Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/112

 The Book of Genesis

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which God has created them. Man is a social being, Judaism and must Hve in the world, among his brothers and for his Ijrothers, to realize the purpose of existence. Being good means not only doing no wrong, l)ut also, and even more, doing much that is right. We can do this right only by helping others, and never thinking of ourselves and the teaches,

reward we may get. W'e work not for the reward, but for good we can do and the happiness we can bring. As one of the wise teachers of old used to say, "Be not as servants who serve the Master in order to receive reward, but^be as servants who serve the Master not in order to receive reward and let the fear of God be upon you." With this story of the Tower of Ba])el the hrst group of stories of Genesis comes to an end. As was stated in the the



Introduction,

They

they are decidedly

universalistic

in

character.

deal primarily with the cjuestion of the relation of

peoples

whom God

God

of

all

this

general

mankind.

all

has created to Him, the one, universal

A

theme can

logical

be

and systematic unfolding of

readily

perceived.

From

the

fundamental concept of the creation of the universe by God

and the institution by Him and proportionate phases of human life, work and rest, the theme advances to a more detailed consideration of the specific purpose of the creation and existence of man, and of the peculiar nature of man as fashioned by God. The Paradise story teaches that man is for a definite i)urpose of good,

of

the

two

complimentary

possessed of a divine as well as of an earthly nature



that

means barkening to the call of the divine within, and l)y choosing the good and using the gifts which God has jjestowed upon us rightly and for their destined end, to become co-laborers with (^lod in the exalted task of realizing the purpose of good for wliicli this universe was created. right living

But why should man labor thus, ofttimes painfully and with sacrifice? The answer, suggested by the Cain and Abel story, is because we are our l^rothers' keepers, because

great