I."

The laws of Moses still influence the world, but not even the orthodox
Jews follow them literally. We bring our reason to bear upon the
precepts of Moses, and those which are not for us we gently pass over.
In fact, the civil laws of most countries prohibit many of the things
which Moses commanded. For instance, the eighteenth verse of the
twenty-second chapter of Exodus says, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to
live." Certainly no Jewish lawyer nor Rabbi, in any part of the world,
advocates the killing of persons supposed to be witches. We explain that
in this instance the inspired writer lapsed and merely mirrored the
ignorance of his time. Or else we fall back upon the undoubted fact that
various writers and translators have tampered with the original
text--this must be so, since the book written by Moses makes record of
his death.

But when we find passages in Moses requiring us to benefit our enemies,
we say with truth that this was the first literature to express for us
the brotherhood of man.

"Thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise and perverteth
the words of the righteous." Here we get Twentieth-Century Wisdom. And
very many passages as fine and true can be found, which prove for us
beyond cavil that Moses was right a part of the time, and to say this
of any man, living or dead, is a very great compliment.

In times of doubt the Jewish people turn to the Torah, or Book of the
Law. This book has been interpreted by the Rabbis, or the learned men,
and to meet the exigencies of living under many conditions, it has been
changed, enlarged and augmented. In these changes the people were not
consulted. Very naturally it was done secretly, for inspired men must be
well dead before the many accept their edict. To be alive is always more
or less of an offense, especially if you be a person and not a
personage.

The murmurings against Moses during his lifetime often broke into a
rumble and a roar. The mob accused him of taking them out into the
wilderness to perish. To get away from the constant bickering and
criticisms of the little minds, Moses used to go up into the mountains
alone to find rest, and there he communicated with his god. It was
surely a great step in advance when all the Elohims were combined into
one Supreme Elohim that was everywhere present and ruled the world.
Instead of dozens of little gods, jealous, jangling, fearful, fretful,
fussy, boastful, changing walking-sticks to se