Only for a short time was Israel able to attain its ideal, the fulfilment of its mission in prosperity. Even the first leader of the nation, Moses, foretold that upon God's soil they would forget God; that, led astray by the example of the other nations, they would esteem only wealth and pleasure worthy of seeking, and would become oblivious to their mission. There came the time when, even in Israel, the prophet could lament — "As the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah." It became necessary to take away the abundance of earthly good, the wealth and the land, which had led it away from its mission; it was obliged to leave the happy soil which had seduced it from its allegiance to the Most High; nothing should be saved except the soul of its existence, the Torah; no other bond of unity should henceforth exist except "God and its mission," which are indestructible, because spiritual. Through the annihilation of Israel's state-life its mission did not cease, for that had been intended only as a means to an end. On the contrary, this destruction itself was a part of its fate; so strangely commingled of divine and human elements, in exile and dispersion its mission was to be resumed in a different manner. No other sins had been committed in the Israel-state than appear in the life of other nations, but that which could be tolerated among others could not be excused in Israel; for its special office was to preserve itself pure from all sin and perversity, since "ה" was its God. Destruction and misfortune are therefore no less instructive for Israel than prosperity. The dispersion opened a new, great, and wide-extended field for the fulfilment of its mission. But before the great wandering through the ages and the nations began, God gathered them again upon their home-soil, as a father, who is forced to send his children forth into the world, gathers them together in his house before their departure, to extend to them at once his parental blessing and his fond farewell. There, in their national home, they bound closer to themselves the Torah-bond which henceforth was alone to join them together. On the very eve of the exile, a branch left the parent tree, which was obliged to surrender largely the characteristics of the parent stem, in order to bring to the world, which had relapsed into polytheism, violence, immorality, and inhumanity, the tidings of the existence of the All-One and of the brotherhood of man and his superiority to the beast, and to proclaim the deliverance of mankind from the bondage of wealth-and-lust worship. Assisted greatly by this offshoot in rendering intelligible to the world the objects and purposes of Israel's election, the nation was scattered into the four quarters of the earth, unto all peoples and all zones, in order that in the dispersion it might better fulfill its mission.

"To the wilderness again," proclaimed the Prophet's voice.

"Into the wilderness again; prepare there the path of the Lord."

Make smooth in evening gloom a way for our God.

When every valley will be lifted; when hill and mount are lowered;

When the rough ground is smoothed; when the ridges are made even,

Then will be revealed the glory of the Lord,

And all flesh shall see that the mouth of God hath spoken."

Israel accomplished its task better in exile than in the full possession of good fortune. Indeed, improvement and correction were the chief purposes of the Galuth — exile. With its own eyes the nation saw the destruction of the power and the splendor which had dazzled it, and which it had begun to revere as its gods. Could it ever again revere wealth, power, and grandeur as the gods of life? Without power, without splendor, without brilliant show of human grandeur, it preserved its faithfulness toward the All-One and the spirit and the maintenance of its only rescued treasure, the Torah—preserved it alive amidst suffering and agony, enabled it to endure all the blows of savage fanaticism unchained.

On every side states in all the glory of human power and pride disappeared from the face of the earth, while Israel, upheld only by its fidelity to God and His law, maintained successfully its existence. Could, then, Israel refuse to acknowledge this All-One as its God, or to accept His Torah as its only mission on earth ?

And, in very truth, it proved that this training was not in vain. A thousand times delusions, armed with material power and passions aroused by these delusions, opened to Israel the path to the full enjoyment of earthly happiness, if it would, with but a single word, declare its rejection of the All-One — its disregard of His Torah; but, as often as temptation met it, it would cast away in scorn this easy key, preferring rather to extend the neck to the blow of the executioner. It sacrificed its own scanty measure of happiness, the most precious possession of earthly existence, wives, children, parents, brothers, and sisters, life, property, and all the joys of life. With Israel's heart-blood is written on all the pages of history the doctrine that there is but one God, and that there are higher and better things for mankind than wealth and pleasure. Its entire Galuth history is one vast altar, upon which it sacrificed all that men desire and love for the sake of acknowledging God and His law. Among all nations and in every region such altars have smoked. Did they not teach, could they fail to teach, a most impressive lesson? Deeply upon the heart of Israel they impressed the conviction that a more than human power was sustaining them in their unparalleled tribulations. In this power they learned to worship the All-One; in faithful devotion to Him, they recognized their mission.

And now that these altars have ceased to smoke, and the scattered ones of Israel are tolerated, protected, even accepted as citizens, how beautiful, nay, how necessary were it that they should, in accordance with the permission of the nations, develop in peace and quietude all the grandeur of the Israel life. How beautiful it would be if Israel, obeying the word of its prophet, should attach itself closely to every state which has accepted its children in citizenship, and should seek to promote the welfare and the peace thereof.

If in the midst of a world which reveres wealth and lust, it should live a tranquil life of righteousness and love; if, while everywhere the generation is rapidly sinking into sensuality and immorality, Israel's sons and daughters should bloom forth in the best adornment of youth, purity and innocence; if, though everywhere the habitations of men should cease to be the orchards in which are grown human fruit pleasing in the sight of God and man, every Israelitish house should, nevertheless, be a temple of true faith in God, of reverence and love for Him; if, though everywhere avarice, lust, and greed should become the motives of human actions, every Jew should still, in despite thereof, be a silent example and teacher of universal righteousness and universal love — if thus the dispersed of Israel should show themselves everywhere on earth the glorious priests of God and pure humanity, O my Benjamin, if we were, if we would become, what we should be — if our lives were a perfect reflection of our law — what a mighty engine we would constitute for propelling mankind to the final goal of all human education! More quietly, but more forcefully and profoundly, would it effect mankind than even our tragical record of sorrows, powerfully though this latter teaches the intervention of providence in human affairs.

In the centuries of passion and scorn our mission was but imperfectly attainable, but the ages of mildness and justice, now begun, beckon us to that glorious goal; that every Jew and every Jewess should be in his or her own life a modest and unassuming priest or priestess of God and true humanity. When such an ideal and such a mission await us, can we still, my Benjamin, lament our fate?

"Be pure, O ye that bear the weapons of the Lord,

For not in lightness should ye go forth,

Nor in carelessness should ye walk;

For He that walketh before you is the Lord,

And He that guardeth you is the God of Israel.

Behold, if my servant be but wise,

He shall be high and exalted and very great.

As many were amazed at thee,

Saying, "His appearance is corrupted from manly semblance,

His likeness from the children of men."

So shall light come to many peoples,

And kings shall close their mouths,

For what was not told unto them they shall see,

And what they never heard they shall contemplate.

Wondering, they shall say, "Who would believe our report?"

"The arm of the Lord, upon whom is it revealed?"

He rises as a sapling before him

And as a root from arid land.

He had nor form nor beauty that we should see him.

Nor comeliness that we should desire him.

He was despised and forsaken of men;

A man of sorrows, acquainted with sickness.

And when God hid His face from him,

We despised him and considered him not.

Yet 'twas but sickness from us he bore;

Pains we had inflicted were his burden.

And we deemed him plagued.

Stricken of God and afflicted.

But he, though stricken through our sins,

Though crushed through our iniquities.

The bond of our peace he took upon him,

And in his congregation was healing for us.

We all had gone astray as sheep;

Each one had turned to his own way;

But the Lord afflicted only him —

Smote him for the sin of us all.

He was oppressed, was harshly persecuted,

Silent endured and opened not his mouth.

As a sheep to the slaughter he was led,

As a lamb before the shearers was he dumb.

Nor opened he his mouth.

Of kingly rule and judgeship was he deprived,

And his fate, who could tell it?

For he was cut off from the land of life,

Through the sin of the nation came affliction unto him.

The wicked brought him to the grave,

The great and wealthy to his death,

Though violence he had never used

And deceit was not in his mouth.

But the Lord had willed his affliction and sickness.

That he should yield himself as guilt offering, (Nevertheless destruction was not God's plan, but that)

He should see posterity, prolong days,

And the purpose of the Lord through his hand should be fulfilled.

Through suffering he should gain insight,

Should learn to be content.

And with this knowledge propagate the right

And do My service unto the many whose sins he bore.

Therefore shall I give him a portion among the many.

With mighty ones booty shall he yet divide,

Because he laid bare to death his soul,

And with sinners suffered himself to be counted,

Whereas he had borne the sin of many

And for sinners suffered himself to be stricken."

"Shout gladly, O barren one, that hath never borne,

Break forth in gladsome shouting and rejoice,

Thou that hath never known the pains of child-birth.

For more are the children of the desolate one

Than of her that hath a husband, saith the Lord.

Make broad the space of thy tent,

The curtains of thy dwellings, let them expand,

Keep them not back;

Make long thy cords, thy pegs make firm,

For to the right and to the left shalt thou spread forth.

Thy seed shall inherit nations,

And desolate cities they shall inhabit.

Fear not, thou shalt not be put to shame,

Be not abashed, for thou shalt not grow pale,

For the shame of thy mouth thou shalt forget,

The disgrace of thy widowhood no more remember.

For thy Lord and thy Creator, "Reconciler of Contradictions" is His name,

And thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, God of the whole earth is He called.

For as a wife forsaken and sad, the Lord recalls thee,

And as to the spouse of youth, once rejected, does thy God speak.

For a short moment I forsook thee.

But with great love I take thee back.

In overwhelming wrath I hid my face a moment from thee.

But in everlasting mercy I have compassion upon thee,

Saith thy Redeemer, the Lord.

For as Noah's flood is this unto me;

For as I swore that Noah's flood should no more come to pass,

Thus have I sworn no more to be wroth with thee.

No more o'er thee my anger hot to pour.

Though the mountains should be moved

And the hills be shaken,

My mercy from thee shall not be moved,

And my covenant of peace shall not be shaken,

Saith He that hath compassion with thee, the Lord.

O thou poor, storm-driven one, unconsoled.

Behold, in rare clay shall I set thy stones.

With sapphires will I build thy fundaments.

Of crystal shall I make thy windows

Of flashing carbuncles thy gates,

And all thy boundary-walls of precious jewels.

And all thy children shall be disciples of the Lord

And great shall be the peace of thy children.

Only through righteousness canst thou be established;

Keep far from oppression, for thou needst not fear,

From terror, for it will not come nigh unto thee

None shall fear aught but me, who, therefore, among thee

Could fear that aught would befall thee?

Verily, I have created every artizan

That bloweth in the fire the coal

And bringeth forth a tool for his work;

I have created every destroyer

That begetteth evil and harm.

But no weapon, formed against thee, shall succeed.

Every tongue that riseth 'gainst thee in judgment, thou shalt refute;

This is the inheritance of the servants of the Lord

And of those whose righteousness is from me, saith the Lord.

All ye that are thirsty, come to the water,

Ye that have no silver, come, buy and eat;

Come, buy without silver and without price

Wine that revives and milk that nourisheth.

Why weigh ye out silver for that which is not bread,

Your earnings for that which satisfieth not?

Hearken unto me and eat that which is good

And may your soul be delighted with fatness.

And I will make with you an eternal covenant,

Even the ever faithful love of David.

For, behold, I gave him as a witness to the peoples,

Communicating and enjoining duty to the nations.

Behold, a people, which thou knowest not, thou wilt call.

And nations, that know thee not, unto thee will hasten,

Even to the Lord thy God, to the Holy One of Israel, that maketh thee beautiful.

Seek ye the Lord, the ever present;

Call upon Him, the ever near.

Let the passionate forsake his way,

The man of violence his counsel,

Let him return to the Lord,

He will have compassion upon him;

Even to our God for He doth much forgive.

Verily, my thoughts are not your thoughts

And your ways are not my ways, saith the Lord.

For as the heavens are high above the earth.

Thus are my ways high above your ways

And my thoughts above your thoughts.

For as the rain and the snow fall from heaven

And return not thither again

Until it has watered and made it bear

And caused plants to spring forth;

Thus also my word, which goeth forth from my mouth,

Shall not return empty unto me

Until it has done what I desired

And accomplished that for which I sent it.

In joy shall ye go forth, in peace return,

Mountains and hills shall greet you with joyful shouting

And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands;

Beneath the thorn-bush the cedar shall rise;

Beneath the thistle the myrtle shall spring forth;

Shall remain, as glory to the Lord,

Reminder of hidden time, shall nevermore be uprooted.

Thus hath the Lord said, "Take heed of justice!"

Practise righteousness; then will my salvation soon come,

My righteousness then will soon be revealed.

Happy the man that practises this,

The son of Adam that holds fast to it,

Who gives heed to the Sabbath that he profane it not.

Gives heed to his hand that it do no evil.

Neither should the stranger, that joins himself to the Lord,

Say, "Verily, the Lord will separate me from His people;"

Nor should the childless speak, "I am a dry tree!"

For thus saith the Lord to the childless ones who keep my Sabbaths,

Who choose what I desire and hold fast to my covenant,

"Verily, I shall give them in My house, within My walls,

A place and a name, better than sons and daughters,

A name eternal, which shall never be cut off;

And the sons of the stranger, who join themselves to the Lord

To serve Him, to love the name of the Lord,

Even to be unto Him as servants.

Whosoever gives heed to the Sabbath, not to profane it,

Whosoever holdeth fast to my covenant,

I shall bring them all to My holy mountain,

I shall cause them all to rejoice in My house of prayer.

Their burnt offerings and sacrifices shall be pleasing upon My altar,

For My house, a house of prayer shall it be called for all the nations.