The Denver Jewish news. [volume] (Denver, Colo.) 1915-1925, 1920-09-15

they may truly want to do better, but
we call them creatures who are NOR
ally disjointed. They associate relig-
ion from life. They imagine that re-
ligion IN good for the House of Wor-
ship and no good for the House of Bust
ness. Tell them to carry religion in
to their office, their shop, their factory
and they will reject the idea as absurd.
In the House of Worship they feel the
Good, think the Right, and OH the out
side they act the Wrong. But that is
not religion; it is an arrested moral
teaches that Life must square with Re
ligion We are to think right thoughts.
to feel the right emotions. hut We are
also to do righteous deeds. Our Juda-
sense of our obligation to humankind.
For we are all of us tied to one another
as human beings. Our life touches the
lives of our fellow men in countless
not that the sin we commit hurts us,
but that the sin we commit hurts 9th
ers 1t may be that we have the
right to do with our Individual selves
as we please, but never in the judg
ment of God can we have the right to
destroy the happiness of others.
This sense Of responsibility is the
foremost teaching of religion. The
Rabbis tell the story of three men start
ing out in boat each of them having
different destination. As the boat
proceeded on its course it seemed to
become more and more unsteady. Soon
it was found that one of the three men
was behaving in a strange manner. he
was amusing himself by boring a hole
with an awl in that part of the boat
where lie sat. In fear and amazemcnt
his companions demanded to know the
reason for this action. He replied with
insolencc that he had paid for his place
in the boat and that particular seat
was his and he could do with it rs he
liked. Furthermore, it did not matter
Lecausc if the boat capsized he could
swim. True" the others replied. 'The
place you occupy is yours. but the boat
is intended for all of us. With your.
self you may do as you please, but YOU
dare not jeopardize the rest Of us"
We are all fellow passengers travel
ing in the Ship of Destiny on the Sea
of Life. We have our various destina-
lions and each one occupies his par
ticular place in that ship. Yet the ship
is not ours; 1t belongs to all of us. H.
may not matter to you or to me wheth.
err the vessel arrives safely in port or
NOT. We may make ourselves miser.
able il we choose, but we dare not
menace the Happiness of'our fellow pas
scngers. We may drag ourselves down
but we must not drag others with us to
destruction After ALL our destinations
are one and the same. 1t is the Port
of Happiness which humanity strives
to reach. But we never get there thru
selfishness. We succeed only thru II
recognition of duty and responsibility
to our fellow men. How wondrous this
old world of ours might become, nov
serene and upright might Humanity's
ship of Life sail its course. If each lu-
man being, conscious of his response
hility to all mankind, would shoulder
his burden and do his share of the
worlds work in the corner of the world
that is his, mingling his energies with
his follows striving NOT Sr!fiShIy but
struggling with them to cxalt the world
thru deeds of love, of sympathy. of
righteousness.
We grow by helping others to grow.
we become happy by making others
happy. This is the religion of the Jew.
1t is the religion of noble thoughts. it
is the religion of righteous action. it
is repentance in deed.