Intermountain Jewish news., 1926-03-25

here again the question Is not entire.
ly u question of law. but also of pro.
pricty and liberalism.
! Historical rcasonsf As matter Of
fact. we have no references In Tnl
mudic lore to the use Of special rooms
for men and women Mt worship. We
may well assume that In talmudic days
the same room was used for both with
an aisle separating the masculine and
feminine worShippers. An amusing In.
| cidental Of This custom Is the story Of
the famous scholar Abayc, who, to pre-.
1 vent the young men from encroaching
on the ladies side-or possibly vice
versa-placcd brcnkahlc vessels In the
aisle. so That any such attempt would
entail an unsecmly and incrmiuatory
clatter. In the ruins Of old synagogs
in Galiloe, dating from early centuries.
there have been discovered no separate
rooms for feminine worship. In fact.
Philo Is the only old authority who
mentions the action Of the Therapcuts
--an Egyptian Jewish Sect-of using
different rooms. separated by high
wall. as n custom of unusual oddity."
Propriety and Law
And You say. therefore," the pro
| fcsSor was asked, That this problem
has become in some measure question
of propricty. of liberalismf"
Most asSurcdly.' was the reply.
''The true liberal i> he who respects
views differing from his own One may
! respect views similar TO ones own and
| still remain u thorough hig0t In
| every congregation 50 troubled there
are parties for or acainst mixed pcws.
I Tho man who insists on commincling
/ the sexes has arguments of rNpcdrncy
only. not or religion. He believes more
yonng people will then attend or that
women desiring to remain with their
| families win hc satisfied or that some
vnGuc spirit uf modernism may thus
he expressed The believer in scpar.
alton, however. finds the mixed pew
Incompatible with his religious conyic-
tions-a far more potent impulse than
mere cNpcdiency. Many Jews would re-
| fuse tn read the Shcmm IN pew
containing both men and women. II is
a muttcr Of earnest principle with such
men. Hence, where there is a minority
in a congregation which protests
against such an innovation. the others
should respect their wishes not on the
grounds Of law but Of true liberalism.
The question is out of the realm Of
law: it is a matter of Sympahetlc
Judgment Of conditions"
Prof Ginzbcrg, who had spoken
throughout with nm avoidance Of hard
literal judgments, and who had thus
| given evidence of the humane and
yielding character of all Jewish legal
Interpretation. here paused TO consider
new phase of the Interpretation of
jewish law.
Inferred Bodies
There Is one more common prob
lem | would mention" he continued,
''Jcws are everywhere aware of our
prohibition against the moving of
bodies after they have been properly
Inferred. Yet scores Of people write
in. 10 obtain legal permission to take
the remains Of departed parents from
their resting places into newer ccme-
tcrie> and mausolcums.
often there seems to be no valid cN-
cusc for This type of dcSecration eX-
ccpt possibly the sudden enrichment Of
the children and their consequent de
sire TO place the bodies of their elders
In graves more fashionablc-if may
llsc the term in this conncction--Or in
more exclusive environment. We
refuse to lend our sanction TO such
acts. Death. to the jew. is tba "reat
lcvplcr The distinctions Of .Ifc mus
not be carried into tn" earth All
Jews must he buried simply. in a plain
coffin. without orni mcnt, flowers. fine
garments or other displays of vunity
in death. Rahhan Gamalicl the Elder
made special dec rec to that effect,
ut II time when fu lcrais had become
more ornntc than many joyous func-
ti"ns of the living. To seek new
burial grounds under h'c conditions ad-
vaurcd To our committee is not a com
mrndablc attempt.
No Vanity for Death
OF course, there are legitimate cN-
ceptions Bodies may be moved when
The land containing them has been con
dcmncd for some public purpose
hough even here we must intcrpoSc
every possible cSception-or when there
! Is danger of them being washed out or
otherwise desccrHtcd. or when proper
/ burial has not taken place in the first
| case, or for certain other limited
! reasons Eut to move the remains of
!