The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-07-18

are separated. Vited and traduced as
they have been by their contemporaneous
and latter adversaries, being in several in
stances compared to vpcrs and serpentS, they
were indeed the true retormers Of their day.
assuming obligations and duties SO stern and
strict that for the zeal and scrupulous cere-
morality they were called fanatics, but ask
ing every right and due enamating from
! their claim rs Gods own people. Josephus,
| a Sadducce, who never was their friend, yet
| leaves them this testimony. antiquities Of
the Jews, Book xviii, Chap. ~: snow
for the Pharisees, they live meanly and
despise delicaces in diet and they follow the
conduct of ,ason and what thst prescrlbes
as good for them they do; and they think
they ought earnestly to desire reasons die
tates for practice. They also pay respect
to such AS are in years nor are they so bold
as to contradict them in anything which they
have introduced, and when they determine
that all things are done by fate, they do not
take away the freedom from men, acting as
they think fit since their notion is that it
hath pleased God to make temperament
whereby what he wills is done, but
so that the will of man can
act virtuously or vicously. They
also believe, in contradistinction TO
the Sadducees, that souls have an immortal
vigor in them, and that under the earth there
will be rewards or punishments, according
as they have lived vrtuousy or viciously in
this life; and the latter are to be detained in
an everlasting prison, but that the former
shall have power to revive and live again; on
account of which doctrines they are able great
" to persuade the bodyof the people, and what
soever they do about divine worship, prayers
and sacrifices, they perform them according
to their directions, insomuch that the cities
give great attestation to them on account of
their entire virtuous conduct, both in the
actions of their lives MS In their discourses
also"
Such are the words of an eyewitness, an
unwilling testfier to the character, status and
aims of a class of people, whose blood from
out of the earth, like that of slain Able, yet
cries for Justice from out their graves. But
still more foroibe and strong will we get vt
their real moral and intrinsic value which
thcy should, and no doubt will, occupy in the
annals of mankinds history if we can bring
forth the mental picture of some of their
leading men, in which necessarily all the
workings of character, aims and ends are
mirrored. Happily for Judaism and the Phar-
isees such portrait time has preserved for
us. We have met him already at our imsgi-
nary entrance in the holy city of Jerusalem.
His name is
RABBI nILLEL.
Judaism is strennusly opposed to any kind
of man worship. We cherish in love and ven
Grafton our great men and women: but we
have refused to build monuments, statues
and temples TO our heroes and heroines. Nor
have we ever idealzed their character or
delled them. Abraham, Moses, David,
Isaih, Daniel and all the mothers of Israel,
are pictured to us in holy writ, not with the
brush, artists paint angels or gods and god
desses, but ms men and women with lofty
god like, god inspired souls, but also with
human bodies, their frailties, weaknesses anC
inGrmlties--as such they live in the hearts
and the memory of lsrael--whenever named
il is with the exclamation: "Slchroun zadicb
lvrochoh memory of the righteous is
blessed = Hillel sighted and overlooked in
general history, (who often has arteC
a step.mother to some of hel
worthiest childrep) proved pro-
totype, exaggerated and deifed, two
generations after * in the person of on
out of the many M,ssias, who at that par
} ticular time made their appt arances among
the people of Judea.
As far rs can be ascertained Hillel can't
, from Babilonia, where he with the great in
tellect which was unquestionably his, wa
able TO recognize and assimlate foreigl
, thought and work with that Of HIS owp; a
, home he became pupil Of two of the mos
learned Rabbis OF their time. Sh'majsl
, and Avtalioun. 1t is related of him, that h
was so poor that the small coin RI iuired TO
f admission, was not within his means: so on
cold winters eve he climbed to the windo,
= of the school and listened to the tuition o
= the teachers. Snow fell heavy and thick, an,
, covered up the absorbed listener; he soon be
e came benumbed and nigh frozen when dis
! covered; next morning when the synagogu
G was opened and daylight was INSTRUCTED n
:, the window where he lay; he WAS brough
Y into the house and resucitated Poverty ha
r most always been the stepping stone to great
: ness. He became one Of The most learned me
of that learned time; but he vas also one o
!. the most patient, mild and loving character
Q to be met with in the records of our race.
IS single instance from the Talmud will illus
?, trate this. One of his admirers wa gered tina
= the patience of Hillel could not beexhaustet
6 that he could not be made angry; anothe
Vt person accepted the challenge, and shortl
= before the approach of the Sabbath went
NJ the Rabbits house,asbing some childish que:
l. tons. Answer was quietly and patient
10 gwen. Three times the Questioner returned
h every time with more silly subject an
l. three times the Rabbi answered in the sam
!" quiet and undisturbcd manner. SIS ther
o anything TO srouse thy temper" al ls'
10 broke forth the angry bettor. "And why,
Q replied Hillel, SHOULD my temper be ru
6 fled ~ al lost great deal of money by tn
n imperturbable nature "Well, it is bette
3, that thou loose thy money than that shout
rs loose my patience and forbesrance,' rejone
v the sage and went to his devotion.
y But it is time to meet Hillel more directl
81 at his life work in the Sanhcdrin and there
l. fore we enter first the synagogue of h
i opponent and rival, Rabbi Shammay, VIII
8 sits now surrounded by all Il
10 elite of orthodox learning, expounding TO Ii
b Rabbis and the pupils the law and the trad
o tons. While deeply engaged in these intr
d cacies there enters with profound ''shalam
rs GENTLE and addresses the hosry teacher: =
ir long to enter Judaism, provided l may b.
d come high. priestw Shammsy sends BIZ
y Grossly away. The heather departs and go
a before Hillel with the same request. Let
n try it, says the mider teacher, and con
O. mences to impart.to him the law. They soc
10 come to the passage tresding on the prizes
le hood, where it forbids the entrance of la
1t men on punishment of death to certa
sacred places. Then reasoned the proselyt
* IF the native Israelte may not exerc
it priestly functions, why should j the stran