El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-10-07


You considered its universe
message: This day, so deeply roote,
in the soul OF Israel that the mos
callous. # they are Jews at heart
halt and consider; though they cele.
brate no other Jewish festival. they
seek religious consolation on this day
And yet there seems nothing distinctly
Jewish about the day. il IS complete
" universal It voices no seasonal
activity, as do the pilgrim Festivals
II is the anniversary Of no great Jew
ish event as the Feast OF Light" or
the Feast of Lots II is. neverthe-
less. intensely Jewish. because 1t is
intensely universal II has become the
heartbeat OF the Jewish religion be
cause. in its final deduction. Judaism
Prophetic MeSsaEe Of the Day.
The prophetic message of the day
Z Is an excerpt from an address deliv-
cred on this day by a prophet living
more than $500 years ago. The prophet
pictures the people asking isaiah
vS-3ffl. wherefore have We tasted
E and Thou seest mott wherefore have
( We afflicted our souls and Thou takest
] no knowledge And in answer to
/; this challenge OF the people the divine
voice does not demand assent TO re-
] hgious doctrines, II does not enumer-
ate failure in Jewish obligation. but
2
I those obligations which are common
I To- all men. those obligations which
l are universal
Behold in the day or your fast. We
find your own pleasure. and exact
! all your labors. Behold We fast for
strife and contention and 10 smite
with the fist Of wickedness- We fast
rot this day so as TO make YOUR voice
reard on high Is such the fast " hlch
have chosen the day for man TO
afflict his Soul2 Is II 20 bow his head
as a rush and TO spread sackcloth and
ashes under him. W tit thou call TINS
q fast and an acceptable time unto
the Eternal2 Is not this the fast that
7 have chosen. to loose the bonds or
WickeduesS- 10 undo the bands OF the
.-oke and 10 let the oppressed 20 free
and that We break every yoke Is II
not 20 deal thy bread TO the hungry
and that thou bring the poor that
are cast out OF thy house, when thou
seeest the naked that thou cover him
thine own flesh. Then shall thy light
break forth as the morning and thy
healing shall spring forth speedily and
thy righteousness shall go before thee;
the glory Of the Eternal shall be thy
before cod shall We Re Pure
And was not this universal message
simply the amplification OF the lesson
Of Levitfcus telling the object Of this
days celebration. before God shall e
be pure"
Purity IS tho keynote OF the day.
The striving TO be holy as God IS holy,
f. the essence Of all its teaching, IL
sums up that for which We strive as
We enter this day with the hope and
aspiration TO hear and appreciate the
final soul-stirring words ct have par
doned according 10 thy word
And what does Judaism mean by
purity What has Judaism stamped
on the thoughts OF time as its con-
tribution TO the universal idea con-
veyed by this word Do we as Jews.
recognize any particular qualities
characteriZinE our conception OF the
purity needed for divine approval?
From the negative standpoint-we
do not believe that purity Of life de-
Ponds upon any lin service or assent
to articles Of creed We do not believe
that man. created in the divine image
can find rest with the divine only by {
asserting 70 certain formulas We I
differ in mental qualities and We differ I
IN general appearance. and why should :
we not differ in religious beliefs /
While II IS necessary 10 recognize I
certain fundamental thoughts. Il is not /
necessary to give assent TO auy doc j
trine. dogma oT teaching which does 4
not satisfy the mental equipment OF 4
the individual
Our Bible nowhere declares. believe I
this or YOU cannot be counted among /
those children of God whom He viii 1
claim as his own Jewish history re- 4
yeals no period where a creed has been 1
sent Greed M kers there have been
and there dOubtlesslv viii be. but
these expressed simply their personal
views or the prevailing opinion OF
Of a creed depended on the scholarship
and popularity Of him who formulated
The Fundamental Laws.
The ancient rabbis recognized the
NOahitic Jaws tthe seven fundamental
Ia VS. incum bent on all meDf- and 61S
Biblical laws divided into positive and
negative. incumbent on IsreaL They
-urther declared that David had re-
duced these 6lS TO JIG isiah mad re- ]
luced them to 6; Micah had reduced 4
hem TO 8. and Habbakuk TO a single
one AEiba said the funda mental law :
y Judaism was Lnou snalI love my
leighbOr as myself" while Ben AsSai,
lgreeinE as to number. declared this
fundamental law TO be found IN
ienises-"this is the generation Of
nan" And HiIlel. agreeing again as
o number. declared il TO be the
Golden rule. what is hateful to thee
10 not to thy neighbor-"
Other rabbis found the sum and
substance of Judaism in the ten com
nandments; Maimoides gave US Il
OF faith and some of his
contemporaries reduced these TO seven |
While Joseph Albo emphasized but
hree.
To come to more recent times.
David Einhorn posted five. while the
'entraI Conference OF American Rabbits
'Osited but four
No Hard and Fast Rule.
Thus il is self evident that in no /
eriod of Jewish history has there !
zen a hard and fast rule as TO dog |
mas needed for salvation: purity 10 |
tand before God depended on some
hing more universal than a confession I
T faith.
What then is the basis Of this purity; !
THAT is IL We must observe II we I
you'd he .'Du-e before God 3'
I know no single expression OF this
ublime thought more worthy Of our
ttention than the words Of the Psalm
It. psalm 24J- Who shall ascend the
i'll OF the Lord and who shall stand in
lis holy place. He that hath clean
ands and pure heart. who hath not
fled his soul unto falsehood and
ath not sworn deceitfully- He shall !
.ceive a blessing from the Lord and
ghteousness from the God OF His
AVIATION"
4 Wonderful Thought.
What a wonderful thought The
lestion is not what person but
What sort of a person" deserves 10
scend the mountain Of holiness. in
her words. is pure before Cod?
o modern writer. with the advantage
many centuries OF added culture and
could give a more con-
~e md al the same time n more sat