ABSTRACT
Knowledge, moreover, is but the means, and its end is that sane and intelligent application of it to life which alone is wisdom. There have doubtless been times when the Jew has been plunged in the darkness of ignorance, when, owing to long-continued persecution, a narrow religiosity has constituted for him the sum-total of the higher life. Religion, far from being an unimportant matter, is one of tremendous importance both for the happiness and the right conduct of life. Moreover, that communion with the Divine which Religion ensures us, that nearness to God which was the exceeding joy of the Psalmists, is surely the truest bliss that man can attain in this life, even as it is the most fruitful source of moral inspiration. The pious Jew offers the petition thrice daily, thus setting the hall-mark of religion upon knowledge and understanding, and declaring them to be among the most desirable things.
