Theological lectures. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated
- Title
- Theological lectures. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated
- Author
- Morais, Sabato
- Format
- 14 pages on 5 sheets
- Language(s)
- English
- Source
- Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies
- Sabato Morais Collection, Box 13, Folder 10
- Has Format
- https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p3668946c/manifest.json
- Link to Colenda
- https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3668946c
- Provenance
- Transfer of Custody from the Hebrew Education Society, 10 March 1913.
- Is Format Of
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/judaicadh/morais/main/TEI/SMBx13FF10_3.xml
- content
-
131
Is the sacrificial rite or prayer
the most acceptable service??[Hebrew]
Brethren! A question which may have often arisen in your minds, and which the section of this Sabbath suggests, was lately put to me for solution. I will set it forth, and discuss it before you, in as simple and brief a manner as the subject will allow.
"Do the Israelites believe that when restored to their land, the sacrificial service will be reinstated, or that it will be super--seded by prayer?" To the first part of this query, I replied, unhesitatingly, in the affirmative, and for the following reason: Firstly; because in several instances when the prophets foretell a gathering of our people from their dispersion, allu--sions are made to the offerings that shall again be laid upon the altar. Secondly; because our ritual, composed by men thoroughly acquainted with our traditions, teem with entreaties for a return of the time, in which we may present to the Lord the choice of our flock and herd. Thus, by way of illustra--tion, Isaiah in the 56th chapter of the book bearing his name, declares that at the restoration from our captivity even the oblations of the strangers, who serve God faithfully, will be accepted with favor. "[Hebrew] I will bring them unto my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer,
their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted on my altar and immediately follows: So saith the Lord God, that gathereth the outcasts of Israel" [Hebrew]. And in our daily prayers we so petition the Lord "Restore the service to the oracle of thy house, and receive speedily with loving-kindness the burnt-offerings and orisons of Israel [Hebrew] But notwithstanding all this, I was bold enough to assert that the sacrificial service may be modified or totally abolished in the Messianic era. Men dare not alter what God has established, but the heavenly Legislator can, if He so wills, change the laws He enacted. The command not to add or diminish therefrom, is evidently intended as a restraint upon our inclinations to make the Mosaic ordinances subserve wordly purposes. For example, to permit ourselves, when among gentiles, the adoration of being besides the Creator, or to lay in abeyance the observance of the Sabbath, but it cannot be construed into the absolute perpetuity of every precept of the Torah. These veins as held by Albo in his book of creeds, I deem admissible and perfectly orthodox. The Almighty who thought it necessary to instruct us by means of revelation, can, in the same manner, as publicly and as effectually communicate to us the alterations He
may desire that the external form of Jewish worship undergo. Might He not indeed consider that the object to be attained by the sacrificial rite, could be reached through some other agency? For nearly twenty centuries Judaism has existed without priesthood, without altar, and without the blood of atonement; hence the Temple service cannot be essential to the preservation of our religion. Nay, its having been confined within narrow limits goes far to prove that its absence is not detrimen--tal to the principles of which we were made the depo--sitaries. For, whereas the dietary laws and many other prescriptions are not depending for their observance on any locality; concerning about the sacrifices we read in Deuteronomy, "only in the place that the Lord shall choose, out of one of thy tribes, there shalt thou make thy burnt-offerings" [Hebrew] In fact, Maimonides, who in his ritual work writes, at the end of treatise "Kings," that in the days of the Messiah all the institutions of the Pentateuch will be reestablished, and among others that of the sacrifices, does not scruple to lay it down as his opinion, in the third discourse of his philosophical book, that the injunction to slaughter animals as a sign
of admiration to the Deity, was a mere concession to the time; that the universality of that custom induced the divine heavenly Legis--lator to retain it in His code, under such restrictions, as would prevent Israelites from copying their heathen neighbors. Thus we see that celebrated author representing in one case our people's tradition; and endeavouring in the other to show that the sacrificial service had nothing in itself to recommend it; but that it owes its origin to extraneous causes. As a theologian, he could but say that the im--molation of victims upon the altar would be resumed, for, so prophecy and the oral law seem to teach; as a deep thinker, he imagined ot have discovered that that usage, though hallowed by the Divinity, was only borrowed.
This opinion, however, has been disputed; and on strong grounds. Its opponents contend, that the wish to return, as it were, a portion of our substance unto God, as a token of gratitude, is inborn in man--for Abel could not have been in--fluenced by idolatrous practices to offer the firstlings of his flock and the fat thereof--but as riches among the ancients, consisted principally in the possession of cattle and in the produce of the ground, it was natural that their gifts should be choice fruits, and unblemished animals.
That practice God deigned to sanction and even to encourage, because it served a righteous purpose, because it bound the creature to his Creator; and as a mere feeling of compunc--tion appeared to man insufficient to blot out sin, our ancestors were ordered to let the blood of animals, poured on the altar, typify their willingness to spill their own blood, if it were demanded as an expiration. But with that practice another, equally inherent in man, and more acceptable to the Lord was found. It was the offering of the heart: prayer. It co-existed with the sacrificial rite. It did and will survive it under whatever circum--stances Israel be placed. No one can positively assert that stated prayers were recited during the first stages of our national history. But what we can gather from Holy Writ leads us to believe that entreaties to the Lord were made as they occasion would call for.
Moses invoked a blessing upon Israel on the day that the Tabernac work of for the Tabernacle was completed, and when Aaron was first invested with authority to minister therein. The latter pronounced a benediction with uplifted hands after he had been inducted into his sacred office.
Our progenitors often when they suffered in the wilderness by reason of their trespasses--knowing the efficacy of prayer--asked their inspired leader to implore the mercy of god for their sake. And we read in Deuteronomy that the Israelite who confesses to have given all the tithes prescribed by the law, added to his acknowledgment the following supplication. "Oh! Look down from Thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us." [Hebrew]. It would be superfluous that I should cite biblical passages, in order to prove that as we come down to later times the exercise of prayer is exhibited with still more frequency. Hannah is said to have been praying long, while Eli obser--ved the motions of her lips. Samuel gathered the people of Israel at Mizpah to hold a solemn convocation with fasting and prayer. Shall I mention David whose petitions to God are numerous and soul-stirring, and who established a daily service with hymns and psalmody both for the moveable sanctuary and for that he contemplated building at Jerusalem? But a striking evidence of the regard in which prayer was held by the Hebrews; nay, of the superiority assigned thereto over the rite of sacrifice, is to me the petition of King
Solomon at the dedication of the Temple.
That sublime testimony of religious fervor--so comprehensive but withal so lengthy--does not contain a single allusion to animal sacrifices, but only, and in almost every line, to man's spiritual offering; even to prayer.
God is ardently invoked and His hearing is implored to all human supplications; whether they be for the remission of sin, or the bestowal of grace, in seasons of peace, or in time of war; whether they be prompted by the want of rain; by national calamities, or by private sufferings; whether they be powered forth at the devoted shrine in the promised land, or in exile; whether they be the utterance of a son of the covenant, or of a stranger to the Hebrew family. Notwithstanding that the occasion which elicited that entreaty, saw numberless victims immolated upon the altar, the sup--pliant Monarch asked to obtain a Divine blessing, not through them, but through the out pouring of a soul, that yearnsng after the great and beneficent God. Now, Having adduced this--to me conclusive proof--of the powerful hold which prayer had taken on the mind of our ancestors, and of the high position it occupied.
I shall forego an inclination to quote other passages, in order to substantiate the same idea. I will rather request that you follow me in a hasty review of the Jewish worship after the return from the Babylonish captivity. When the corner stone of the second Temple was laid, Levites accompanied by instrumental music, sang to the Lord, in the lan--guage of King David, and all the people transported with joy at the happy occurrence, unanimously joined in the divine praise. Later, at the consecration of the capital of Judea, Levites were urged to come thither, to celebrated the occasion with hymns and psalmody, and two companies thereof were stationed in the house of God for that special purpose. From that time, writes the inspired historian, men were appointed to officiate as choristers, for, "since the days of David and Asaph--the chiefs of singers--songs of praise and thanks--givings were given to God" [Hebrew] [Hebrew]. Thus far, my dear Brethren! I have endeavoured to draw from the Bible itself corroborative proofs to my assertion. I have shown that
even without our accepting tradition, which makes public thanksgivings & supplications an institution coexistent with the sacrificial service, we may readily admit that prayers were offered by our ancient fathers, and their efficacy was greatly relied upon. But what light can guide us in our researches, after the closing of the sacred canon, if we do not follow the Mishnáh and Gemára? It is those books that have treasured up all that comes within the range of Jewish history and literature, and then we must consult when we seek information. Well, from their pages we learn that besides the customary j hymns sang daily by the Levites, whilst the libations were made, , some prayers identical with those we now recite, were read by the priests early every morning. We are likewise told that whosoever presented a sin offering, pronounced a confession, while laying his hand on the head of the animal, and that each sacrifice called forth some expression of grateful acknowledgment or intreaty.
But what specially demonstrates the value in which prayer was held, is a regulation, which tradition dates from a very remote period, but which, beyond all doubt, existed during the second sanctuary.
I have reference to the Maämadot. A few words will explain its object. The impossibility of detaining the people of Israel constantly at the Temple, to witness the worship, induced our Sages to establish that certain individuals of noted for their piety, should be selected out of every section of the country, as repre--sentatives of the whole nation. Those among them who dwelt at Jerusalem, or in a neighboring city, should personally attend the service; others who resided at a distance should meet in their respective Synagogues, and by fasting and prayer draw the blessing of God over their brethren. Here we clearly perceive, that the offering of piety [?] stood, to say the least, parallell with the offering of the choicest steers. But the Rabbis go further and declare, that the existence of the world depended mainly upon those assemblies of the godly [Hebrew], for when all would might fail to propitiate the grace of the Almighty, sincere prayers will appease His wrath. "The gates of prayer," write some of those teachers of Israel, "are never closed" [Hebrew]. What means
Holy Writ, when it bids us serve God, they ask each other, and the answer is; "it recommends prayer." [Hebrew]. And in drawing a comparison between the two kinds of worship--the immolation of victims and supplications--, they ascribe to the latter [?] a decided superiority. [Hebrew]. In like manner commenting upon the sentence passage of Isaiah, which I quoted above, they discover the unsurpassed value of prayer, in the fact that the prophet ends it his sentence thus "My house shall be a house of prayer for all people." [Hebrew]. But I promised at the outset to be brief, and I will not trespass any longer. If I have succeeded to prove that prayer has always claimed and received in Israel a high position; that it was always regarded as a link between the creature and his Creator, that time further developped and inten--sified those feelings; that prayer coexisted with the sacrifices, and as they ceased, it became more generalized and heightened in value through the maxims of our Sages, I have reached the goal I desired to attain. For, what we have so long been taught to believe the most acceptable offering to the Lord, you will own that it cannot be displaced by another object.
The slaughtering of animals upon the altar may be reinstated, if God so wills; but prayer must rank foremost in the worship, prayer must to the end of time continue to be our refuge, our comfort and delight. It may be that in the Messianic era our obedience to both institutions will be required, therefore do we in our ignorance of God's purposes, beseech Him to hasten the time, in which we may be enabled to perform those commands of His law, now suspended because of our dispersion. Heedful of prophetic teaching and tradition, we exclaim "O Lord our God! bring us back to Zion thy city with joy, and there will we in thy presence, make the offerings obligatory upon us [Hebrew]. And on the day of atonement, to which special allusion is made in the lesson of this Sabbath, we repeatedly express the same wish; yet I most humbly & reverently, say that the sacrificial rite may be abolished by Divine direction, but prayer will eternally remain the service in which the Almighty takes pleasure. When we shall have washed our hands in innocence, we shall again be permitted to surround the altar to be reared in Judah's land; but the outpouring of our hearts
will best evince our thankfulness to the Great Redeemer; the thrilling sound of our united orisons shall manifest the love of Israel for their living Saviour; joyous songs and ardent praise, will call down from heaven the fire, symbol of God's acceptance and blessing. May this be speedily verified. Amen. - Identifier
- p3668946c
- identifier
- SMBx13FF10_3
Part of Theological lectures. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated
Morais, Sabato, “Theological lectures. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated”, Sabato Morais Digital Repository, accessed September 19, 2024, https://judaicadhpenn.org/legacyprojects/s/morais/item/91266