The Phoenix Jewish news., 1960-04-29
BIBLE MESSAGE
Dietory Law
Called Test
Of Faith
Bv DIR. CAROL KLEIN

q.
As the biblical account is read
on purity and impurity which we
find in this weeks reading OF tne
Rihle we are presented with TWO
distinct views in regard TO tnese
laws. one. that they are hygiene;
the other that they are purely
ralioious. Regardless of which
ever point of view we accept, Ooui
are testing mans faith. Fundamen-
aUsts would say these Dasic lawS
confirm the Intervention OIL Ile
Divine in the normal workings OF
mans life. Modernists, on the otner
hand claim that the sanitary laws,
though found in the Bible, nave
little to do with actual religion.
What now. Is this thing called
faith? Is it nothing more than sup
erstition. than credulity OF n
category implied in the maXlm
of the proverbist that fool pe-
lieyeth everything?" Is it merely
a covering for ignorance? Not at
ALI Faith is the heroiSm OF the
intellect. It is that faculty in man
which picks up the thread in ms
quest for certainty where it is drop
ped by reason. Even science, tne
foremost expression of mans intel
lect dedicated to the discovery OF
the truth, could make no progress
in achieving its aim without uhe
support of faith.
REASON NEEDS faith to ride
unon in order to reach its goal,
lust as faith needs reason to purify
and refine it and rid it of the dross
of superstition that may encruSt
IL. mean such matters as the
belief that there operates in the
universe a directing genius that
guides its destines and is Him.
self of moral nature, the con-
viction that virtue is rewarded
and vice punished, that wickedness
conduces to its own undoing and
that Justice might triumph in the
end All these postulates of religion
reason must relinquish to faith.
It is. therefore, wrong to look
upon faith as a sort OF supersu-
ton. On the contrary, like his
bread, it is mans staff of life,
without which he would be unable
to carry on from one moment to
the next. There are in the world
TODAY millions of human beings
who were they to consider their
momentary status only, would have
no reason for prolonging their ex-
istence on earth. Yet, somehow or
other. these persons, who have ap-
parently lost everything, tn Il r
homes. their jobs, their means OF
earning a livelihood, go on living.
Why? How? "By their faith IS the
answer.
1T is IN THIS manner that we
Judge hose laws of the Bible that
hy their nature have nothing to do
with religion While such laws might
have purely hygienic motives, they
point to the supreme end which
lead men to faith. Each law car
ries in itself a great moral lesson.
Just to quote one example: lep-
rosy Is q physical affliction. A
leper was ordered out of camp as
q preventive not to contaminate
others. The rabbis regarded lep-
rosy as a provincial affliction in
punishment for SANDER or tale
bearing; thus teaching that the
slander is a moral leper and should
find no place in the camp of Israel.
The law went even further, that
suspected person was isolated for
a period of time until the dag
nosis became more certain; and
when he was found to be afflicted,
he was compelled to reside out
side the camp.
We might find very little OF re-
Iipion or faith in the above regu-
lations. At closer scrutiny, how
ever. and the very fact that they
have become a part of Scripture,
prove that mans moral obligauon
Is as important as his physical
well being. More physical disease
has been spread by careless peo-
ple than by the actual epidemic
There should be an awarenesS by
such people who carry infectious
diseases to isolate themselves In
order not to afflict others. I
best way to arrest contamination
Is through isolation. AS long as this
was only common sense, very few
people paid heed, but when 1t be-
came biblical law, 1t became q
part of mans faith and religion to