A Jewish Prayer-Book [pp. 495-506]

A4 7ewislz Prayer Book.
almighty protection the returning soul, that it may behold his
loveliness, and dwell in his sanctuary; that peace may follow it
and sooth its resting-place. May God be thy guardian, O
slumbering friend; thy shadow on thy right side. May God
preserve thee from all evil, and guard thy soul; may he pro tect thy going in and going out, now and through eternity."
A similar prayer is to be said subsequently in the house of
mourning. Indeed, the rabbinical influence is more apparent
in the burial ceremonies than anywhere else in the book. It
is natural that it should here last lose its hold. People are
always slow to cast off customs which are by long usage asso ciated with proper respect for the dead. We have here in its
peculiar Hebrew form the KADDISH which is to be said by the
reader, mourners, and friends at the grave.
We rise from the examination of this volume with mingled
feelings. There is in some of the forms a pathos which touches
the heart. This is especially true in regard to certain of the
utterances in regard to the past history of the Jewish people.
The voice is not that of wailing, but it has an undertone of
sadness which sounds like mournful music. But the dominant
spirit of the book is of a different character. It is meant to
kindle the feeling that the Jewish people have a sublime mission in the present and the future. And as we read we cannot
avoid sympathy with the general object, although we cannot
accept the particular form in which it is presented. And we
wonder what will be the influence of such religious forms upon
the Jewish people. In one direction it looks toward the perpetuation of a feeling of separation from other nations. They
are taught to regard themselves as the Messiah. But in another direction it looks toward a breaking down of the barriers
by which hitherto they have preserved their isolation. Much
that is distinctly Jewish in the services of religion is abandoned. There is a longing for a close fellowship with the
whole race of mankind. The ultimate aim presented is the
accomplishment of universal brotherhood in God. Is this
form of Judaism a mere episode? Is it a slight temporary
departure from the general course of the stream? Or is it a
new channel which is begun to be opened, and into which the
waters will more and more pour themselves, until the whole
volume empties itself at length by this way into the sea? We
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