Lecture 43. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated · Sabato Morais Digital Repository · Legacy Projects from Judaica DH at Penn Libraries

Title

Lecture 43. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated

Author

Morais, Sabato

Location(s)

United States -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

United States -- Pennsylvania

Format

11 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 12, Folder 4

Has Format

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p3348h16w/manifest.json

Link to Colenda

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3348h16w

Provenance

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

Is Format Of

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/judaicadh/morais/main/TEI/SMBx12FF4_23.xml

content

Post Biblical
43.

A lecture of the same nature as that which I delivered last Sabbath, may not be uninteresting. As I admit the propriety of dealing with live issues--of letting the pupit enchain the draw attention to current events of a religious, communal or national importance, I was hindered by such events allowed incidents of that kind to hinder me from presenting historical subjects, during the term now draw- approaching -ing to to its close, with as much frequency as heretofore. Hence my resolve to compensate in a measure by referring to day to the character of a Talmudical Sage, contem--porary of to Simeon Ben Gamliel II, of whom I last spoke very recently. Were it not that the person--age of whom I purpose now to speak, on this sabbath is one of the most conspicuously figures stands preeminently in Rab-binical literature, I would have passed him by and proceeded further. For I never meant have not undertaken to write the biographies of our illustrious post biblical men. Such a task would exceed the limits I have assigned to my endeavour, which is main- as I seeking mainly -ly to offer a sketch of the heads of our ancient schools of learning.

But to ignore Rabbi Meir would be to leave a wide historical gap. He was not the chief of the principal academy of his time, set up in Obsha, but among the very many pupils of our martyred Akiba Ben Joseph, he ranked foremost in the double character of had no rival as a Mishnic authority and a model of piety. I shall not decide the question regarding his descent and place of birth. some have assert--ed that Meir's ancestry was not Jewish, nor was his native land Palestine., but that He may have he was been born--for aught I know--in Asia Minor of parents in whose veins course the blood of heathens converted to our faith during the first century of the common era. But those who study people's conduct and not people's extraction or country, will con--sider that point quite entirely irrelevant. Meir might have issued from a King of Judah; and he might have first long rested his infant looks continually long on Zion's temple, and yet have been nevertheless undeser--ving of an honorable mention in the annals of our Hebrew literature.

For, as he himself tells us in one of his wise maxims, sentient beings creatures who bear the image of their Maker are to be measured only by the line of duty they perform. The scriptures say that man will live by the observance of God's precepts [Hebrew] Mark it: "Man" is a word, of universal application. It does not refer to any specially privileged caste. "man's a man for all that." Let it be a non-Israelite. Even a non-Israelite He who, in his moral relations, is guided by the Divine Law stands as loftily in the social scale as a high priest [Hebrew] [Hebrew]. So taught the broad minded Rabbi Meir. How forcibly he exemplified that wholesome liberal lesson, we are shown in his intercourse with a Greek philosopher called Nymus, or Nemonymus. The latter, appreciating the Pentateuch and the Prophets, made use of them Holy Writ in support of the ideas advanced by the famous Pythagoras and Plato. Meir, who prized learning wherever found, did not disdain the friendly asso--ciation of a gentile who that recognized the greatness of the greatest book.

The difference of worship did not pre--vent him, any more than our patriarch Abraham, clude from performing the exercise of mutual acts of human kindness. It is recorded that when Nymus lost buried his parents, the Jewish Rabbi paid the mourner a visit, and offered tokens of heartfelt brotherly condolence. But noble as it is to acknowledge man's worth irrespective of creed, it is still nobler to try to approach reclaim the worthless and try to acclaim them to virtue. The sentiments which stirred within the breast heart of the godly Meir were never more strikingly manifest than in his behaviour towards Elisha son of Abua. That depraved Jew is only the a single instance in post biblical history of a Rabbi having deserted his religion. Meir had studied under the apostate, when this was yet sound in theories and unfaltering in practice; the guileless Meir he had sat at the feet of the false Rabbi before the loose games and wanton songs of Greece, in which he indulged, [Hebrew] [Hebrew] had perverted his mind, and corrupted his morals. Then all spurned the contact of one him who had cast soiled with a foul blot on the escutcheon of Rabbi--nism. All refused to mention the name of the renegade.

Meir could not forsake the man from to whom he had received owed most valued instruction. On a certain Sabbath he met the recreant riding on horse back. He followed the impious one Jew on foot and engaged in the discussion of se--rious objects. When they had reached a distance beyond which Meir would not walk on the holy day, Eli--sha, who knew the rule well, halted, and, looking bending down said to Meir: "Turn back now." The anxious pupil, using the same expression looked up and said in return, "Oh! Turn back thou also to the path of religion." The apos--tate declared to have gone too far to hope for reform- retract ation and persisted in doing evil. It grieved Meir and that one so intellectually so brilliant should yeild his soul to destruction. A legend tells that Meir he would allow himself no rest till by he supplicating for by his own merits he propitiated Divine mercy and delivered his master from the sufferings of a world to come. When asked how he could consistently be seen in company with one so wicked, a man, Meir pi--thily answered: "I found a pomegranate, sucked its juice, and threw away the rind," meaning I drew useful information from one who was brim--ful of learning, but rejected cast aside as too bitter in its results what was vicious in his conduct.

A perfect master was2 Meir1 of figurative speaking. Extensive as the his knowledge of Rabbi Meir was in of the oral traditions was so that the Mishnah was subsequently formulated after his plan, he surpassed all in his aptness to em--ploy figures of speech, allegories and proverbs with striking effect. The Talmudists could not bestow a higher praise of on Meir by reason of that ability, than when they wrote that at his death, the ability capacity to speak in parables ceased to exist [Hebrew] But all his parables always conveyed a deep meaning. I will cite one: "When man laments his f having fallen low and incurred the penalty of his offences, a voice cries exclaims [Hebrew] 'Woe to my head, woe to my arm.' It is the Divinity weeping cries crieing as one in great bodily pain: that is the Almighty does not take pleasure in the punishment of the wicked [Hebrew] mortals ought therefore men ought therefore so ought we to detest crime, but pity the guilty. Beautiful is the description which Meir left us of the virtuous who Jew. He studies God's law to a sublime purpose not for selfish uninterested motives ends. He studies to become righteous. He learns to love his fellow creatures, and he is loved in return; he is a comfort to man, and a delight to God. Humble minded he is he just, true, loyal; he keeps away from vice evil, draws nigh to goodness, becomes useful in counsel, and

and gains dignity and authority, and while he grows in wisdom like a fountain flowing with ever increasing force, he is modest without, tolerant and forgiving. [Hebrew] If I wished desired to dwell long on my subject, I could prove that he who drew that picture, mirrored it forth in his own person very splendidly. For admirable as Rabbi Meir is in his pu--blic capacity as a teacher in Israel, equally so he is in his private relations. All know that he was fortunate in the possession of a wife, cultured and pious. All have heard how having lost two sons on a Sabbath day, during his absence from home, his wife Beruria greeted his return in the evening, with all the calmness she could command, and, waving his eager inquiries about his children till he had recited his prayers and eaten a meal, she told him that the owner of two precious gems, once entrusted to their care of both, had sent and claimed his own; that God who had given, had also taken away. Meir loved cherished the woman who could so consoled his heart in the hour of affliction; he respected the woman, who, when her husband, exceedingly annoyed by vile persons in his neighbor--hood, and

wished them dead, quoted the psalmist to show her husband that he ought to pray for the reformation and not for the extermination of the wicked [Hebrew]. To rescue from enforced shame the sister of the woman he honored, Meir undertook a voyage to Rome, and at a great danger delivered the object of heathen licentiousness. Among Tal-mudical celebrities--and there are many of a saintly life and far-reaching learning--Meir occupies a position seldom attained. That he was called pointed at by a colleague to his townsmen as an Israelite "great, holy and chaste"; that even his opponent Simeon Ben Gamliel, President of the Obsha Academy, and tenacious in the assertion of his own official dignity superiority, should speak of Meir deferentially, is not at all surprising, but if it the uninitiated will deem it passing strange that together with a vast deal of high toned writings, calculated to enhance the character to enhance heighten our estimation of our subject, legends should have been chronicled incompatible with the station whole course of one so estimable noble.

I may therefore fittingly suitably remark that with what is elevating in Rabbinical volumes, an admixture is may occasionally be found of what is sayings and stories re--pugnant to refined feelings. This regrettable fact has been maliciously used by the enemies of traditional Judaism to expose it to contempt. Students must exercise a discriminating judgment in the acceptance of what is legendary, or hyperboli-cal, lest great injustice wrongs be done to our teachers of old. for without claiming for any of them what belongs only to God--perfection--we have just cause to pride ourselves on our literature and those who created it. As to Meir, we must re-cognize in him a model of industry, frugality, loving-kindness and sterling piety. Depend--ing on his rare penmanship for a humble--as a copyist--for a livelihood, he devoted two thirds of his earn--ings to the maintenance of his family, and with one third he assisted the poor among his associates and pupils. To bring about do--mestic reconciliation, he would voluntarily submitted to voluntary indignities at from which many would have revolted shrunk.

The living he benefitted, the dead he would ensure an honored burial [Hebrew] I will conclude by quoting a recommendation which Rabbi Meir frequently gave in the name of the Lord he served: "Mortall" determine with all thy heart and with all thy soul to understand my ways, and eagerly to follow the directions of my Law. Hold that Law near thy heart, and let the fear of Me be present to thy mind. Guard thy lips from uttering sinful words, be pure and keep aloof from transgression trespasses and crime. Then will I be with thee". May our youths inscribe that direction on the tablets of their own hearts, and God will be with them.

Identifier

p3348h16w

identifier

SMBx12FF4_23