Literary Production. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated
- Title
- Literary Production. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated
- Author
- Morais, Sabato
- Date Created
- 1894
- Format
- 11 pages on 4 sheets
- Language(s)
- English
- Source
- Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies
- Sabato Morais Collection, Box 10, Folder 10
- Has Format
- https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p3474795h/manifest.json
- Link to Colenda
- https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3474795h
- Provenance
- Transfer of Custody from the Hebrew Education Society, 10 March 1913.
- Is Format Of
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/judaicadh/morais/main/TEI/SMBx10FF10_8.xml
- content
-
S. MORAIS,
546 N. FIFTH STREET,
PHILADELPHIA, PA.
36
94
On Behar Sinai
About brotherly mercy
No doubt, if American Jews were asked to choose a sentence, which pleases them best, in the portion of the Torah read this morning, they would agree upon that engraven molten on the dear precious bell which from the Philadelphia state House rung out in the sweetest tones a declara--tion of human rights [Hebrew] "Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof". Nor would I consider the selection inappropriate, for, urged by that motto, pa--triots conquered peace with honor, united discordant elements into a powerful nationality and gave the strictest strongest impulse to a progress premotive of human comfort in and out of doors. A happy thought was that which suggested so significant a passage from the Hebrew Scriptures, I prefer it decidedly to what Oliver Cromwell is reported to have borrowed from an out--burst of anger hurled at his enemies by the ancient psalmist. For it is said that the Conqueror fiery lord protector thus incited his followers to battle "Lord "Strive Thou O Lord against those that strive against me. Fight Thou, them that fight me, lay hold of shield and buckler and stand up to my defence."
But neither of wars nor of victories, am I now moved impelled to speak. Our section of Leviticus teems with lessons of loving goodness not of bloodshed even in self defence for independence sake. Those lessons They have arrested the atten--tion of political economists deep thinkers, who wish the welfare of communities, and forced out the an acknowledgment of the superiority of the Mosaic code not merely above over that of Lycurgus of Sparta, of Solen the Athenean, of Theodosius a Justinian, but above over that of modern legis--lators. In my mind three Hebrew words in our Parasha are the summary of the Mosaic Divinely sublime teachings [Hebrew], which words, interpreted in the vernacular, read so: "Let thy brother live with thee". To act up to that precept is to be an Israelite indeed. The common adage "live and let live," meaning; "don't be of a grasping disposition; don't try to become such by injuring your neighbor's calling or character," is a maxim too narrow in its ap--plication to be set on a level par with the Biblical doctrine, that I have just quoted. It may seem liberal enough to some; perhaps too liberal in this age of unscrupulous competition, but it falls far below the mark, when measured by a Jewish standard as in the [?] and oral Law, of righteousness.
Our religion refuses to admit that adage as a sound principle, because it inculcates only a negative goodness virtue according to it, we should guard against doing our fellow mortals harm, it says, whereas Judaism demands of its adherents positive right- beneficence. -teousness We should strive to benefit help our fel--low creatures. To abstain from lowering debasing our nature as we would surely lower it, by bringing ruin or shame on a brother, is not to be entitled to the name of virtuous. To elevate upraise our nature, by furthering his our brother's welfare, is to possess a claim to a post of honor among the chosen of God. When I am told asked to let my brother live with me [Hebrew], I understand that I must not push him aside, so that I may walk more at large, but that I must make room for him; that I must clear the way of stumbling blocks which me prevent his holding the station occupied [Hebrew] say the Talmudists "try to let him stay close to by thee". And when the prophet adds to that precept, the words [Hebrew] "Thou shalt fear thy God," I realize this soul ennobling truth verity, viz,
I cannot consider that my life is acceptable in the sight of the Universal Maker who gave it, simply because I do not covertly or by misuse it by subtle cunning, thrusting one of His God's creatures into the back ground and taking up his place. No, I learn that I can win the favor of my Lord and Creator, if I have endeavoured to keep my neigh--bor in, when about to be cast out. For, I have received a positive command to lay stronghold of him that is falling into decay [Hebrew] so that we he may not sink under the weight of his misfortune; never waiting to inquire whe--ther the person who needs leaning on my arm for support is a native of my city, or whether he hails from a foreign land [Hebrew]. Now I feel certain that every Jew will in theory recognize, as I do, the sublimity of this doctrine of our faith. All with glory in knowing that Judaism is the essence of humanity, of equality and fra--ternity. Philo Judeaus, the world famous phi--losopher who lived at the beginning of flourished before the Christian ear, enamored with such a code of laws exclaimed: "Are not those rules deserving of universal reverence?" And so we all admit them to be in the abstract.
But how is it in practice? Do we carry out that principle of our creed to the letter? If we do, why then the cry of anguish here, and the din noise of revelry there? Why the haggard looks of want in one place, extravagance and waste in another? If we did exemplify the teachings of the inspired Moses in our daily walks, we would not alone light up the countenance which troubles have darkened, but we would also prove false beyond peradventure, as it is absolutely unjust, the charge brought against our people at large, that greed is the Jewish characteristic. But referring specially to a certain rule laid down in our Parasha, I wish to remark, that if we were im--bued with the truth of the doctrine which I have cited, we would bridle the a passion for to growing rich in haste by extortion. Conceding, for instance by way of illustration, as we must now agree, that since money has become a staple of com--merce, we may deal in it money, as well as in any other commodity, we would nevertheless be chary not to infringe upon the spirit of the law, so forcibly set forth in the lesson of this Sabbath [Hebrew] [Hebrew] viz namely, we would dread to demand of our brother, who has sank into a state of destitu--tion, insurious interest for his loan.
Admitting that even what money lending--a vocation which circumstances have brought into disrepute--may be carried out on with sentiments of justice, and with equity and deep consideration--and doubtless it is so performed abroad, and here too in America too by some who are alive to the dictates of the merciful law of Israel's God-- still to them temptations a Jew ought always to a yielding to which disgraces our name and religion, it were well that a Jew would set before his let f before his mind mind in conjunction with what we have read, also the 18th chapter of Ezekiel, in which the Seer on Chebar contrasts a life of right--eousness with that of unrighteousness its opposite. According to the prophetic description, he alone shall live before the Lord, who has not wronged any, has not held back a pledge, has never been guilty of cheating, who has given of his bread to the hungry and covered the naked with a garment, who has withdrawn his hand not to hurt the poor by means of usury and extortion. Such one is [Hebrew] a just man, he shall live. Better yet, a Jew should inscribe on the tablet of his heart that most sublime writing left us in the 15th psalm of David. There will a Jew see portrayed the a soul wafted to the sacred hill, where the glory of God abides. It is the soul of a being who has acted with the strictest integrity, ha--ving never soiled his hands with usurious money and corrupting bribe [Hebrew]
Acting upon such the Mosaic Jewish principles, we would not permit in- -digence to become the lot of the worthy, while the undeser- -ving inherit affluence. The knotty question, the which hard solution of which may one day overthrow society creates everywhere a restle restlessness threatening the to its very foundations, the question permanence of society, the hard question which forces communities upon the mouth of a volcano, was square-ly met by the son of Amram, and disposed of equi--tably, when he wrote [Hebrew] "Let thy brother live with thee." There could not exist, like at present, a shocking disparity between the idlers, who roll in wealth, and the industrious who lack the comforts of life, if we rigidly adhered to the injunction of the archprophet. Capital and labor would cease to be in open antagonism, if the nerves and sinews of society handicraft--commanded the highest compensation remuneration and were secured against casualties and the drainage of one's resources consequent upon ill the ills that all flesh is heir to. The power that riches give, would not be centralized but diffused to the promotion of human happiness and the avoidance of disturbing causes by which republics and monarchies have been often con--vulsed. But I do not intend inditing an essay on political economy, which is out of my line and beyond my capacity. A passage in our Parasha elicited my few desultory remarks.
According to that passage, none who was an Israelite, could entail poverty on his household. Why? because the soil was inalienable. Let those listen to it the word-ing of that precept, who are deaf to the sound of their brothers' woes; let them listen to it whose only aspiration is, as Isaiah reproachfully tells them [Hebrew] to join house to house, field to field, that no vacant spaces be found ,and they shall remain sole masters of the land. [Hebrew] "The land shall not be sold for ever, for the land is mine, for ye are strangers and sojourners with me. That is the all-humanizing lesson of this morning's Parasha. Aye: to God belongs the earth. He is the supreme and everlasting owner, for His hands have made it. We hold it at His divine pleasure a limited time. Such is the Mosaic doctrine. It condemns covetousness, it denounces the insatiable--ness of our ambition to gain more and always more, tho' we may by it drive a fellow mortal to the wall. We are all strangers, wending our steps to a lasting existence, let us make our travelling companions live with us, while on the way. We are sojourners bound to return to our Father's house. Let us pa make the passage easy to others as well as to ourselves. Even as I speak, a voice of lament reaches our ears from creatures under a flood
of affliction. Let us dry with the worth warmth of brotherly affection the streams of sorrow by which many who dwell in our state have very nigh been whelmed. Needless it is to point out the awful trials which this week has brought upon Pennsylvania. May they have ceased and security be restored. But when humanity pleads for the suf--ferers, let the adherents of the most human the religion that lay deeply the foundation of humanity, shall remember & act up to the commandment [Hebrew] "Let thy brother live with thee." - Identifier
- p3474795h
- identifier
- SMBx10FF10_8
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/83230