Anniversaries marking Morais' ministry (25-26th, 37-39th, 43-46th years). Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. 1897 · Sabato Morais Digital Repository · Legacy Projects from Judaica DH at Penn Libraries

Title

Anniversaries marking Morais' ministry (25-26th, 37-39th, 43-46th years). Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. 1897

Author

Morais, Sabato

Date Created

1897

Location(s)

United States -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

United States -- Pennsylvania

Format

14 pages on 5 sheets

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?

Language(s)

English

Source

Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies

Sabato Morais Collection, Box 11, Folder 3

Has Format

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p3tm72k4p/manifest.json

Link to Colenda

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3tm72k4p

Provenance

Transfer of Custody from the Hebrew Education Society, 10 March 1913.

Is Format Of

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/judaicadh/morais/main/TEI/SMBx11FF3_9.xml

content

S. MORAIS,
546 N. FIFTH STREET,
PHILADELPHIA, PA.

97
On the 46th anniversary
of my ministry

I have been weighing quite long in my mind the propriety-- or may be the impropriety--of making my own self the subject of a discourse upon this Sabbath. I venture it; for because it seldom happens that the same person fills a situation of a threefold character, and less seldom more rarely does it happen that he remains in it forty six consecutive years. That uninter--rupted period I complete just now in the ser--vice of this Congregation. The very few yet remaining among my brethren, who saw me enter a career so continuously followed, may, I hope, testify to my having all along avoided egotism in my speeches and in my deeds. However, as I am very far from claiming in--fallibility, I admit that occasions may have arisen when natural impulses overpowered the counsels of precedence. Still, I feel certain that neither my talks nor my actions ever inflicted per--manent injury, surely they did not reflect dishonor

upon the religious body to which I minister. The preservation of its respectability and its welfare had been invariably the end that I have wished to attain. Firmly holding that conviciton, I feel emboldened to apply to my--self the language of the latest, but greatest of the Judges of Israel. Before Samuel withdrew from the station which he had filled with unswerving integrity, he asked his people whether they could remember that he had ever winked at wrong for the sake of gain; whether the had ever allowed bribe to corrupt his morals; whether he had ever stealthily hidden away that by which human influences sought to get the mastery over his sense of self-respect. Like Samuel I have grown old in ministering to my people, older, according to historical traditions, than the son of Hannah was at his death. I ask then whether nay one has discovered that the sight of gold so dazzled me that I mistook the path of unrighteousness for the way of integrity; that I interpreted self-interest as a Divine Call.

Pertinent is the query, for age and ailments give are me the premonitions announcing at that my continuance on earth may be of short duration. Surely, not to be reckoned by a return of years. Before I am sum--moned away, let such as have detected in me evidences of a reprehensible conduct, condemn now in public what I might have sought in vain to commit in secret. But looking back with unsparing impartiality, I am given reasons to believe that there are some in this very assem--blage who might rise and say: "The man who addresses us this Sabbath did not only decline what might have temporally benefitted him, but he has repeatedly parted with his own to hinder the decay of the religious body, whose perpetuity he has had always at heart." Aye: more than that they could say, and I rejoice because of it. They could attest that the poorest have met in me a sympathetic friend, a ready

help in sorrow and in want, that the untutored have had a gratuitous and anxious teacher in the merest rudiments of learning, not less than in higher branches of sacred literature.
But to shun flattery, distasteful to the upright when spoken by laymen; disgusting when indulged in by clergymen, I must, on my part make an acknowledgment on this, to me, a day of memorial. My efforts have not been seconded by those in whose behalf I tried faithfully to labor. While other congre--gational schools count the attendance by the hundreds, ours can scarcely count it by the tens. Some of us pride themselves on the retention of the old land-mark; I mean, the preservation of the Hebrew language in our ritual, and provisions to that effect have been made in our constitution and by-laws, while the preamble thereof declares that our aim is to improve and extend religious in--fluences. Yet, we have allowed our child--ren to grow in ignorance of the language of

the Bible and of the contents and spirit of Holy Writ. Does it surprise that Jewish youths turn their backs on this minor sanctuary and prefer to it "temples" where a close approxima--tion to the governing rules of the Church is the con--trolling object; where the man of Nazareth is held up as a paragon of sanctity, superior to Moses in his lessons of a religion of love? Say, my brother-Israelites. Can orthodoxy and a voluntary unacquaintance with the import of the written and oral Law be synonymous? Kind friends, who know my sentiments, tell me to cease worrying concerning matters beyond my control; relatives remonstrate against my agreeing to every propo--sition, requiring exertions on my part in the line of Jewish instruction. They fear that my health might suffer. But what value has a pro--tracted life of ease for an earnest Jew, who feels that duty demands restless energy, unabated exertions?

Those exertions are still, as they always were, at the disposal of my people. But I can--not conceal that had they been practically re--warded, this congregation would have taken the lead in the triumphal march of loyalty to the Torah. It would never have suffered back--sliders to jeer at our apathy, at our lack of consistency, evinced in empty schools; in a liturgy left determinedly beyond comprehension. Believe, my brethren, that if I have insisted upon associating lectures with our accepted prayers, it has not been for the sake of earning popu--larity, for very rarely, I yeild to the request to let my speeches here occupy the columns of religious or secular papers. My sole object was to interest the young in our history, and enhance thereby the respect due to the Hebrew ritual. But where are the young on Sabbaths and Festivals? Not here; not here. My Maker alone knows the anguish of my soul at the recollection of the large number, who have grown only to forget the synagogue, in which they were raised;

to become indifferent, if not inimical to their extraction from patriarchs and prophets; the many, I say, who recognize me not as the one who tried his best to offer some instruct--ion. The only shade of comfort to my burning feelings is the knowledge that in no instance did my personal neglect or indif-ference occasion the sundering of any Jew from a connection with our fold. On the contrary, looking back with the severest scrutiny at the forty six years of my ministration, I can do myself justice by recalling circumstances, when I bore insults, slights and rough denials in my endeavouring to prevent the humblest attend--ants in this house of God to withdraw from it. My regret at the absence of such is aggravated by the fact that on every revolving Sabbath, it becomes more difficult to select Israelites who may share the honors connected with the performance of our rites and ceremonies, without having recourse nearly always to the same identical persons. To that morti--fication is added the pain produced by the want of

respect--not to me that I claims none but to our Sanctuary, by the young who imitate their elders in quitting these sacred courts, before the service is concluded.
Now, brethren, I am fully aware that such remarks as have fallen this morning from my lips, because chilled by a deep sense of my accountability before God, may be deemed by some an impolite speech. Censure, however built on sound found--ations, is always distasteful. But the she--pherds who paint their flock as spotlessly white to win favor, cannot care for the real progress of their charges, as I care for the spiritual advancement of mine. Hear me: In the days of Isaiah, the prophets were approach--ed by their contemporaries in the following language. [Hebrew] "Speak ye to us smooth things, preach Ye pleasant things;" but too dear was truth in the minds of the olden Seers, that they

should dare to prevaricate. I, the least of God's servants, impressed with the holidays of the mission assumed, will not prove false to it. I read almost daily of festivities held to celebrate anniversaries of having first entered the ministry, or having officiated half a decade, or a decade, or a score of years. Fancy that I were to invite Philadelphia Jews with whom I am closely identified, to come this Sabbath and rejoice with me, over the visibly permanent good accomplished among nearly three generations, would not history rise and strike the meretricious mouth that speaks smooth things, self adulatory things?.......... Once more will I say it. The short time naturally left to me upon earth, shall still belong to the brethren who whilom entrusted a youth of fo--reign birth with solemn obligations. What I know of Judaism shall continue to be theirs on de--mand. My feelings for Jews shall, to the very last, be disclosed to them, so that their own feelings be enkindled with love for all the coheirs of the Sinaic

covenant. I will keep at the post that I have been assigned, until the body which now stands at this desk shall have ceased to move, but never will I remain by promising to thrust verity aside and set up flattery and falsehood in its place. The same candor, which is my inseparable com-panion, I shall ask now to become the inter--preter of one of my thoughts, before we part to day. I crave for a manifestation of confidence. What is bidden of a novice, or a tyro, let not be enforced on a Hazan, teacher and preacher of forty six years' standing. When his services are sought after by Israelites not imme--diately affiliated to this congregation, let ac--ceptance or declination be left to his judgment and discretion. Let printed rules remain in abeyance when to carry them out is to wound a minister's feelings and lower him in the estimation of a whole community.

I may be permitted to add, that if I had heeded words in types rather than have consult-ed my sentiments, even some of the Sabbath services might have been omitted. Really, an the evil result would have followed my adhering to the letter of the original contract which I was de--manded to sign. I would have been then a drone, not a working bee, striving to extract from the flowery garden of our literature some of its sweet--ness for the benefit of my people.Well, brethren. Assured of the token of regard, which I have just requested, I urge upon the temporal directors of this religious body to make a strong effort for the broadening of our schools; a power--ful endeavour to increase the attendance in the Synagogue at all times. Of my usual hearers now present or absent, I fraternally beg that an attitude solemn and decorous may be maintained in these holy courts, in order that the services become notable, through an accord of modulated voices and a harmonious chanting which will enhance the imposingness of our assemblies. These I consider

most acceptable to our Lord, because conform--able to the command of His inspired Psalmist [Hebrew] "Bless my God in congregations; even the Lord, ye that are of the fountain of Israel."

Identifier

p3tm72k4p

identifier

SMBx11FF3_9