The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-01-24
ON JEWISH IDEALITY.'
RABBI CALfsCB's iNTfRfSfiN"
AND ELOQUENT DIscct EsB.
He Tells of The Ideals Upheld by the jew
ish People, aud says That JUDAS"
Gave Birth To- Christianity.

Rabbi T.. n. Calisoh spoke yesterday
morning on the subject. Jewish ideai-
,ty." taking his text from Micah VI, 3
lie said the poet Wordsworth had com
nyessed the philosophy OF human en-
deayor into the one sentence. "A nchic
aim. faithfully kept, Is a noble oeeo.
life without an aim Is useless Tor all
rIrposcs OF benefit. either TO the 'ndi-
,taual or TO society. II is like a rudder-
less shin. unable 20 mako port Itself
and a constant menace 20 all other Noy-
ayers upon tho great waters OF hic. %
,r,e Is this. so necessary 10 our life b.
the presence OF on impclhng motive. %
heaven itself has created no man without
All ideal.
Th quality OF the man IS seen IN the
thing whereto he las fastened his IDEAL.
and whereby he lives. NOTHING so power
fully influences character ard CONDUCT
as this shoice. The man scars 10 the
empyrean or crovcls IN the dust as ms
lifc's aim uplfts or degrades him. Inc
love OF the best is twla-born win tht
soul. Eut what is the best the eyes Oh
the body differently determine. Some sec
IL only in pleasure. some IN wealth, some
I'm fame and glory. some IN literature
some IN art. and some In rishtcoushtsS
Tot homines tot s%ontcntal.' what shlll
determine the truth Of mems ideals.
There is but one test-that Of eternity.
ETERNAL YEARS OF GOD.
II may be safely said that that which
survives Is the nttcst-is the truth. Tor
unto her are "the eternal years Of God.
Time Is the final and unassailable arbiter
Of %humanity's struggles for the realization
Of its ideals. And 1t is 10y this test that
he wishes TO indicate the ideals upheld
by the Jewish people.
The term Jewish ldcality' may have
been one surprising to some people. who
are prone TO judge the Jews as being
unpossesscd Of ideals. or at least Of very
low ones. II has been the misfortune Of
the jew 10 be misunderstood, though
Emerson says this is the test Of great
ness
What ideals can a people have whose
whole commercial existence has been
one OF century enduring d~egradaiion2
What noble hope could be born from
the narrow womb Of the Ghetto. or rise
from out the crowded confines of d quar-
ter. where fear was "a constant visitor
and the dread of calamity was displaced
only by the calamity itself?
Yet there has ever been one lofty aim
that kept that people from succumbing
to its disaster. The pressure within
equalled the pressure from without and
kept the vessel from breaking. The
ideal OF Israel has ever been God and
righteousness. When the clouds of op-
preston were thickcst the Jew was able
TO see. by the vision Of his faith. the sun
A - 4, as MN ~ LHaAHAL 40 n a. "a
that the clouds would break and that
the sunshine would stream forth-if not
In his day. in that of his children or his
children's children.
LOVE OF IDEAL AND FAITH.
In the breast OF the Jew the love OF
the ideal. and the love of his faith were
.inseparably welded. He firmly be
lieved that he was the chosen of God.
not for power. but for service. and I'm
the carrying out of that service he found
his ideal and his happiness. Let other
people stand for what they will. for
conquest. wealth, dominion, FOR physical
beauty. for art, literature. or science. the
ideal OF the jew was centered I'm his
God and in service for His holy name.
That time has vindicated the jew and
his ideal is a most potent fact. The
thrones of Egypt. Syria, and Babylon
have long since fallen. The influence
of Hellenic culture and art still fingers.
hut the Greece of Pericles and Plato is
only a memory. Rome is a monument TO
the evanescence of material power and
conquest. But the outpourih 70 Of the
Judean spirit have permctted AMI r'vo-
lutionized the world. DonJHcss. q ought
will come into the minds of many, 'all
this is true, but the ideal Of Judaism
was realized in Christianity" Men have
been taught to believe this. and Judaism
has been judged to be a faith outlived. a
curious relic. strangely preserved to give
testimony in behalf of another-a religion
dead in the midst of the living.
MOTHER AND DAUGHTER.
But the task OF the jew was not com
pleted eighteen hundred years ago. Ills
ideal was only partially realized in the
man of Nazareth. Judaism gave birth
TO Christianity. not as the grub to the but
terfy. itself then TO be cast aside. but
as a mother TO a daughter, TO ave q
companion. helpmate. and friend. That
the daughter faith has not been q friend
Is the sad result that many Of her fol-
lowers did not understand the teachings
OF their Master. They had more might
than mercy. more zeal than humanity.
But unconsciously the daughter has help
ell the mother. and in the widening do
miuicn o. the spirit OF God does Judaism
behold the coming realization OF her
ideals.
The prophet Micah a.. 81 gave express
sion to 1sraels hope In fcwest words. to
do the will Of God. and. "What doth the
Lord require of thee. only TO 10 JUS
tice, TO love kindness. and TO woiR hum
bly, with thy God2" Shall any one say
that this is a mean ideal? And. further.
Tat ii IS already universally realized?
Until thea. Dut aism shall not find her
self displaced In the world. or her ser
vice completed. Here Is her ideal. and
the realization thereof is her lifc's work.
The sno OF age is upon her brow. but
the visor OF eternal youth is within her
breast. and she shall live and work til
the world material shall be brought into
harmony with the spiritual. and every
man hail recognize himself 10 be the
son OF God. with God-like capacities. and
powers. and above all the duty 10 make
his own life the expression thercof-thc
incarnated divine.