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33
LIGHTEN STEIN
CI
1'
FACILIT
H'
An Appeal
TO THE
Jewish People.
RABBI
I.
LICHTENSTEIN,
Of Budapest.
Baron
PRINTED FOR
ISRAEL.
N.W.
2008
IVIicrosoft
Corporation
littp://www.arcliive.org/details/appealtojewishpeOOIich
AN APPEAL
TO THE
Jewish People.
BY
RABBI
I.
LICHTENSTEIN,
Of Budapest.
{Translated
from
the
German
by Mrs, Baron.)
PRINTED FOR
ISRAEL.
BARON,
MY APPEAL.
ENTREAT
it
you to read
this little
paper
read
To
and
undisturbed
people
selves or deceived.
by
the
outcry
made by
attentively
who
I
and honestly, and to judge if its contents are logical, based on sound judgment, and deeply rooted in that Rock on which Moses stood when he beheld the
glory of God.
The times
in
are past
when
public thought
was
led
Amen
her
dispute.
right.
Reason
"
has
cries
at
at
last
upon
Wisdom
;
aloud,
the town
(Prov.
1-3).
Mankind is now mature and of age to understand and appreciate truth, which is eternal and absolute,
A
2
2116327
though
formerly
misjudged.
Everybody
is
now
indepen-
dent convictions.
NJ IdS
in
Well,
love
let
and goodwill.
Let us go hand
hand without
reser\-e,
and of a spiritual religious consciousness let us consider whether that which I have already written, and now ^\Tite, is worthy to be cherished as in accord with the signs of the times, the hopes and expectations
of Israel, with our past, present and future
it
;
whether
is
genuine and
unadulterated of our Jewish sentiment and maxims. \\'ith the Psalmist I fervently pray, " Remove from
me
and grant
the
me Thy law
of
I
gra-
ciously.
have
I
chosen
way
me.
Faith
judgments have
testimonies;
in the
laid before
hold fast
I
Thy Thy
walk
O
of
Lord, put
me
not to shame.
way
Thy commandments,
have penetrated
boldly
m}- heart."
It is true,
I
far into
the Holy of
Holies
have
my
enemies
say
madly
shunned like the pest by everj* Jew, their Rabbis. I have paid homage by and especially to the founder of Christianity, and rendered Him praise
Redeemer of the World, the Saviour, the But, humanly long-expected Messiah of the Jews.
as the
speaking, do not
require
extraordinar}-
means,
bold
thoughts,
and
thorough
reforms
Are
not
the world,
disunited
yet in
Israel,
who
the
I
vain,
!
for
coming of the
I
Angel of the
Covenant
and
What
who
can
?
effect
the regeneration
resurrection of Israel
Who
the prophesied
miracle
of Ezekiel?
" Behold,
before Me,
send
My Angel, He
way
He shall suddenly come to His Temple. The Lord whom ye look for, the Angel of the
Covenant
(Mai.
iii.
shall
appear, saith
the
Lord
of
Hosts"
i).
I
mv
the
Prophet,
and
that
was
I
fultilled
in
His
appearance.
as an old
in
office,
Jew
the
Law,
confess candidly,
;
Jesus
is
Christ,
and
no other,
for
nniH ^xS^
long,
whom we
my
lips
God
will,
my prolonged
life
shall serve to
"
He
is
Abraham, Moses,
and the Prophets, for He beheld in cloudless light that which they saw dimly as through mist, and longed for with holy presentiment and awe. At the
time of the
sacrificial
veil of the
Temple was
glory of the
rent in
brightest light to
**
the world.
we have heard of Him and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him If we say that we have fellowis no darkness at all. ship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do But if we walk in the light, as He not the truth. another, is in the light, we have fellowship one with
This
is
and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us "This is the confrom all sin." (i John i. 5-7). demnation, that light is come into the world, and
men
loved
light,
because their
deeds
hateth
were
For
neither
everyone
that
doeth
evil
the light,
reproved.
truth
cometh
to
deeds
in
made
(John
manifest
they
are
wrought
may be God
is
of the
Lord
is
risen
upon
thee.
covers the earth, and gross darkness the people but the Lord and His glory are risen over thee. And the
Gentiles shall walk in the Light, and the kings in the
brightness of thy rising " (Isa. Ix. 1-3). " O House of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the " (Isa. ii. 5). Or shall Israel alone light of the Lord
Shall
God's possession
above
all
head of the nations as the most excellent witness of God's truth, light, and salvation, as represented by
Moses and the Prophets, proclaimed by Christ, and written in the New Testament shall Israel wilfully, defiantly, and obstinately renounce such high privilege ? Truly deplorable and hopeless is the case of the man
who has
self,
God
in
as well as in himhis
and
hands
bosom, saying,
despicable
despairingly,
" There
is
That nation
itself,
;
is
which
obstinately
surrenders
all its
and, so doing,
sons
who wickedly
it;
cut
is
it
asunder."
But,
on
powerless
and
but
helpless,
neither
continue to cherish
hidden energy,
life.
in their future,
and
in a
revival of national
What power
Roumania,
their
scientific life,
is
political
dissolution,
servile
of
all
and
degradation
in spite in
of the
stupidity,
ignorance,
the
enervation,
which the
by
the
it
inhabitants
terrible
Was
the
longing
past
for
better
memory
to
awake out of the national sleep of centuries ? The noblest among them felt ever more and more impelled towards freedom by the history of their land and people, their proverbs and national songs. You may well reply The mighty hand of Russia, as of other powers, was to be seen here, compelling and giving freedom. But look at Hungary forsaken and abandoned of all the world. What power was that which
:
!
restored
life
to
its
renewed
its
power
in
and
to
blossom anew
its
unexpected prosperity
Was it
not perhaps
its
songs,
patriotic
ancestors' courage
forgotten
inspiriting
irresistible
spirit of
their
heroes
;
the the
inexhaustible
love
of
Fatherland
impulse
listen
towards
to
freedom
I
and
indepen-
dence
for
But
me
as
say
We
groan and
cry and sigh for our Messiah, and out of very longing
Messiahs
versity
!
Redemption, we have often been misled by false and yet how inconceivable What per;
!
What
Let
us suppose a poor
man
in great need,
who
;
expectantly
waits to obtain a number in the lottery, being told, " Your lot has won the highest sum you can draw
will "
were true?
Now, through
all
thousands of the most excellent of all nations have " Rejoice and be glad, O cried triumphantly to us daughter of Zion, behold thy Redeemer, He is come.
:
He
He
will
gather you
:
wings He as a hen gathers her chickens under her comes on the mountains and leaps on the hills
;
Open
to
me,
have
my
beloved,
my
sister,
my
dove
Thy
fathers
often
followed
divine
false
Messiahs,
idolatrously
rendering them
ears no
inquire of longer, open thine eyes, search thy Bible, thy Prophets, read the New Testament attentively, and thou shall find Moses here, the Prophets there,
Christ as
Redeemer, Messiah, in the midst, God found, over all. " Seek the Lord while He may be wicked the Let near. call upon Him while He is way and the unrighteous man his forsake his and thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord,
He
for
will
have
will
mercy upon
abundantly
hearts,
He
pardon"
as
at
(Isa.
Iv.
6,
7).
"
Meribah, as
in
the
day of Massah, in the wilderness, when they saw fathers tempted Me, proved Me, although see how and My works" (Psalm xcv. 8). "Taste
your
kind the Lord
is the man who trusteth His saints, for there is ye Fear the Lord, in Him. The lions lack and to them that fear Him.
is;
blessed
no lack
suffer
good thing. Come, ye children, listen to me, I will xxxiv. teach you the fear of the Lord" (Psalm
9-12).
A 5
10
" For whosoever shall call on the
shall
name
on
of the
in
Lord
be saved.
How
Him
whom
how
Him
of
whom
as
it
is
written,
How
!
them
of
peace
X.
(Rom.
"But
whom
shall
I
?
speak, and
whom
is is
shall
Their ear
closed, they to
cannot understand, the word of the Lord reproach, they hear it with reluctance "
All
else
them
the
it
Jew
will
opposed
may
be to
Every-
and worldly-minded,
he
the
will treat
He
accepts
latest
phases
the
modern
strangest
thought,
principles
grief!
and smiles
advanced
will
benevolently at
only one thing
he not endure, that Christ should be preached to him, and whosoever dares to name that sacred name with
reverence,
oh
horror!
oh
him he will curse and execrate bitterly.* Dear brethren, " I am the man that hath seen
affliction."
works as a teacher in my late community of Tapio Szele, who, conversing with a sorely
still
* An accomplished lady, who was conversing with me, exclaimed, when her arguments had all been met, " Heis everything great, eveiy thing noble, if only He were not called Jesus Christ." We Jews call Hiai UVJ" (Ycshua),
A Jew
was
my
laconic answer.
II
afflicted
man, whose
sickness
is
incurable,
faith
and
trust
to
whom
in no consolation remains but " There God, tells him, with the hardihood of folly and calumniates, avoids, This infidel is no God." is There me, because I preach the gospel.
:
and
insults
yet
another,
a wolf in
sheep's
clothing,
who does
thine
not
understand
the
difference
between
and
mine,
as
it
observes the law of Moses his business does not touch his gain, who keeps
who
only in so far
sells Chametz open on Sabbaths and festivals, and fanatic, this man rages against me with at Passover
;
unappeasable fury.
light of the
Yes,
men who
continually
make
mightiest precepts of Jewish Rabbis, who practise the liberal-minded secute me; religious leniency to themselves and others in
greatest
law per-
and branded me
me
my
testimony for Jesus Christ. blind Why, I ask, this unconquerable apathy, this against one inextinguishable hate, this fanatic rage
most excellent of the of the greatest, most exalted, to deny, of religion, who, it is impossible
founders
has brought to
a whole world, civilisation, salvation, incomprehensible! redemption, and blessed faith? It is judgments of the and thoughts In our days, when the of Nero's monster a past are being recast, and even eulogists, when a contype finds champions and critique in favour of servative Rabbi publishes a positive religion, Spinoza, who combated every who for forty years these days, I say, an old man, of his modest robbed has held his office in honour, is and persecuted to the uttermost, because
livelihood
12
he has dared to raise the cry to his people, " Search and seek, plunge into the pure, untroubled stream of divine teaching take note of the general moral ruin
;
and degradation,
children.
and
go
consider
prejudice,
the
good
of
your
be
Let
be
reasonable,
upright and
impartial;
and,
and buried religious convictions, the Old and New Testament will witness to you, beyond all dispute, that Christ is our only that He, only He, hope, our Saviour and Messiah
made way
for
your
stifled
and no other,
of our God."
will
House
deep-
But, be rooted
it
as
it
may,
or
will not
conceal
my
convictions,
be dismayed
either
by the
mean, malicious tricks of secret foes, or by the " For Zion's sake rough blows of open enemies. will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake
will
I
righteousness arise
and her salvation as a lamp that burneth. Gentiles may see thy righteousness, and
thy glory,
That the
all
kings
and thou shalt be called by a new name, of the Lord shall name " (Isa. Ixii. mouth which the "I say, then, hath God cast away His people? 1,2). God forbid! For I am also an Israelite, of the seed God hath of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. Or not cast away His people which He foreknew. Elias, how of says Scripture the what not ye know
he
ing.
made
Lord,
intercession
to
God,
killed
against
Israel,
say-
they
have
Thy
I
prophets,
and
alone,
altars,
and
am
left
my
?
life.
I
But what
saith the
answer
God
to
him
"
T3
thousand
Baal.
to
Even
there
is
at
this present
time also
of
remnant
according
to
the
election
grace
may
be
tears.
The time
and bear
will
fruit,
come when
will
will
ripen
when he
who
on
with him.
"
Here
stand
my
watch and
set
me upon
said
to
me, and
what
shall
answer
clearly
him
that
reproveth me.
says.
Write the
he
paint
it
on a tablet
is
it
that
for
who
not
runs
may
time,
read.
The
the
tarry,
vision
yet
shall
an
appointed
but
at
it
end
wait
speak
for
it
and
is
lie.
Though
for
it,
will surely
come, and
shall
will
not tarry.
Behold,
his
he who
heart.
ii.
stiffnecked,
the just
he will have
live
no
rest in
But
I
by
his faith''
(Hab.
1-4).
" For
for
it
am
is
the power of
God unto
and also
written.
every one
that
believeth, to the
Jew
as
it
i.
first
to the Greek.
For
therein
faith
is
revealed
the
is
righteousness of
God from
to
faith,
(
The
by
faith "
Rom.
I
16, 17).
If
Messiah,
wide
mission,
that
Light-tower
the
Tower
of
David
with
which
its
built to
may
not go
astray in
14
in
sight
if I
bring forward
the
New
who
Lord
and the
;
fear of the
I
to
seek therein
for
themselves
if
encourage
my
Jewish brethren to draw from the crystal spring and youth-renewing well of the apostle, that they may
recover in body and soul, and, newborn,
may
it
rejoice
is
and be glad
in the living
God
if
do
this,
not
to force into undue prominence any dogma, any sign or wonder, but simply to draw attention to the Godordained way of Salvation, as contained in the Holy
New
whom
all
is
found.
Israel,
shy of miracle
of miracle,
because without
the
faith.
Israel,
born
who has
;
God
and author
filled
in
miracles
whose history is encircled and with miracles of God, stumbles at the Israel, whose of the New Testament
Israel,
!
prophets were
continually
obliged
to
confirm their
words by miracles and signs who have known an Elijah and an Elisha, who, on necessity, multiplied meal and oil and bread, cleansed lepers, and raised
the dead
V.
(i
Kings
I
xvii.
14,
21
2 at
Kings
iv.
5-44
1-27)
Israel,
say,
stumbles
the miracles of
Leave, for the present, these signs and miracles of Christ, and concern yourselves with those words
in
15
will
make progress
be revealed to
miracle in
will
will
will
be as
K^p
all
history.
Then you
Saviour-life of
full
of miracle.
They
the
are
all
evidenced
by deed.
Miracles to
for the
will seek
for in vain in
to
strengthen
where
found entrance.
For
such as opposed
Him
He
drastic reply,
"This
evil
and adulterous
"
prophet Jonah
39).
He
required faith, as
to
God
who come
Him
seeking help
to
faith, that
is,
open-
ness to His
Word, devotion
on His help.
"Jesus turned Him about, and when He saw her He said. Daughter, be of good comfort, (Matt. ix. 22). thy faith hath made thee whole " "And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stem
^''^
consideration.
book has appeared quite recently which is worthy of serious It is wTitten by Prof. J. M. Charcot, and is entitled "Saving Faith," founded on knowledge and experience (Der Heilende Glaube). Yes, Christ will come again in unimagined gloiy and splendour. Then, for the first time, we shall perfectly understand Him, and perfectly adore. Now we see through a mirror, a word which is dark to us, but then
*
little
face to face.
"Now I know
Cor. xiil 12.)
know even
as
am
known"
(i
i6
of Jesse, and a tender shoot from his roots.
And
the
Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the
Lord
and
shall
make Him
Lord
;
of quick understanding
and
He
shall
He
judge
and He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall
He
And
girdle of
His
loins,
Thus does
such divine
Son of David,
do
the
Prophets ascribe to
Him. Truly He is a miraculous Person, both divine and human, but still I will not enlarge here upon His wondrous birth and wondrous return to the Father
a
stone
of
stumbling
to the
unbelieving, notwith-
and
will
in
storm.
(2
Kings
ii.
11.)
Again,
and
suc-
the orthodox in
in
a tenfold
godhead,
emanations,
who with
En-Sof (the Eternal) form one absolute, inseparable These say, " As unity, with ten sides and ten faces.
the
fire
with
its
flames
and
its
sparks
is
but one,
Him
is
17
most advanced "' Rabbis cannot think of God without the Shechina Neither will (glory) and the tyipTl Hin, Holy Spirit. whose sacrifice I here represent Christ as the Lamb of
one
in
being."
Many
also
of our
death was an
often repeat
**
The
is
is
an atonement, so
atoning."
that
But
I is
fact that
Jew
flesh, a traitor to
himself,
and
to
who does
not
and render
unite
Him
the
homage due
Him who
does
heralds of Christ and exclaim in accord with them, " Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done
wondrously.
gotten
Him
His right hand and His holy arm have the victory. The Lord has proclaimed
all
peoples,
He
He remembered
truth to the house of Israel." " Here is the patience of the saints, here are they
who keep the commandments of God and faith in Jesus, who is not come to destroy but to fulfil the
law and the prophets."
ni^DC Protocol
Third
of the
first
Assembly of Rabbis
at
Braunschweig,
June 1844.
edition,
page 105,
i8
Brethren, away to Jesus,
Spirit
who by
has borne
countless
thousands
;
kingdom of heaven
made
the
fruitful
human
victim of degraded
heathen
who
has given a
life,
new
Who
their
consciences
out of
true
mankind before God ? Certainly He has effected that which was prophesied of the Seed of David, His work has been that of the predicted Messiah and the true Seed of Abraham, through
Him
yet
all
nations
of
It
is
the
earth
will
be blessed.
possible to
shut
the
our eyes to
less
these patent
for
facts,
but
we
are
not
blind
doing
so.
It is true
blessing,
you can point me to curse and not to and bring to my remembrance the iniquity
of Christianity through
all
name
the centuries
which
of
of the
Church's
hateful
to
note the
doings
the
Anti-Semites,
ask,
and present
itself free
from such
?
reproach
have we
nothing to mourn
in
and repent
Have our
the
same
spirit
as our father
Abraham,
''
Let there be no
strife
be-
tween
me and
for
thee,
between
raged
my herdsmen
?
and thy
bitter
tribe,
?
herdsmen,
we
strife
are
brethren
"
Has not
tribe
unappeasable
between
and
among
in
Jews enough who, full of envy and mistrust, endeavour to spoil their brother of honour, and would even snatch the scant food from his mouth ? " These are wicked people, Jews only by name," so you answer
me
you on the authority of the plain teaching of the New Testament, that Christians who do not love every one, whose hearts do not beat in love
;
but
I tell
and brotherliness
or race,
who
name
Jews
who who
Christians
word of
Christ, unre-
whom
every real follower of Christ, must denounce as unclean, and avoid, Shadows of the night which disappear
before the
light of
day.
sweet, and a
is
God
among
narrow
circle
and rub your sleepy eyes; look about is being done on every hand by
;
of
their spirits.
who, instead of frequenting places of entertainment, balls, concerts, and the like, for the love of Christ,
2Q
visit hospitals,
who
and to God.
chiefly
in
of Christ in the
Christian
lands,
be just to
messengers, the
missionaries,*
who
world, the Bible only in their hand, without weapon or defence, and who, renouncing comfort, and defying
privation
and
weariness,
offer
the
gospel
to
the
self-denying
work
are neither
dismayed by the savage cannibal or the fatal climate. Learn to honour and appreciate those friends of Israel
among
the nations, those Philo Semites among Christiansof whom Professor Franz Delitzsch, of Leipzig,
as
it
were, a beautiful
sapphire
like
the
colours of heaven
truth the
when
it
is
bright,'"
pure, spiritual,
original
of offence, and given my * Ah I have again committed an unheaid Who dares to speak in Impossible enemies a new point of attack. all men after Christ Himself? of hated most the missionaries, praise of the But truth And above all, who speaks in praise of the Jewish missionaries ? missionaries as also and experience have set me free. It may be among
!
!
in other
human
some
are earnest, truly pious and tried disciples of Christ, for the salvation of mankind and also of the zeal fervent with glow who to their work," and their recomTews. "The Lord reward them according
number
Israel.
21
Lord our God is one God. And Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy might and thou shalt love thy neighbour
" Hear,
Israel, th
as thyself"
(Mark
xii.
29-31).
in the
power of His Spirit seek to give expression to that which was the heart and soul of the revelation of God by Moses and the " My in them it is truly come to pass Prophets
These follow Jesus, and
;
name
is
had
its
in praise
among
sunrise to
going
down"
(Mai.
11).
These friends of Israel have no desire to turn us away from the one God our Father, but to bring us to Christ, as to Him in whom Jehovah dwells, and who has appeared to redeem His people; as to Him
also in
whom
Faith, Hope,
heavenly
powers,
which
are
of
true
the
will reveal
Himself as
the
tender
mercy of
sit
to
give
light
to
them
78, 79).
that
in
way
of
peace" (Luke
i.
Dearest
Brethren,
we
are
in
the
midst of the
we are scattered among the nations who worship the God of Israel in Christ; whether we recognise it or not, we are walking in the light which Christ has shed over the world, and we enjoy How long the fruits of His having come as Saviour. shall we continue cold and lifeless? how long shall
Christian world,
we
repel
Him whose
is
the
22
and the Prophets have their fulfilment and completion ? No more do we dwell pent up in the Ghetto, the time of our inequality as citizens and deprivation of political
Crown
of Israel, in
whom
the
Law
rights
is
at
an end, we share
our
Christian
in
all
the intellectual
privileges
of
fellow-citizens.
Why
in
then
should
we
longer
remain
in
cooped up
for
the
narrow
spiritual
Ghetto,
which
centuries
long we have dwelt, whose walls have long since been broken down and overcome by a new spirit of
life?
Rabbinic-Talmudic
fortress
Judaism,
that
wonderful
built
old
in
of the
tenacious
Jewish mind,
is full
up
opposition to Christianity,
of ruins.
of breaches
a heap
Gone
virtues,
is
kindled by faith in
The barest unbelief, the boldest is decayed. immorality and worldliness, meets us in the Jewish not the Talmud only, but with youth of our day
;
countless
Jews,
scoff.
Moses
become a
Who
can heal
From whence shall help come? The true halm this wound of Joseph ?
lies
in
the
hand of Jesus.
New
enemies of our people have arisen, the Anti-Semites have sown a dragon's seed which ripens to a horrid
harvest.
This new Goliath will receive his deaththe Semites, Jesus and His Apostles, by from blow Range yourthe grace and truth of His words. selves under the banner of Jesus, and then we can
their
23
destroy their
molehill.
?
Is
God with
is
us,
then
can be against us
But God
not with us
if
who we
And
King
?
will
when
at last
we then be absorbed
be an end to our
;
in
Christendom,
then,
and
will
?
there
God-consecrated
at
last,
people
attain
By no means
position
to
Israel
will
is
the
which he
called of
God.
the
all
first-born,
whom
that
the
Saviour of
in
peoples
has
of
arisen
as
nation
which the
its
Kingdom
will
God was
first
true
King of
Israel.
Then
be
fulfilled to
;
yet
unfulfilled
then
"
become
true
men
out of
all
Jew, saying.
that
We
will
go with you,
for
we have heard
;
God
is
viii.
23)
as also the
word of Isaiah: "At the last times shall the mountain of the Lord's house be exalted, and be high above all the mountains, and all nations shall
flow
unto
it.
And one
ye, let
shall
encourage
another,
saying.
Come
us
go up to the mountain of
of the
House
God
of Jacob, and
will walk in His For from Zion will go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. O House of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord ' (Isa. ii. 2-5).
will
He
paths.
24
Jesus sa3'S:
the Hfe.
"I am the way, and the truth, and No one cometh unto the Father but by
xiv.
:
me"
that
shall
(John
6).
I
them and
said
foUoweth
me
Israel
Arise, shine
Thy Light
is
come.
DUE
on the
last
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