Scrolls; Essays on Jewish History and Literature, and Kindred Subjects

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1917 edition. Excerpt: ...(Morenu).5 Jacob Emden demanded Mendelssohn's assistance in his efforts to have a law repealed which prohibited the early burial custom among the Jews. Mendelssohn refused, and was promptly given to understand that he was a heretic.8 He did not reply. Eybeschutz's successor Raphael Kohen intended to pronounce excommuni-, cation upon all who studied Mendelssohn's Pentateuch. The latter applied to a friend, who obtained for his work the subscription of the Danish court. R. Raphael dared not condemn a book which the court had so highly honored, and Mendelssohn was satisfied.7 So, he never wrote a line against any of his rabbinical antagonists, not even against Ezekiel Landau, who had proven that R. Eliezer ben Hyrkanos had, in his prophetic spirit, 1650 years before Mendelssohn's Pentateuch was published, declared this book to be dangerous. So, Mendelssohn was privileged to give to Judaism a new direction, and was saved from the usual lot of reformers. He lived and died in peace. Similar to his, was the character of R. Johanan ben Zakkai. But a conflict may be avoided by a man. It cannot be avoided by a cause. And this was the experience which was in store for Rabban Gamaliel, R. Johanan's successor, as it fell to the lot of Aaron Chorin and Abraham Geiger who continued the work of Mendelssohn. 1 Kayserling: Moses Mendelssohn, page 289, Leipsic, 1862. 2 ib. 280-281. Zunz: Die Monatstage des Kalenderjahres, page 47. Berlin, 1872. Kayserling, I.e. 120. 6 KeremHemed, III, 224. Graetz, Geschichte, X,397.3rd.ed. 6 Kayserling, I.e. 277. 7 Graetz, Geschichte, XI, 48. 8 Zelah ad Berakot, 28, b. Prague, 1791. THE YEAR 1903 IN JEWISH HISTORY. WRITING history of our own age fills us with the importance of the historian's task. It teaches us the difficulty of.