La Esencia Del Judaismo (Inglés)

THE

ESSENCE
0F

JUDAISM:
FOR

Teachers & Pupils, and for Self-instruction.

B Y ISAAC M . W I S E .

Entered according to an Act of Congress, in 1861, BY I S A A C M. W I S E , In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern District of Ohio.
PREFACE.
This little book was chiefly intended for Talmid Yelodim Institute, and the preparativeinstruction for confirmation of the youth of the congregation Bene Yeshurun of Cincinnati, as the books usually styled catechisms offer no complete outlines, of the system of Judaism, and dwell much more on ceremonial observances than on the spirit and essence of the religion taught in the Bible. But the entire absence of a book of this kind in the English language, and his conviction that the knowledgeof Religion in so small a compass can only benefit the community, occasioned the author to publish these pages. The reader will find in them a complete abstract of Judaism and a guide to a better understanding and appreciation of the Bible. Teachers who should happen to use this book are requested to catechize first on the principal portions thereof, which they will easily discover, and traintheir pupils to read the biblical passages referred to IN T H E B I B L E , and i f possible in Hebrew; for the principal intention of this book is to guide the reader or student in acquiring a proper knowledge of the Bible. Only after the leading parts of the book are known to the pupil and well understood, the book might be taught thro* as it is, but not without reading all the biblical passagesreferred to and giving full account to the teacher, why the author formed such a conclusion from the passages referred to. In case of self-instruction the same method is recommendable. The method thus proposed offers two beneficial advantages: 1. The pupil should study religion from the Bible and not from this or any other book. This book only intends to guido the inquisitive in studying Religionfrom the Bible.

2. The pupil should lcnrn to think and reflect on the Bible and not read it] thoughtlessly. For these very reasons the biblical passages are not set down in this work. The pupil must find, read and understand them. The Bible is Hebrew and should bo read in that language to be properly understood. No translation can fully replace the original text. Those who do not understand theHebrew will not always succeed in ascertaining the sense which the author discovers i n some passages, but they will succeedina most instances. Teachers are expected to have the Hebrew Bible before them, i f the pupil reads the passages referred to i n English, in order to improve the translation i f necessary to approximate the original text. Read and be instructed in the path of righteousness andwisdom. Cincinnati, in tlio month of Tishri, 5621, A . M .

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ESSENCE OF JUDAISM.
Chapter 1.
DEFINITIONS. §1. RELIGION is to worship God by doing His will. That there is a God nature, history, intellect and the revelation testify. §2. The knowledge of God and His will constitutes the theorotical element of religion; to act accordingly is practical religion. §3. Israel's religion isrevealed by God to Israel directly, and indirectly through Moses and the Prophets. (Deut. v, 19 to 30, and xviii, 13 to 22.) §. The revealed matter is preserved intact in the twenty four books of Sacred Scripture or Bible. §5. The Bible is divided in !‫)*7־‬iTl» PENTATEUCH, which comprises the Five Books of Moses; ‫ י^ביאים‬PROPHETS, which comprise the six books of "The first prophets," ‫}30יאי‬OUi&^N*1» viz: Joshua, Judges, first and second Samuel and first and second Kings, and the four books of " The Latter 2 : ]Prophets"^‫ י נ ב י א י םאך1ר1^ם‬I8aiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the book of the twelve minor prophets, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadia, Jona, Micha, Nahum, Habakuk, Zephania, Haggai, Zacharia, Malachia; and Q ^ l i " ^ * HIOORAPHT, which comprises the nine books of Psalms, Proverbs,...