The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-03-12
The Office of PrOtester as Embodied
in Moses MendelSsOhn.
He WAS POOR SAVE IN SOUL.
In Spite OF All Obstacles the Great
Soul in the Twisted Body Grew 10
BE a Giant--No Place in the
World for Him, But He Made
One for Himsclf--Protest
Must still be Uttered.

Rev. Dr. Clifton II. Levy, Of New York,
editor of the Jewish Comment and
writer for Review Of Reviews and the
New York Herald end Journal, occupied
Rabbi f.. y. Calischs pulpit in Beth Aha
ba synagogue last evening delivering a
most eloquent and thoughtful sermon ON
the subject "Tho Jcw-A Protest"
Or. Levy will preach at the synagogue
at 1890 o'clock this morning, his sub
ject being what We Cannot Buy
DIR. LEvYs SERMON.
In the course Of his sermon DIR. Levy
said
Tho jew is in himself a protest. The
first jew, Abraham, was the first pro-
testant rising up against the idolatry of
his father and native land This attitude
Of opposition TO tho false wherever found
is the most striking characteristic Of tho
jew who Is true 10 his faith He must
protest or cease 20 bee. Yet Il would be a
mistake 10 think that the Jews protest
IS purely negative. that he is constitutions
ally IN opposition and has no positive
work 10 do The protest which is moth
ing more than a denial is not very yalu-
able. 10 was not that Abraham fOrSOok
the idols but that he stood FOR one God,
which laid the foundations Of Judaism.
From that day 90 this the jew has been
Gods living protest. no matter where he
was, no matter how he was situated. lie
has bee. ready % protest even against
himself. for the history OF Judaism is
one long series Of developments, one gem
Grafton protesting against tho errors OF
It's predecessor. rising to higher levels or
thought and action.
Has the jew been true always 10 this
Officer II he had the Feast or Purlm
lust past would not be 80 full OF reproach-
ful lessons for Us of to-day
Mordecai and Esther typify to us the
faithful jew and Jewess. who did not
forget this mission. Patriotic and de
voted subjects OF the Persian King.
wealth and honor could not destroy tho
Jewish spirit OF the queen nor make Nor
decai how before the minister OF evil.
There are some who would persuade us
that our work OF protest Is done, tina,
the minority should yield 10 the vast ma
foritv. that We might just as well have
our Purim balls on mafdl gras, and try 10
forget the ideals connected with our
feast and faith. Their nearness IN tim"
and resemblance Ia social festivities u
cited as another argument IN iavor OF
abandoning our duty. How much easler
n would be TO foat with the current. or
Ia sink ourselves IN the multitude. es-
peclalIv when We know that Christianity
draws many of its best doctrines from
Judaism, that il IS our own daughter.
MENDELssOHN's EXAMPLE.
But the Jew must still continue his
cod-appOlnted task; he must protest. The
office OF protestor. belonging 20 the peo-
Die. has been embodied in more than one
individual Jew but in none more per-
fectly than IN that sage OF tho last cen
tury. Moses Mendelssohn. for sage no
was. seeing the world as IL Is. dealing
with men and conditions as they are,
What matters II that he was poor save IN
soul. so long as he was rich In that. What
matters it that under the oppressive laws
of Prussia there seemed no place IN too
world for the Jewish thinker. so long as
H.. made a place for himself? In spite OF
all obstacles he found teachers and
friends. perhaps through these very hard
ships the great soul In the twisted body
grew 10 be a giant. Trained as an ortho-
e,ox Jew. in ali the rites and observanees
OF medlaeval Judaism. IL was stu too
narrow for him. and yet while he stepped