Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/346

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328

TJie

And we



Book of Genesis

think of the words of that other inspiring Psalm:

The heavens

And



declare the

God,

glory of

Handiwork;

the firmament showeth His

Day unto day uttereth speech, And night unto night revealeth knowledge. Yet, despite His grandeur and His power,

His children, and

And

them.

The The The The The The

in love

so the

He

is

mindful of

has given them His law to guide

Psalm continues

law of the Lord

is

restoring the soul

perfect,

testimony of the Lord

is

sure,

making wise

the simple.

precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;

commandment fear of the

of the

Lord

is

Lord

clean,

is

pure, enlightening the eyes.

enduring forever

ordinances of the Lord are true, they are righteous altogether.

God of our fathers, which and understand and accept, that it become the guide and blessing of his entire life. This is the lesson taught impressively and convincingly by the story of Joseph. And if we but learn the lesson, and live in accord with it all our lives, then we shall be true Jews, worthy of the birthright of our fathers, which has, through God's This

is

the real faith in the

every true Jew must

feel

come down to us through all these generations. The dying Jacob blessed his two little grandchildren by deprovidence,

all Israel would bless its children names wdth the beautiful words, "God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh". Through all the centuries since then, when the Jewish father came home from the synagogue on Friday eve, he first kissed his beloved wife and blessed her; then he laid his hands upon the heads of his little children, with the words of father Jacob, "God make thee If we but live true to our as Ephraim and as Manasseh". sacred heritage, and strive to realize the purpose of our lives, and to become as God has commanded us through Abraham,

claring that in later years in their

a blessing unto

all

the families of the earth, then shall we, \n