The Denver Jewish news., 1919-03-05
The Essence of Judaism
ADDRESS DELIVERED BEFORE
THE JUDEANS OF NEW YORK.
by Theodore Rsinaeh. Prof. of History
Of Religion. Paris.
(ConclusiOu.D

been handed down to lis in hundreds
Of striking passages, in lines of burn
ing passion. of wrath. of sorrow, of
joy, of se0rn, as well as of high and
profound wisdom. which make ,ip the
books of the prophets? These teach
ings may differ somewhat in express
sion according us you look for them
in the earlier works of an Amos or
Hosea. or in the glowing or;itory of
Isaiah and Jeremiah, or in the lofty
poetry of the great anonymous of the
Exile. But the nucleus. the spirit, is
always the suIue: always and every
where you hear the prophets proclaim,
cry ont. shrek ont. | may say, two
sublime truths. FirNt. that. instead of
Il nation. Justice must reign among
men, not only justice in the vulgar
sense that judges have 10 decide hon.
cstly and candidly according To the
law itself has 10 be shaped so as to
protect the weaker. the poorer irom
oppression, from OvCr-toil from in
iquity and from cruelty. so as. to put
cumula ton of power and wealth in the
hands of few mOnopnlistS. This is
the first principle, and the second is
that among nations themselves. the
lnrbarous process of war. of conquest.
of pillage and destruction, as II has
gone on for centuries after centuries.
must come at iast to an end that ma
tions have to learn to adjust their
differences without bloodshed: that
they have to establish IL common rule
and an everlasting peace: that they
have to gather together III II holy
brotherhood under the auspices. under
the hand, of their acknowledged Faith.
or. the God Of Israel. become. by II
wonderful process of widening and
purifying, the only God of mnnkind;
Social justice OH the one hand. or
ganizcd peace on the othcr--such arc
the prevailing principles, l may say
the sole articles of the moral faith of
our prophets. and may add of Israel
itself. for the 'esscnc,. CT Judaism
rwldcl am trying to define, it is pre-
ciscly in the speeches of the prophets,
and only there. that we have to seek
it. Even the Tcrah-I mean the cliiei
and finest code Of the Torah. the so
called deuteronomy. Is, as you well
know. nothing else than a systematic
coordination OF the principles of prop.
hctism by one of the prophets. Every
thing else in Judaism is. to use the
words of Shakespeare. nothing but
the trnppingS aud outword SHOW
things historically and sometimes emo
tionally very interesting 10 us. but of
no deeper. no wider. Specification for
the salvation of Israel ami for tho
happiness of the whole world.
That such is really the moral I'M
port of prophciismi. | ought to be dis
pcuscd with proving. after the cvi'
,tcncc accumulated in the past century
Iy such scholar: as Reuss. Wellhnuscn
Renan and many more. Besides. any
one of you has only to turn over the
pngcs of the Eiblc to find there the
passages alluded to and which are
among the greatest words which have
ever been uttered before mankind, Sc
you will hear Amos proclaim that
Israel must cNpiate her sins because
She sold justice for silver and the
Door for a pair uf shoes. You will hear
Hosea putting ir the mouth of the Al
mighty the words Il desire mercy and
not sacrifice You will hear isaiah
uttcring: "Wu" to those that join
houses to houses, field to field. till
there Is no place left and they may
be there alone" and grasping for the
stream of righteousness and the flow
of Justice. You will hear jeremiah
summing up in these words the com.
mamlS Of God. Fulfill Justice and
charity: deliver the despoilcd from the
hand of the oppressor; do not III
treat the stranger nor shed innocent
blood" You will hear Habakkuk ask
ing how long we will see thcm--that is
the kings. the rlnpcrors, and other
conqucrors-iilwayS cmptying their
nets TO begin again to stay the nations
without pity. You will hear the>srcal
Anonymous, the so-callcu Dcutrro-
Isaiah. announcing III that wonderful
vision. You believe Israel stricken OF
. God. whereas it is to reclaim them
81, pGf i.ft t1
1t was for their salvation that she
wus chaStised and she neither grows
weary nor discouraged. that justice
may bc established upon the earth, for
the far-off islands tincluding. sup,
pose. .Amcrical, await her instructions.
for the house Of Israel shall bc called
lLn hnIISr of nIuNrr fol MIl pCOplC.