Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-09-28
FEAST Of SUCCoTH.
THE rEsTAL SEASON UsHERED IN
AT BETH AHABA SYNAGOGUE.
SERMON ON RIGHTEOUS REJOICIHGS.
Interesting Ceremonies That VIII BE
Continued Until the Conclusive
Feast, seven Days Hence-The Con-
quest of Self.
That VIII BE

Succoth. the Feast of Tabernacles, was
ushered In at Beth Ahaba Synagogue
last evening, with appropriate services.
The festival lasts for seven days, the
first and last being specially observed
Rabbi +. ~ Calisch spoke on the SUBJ
feet righteous Rejoicings," taking his
text from Leviticus xiii. 20: "Ye shall
rejoice before the Lord" He said in
part: The Jewish people are no longer
an agricultural people; but the conditions
which divorced them from the soil were
not Of their own making, nor Of discre-
dit to them. On the contrary, 1t is an
honor to them that they have preserved
through the migrations and the misery
of the centuries, the ceremonials which
constantly reminded them or the injus-
tees that were being done them. The
ceremonial however, has lost much OF
it's original significance; its material as
sociations became refined to spiritual
ideals AS Israel himself. the better TO
accomplish his destiny, spread beyond
the confines OF a mere Palestinian tribe
to become a world inhabitant, the true
cosmopoite, so have all his doctrines
broadened beyond their primitive ma
tional borders, to become universal in
scope.
A RELIGION OF LIFE.
Judaism is above all things a religion
OF life. 1t provides for the crises and the
commonplaces. 1t has voice for the
storm and the calm. As God in the be-
ginning looked upon all things, and said
Is good" so does Judaism look upon
life and say that It is good, that II
1T is gladstone, full of sunshine, and OF
the song of birds and the fragrance of
flowers" This lesson Is taught by the
Succoth festival, and everywhere ii
sounds forth the melody of gladness and
good cheer. Coming. as 1t does, immedi-
ately after Atonement-Day, 1t means
further, that there is a spiritual happi-
ness. that is the harvest OF atonement;
a pure. deep, soul gladness the fruit OF
penitence. The solemnity of the Atone
ment-Day its abasement and contrtion,
and even the bodily affliction, are all
wise and useful accessories of our soul
training. But they are by no means to
be permanent, not even to be prolonged.
They give way to joyousness, and TO the
recognition that the relations between
God and man are not those merely Of
the stern Judge and the trembling ac-
cused. but more so those Of a generous,
loving. bounteous Father, and His be-
loved children.
AN UNCOMFORTABLE OPTIMIST.
The gloomy asceticism that was so ram
pant in the Middle Ages did not
touch the Jew. The atmosphere of the
hopeless acceptance Of this life as vale
Of tears" and as the stony pathway of
sin and suffering, was not one that sur
rounded him. In spite of all his suffer
ing and misery. he has ever been an in
conquerable optimist, who fashions rain
bow of hope after every flood Of mis-
fortune, and who "rejoices before the
Lord" even though he felt that the hand
Of the Lord may have rested heavily upon
him.
But there is another thought in this text.
and that is, the character of the things
wherein we take our pleasures. Men
differ in their rejoiclngs as they do in
their other habits. There is a morality
in rejoicings as there is in the serious pur-
suits Of life We should rejoice in such
pleasures as are morally clean and whole
some. The satisfaction of our material
appetites Is a necessity of our existence.
and God in His goodness has decreed
that there shall even be a certain plea
sure in the satisfying OF them
THE MEANS AND THE END.
But there is a vast difference between
what is done for necessity. and what is
done for indulgence. We must avoid mis-
king the means for the end. The senses
are avenues OF the soul. and that which
we give TO them must be that which leads
on. through them up TO the soul.
even as the bread that we eat is assimi-
lated into the blood. But the fault with
many of us is. that we continue TO eat
bread even after the blood has been
enriched and satisfied. because we like
the bread and it's taste tickles our palate.
The speaker made further appica-
ton OF his thought to our national con-
ditions. We are rejoicing before God be-
cause of the victories we have achieved
on sea and land We should rejoice
rlghteously in that we do not allow our
selves to be misled by lust of conquest
or greed for land. The greatest victory
is that over temptation, the greatest con-
quest, that OF self.