Letter from Benjamin Franklin Peixotto to Isaac Leeser;August 09, 1858

Title: Letter from Benjamin Franklin Peixotto to Isaac Leeser;August 09, 1858
Author: Benjamin Franklin Peixotto
Contributor: Isaac Leeser
Date Created: 9 August 1858
Location(s): Cleveland; Philadelphia
Format: Letter. 4 page(s) on 2 sheet(s).; Letter
Type: Letter
Language(s): English
Has Format: https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p3bv7bg0s/manifest.json
Link to Colenda: https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3bv7bg0s
Physical Characteristics: Unlined Paper; Manuscript
Is Part Of: The Dropsie College Isaac Leeser Collection at the Penn Libraries
content: (Private)
Cleveland 9th August 5618
Rev & Dear Friend
I read every num-ber of your valuable periodical with pleasurable interest, your leaders especially possess for me great interest, I read and digest them carefully and form judgement in accordance as they impress or con-vince my intellect.
The popular style in which these articles are written is well calculated to awaken thought and their freedom from obstruse and pedantic argument makes them acceptable to the practical men who compose the majority of your readers and who have little time to devote to the study of learned disquisitions.
There is one theme I am most desirous you should at your earliest leisure prepare an article upon either for a leader or not as you may please. It is respecting the faith of the Israelite in the coming of a personal messiah. I would

suggest your discuss the title for the article “Belief in the coming of a personal messiah” I would open the article in something like the following language “One of the cardinal principles of faith of a true Israelite is a belief in a person--al messiah. It is one of the thirteen a fundamental articles of our creed. It has been taught our Jewish youth since in the past it has been the accepted belief of all the great Rabbis and learned teachers of Israel which with a very few exceptions—and it is so imbued into our Religion as to make it one of its most vital parts the removal or destruction of which would lead to the dissolution of our Religion itself.
Taught Given in the Pentateuch taught by the Prophets inculcated by the Rabbins and received by the Jewish youth from the beginning it has been and is still one of the fundamental principles of our faith and must continue to be so long as Judaism is preserved in its pristine purity and truth “&c &c or in similar language—the construction of the above being imperfect from the haste in which I have written. After an ex-

position of this fundamental principle I would give all the passages in the Pentateuch and Pro-phets that have special reference to it and cite in addition, all the ancient authorities (Rabbis) that received and sustained it.
Nay I would prove it conclusively by irrefutable quotations of those whose authority it would be absurd to deny or refute. Do you quite comprehend my wishes? If so will you be kind enough to accede to them and in doing so pardon me for the apparent counsel ? I have so impudently volunteered.
My apology for this must be in the awakened deep interest I have recently taken in the subject. If a belief in the coming of a personal messiah can be proved to be correct based upon the re-vealed word of God and those sages who have interpreted his it—let it be done now in as simple clear concise and irrefutable manner as possible. Let the article of faith be stated let the divine passages be given and the Rabbinical authorities cited so that there can be no question of its truth. Dr M Kalisch of London I see has recently published the Book of Genesis after a translation from

the original Hebrew—nay the Volume published contains the Hebrew text with a translation by Dr K and a full commentary illustrating the context, accompanied by philologi--cal remarks and concluding with a sum--mary of events. I have not of course seen the work as it has not yet crossed the Atlantic (ie to my knowledge) it being published in London where Dr K is a tutor in the family of Baron Rostchild—but it strikes me as being just what is needed and I sincerely hope five years will not elapse before the entire 24 books will be similarly published. How much I now wish you had delayed your publica-tion a few years and then brought it out in this manner. However you can still do a great work by preparing a second volume to be called a “key” which shall be a full commentary &c &c. I intend writing you again in a few days upon some other important matters concerning our Religion in the meanwhile I trust you will fully consider my request favorably
With great esteem Sincerely Yours B F. Peixotto

The above text refers to Occident Volume 16 No. 7 pages 317 through 327. Click here to view.
The above text refers to Occident Volume 16 No. 8 pages 365 through 375. Click here to view.
The above text refers to Occident Volume 16 No. 9 pages 413 through 423. Click here to view.
Identifier: LSDCBx2FF5_23
Date: 1858-08-09

Part of Letter from Benjamin Franklin Peixotto to Isaac Leeser;August 09, 1858

Benjamin Franklin Peixotto, “Letter from Benjamin Franklin Peixotto to Isaac Leeser;August 09, 1858”, 1858-08-09, Isaac Leeser Digital Repository, accessed September 7, 2024, https://judaicadhpenn.org/legacyprojects/s/leeser/item/66793