Book Description

"I cannot conceive why only Talmudic scholars should benefit by the wealth of all that is beautiful in Rabbinical literature! Why should not we laymen refresh ourselves with the spiritual food offered by the rabbis?" From the many of my co-religionists of whom I have asked, "Have you a recollection of any prayer in the Bible?" the answer was, invariably, "No." I even met with the counter-question, "Are there any prayers in the Bible?" Most people think, "How strange, nowadays, to occupy one's self with the Bible!" It is not strange. Whoever is conversant with Scripture, and knows its beauties, daily discovers new charms therein. All great thinkers and poets have drawn inspiration therefrom. Goethe found in Job, Schiller, in the Proverbs of Solomon, the most profound stimulus; and who knows to what extent the savants of other nations are indebted to it? In the fact that nearly every family possesses a Bible, and scarcely any knows its contents, is hidden a problem of great bearing. It would indeed be an honorable life-task to solve this problem satisfactorily. But now to our theme. Strictly speaking, the Bible contains but one prescribed prayer. In the laws concerning the first fruit of the earth (Deuteronomy xxvi.) we find the command (verse 2): "Thou shalt take of the first fruits ... (3) And thou shalt come unto the priest ... (5) And thou shalt commence, and say," etc. Then follow verses 6-14, which form an introduction and a historic review. After the words, " I have done all, just as thou hast commanded me" (14), comes the actual entreaty and prayer: "O, look down from the habitation of thy holiness, from the heavens, and bless thy people Israel, and the soil which thou hast given us, as Thou hast sworn unto our forefathers, a land flowing with milk and honey. This is the only prescribed prayer for the people in general. And for what does the petitioner pray? For whom does he pray? Is it for himself? For his house? No! For the people and for the country; that God may bless them, and also the land. Even here the elementary thought of Jewish prayer is clearly and plainly expressed. As soon as man stands before God, his supplication shall embrace humanity. He shall not pray for himself alone but he shall be united in love with the whole world. Everything in the chapter but the invocation quoted above, is precept and command.