Israel and Humanity - The Sabbath and the philosophy of history

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§. 5.

THE SABBATH AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY.

The Judaism asserts not only the progress in cosmic evolution, but also in the domestic history of every world and our earth in particular. We said that the Rabbis, commenting on the first page of the book of Genesis, saw a figure in his account of the historical evolution of humanity. Each day of creation represents for them a period of history and the people who, more than any other, sums up the character, of course Israel has also its place in the historical development and the day, in the book of Genesis describes its role in the world, the Sabbath, the day dedicated to God, as Israel is dedicated to him among all nations. The work of each day in Genesis responds by analogy to the nature of the work accomplished in the history of each people in particular.

The Sabbath came, the week is organized, because the Sabbath is the center to which all other days are related, partial creations each day that preceded it all ends the Sabbath, term and coronation of Creation General carries within him his unit. With the emergence of Israel, the organ of religion, which connects everything, enters the world as the center that brings together the various parts of human civilization and the confused crowd of men and races becomes humanity, because it is necessary to it a central point, spiritual and religious, to which converge all the rays coming from the moral and intellectual life of the people, precisely as the idea of God, the Absolute is the center of all human knowledge.

This relationship between Israel and the Sabbath is expressed by the rabbis in many ways. The soul of the world according to the Kabbalists, bears the double name Schabbat and Kenecet Israel , church of Israel, in accordance also with the words of the Talmud: " the Church of Israel is your partner! . Israel is, as the Sabbath, separate and apart from the Jewish liturgy told the faithful: "Blessed art thou O Lord, that separates the holy from the profane, day or night, Israel and other nations on the seventh day other days! "In this text from Ecclesiastes:" God made everything appropriate in its time "Rabbis have embroidered the parable of the fields and his master intended to show that only the master who knows the appropriate seed and work the nature of the land and seasons . The Kabbalists also compared God who brought back the souls in this world by means of reincarnation, to give them an opportunity to reform and improve, a horticulturist who, seeing a plant or tree does not thrive in a field, transplanted into another.

Maybe all these figures of Midrash and Kabbalists, they fall under the general picture in which the whole creation has been likened to a garden of delights, either in the book of Genesis if the meaning we gave to the Eden Bible is correct, either in theosophy, which gives the name of Gan Eden , Garden of Eden, Malchut the immanent God, the divine in the world, finally in a variety of dishes Midrash where paradise is taken as a picture of the universe, creation and science of human creation.

We conclude with respect to this division of the cosmic period ended with the Sabbath and that is like an outline of the philosophy of history according to Judaism, in reporting the words of great writers whose authority is worth quoting. "Jews," said Mr. Haag, firmly believed that after a period of six thousand years from the creation of the world, would be held on great Sabbath which would last a thousand years, during which they dominate the Messiah's reign on all their enemies. They based their calculations on the story of creation in six days as told in the book of Genesis by combining it with the pay of the Psalms: "For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when when it is no longer ".

Renan, in turn, could be more affirmative: "This race," he said, referring to the Jewish people, seized the general lines of human affairs, not as we by analysis ... but by a kind of summary view. The philosophy of history is a work being Jewish in a way the final transformation of the prophetic spirit ". And Mr. Lawrence wrote Aeschylus inaugurated the philosophy of history by showing the hand of God in the calamity hit people. "We do not know, he adds, so as such there are other ancient peoples who can claim that honor, what is certain is that no people has this same title at a higher degree that the Jewish people. The dogma of Providence is so characteristic of the religion of Israel is more synonymous with an ideal order in the story he intended perfectibility and progress in general, because the purpose of justice it itself is divine or human, is the reformation and improvement of guilty "There is even a definition of the order given by Bitter which seem to confuse the Providence and the philosophy of history:" That, he said, expressing the conviction that every action is led by the universal law and to carry out the purpose of this Act "In other words, the award of Proverbs:" Whatever God has done he has done in his own end "It a lot of thoughts in the mind of man, but God's plan that will achieve "or the idea of Isaiah:" All that's called my name for my glory that I created, I have formed, I did ".

Finally Mr. Mamiani wrote: "Do not we read in the Zend Avesta as the ever-recurring struggle between good and evil will be diminishing gradually until the final triumph and glory Ahura-Mazda? The same forecast warms Does not the heart of the prophets of Israel and one of them did not he describes where this blessed age would flow rivers of milk and where snakes lose their poison? ". Then when the same author reminds us Christianity and invocations to the advent of the reign of Dilla and the fulfillment of the divine on earth, it is impossible not to see in this preaching of the everlasting gospel, carried an echo in the Christian religion beliefs that are the authentic heritage of Israel.