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36. How do our wise men express this?

We must thank God for the » כשם שמברכין על הטובה כך מברכין על הרעה כל מה דעביד רחמנא לטב עביד •

misfortune, as well as for the good; for all, that the merciful God does, happens for the welfare of his creatures."

37. Can you give me some examples, transmitted to us through holy writ, of resignation to the will of God?

Job (1. ch. 21 v.) said; "The Eternal has given, the Eternal

ה' נתן וה' לקח יהי שם ה' מברך •

Ely (1 Sam. 3 ch. 18 v.) said:

ה' הוא הטוב בעיניו יעשה:

הנני יעשה לי כאשר טוב בעיניו •

has taken away; praised be the name of the Lord."

"He is the Eternal; may he do, as seems best to him."

David (2 Sam. 15 ch. 26 v.) said: "Here I am! May he do unto

me, as it may be pleasing to him."

38. What does Moses teach us of the attributes of God?

the Eternal Being; an al

The Eternal is unchangeably * ה' ה' אל רחום וחנון ארך אפים ורב חסד ואמת נצר חסד לאלפים נשא עון ופשע

ינקה: וחטאה ונקה לא

mighty God, most merciful

and gracious; withholding long his anger, and full of kindness and truth; who preserveth his kindness to the thousandth generation, and who pardoneth wickedness, transgressions, and sin, but who suffereth nothing to pass unnoticed" (i. e. without making the wicked feel the consequence of their sins, if they do not repent in time). (Ex. 34 ch. 6-7 v.)

He, the rock of protection! his » הצור תמים פעלו כי כל דרכיו משפט צדיק וישר הוא • אל אמונה ואין עול

deeds are perfect; for all his ways are just; he is the God of truth, and without evil, he is just and righteous." (Deut. 32 ch. 4 v.)

39. How then do you reconcile the providence and justice of God, with the great mass of evil, which exists, and the number of wicked deeds, which are perpetrated in this world?

God has imparted to man freedom of will-without which neither virtue nor vice could exist-therefore does he suffer even the evil to be done; but he punishes it, confines it within certain limits and bounds, and causes good to arise from it. And thus spoke Joseph to his brothers, when they came to offer themselves, as his servants:

ואתם חשבתם עלי רעה אלהים חשבה

לטבה •

66

Though you intended to do

me evil, yet did God direct

it to good." (Gen. 50 ch. 20 v.)

40. But are not the good frequently afflicted with misfortunes, whilst the wicked prosper?

At occurrences of this kind, we must be extremely cautious and circumspect in our judgment, because we can never know exactly the nature and connection of things. For even granted, that the happy man, whom we call bad, should not have a good heart, nor, that the pious, unhappy one, be at heart a villain: yet are the sufferings and mishaps, which he may endure, often very wholesome to the pious man; and the good luck of the wicked, is often only apparent and of short duration. And then again it must be borne in mind, that only in the life to come, will virtue receive its full reward, and vice its whole punishment.

Be not jealous about the * אל תתחר במרעים אל תקנא בעשי עולה

בטח בה' ועשה טוב - שמר תם וראה ישר

כי אחרית לאיש שלום:

happiness of the wicked, envy not those who prac

tise evil. Trust in the Eternal, and do what is good; preserve thy innocence, for it (virtue) causes at last happiness to man." (Ps. 37.)

Because punishment does * אשר אין נעשה פתגם מעשה הרעה מהרה על כן מלא לב בני האדם בהם לעשות רע: אשר חטא עשה רע מאת ומאריך לו כי גם יודע אני אשר יהיה טוב ליראי האלהים אשר ייראו מלפניו •

not follow evil deeds quickly, therefore becomes the heart of man careless, and practises

wickedness. But let the sinner commit sins a hundred fold, and
experience indulgence; yet am I convinced, that true happiness
will be the sure recompense of the pious, whilst they fear God."
(Eccl. 8 ch. 11-12 v.)

41. What does Scripture teach us further on this subject?

That we should never presume to find fault with God's wise dispensations, as his ways are inscrutable to us. That it would be punishable temerity for a blind mortal to presume to penetrate into the mysterious decrees of the Deity.

Woe to him, who rebels against » הוי רב את יצרו חרש את חרשי אדמה היאמר חמר ליצרו מה תעשה ופערן

אין ידים לו ..

his Maker! let one fragment

dispute with the other earthly

fragment; but can the clay say to its potter: what doest thou? and

thou provest not thy hands by thy work?" (Is. 45 ch. 9 v.)

,I reflected concerning him ואחשבה לדעת זאת עמל היא בעיני עד

and sought truth; but all

searching was only painful,

אבוא אל מקדשי אל אבינה לאחריתם •

ואני בער ולא אדע בהמות הייתי עמך •

till I came into the sanctuary of the Lord, and learned to know its object. Now I am willingly ignorant and will not search, am willingly before thee like the beast." (Ps. 73, 16-22 v.)

And thus say also our wise men :

-Our reason is not able to ex » אין בידינו לא משלות הרשעים ואף מיסורי הצדיקים *

לא

plain correctly the happiness

of the wicked, nor the afflictions of the righteous." (Aboth iv.)

CHAPTER IV.

OF IMMORTALITY.

42. What are the consequences of our death?

We lose all the earthly goods, which we may have possessed; our body will be given over to corruption; but our soul has the promise of a future life.

And the dust will return unto * וישוב העפר אל הארץ כשהיה והרוח

תשוב אל האלהים אשר נתנה •

the earth whence it came, and the spirit will return unto God who gave it." (Eccl. 12 ch. 7 v.)

43. What impression ought this to make upon us? We must never fix our minds too strongly upon the goods of this sensual world; never be proud of beauty and strength; but we should aim already at an early period of life to make ourselves acquainted with the real and noble object of our exist

ence.

: Thus speaketh the Eternal » כה אמר ה' אל יתהלל חכם בחכמתו,

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praise himself, to understand, and know me, how I, the Eternal, exercise grace, justice, and righteousness on earth, how I find pleasure in these; speaks the Eternal." (Jer. 9 ch. 22 v.)

44. What arguments does reason alone furnish us relative to the immortality of the soul?

We see clearly, that nothing in the whole range of nature is

entirely destroyed, and of annihilation we can form no idea. Only the forms are changed; the inherent powers continue nevertheless to operate; the fruit rises out of the annihilation, new, young, and manifold;-even animals change-as, for example, the butterfly. How can we then suppose, that the Most Merciful should annihilate the human soul, the masterwork of his creation, after having gifted it with so many noble endowments, which all tend to point out its being destined for the enjoyment of the highest felicity?

No; not to deceive me, did God implant in my bosom this eager desire for everlasting existence, this longing for unending bliss. I may therefore, relying on the faithfulness of his word and his kindness, confidently expect a happier and eternal life.

How great is that beatitude, which » מה רב טובך אשר צפנת ליראיך :

thou hast laid by for those who fear thee!" (Ps. 31, v. 20.) "And may thy soul, my lord,

והיתה נפש אדני צרורה בצרור החיים

את ה' אלהיך

life, with the Eternal thy God!" (1

be bound up in the bond of Sam. 25 ch. 29 v.)

45. Does not the knowledge we possess of the attributes of God, already compel us, to believe in the immortality of our soul?

Certainly. We know him, as an all-wise and all-just God; we see, that he has imparted to us desires and capacities (as, for instance, the ever active desire for the acquirement of truth, and the insatiable thirst for wisdom and higher knowledge,) which would be useless and even absolutely burdensome to us, were we to die away for everlasting and irrevocably, in the midst of our endeavours, when our wishes are not yet satisfied, even in a slight degree, since, with all our toiling, we can only view the surface of truth and wisdom. Then again we often see the righteous oppressed and miserable, or dying prematurely; and many an evil minded man live long

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