Moses saith "The Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments," by which statutes, so they pretend, is meant the Oral Law.-STEHELIN. Rabbinical Literature. 1748.

NAPOLEON AND THE JEWS.

The tragedy of Esther had been represented at Court in the commencement of July, 1806. The next day Talma appeared as usual at the emperor's breakfast, at which M. de Champagny, then Minister of the Interior, assisted. The conversation was about the last evening's representation. "Ahasuerus was but a poor sort of king," said Napoleon to Talma, and then turning almost at the same moment towards the Minister of the Interior, said "What about the present Jews? What is their state of existence ? Make me out a report respecting them." The report was made, and a fortnight after this conversation, the government convoked (July 26, 1806) the first Assembly of Notables from among the Jews, which had the result of fixing the position of that nation, and of giving them a legal status in France.-Bibliothèque de Poche, Curios. Hist., p. 120.

ON THE TRADITIONS OF THE Jews.

The nation of the Jews, descended from the family of Abraham, had distinguished itself in an extraordinary manner from all other families, by being public worshippers of the one true God, while all others were overspread by the absurdest idolatries; and God, accordingly, had been pleased to distinguish that family and nation with repeated promises of the greatest blessings. He declared that "He would be their God, and they should be His people." St. Paul tells us that one of their chief advantages was that unto them were committed the oracles of God. And the

Psalmist exhorteth them to praise the Lord, for showing His word unto Jacob, and His judgments unto Israel, etc. The Jews, who value themselves highly upon this account, pretend that besides the Written Law, or the books of Moses and the prophets, they have received an Oral Law, which was preserved by tradition, and is contained in the Talmud. -STEHELIN. Rabbinical Literature, Preface.

OF THE ORAL LAW.

The account given by the rabbinists of this oral law, may be seen in Prideaux's "Connection," Book v. Maimonides, in his preface to "Sedar Seraïm,” and in his book “Jad Hazakah," tells us : "When God revealed himself to Moses, He delivered to him the law for the children of Israel, with the comments or explications. Moses committed the law to writing, but delivered the comments to Aaron and his sons, and to the elders of Israel by word of mouth, who, by oral tradition, handed them down to the prophets, and the prophets to the men of the Great Synagogue."

This opinion is founded upon a passage of the Talmud, in Berachot, page 1, where it is said, that by nm (the Tables) are meant the Ten Commandments; by л (the Law) the Scripture; by n (the Precept) the Mishna; by 'an (which I have written) the Books of the Prophets and of the Hagiographers; and by Dnn (to teach them) the Gemara. And that by the latter we learn they all were given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Some add, that Esdras, after the captivity of Babylon, created a new office, and appointed a person under the name of Nasi or Prince, who was the depositary of tradition, and resolved cases of conscience, and taught the Oral Law.-Ibid.

STEHELIN'S PRELIMINARY PREFACE.

This treatise, from page 1 to page 64, is, as well as the

whole contents of two thick volumes, written with a bias and animus which would make them very distasteful to Jewish feelings in general. Nevertheless, from the fund of research, and the numerous references, Talmudical and Scriptural, they will be found of interest and amusement even to those who cannot coincide with the author's assertions. The subjoined are the most favourable extracts :—

MYSTICAL SENSE OF THE TALmud.

It cannot be denied that there are several things related in the Talmud, which, taken in a literal sense, seem ridicu lous and absurd; but the most learned among the Jews look upon them as so many DDD parables, and explain them in a mystical sense. The rabbins, for the more delightful entertainment of the people, indulged themselves in the ancient and useful way of instructing by metaphors, and figurative expressions; their books abound everywhere with parables, similitudes, and figures of speech. If, accordingly, we take several figures of the Talmud in a mystical sense, we find that far from being ridiculous and absurd, they contain very useful maxims. To give an example it is said in the Gemara, that Raf and Shemuel

הדו בתחלת העולם disputed together, one pretending that

Hodu (India) was situated at the beginning

of the world, and Cush at the end of it; and the other affirming that they lie contiguous and border one upon the other. In a literal sense it seems a ridiculous contradiction to say that Hodu and Cush, India and Ethiopia, are the two opposite extremities or bounds of the earth, when they lie contiguous; but R. Joses Iserlis explains jop by μíxpos kóσμos, Micro-cosmos, the little world, whence μίκρο κοσμ man. Hodu, the time of his birth; Cush, the darkness of death; that these are the two extremities or bounds of man's life, which, being short, they are said to

be contiguous. It is evident from this that there are several passages in the Talmud which are not to be taken you in a literal sense, but must be explained mystically.-Preliminary Preface, pages 29, 30.

SOME MYSTICAL PASSAGES EXPLAINED.

We proceed now to explain the mystical sense of the several passages of the Talmud. When it is said in A'vodah-Sara that God laughs, and in Rabboth, that he weeps and laments, it is obvious to any man's capacity, that no more is meant by it than that God acts as men are wont to do when they are pleased or displeased. We find the same expressions in the Holy Writ. David says, "He that sitteth in the heaven shall laugh," Psalm ii. 4; and we read in Judges x. 16, that "his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel."

God spake to His people in the language of man, and assumed to Himself all the passions of human nature; He is described as rejoiced at the virtues of men, and grieved at their sins; not that the Divine nature can be capable of rejoicing or grief, but simply because men are wont to rejoice when they can reward the virtuous for their good actions, and to grieve when others do amiss, and they are forced to punish them. In the same way, when it is said, God prays, wears frontlets, and studies the law, the rabbins only intended to teach us that the practice of these duties is acceptable in the sight of God, and to encourage us to perform them carefully, in setting such an excellent example before us, as telling us that God prays and reads the law, nan. To whom could He pray?—Ibid., pp. 30,

31.

FREE DENIZENS OF GREAT BRITAIN.

In the "Warrant Book," vol. xxx., 1760—1766, may be

found notices of warrants, countersigned by one of the Secretaries of State, and addressed to the Attorney, or Solicitor-General, to prepare Bills for the King's signature to pass the Great Seal, for Grants to receive as Free Denizens of Great Britain, the following persons (all aliens): -Chacon, Isaac de Castro, of Stoke Newington, in the County of Middlesex, Gent.; Capadose, Aaron, of Stanmore, in same county, Esq.; Solomons, Isaac Levin, of Mark Lane, London, Merchant; Henry, Solomon, of Sweethin Lane, London, Merchant; Drago, Aaron Franco, of Cree-church Lane, London, Merchant; Norso, Lazzaro Vitta, of Cammomile Street, London, Merchant; Souza, Joseph Henriquez de, of Bell Alley, London, Gent.

PASS FOR MANASSEH BEN ISRAEL.

In the "Calendar of Domestic State Papers" (published 1878) may be found a notice dated from Whitehall, Dec. 17, 1652, of the grant of a "Pass for Manasseh Ben Israel, a rabbi of the Jewish nation, well reported of for his learning and good affection to the State, to come from Amsterdam to these parts. All officers to give him the favourable entertainment due to well-affected strangers, they behaving themselves without offence."*

THE RABBI AND THE SCEPTIC.

A Persian came to Rab, with the request, "Teach me the law." Rab consented, and began teaching him the Hebrew alphabet. "Say Aleph," said Rab. The Persian replied, "How do I know that this letter is called Aleph ?"

* Should anyone be desirous of seeing the original of this interesting document, it will be found in vol. xxvi. of the "Proceedings of the Council of State," 1652 (at the Record Office).