Pikkude, Undated. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated
- Title
- Pikkude, Undated. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated
- Author
- Morais, Sabato
- Format
- 12 pages on 4 sheets
- Language(s)
- English
- Source
- Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies
- Sabato Morais Collection, Box 9, Folder 18
- Has Format
- https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p3qb9vr7z/manifest.json
- Link to Colenda
- https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3qb9vr7z
- Provenance
- Transfer of Custody from the Hebrew Education Society, 10 March 1913.
- Is Format Of
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/judaicadh/morais/main/TEI/SMBx9FF18_1.xml
- content
-
On Parashat Pekudé
descriptive of the beauty of the Book
of Psalms, &
allusive to the character of Zecharias Frankel
It was altered, lengthened, and corrected
in 1876
135
"Moses saw all the work, and behold the children of Israel, did it as the Lord had commanded, and Moses blessed them." The men and women engaged in a holy task, showed rare skill and zealousness. She that woved the finest texture and plied the needle to produce rich embroideries, vied with him, who set sparkling jewels in gold, and chilselled the most superb engravings. They that could compound spices to create the sweet perfume of the incense and prepare the precious ointment that consecrated priesthood, rivalled their brethren, from whose hands issued forth robes and curtains dyed in bright purple and scarlet. Artists2 and artisans1, both the Hebrew who struck the anvil, and his neighbor that drew marvellous de-signs, had devoted time and the valuable knowledge acquired for the completion of the Tabernacle of the Lord. And the munificence of their gifts had equalled the generous bestowal of their abilities. The godly shepherd of the tribes saw that lavishing of means on a righteous cause. He beheld his sisters in faith, throng the camp to offer the plates of polished copper that had served them as mir--rors,
he beheld the whole congregation exalt that by their united efforts a structure would be raised in honor of their living Redeemer and he called down on their heads a blessing. He prayed (so teaches tradition) that the favor of the Divinity to His chosen people, might become visible through the labor accomplished. And joyful Israel repeated after the meek suppliants, "Oh may the grace of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish Thou the work of our hands; yea, the work of our hands establish Thou it". A fitting response, my dear hearers! to a soul-stirring invocation. And we, the descendants of the men who gave utterance to that response, greet with it our working days at the conclusion of the divinely instituted Sabbath. The arch-prophet Thus our ancestors taught us so to signify our dependence on the Almighty for the success of our weekly undertakings....In the 90th Psalm, which concludes with that edifying sentence, Moses contrasts the eternity of the Being who ruled supreme before the mountains were brought forth, and our fleeting existence. He compares human life to a slumber. We lie down; we sleep; suddenly wake. Have so many hours glided away? It can scarcely be realized.
But if we stir ourselves up to duty, If we learn to reckon those vanishing hours, so as to control them and direct them wisely; then the Author of time will lengthen them endlessly by the memorial of goods deeds performed. So does the inspired son of Amram speak admonishingly in his psalmodic effusion. Would, my fellow-be--lievers, that we accustomed ourselves to read intelligently the outpourings of our psalmists. What an inexhaustible source of instruction they do open! What a fountain of spiritual delight! They are truly, as called in the sacred tongue, "Tehilim", devotional hymns to extol the Most High! By them is the human soul represented as communing with its Maker. Nothing is more admi--rably adapted for that intercourse between the creature and his Creator. Have we been prosperous in our endeavours? Let us unfold the pages of that book, and words suggestive of a deep-felt thanksgiving, which we may rehearse with unction, will be met pro--fusely. [Hebrew] Are we distressed? That volumes prof[f]ers a soothing balm for our heart's bleeding wounds.
It teems with sentiments of confiding trust in God. [Hebrew] By it are we raised above human fear to the Rock of our refuge; the stronghold of Jacob [Hebrew] And unto the penitent sinner! To him that yearns for the Lord he has offended, what writing can like that speak so encouragingly, inviting him to seek the Parent of mercy, the Lord of forgiveness? [Hebrew] In all the events experienced domestically or socially, during this transient existence, we will find in that matchless compilation, passages or entire psalms suiting the state of our feelings, and affording us, by a recital, relief to our pains, and additional gladness to our pleasurable emotions. Could we, my dear hearers! summon together the mortals, whose sorrows were assuaged, and f whose joys enhanced by the praises of our David and his brother psalmists to the Dweller of heaven, this would exceed all reckoning. To the ancient tribes in the patriarchal land, that Psalter supplied a divine service during the festive gatherings [Hebrew] and in the choral songs of every day's worship by the Levites. In exile, the remnant of Judah carried it in their memories; its consolatory words tempered the bitterness of the captivity [Hebrew] Nay; the persecutors
borrowed form the persecuted, and retained a book from which they learned how to pray. Even now it forms the main feature of gentile rituals. Our neighbours who reject the belief we inherited, gladly appropriate to themselves what our Asaph and Jeduthim and Ethan, and Keman have written. They agree that to be led rightly in the way of devotion they must be illumined by the bright lights that shout in the Jewish horizon. Well my Brethren! We can be generous. We may liberally bestow of what is ours, and feel none the less rich. Only let us not slight what we possess plentifully. It is to our discredit that a volume of the scriptures thrilling the heart with its genuine poetry, ever fresh and lonely; a poetry flowing down like the dew of heaven or mount Hermon [Hebrew] it is to our disgrace that a volume of the Scriptures so varied in its character, that it re--produces, in a measure, our history, the fears, the hopes and wishes of our fathers, the sublime teachings of our moralists, a volume I repeat, which has been eagerly seized upon by the civilized world, to render with it adoration to the universal God, should occupy so little of our attention!
How silly! if not sinful, it is th for Hebrew youths to prattle Latin odes and poems, and be ignorant of what surpasses them incomparably; the book of Tehilim! Have Horace and Virgil greater claims than Moses and David? Understand, I do not advocate the practice followed, with a pious motive, but uselessly I think, of reading a number of psalms daily, without meditating on their meaning. That system, greatly in vogue among our coreligionists abroad, has, I apprehend, lowered in the estimation of multitudes, a priceless writing, penned by inspiration. No: I would that we contracted the habit of selecting from it such portions as beseeming agree with the state of our feelings. For to derive the comfort and the instruction it imparts, it must be perused according to our frame of mind, to the longing of our soul. Eschewing what contains imprecations to which the impassioned son of Jesse gave vent, during his severe trials, we must choose always what is rich of in praises, thanks--givings and supplications to the Omnipotent Lord. The immortal Mendelssohn, who left a German version of the Psalms, which has ever since been regarded a standard work, so speaks in his preface, as I
gather from a Hebrew comment.
"Dear reader! I offer to your acceptance the fruit of a labor of love, to which I devoted the leisure hours of ten years, delightful hours which sweetened the cup of my afflictions! As my feelings would dictate, I searched among these sacred hymns that which best suited my condition of at the time, and I translated it in the verna--cular. Occasionally the surpassing beauties that one exhibited, would draw me to it; again, my determination to explain away difficulties which another presented, would enchain to it my attention. I would ponder on it for days and months, till it became perfectly clear, and I imagined I had dived into the writer's thoughts. Then I would reproduce in our language his sentiments, and aspirations, as well as my capacity allowed. So, dear reader! let me ask that you will follow my plan. Do not recite the volume in the order written, but select such portions, that as correspond with the impulses promptings, by which you are swayed. Identify yourself as far as possible with the situation described by the authors of these out--pourings, and you will be morally elevated, and un-nutterably soothed."
Dear Brethren! The Sage of Dessau spoke wisely. Yet, in all humility, I venture to ask of my hearers more than he requested of his readers. I advise not alone that they will adopt the sensible method suggested, touch--ing the perusal of the book of psalms Tehilim, but that they will train themselves and their children to understand it as the psalmists penned it,--in the forcible and com--prehensive Hebrew tongue. That is the medium through which our fathers moaned and rejoiced, made votive of--ferings for their deliverance, were fired unto patriotism, in the day of battle, and sung hosannas to the Lord of hosts. That is the stream that swelled high in Judah, cleansing and purifying. Let it not dry up, lest our national existence sink with it.
Unhappily, the few who kept it fresh and flowing are fast receding from the shore of life. Another void has been created in our literary ranks, a void that cannot be filled. Zecharias Frankel of Bresslau, who, since the decease of the illustrious Rapoport, became the chief exponent of historical Judaism in Germany,
has been summoned away from the field of his useful labor. The Seminary, over whose progress and permanence he was called upon to watch about a quarter of a century ago, and which he directed sagaciously by an extensive learning accompanied with unfeigned piety, laments the irreperable loss sustained. For, the venerable professor, though beyond the allotted three score years and ten, retained all his mental vigour, and employed it still as heretofore, in disseminating Talmudic lore among the many, who came from near and from far to imbibe his lessons. Renowned by reason of his writings, deservedly esteemed and loved because of his devotion to his people and religion, Zacharias Frankel constituted a cynosure to which the eyes of rational orthodoxy were directed. Four Sabbaths have just elapsed from that, in which that luminary disappeared from our sky to shine brilliantly in the serene realms of bliss. Our distinguished coreli--gionists who ceaselessly toiled for a righteous cause, had been, during one week, forced away by sickness from the lecture room. When the Sabbath arrived, he hoped that the following working days would see him again at his post; and mistaking the veil, which the angel of death had cast
over his eyes, for the shades of night, greeted in the words of Moses the approaching week. He then fell into a sleep from which he has surely awakened, where a sabbath of sweet rest awaits the good [Hebrew] "The memory of the righteous man is a blessing" For he has learnt, to number his days, and so to control them, that they may yield durable blessings on earth. Like our ancestors in the wilderness of Sinai, the sainted Israel--ite, whose demise we all must bewail, worked for the glory of God. Nay, his labor surpassed theirs in usefulness and in excellence. For he devoted skill and zealousness, the immense wealth of his mind, and the kindly feelings of his heart to rear a sanctuary, which honors our Lord more than a tabernacle of ordinary or even precious stones. [Hebrew]. "Dearer is the law than riches", and as the Rabbis rightly comment. "It is dearer in the sight of [Hebrew] God, than the worship of the high priest, who entered the holy of holies" For the stability of that Law, Zecharias Frankel gave his best years and his
rare abilities. "Oh may the grace of the Lord our God rest thereupon. Establish Thou the work of his hands, yea: the work of his hands esta--blish Thou it". And may the leaders of American Judaism, learn from that noble exemplar to understand what the present age demands at their hands. Not to des--cribe in glowing terms the beauties of the scriptures, and the wisdom of the sages, but to spread about the knowledge thereof, by personal exertions beyond the precincts of the synagogue. To raise a higher monument in this land of equality, than cloud-reaching Temples, rival--ling towering churches. to glorify Israel's God by rend--ering the votaries votaries of His religion conversant with His revealed and tradi--tional statutes so that of them may justly be said "Surely this great people, are wise and understanding intelligent." - Identifier
- p3qb9vr7z
- identifier
- SMBx9FF18_1
Part of Pikkude, Undated. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated
Morais, Sabato, “Pikkude, Undated. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated”, Sabato Morais Digital Repository, accessed September 19, 2024, https://judaicadhpenn.org/legacyprojects/s/morais/item/91150