searcheth the heart? Can you believe that a man who had it
in his mind and heart to remove a piece of leaven according to
God's commandment, but whilst removing the rest forgot this
one piece, is to be brought in guilty, simply because he did not
observe a mere form, which God has nowhere commanded?
Or that he would not have been guilty, if he had repeated
some half dozen words prescribed by men, sinners like himself?
Very different is the declaration of God himself, (
Hebrew characters),
(Hebrew characters) "Because it was in thine heart" (1 Kings viii. 18):
he accepted the intention, and gave it the blessing of obedience.
The Rabbinic decision is, therefore, not of God, and goes far
towards overthrowing the claims of the whole oral law. But
the Rabbies were not satisfied with this invention of (Hebrew characters)
annulling the leaven, they have imposed upon the consciences
of their followers another observance, utterly unknown
to Moses, and that is (Hebrew characters), the searching for leaven.
(Hebrew characters)
"On the evening before the 14th of Nisan, before the coming
out of the stars, they are to search for the leaven by the light
of a single wax taper: and when the time draws near, it is unlawful
to do any work, or to eat, or to study." (Passover
Prayers, fol. 1, col. 2.) For this command there is evidently
no foundation in the law of Moses. It is confessedly (Hebrew characters)
of the words of the Scribes, and yet the most minute
directions are given, and the greatest attention required, as if it
had been from God himself, and various cases supposed where
a second search is necessary, as for instance:—
(Hebrew characters)
"If, after the search, he see a mouse come into the house with leaven in his mouth, it is necessary to search a second time. And although he should find the crumbs about the house, he is not to say, the mouse has eaten the bread long since, and these are the crumbs, but, on the contrary, he must fear lest it should
