Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

Page 4 The Southern Israelite A Modern Interpretation of Judaism By HANNAH G. SHULHAFER "A Modern Interpretation of Judaism" is the address gioen by Mrs. Shulhafer on Coun cil Sabbath when members of the Council conducted the Sabbath services at the Tem ple. Mrs. Solomonson, as Chairman of the Committee on Religion, supervised the plans, which followed the annual custom inaugurated by the National Council.— Editor’s Note. Otic of the world’s leading scientists, Dr. Robert A. Millikan, says that every great scientist from Aristotle through Le Marck, down to Newton, Darwin, and finally Einstein, has felt, after years of work in the laboratory, the presence of some cosmic force in spirit operating throughout the universe. After a lifetime of close, concentrated and brilliant study into the mystery of natural laws, each great man of science has at last understood the how hut not the why of this universe. It was only by realizing the existence of a cosmic spirit or force, call it God or what you will, and by spiritual union with it, has he had the courage and pa tience to continue his painstaking task of revealing little by little the natural laws under which we live. Fortunately or unfortunately, we are not made of the same material as an Einstein, hut our daily life is full enough of perplexities and almost hourly problems to he solved, decisions to he .made, cares, annoyances and dis appointments. What a hopeless and depressing struggle or what a senseless mad pursuit of empty pleasure our life becomes if we ignore or fail to realize the deep rhythm of the spirit that runs through the world and unites us all. I believe that this view of life rep resents the creed of the intelligent and mature minds of the present day. It is a point of view that can not appear, fully developed as did Pallas Athena from the brain of Zeus. It is the result of long and serious thought, soul searching and effort. It seems to me that the thinking in dividual must go through a sort of re ligious evolution which can roughly he divided into three stages. The first is Religion, as Darrow defined it recently —the Religion to which countless mil lions still pay homage. Belief in a per sonal God, personal immortality, the literal interpretation of the Bible miracles. But there is no doubt that the adherents to such a religion are steadily diminishing and there is an ever increasing number of those who must find a substitute for what they have lost, and thus they come to the next stage in the evolution of their spiritual experience. Since it is through knowledge that they have lost their primitive religion it is to it they now pledge their allegiance. And indeed have they chosen a lamp unto their feet and a light unto their path. As we all know from our own experience, knowledge truly gives us the hearing ear and the seeing eye. Music, literature, painting, all the beauty and culture of our life take on form and meaning as we lift, through knowledge, the veil that conceals them from us. ‘‘Know Thyself,” means something very definite when through biology, pasychology and the kindred sciences every commonplace event of the day becomes important and preg nant with possibilities, when we can understand the springs whence our ac tions flow, when we can control and train them through knowledge and understanding. But the more one knows, the more he appreciates the beauties and wonders of nature, the more he under stands the laws under which this uni verse operates. As he contemplates the marvelous works of man himself, the more pleasure he receives from the ar tistic; whether his experience with knowledge be in the library, laboratory, workshop, field or cloister, the thinking man everywhere is finally thrown back upon the fact that knowledge does not secure the answer to the everlasting why of his existence. Through knowl edge alone he can not satisfy that crav ing of the spirit for a purpose and meaning to life. He inevitably comes to the third and final stage in the evo lution of his spiritual experience, lie is compelled to recognize the spiritual force that is the undercurrent, the vital quality of this existence. Once this inevitable fact is finally sensed, what a marvelous change it makes in our lives. Just as knowledge broadens our vision, the realization of the spiritual unity of the universe satis fies the deepest desire of our being, and gives to our hitherto unsatisfied and restless existence a deep feeling of re pose and contentment. To realize the fullest possibilities of our life it is necessary to carry our religious experience to its logical con clusion. Any one who stops at the first you might call it, is an undeveloped second of knowledge without wisdom, stage of primitive religion, or yet the person spiritually; but happy is he who through travail and study, correlates all his knowledge, reads it correctly and arrives at a spiritual interpretation of life. And here it is that we Jewish women have an unusual advantage and its inevitable corallory, an added duty. For not only are wc women, we are Jewish women and we inherit a re ligion fitted to live today. Modern knowledge has spelled the doom of orthodox religion. We are the posses sors of a faith that stands ready to serve in this very complex civilization. Ours is a workable religion—one that we can live, day by day, hour by hour. Judaism is above all a way of Life. Confucius saw no good in the present and tried vainly to bring back the good old past. Buddha, by a kind of self hypnosis into Nivvana, sought a way to avoid a future which, to him, looked as black as the black past. Christianity feels that this life can not be made just and happy for all so it concentrates on a future beyond this earth for com pensation. Judaism works for life here and now. It releases man through a universal and spiritual outlook for a life richer, nobler and happier. It teaches that the best way to glorify God is to glorify, en rich and ennoble the highest product of his creation—man. Judaism was the first religion to reach the heights of monotheism—one God for all mankind. This concept necessarily gave rise to the thought that all men are brothers united in spiritual unity and co-operation, and that they should strive in mutual under standing for a better life here on earth. Of all the ancient peoples and re ligions, Judaism alone has survived be cause its ancient banner was not less sacrifice but service—actine sort of leaven in society—fernuvuig a protest against every injustice As women, too, we are peo irly fitted to sense this spiritual ti. that unites the world. In the great m< , i n ts of birth and death humanity is trulv one. Then we realize that differ are largely accidents of birth and en vironment and that the great experi ences of life are fundamental! the same the world over. We should carry this feeling over in to our daily lives—to accomplish harm ony and co-operation in service -ours should be the eyes to ever see the ul timate value and reality of things Too often men engaged in the pitiless eco nomic struggle forget that their par ticular job or business is but one in the great universal scheme, and its obliga tion should be fulfilled, not only to their own personal advantage, but should likewise make a contribution to the economic welfare of the group. We Jewish women should keep this ideal of economic justice ever before our eyes, teach it, live it, and by not de manding more and ever more in a ma terial way from our husbands and fathers, bring nearer the day when the human element in industry shall have a spiritual worth and not merely be a pawn in a mad struggle for success. To make ourselves worthy of our inheritance as Jewish women, we must first develop ourselves to the fullest capacity of our birthright and environ ment. This world would be a glorious place if the full powers of our intel ligence were brought to bear upon it' improvement. This improvement will not be God-sent. It can be brought (Continued on Next Page) t l o h riLrht ml t > !« S r^L! he \f CoUn u 1 ° f w wi ,* h Women who conducted services on Council Sabbath. From left Shulhafer It ,!?!„, * r , s .‘ T ^ Gershon, Mrs. Sam Levy, Mrs. Sam Schoen, and Mrs. Philip E. 1 1 ro " ’ ^ r s. Leo G. Strauss, Mrs. Alfred L. Myers, and Mrs. Henry Solomonson, Chairman of the Committee on Religion