The sun., 1878-12-17
poruLAR Lrrrnns ON rrME1r roprcs
The Taimud and Its GIorIes-Christinns Turn
Ing to It's Heavenly Light.

To THE EDITOR or TIE SUN-iSW; Tn your
report OF the Unitarian Conference you refer to
tho Rcv. DR. Gotthcil. one of the speakers. hav-
ing said that he was once a Talmudc Jew used
to veil his face and make broad his phyacter-
les but that had been left behind Now sim
ply ask your readers. whether they be Jews or
Christians. what opinion they can form Of n
man whose first act of addressing an assembly
consists in running down his own religion ?
To superficial mind the Tnlmud becomes n
grent stumbling stone. and few indeed are pos
sesscd Of thorough knowledge Of this giRan-
tic work which took n thousand years ~ q ma
tons life to prepare. Men with narrow bound
aries and limited views continually pull and
drag at II. trying to dismcmbcr II limb from
limb. in order to produce an artificial prep
araton. or-without speaking hRuratively-
they have used its writings as cloak for
their own fancies. Such men rs Jost
Lunz Frankel. Gratz, and Philippson never yet
sneered ut 1t or spoke OF II disparagngly
Emanuel Deutsch tells us that II Is not dull
treatise, but that II appeals to the imng
and the feelings. and to all that is nobest and
purcst; that between the rugged boulders OF
the law which bestrew the path Of the Talmud
there grow the bluo flowers OF romance and
poetry in the most Catholic and Eastern sense.
It's clements are taken from heaven and earth
but chiefly and most lovingly from tho human
heart and from Scripture. for every verse and
every word OF Scripture became. as IL were. n
golden nail upon which II hung It's gorgeous
As for leaving behind phyacteriee and all
other ceremonial laws that Is not at all aurpris-
ing for some Of tho so-cnlled jewish reformera
in America have now gone so far that they have
already found out their mistake in having lef;
too much behind; and very little. indeed. they
are ablc to spare. Even the lust vcStge--cir-
cumcision-which they still adhere to. one Of
their coadIutQTs the late Dr. Hoidhcini. triod tO
sS e5 pSyed %Sd ont iS Suf w'na ura nTS.
ing upon every true Isrnelite even now, tho
same us they were centuries ago. lloses Men
delssohn tells US that even in worldly matters
we dare not presume to act on our own supposi-
tion. and explain away laws without the
rglslmors or Judges leaye; pow much lees
eminent Christian writer. remarks lin his " Lit
erature and Dogma y in rcgnrd to the religion
Of Israel, that righteousness was such m OBJ
iect OF attention 20 the lsraclitcs that It's words
were to be In their heart. aud thou shalt teach
thcm diligently TO thy children. and shalt Ia
OF them when thou sittost in thy house, aud
when thou walllcst by the way. and when thou
lest down and thou risest up To keep them
ever in mind. they wore them, went about with
them, Bind them upon thy fingers. bind
them upon thy mock. write them upon the table
OF thine heart.". Here. are good words from O
Christian 10 a Jew who has lett his Ialmud
aud phylacteries behind. but maintains the FREQ
expression OF mVlern thougit-a new-fnnglcd
name ior nothing elso but inndclity. | deny
that Judaism has bocn more Affected by modern
thought than amy other religion. The Judaism
OF to-day Is the same AS 1t was thousands of
years ago. Nothing can dislOdge il. Absorbed
In the perusal Of our sacred writings we LITTLE
needed tho changes wrought in the world
around US. Nations rose and vanished, States
nourlshed and decaycd. revolutions ragged
throughout tho earth, but we sat p0Iing over
our holy law. unconscious Of the wild chase OF
time that rushed on above our heads.
There Is no chnsm 10 bridge oycr between
Christianity AMI Judaism for a light is dawn-
ing on the horizon. Il heavenly light, which tie
world at large begins 10 perceive. which Chris
tians begin 10 understand. They see now the
injustice they have done us. and thousands OF
them. both lay and cicrgy, are becoming Tai
4. rfte
contained in our holy writings. and acknowl-
cdging that Judaism Is free from religious
hatred. that 1t proclaims human equality before
L. L ~