7. Not to eat of the meat of any animal, till its life be actually extinct. (Gen. 9 ch. 4—7 v.) 70. What are we commanded by the SECOND precept? That we should place our hope and trust in the only and eternal God solely, and in no other being besides him; that we should not represent the Most High by any image, and under any form, much less clothe him with corporeal qualities and attributes. Again, that we dare not ascribe supernatural power to any other being; and, in fact, to guard ourselves carefully against all kinds of superstition. Thou must be entire with the Eternal * תמים תהיה עם ה' אלהיך thy God." (Deut. 18 ch. 13 v.) 71. But why did God forbid idolatry so impressively, and even call himself a watchful God, to punish such a sin with peculiar severity; since He, the Eternal, can suffer no injury by our transgression, as we read in Job (35 ch. 6v.): "When thou sinnest, what effect canst thou have on him? and be thy derelictions ever so great, what injury canst thou do him?" All precepts of God are intended for the promotion of our own happiness only. It is well known to His omniscience, that nothing withdraws a man so easily from his duties, as idolatry and superstition. False conceptions of God, and his attributes, pervert the understanding, and corrupt the heart, in so far as they render it ungrateful towards our almighty and real benefactor, and induce it to surrender itself to every species of extravagance. Of this, history furnishes us with so many examples of horrible abominations, which were actually practised by the ancient idolatrous nations. Thou shalt not learn to * לא תלמד לעשות כתועבת הגוים ההם לא ימצא בך מעביר בנו ובתו באש קסם קסמים imitate the abominable מעונן ומנחש ומכשף וגו' כי תועבת ה' כל עשה אלה וגו'. customs of these nations. No one shall be found among thee, who causeth his son or daughter to go through the fire, nor any one who is a fortune-teller, observer of clouds, augur, conjurer of snakes or wizard, for whoever does any of these, is an abomination to the Eternal." (Deut. 18 ch. 9 v.) 72. But is it not incompatible with the justice of God, that he should visit the iniquity of fathers even on the children and children's children? Does he not teach us himself in other places, (Jer. 31 ch. 30 v. and Deut. 24 ch. 16 v.): That Parents shall not die for the » לא יומתו אבות על בנים ובנים לא יומתו על אבות איש בחטאו יומתו • children, nor shall the children perish on account of the parents, but each shall die for his own sins?" The very verse under consideration gives us the best answer, as it adds: "Namely, those who hate me ;" i. e. if the children of a wicked man pursue the same course, and continue to persevere in the same sins, in despite of the admonition, by which it was shown to them that their parents acted wrong; excusing themselves by saying, they had seen it thus before them from their father. No such excuse, says God, can be of any avail; but they shall not flatter themselves with hopes of impunity; for man is bound to acquire a knowledge of the better, and act according to this knowledge. And if the descendants of a bad man do this; they have the promise of God (Ezek. 18 ch.), that they shall not suffer, even in the most distant degree, for the sins of their parent. 66 The son shall not sufer for » בן לא ישא בעון האב ואב לא ישא בעון הבן לכן איש כדרכיו אשפט • the sin of the father, nor the father for the sin of the son; surely I will judge every man according to his ways." 73. When are we already guilty of a refined species of idolatry? Whenever we put greater confidence in the powers and possessions of others or our own, than in God, to whom we are indebted for all the good we enjoy; for is it not God, who loves all his creatures, from whom all benefits originally emanate? ,And thou must remember » וזכרת את ה' אלהיך כי הוא הנתן לך כח לעשות חיל · that it is the Eternal thy God, who gives thee strength to acquire wealth." (Deut. 8 ch. 18 v.) : Thus speaketh the Eternal * כה אמר ה' ארור הגבר אשר יבטח באדם ושם בשר זרועו ומן ה' יסור לבו. ברוך הגבר Cursed be the man, who אשר יבטח בה' והיה ה' מבטחו. • puts his trust in man, and places his strength on flesh; but whose heart is turned away from the Eternal. Blessed be the man, who trusts in the Eternal, for the Eternal will also be his support." (Jer. 17 ch. 5 v.) 74. What does the THIRD commandment ask of us? Not to make a bad use of the divine name; never to use it unnecessarily, and never to utter it, but with a feeling of the deepest veneration. Therefore even a prayer is a sin, if unaccompanied with real devotion; how much more sinful must an unnecessary oath be, not to mention a false one, which is an unpardonable profanation and disregard of the holy name of God. And you shall not swear * ולא תשבעו בשמי לשקר וחללת את שם אלהיך אני ה'. falsely by my name. Thou wouldst thus profane the name of thy God; I am the Eternal" (ready to punish such misconduct). (Lev. 19 ch. 12 v.) 75. When does a man swear falsely? When he promises with an oath to do or not to do an act, or he swears to discontinue any thing; and he afterwards does not that which he swore to do, or continues to do that which he has promised not to do; or if he fortifies any assertion with an oath, asseverating its truth, the untruth of which must be clearly apparent to him; in all these cases a man swears falsely. 76. When does a man swear unnecessarily? If he in a careless manner and without sufficient cause, swears to that, where yes or no would be alone requisite to decide the matter. 77. On what occasion is an oath, for the establishment of the truth, permitted? Only, when we are called upon to do so by a judge, and necessity demands it. But even in this case, we ought to prepare ourselves for such a solemn act, test our heart and do inward penance, that we may not be unworthy of pronouncing the holy name. The Eternal thy God thou » את ה' אלהיך תירא אתו תעבד ובו תדבק ובשמו תשבע must fear, him thou must worship, to him thou must adhere, and by his name thou shalt swear." (Deut. 6 ch. 13 v. and 10 ch. 20 v.) 78. What does the FOURTH commandment enjoin on us? That we should consecrate the Sabbath and the festivals in honour of the Eternal, and declare by our thus doing, that we firmly believe, that the Most High produced, created and regulated the universe from nothing, and that He alone is the Lord and preserver of all things, and our benefactor, and that he will ever continue to be so, since his power and will must ever remain unaltered. 79. How are we to consecrate a day in honour of the Eternal? We are bound to devote it chiefly to divine worship, rest from all worldly business, visit the public houses of prayer and schools, and think seriously about ourselves and our conduct, that we may be kept in the ways of virtue and the fear of God, through religious instruction and pious resolutions. 66 and thy labours cease on my ,Ifthy feet rest on the Sabbath * אם תשיב משבת רגלך עשות חפצך ביום קדשי וקראת לשבת ענג לקדוש ה' מכבד וכבדתו מעשות דרכיך ממצוא חפצך ודבר דבר אז תתענג על ה' • holy day; if thou callest the consecrated wholly to the sanctification of the Eternal; and if thou honourest it by not following thy usual occupations, and if thou abstainest from vain desires and speaking of thy worldly affairs: then wilt thou surely find delight in the Eternal." (Is. 58 ch. 13 v.) 80. How many festivals have we besides the Sabbath? FIVE. To wit: 1. The feast of Unleavened Bread in an, commonly called ADD or Passover, the time of our going out of Egypt and of our redemption from slavery. 2. The feast of Weeks nyawn in or Pentecost, so called from its being celebrated on the fiftieth day from the first day of Passover, and it is the day of the promulgation of the law on Mount Sinai. And as this was also the harvest feast, it is called on or the day of the first fruits. 3. The New Year's feast, commonly called non ; but in holy writ it is called D Day of Remembrance. 4. The Day of Atonement, or the day of universal penitence, for the repentance and forgiveness of our sins and lastly, 5. The feasts of Tabernacles and Conclusion, or the autum * For a more detailed account of these festivals see Appendix. |