The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1876-04-23
THE HEBREW MILLENNIUM.
What Rabbi GotibcIl Thinks About the
Return TO Jerusalem.
New York SUM-

MIR. Moody, the revivalist, espresso
the belief that the millennium Is nea
at hand, that the Jews will soon return
to Palestine In a body, and that they
together with all the rest OF the world
VIII accept the religion OF the Chris
tlans. This doctrine Is held 10y MANY
preachers as u matter Of personal be
lief, but Is seldom preached because n
does not form part OF the Catholic
Apostolic Church. In order to inquire
whether any considerable number OF
the Jews held to the idea Of return,
as a nation, TO the Holy Land, a Sun
reporter sought an interview with the
Rev. DIR. Gotlhell, Rabbi of the Temple
Emanuel. "The trouble with all of
you," said the Doctor, ais that YOU
don't understand us Jews, aud don't
try to do II. You insist upon looking
at us us a seperate factor OF the
population Of the lands In which
We dwell, whereas II is not true that
We keep ourselves apart from the rest.
IL Is you who try 10 put Va there. We
do hOt claim or desire separate ma
tionality anywhere, but In Great Bri-
tlan the lsraelites are Englishmen, Ia
Germany they are loyal subjects of the
Kaiser, aud In the United States they
are citizens of the Republic. Every.
where we endeayor TO obey the law of
the land and discharge our duty as
citizens, never entertaining the idea OF
an allegiance in Palestine or else
where. Now, you gentlemen insist
that we are jews and nothing else,
We do not want TO have ii 80, but you
shut your eyes and insist that we be-
long to another age and cline. Why
Is this? There are 10000 Jews IN New
York. Would 1t not pay you to know
something about them-t0 really I'M
derstand their history and laws, their
literature and worship? Then you
would know what their influence il
and what II may be made. AT present
1t Is all n sealed book TO you, and you
seem perfectly content.to have 1t so"
"Then, Doctor, do you not believe that
the Jews are to return in u body to
Palestine?' Certainly not. Why
should they go? They have their
homes here and in other countries un-
der humane and enlightened laws, and
may well be content. Why should
they leave this state of things Tor "A
chimera? There is nothing attractive
in the soil or climate of the Holy Land
nothing to make millions of people
sacrifice everything for it," "But does
not the Old Testament predict the re-
turn OF Israel to Palestine, aud do not
the orthodox Jews believe ardently in
the truth of this predictionw "rhe
Old Testament says nothing about o
return to Palestine. Indeed, there
is not a prophecy of the Old Test
ament that was not fulfilled long
ago, and accomplished in our his
tory. Nothing more remains to be
done, except to walk in the quiet
path OF duty. How could it be other.
wise since the Old Testament, properly
Interpreted, makes no mention of the
alleged final in-gathering In Jerusa-
lem?" "But some Christians believe
it does, and declare that they find the
prediction in both the Old Testament
and the New" "Certainly they say
so, for they read the Old Testament by
the light OF the New, and lew OF them
know anything about the original He
brew in which the former was written,
or they would see the mistakes in their
translation. Paul, the Christian Apos-
tie, certainly believed that the Jews
would be regathered and taken to Je-
rusalem. But he looked for an earthly
kinkdom, and expected his Messiah to
return before his own death, or soon
afterward. He had no notion Of put
ting it oil to this time. The Jewish
people are not responsible for his opin-
ions or for the idea of those who follow
him. 1t needs hard, conscientious
study to understand the Old Tesla
ment, and it can not be done at all
without full knowledge OF the He
brew language and its rabbinical liter
ature."