The Denver Jewish news., 1923-05-30
(Continued from last week.

But the more important circumstance
to be borne in mind with reference to
the Union Services of more than de-
cnde ago is that when we wOrshipped
together none of us did or would abate
one jot or title of onr respective posi-
tions. of our several loyalties. Into our
common worship held for number of
weeks. chiefly. as l have nlrendy put
it. in the interest OF the common sup
port of osir social ideals. there entered
only those elements to which all of MS
together might without reluctance as
sent. We knew, as we wOrshipped to-
sether, that we would leave the place of
our common worship and return to our
various church bodies, each of MS not
less but more deeply and ardently loyal
we had found 1t possible to link our
hands in common worship. Each of MS
had gathered the resolution to move his
people to make earnestly rather than
laggartlly. passionately rather than in
crtly. for those great social ends of life
which. after all, are the final and SUI
preme test OF the verify of religious pro-
fession and the sincerity of religious
practice.
II Jews and Christians are to wOr-
ship together from time to time. we
who are Jews can enter into the spirit
of Christian worship and Christians for
int bn Snirif nf
Jewish worship. But let me make 1t
very clear that hold 1t would be an
incalcnlable loss to the spiritual life
of man II we Jews were to abandon,
assuming such abandonment to be pos
sible. our own particular type and form
of worship. For that worship rests up
on and has grown out Of two thousand
years and more of tradition. and ii is
compact of historical associations. of
ancient traditions. of precious memo
ries. 1T would he a most lanentable
impOverishment Of our common spirit
ual life II either the simplicity Of the
liberal Christian service, such as that
which obtains in the Community
Church. were to be given up or the
beauties and splendOrs of the tradition
al Jewish liturgy were to be abandon
etl.
Thus Christians worshipping with
Jews might find the Shema, the affirmn-
ton Of the divine unity. quaint and in
terrsting. and might even hold the He
brew Kadtlish or memorial prayer to
be beautiful and moving. but to the
Jew, the Shema and the kaddish are
infinitely more. When 1 speak the
words of the Shema l do far more
than recite the Jewish creed. There
comes before me. as In d vision. the
spectacle. of Israel suffering. of Israel
triumphant The stOried martyrdom of
Israel rises before me Us In a dream.
my peoples soul lives in me again, and
/ live again the memories Of my peo-
pie as I utter those deathless words
OF the Jews spiritual and eternal af-
firmation-G6d is one and His name is
one. For 1 behold mighty procession
Of priests and prophets and seers and
apostles and martyrs marching on and
On. pilgrims OF the invisible, sustained
by that unfaltering trust which moved
the Jew throughout the ages to live
by and for the truth of the Divine UNI
ity. When you and l recite that pray
er OF our liturgy which we call the
Kaddish, through the memories of our
inner vision, we recreate the most holy
and tender things in our lives-rc-
create. as it were, all the touching and
precious and beautieOus memories of
childhood and youth-Our hopes. our
fears. our tears our dreams, all crowd
ing into our souls as we pray again In
these immemorial accents.
/ can join in the Pater Noster or the
Lords Prayer, but the recital thereof
stirs no memories in me. As hear 1t
or recite it. ! frankly confess that
seek to reconstruct it. as it may be
reconstructed, into that Hebrew ton
que whence the form and spirit of 1t