repugnant to the understanding, for in the same way as a person is punished by loss of property, so is he by the loss of children, who are accounted as part of his own bodily members. According to this, God's punishing the father's sins upon the children, is when they are young, but being grown, they do not die for such sin. This is also adduced in Siphré. It now only remains to explain the reason why the sons of Saul, and those of Achan, suffered for the sins of their fathers, giving precedence to what is stated in the Guemara of Jebamot:14 it is better to infringe a precept of the Law, than in any manner to profane the name of the Lord; and this is said, not only because it appeared to the ancients that the sons of Saul died innocent, and contrary to the precept that the children should not suffer for the fathers, but also, one of the 613 precepts into which the Mosaic Law is divided, which also enjoins, that the body of a culprit should not remain on the gallows at night,15 whereas, David left them hanging for seven months, from the 16th of Nisan to 17th Hesvan; as it appeared to him preferable to infringe this precept, than that the name of the Lord should be profaned. For it might be said, that Israel, under Joshua, had pledged themselves by an oath, which they afterwards broke under Saul; and that the Gibeonites, who had been thus injured, might not suspect that the Law permitted an infraction of oaths taken in the Lord's name, David, like a wise man, granted all they asked; from which, as stated in the same Guemara, great glory and honour resulted to him from God, for many nations seeing so heroic an action, embraced Judaism, reflecting, that as David satisfied the Gibeonites in every way, notwithstanding their "being a vile people," who had obtained an oath of peace from Joshua by craft and deception, he would be still more faithful towards such as would place themselves under his protection openly and without guile. On this account, David acted contrary to the precept. Or, conformable to R. David Kimchi, these seven sons of Saul may have been the principals in the destruction of the Gibeonites, and therefore suffered for their own guilt. In the "Pirqué of R. Eliezer," it is stated, that the sons of Achan were accomplices with him; for they saw the theft, which instead of denouncing, they kept it a secret. Or it may be said, that God permitted these executions, from what has been observed, that He seeing the heart, punished the sins of the fathers upon these children of Saul and Achan. So that by any of these solutions the texts are reconciled. If those who love God have such preeminence that he shews mercy unto thousands of their descendants, how then, being the friend of Abraham, according to the prophet's words, " The seed of Abraham, my friend,”1 did he abhor Esau, who was Abraham's grandson ? 14 C. 8. 15 Deut. 21:23. 16 6 C. 38. 1 Isa. 41:8. RECONCILIATION. From what has been said in the preceding Question, the solution of this doubt may be found; for in the same way as God punishes children for the sins of their fathers, if they follow their evil ways, so He promises to shew mercy to the descendants of those who love him to thousands of generations, is to be understood when they are good, as the text clearly says, "of them that love me and keep my commandments;" and to these He remembers the goodness of their ancestors, benefiting and prospering them to a greater extent. Esau being wicked, it was just that God should abhor him. Rashi observes on this text, We here see how much the clemency of God exceeds his justice; for He threatens to extend punishment only to the fourth generation, but promises mercy and recompense for virtue and piety, to thousands of generations; which, being in the plural, must be at least two thousand; whereby it follows, that five hundred portions of reward is placed against a single one of chastisement; conformable to which, the Psalmist says, "For great and above the heavens is thy mercy." QUESTION 106. Exod. 20:8. Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it. (Eng., to keep it holy). Isa. 1:13. Incense of abomination are your Here appears a manifest contradiction; for where the Lord commanded the observance of the Sabbath in the Decalogue, how does he declare, by the prophet Isaiah, that he has no liking to that day? RECONCILIATION. According to R. Isaac Arama,1 the Sabbath represents three things, and instils three essential articles in our souls. 1st. The creation of the world, in opposition to the notion of its being from eternity. This is demonstrated by God's saying, "Remember the seventh day to sanctify it, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth . and rested on the seventh day;" and as R. Solomon ben Adereth 2 noted in his "Questions," for this the Psalmist says, "The statutes of the Lord are faithful, they enlighten the torpid," that is, philosophy, with all its knowledge cannot attain the positive truth. The 2nd article is, that the Sabbath being a day of rest, represents the true world of rest and repose, termed nowiny (the world of souls), where ends the misery and constant trouble of this earthly abode; for, as Plato says, "all below the moon is hell," and on leaving it we go tranquilly to enjoy the felicity of the other world. So the seven days signify seven-tenths of the life of man, which is stated in Psalms, "the days of our years are seventy years," in which it is as necessary diligently to prepare for the sabbath of the life to come, as is done on every six days of this life for the seventh; at sixty years of age, therefore, it behoves man to prepare for a better life, by dint of industry and great diligence in the work of piety, in order to obtain 2 Psalm 108:5. 1 C.55. 2 Arishba 9. 3 Psalm 19:8. 4 Psalm 90:10. rest at the last stage of human existence; as R. Joseph Sarfati said in Yad Joseph,5 as the seventh day immediately follows the sixth, so does the rest of the other life immediately follow the cessation of this troublesome one. The 3rd essential point which the sabbath brings with it, is, the necessity of studying Holy Writ thereon: meditation and constant practice in the word of God, being absolutely requisite, for it is a notable error to think, because the Sabbath is a day of rest, it must therefore be passed in idleness; as idleness is the fruitful source of vice, the Sabbath would thereby prove more injurious than beneficial. The supposition is consequently strengthened, that it was given for the especial purpose, that man being relieved from occupations, commerce, bodily fatigue, and the pursuit of mundane concerns, might give himself up, unimpeded thereby, to the meditation of the Law; assembling thereon in the synagogues, or places of divine worship, for the purpose of prayer; and frequenting the theological academies, that each might seek information upon such points of religion and faith as he may be unacquainted with, treating and discussing thereon with others. The Jerusalem Talmud clearly states, that Sabbaths and holy days were only given to Israel that they might meditate in the word of God thereon. The Guemara of Suca6 also infers it, from the words of the Shunamite to his wife, reprehending her, because on the death of their child she was desirous of seeking the prophet Elisha, saying, it was neither New Moon nor Sabbath, at which times it appears to have been customary to seek the prophets and sages for consultation on doubts. And as R. Joseph Sarfati says, The commandment is, "Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it;" and Maimonides (as R. Bechayai asserts in his Commentary), infers the same, from the words," But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God," signifying that it should be entirely dedicated to God and his service, and not to entertainments, banquets, and conversations, by which no one profits, but many are greatly prejudiced and offended, in being injured by the tongue of slander, kindling the fire of anger and vengeance; which, in a moral sense, is the fire which God prohibited to be kindled in the Israelites' dwellings on the Sabbath day;9 so that, agreeably to R. Judah à Levi,10 the fruit of the week is the Sabbath, and the benediction which God bestowed upon it, is (according to the learned Aben Ezra and Nachmanides) that by pious contemplation man attains to divine communion. Thus the intention with which the Sabbath was given, consisted in its demonstrating our love of God by observing it properly. But in the time of Isaiah, Israel was engulphed in vice, all their ideas being devoted to carnal and corporeal pleasures; and the Lord, angered against them, therefore said, "New Moons and Sabbaths to call assemblies,” 11 giving it to be understood, that "New Moons and Sabbaths" were superficially so by name only, as the works they did thereon were not the appropriate ones for such days. By this explanation the verses conciliate; since the Lord abhors. the way in which the wicked spend it, but when it is observed in a proper He highly esteems it; a decided proof of which is, that the name of this day has never been forgotten, but is perpetuated by all nations, as R. Elias Vidal remarks, in his "Reeshit Hochmah," 12 and as the learned Aben Ezra observes on the 16th chapter of Exodus, the uncircumcised give the names of the planets which predominate on each to the six days of the week, but that of Sabbath to the seventh; and even the Mahometans who celebrate Friday, manner, 5 Sermon 2. 8 Sermon 4. Isa. 1:13. 6 C. 2. 9 Exod. 35:3. 12 C. 5. which they call "El Jemah," do not deprive the Sabbath day of its proper name: this is owing to the Divine will, in order to fix the idea of His eternity on the minds of all, confirmed by the words, "It is a sign between me and you throughout your generations." 13 QUESTION 107. Exod. 20:8. Remember the Sabbath-day. Deut. 5:12. Keep the Sabbath-day. The Ten Commandments were spoken by the mouth of God; if in Exodus the Commandment respecting the Sabbath is "Remember," how does Deuteronomy say, Keep" and not "Remember," and what does the variation mean? RECONCILIATION. The ancient Sages, in considering this evident difference between the two texts, say in Mehilta that "Remember" and "Keep" were uttered in one word, which the learned Aben Ezra very properly explains is not to be understood literally; for, although we admit that the speech of God is different to that of man, and that He might pronounce this precept by two words at once, the doubt would remain, that Israel could not so receive such combined sound but as mortals; it was apparent that they would first hear "Remember," before they could do the like with "Keep," and even if spoken as one word they must receive the impression of the letters of one being uttered before the other, for their joint import could not be pronounced for the purpose of being simultaneously comprehended. This author therefore holds that this Rabbinical sentence covers something beyond its literal meaning, and implies that Keeping depends on Remembering; and, accordingly, to keep the Sabbath involves the necessity of knowing the other days of the week, and keeping that day in mind. From this consideration he maintains that the ancient sages saying, that "Remember" and "Keep" were pronounced in one, is to be understood thus, that when Israel at Mount Sinai heard "Remember the Sabbath-day," they all comprehended that the reason this remembrance was enjoined, was for the purpose of keeping it; on which account both the ordinance and its explanation are conveyed in one word; and, accordingly, Moses in his recapitulation of the Decalogue in Deuteronomy, knowing the intention and purpose of the Commandment, substituted "Keep" for "Remember," for the prophets, in narrating past occurrences, invariably adhered to the intention without observing the exact words in which they were originally conveyed. These ancient Sages make another appropriate observation on the same subject, which is, that the Sabbath is typical of the Creation of the World, and the rest taken thereon, when the little they enjoyed, in Egypt, was considered. So in the first delivery of this precept it says, "Remember the Sabbath-day," that is, referring to past information, remember something very ancient; and, accordingly, it continues thus-that "In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, &c." but as regarded the repose 13 Exodus 31:13. thereon, Deuteronomy says "Keep the Sabbath-day," and then gives the reason for enjoining rest on that day; thus-" And thou shalt remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt," almost saying, "Look back to Egypt where ye were slaves, and no rest allowed you, and where they forcibly made you labour for them on the Sabbath-day." And it is on this consideration the sages said that "Remember" and " Keep" were uttered at once, signifying One, that there are two combined reasons for the ordinance of the Sabbath. the remembrance of the Creation of the World; and the other, Israel having been slaves in Egypt. R. Elhazar (in the same work), who is followed by Rashi, says differently; that it is requisite every one should remember the Sabbath-day for the purpose of keeping it; that is, if in the middle of the week something more excellent than usual in the article of food should appear, it ought to be reserved to honour the Sabbath with, and continually putting by what is superior for that purpose; consuming the preceding provision, so that the Sabbath-day meal would be provided for with the choicest, so as to render especial thanks to God the giver of all good on that day. The transition from worldly to heavenly things is thus rendered easy, and to remember the Sabbath-day in the latter sense, signified to keep it in remembrance during the whole week, that you may the better and more solemnly observe it when it arrives; and to this end Moses so repeated it in Deuteronomy, "Keep,' combining the precept in such a form as if the two words had been spoken together. R. Tobias ben Eliezer 2 understands by "Remember," the memorial of the arrival of the day, which the Hebrews commence celebrating on the eve thereof by a blessing of sanctification, said over a cup of wine, and by "Keep" the actual observance of the day itself; both the operation of the mind, in the act of remembering, and the actual obedience to the terms of the precept being signified to Moses at its promulgation. The sage Nachmanides says, that the ordinance of the Sabbath contains the affirmative precept "to rest thereon," and the negative one "of doing no work therein;" therefore "Remember means to keep the day in mind, for the purpose of observing it, but " Keep "denotes that every one should be careful not to profane it by performing any work thereon. And the commandment thus inseparably including an affirmative and negative precept, he considers to be the reason why the ancients said the words were uttered at once. R. Isaac Arama3 says there are two things to be considered in the Commandment of the Sabbath: First, the repose and rest which God commanded should be taken thereon. The second is the complete cessation of every kind of work thereon; from the first consideration the second does not follow, because some might say God commanded rest; therefore work that is not fatiguing or troublesome may be done, seeing that what the Lord desired was, that no one should weary himself on that day; and such work being easy would partake of the nature of pastime, and therefore was not prohibited; but then comes the second consideration, which contradicts this idea, saying, "Ye shall do no manner of work;" that is, there shall be a complete cessation from every sort of labour and employment; and as rest is represented by the word "Remember," and cessation from work by "Keep," it is equivalent to saying "Keep thyself from doing work;" and as such cessation is necessarily followed by the enjoyment 1 Bessa, c. 2. 2 Persicata Zutrata. 3 Aquedat, c. 55. |