Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-01-09
ISRAEL.
Its CONGRE9ATION Is THE HEART
OE NATIONS"

hebrew congregation OF Lancaster.
My friends one of our most remarkable |
poets and philosophers in his great work
called "The Source of Truth" gives
plausible utteraDce in the folio wing
words ISRAEL among the nations is
like the heart in the human body" With
other words " ISRAEL is the corner
stone of all nations
BY this theme We will try to convince
you of the truthfuiness Of this assertion,
and how far and in what respect Israel is
the corner stone of all nations.
In science the heart is a muscle, a
pumping apparatus. In the popular usage
of the term, however, it contains i treas
ure of sentiments-of love, affection, hOle,
courage, faith, etc, Therefore, if it is
nations, the term was certainly used in
a figurative sense This, however, is no
idle self glorification it is based upon the
following facts
AS the heart is located in 4 dark and
mysterious cavity, and speaks neverthe-
less in clear and impressive accents, SO is
Israel a nation which speaks an obscure
and mysterious, language, yet clear and
intelligible to the millions. Although we
attach no value to misgivings and pre-
sentiments, and are we'll aware that the
mysterious dispositions Of the heart are of
no value opposite the impressions Of ex-
perience and reason althOu IA VIC also
know we'll how little the heart does tell
OF what transp!reS outside of us, and
frequently is joyous and cheerful while
our dearest and nearest friends safer and
even die or how often do We feel sad and
depressed without outward cause for sutt,
feeling and ye: we must maintain And
the wise heart is y prophet Il voice,
though mysterious, IS important.
Hail to the family that listens less 10
voices from without and more to the
whispers of tho heart. Hail to tho man
who listens less to The voice of the world
and more inteptly to the voice of the
heart, which promotes justice, beuevo-
lence and benignity. Hail also to him
who pays less attention to forms and OBJ
servances from without, and more to the
voice speaking from the recesses of his
heart.
Did not Israel, the Atart Of nations,
speak the same obscure and mysterious
language, and yet so clear and lustrous ?
Our great prophets have spoken in mys-
teriOus figures, so that on one side they
were looked upon as visionary enthusiasts,
while on the other the profoundcst truths
were presumed in their words. and spider
webs of mysticism were based upon them.
1n course of time, however, it was ascer-
tanned that they spoke Of the most sublime
ideals of man, the hope and light Of man
kind.
And our conception of Dsity-how
obscure and yet how clear! He is the
God whose traces are clearly percepsible
every where, and still seen nowhere; who
is exalted above all existences and is still
revealed in the smallest details thereof :;
the GOD who lives and works and is in all
things-and yet is the living, in:lIvisible
| and all-X ise Deity.
As the heart is the fountai:. of life, '.FOr
| from it goeth forth !iie," Sd is Israel
among the nations the fountain Of the
purest and most onnoblins religioui idea.
| In order to appreciate the services OF
Israel it will not suffice to compare him
| with man in his present state; We must
| look back into the status OF the nations of
antiquity. We mast compare what they
| were and what they are now. We must
know the contrasts in beliefs, conceptions
and manners, in Israeli and the heaihens.
This prompts us to exclaim 81 slept, but
my heart did wake" The nations slept,
but their heart, ISRAEL, did wake.
Man was captivated by fOllies OF idola-
try. He worshipped not only the cosmic
phenomena of nature, and the works of
| art. but even the animals, and degraded
| himself below tho irrational creatures.
And how were they worshpped? Not,
| Indeed, BY sacrifices which do not elevate
| and cnnoble mind ard heart, but by puri.
| ty and chastity, human victims, innocent
children perished upon their affairs. Also
| then it was true in Israel as the Midrash
suggests: "My heart was awake to
worship the only God" Man WAS oppressed
by the three fold evil of despotism,
| slavery and caste, under the erroneous
| impression of dire necessity, in which
| change is impossible. But lsRAEL-the
heart of nations was wide awake L' 'seala)
| in his hope of " redemption And how
| manifoldIy did Israel incorporate the idea
| of freedom? He appointed the Passover
| feast as monument of redemption and
| liberty. He appointed the Sabbath apro-
| test aganS. slavery. He established pre-
cepts and observancas to li5erate man
from the slavery of passions and vices.
When man was yet deeply submerged in
rude aud barb.rous habts-ao btnignity,
no mercy-IsRAEI., the heart, was wide
| awake "tO virtue and humanity"
This higher life in God, liberty and vir-
tue as it emanated from Israel, courses
| now through the veins OF civilized Ia
| tiOns revolutionized social relations
| raised and pressed man onward on the
path of progress and enlightenment.
How much OF the great and gOJd could
be effected if only those who honestly
| cling to Israers cause would feel more
intense inspiration for it There is no
doubt that their hearts are yet large
enough to accomplish the best intentions
and most notable exertions of our best
men. Nowhere should peace and concord
reign more universally than in Israel, " no
has one God, ono altar Of piety. one law of
truth, one hope, and one mission. Re-
form is not identical with destruction.
The belief in ono Col is not sufficient
for Israel, it must be connected with the
practical works of the priestly - mission."
The privilege of being born Of Jewish
parents does not llberate man from the
slavery of passions and vices. Am.u is
not Jew because he is bora of Jewish
parents. \ man is Jew if he believes in
the religion Of Israel if his moral con.
duct and practical charity are Jewish
if he CO operates with those who support
and sustain the institution which preserves
and promulsates Judaism and that is
the congregation " A man is aJew by
his free will and choics and not by the ac-
cident of his birth. 1t is high time that we
understood that, and separate the grain
from the chaff We have decidedly too
many camp-fOllowers that do us no good,
but 4 great deal of harm, and yet their
false prophecies are of no avail, for truth
will and must conquer.
,,n n rf ,frn