sentence is excommunication, and the tribunal (house of judgment) excommunicates him publicly, and everywhere mulct him in a pound of gold, and give it to the wise man. He that despiseth a wise man in words, even after his death, is to be excommunicated by the tribunal," &c. We now ask the Jews of modern times what they think of those who made their own personal honour the subject of legislation, who required the same reverence for their words as the Word of God, and who dragged up him that refused it before a tribunal, had him sentenced to pecuniary fine, and excommunication; and, besides all this, excluded him from the hope of everlasting life? Had such men any idea of liberty of conscience?
No. III.
RABBINIC INJUSTICE TO WOMEN, SLAVES, AND GENTILES.
If any of our readers should think that the design of these
papers is to represent the oral law as a system of unmixed evil,
we beg to assure them that they are mistaken. We are fully
aware that a system based on the law and the prophets, must
and does contain much that is good and worthy of admiration.
Of this nature is the general command to all Israelites to study
the law, which is as follows:—"Every man of Israel is bound
to study the law. Whether he be poor or rich, healthy or unhealthy,
young or old, yea, though he live upon alms, and beg
from door to door, and though he have a wife and children, he
is bound to set apart a fixed time for the study of the law, by
day and by night, as it is written, 'Thou shalt meditate therein
by day and by night,'" And again, the maxim, "Every one
that is bound to learn is also bound to teach;" and that,
"therefore, a man is bound to teach his son and his son's son,"
&c., is in accordance with the plain command of God, and is
therefore good. But the explanation and development of these
good principles shows that the system itself is radically bad,
and therefore cannot be from God. No one will deny that the
Rabbies are right in asserting the obligation resting on every
Israelite to study the law: but they are wrong in their
explanation of what the law is. Immediately after the above
good command, the oral law goes on to say, "Every one is
bound to divide the time of his study into three parts: one-third
to be devoted to the written law; one-third to Mishna;
and one-third to Gemara:" so that the written law of God is
to have only half as much attention as the traditions of men.
