Literary Production. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated
- Title
- Literary Production. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated
- Author
- Morais, Sabato
- Date Created
- 1888
- Format
- 9 pages on 4 sheets
- Language(s)
- English
- Source
- Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies
- Sabato Morais Collection, Box 10, Folder 8
- Has Format
- https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p3vx06n3h/manifest.json
- Link to Colenda
- https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3vx06n3h
- Provenance
- Transfer of Custody from the Hebrew Education Society, 10 March 1913.
- Is Format Of
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/judaicadh/morais/main/TEI/SMBx10FF8_3.xml
- content
-
119
On the bull fight at Celaya (Mexico) in honor of Easter Sunday. 88
Brethren. Last Thursday in reading the morning papers, I fully realized the meaning of a sentence in Hosea, as Rabbinically commented on. The prophet so addresses his contemporaries [Hebrew] "O Israel, rejoice not according to after the manner of other people's pleasure." By what are Hebrew festivities distinguished? Ask some Talmudists, and the answer returned is by no means in but truth not a message concocted by national vanity always repre--hensible, not a fabricating a groundless boast deserving public cen--sure, but a reply as is based on the unshaken found--ations of history. Hebrews celebrate their holidays conformably to the dictates of a religious sentiment and a national instinct; precisely as the sages express it [Hebrew] neither wholly ascetically, nor wholly materially. They do not devote the time en--tirely to ascetic devotional practices, like anchorites, nor do they yeild it like sybarites altogether to the cravings of the palate and the gratification of the senses. Hebrews understand that God has endowed His creatures with an intellectual soul which does needs spiritual food, but they are alive to the fact that He has also given them bodily promptings, which dare not be overlooked.
That correct impression, the idea that it becomes as to attend to both those wants, strengthened by the experience lessons of ages past, leads observant Israelites aright. Thus, prayers and thanksgiving, meditations and righteous resolves do not prelude a family repast richer than ordinarily on holiday, accord-ing to God's gifts bounties, and an agreeable interchange of friendly visits. Necessary as the Synagogue un--doubtedly is to keep alive quicken the nobler part of our being--our Divine aspirations--, still the home pleasurable gatherings at home and the kindly intercourse abroad, are essential, as highly it directly preeminently calculated to foster domestic affections and human sociability. Perhaps, the festival in which those many healthful features combine and are most clearly set to view, is the last, just solemnized throughout Israel, and I have but profound pity for my brethren born in the faith, who find it more sensible to spend the evening of the fourteenth of Nisan at a soirée, than in raising attuning our children's hearts to sing hymns and psalmody to in honor of the Redeemer of the oppressed. I grieve over those who let every day of the Passover week glide by unnoticed and unhonored disowned. Without claiming the gift of prophecy, I predict that the progeny of such, reared to look on the memorials of a mar-vellous post as sheer stolidity, will shape their future
in a mould neither godly nor blissful.
But my object this sabbath is not to offer admonish. Deeply as I lament the growing evil to my faith, result- menace against our religion, offered -ing from by the heedlessness of some whom I would delight to acknowledge as believing brethren loyal Hebrews, I must forbear chiding, when I simply wish to explain. Last Sunday was Easter, invariably held on the first day of the week after the full moon of Nisan. The celebrated renowned French Orientalist--Joseph Ernest Renan--whom none will accuse of holding traditional Judaism in undue reverence, wrote this: "The establishment of the Church can have a meaning significance only by a reference to in connection with the Synagogue, which existed already in countries bordering on the Mediterranean, when Paul and the other apostles took up their mission." All know that the feast of the unleavened bread was then common to the followers of the new creed as to those of the mother belief. In conformity with Pursuant to the example of the founder of Christianity, as reported in the New Testament, the celebration continued at the same time, till policy dictated a separation, not contemplated by the man of Nazareth, and not at all conducive to the moral
advantage of his adherents. After various at--tempts at a final break with Mosaism, in order to open a channel for the inflowing of gentilism, the Synod at Anteochia, in the middle of the fourth cen--tury, issued this injunction: "If any head of the church, bishop, priest or deacon shall dare after this decree is made known, to act at pleasure, misleading peoples and disturbing churches, by keeping the pascha or Pesach (feast) with the Jews, this holy synod adjudges him from now a stranger to the Church, and as one who is not only himself a sinner, but one who lays a stumbling block in the way of many." Easter of heathen origin, sup--planted then the Jewish Passover. But Now, fellow Israelites, consider at what cost Christianity severed every connection with the religion from which it sprung. I have no reference to shall say nothing of novel dogmas bewildering defilling repugnant to reason, ever t as the coexistence of a triune god, nor of ceremonies inexplicable as the transubstantiation. I have no desire indeed to cast reflections on my neigh--bors' belief. My feelings and the teachings I have im--bibed demand that I shall respect those who ho--nestly hold doctrinal opinions to which my mind cannot assent. But I feel justified in
asserting that, viewed even from a moral standpoint, the severance did not benefit society at large as intended. The ethical code which Christianity borrowed from Ju--daism and on which it claims to have improved, does not while it on improving did improve holy theists immensely, it did not altogether effectually guard its own followers altogether from from a taint of heathenish indulgences. Greek and Roman rude practices of a rude character still cling to them. I have often protested in the name of our religion--which is humanity--against games in which the brutal side of human nature is shamelessly exhibited, but last on Thursday morning in reading what happened at Celaya in Mexico last Sunday-- Easter Sunday--I was asked myself whether this is the enlightened 19th century of the Christian era, so horrified I was. It The shocking event must have attracted your attention. The festival which the Christians of early ages celebrated with us by eating the commemorative "bread of affliction" [Hebrew] and by singing hosannas to the heavenly Liberator, was devoted there to a barbaric sport of pagan origin, to a fight between men savagely trained men and infuriated bulls. What ensued you have learned. Even convicts must participate in the cruel pasttime horrid diversion, because it is national, forsooth! and try to make good their escape, set the spot enclosure where thousands had gathered on fire.
It soon devoured the lives of helpless women and children, while the horrid animals enraged beasts rendered more fierce by the crackling of the flames and by the unbearable heat, gored many of the spectators to death. A carnage was perpetrated. Report tells that "the best society was in attendance," but the worst society in Israel would not conceive think it possible conceivable to so thus observe one of our festivals. Such a catastrophe under such revolting circumstances would be a impossibility, it could never occur among "the people of the God of Abraham" [Hebrew]. Rightly Fervently we may repeat with fervor the daily prayer of our the olden ritual [Hebrew] "Blessed be our God who created us to attest His glory and separated set us apart from those who are in error, and gave us a true Law, in which He im--planted a life eternal." Deny it who will, but the Torah has been the salt that kept our hearts undecayed. The more who we shall ponder on it, and the closer we shall observe cleave to it, the gentler, the kinder will our nature be. Not as a boast I say so, but in acknowledgment of deep gra--titude to the heavenly Being, who inspired our
Moses and our prophets, and endowed our Sages with wisdom to instruct us nobly. Far be from me to gainsay what is patient. The moral legislation of Sinai has taken a deep root among our fellow creatures of a newer creed. There are Christians, who shrink with horror equally as ourselves at the sight of the brutality I have described. There are Christians overflowing with compassion, even for lower creatures animals; men and women--innumerable--ever ready to lend a helping hand to elevate and protect and alleviate sufferings, but what is generally titled "Christian Charity" is by priority of birth, Jewish. This I am anxious to impress upon all; I must and to assure my young fellow believers that no improvement can be made on the guiding principles of the faith which teaches that [Hebrew] God's trhone stands on righteousness and justice, and that loving kindness and truth will stand before His face enjoy the radiance of God's countenance, or as the Rabbis put it [Hebrew] "the precepts were intended only to humanize the earthly creatures." To this fact broad minded non-Israelites have often testified, and none perhaps more emphatically willingly
than the eminent jurist, whose demise elicited expressions of sorrow in our courts, on Wednesday last, and whose panegyric will be pronounced today Benjamin Harris Brewster was alike genial and liberal, and whenever occasions presented themselves to do us justice, he eagerly seized them. Standing Raised loft--ily in his legal profession so that he by natural talents, so as to deservedly popularly win the position of attorney general of Pennsylvania; enjoying at one time the confidence of the President of the United States, who appointed him counsellor in the interest of the Republic, loyal lawyer Brewster did not refuse grow proud and deny the use of his talents capacities in behalf of institutions of burning and beneficence. Rich in expressions, graceful in diction, flowery in style and witty withal his eloquence was sought after, and the Israe--lites of this city enjoyed it as well as others appreciatively availed themselves therewithof. I can recall the time when he spoke at banquets in aid of the Hebrew Education Society, and he was heard also acceptably at the hall monthly entertainments of the Young Men's Hebrew Association. I gladly own our indebtedness to the noble hearted departed citizen of Philadelphia, now departed from our midst, and pray that his generous instincts may secure for his soul the bounties of heaven in the of beatitude world of forgiveness and bliss. - Identifier
- p3vx06n3h
- identifier
- SMBx10FF8_3
Part of Literary Production. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated
Morais, Sabato, “Literary Production. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated”, Sabato Morais Digital Repository, accessed September 19, 2024, https://judaicadhpenn.org/legacyprojects/s/morais/item/83123