Lecture 41. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated · Sabato Morais Digital Repository · Legacy Projects from Judaica DH at Penn Libraries

Title

Lecture 41. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated

Author

Morais, Sabato

Location(s)

United States -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

United States -- Pennsylvania

Format

10 pages on 4 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/p3zc7sd1h/manifest.json

Link to Colenda

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3zc7sd1h

Provenance

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

Is Format Of

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/judaicadh/morais/main/TEI/SMBx12FF4_21.xml

content

Post-Biblical
41

In speaking in my the last lecture of [?] my series of Johanan Ben Zacckaï and of the invaluable services he rendered traditional Judaism, I mentioned Jabné or Jammia, as the town on the coast of the Mediterannean sea, where the Academy of of Jewish learning founded by that Rabbi, flourished. But it must not be thought supposed that because that famous master of the Holy Law, searched out and found a place of deliverance refuge for the Torah, to prevent its extinction at the sad period of our political downfall, that in Jammia alone was the flame of sacred knowledge kept alive. Soon after the destruction of the Temple by Titus, some of the pupils of Johanan set up colleges in other towns and disseminated learning taught successfully. But the multiplicity of schools--generally a decided ad--vantage--is not always conducive to that religious unity which constitutes the soul of Judaism. Occasionally, it happens that the minds of the leaders of those respective institutions are not in perfect accord, so that the same oral laws receive interpretations clashing with each other.

What had happened already, during the latter days of the second sanctuary among the disciples of Hillel and Shammaï, was about feared to it might occur at the period of our history which I am now engaged to discuss. To guard against such a division of opinions, a one Rabbi exercised an iron will. He had succeeded Johanan in the chair of the principal Jewish Academy college Academy established at Jammia. In history that chief is known as Gamliel, or Gama-liel II, to distinguish him from his grand pa--rent who bore the same name. The Tal--mud relates that when Vespasian showed a dis--position to favor Ben Zacckai, this Rabbi peti--tioned for the safety of Gamliel, whose father (Simeon Ben Gamliel I) had suffered martyrdom at the hands of the Romans because of through and for the Romans his patriotism. The character of Gamliel II has been exhibited to view under different aspects. Some have described the sage as austere and arbitrary in the extreme; others, again, have tried to explain away whatever seems harsh and imperious in his con--duct, and have presented pictured him as gentle tractable and just in all his measures.

I have already stated before that in these lectures of mine on the schools of Judea, I intend to be very brief, offering mainly a general idea of the subject; consequently I cannot relate recount in detail events which might give my hearers an oppor--tunity to form by themselves and impartial judgment. But I must am free to say that, without approving in every instance of the method adopted by that ancient Rabbi to compel obedience to his authority, as President of the Synod, or Sanhedrin, I exonerate him from the charge of wilfully using a despotic rules power. Thus Gamliel exclaimed on one occasion, which had caused great hardship [Hebrew] "sovereign of the world, Thou knowest that what I have done is not in honor of my self nor of my parentage, but only in honor of Thee, that there might exist no disputes about the laws of Israel". That he was humble-minded and not at all vain and vindictive, we have a strong proof in the fact that after his opponents suc--ceeded in having him deposed for a time,

he still attended the public sessions, and even allowed his pupils at times occasionally to dispute the ideas he advanced. Gamliel may have erred, and have in availing himself of the lofty position he held to humble men who honestly differed from him about the best mode of preserving the knowledge of the traditions, but without if I do not entirely defending endorse his course, I nevertheless believe that his unsuccessful at--tempt to create a centralizing power was meant for the good of the nation. He wished to hin- avoid-der the possibility of every any unscrupulous man with a stock of learning, setting up an opposition school, where theories subversive of the oral laws be im--parted. Or, to say it Talmudically [Hebrew] "in order that the One Torah be not split in twain". My sympathies are indeed with Eliezer Ben Hyrcanus, with Akabya Ben Mahalalel and others; specially with the lowly but highly learned needle maker--the exceptionally good Joshua Ben Hananiah--whom Gamliel brought to grief; but in studying the life-work of Gamliel II the latter, I become strongly firmly convinced that his motives were pure.

He loved his faith and his people dearly, and showed his affection by undertaking distant journeys for the sake of both. When the brutal emperor, Domitian son of Vespasian and successor to his brother Titus resolved to exterminate the Jews living at Rome, whom he oppressed by heavy taxations and shameless indignities, Gamliel, accompanied by three celebrated colleagues, hastened to Italy. He strove mightily to avert the threat--ening danger, and his influence enlisted the interest of high officials in the capital of the empire. Fortunately, the violent death which the ruling monster soon met with, made his tyrannical decree null and void.
It may not be inappropriate to say tell, in connection with that edict of cruel Domitian, that, according to historians, he had conceived an irreconcilable hatred against the Jews, because some of the most noted Romans had embraced Judaism. Juvenal the satirical poet, lauches against such his biting sarcasm, and calls them vulgar names, because they preferred circumcision, Sabbath keeping,

and Mosaic regulations about food, to the worship of heathen gods, and a life of heathen pleasures. A tombstone on which the name of an aged rich woman, (Veturia) who lived sixteen years as a proselyte, and was known in the synagogues as, mo--ther Sarah, has been discovered. But the most renowned of converts to our faith at that time, was Akylas, or Acquila. This Roman could boast of both wealth and learning. Having become acquainted with the sect then called Jewish Christians, or fol--lowers of Jesus of Nazareth, he renounced paganism and joined the new belief. But dissatisfied with the dogmas of Christianity, he studied our religion and because a entered it as [Hebrew] a righteous pro--selyte in Israel. To him we owe a Greek tran--slation of the Bible, highly praised by the Talmu--dists. It is to be regretted that the original is near--ly all lost, for as its author was a thorough Hebraist, and as his version is said to have been rigorously literal, it might have thrown considerable light on obscure passages, rendered so perhaps by the error of copyists.

It would be certainly of greater value than the Greek translation, called the Septuagint, which is faulty and unreliable.
Akylas knew Rabbi Gamliel personally, and not improbably, he is the proselyte reported to have evinced marked respect for the memory of the Sage by extravagantly burning a number of costly objects, according to the senseless custom prevailing then at funerals. In open contrast with that custom stated usage was the last will of Gamliel II. The Rabbi had seen that the love of display at burials had reached a point beyond all reasonable bounds. Families unable to comply with the excessive immode--ration in vogue, would flee away for shame and leave their dead uninterred. Gamliel studied to remedy an inveterate evil. To legislate against it seemed difficult; to preach against it might be to excite antagonism. When about to pass away from earth,and naturally anticipating that in honor to his his station, the Hebrew community would have bestowed large sums on expensive garments to dress him in--he commanded that his body be clothed shrouded in plain white linen. None dared after that, practise towards

their departed relatives what, a patriarch, a sage and a chief of a sanhedrin had tacitly rebuked. It were well that the influence of a Gamliel could be brought to bear on American Jews who fancy to do their deceased ones honor by arraying them in fine suits of black, encasing their corpses in coffins caskets of polished wood with silver mountings and silver plates, crowned with choice flowers in the shape of laurels garlands, of anchors and triangles, with mottos and sentences and monograms and epigrams. How many Synagogues could be freed from a degrading and God-offending debt, how many schools and seminaries could be fittingly maintained, how many poor could be plentifully fed by the gold which is thus inconsiderately; wastefully spent. When the cause of religion, of education and of charity claims our urgent attention, let Israelites exchange senselessness or vanity for reason and humility. The demeanour of an ancient teacher of their people should so direct them. That parting direct- behest -ion of Gamliel II would almost suffice to win our respect.

But we I do mere justice to our a sainted preceptor, called to occupy the chair where sat Johanan Ben Zacckaï, when I say that Gamliel of Jammia was mentally and morally excellent. To his tradition--al lore, he associated a knowledge of astronomy, which he utilized in relation to the observance of Jewish festivals; of mathematics which he employed about Sabbatical ordinances. He it was who requested a scholar to arrange in logical order the eighteen benedictions, which we call Amidah, and if the additional benediction one in which imprecations are uttered against heretics and informers was composed by his direction, we may attribute it to the unhappy times, that produced recreants to our faith ready to incite the Romans against their former coreligionists. That Gamliel was kind hearted we perceive in the circumstance, that he kept mourning as2 for a relative member of his household at1 the death of a heathen slave he possessed; that he entertained enlarged views is clear from the de--ference he paid to labor. He was wont to say, that the man who has a trade is like a vineyard well guarded by fences [Hebrew] while the absence of a mechanical profession leads to ruin. is a field open to devastation. Let us honor the memory of the truly wise president of a Hebrew college: Rabbi Gamliel II.

Identifier

p3zc7sd1h

identifier

SMBx12FF4_21