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דרך
אמונה The Way Of Faith, A Moral And Religious
Catechism Of The Principles Of The Jewish Faith, By
The Late Rev. Raphael Meldoler, Late Chief Rabbi Of
The Spanish And Portuguese Jews’ Congregation (Of
London). Translated from the Hebrew, by the Rev. Dr.
Meldoler, Presiding Rabbi of the said Congregation,
Sec. 1, Part I. London: 5609, 18mo., 30 pp. and 8
pp.
We have received from the
translator a copy of the above little book, the
title of which explains the nature of the contents,
as well as the character of the author and
translator, both of whom are favourably known in
Israel; and of the deceased we may say, that he was
a shining light among his people. The present
publication is only an experiment, to test whether
the public will give support to the entire work of
the late Dr. Meldoler, which was written in the year
5575, (1815,) and has ever since remained in MS. We
cannot say much to the credit of the wealthy
Sephardim congregation of London, who can, it would
appear, furnish funds for all sorts of enterprises,
but not to give to the world a useful work written
by their own spiritual chief. To review it at full
length, would require as much space as the treatise
itself; wherefore we must rest content with merely
stating, that it is a catechism intended for youth
of the age of from twelve to fifteen, and purports
to be a conversation between a Rabbi and his pupil.
It consists of three lessons, the first, referring
to the whole law in general, the second, duties
towards God, embracing the first four precepts of
the Decalogue, and the third, duties towards man, in
elucidation of the six other precepts. As might be
expected, the learned Rabbi constantly refers to the
opinions of the Talmudists in the exposition of the
precepts, whilst he is animated with a universal
love for mankind. The <<277>>style betrays somewhat
that it is a translation, a difficulty not easily
overcome; since, if one wishes to remain faithful to
his author, a somewhat constrained construction is
unavoidable. We notice that Dr. M. defines
אלוה (God) as
denoting one who possesses unlimited power; but we
certainly do not think the explanation correct, as
it simply means one who has power, leaving the
limitation to be defined by the context. The term
אלהים either means
the true God, or the Almighty; again, idols having
no power, or judges having limited power; so, also,
לא אלוה an ungod,
or a thing venerated as God, having no existence.
The word שדי the
All-sufficient, is more correctly used to express
the idea of almighty power.—Kiddush is
spelled Kedush; Ahboth, Abboth; these are
slight defects; but we call the learned divine’s
attention to them to correct the same, when, he
issues the entire work, which we hope will be before
long, as we think it discreditable to our people
that a book of Dr. Meldola should be buried in
oblivion, for want of public support. The present
publication is ornamented with a lithographic
portrait of Dr. M., and is enriched, moreover, with
the original Hebrew preface of the author, in which
he complains first, that the want of elementary
books among the Jews, where the children might
derive an easy and comprehensive knowledge of their
religion, whilst there is an abundance of the books
on the popular system of belief, independently of
the attractive nature of their contents, withdraws
some to seek for instruction from foreign sources;
secondly, of the want of proper system observed by
the few among us who have at times endeavoured to
supply books; and, lastly, that there had arisen of
late (at the time he wrote, 1815), men who,
tinctured with unbelief and infidelity, had compiled
catechisms in which they endeavour to give wrong
views concerning the laws and reasons for the
observances which are not found in our old books of
authority, by which he conceives incalculable
mischief must be wrought. To remedy in a measure
these defects, Dr. Meldola composed in Hebrew a
progressive book, commencing with definitions
calculated for children of five years old, and
ending with those suited for those of fifteen and
seventeen years of age. As we said, the publication
before us is but a very small experimental fragment;
and it is left to the public to decide whether more
shall be forthcoming. We look for a favourable
verdict; for though some works written since the
time Dr. M. finished his, may be better suited for
younger classes, there can be no doubt that his
erudition enabled him to compose a book highly
instructive for more advanced scholars, and even for
those of maturer years.
<<278>>
Narrative Of The United States
Expedition To The River Jordan And The Dead Sea, By
W. F. Lynch, U. S. N., Commander of the Expedition.
Philadelphia, Lea & Blanchard, 1849. 8vo. pp. 308:
(Received from the publishers.)—If even the land of
Israel is deserted by its inhabitants, and its
cities are without its rightful proprietors to dwell
therein, it has nevertheless not lost its interest
in the eyes of the world, and it continues to this
day the object of serious inquiry to men of all
civilized nations. As an evidence in part of this
fact is the handsome volume before us, containing
the Journal of the Expedition, fitted out in the
year 1847, by order of the United States government,
to make discoveries in the River Jordan and the Dead
Sea, that silent and ominous lake which has sparkled
in mystery and silence for so many centuries, its
waters undisturbed by the bark of commerce, and its
shores untilled by the hand of the husbandman. And
let it not be thought that the task was without its
danger; for, not long before, two Englishmen, Costigan and Molyneaux, who had at different times
made discoveries on that sea, perished soon after
quitting its inhospitable shores; and even of the
small party who composed Lieut. Lynch’s expedition,
his second in command, Lieut. John P. Dale, died at
Bhamdun, near Beirut, on the 24th of July, 1848,
they having entered the sea on the 18th of April,
and quitted it May 10th, thus spending twenty-two
days in the exploration. The dangers of the climate,
however, though well known beforehand, not to speak
of those often occurring from the savage nature of
the Arab tribes, who now prowl about the deserts and
arable lands of Palestine, in places formerly the
seat of high civilization, did not deter the
enterprising American naval officer, the author of
the work and planner of the expedition, from
applying to Mr. John Y. Mason, the then Secretary of
the Navy, for means and authority to undertake the
dangerous enterprise. He was impelled, no doubt, by
honourable ambition to do something worthy of
record, besides braving death at the cannon’s mouth,
which at best requires but a brute sort of courage,
and which inferior minds can possess as well as
those of the highest endowments; and then he also
felt drawn to explore the portions of Palestine
which properly belong more to his part of the
service than to landsmen, by the desire he felt to
trace with his own eyes the scenes which are
consecrated to his religion, the Christian, no less
than they are to the Hebrew’s faith. And it is at
least this enthusiasm, this longing to gratify an
impulsive curiosity, irrespective of cost, trials,
and dangers, which has led to so much that is good
and noble, and unveiled not alone the recesses of
past history and the peculiar features of distant
lands, but also revealed to man the arcana of
sciences, by which <<279>>the progress of society,
has been so much accelerated within the memory of
the present generation, not to mention the ages
which have elapsed before us. It would indeed be a
source of gratification to us, as an Israelite, had
we cause to be indebted to modern Jews for some
portion of knowledge concerning the East and our
ancient heritage; for some of those investigations
in the countries removed from European civilization,
which formerly were the centre and seat of learning.
But unfortunately, beyond a simple diary of daily
events by a highly endowed lady of our faith, Jews
have contributed nothing of late years, as far as
our knowledge tends, to an illustration of the land
of the Bible by actual inspection and description;
and hence we are the more indebted to persons of
other persuasions for their zeal and perseverance to
accomplish what would otherwise have been left
undone.
The Scriptures are valuable
alike to all believers in revelation, whether
Israelites or not; wherefore we need not wonder that
so many learned and enterprising spirits have from
time to time engaged in the exploration of lands and
monuments of antiquity, calculated to throw light
upon the records of the Bible, which have guided
mankind in morals and religion. That all the
investigations have uniformly tended to remove doubt
and confirm belief, only proves that we have always
confided in the truth, and that we have not depended
for information upon the invention of cunning and
deceitful men. Among other Mosaic traditions, all
history being this in a strict sense of the word,
there is one which relates to the sinking of a
valley, called then the circle of the Jordan, and
the destruction by fire and sulphur of the four
cities therein situated. The locality of the plain
is described, also, as containing in part slime or
bitumen pits, tenacious enough to prevent persons
from escaping after falling into them. The only
evidence hitherto possessed of the truth of this,
was the presence of that ominous, silent lake, with
nought of life in, and scarcely around it. No
wonder, then, that it has ever been an object of
great interest to the inquirer, and that in this
age, when discovery is pushed into all branches of
science, the asphalte lake should also be subject to
the inroads off the curious. We do not marvel,
therefore, that an honourable ambition should have
urged Lieut. Lynch to ask of the government for the
privilege of leading an expedition to the distant
and solitary shores of the Sea of Sodom, or Bahr Lut,
as it, is called by the Arabs, who at present
inhabit the plains and mountains of Judea, and are
greater enemies to the improvement of the country
than the unhealthiness or heat of the climate can
possibly be. And doubtless he must feel a
satisfaction that he has accomplished successfully
the self-imposed task, and brought back a correct
topographical <<280>>survey, and of the soundings of
that sea which now covers the ancient valley of Siddim.
(To be continued.) |
