of Judaism-but look at the mod
ern synapogues; as these ornamental edlhces
with their splendid choirs, with their elo-
quent preachers, with their weltregulatee.d
mode of worship, monuments OF lsraels
piety. Lsok at Israel, with it's hosts
Of high priests in the temple of science
and art and politics; look at these
and other pleasant changes in our midst,
and you must confess Judaism has
not been impaired by the new departure.
Thank God we can boast and say Judaism
| hos fayorahlv iInnroYel True. many old