The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1914-10-02
SUBSCRIPTION
FOR RELIEF OF
NEEDY HEBREWS
Closing Services of Fast of Yom
Kippur at Temple Bnai
Abraham.
FUND RAISED FOR
THE POOR IN EUROPE
Rabbi Silver Delivers Strong
Sermon on Yom Kippur;
Lesson in Right Living.

Lesson In Right Living.
The fast of Yom Kippur, holiest day
in the calendar of the Jewish church,
was brought to close with an i'm
pressive sermon at Temple Bnai Abra-
ham last night by Rabbi Silver. At
the conclusion of the service an ap-
peal was made for funds for the re-
lief of the needy Jews in Europe,
stricken with want and threatened
with famine in many sections as a re-
suit Of the war. One hundred and
fifty dollars was raised by subscrip-
tion which will be forwarded to the
Jewish Relief Society in New York.
Rabbi Silver's Yom Kippur sermon
was delivered yesterday afternoon.
It's text in full is as follows:
eve conservative Jews have drift
ed far enough away from the old ideas
and practices. 1t is not necessary to
state that the Yom Kippur of our
grandfathers was different from the
Yom Kippur we observe. But there
is one point on which we may assume
our sympathies, which are still strong
with the old folk. Take Yom Kippur
as you will, the fact remains that
every one of US is conscious of moral
shortcomings. Every one feels these
shortcomings to be great obstacle
and hindrance. Radiance of these
shortcomings would be a good thing.
Our hearts would be lighter, our wills
stronger, our dispositions more low
able, if these shortcomings were cor
rected. That is how we feel Yom
Kippur night.
"When our fathers observed Yom
Kippur, they probably had similar
feelings. At least, it may be said
that:
**We are the same that our fathers
have been,
We see the same sights that our
fathers have seen,
We drink the same stream, and we
feel the same sun,
And we run the same course that
our fathers have rum"
"Between those Of bygone genera
tions, and US Of today, this may be
the gist Of the differences:
"They of old said, Man has sinned,
God will punish
"Have day of fasting and prayer
that God may forbear to punish. We
of today do not conceive of God in
such man-like terms. A God who
Furnishes schoolmaster fashion, or jail
er fashion, hardly accords with the
scientific and philosophic ideas that
are becoming the properly of schooled
and unschooled alike. We Of today
say this however: Sin is itself misery
enough No subsequent punishment
for sin can be as bad as the sin itself.
The sin itself is the thing that shocks
and horrifes u.s. The sin itself is the
thing to be dreaded, escaped and got
ten rid Of. If getting punished is, in
a way going to help US because clean
ed of the sin, then is punishment pre-
cisely the thing that we should not
wish to escape Then is punishment
the thing to be welcomed, precisely the
thing in which is discerned not Divine
anger but Divine love
"We cannot, moreover hold out to
anyone, hopes of escaping unishment
and we shall*note Devine punishment,
in the ancient sense, we do not believe
in; while punishment in the modern
sense is something for which there is
no remission, from which there is no
escape
"Punishment in the sense in which
we or today can profess belief, is
simply an impressive way of telling
the old, old story Of cause and effect.
"Put your hand in the fire, it will
burn. No amount Of praying and fast
ing will save it from burning. Drink
arsenic, sufficient dose of it, you die
no matter how many good people may
be praying for your recovery.
"Simi1arly tell lie and you have
the consequences to reckon with; Not
only does conscience Of the inside gel
unpleasantly busy but your short
legged lie will not have long to run
You stand a liar in the face Of the
community and no amount of praying
and fasting will make you appear less
lier.
''Make a fool of yourself. Talk ex.
cessively, go about Dragging, anc
boasting; oil your mouth with oint
ment of flattery, absurdly believing
that the one whom you fatter does moi
see through your wretched hoax. d.
you imagine that you can do these
things and still retain your respec
and the respect of your neighbors
Do you imagine the Almighty viii
stop to perform miracles to spare you
and save you from the natural con
sequence of your folly?
"Get into bad habit, it matter:
you. Let your body taint itself will
unchaste and immoral indulgence. Le
the soul of you get besmirched will
inpmity and filth. Do you mean u
say that there win he no score to my: