Morning journal and courier., 1892-02-15
MODERN JUDAISM.

The Division Into Orthodox, Com
 servative and Reformed-The Rev.
 Rudolph Grossman, Of New York,
 Defines Wherein the Differences
 Consist in worship-Loyaltyo of the
 Jew to the Country of His Birth
 The Amerlcan Wants No Palestine
 Emigration.
 The Jew is the riddle of history. The late Crown Prince of Austria in book of travels said: Though the chosen people have lost their home and their political power, the Jew is everlasting immortal" In those two word, everlasting immor- tai" the imperial prince struck the key note to Jewish history. Born in the ear Hest dawn of humanity, driven as an exile from land to land, despised, maligned, maltreated, the Jew still lives. But won drous as has been his career and mighty as has been his influence, the history of the Jew is to the great majority a sealed book, and his religion is for the most part misunderstood or even unknown.
 To dissipate some of the popular mis- conceptions aud shed some light upon the religious belief of the Jews of to-day is the purpose of this article.
 It is a popular error to regard the Jew as member of a separate race. He is of the same race to which my readers belong The appellstion "Hebrew" is therefore a misnomer, for Hebrew" is the race name. while Jew has reference to his religious convictions.
 Nor do the Jews constitute a separate nation. Having lost his political power, the Jew of to-day recognizes allegiance to the land wherein he was born or where he has founded his home. The American Jew owes fealty to no other flag but to our banner of freedom. A citizen of the na- ton among whom he lives, he desires to be recognized as one of her sons, faithful to her laws and Jealous for her welfare.
 The Jew is a member of a distinct reli- gious organization. In his religious be- lief alone he is different from the rest of the community, while in every other re- gard he shares the hopes, the aspirations, the joys, sorrows of the people with whom he lives.
 Modern Judaism is divided into three great parties. These do not constitute distinct scots, for the differences mere ly details of practice, while the funda- mental principles are identical. These three divisions are the orthodox, the con servative. the reformed or radical Jews.
 As just stated, these three divisions are in perfect accord regarding the essential doctrines of belief. Every Jew all over the world believes in the existence of one supreme spiritual power, who is the cres- tor and sustainer of the universe. He be- lieyes that there is & guiding providence ait tla in, history wi hn dfrApea hnnArftC V for some grand purpose. He believes that every man is responsible to his God for his actions; that man is not burdened with an original sin, but by his own vOli- tion can choose either the good or the evil. He believes that justice and righteousness are the highest duties of life, whereby man may attain blessedness. He believes further that all men, irrespective of creed, race or rauk, are the children of God, and both Jew and non-Jew stand under the protection of the universal father.
 Orthodox Judaism differs from the re- formed in the stress it lays upon ceremo- nial and ritual law. For the orthodox there exist two divine revelations, one em- braced in the Bible and an oral revelation that was later written down and is con- tained in the Talmud. The orthodox Jew accepts both the Bible and the Talmud as divine authorities and adheres to the pre- oepts and prohibitions of both- He re- gards himself as the chosen herald of di- vine truth. This mission brings with it greater responsibilities and duties than those incumbent upon the rest of humani- ty, and demand implicit and cheerful obe- dience to the law of God. But though thus singled out among all nations the or thodox Jew is no monopolist of salvation. The Talmud, in which he believes, lays down the broad principle that "the good of all nations shall inherit the bliss of & future life" The same reward that awaits the faithful, right loving J-w is bestowed upon the non-Jew who pursues the path of rectitude.
 The orthodox Jew hopes for the coming of messiah from the house of David, who will gather the scattered children of Israel, lead them back to Palestine, re-es- tablish their demolished kingdom, to re- store their destroyed temple. But this messiah differs from the Christian messiah in that Ls is not redeemer of sin, for the Jew, rejecting the doctrine of yicarious atonement, holds that no mediator except his own aroused conscience can purge out the stain of guilt. To the orthodox Jew the hoped for messiah has but political significance He is to restore the Jewish kingdom and bring peace into the world,