The Portland daily press., 1878-12-06
Jewish Belief.
The Com ng of n Personal Messiah.


The Rsv. Solomon Schinder is delivering a
course OF lecturesat the Temple Adath Israel
IL Boston. Tie motive of the course is set
forth in the following Introduction:
Last spring, when Great Britain was about
to Interfere IN the Turko- Rnssan war, ham
oeped to ride home from the city in horse car.
IL ght at my side recognized g-utlem Al who
mad formerly lived III nv street, aud af er the
usual greeting We entered into talk alb Jut the
political condition of the day, considering all
he probabil which might possibly spring
from the British Intervention. Our cast hav-
ing arrived at this point, my neighbor solemnly
began: II think that Great Britaia has still
ons mission TO fulfill aud that is, to restore
Palestine, the holy land TO your people, aud 1
firmly believe that the time OF the advent of
your Mess al is near at hand. and that you
will return in short time to the land of your
forefsthers.' was sstonished at these words
which were sincerely meant aud uttered with
out any mixture of mockery or sarcasm.
=" Ny dear sill" L answered, "do you really be-
lleve that any Israelte residing here would
leave the soil of this, our blessed country, aud
return to- Palestine flr the sake of thse super
aauuated b-liet? DO you really think thss we
lsraetrs of the nineteenth Century bslieve in
the coming Of persona, MESSIAH, or in the
restoration of the Jewish nati0n?"
"Do you noe believe 10 the advent Of E,es-
sish?'' he exclaimed, personally horrif "A as
nv disbelief.
L 10 NOT, calmly replied.
"Aud do you not wish to return ~ tho uoix
Lano? Do you not long aud sig and ~. ~.
the re-establishment of your people in P.las.
tine? sp ~ @ioS
No, SIT, was lny az" .eE, 81 do not; and as
a isl % auI", noue my c0-religionists in
congregations th a hone or rhis hal,sf an In
gers 10 Soms s-perannuated prayers, wAich are
tnougntl-ss-S spoken, there is no individual.
eVe9 amongst them, who would give up hes
reaiIds here. small as they ever may b., for
tue greatest expe citations in Jerusalem There
'Agnt, perhaps, some have b-en found who
| wooid ike to go as carpet baggers to such .
Oewly created country, bat # tnere was not q
certainty Tor them To Wild, 80 make foftuns
there, they would assuredly not do it, For 9
mere national pride, or, As you may call il, for
religions sake, perhaps few enthusiasts who
nave nothing TO lose and all TO win might emf
CRATE, bat be sure not single Que of the intel
iigeut Isrselltes of this county, not single
Que OF that class Of jews who By their inteih-
9euce, Industry, honesty, mudesty aud human
isms have made the Je wish name honored and
respected in this country"
Aud do you not believe In your prophets.
ne exclaimed. who have foretold the advent
of a MessIah?'
my friend,' L answered, slime does NOT
allow me to answer this question now, bat les
rle tell you that il requires more THAI to bs
simply reader OF the Bible to understand
what phrophetism is, and what the proonets
y
that requires thorough knowledge of history
In general, 1t requires liberal tendency, aud a
mind Tree Of any prejudice. AS far as [ know
have those prophets TO which you refer never
prophesied Messiah VINO would appear at
our time; a. far as l know, has the belief In a
personal Messiah always been related by the
Jewish rabb,s as soou as IL traOsgresspd the
limits of theory and ventured to ASSUMES
practical shape; but even If those prophets had
predicted Messiah for our time, aud even if
such belief would have been sustained az all
times and 10 every respecs by the Jewish min
istry of old, neither L nor aDy other thinking
and intelligent Israeiite of our age could be
compelled to iudorse such belief after the sad
xp-rience which Judaism had with its several
Messahs."
The car stopped, and l left that gentleman
with an exDr .ssicn of surprise in his face at
hearing such words fcom an Israelite, aud even
more from q minister CT that denomination
have not met him since, bat this conversation
made deep impression upon me. L bad never
thought in all my life that any Of our Christina
friends could be mistaken as TO our position IN
regard to tnat belief | had never though ht that
any Of our Christian neighbors could have the
slightest doubt in our love for this eur country
and could think that we lo0g for exchanging it
Ior Palestine had never drosms that the
medi9val wish was still alive in this enlight-
ened century, il this free country, aud amongss
our friends aud neiS BIB Jrs-the wish to see as
ono fioe morning the whole Jewish community
depart, bag and baggage, fJr Palestine, or for
any other place from wheUce they might never
return. l made, therefore. more inquiries about
that matter. questioned re aud there, and
| found that our Christian friends are general
ly lot only entirely ignorant about our position
regarding the MessIanic question, but that they
almost know Do'hIDg about our Jud Aism-about
the Judaism of the Dineteeoth Century.