The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1878-01-31
The Talmud.

The London Times says: DR.. Her.
mann Adler delivered lecture on the
Talmud last night at the Jewish Work
ingmen's Club, in Hutchinson street,
Aldgate, in the course of which he
gave several illustrations, from passa-
ges to which he gave the references in
the Talmud, OF anticipations of modern
science by ancient practice. Rabbi
Gamaliel, he said, had in about the
thirtieth year of the common era &
kind of orrery in his house. We are
told in the Talmud that ''Rabbl Gam
sliel had a representation of the forms
and positions which the moon assumes
at the period Of her conjunction with
the sun, and by means OF these he was
able TO croSs-eNamine witnesses who
came TO testify tn the first appearance
of the moon" 1t might be asked how
the Rabbis arrived al their extensive
knowledge of astronomy without pos
sessing a telescope. Now, he was not
in position to state with absolute cer-
tsinty that they had made use of q
telescope with objec,-glass and miscro-
scope, but he thought it clear, from
passage which he would read. that they
possessed an Instrument very closely
resembling 1t. IL was written that
RIbbi Gamaliel was on board a ship
which landed::on Friday evening after
nightfall, yet the passengers were per
mitted TO land, because he said, 81
have been ON the lookout and find that
We were within the sabbath journey
before dark" Another passage ex-
1lsins n0rc clearly what is meant by
cEos, E1Iis, 'trSnsiated ION TIE look
out, The citation runs: ''Rahh; Ca
.naliel lad tube by means OF whlca
hc Gould see distance of a0n0 cubits
oy land aud air; also 1000 cubits
m sea-" Galileo's c par Sc muOee
vas anticipated 10y Rabbi, who
derived the Hebrew name for the earth
rom verb, 'to ruu," because it runs
ling. 1t is GENERALLY believed that It'd
famous American gentleman, Benjamh
franklin, whose observations led 10
the modern knowledge of electricity,
vas tie first to make lghtning conduc-
tors; but it is written in the Talmud,
lone must not place iron in a poultry
yard from superstitinus motive, but
if it be done on account of the thun-
Ter and lightning 1t may be permit
ted" The passage has been recently
quoted in Germany to prove that in
the fourth and fifth centuries after the
Christian Era the efficacy of an ar
rangement of metal to prs tect from
lightning was known. 1t does not
prove that they understood the ration
ale" of the process, but the fact in
iicates that there were close observers
IF natural phenomena in those days.
One of the greatest benefits which has
been conferred upon mankind was the
use of anesthetics in suIgery-certain
agents, such as chloroform, which en-
ables surgeon to perform the most
painful operations without inflicting
suffering on the patient. There is
clear proof that the use of such agents
was known to the teachers of the Tai
mud. We read in it; "They gave him
to drink potion, which cast him into
profound SLEEP, 80 that they were en-
abled to perform the opers tions of gas
trotomy." The Talmud mentions
artificial teeth, "a tooth that was put
IN, ''tooth covered with gold so as
strip and hide the deCar." We find
in the Tslmud the first mention of in
surance.