PALMS AND MYRTLESTHY praise, O Lord, will I proclaimIn hymns unto Thy glorious name.O Thou Redeemer, Lord and King,Redemption to Thy faithful bring!Before Thine altar they rejoiceWith branch of palm and myrtle-stem;To Thee they raise the prayerful voice—Have mercy, save and prosper them.They overflow with prayer and praiseTo Him who knows the future days.Have mercy Thou, and hear the prayerOf those who palms and myrtles bear.Thee day and night they sanctifyAnd in perpetual song adore;Like to the heavenly host, they cry,‘Blessed art Thou for evermore’.ELEAZARKALIR,8th cent.(Trans.Alice Lucas.)
THY praise, O Lord, will I proclaimIn hymns unto Thy glorious name.O Thou Redeemer, Lord and King,Redemption to Thy faithful bring!Before Thine altar they rejoiceWith branch of palm and myrtle-stem;To Thee they raise the prayerful voice—Have mercy, save and prosper them.They overflow with prayer and praiseTo Him who knows the future days.Have mercy Thou, and hear the prayerOf those who palms and myrtles bear.Thee day and night they sanctifyAnd in perpetual song adore;Like to the heavenly host, they cry,‘Blessed art Thou for evermore’.ELEAZARKALIR,8th cent.(Trans.Alice Lucas.)
THY praise, O Lord, will I proclaimIn hymns unto Thy glorious name.O Thou Redeemer, Lord and King,Redemption to Thy faithful bring!Before Thine altar they rejoiceWith branch of palm and myrtle-stem;To Thee they raise the prayerful voice—Have mercy, save and prosper them.They overflow with prayer and praiseTo Him who knows the future days.Have mercy Thou, and hear the prayerOf those who palms and myrtles bear.Thee day and night they sanctifyAnd in perpetual song adore;Like to the heavenly host, they cry,‘Blessed art Thou for evermore’.ELEAZARKALIR,8th cent.(Trans.Alice Lucas.)
THY praise, O Lord, will I proclaim
In hymns unto Thy glorious name.
O Thou Redeemer, Lord and King,
Redemption to Thy faithful bring!
Before Thine altar they rejoice
With branch of palm and myrtle-stem;
To Thee they raise the prayerful voice—
Have mercy, save and prosper them.
They overflow with prayer and praise
To Him who knows the future days.
Have mercy Thou, and hear the prayer
Of those who palms and myrtles bear.
Thee day and night they sanctify
And in perpetual song adore;
Like to the heavenly host, they cry,
‘Blessed art Thou for evermore’.
ELEAZARKALIR,8th cent.(Trans.Alice Lucas.)
THE HARVEST FESTIVALIN keeping in view the agricultural aspect of the Three Festivals, the modern Jew performs no unimportant duty. He realizes the fact that Israel was once a people who lived by tilling the soil, and that the commercial character which so largely distinguishes his people in these times is not, as is commonly thought, inborn, but is the result of the unkindly conditions in which they have been compelled to live. It is good for us and the world at large to remember that the history of our race has its idyllic side.MORRISJOSEPH, 1903.THE vineyards of Israel have ceased to exist, but the eternal Law enjoins the children of Israel still to celebrate the vintage. A race that persist in celebrating their vintage, although they have no fruits to gather, will regain their vineyards.BENJAMINDISRAELI, 1846.
IN keeping in view the agricultural aspect of the Three Festivals, the modern Jew performs no unimportant duty. He realizes the fact that Israel was once a people who lived by tilling the soil, and that the commercial character which so largely distinguishes his people in these times is not, as is commonly thought, inborn, but is the result of the unkindly conditions in which they have been compelled to live. It is good for us and the world at large to remember that the history of our race has its idyllic side.
MORRISJOSEPH, 1903.
THE vineyards of Israel have ceased to exist, but the eternal Law enjoins the children of Israel still to celebrate the vintage. A race that persist in celebrating their vintage, although they have no fruits to gather, will regain their vineyards.
BENJAMINDISRAELI, 1846.
JOYOUS SERVICETHE easily depressed, the despondent and morose man has often become what he is from mere selfishness. It is so delightful to pity ourselves, to yield to the ‘luxury of woe’, and sing a plaintive song of self-commiseration in a minor key. But the next step is to give your soul to the devil. Judaism is not more emphatic against the latter than the former, and I am sure that there are few wickeder thoughts than this: that God made me with a despondent, melancholy heart. Shammai said: ‘Always be cheerful’. R. Ishmael said: ‘Ever be joyful’. This Rabbi Ishmael died a martyr’s death in the second century of this era. Do you think that when he suffered he repined and said: ‘If I had known how my life was to end I would have wept my days away instead of joyously doing my duty’? Serve the Lord with gladness, and the gladness will leave its after-glow of resignation, contentment, and peace.I. ABRAHAMS, 1893.THE Spirit of God abideth not where there is either needless grieving or inactivity; but only where there isjoyfulperformance of duty.TALMUD.
THE easily depressed, the despondent and morose man has often become what he is from mere selfishness. It is so delightful to pity ourselves, to yield to the ‘luxury of woe’, and sing a plaintive song of self-commiseration in a minor key. But the next step is to give your soul to the devil. Judaism is not more emphatic against the latter than the former, and I am sure that there are few wickeder thoughts than this: that God made me with a despondent, melancholy heart. Shammai said: ‘Always be cheerful’. R. Ishmael said: ‘Ever be joyful’. This Rabbi Ishmael died a martyr’s death in the second century of this era. Do you think that when he suffered he repined and said: ‘If I had known how my life was to end I would have wept my days away instead of joyously doing my duty’? Serve the Lord with gladness, and the gladness will leave its after-glow of resignation, contentment, and peace.
I. ABRAHAMS, 1893.
THE Spirit of God abideth not where there is either needless grieving or inactivity; but only where there isjoyfulperformance of duty.
TALMUD.
REJOICING OF THELAW75שִׂישׂוּ וְשִׂמְחוּTHIS Feast of the Law all your gladness display,To-day all your homages render.What profit can lead one so pleasant a way,What jewels can vie with its splendour?Then exult in the Law on its festival day,The Law is our Light and Defender.My God I will praise in a jubilant lay,My hope in Him never surrender,His glory proclaim where His chosen sons pray,My Rock all my trust shall engender.Then exult in the Law on its festival day,The Law is our Light and Defender.My heart of Thy goodness shall carol alway,Thy praises I ever will render;While breath is, my lips all Thy wonders shall say,Thy truth and Thy kindness so tender.Then exult in the Law on its festival day,The Law is our Light and Defender.FESTIVALPRAYERBOOK.(Trans.I. Zangwill.)
THIS Feast of the Law all your gladness display,To-day all your homages render.What profit can lead one so pleasant a way,What jewels can vie with its splendour?Then exult in the Law on its festival day,The Law is our Light and Defender.My God I will praise in a jubilant lay,My hope in Him never surrender,His glory proclaim where His chosen sons pray,My Rock all my trust shall engender.Then exult in the Law on its festival day,The Law is our Light and Defender.My heart of Thy goodness shall carol alway,Thy praises I ever will render;While breath is, my lips all Thy wonders shall say,Thy truth and Thy kindness so tender.Then exult in the Law on its festival day,The Law is our Light and Defender.FESTIVALPRAYERBOOK.(Trans.I. Zangwill.)
THIS Feast of the Law all your gladness display,To-day all your homages render.What profit can lead one so pleasant a way,What jewels can vie with its splendour?Then exult in the Law on its festival day,The Law is our Light and Defender.My God I will praise in a jubilant lay,My hope in Him never surrender,His glory proclaim where His chosen sons pray,My Rock all my trust shall engender.Then exult in the Law on its festival day,The Law is our Light and Defender.My heart of Thy goodness shall carol alway,Thy praises I ever will render;While breath is, my lips all Thy wonders shall say,Thy truth and Thy kindness so tender.Then exult in the Law on its festival day,The Law is our Light and Defender.FESTIVALPRAYERBOOK.(Trans.I. Zangwill.)
THIS Feast of the Law all your gladness display,
To-day all your homages render.
What profit can lead one so pleasant a way,
What jewels can vie with its splendour?
Then exult in the Law on its festival day,
The Law is our Light and Defender.
My God I will praise in a jubilant lay,
My hope in Him never surrender,
His glory proclaim where His chosen sons pray,
My Rock all my trust shall engender.
Then exult in the Law on its festival day,
The Law is our Light and Defender.
My heart of Thy goodness shall carol alway,
Thy praises I ever will render;
While breath is, my lips all Thy wonders shall say,
Thy truth and Thy kindness so tender.
Then exult in the Law on its festival day,
The Law is our Light and Defender.
FESTIVALPRAYERBOOK.(Trans.I. Zangwill.)
SIMCHAS TORAHLECHAYIM,76my brethren, Lechayim, I say,Health, peace, and good fortune I wish you to-day.To-day we have ended the Torah once more;To-day we begin it anew, as of yore.Be thankful and glad and the Lord extol,Who gave us the Law on its parchment scroll.The Torah has been our consolation,Our help in exile and sore privation.Lost have we all we were wont to prize:Our holy temple a ruin lies;Laid waste is the land where our songs we sung;Forgotten our language, our mother-tongue;Of kingdom and priesthood are we bereft;Our Faith is our only treasure left.God in our hearts, the Law in our hands,We have wandered sadly through many lands.We have suffered much; yet, behold, we liveThrough the comfort the Law alone can give.Two thousand years, a little thing when spoken;Two thousand years tormented, crushed, and brokenSeven and seventy dark generationsFilled up with anguish and lamentations!Their tale of sorrow did I unfold,NoSimchas Torahto-day we’d hold.And why should I tell it you all again?In our bones ’tis branded with fire and pain.We have sacrificed all. We have given our wealth,Our homes, our honours, our land, our health,Our lives—likeHannah77her children seven—For the sake of the Torah that came from heaven.And now, what next? Will they let us be?Have the nations then come at last to seeThat we Jews are men like the rest, and no moreNeed we wander homeless as heretofore,Abused and slandered wherever we go?Ah! I cannot tell you. But this I know,That the same God still lives in heaven above,And on earth the same Law, the same Faith, that we love.Then fear not, and weep not, but hope in the Lord,And the sacred Torah, his Holy Word.Lechayim, my brethren, Lechayim, I say!Health, peace, and good fortune I wish you to-day.To-day we have ended the Torah once more;To-day we begin it again, as of yore.Be thankful and glad and the Lord extol,Who gave us the Law on its parchment scroll.J. L. GORDON.(Trans.Alice Lucas and Helena Frank.)
LECHAYIM,76my brethren, Lechayim, I say,Health, peace, and good fortune I wish you to-day.To-day we have ended the Torah once more;To-day we begin it anew, as of yore.Be thankful and glad and the Lord extol,Who gave us the Law on its parchment scroll.The Torah has been our consolation,Our help in exile and sore privation.Lost have we all we were wont to prize:Our holy temple a ruin lies;Laid waste is the land where our songs we sung;Forgotten our language, our mother-tongue;Of kingdom and priesthood are we bereft;Our Faith is our only treasure left.God in our hearts, the Law in our hands,We have wandered sadly through many lands.We have suffered much; yet, behold, we liveThrough the comfort the Law alone can give.Two thousand years, a little thing when spoken;Two thousand years tormented, crushed, and brokenSeven and seventy dark generationsFilled up with anguish and lamentations!Their tale of sorrow did I unfold,NoSimchas Torahto-day we’d hold.And why should I tell it you all again?In our bones ’tis branded with fire and pain.We have sacrificed all. We have given our wealth,Our homes, our honours, our land, our health,Our lives—likeHannah77her children seven—For the sake of the Torah that came from heaven.And now, what next? Will they let us be?Have the nations then come at last to seeThat we Jews are men like the rest, and no moreNeed we wander homeless as heretofore,Abused and slandered wherever we go?Ah! I cannot tell you. But this I know,That the same God still lives in heaven above,And on earth the same Law, the same Faith, that we love.Then fear not, and weep not, but hope in the Lord,And the sacred Torah, his Holy Word.Lechayim, my brethren, Lechayim, I say!Health, peace, and good fortune I wish you to-day.To-day we have ended the Torah once more;To-day we begin it again, as of yore.Be thankful and glad and the Lord extol,Who gave us the Law on its parchment scroll.J. L. GORDON.(Trans.Alice Lucas and Helena Frank.)
LECHAYIM,76my brethren, Lechayim, I say,Health, peace, and good fortune I wish you to-day.To-day we have ended the Torah once more;To-day we begin it anew, as of yore.Be thankful and glad and the Lord extol,Who gave us the Law on its parchment scroll.The Torah has been our consolation,Our help in exile and sore privation.Lost have we all we were wont to prize:Our holy temple a ruin lies;Laid waste is the land where our songs we sung;Forgotten our language, our mother-tongue;Of kingdom and priesthood are we bereft;Our Faith is our only treasure left.God in our hearts, the Law in our hands,We have wandered sadly through many lands.We have suffered much; yet, behold, we liveThrough the comfort the Law alone can give.Two thousand years, a little thing when spoken;Two thousand years tormented, crushed, and brokenSeven and seventy dark generationsFilled up with anguish and lamentations!Their tale of sorrow did I unfold,NoSimchas Torahto-day we’d hold.And why should I tell it you all again?In our bones ’tis branded with fire and pain.We have sacrificed all. We have given our wealth,Our homes, our honours, our land, our health,Our lives—likeHannah77her children seven—For the sake of the Torah that came from heaven.And now, what next? Will they let us be?Have the nations then come at last to seeThat we Jews are men like the rest, and no moreNeed we wander homeless as heretofore,Abused and slandered wherever we go?Ah! I cannot tell you. But this I know,That the same God still lives in heaven above,And on earth the same Law, the same Faith, that we love.Then fear not, and weep not, but hope in the Lord,And the sacred Torah, his Holy Word.Lechayim, my brethren, Lechayim, I say!Health, peace, and good fortune I wish you to-day.To-day we have ended the Torah once more;To-day we begin it again, as of yore.Be thankful and glad and the Lord extol,Who gave us the Law on its parchment scroll.J. L. GORDON.(Trans.Alice Lucas and Helena Frank.)
LECHAYIM,76my brethren, Lechayim, I say,
Health, peace, and good fortune I wish you to-day.
To-day we have ended the Torah once more;
To-day we begin it anew, as of yore.
Be thankful and glad and the Lord extol,
Who gave us the Law on its parchment scroll.
The Torah has been our consolation,
Our help in exile and sore privation.
Lost have we all we were wont to prize:
Our holy temple a ruin lies;
Laid waste is the land where our songs we sung;
Forgotten our language, our mother-tongue;
Of kingdom and priesthood are we bereft;
Our Faith is our only treasure left.
God in our hearts, the Law in our hands,
We have wandered sadly through many lands.
We have suffered much; yet, behold, we live
Through the comfort the Law alone can give.
Two thousand years, a little thing when spoken;
Two thousand years tormented, crushed, and broken
Seven and seventy dark generations
Filled up with anguish and lamentations!
Their tale of sorrow did I unfold,
NoSimchas Torahto-day we’d hold.
And why should I tell it you all again?
In our bones ’tis branded with fire and pain.
We have sacrificed all. We have given our wealth,
Our homes, our honours, our land, our health,
Our lives—likeHannah77her children seven—
For the sake of the Torah that came from heaven.
And now, what next? Will they let us be?
Have the nations then come at last to see
That we Jews are men like the rest, and no more
Need we wander homeless as heretofore,
Abused and slandered wherever we go?
Ah! I cannot tell you. But this I know,
That the same God still lives in heaven above,
And on earth the same Law, the same Faith, that we love.
Then fear not, and weep not, but hope in the Lord,
And the sacred Torah, his Holy Word.
Lechayim, my brethren, Lechayim, I say!
Health, peace, and good fortune I wish you to-day.
To-day we have ended the Torah once more;
To-day we begin it again, as of yore.
Be thankful and glad and the Lord extol,
Who gave us the Law on its parchment scroll.
J. L. GORDON.(Trans.Alice Lucas and Helena Frank.)
THE MACCABEAN WARRIORSThey were ready either to live or die nobly.1 MACCABEES4. 35.AND King Antiochus wrote to his whole kingdom, that all should be one people, and that each should forsake his own laws. And he sent letters unto Jerusalem and the cities of Judah that they should profane the sabbaths and feasts, pollute the sanctuary, and build altars and temples and shrines for idols; and whosoever shall not do according to the word of the king, he shall die. And he appointed overseers over all the people, and he commanded the cities of Judah to sacrifice, city by city. And they did evil things in the land; and they made Israel to hide themselves in every place of refuge which they had. And they rent in pieces the Books of the Law which they found, and set them on fire. And wheresoever was found with any a Book of the Covenant, and if any consented to the Law, the king’s sentence delivered him to death.And in those days rose up Mattathias, a priest from Jerusalem; and he dwelt at Modin. And he had five sons, John, Simon, Judas (who was called Maccabaeus), Eleazar, Jonathan. And he saw the blasphemies that were committed in Judah and in Jerusalem, and Mattathias and his sons rent their clothes, and put on sackcloth, and mourned exceedingly.And the king’s officers, that were enforcing the apostasy, came into the city Modin. And many of Israel came unto them, and Mattathias and his sons were gathered together. And the king’s officers spake to Mattathias, saying, ‘Thou art a ruler and an honourable and great man in this city, and strengthened with sons and brethren; now therefore come thou first and do the commandment of the king, as all nations have done, and the men of Judah, and they that remain in Jerusalem; so shalt thou and thy house be in the number of the king’s Friends, and thou and thy children shall be honoured with silver and gold, and many rewards.’ And Mattathias answered and said with a loud voice, ‘Though all the nations that are under the king’s dominion obey him, and fall away every one from the religion of their fathers, yet will I and my sons and my brethren walk in the covenant of our fathers.’ And Mattathias cried out in the city with a loud voice, saying, ‘Whosoever is zealous for the Law, and maintaineth the Covenant, let him follow me.’Then were gathered together unto them every one that offered himself willingly for the Law. And all they that fled from the evils were added to them, and became a stay unto them. And they mustered a host, and pulled down the altars; and they pursued after the sons of pride, neither suffered they the sinner to triumph.Selection from1 MACCABEES1. 41–2. 48.
They were ready either to live or die nobly.
1 MACCABEES4. 35.
AND King Antiochus wrote to his whole kingdom, that all should be one people, and that each should forsake his own laws. And he sent letters unto Jerusalem and the cities of Judah that they should profane the sabbaths and feasts, pollute the sanctuary, and build altars and temples and shrines for idols; and whosoever shall not do according to the word of the king, he shall die. And he appointed overseers over all the people, and he commanded the cities of Judah to sacrifice, city by city. And they did evil things in the land; and they made Israel to hide themselves in every place of refuge which they had. And they rent in pieces the Books of the Law which they found, and set them on fire. And wheresoever was found with any a Book of the Covenant, and if any consented to the Law, the king’s sentence delivered him to death.
And in those days rose up Mattathias, a priest from Jerusalem; and he dwelt at Modin. And he had five sons, John, Simon, Judas (who was called Maccabaeus), Eleazar, Jonathan. And he saw the blasphemies that were committed in Judah and in Jerusalem, and Mattathias and his sons rent their clothes, and put on sackcloth, and mourned exceedingly.
And the king’s officers, that were enforcing the apostasy, came into the city Modin. And many of Israel came unto them, and Mattathias and his sons were gathered together. And the king’s officers spake to Mattathias, saying, ‘Thou art a ruler and an honourable and great man in this city, and strengthened with sons and brethren; now therefore come thou first and do the commandment of the king, as all nations have done, and the men of Judah, and they that remain in Jerusalem; so shalt thou and thy house be in the number of the king’s Friends, and thou and thy children shall be honoured with silver and gold, and many rewards.’ And Mattathias answered and said with a loud voice, ‘Though all the nations that are under the king’s dominion obey him, and fall away every one from the religion of their fathers, yet will I and my sons and my brethren walk in the covenant of our fathers.’ And Mattathias cried out in the city with a loud voice, saying, ‘Whosoever is zealous for the Law, and maintaineth the Covenant, let him follow me.’
Then were gathered together unto them every one that offered himself willingly for the Law. And all they that fled from the evils were added to them, and became a stay unto them. And they mustered a host, and pulled down the altars; and they pursued after the sons of pride, neither suffered they the sinner to triumph.
Selection from1 MACCABEES1. 41–2. 48.
THE FEAST OF LIGHTSKINDLE the taper like the steadfast star,Ablaze on evening’s forehead o’er the earth,And add each night a lustre till afarAn eightfold splendour shine above thy hearth.Clash, Israel, the cymbals, touch the lyre,Blow the brass trumpet and the harsh-tongued horn;Chant psalms of victory till the heart takes fire,The Maccabean spirit leap new-born.EMMALAZARUS.
KINDLE the taper like the steadfast star,Ablaze on evening’s forehead o’er the earth,And add each night a lustre till afarAn eightfold splendour shine above thy hearth.Clash, Israel, the cymbals, touch the lyre,Blow the brass trumpet and the harsh-tongued horn;Chant psalms of victory till the heart takes fire,The Maccabean spirit leap new-born.EMMALAZARUS.
KINDLE the taper like the steadfast star,Ablaze on evening’s forehead o’er the earth,And add each night a lustre till afarAn eightfold splendour shine above thy hearth.Clash, Israel, the cymbals, touch the lyre,Blow the brass trumpet and the harsh-tongued horn;Chant psalms of victory till the heart takes fire,The Maccabean spirit leap new-born.EMMALAZARUS.
KINDLE the taper like the steadfast star,
Ablaze on evening’s forehead o’er the earth,
And add each night a lustre till afar
An eightfold splendour shine above thy hearth.
Clash, Israel, the cymbals, touch the lyre,
Blow the brass trumpet and the harsh-tongued horn;
Chant psalms of victory till the heart takes fire,
The Maccabean spirit leap new-born.
EMMALAZARUS.
THE MENORAHDEEP in his soul he began to feel the need of being a Jew. His circumstances were not unsatisfactory; he enjoyed an ample income and a profession that permitted him to do whatever his heart desired. For he was an artist. His Jewish origin and the faith of his fathers had long since ceased to trouble him, when suddenly the old hatred came to the surface again in a new mob-cry. With many others he believed that this flood would shortly subside. But there was no change for the better; and every blow, even though not aimed directly at him, struck him with fresh pain, till little by little his soul became one bleeding wound. These sorrows, buried deep in his heart and silenced there, evoked thoughts of their origin and of his Judaism; and now he did something he could not perhaps have done in the old days—he began to love his Judaism with an intense fervour. Although in his own eyes he could not, at first, clearly justify this new yearning, it became so powerful at length that it crystallizedfrom vague emotions into a definite idea which he must needs express. It was the conviction that there was only one solution for this moral misery—the return to Judaism.The Jew of to-day had lost the poise which was his fathers’ very being. This generation, having grown up under the influence of alien cultures, was no longer capable of that return which he had perceived to be their redemption. But the new generation would be capable of it, if it were only given the right direction early enough. He resolved, therefore, that his own children, at least, should be shown the proper path. They should be trained as Jews in their own home.Hitherto he had permitted to pass by unobserved the holiday which the wonderful apparition of the Maccabees had illumined for thousands of years with the glow of miniature lights. Now, however, he made this holiday an opportunity to prepare something beautiful which should be for ever commemorated in the minds of his children. In their young souls should be implanted early a steadfast devotion to their ancient people. He bought a Menorah, and when he held this nine-branched candlestick in his hands for the first time, a strange mood came over him. In his father’s house also the lights had once burned in his youth, now far away, and the recollection gave him a sad and tender feeling for home. The tradition was neither cold nor dead—thus it had passed through the ages, one light kindling another. Moreover, the ancient form of the Menorah had excited his interest. Clearly the design was suggested by the tree—in the centre the sturdy trunk, on right and left four branches, one below the other, in one place, and all of equal height. A later symbolism brought with it the short ninth branch, which projects in front and functions as a servant. What mystery had the generations which followed one another read into this form of art, at once so simple and natural! And our artist wondered to himself if it were not possible toanimate again the withered form of the Menorah—to water its roots, as one would a tree. The mere sound of the name, which he now pronounced every evening to his children, gave him great pleasure. There was a lovable ring to the word when it came from the lips of little children.On the first night the candle was lit and the origin of the holiday explained. The wonderful incident of the lights that strangely remained burning so long, the story of the return from the Babylonian exile, the second Temple, the Maccabees—our friend told his children all he knew. It was not very much, to be sure; but it served. When the second candle was lit, they repeated what he had told them; and though it had all been learnt from him, it seemed to him quite new and beautiful. In the days that followed, he waited keenly for the evenings which became ever brighter. Candle after candle stood in the Menorah, and the father mused on the little candles with his children till at length his reflections became too deep to be uttered before them.Then came the eighth day, when the whole row burns, even the faithful ninth, the servant, which on other nights is used only for the lighting of the others. A great splendour streamed from the Menorah. The children’s eyes glistened. But for our friend all this was the symbol of the enkindling of a nation. When there is but one light, all is still dark, and the solitary light looks melancholy. Soon it finds one companion, then another, and another. The darkness must retreat. The light comes first to the young and the poor—then others join who love Justice, Truth, Liberty, Progress, Humanity, and Beauty. When all the candles burn, then we must all stand and rejoice over the achievement. And no office can be more blessed than that of a Servant of the Light.THEODORHERZL.(Trans.B. L. Pouzzner.)
DEEP in his soul he began to feel the need of being a Jew. His circumstances were not unsatisfactory; he enjoyed an ample income and a profession that permitted him to do whatever his heart desired. For he was an artist. His Jewish origin and the faith of his fathers had long since ceased to trouble him, when suddenly the old hatred came to the surface again in a new mob-cry. With many others he believed that this flood would shortly subside. But there was no change for the better; and every blow, even though not aimed directly at him, struck him with fresh pain, till little by little his soul became one bleeding wound. These sorrows, buried deep in his heart and silenced there, evoked thoughts of their origin and of his Judaism; and now he did something he could not perhaps have done in the old days—he began to love his Judaism with an intense fervour. Although in his own eyes he could not, at first, clearly justify this new yearning, it became so powerful at length that it crystallizedfrom vague emotions into a definite idea which he must needs express. It was the conviction that there was only one solution for this moral misery—the return to Judaism.
The Jew of to-day had lost the poise which was his fathers’ very being. This generation, having grown up under the influence of alien cultures, was no longer capable of that return which he had perceived to be their redemption. But the new generation would be capable of it, if it were only given the right direction early enough. He resolved, therefore, that his own children, at least, should be shown the proper path. They should be trained as Jews in their own home.
Hitherto he had permitted to pass by unobserved the holiday which the wonderful apparition of the Maccabees had illumined for thousands of years with the glow of miniature lights. Now, however, he made this holiday an opportunity to prepare something beautiful which should be for ever commemorated in the minds of his children. In their young souls should be implanted early a steadfast devotion to their ancient people. He bought a Menorah, and when he held this nine-branched candlestick in his hands for the first time, a strange mood came over him. In his father’s house also the lights had once burned in his youth, now far away, and the recollection gave him a sad and tender feeling for home. The tradition was neither cold nor dead—thus it had passed through the ages, one light kindling another. Moreover, the ancient form of the Menorah had excited his interest. Clearly the design was suggested by the tree—in the centre the sturdy trunk, on right and left four branches, one below the other, in one place, and all of equal height. A later symbolism brought with it the short ninth branch, which projects in front and functions as a servant. What mystery had the generations which followed one another read into this form of art, at once so simple and natural! And our artist wondered to himself if it were not possible toanimate again the withered form of the Menorah—to water its roots, as one would a tree. The mere sound of the name, which he now pronounced every evening to his children, gave him great pleasure. There was a lovable ring to the word when it came from the lips of little children.
On the first night the candle was lit and the origin of the holiday explained. The wonderful incident of the lights that strangely remained burning so long, the story of the return from the Babylonian exile, the second Temple, the Maccabees—our friend told his children all he knew. It was not very much, to be sure; but it served. When the second candle was lit, they repeated what he had told them; and though it had all been learnt from him, it seemed to him quite new and beautiful. In the days that followed, he waited keenly for the evenings which became ever brighter. Candle after candle stood in the Menorah, and the father mused on the little candles with his children till at length his reflections became too deep to be uttered before them.
Then came the eighth day, when the whole row burns, even the faithful ninth, the servant, which on other nights is used only for the lighting of the others. A great splendour streamed from the Menorah. The children’s eyes glistened. But for our friend all this was the symbol of the enkindling of a nation. When there is but one light, all is still dark, and the solitary light looks melancholy. Soon it finds one companion, then another, and another. The darkness must retreat. The light comes first to the young and the poor—then others join who love Justice, Truth, Liberty, Progress, Humanity, and Beauty. When all the candles burn, then we must all stand and rejoice over the achievement. And no office can be more blessed than that of a Servant of the Light.
THEODORHERZL.(Trans.B. L. Pouzzner.)
THE STORY OF THE MACCABEESIT is good for Jewish lads to include warriors of their own race in their gallery of heroes, to be able to say, ‘My people has produced its brave men equally with the Greeks and the Romans’.But still better it is for them to feel that these brave men drew their courage from the purest of all sources, from a passionate love for their religion, from a veneration for the good and the true and the morally beautiful. The Maccabees boldly faced overwhelming odds, not for their own selfish ends, but in a spirit of self-sacrificing fidelity to the holiest of all causes. They threw themselves upon the enemy in the temper that takes the martyr to the stake; they did it not for gain or glory, but solely for conscience’ sake. They felt that God was calling to them, and they could not hold back. Theirs was a unique effort. Others had, it is true, displayed an equally noble courage on the battle-field. But what they had fought for was their fatherland and their mother tongue, their hearths and homes. To fight for Religion was a new thing.The little Maccabean band was like a rock in the midst of a surging sea. Standing almost alone in their day, the heroes beat back the forces that threatened to involve all mankind in a common demoralization. They kept a corner of the world sweet in an impure age. They held aloft the torch of true religion at a time when thick darkness was covering the nations.MORRISJOSEPH, 1903.
IT is good for Jewish lads to include warriors of their own race in their gallery of heroes, to be able to say, ‘My people has produced its brave men equally with the Greeks and the Romans’.
But still better it is for them to feel that these brave men drew their courage from the purest of all sources, from a passionate love for their religion, from a veneration for the good and the true and the morally beautiful. The Maccabees boldly faced overwhelming odds, not for their own selfish ends, but in a spirit of self-sacrificing fidelity to the holiest of all causes. They threw themselves upon the enemy in the temper that takes the martyr to the stake; they did it not for gain or glory, but solely for conscience’ sake. They felt that God was calling to them, and they could not hold back. Theirs was a unique effort. Others had, it is true, displayed an equally noble courage on the battle-field. But what they had fought for was their fatherland and their mother tongue, their hearths and homes. To fight for Religion was a new thing.
The little Maccabean band was like a rock in the midst of a surging sea. Standing almost alone in their day, the heroes beat back the forces that threatened to involve all mankind in a common demoralization. They kept a corner of the world sweet in an impure age. They held aloft the torch of true religion at a time when thick darkness was covering the nations.
MORRISJOSEPH, 1903.
CHANUCAH HYMNROCK of Ages, let our songPraise Thy saving power;Thou, amidst the raging foes,Wast our shelt’ring tower.Furious they assailed us,But Thine arm availed us;And Thy wordBroke their swordWhen our own strength failed us.Kindling new the holy lamps,Priests approved in sufferingPurified the nation’s shrine,Brought to God their offering.And His courts surroundingHear, in joy abounding,Happy throngsSinging songsWith a mighty sounding.Children of the Martyr-race,Whether free or fettered,Wake the echoes of the songsWhere ye may be scattered.Yours the message cheering,That the time is nearingWhich shall seeAll men free,Tyrants disappearing.G. GOTTHEIL.
ROCK of Ages, let our songPraise Thy saving power;Thou, amidst the raging foes,Wast our shelt’ring tower.Furious they assailed us,But Thine arm availed us;And Thy wordBroke their swordWhen our own strength failed us.Kindling new the holy lamps,Priests approved in sufferingPurified the nation’s shrine,Brought to God their offering.And His courts surroundingHear, in joy abounding,Happy throngsSinging songsWith a mighty sounding.Children of the Martyr-race,Whether free or fettered,Wake the echoes of the songsWhere ye may be scattered.Yours the message cheering,That the time is nearingWhich shall seeAll men free,Tyrants disappearing.G. GOTTHEIL.
ROCK of Ages, let our songPraise Thy saving power;Thou, amidst the raging foes,Wast our shelt’ring tower.Furious they assailed us,But Thine arm availed us;And Thy wordBroke their swordWhen our own strength failed us.Kindling new the holy lamps,Priests approved in sufferingPurified the nation’s shrine,Brought to God their offering.And His courts surroundingHear, in joy abounding,Happy throngsSinging songsWith a mighty sounding.Children of the Martyr-race,Whether free or fettered,Wake the echoes of the songsWhere ye may be scattered.Yours the message cheering,That the time is nearingWhich shall seeAll men free,Tyrants disappearing.G. GOTTHEIL.
ROCK of Ages, let our song
Praise Thy saving power;
Thou, amidst the raging foes,
Wast our shelt’ring tower.
Furious they assailed us,
But Thine arm availed us;
And Thy word
Broke their sword
When our own strength failed us.
Kindling new the holy lamps,
Priests approved in suffering
Purified the nation’s shrine,
Brought to God their offering.
And His courts surrounding
Hear, in joy abounding,
Happy throngs
Singing songs
With a mighty sounding.
Children of the Martyr-race,
Whether free or fettered,
Wake the echoes of the songs
Where ye may be scattered.
Yours the message cheering,
That the time is nearing
Which shall see
All men free,
Tyrants disappearing.
G. GOTTHEIL.
PURIM78THERE was a certain Jew in Shushan ... whose name was Mordecai.... And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter ... and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his own daughter.... And Esther was taken unto King Ahasuerus into his house royal ... and the king loved Esther ... and she obtained grace and favour in his sight....After these things did King Ahasuerus promote Haman, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. And Haman said, ‘There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from those of every people, neither keep they the king’s laws: therefore it is not for the king’s profit to suffer them. If it please the king let it be written that they be destroyed ... both young and old, little children and women, in one day.’ And the king said unto Haman, ‘The people is given to thee to do with them as it seemeth good to thee’.Now, when Mordecai knew all that was done he rent his clothes ... and charged Esther that she should go in unto the king to make supplication unto him for her people—‘Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdestthy peace at this time, then shall relief and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place: and who knoweth whether thou art not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’ ... Esther bade them return answer unto Mordecai, ‘So will I go in unto the king ... and if I perish, I perish....’Then Esther the queen ... said, ‘If I have found favour in thy sight, O king ... let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request; for we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain and to perish....’ Then spake the king Ahasuerus, ‘Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so?’ And Esther said, ‘An adversary and an enemy, even this wicked Haman’.Then said one of the chamberlains, ‘Behold also, the gallows which Haman hath made for Mordecai, who spake good for the king (and saved the king’s life) standeth in the house of Haman’. And the king said, ‘Hang him thereon’. So they hanged Haman.... And the king said, ‘Write ye also to the Jews as it liketh you, in the king’s name....’ The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honour. And whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had gladness and joy....... Therefore do the Jews ... make the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting ... and of sending gifts to the poor.BOOK OFESTHER.
THERE was a certain Jew in Shushan ... whose name was Mordecai.... And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter ... and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his own daughter.... And Esther was taken unto King Ahasuerus into his house royal ... and the king loved Esther ... and she obtained grace and favour in his sight....
After these things did King Ahasuerus promote Haman, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. And Haman said, ‘There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from those of every people, neither keep they the king’s laws: therefore it is not for the king’s profit to suffer them. If it please the king let it be written that they be destroyed ... both young and old, little children and women, in one day.’ And the king said unto Haman, ‘The people is given to thee to do with them as it seemeth good to thee’.
Now, when Mordecai knew all that was done he rent his clothes ... and charged Esther that she should go in unto the king to make supplication unto him for her people—‘Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdestthy peace at this time, then shall relief and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place: and who knoweth whether thou art not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’ ... Esther bade them return answer unto Mordecai, ‘So will I go in unto the king ... and if I perish, I perish....’
Then Esther the queen ... said, ‘If I have found favour in thy sight, O king ... let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request; for we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain and to perish....’ Then spake the king Ahasuerus, ‘Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so?’ And Esther said, ‘An adversary and an enemy, even this wicked Haman’.
Then said one of the chamberlains, ‘Behold also, the gallows which Haman hath made for Mordecai, who spake good for the king (and saved the king’s life) standeth in the house of Haman’. And the king said, ‘Hang him thereon’. So they hanged Haman.... And the king said, ‘Write ye also to the Jews as it liketh you, in the king’s name....’ The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honour. And whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had gladness and joy....
... Therefore do the Jews ... make the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting ... and of sending gifts to the poor.
BOOK OFESTHER.
SERVANT OF GODSPIRIT and flesh are Thine,O Heavenly Shepherd mine;My hopes, my thoughts, my fears, Thou seest all,Thou measurest my path, my steps dost know.When Thou upholdest, who can make me fall?When Thou restrainest, who can bid me go?O would that I might beA servant unto Thee,Thou God, by all adored!Then, though by friends out-cast,Thy hand would hold me fast,And draw me near to Thee, my King and Lord!Fain would my heart come nighTo Thee, O God, on high,But evil thoughts have led me far astrayFrom the pure path of righteous government.Guide Thou me back into Thy holy way,And count me not as one impenitent.O would that I might beA servant unto Thee,Thou God, by all adored!Then, though by friends out-cast,Thy hand would hold me fast,And draw me near to Thee, my King and Lord!Contrite and full of dread,I mourn each moment fled,’Midst idle follies roaming desolate:I sink beneath transgressions manifold,That from Thy presence keep me separate,Nor can sin-darkened eyes Thy light behold.O would that I might beA servant unto Thee,Thou God, by all adored!Then, though by friends out-cast,Thy hand would hold me fast,And draw me near to Thee, my King and Lord!So lead me that I mayThy sovereign will obey.Make pure my heart to seek Thy truth divine;When burns my wound, be Thou with healing near!Answer me, Lord! for sore distress is mine,And say unto Thy servant, I am here.O would that I might beA servant unto Thee,Thou God, by all adored!Then, though by friends out-cast,Thy hand would hold me fast,And draw me near to Thee, my King and Lord!YEHUDAHHALEVI, 1140.(Trans.Alice Lucas.)
SPIRIT and flesh are Thine,O Heavenly Shepherd mine;My hopes, my thoughts, my fears, Thou seest all,Thou measurest my path, my steps dost know.When Thou upholdest, who can make me fall?When Thou restrainest, who can bid me go?O would that I might beA servant unto Thee,Thou God, by all adored!Then, though by friends out-cast,Thy hand would hold me fast,And draw me near to Thee, my King and Lord!Fain would my heart come nighTo Thee, O God, on high,But evil thoughts have led me far astrayFrom the pure path of righteous government.Guide Thou me back into Thy holy way,And count me not as one impenitent.O would that I might beA servant unto Thee,Thou God, by all adored!Then, though by friends out-cast,Thy hand would hold me fast,And draw me near to Thee, my King and Lord!Contrite and full of dread,I mourn each moment fled,’Midst idle follies roaming desolate:I sink beneath transgressions manifold,That from Thy presence keep me separate,Nor can sin-darkened eyes Thy light behold.O would that I might beA servant unto Thee,Thou God, by all adored!Then, though by friends out-cast,Thy hand would hold me fast,And draw me near to Thee, my King and Lord!So lead me that I mayThy sovereign will obey.Make pure my heart to seek Thy truth divine;When burns my wound, be Thou with healing near!Answer me, Lord! for sore distress is mine,And say unto Thy servant, I am here.O would that I might beA servant unto Thee,Thou God, by all adored!Then, though by friends out-cast,Thy hand would hold me fast,And draw me near to Thee, my King and Lord!YEHUDAHHALEVI, 1140.(Trans.Alice Lucas.)
SPIRIT and flesh are Thine,O Heavenly Shepherd mine;My hopes, my thoughts, my fears, Thou seest all,Thou measurest my path, my steps dost know.When Thou upholdest, who can make me fall?When Thou restrainest, who can bid me go?O would that I might beA servant unto Thee,Thou God, by all adored!Then, though by friends out-cast,Thy hand would hold me fast,And draw me near to Thee, my King and Lord!Fain would my heart come nighTo Thee, O God, on high,But evil thoughts have led me far astrayFrom the pure path of righteous government.Guide Thou me back into Thy holy way,And count me not as one impenitent.O would that I might beA servant unto Thee,Thou God, by all adored!Then, though by friends out-cast,Thy hand would hold me fast,And draw me near to Thee, my King and Lord!Contrite and full of dread,I mourn each moment fled,’Midst idle follies roaming desolate:I sink beneath transgressions manifold,That from Thy presence keep me separate,Nor can sin-darkened eyes Thy light behold.O would that I might beA servant unto Thee,Thou God, by all adored!Then, though by friends out-cast,Thy hand would hold me fast,And draw me near to Thee, my King and Lord!So lead me that I mayThy sovereign will obey.Make pure my heart to seek Thy truth divine;When burns my wound, be Thou with healing near!Answer me, Lord! for sore distress is mine,And say unto Thy servant, I am here.O would that I might beA servant unto Thee,Thou God, by all adored!Then, though by friends out-cast,Thy hand would hold me fast,And draw me near to Thee, my King and Lord!YEHUDAHHALEVI, 1140.(Trans.Alice Lucas.)
SPIRIT and flesh are Thine,
O Heavenly Shepherd mine;
My hopes, my thoughts, my fears, Thou seest all,
Thou measurest my path, my steps dost know.
When Thou upholdest, who can make me fall?
When Thou restrainest, who can bid me go?
O would that I might be
A servant unto Thee,
Thou God, by all adored!
Then, though by friends out-cast,
Thy hand would hold me fast,
And draw me near to Thee, my King and Lord!
Fain would my heart come nigh
To Thee, O God, on high,
But evil thoughts have led me far astray
From the pure path of righteous government.
Guide Thou me back into Thy holy way,
And count me not as one impenitent.
O would that I might be
A servant unto Thee,
Thou God, by all adored!
Then, though by friends out-cast,
Thy hand would hold me fast,
And draw me near to Thee, my King and Lord!
Contrite and full of dread,
I mourn each moment fled,
’Midst idle follies roaming desolate:
I sink beneath transgressions manifold,
That from Thy presence keep me separate,
Nor can sin-darkened eyes Thy light behold.
O would that I might be
A servant unto Thee,
Thou God, by all adored!
Then, though by friends out-cast,
Thy hand would hold me fast,
And draw me near to Thee, my King and Lord!
So lead me that I may
Thy sovereign will obey.
Make pure my heart to seek Thy truth divine;
When burns my wound, be Thou with healing near!
Answer me, Lord! for sore distress is mine,
And say unto Thy servant, I am here.
O would that I might be
A servant unto Thee,
Thou God, by all adored!
Then, though by friends out-cast,
Thy hand would hold me fast,
And draw me near to Thee, my King and Lord!
YEHUDAHHALEVI, 1140.(Trans.Alice Lucas.)
HYMN OF GLORYSWEET hymns and songs will I inditeTo sing of Thee by day and night—Of Thee, who art my soul’s delight.How doth my soul within me yearnBeneath Thy shadow to return,Thy secret mysteries to learn!And even while yet Thy glory firesMy words, and hymns of praise inspires,Thy love it is my heart desires.Thy glory shall my discourse be;In images I picture Thee,Although Thyself I cannot see.O Thou whose word is truth alway,Thy people seek Thy face this day;O be Thou near them when they pray.O may my words of blessing riseTo Thee, who, throned above the skies,Art just and mighty, great and wise.My meditation day and night,May it be pleasant in Thy sight,For Thou art all my soul’s delight.JUDAH THEPIOUS,12th cent.(Trans.Alice Lucas.)
SWEET hymns and songs will I inditeTo sing of Thee by day and night—Of Thee, who art my soul’s delight.How doth my soul within me yearnBeneath Thy shadow to return,Thy secret mysteries to learn!And even while yet Thy glory firesMy words, and hymns of praise inspires,Thy love it is my heart desires.Thy glory shall my discourse be;In images I picture Thee,Although Thyself I cannot see.O Thou whose word is truth alway,Thy people seek Thy face this day;O be Thou near them when they pray.O may my words of blessing riseTo Thee, who, throned above the skies,Art just and mighty, great and wise.My meditation day and night,May it be pleasant in Thy sight,For Thou art all my soul’s delight.JUDAH THEPIOUS,12th cent.(Trans.Alice Lucas.)
SWEET hymns and songs will I inditeTo sing of Thee by day and night—Of Thee, who art my soul’s delight.How doth my soul within me yearnBeneath Thy shadow to return,Thy secret mysteries to learn!And even while yet Thy glory firesMy words, and hymns of praise inspires,Thy love it is my heart desires.Thy glory shall my discourse be;In images I picture Thee,Although Thyself I cannot see.O Thou whose word is truth alway,Thy people seek Thy face this day;O be Thou near them when they pray.O may my words of blessing riseTo Thee, who, throned above the skies,Art just and mighty, great and wise.My meditation day and night,May it be pleasant in Thy sight,For Thou art all my soul’s delight.JUDAH THEPIOUS,12th cent.(Trans.Alice Lucas.)
SWEET hymns and songs will I indite
To sing of Thee by day and night—
Of Thee, who art my soul’s delight.
How doth my soul within me yearn
Beneath Thy shadow to return,
Thy secret mysteries to learn!
And even while yet Thy glory fires
My words, and hymns of praise inspires,
Thy love it is my heart desires.
Thy glory shall my discourse be;
In images I picture Thee,
Although Thyself I cannot see.
O Thou whose word is truth alway,
Thy people seek Thy face this day;
O be Thou near them when they pray.
O may my words of blessing rise
To Thee, who, throned above the skies,
Art just and mighty, great and wise.
My meditation day and night,
May it be pleasant in Thy sight,
For Thou art all my soul’s delight.
JUDAH THEPIOUS,12th cent.(Trans.Alice Lucas.)