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

Title

Lekh Lekhah. 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 9, Folder 3

Has Format

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p31v5bz6d/manifest.json

Link to Colenda

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p31v5bz6d

Provenance

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

Is Format Of

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/judaicadh/morais/main/TEI/SMBx9FF3_2.xml

content

For Lech Lecha [Hebrew]

A traveller journeyed in different directions. Of a sudden, he halted to look. What is that, which has arrested his attention? He has lifted up his eyes and seen at a distance a magnificent palace, beautifully lit. He asked his own mind. Could that mansion have arisen by itself? And those shining lights which I behold, could they have been kindled without a Power? While wrapped in deep meditation the wayfarer was aroused from his thoughts by the master of the palace. "I am the Architect," He said: "I am the builder of the mansion, I watch over its maintenance, I keep it in unalterable order and splendor."
Now, mark, my Brethren, the simplicity with which the Sages introduce to our notice the working of that far-reaching intellect which discovered in na--ture a harmony, a unity, that [?] demonstrating the exist--ance of One sole Prime Mover--God; the intellect of Abraham I say, the founder of our race, and the predes--tined blessing of all races of men. A legend it is that which repeats, in other figurative language, what inspiration told in a sentence which is short, but fraught

with meaning. [Hebrew] [Hebrew]. "I, even I have made the earth, and created man upon it; I, even I my hands have stretched out the heavens, and I gave all their hosts ordinances." Very concise is the description but volumes could not explain it better. The Omnipotent moulded the Universe, and set it to work. [Hebrew] Philosophy, either ancient or modern, cannot afford us supply a clearer, a more reliable information. There was a time in which human speculation invented a doctrine to account for the creation of heaven and earth. A 2soul-withering, a 1mind-bewildering doctrine it was. Molecules, or invisible particles of matter having a spontaneous motion, struck together and, after untold ages, shaped every thing in nature. That was the famous--shall I not call it the infamous?--atomical theory of the Greeks. Rather than admit a Divine will that called forth nature in its completion, as the Talmudists express it [Hebrew] "All the work of creation issued in its entireness and come--liness," rather than acknowledge their our insuf--ficiency, the limitedness of our comprehension, those speculators invented a most

a miracle marvel in comparison of which all the miracles of the Bible are trifles; incredible miracle; the sun and the moon, what is above and beneath and around us came into being by the inexplicable meeting of infini--tesimal particles of matter. I do not know whether Israelites ever tried to pull the first chapters of Genesis after that Epicurean system, for, whenever a new school of philosophy arises and gains ground, Hebrews will put their brains to the rack, in trying to find out convince themselves and to show others that Moses had already anticipated it. But this I do know, that the insurmountable difficulty experienced to reconcile the simple teaching of the Bible with the ever varying and perplexing systems of philosophy; gave origin to infidelity, even to Atheism. It was in the middle ages, as it is in our days. And like then so now, science claims to have reached the utter-most limits at which borders of human intelligence; can to havearrive grasped truth and to have spoken the final word on philosophical truths. If by some novel process the scriptures can be so made to agree twisted as to make them tally with the alleged discoveries of science, well and good, if not, Holy why, Holy Writ must be declared consigned to oblivion, it is unfit

for the 19th century, obsolete. But Judaism does not deal in abstractions, it proclaims with positiveness that [hebrew] impos-sible it is that a grand palace with all its varied appurtances, should not have had an absolute originator, and guide should not have a wise overseer. So Abraham believed, according to the Midrashic legend, and so wrote Isaiah [Hebrew] [Hebrew] "I, even I have made the earth, and created man upon it. I even my hands stretched out the heavens, and I gave all their hosts ordinances." Such has been our creed from the days that the son of Terah declared in the sight of gentilism [Hebrew] [Hebrew], "the Lord, an Almighty God, possessor of heaven and earth." We carried the patriarchal message to rude tribes and progressive nations and rendered Christ--ianity and Mohammedanism civilizers--I employ the term in its moral not in its doctrinal sense; I mean humanisers That was the working plan, [?], instructing real elevation, of Morais in its now philosophic imparting. Look now on the other side of the picture. The mental efforts, which tended to prove that nature is the combi-nation of casualties, or that nature worked itself

into shape, and man, like all else, is a development of atomical particles of matter; those exertions of the intellect to compel a revelation of the unknowable; those attempts which stop short at no obstacle in that direction, ke heedless of the advice of the moralist [Hebrew] "What is too wonderful for thee, search not"; that searching determinant during search, was followed by a denial of spirituality, of conscience, of soul, and hence of freedom of will and accountability. How many, Alas! the victims of those speculations! Not merely among the thinking, but among the brainless, who ape the scientists, and who are not even sciolests[?], but dullards. They You will hear them boast of having become con fully per-vinced -suaded of the uselessness of religion; it is all cant. Science has dispelled the errors of the Bible, it has proved it irredeemably false, it is a bugbear to frighten children into obedience, and, incredible as it may seem, the audacity of disbelief has readied its climax in the premium which it has put upon books, that will educate school the young in a school of Atheism. For in France, and I regret that it bears the name of "Republic"; in modern

France, the excluding of the name of God in writings intended for the instruction of a rising ge--neration, is recommended by a municipal councils in the interest of liberty, as if real liberty were possi-ble, without the idea of a righteous God, to whom we are amenable for our actions. The heart sickens as one reads the debates in the chambers of deputies where profanity finds favor, and blesphemy receives plaudits. To the humiliation of our age and of civilization, it became necessary to establish in France a national league against Atheism, and under its auspices an institution in which a literature hatched conceived born in the shadow of death and brought forth to darken the path of life, an impious literature that ostracises God, might be counteracted in its satanic [?] baneful aim, and shown to be inimical to social progress, the encourager of communism and anarchy.
The illustrious Adolphe Franck, now approaching his 80th year, fifty of which he devoted to science, spoke last summer before that institute. In a lecture full of learning, he reviewed the history of Atheism in support of the psalmist, who proclaimed it unbelief the swill

of corruption the herald of perversion [Hebrew] [Hebrew] "The worthless fool says in his heart, there is no God; they have then people become corrupt, they have done do abominable deeds things, none doeth good". The lecturer showed that Athe--ism, either pronounced or disguised, by denying the human race its high origin, by making it the issue of inferior things, the unfolding or transforming of one of or of as very few low forms of life, virtually subscribes to the philosophy skepticism that pronounces declares the final end of man and that of beast to be precisely alike [Hebrew] Adolphe Franck, is uncompromisingly opposed to the philosophy which has won in our days a universal renown, and perhaps the largest number of disciples than any, in modern times. He holds that the Darwinian and Spencerian theory laying down as a principle in the work--ing of creation, natural selections and the survivals of the fittest, ignores a Divine Omnipotence, and the influence of a large portion of mankind, which, without being the strongest physically, or mentally, contributes never--theless immensely to the welfare of the human family. But I have no intention, nor indeed the capacity, to interpret the thoughts of our celebrated coreligionist in France.

But I have no intention to call. The Rabbinical legend which I met, while looking for a subject on to base my remarks thereupon, reminded me of a paper that I read in a foreign periodical, and I have referred to the cause that which elicited it. In America, a municipal council that should ask to strike out the name of God from school books, would be frowned upon, and compelled disgracefully to retire. I have no fear that my young brothers and sisters in faith will receive an atheistical training, but I dread the consequences of a blatant triviality which assumes an air of im--portance, and misleads the unwary into the idea that to be an unbeliever is to be enlightened. The Rabbis have written intimated that a study of astronomy will give us an insight into the Almightiness of the Creator...[Hebrew] And an the English poet, [Hebrew] said that Edward Young, wrote that a person skilled in Astronomy, who denies the exist-ance of a Creator, is an impossibility, unless that person has turned mad; and he very fittingly added, that a man to be an atheist, must have so stultified his few moral senses understanding, as to believe what is incredible a tissue of absurdities.

Without dissuading my young coreligionists from studying what may broaden their views, I must caution them against the fascination of theories, propounded with accompanied by a wealth of learning, advanced with depth and elegance, but apt to undermine the faith which has been our [?] beast [Hebrew]. Stirred up by a sense of duty, I ask my fellow believers to cling to the philosophy of Judaism, that is [Hebrew] the love and compassion of our kind, that philosophy was formed the standard guide of Abraham who raised brought up his orphaned nephew, risked his own life to defend Lot and to restore the substance of all whom marauders had robbed plundered, prayed for the forgiveness of sinners, and generously gave of his own to a heathen ally, making and made establishing with him a an enduring covenant of peace. I shall not insist that the patriarch, whose intellect discovered God in nature,--gauged by the modern standard of social monogamy would be declared unexceptionally perfect, but so near was he to perfection, that we may point with pride to the badge of honor with which we, his descendants, glory in the title which Isaiah bear; the uncharact--ers engraven upon it, were wrought by prophecy in the name of God. [Hebrew] "Ye are the seed of Abraham my friend"

Identifier

p31v5bz6d

identifier

SMBx9FF3_2