E. N. MEHUL
Joseph and his Brethren
OPERA IN THREE ACTS.
Copyright of the Publishers for all Countries.
All rights of reproduction in any form whatever are reserved.
English rhythmical translation by FANNY S. COPELAND.
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BREITKOPF & HARTEL
Bear Building
54, Great Marlborough Street
E. N. MEHUL
Joseph und seine Briider
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LONDON, W.
BREITKOPF & HARTEL
Bear Building
54, Great Marlboro ugh Street
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
OPERA IN THREE ACTS.
DRAMATIS PERSONS.
JACOB, a Shepherd, from the Vale of Hebron
JOSEPH, called Gleophas, Governor of Egypt
BENJAMIN
REUBEN
NAPHTALI
SIMEON
Seven other Sons of Jacob
UTOBAL, Joseph's subordinate and confidant
An Officer of Joseph's Bodyguard ...
Sons
of
Jacob
BafTlone
Tenor
Mezzo-Soprano
Tenor
Tenor
Baritone
Tenor and Bass
Baritone
Baritone
Maidens of Memphis, Egyptians, Soldiers. The first and third Acts ate laid in Joseph's Palace in
Memphis, the second Act outside Memphis, beside the tents of the Israelites.
JOSEPH UND SEINE BRUDER
OPER IN DREI AKTEN.
PERSONEN.
JAKOB, Hirte voni Tale Hebron
JOSEPH, unter dem Namen Kleophas, Statthalter)
von Agypten
BENJAMIN ... ...
RUBEN
NAPHTALI ... -v.
SIMEON -
Sieben andere Sohne Jakobs...
UTOBAL, Josephs Untergebener und Vertrauter
Ein Offizier von Josephs Leibvache
Baryton
Tenor
Mezzo-Sopran
Tenor
Tenor
Baryton
Tenore und Basse
Baryton
Baryton.
.lunge Madchen von Memphis, Agypter, Soldaten. Die Han. Hung spielt im ersten und dritten
Akt in Josephs Palast in Memphis, im zweiten ausserhalb Memphis bei den Zelten der Israeliten.
-
206391O
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN.
Argument of the Opera.
Joseph, called Cleophas, is governor of Egypt and Pharaoh's chief
counsellor. But in the midst of his splendour he sadly remembers his
youth, for he is of the race of Israel, sold into slavery in his youth by his
brothers, who were jealous of their father Jacob's great love for him. All
this he confides to Utobal his servant and confidant, when the arrival of
certain Hebrew strangers is announced. They are Joseph's brothers,
who now deeply regret their former cruelty to Joseph ; Simeon especially
is tortured by remorse. From them Joseph learns that his father is still alive
and has come with them to Egypt to escape from a famine in Hebron.
Joseph resolves to conceal his identity for the present, but he provides
liberally for his brothers, and places his own tent at Jacob's disposal.
Early next morning Joseph seeks the tents of the children of Israel,
where he meets his youngest brother, Benjamin, and afterwards Jacob, to
whom he nearly betrays himself in his emotion, when Utobal enters and
announces that the citizens of Memphis desire to escort the governor in
triumph through the town, and that the festal procession is waiting.
Joseph insists that Jacob and Benjamin shall share in his triumph.
At the feast which follows " Cleophas " treats the Hebrew shepherds
with so much distinction that his enemies complain of it to Pharaoh.
Utobal brings the news of this danger and " Cleophas " hastens away to
explain matters to Pharaoh, after dismissing all his guests except Jacob and
Benjamin, who are soon afterwards joined by Simeon, who is brought in by
Joseph's orders. Simeon confesses his and his brothers' guilt to Jacob, who
in his grief and wrath is on the point of cursing his children, when
" Cteophas " returns, intercedes for thenij and finally makes himself known
to all as Joseph.
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
ACT I.
An ante-room in Joseph's palace, the background shut off
b) a curtain.
SCENE I.
RECITATIVE.
Joseph
(alone).
Vainly doth Pharaoh load me with royal
favours,
And grant me my slightest desire.
Though surrounded bypomp, magnificence
and splendour,
My mind sadly dwells on the past that is
gone.
AIR.
Dear native land, thou fertile vale of
Hebron !
Far from thee has my youth long in exile
been blighted,
Like a flower that the wind of the desert
hath slain.
O my father, O Jacob, thou dost long
to embrace me,
Oft hast thou called me thy stay and thy
comfort,
Without me thine age is bereft of all
jy ' .
Brothers of mine, jealous and cruel,
In vain I besought you for pity,
That day ye sold me for a slave !
Were you not moved by my fears ?
You saw my grief and my terror,
Yet hard were your hearts as of stone.
Yet in spite of all still I love you ;
I feel that my heart can forgive.
If but repentant I could find you,
Then your tears would soften my anger.
SCENE II.
RECITATIVE.
Utobal.
(enters).
My Lord, again thine eyes are dimmed
with grief !
Yet is thy destiny peerless in splendour ;
Hath not the King heaped endless honours
on thee,
ERSTER AKT.
Eine Vorhallr- in Josephs Palast, im Hintergrund durch
einen Vorhang Verschlossen.
ERSTER SZENE.
REZITATIV.
Joseph.
(allein).
Ach, umsonst Pharao, in seiner reichen
Gnade
Auf mich wandte gutig den Blick,
Denn umgeben von Gunst, von Pracht,
und alien Ehren,
Qualt Sehnsucht mich doch stets nach
verlorenem Gliick.
ARIE.
O, Vaterland, dich musst ich Jung ver-
lassen !
Fern von dir haben sie mich verkauft, die
mich hassen.
Wenig riihrt mich die Pracht, die mein
Herz nicht erfreut.
Jakob sehnt sich gewiss, mich an sein
Herz zu driicken ;
Ihn einmal nochzu seh'n, den Vater, welch'
Entziicken !
Seine Tranen zu trocknen, zu stillen sein
Leid ;
Briider voll Neid, Scheelsucht und Rache !
Hab' ich um Gnade euch nicht angeflehet,
Da ihr als Sklaven mich verkauft ?
Riihrte euch denn nicht meine Angst ?
Ihr saht den Schmerz, meinen Kummer,
mein Beben,
Und bliebt verstockt ! Ihr verdient
meinen Hass.
Dennoch sucht euch immer mein Sehnen.
Ich fiihl', dass mein Herz euch verzeiht.
Wenn ihr bereut, wenn ihr bereut,
Dann versohnten mich cure Tranen.
ZWEITE SZENE.
REZITATIV.
Utobal
(tritt ein).
O
Herr ! Schon wieder trubt Schmerz
deinen Blick ;
Gibt es ein glanzender Los als das deine ?
Hauft nicht der
dein Haupt,
Konig Ehr' um Ehr auf
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
Since thou so truly didst his dream
interpret,
And thy wisdom his people hath saved
from distress ?
Joseph.
happy
in the royal
Yes, I am
favour,
Yet in my heart I bear a secret sorrow.
This I will confide to thee I am of Israel's
race.
Twelve goodly sons gladdened the heart
of my father.
Me he loved above all. Envying me, did
my brothers behold this ;
Listen, and learn how hatred misled them.
ROMANCE.
My childhood's days were scarcely over,
Fourteen summers had I seen,
Full of trusting, pure affection,
Did I seek my brothers' tents,
When to Shechem's verdant pastures
They had led my father's flocks,
Not an evil thought I harboured,
But was guileless as a child.
Where three palm-trees gave me shelter
There I knelt in prayer to our God.
There my brothers seized and bound me
Still I tremble at the thought !
Into a pit they cast me, and left me,
With relentless cruelty
A tomb it appeared to my terror,
As vainly for mercy I cried !
Alas ! My death they sought to compass
A chance alone preserved my life.
And to Arab merchants, passing,
My brothers sold me as a slave.
Then fiercely they bargained with strangers,
And while they counted the gold,
I wept for my father's affliction,
And for those who could use me so ill !
RECITATIVE.
Utobal.
Hast thou ne'er sought vengeance for this
outrage ?
Joseph
(with gentle gravity).
Utobal, they are my brothers.
Utobal.
Could they so forget their kinship ?
Weil seinen Traum du wunderbar
gedeutet,
Und voll Weisheit sein Volk gerettet hast
vor Not ?
Joseph,
Wohl bin ich begliickt durch des Konigs
Gnade,
Doch nagtgeheimer Gram mir am Herzen.
Dir will ich mich anvertraun. Ich bin von
Israels Stamm.
Zwolf bliihende Sohne nannte mein Vater
sein eigen,
Mich doch liebt er vor Allen. Dies
erweckte den Neid meiner Briider.
Hore, wozu ihr Hass sie verleitet.
ROMANZE.
Die Jugend war mir kaum vergangen,
Vierzehn Jahre zahlte ich nur,
Hegte nie ein siindig Verlangen
Und folgte meiner Briider Spur.
Als zu Sichems reichem Gefilde
Ihre Herden sie trieben hin,
Folgt' ich ihnen voll Zutraun und Milde,
Mein Herz war arglos und mein Sinn.
In der Einsamkeit bei drei Palmen
Brachte Gott Gebete ich dar.
Da, ich sang die heiligen Psalmen,
Packte mich die treulose Schar.
In eine Grube, die sich daneben
Schaurig offnete, warf man mich.
Daran denk' ich noch mit Erbeben,
Gleich einem Grab umfing sie mich,
Weh mir ! Dem Tod war ich verfallen,
Wenn Zufall mir nicht Rettung gab.
Sklavenhandlern hatt' ich gefallen,
Sie zogen mich hervor aus dem Grab.
Die Briider mit wildem Behagen,
Sie gaben mich der Knechtschaft preis.
Ich muss jene Frevler beklagen
Und ihn, den vielgeliebten Greis.
REZITATIV.
Utobal.
Und du rachst dich nicht an diesen
Frevlern ?
Joseph
(ernst und milde).
Utobal, sie sind meine Briider.
Utobal.
Dass sie dies vergessen konnten !
Joseph.
Stay them here, and take my place.
I go ! My duty calls me hence to the
King.
(Exit.)
Utobal.
What a man !
Peace and Prosperity reign in Egypt
Since the King has confided in him.
An Officer
(enters).
Strangers are here, and desire a boon from
great Cleopha*.
Utobal.
Whence come these men ?
Officer.
They are Hebrews.
Utobal
(with sudden interest).
Hebrews ? Let them be welcome, and bid
them come here.
How, if perchance they bring tidings for
Cleophas from his father !
I hasten to tell him of their arrival \
(Exit quickly.)
SCENE III.
(Enter Joseph's Brethren, escorted.)
Officer.
Dry those tears of sorrow !
For Cleophas never sent the sorrowing
empty away !
(Exit.)
Reuben.
How kindly he spake !
brothers, can this be the end of our grief?
Naphtali.
It is, it is ! O trust in the Lord \
Simeon.
Yea, for you shall again rejoice.
1 can ne'er escape my remorseful heart.
Reuben.
Say not so !
Simeon.
Are we not in Egypt, where Joseph
Joseph.
Bleibe hier an meiner Stall.
Ich geh', dem Konig meine Dienste zu
weih'n.
(Geht ab.)
UtobaL
Welch' ein Mann !
Friede und Wohlstand beherrscht Agy-pten,
Seit der Konig ihm ganz vertraut.
Ein Offisier.
(Tritt ein).
Herr ! Fremde begehren Gehor beim
grosseu Kleophas.
Utobal.
Woher kommen sie ?
Offizier.
Es sind Hebraer.
Utobal
(Ifcbhaft).
Hebraer ! Lass sie herein und behandte
sie gut.
Wie, wenn sie Kleophas Kunde brachten
von seinem Vater !
Ich eile, ihm ihre An-kunft zu melden '
(Geht eilig ab.)
DRITTE SZENE.
(Die Briider werden hereiiiffet'iihrl. )
Offizier.
Trocknet cure Tranen !
Von Kleophas giug noch keiner ungetrostet
himveg.
(Geht ab.)
Ruben.
Wie milde er spracli !
O Briider, fand'hier unser Elend ein Ziel ?
Naphtali.
Es wird ! Es wird ! Vertrauet auf Gott !
Simeon.
Ihr, ja, ihr sollt gliicklich sein.
Mich verlasset nimmer der Reue Pein.
Ruben.
Fasse Mut !
Simeon.
1st dies nicht Agypten, wet Joseph-
8
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
Naphtali.
speak not of him !
Simeon.
Was not a guileless child by us betrayed
to bondage ?
Have we not bound our brother with
fetters, and sold him for gain ?
Basely deceived our father,
A savage beast, thus said we, mangled
thy Joseph ?
Is not his age by grief and sorrow o'er-
clouded ?
Was it not I who counselled these crimes ?
Naphtali.
Be comforted, brother !
ENSEMBLE.
Simeon.
No, no, for the Lord is offended ;
His vengeance pursues my crime,
And on my brow, see, how his finger
Clearly hath traced the brand of Cain :
" His crime shall nevermore find mercy,
No kindred, no friends hath he,
For basely his father he bereaved
Of the child that he held most dear."
Reuben, Naphtali, the Brothers.
Oh Simeon, unhappy brother,
Do not thus give way to thy grief.
Simeon.
My father ! oh, where shall I find him ?
The Brothers.
When thou sp"eakest of our father,
How shall we endure our remorse ?
Simeon.
Alas, when I turn to my children,
And fain would find peace in my tent,
Then dread and remorse still pursue me,
1 cannot find rest for my
soul !
In spite of their innocent prattle
Cold fear lays its hand on my heart,
My guilty eyes read in their faces,
They will prove unkind, like myself !
The Brothers.
Restrain thy grief, unhappy brother !
Naphtali.
O sprich nicht von ihm !
Simeon.
Ward Jugend und Unschuld von uns nicht
verraten ?
Haben wir nicht den Bruder gefesselt als
Sklaven verkauft ?
Logen wir nicht dem Vater,
Ein wildes Tier hab' semen Joseph
zerrissen ?
Wankt nicht der Greis seitdem dem Grabe
entgegen,
Und wars nicht ich, der dies alles euch riet ?
Naphtali.
O fasse dich, Bruder !
ENSEMBLE.
Simeon.
Nein, nein, Gott der Herr ist beleidigt ;
Er rachet, er racht meine Missetat.
Auf meiner Stirn leset ihr die Worte,
Die seine Hand gezeichnet hat :
" Der Frevler finde kein Erbarmen,
Von den Menschen sei er gefloh'n,
Weil er dem Vater entrissen
Den so zartlich geliebten Sohn."
Ruben, Naphtali, die Bruder.
O Simeon ! gebeugter Bruder !
Stille deinen nagenden Schmerz.
Simeon.
O Vater, wo soil ich ihn finden ?
Die Bruder.
Sprich doch nicht von unserem Vater,
Wehe ! das zerreisst uns das Herz !
Simeon.
Wenn oft, um die Schmerzen zu stillen,
Mein Weib mein Kinder mir bringt,
Dann fasst mich die furchtbarste Reue,
Ich flieh' in ihren Arm, der mich traulich
umschlingt.
Sie lacheln so sanft mir entgegen,
DochSchrecken und Schmerz packenmich,
Ich lese schon in ihren Ziigen :
Undankbar wie ich ist ihr Herz !
Die Bruder.
O troste dich, gebeugter Bruder !
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
Simeon.
This is my doom, thus shall it be,
For the Lord, He is just !
The Brothers.
O think of us, think of our father !
Thy true remorse, and deep despair
Will turn away the \vrath of God.
Reuben.
Peace ! Who comes here ?
Reiiben, Naphtali, the Brothers.
Let us be silent !
The Brothers.
The guard approaches from .without,
And Egypt's Governor draws nigh,
O brother, pray be silent !
Simeon.
Pursued by the wrath of the Lord,
No rest can I find upon earth.
The Brothers.
Must we beseech thee on our knees?
Why plunge us into misery ?
Be silent !
Simeon.
Alas ! O Lord, how can such grief be silent?
SCENE IV.
(Enter the Officer and Joseph's bodyguard, then Utobal.)
RECITATIVE.
Utobal.
Ye strangers, Cleophas comes. Bow down
before his face !
( The Knit hers bow down. Joseph enters and looks at them
closely.)
Joseph.
What would ye of me ?
Naphtali.
Sorely the Lord hath stricken
Israel !
The land, once fruitful, now is dry and
barren !
Oh, Heav'n !
Joseph
(softly, aside).
Simeon.
Ich bin gestraft ; Gott ist gerecht,
Ja, gerecht ist mein Gott !
Die Briider.
O denk' an uns, an unsern Vater,
Ist deine Reue wirklich echt,
Der Herr ist gnadig und gerecht.
Ruben.
Still ! Horch ! wer kommt?
Ruben , Naphtali^ die Briider.
Seid alle stille !
Die Briider.
Die Wache nahert sich uns schon,
Und ihnen folgt der Gouverneur.
O Simeon, sei ruhig.
Simeon.
Verfolgt von des Ew'gen Gericht,
Ich finde auf Erden nie Ruhe.
Die Briider.
Ach ! mussen wir dich kniend flehen ?
Barbar, willst du uns elend sehen ?
Sei ruhig !
Simeon.
Weh mir ! O Gott ! woher nehme ich Ruhe ?
VIERTE SZENE.
(Der Ojfizier und Joseph's Leibwache etretn ein, zuletzt
rtobal.)
REZITATIV.
" A- . Utobal.
Ihr Fremdlinge, Kleophas naht. Beugt
eure Knie vor ihm !
(Die Briider knien nieder. Joseph tritt ein und betrachtct MO
mit gespannter Autnicrksnmkeit. )
Joseph.
Was wollt ihr von mir ?
Naphtali.
Schwer traf Israels Volk die Hand des
Herrn !
Das Land, einst fruchtbar, liegt nun wiist
und ode.
O Gott !
Joseph
'i-,.- fur sich).
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
NaphtaU.
Now ;ire we homeless ; let not the Sons
Of Jacob die of hunger !
(Hi- raises his head.)
Joseph
(softly to Utobnl).
These men are my brothers !
(to the Brothers.)
And Jacob, your father?
NaphtaU.
(surprised.)
Thou knowest of our father?
Lives he ?
Joseph
(eagerly).
Naphtali.
He lives.
Joseph.
(to Utobal).
I shall behold his face !
Utobal
(aside to Joseph),
Thy deep emotion will betray thee !
Joseph
(to his Brothers).
O tell me more of Jacob.
Reuben.
His mind is active, but his eyes are dim
with age.
And Benjamin, our youngest brother,
doth ever stay by his side.
Joseph
(joyfully).
Benjamin !
A child he was, when I saw him last !
(forge tting himself.)
Kneel not to me, my
(recollecting himself)
Strangers, arise !
(searchingly.)
Yet say, if you have never lost another
brother ?
Reuben
(confused).
Yea, one ! His name was Joseph.
Naphtali.
Heimatlos sind wir ; lasst nicht vor Hunger
Jakobs Kinder sterben !
(er erhebt das Haupt).
Joseph
(leise zu Utobal).
Sie sind's, meine Briider !
(7.11 den Briidern.)
Und Jakob, euer Vater ?
Naphtali
(uberrascht, lebhaft).
Du kennst unsern Vater ?
Lebt er ?
Joseph
(drangend).
Naphtali.
Er lebt.
Joseph '
(zu Utobal).
Ich werd' ihn wiederseh'n !
Ulobal
(leise zu Joseph).
Verraten wird dich deine Running.
Joseph
(zu den Briidern).
Sprecht weiter mir von Jakob.
Ruben.
Sein Geist ist kraftig, nur sein Augenlicht
erlosch.
Darum weicht nie von seiner Seite sein
jiingster Sohn Benjamin.
Joseph
(freudig).
Benjamin !
Als lockig Kindlein sah ich ihn zuletzt.
(sich vergessend).
Erhebt euch, meine
(ruhig.)
Fremdlinge, steht auf !
(forschend.)
Doch sagt', habt niemals einen Bruder ihr
verloren ?
Ruben
(scheu).
Der Tod entriss uns Joseph.
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
1 1
Simeon
(who has up to now remained in the background, rushing
forward.)
Who speaks of Joseph ?
Joseph
(startled).
Tis he !
(aside, to Utobal.)
Simeon ! Alas !
FINALE.
Joseph.
Heav'n, how his face affrights me still !
Utobal.
What is't that troubles thee, my lord?
Joseph.
Ah, how his look recalls my fears !
Reuben, Naphtali, the Brothers.
Look not distraught, or we shall suffer.
Oh, control thy grief awhile !
Joseph.
'Tis Simeon who stands before me,
He who threatened to take my life.
Utobal.
Which is the insolent villain,
Who threatened to take thy life ?
Joseph.
His eyes clearly show thee the traitor,
See'st thou his brow furrowed with care ?
And his face shows the evil-doer
Who feels remorse deep in his heart.
Utobal.
I see his brow furrowed with care,
He feels remorse deep in his heart.
Simeon.
Grief consumes my soul, O my father,
Yea, deep remorse dwells in my heart.
The Brothers.
Fear'st thou not thus to betray us,
By thy remorse by thy despair ?
Simeon
(dcr sich bis jetzt im Hintergrunde gehalten hat, stilrzt
hervor.)
Wer spricht von Joseph ?
Joseph
(erschrocken).
Er ist's,
(leise zu Utobaf).
Simeon ! Weh mir !
FINALE.
Joseph.
Gott, wie erschreckt sein Antlitz mich !
Utobal.
Herr, was ergreift so heftig dich ?
Joseph.
Ihn seh' ich hier, den Wiiterich !
Ruben, Naphtali, die Briider.
Stille den Schmerz, sonst droh'n Gefahren !
O, dein Blick ist fiirchterlich !
Joseph.
Ihn seh' ich hier, ihn den Barbaren,
Dessen Dolch war geziickt auf mich.
Utobal.
Zeige mir den frechen Barbaren,
Dessen Dolch war geziickt auf dich.
Joseph.
Sein Blick zeiget dir den Verrater.
Sieh' ! seine Stirne ist voll Schmerz,
Und sein Gram zeigt den Missetater,
Dem die Verzweiflung qualt sein Herz.
Utobal.
Sieh', seine Stirn bleichet der Schmerz,
Denn die Verzweiflung qualt sein Herz.
Simeon.
Gram vernichtet ihn, meinen Vater.
Ja, meine Schuld brach ihm das Herz.
Die Briider.
Still' deinen Gram und mass'ge dich,
Ach ! Du wirst unser Verrater.
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
UtobaL
His sore distress plainly I see,
He is consumed with wild despair.
Joseph.
Let my heart not betray
The emotion I feel,
I must pity a bro'her
Who thus repents his fault.
UtobaL
Let his trespass be pardon'd,
Since thy heart wills it so.
Do not turn from thy brother
Who repents of his fault.
The Brothers.
Let thy heart not betray thee,
It were wise to be calm.
If he refuse to help us,
Then how wretched shall we be.
Simeon.
Let my heart not betray me,
It were wise to be calm,
Alas, my depth of sorrow
Will lead to more distress.
Joseph.
Fear not, I am not displeased.
UtobaL
Thou must pity a brother
Who thus repents his fault,
Let his trespass be pardoned
Since thy heart wills it so.
Joseph
(to his Brothers).
Go, return now unto your father,
And say to him, that Cleophas
Doth bid him welcome to this land
Whose wealth sufficeth for us all.
The Brothers.
May the Lord requite thee this kindness !
Thou hast preserved Israel's tribe.
Thou art our protector, our friend,
But for thine aid all we had died of hunger.
Joseph.
Ah, Utobal, now am I happy !
The life of my father is saved.
UtobaL
Er ist gequalt von herbem Schmerz,
Ach, das zerreisst sein armes Herz.
Joseph.
Doch ich will mich nun fassen,
Weil mein Herz mir gebeut,
Einen Bruder zu lieben,
Der seine Schuld bereut.
UtobaL
Seine Schuld ist erlassen,
Da dein Herz dir gebeut :
Hass' ihn nicht, deinen Bruder
Den sein Fehl schmerzlich reut.
Die Bruder.
Ja, du musst dich nun fassen,
Dies gebeut Klugheit dir.
Denn ohne seine Hilfe
Ganz verlassen sind auch wir.
Simeon.
Ja, ich muss mich nun fassen,
Dies gebeut Klugheit mir.
Liess' hilflos ich den Vater
Wiichs mein Strafbarkeit.
Joseph.
Ja, ich will gern ihm verzeihn.
Utobal.
Hass ihn nicht deinen Bruder,
Der Seine Schuld bereut.
Seine Schuld ist erlassen,
Da dein Herz dir gebeut.
Joseph
(zu den Briidern).
Eurem Vater geht jetzt entgegen
Und saget ihm, ich sei erfreut,
Dass dieses Landes reicher Segen
Nun genug zur Nahrung ihm beut.
Die Bruder.
Welch' ein Gliick erleben wir heute !
Herr ! dir vergilt Israels Gott !
Du bist unser Schutz, unser Hort,
Denn ohne clich waren wir tot.
Joseph.
Ach, Utobal, sieh' meine Freude !
Ich rette den Vater vom Tod.
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
SCENE V.
(The curtain is drawn aside, showing a street in Memphis,
from which the people are entering'.)
Chorus of People.
(from without.)
All hail, our protector, our friend !
We owe him both welfare and life.
What is this ?
Joseph.
Utobal.
It is the people gathered together
To thank thee for all thou hast done.
A mighty throng without thy palace
Proclaims their gratitude with gladness,
And waits to look upon thy face.
Joseph to Utobal.
To thee I commend my father,
For in thee I can surely trust.
Utobal.
My lord, I am faithful to thee ;
Thy father's weal shall be my care.
The Brothers.
Now all is well, we are in safety,
Cleophas will befriend us all.
Chorus and the Brothers.
All hail, our protector, our friend !
We owe him both welfare and life.
(All bow down before Joseph.)
ACT II.
Curtain rises. A wide plain before the walls of Memphis
with the tents of the Israelites. A magnificent tent in the
foreground. It is a starlight night ; the sickle of the waning
moon is still above the horizon.
SCENE I.
Enter Joseph and UtobaL
RECITATIVE.
Joseph.
The stars are not yet dim,
And safe in their tents the Sons of Israel
slumber in peace.
Oh, Heaven ! after many years I shall at
last
Once more behold my father.
FONFTE SZENE.
(Der Vorhang wird auseinander gezogen. Man gewahrt
eine Strasse von Memphis, aus der das Volk herbcistromt.)
Chor des Volkes
(von aussen).
Verehrt ihn, den Retter, den Freund !
Wir danken ihm Wohlfahrt und Heil !
Was hor ich ?
Joseph.
Utobal.
Dir verdankt das Volk seinen Segen
Und ehret seinen Retter in dir.
Es steht vor deinem Schloss die Menge
Und jauchzet frohlich dir entgegen.
Man wartet deiner mit Begier.
Joseph.
Du wirst meinen Vater versorgen,
Denn ich setz' mein Vertrauen auf dich !
Utobal.
Herr ! rechne in Allem auf mich ;
Fur deinen Vater sorge ich.
Die Bruder.
Beruhigt euch, wir sind gebor^en,
Der Gouverneur verwendet sich.
Chor des Volkes rind der Bruder.
Verehrt ihn, den Retter, den Freund !
Wir danken ihm Wohlfahrt und Heil !
(Alle huldigen Joseph.)
ZWEITER AKT.
Weites Feld vor den Mauern von Memphis mil den Zelten der
Izraeliten. Ini Vordergrunde ein reiches Zelt. Nacht,
Sternenhimmel. Die Sichel des nbnehmenden Mondes
steht noch am Horizont.
ERSTE SZENE.
Joseph und 67o4o/treten auf.
REZITATIV.
Joseph.
Die Sterne leuchten noch.
DenhetligenSchlummer des Kinder Israels
storet kein Laut.
O Gott ! hier soil ich den Vater wieder-
seh'n
Nach langen, langen Jahren.
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
Utobal.
Within thy tent of state he sleeps,
As thou hast willed, by wealth sur-
rounded.
Joseph.
I thank thee, faithful friend.
Utobal.
My lord, to him reveal thyself with
caution.
Lest he die of so much gladness.
Joseph.
Yea, I will control my longing,
Do thou return to Memphis,
For daybreak is at hand.
(Exit Utobal.}
Father mine, henceforth thine age shall
ne'er again be
Dark with sorrow. Thy grief shall turn
to glad rejoicing
By thy dear son's affection, and peace I
will restore again,
Unto the hearts of these my brothers.
(Day dawns gradually. Trumpets and horns within.)
(listening.)
Hark, is this not Memnon's voice, which
proclaims
That the roseate dawn once more ariseth
in the east ?
PRAYER.
Chorus of the Children of Israel.
Lord God of Hosts, Thou art Israel's
keeper !
Bless Thou our fields and our flocks.
Oh, let the grain once more ripen,
Let not thy chosen people die !
Joseph.
What tender memories rise and fill me
with rapture.
How often in bygone days I have join'd
my brothers
In giving praise to Israel's God.
(He kneels in prayer.)
Utobal.
Er ruht in deinem eig'nen Zelt,
Wie du befahlst, von Glanz umgeben.
Joseph.
Hab' Dank, du treuer Freund.
Utobal.
O Herr ! Lass nicht sogleich ihn dich
erkennen,
Dass die Freude ihn nicht tote.
Joseph.
Ja, ich will mein Herz bezwingen.
Jetzt geh' zuriick nach Memphis ;
Der Morgen ist nicht fern.
(Utobal geht ab.)
Guter Greis ! Nichts soil den Abend deines
Lebens
Dir mehr triiben. In Freude sei dein
Leid verwandelt
Durch deines Sohnes Liebe, und Ruhe
will ich wiedergeben
Dem Gewissen meiner Briider !
(Es wird allmahlich Tag,)
Horch, schon hor' ich den Akkord, der
erklingt,
Wenn im Osten der erste Schimmer des
Lichts sich regt.
Chor des israelitischen Volkes.
Gott Israels ! Herr der Welt, unser
Vater !
Segne die Saat und das Feld,
Lass unser Korn wieder griinen.
Rette dein auserwahltes Volk !
Joseph.
Wie fiillt Erinnerung mein Herz mit
siissem Entziicken.
O selige Jugendzeit, da mit meinenBriidern
vereint
Ich sang der Gottheit Lob.
(Kniet sich zum Gebet nieder.)
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
SCENE II.
(Enter Benjamin from the tent.)
RECITATIVE.
Benjamin.
How fair and cloudless is the sky !
Soon will the sun arise !
An angel surely has been our guide to
this bountiful land.
Who is the stranger in princely attire
Whom I see praying yonder ?
Joseph
(rising).
Benjamin !
Benjamin.
My name thou knowest?
Joseph
(embracing him).
Come to my heart !
Benjamin.
What troubles thee, fair stranger ?
Weepest thou ?
Joseph.
'Tis thy youth, child, and thy freshness.
Thou must be dear to Jacob !
Benjamin.
In Joseph's place I wait on him now.
Joseph ?
Joseph.
Benjamin.
My elder brother ; many years now we
mourn him.
ROMANCE.
Benjamin.
'Twas cruel of death thus to take him,
The son whom my father so loved !
His mind ever dwells on his sorrow,
His eyes have with weeping grown dim.
So that I might comfort my father
They brought me to solace his grief ;
And he found in my childish face
Resemblance to him he had cherished.
Of Joseph all speak with affection,
ZWEITE SZENE.
(fienjamcn tritt aus dem Zelt),
REZITATIV.
Benjamin.
Wie strahlt der Himmel so rein und
schon !
Bald wird die Sonne sich heben.
Ein Engel des Herrn hat in dies gastliche
Land uns gefiihrt.
Wer ist der Fremdling im reichen Gewand,
Der voll Andacht dort betet?
Joseph
(spring! auf)>
Benjamin !
Benjamin.
Du kennst meinen Namen !
Joseph
(schliesst ihn in seine Armu).
Komm an mein Herz !
Benjamin.
Was riihrt dich so zu Triinen, fremder
Mann ?
Joseph.
Deine Jugend, deine Unschuld.
Wie muss dich Jakob lieben !
Benjamin.
Ich nehme Josephs Platz bei ihm ein.
Joseph.
Josephs ?
Benjamin.
Des edlen Bruders, den wir lang schon
verloren.
ROMANZE.
Benjamin.
Ach, musste der Tod ihn uns nehmen,
Den Sohn, den der Vater geliebt !
Ich seh' ihn noch immer sich gramen,
Den Blick stets von Tranen getriibt.
Damit ich den Vater vergniige,
Lacht ihm oft mein kindlicher Blick !
Und er findet, o welch ein Gliick,
An mir des Verlorenen Ziige.
Von Joseph sprach Jedermann Gutes ;
10
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
By all he was honoured and loved.
He ever was cheerful and kindly,
And evil was far from his heart.
And I, to console my old father,
That he may not grieve for the dead,
Strive to copy his noble life,
That Joseph may live in my image.
RECITATIVE.
Joseph.
Dearest child, long- mayest thou be
The stay and comfort of thy father !
(hesitatingly.)
O tell me, could I one moment look
upon his face ?
Benjamin.
Fatigued with travel now he sleeps :
Even our prayers at daybreak have not
disturbed his slumbers !
With silent steps draw nigh !
(He draws the curtain of the tent.)
Joseph.
O honoured age ! I humbly bow the
knee to thee.
(kneels.)
Benjamin
(aside, with emotion).
Thus long ago may Joseph have knelt to
him.
(Trumpets in the distance.)
Joseph.
(rising).
The people come to escort me in triumph.
Oh, how gladly I would yield my glory
To remain with you for ever !
TRIO.
Benjamin.
The trumpet sound, from afar they are
calling,
And my father will soon be awakened
from sleep.
Joseph.
Oh, joy supreme, now shall I greet my
father ;
The day I have awaited at last is
at hand.
Von Allen war heiss er geliebt.
Er war auch stets frohlichen Mutes,
Weil niemals er Boses veriibt ;
Warum, ach, warum musst' er sterben !
Um den Vater stets zu erfreu'n,
Wiinsch' ich sehnlich wie er zu sein,
Ich muss Josephs Tugend erwerben !
REZITATIV.
Joseph.
Liebes Kind ! Noch lange mogst du
Des Vaters Trost und Stiitze bleiben !
(zogernd.)
O sag mir, konnt' ich nur einen Augen-
blick ihn seh'n ?
Benjamin.
Nach barter Wandrung schlaft er fest ;
Selbst nicht die heiligen Gebete vermoch-
ten ihn zu wecken !
Darum tritt leis' herzu !
(Er offnet den Zeltvorhang.)
Joseph
Geliebter Greis ! In Ehrfurcht beug 'ich
mich vor dir.
(kniet.)
Benjamin
(leise, gferiihrt).
So hat dereinst wohl Joseph vor ihm
gekniet.
(Trompeten in der Feme,)
Joseph
(steht auf).
Das Volk naht, mich im Triumph zu holen.
O wie gern entsagt' ich alien Ehren,
Hier bei ihm stets zu verweilen !
TERZETT.
Benjamin.
Trompetenton hore fern ich erschallen ;
Dadurch wird wohl der Schlaf meines
Vaters gestort.
Joseph.
O welches Gliick, du herrlichstes von
alien !
Mir wird jetzt ein Genuss, den ich lang
schon entbehrt.
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
Benjamin.
His eyes have lost their light, his sight is
gone for ever.
Oh, noble sir, he cannot see thy
face.
(goes into the tent.)
Joseph.
Father, how oft have I to God upraised
my prayers,
That we two might once more meet in
loving embrace.
SCENE II.
Benjamin
(Enters, leading- Jacob from the tent).
Tis Benjamin, who leads his father
And ever guides his feeble steps.
Jacob.
God of Abraham, hear my supplication,
Few are the steps that lead to the grave
that awaits me.
I am far from the land of my fathers
to-day,
Lord, if 'tis Thy will that my bones shall
not rest them
Within the promised land Thou gavest to
my fathers,
I bow to Thy decree, gladly yield to Thy
will,
I will die in this land, far away from my
home,
But let my children their heritage see.
Joseph and Benjamin.
God of Abraham, O hear our supplication,
Lord, in Thee do we put our trust,
Lengthen his days, and gladden thou his
heart,
Oh, let us all Thy mercy see !
RECITATIVE.
Jacob.
Benjamin, where art thou ? O leave me
not,
As in my dream last night thou didst
leave me.
Benjamin.
Ah, could I ever leave thee ?
Benjamin.
Erblindet ist sein Auge ; er kann dich nicht
sehen.
O, edler Mann ! Meiden muss er dies
Gliick.
(geht in das Zelt.)
Joseph.
Vater ! VVie oft schon horte Gott mein
briinstig Flehen,
Dass zu dir ich nur einmal noch kehrte
zuriick.
DRITTE SZENE.
Benjamin.
(tritt mil Jakob aus dem Zelt).
Wenn Benjamin den Vater leitet,
Empfindet er das hochste Gliick.
Jakob.
Gott Abrahams ! erhore meine Bitte !
Denn zum Grabe habe ich nur noch wenige
Schritte.
Von der Vater Gefild bin ich jetzt leider
fern.
O Gott ! wenn du nicht willst, dass mein
Staub sei begraben
Im Lande, das die Vater einst besessen
haben,
Ich ehre dein Gebot, unterwerfe mich
gern,
Dieses Land decke bald, wenn auch fremd
mein Gebein !
Nur meine Kinder lass gliicklich stets sein.
Joseph und Benjamin.
Gott Abrahams ! erhore meine Bitte !
Herr ! auf dich hoffen wir allein.
Lass ihn noch lange sich des Lebens
freun,
Das wird das Gliick der Kinder sein.
REZITATIV.
Jakob.
Benjamin, wo bist du? Verlass mich
nicht,
Wie diese Nucht im Traum du es
tatest !
Benjamin.
Wie, ich hatte dich vedassen ?
i8
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
Jacob.
\ dreamt that in the desert a sudden
storm arose,
And whirling wreaths of sand engulfed me.
Not one of all my children was with me :
Then did I hear thee calling- !
Heaven restored to me my vision ;
I saw thee ; a noble stranger walked
beside thee,
Who bowed down before me.
Ah, and he resembled Joseph !
Benjamin
(aside to Joseph).
How his mind dwells on him.
Jacob.
Joseph, my son, best-beloved of my
heart,
The years can ne'er appease my longing !
Joseph.
No more shalt thou weep tears of sorrow,
My heart has not changed t'ward thee.
Benjamin.
O, father, dry thy tears of sorrow,
And yield not to thy bitter grief.
Jacob.
Yea, in my sleep, as in my waking,
Evermore I see Joseph's face,
And I think I hear it calling,
The voice that was dear to me.
Nought can console a father,
Who mourns his best-loved son.
Joseph.
Yes, he still loves me dearly,
As he loved me of yore.
Benjamin.
Ah, the face of my brother
Dwells ever in his mind !
Jacob.
Ah, when loving mothers boast fondly ;
" Child never loved, as mine doth me ! "
My grief in my heart cries loudly :
" My Joseph, he loved me better far ! "
My darling Joseph, far from thee,
Mine old age is joyless and lonely.
Jakob.
In schattenloser Wiiste umbrauste mich
ein Sturm,
Im Sande glaubt' ich zu ersticken ;
Und keines meiner Kinder war bei mir ;
Da hort' ich deine Stimme.
Gott erleuchtete mein Auge,
Ich sah dich, gefiihrt von einem schonen
Manne,
Der sich vor mir beugte.
Ach, er hatte Josephs Ziige !
Benjamin
(leise zu Joseph).
Immer denkt er an ihn.
FINALE.
Jakob.
Joseph, mein Sohn, dich vergisst nie mein
Herz,
Die Zeit stillt nie mein heisses Sehnen.
Joseph.
Es fliessen um dich Wonnetranen,
Weil stets nur fur dich schlug mein Herz.
Benjamin.
O trockne, Vater, deine Tranen !
Besiege, besiege deinen herben Schmerz.
Jakob.
Ja selbst im Schlaf, wie auch im Wachen.
Immer seh' ich ihn, meinen Sohn,
Immer tont in meinen Ohren
Der Stimme geliebter Ton.
Nichts trostet einen Vater,
Der seinen liebsten Sohn verier.
Joseph.
Ich bin stets noch sein Liebling,
Den sein Herz sich erkor.
Benjamin.
Ach das Bild meines Bruders
Schwebt ihm bestandig vor.
Jakob.
Sagt mir ein Mutter voll Freude :
Ach dieses Kind liebt mich so sehr !
O dann ruft es in mir voll Wehmut :
Mein Joseph, er liebte mich weit mehr,
Mein teurer Joseph, ohne dich
Bin ich jetzt allein auf der Erde.
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
RECITATIVE.
Joseph.
No, I cannot resist !
Low kneeling at his feet
I must own to what I feel.
Benjamin.
Heaven, what is this ?
Joseph.
O, my father !
Jacob.
Who takes my hand,
And bedews it with tears ?
SCENE IV.
Utobal
(enters).
The people gather round, and clamour to
behold thee,
Their desire is to bear thee through the
streets of Memphis
In triumph before them all.
Do not deny their wish !
All in joyful excitement,
" Long live Cleophas " is their cry.
Jacob and Benjamin.
Cleophas !
Utobal.
To behold thee the people are thronging !
Delay not, I pray thee, my lord.
Jacob.
My son, where then is Cleophas ?
Benjamin.
'Tis he who with respect but now thy
hand saluted.
Jacob.
What sayest thou ? How great an honour !
Thou who hast helped us so far in our
need !
My lord, let me express my gratitude thus
humbly
Joseph.
Do not kneel at my feet !
Come rather to my heart.
(embracing: him)
REZITATIV.
Joseph.
Mein Herz zieht mit Gewalt
Mich zu des Greises Fiissen,
Ich kann nicht widersteh'n.
Benjamin.
Gott, was seh ich ?
Joseph.
O mein Vater !
Jakob.
Wer fasst die Hand,
Die mit Tranen er benetzt.
VIERTE SZENE.
Utobal
(tritt ein).
Das Volk, das allgemein im Freudentau-
mel schwebet,
Hat begehrt, dich zu seh'n, beginnet schon
den Zug.
Im Triumph fiihrt man dich zur Stadt.
Wie sehr wirst du geliebt !
Allgemein ist die Wonne.
Sie schrei'n : Kleophas lebe hoch !
Jakob und Benjamin.
Kleophas !
Utobal.
Dich zu seh'n ist das Volk voll Verlangen.
O zog're nicht! erfiill' den Wunsch !
Jakob.
Mein Sohn, wo ist denn Kleophas ?
Benjamin.
Der ist's, der tranend dir die Hand mit
Ehrfurcht kiisste.
Jakob.
Was hore ich ? so viel Gnade !
Du unterstiitzest uns, grossmiitiger
Mann !
O Herr ! lass meinen Dank mich hier zu
deinen Fiissen
Joseph.
Mir zu Fiissen, O nein !
Hier ist fortan dein Platz
(umarmt ihn)
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
Utobal.
My lord, the glad procession
Is quickly approaching-.
SCENE V.
(The crowd gradually collects in the background).
Joseph.
Then come and follow me. I will guide
Jacob's steps.
Take your part in the feast, and you shall
share my splendour.
This day the grateful people rejoice in my
honour,
And my triumph is crowned by your
presence with me.
You shall ride by my side, Benjamin and
his father ;
All Memphis shall behold how I revere
and honour
This simple shepherd and his child.
(The festal procession passes).
Chorus.
World renowned are the heroes,
Who shall envy his fame !
His the triumph of wisdom.
And blessed gifts of peace,
For like a kindly father
He gave the people bread !
(Joseph mounts the triumphal car v,'\t\\ Jacob and Benjamin.)
ACT III.
(A splendid banqueting hall in Joseph's palace. Jacob on a
raised dais. Joseph and Benjamin sit beside him. The rest of
the brothers, except Simeon, on less exalted seats. All are
arrayed in splendid Egyptian robes. In front, to right and
left, maidens of Memphis and harpers. Dancers in the
centre.
SCENE I.
RECITATIVE,
Jacob.
My lord, how great are the honours thou
show'rest on us poor shepherds.
Joseph.
They are but thy due, as thou shalt soon
discover !
Utobal.
Sieh, Herr ! der Zug- des Volks
Nahert schon sich dem Lager.
FUNFTE SZENE.
(Das Volk versammelt sich allmahlich im Hintcrgrunde).
Joseph.
So kommt und folget mir ! Ich leite
Jakobs Schritt.
Teilen sollt ihr den Glanz dieses geweihten
Festes.
Dank tonet aus der Menge des Volks mir
entg-egen.
Ihr verschont den Triumph, den man mir
zug^edacht.
Neben mir nehmt ihr Platz, Benjamin und
sein Vater,
Ganz Memphis soil es sehen, wie sehr ich
Unschuld ehre,
Wie dieser Greis teuer mir ist.
(der Triumphzug schreitet vorbei).
Chor.
Gross und her sind die Siege,
Die ein Volk dem erkannt,
Der den Ruhm nicht durch Kriege,
Nur durch Segnungen sich wand !
Uns verschaffte Brot zur Geniige
Die giitige Vaterhand.
(Joseph besteigt mil Jakob und Benjamin den Triumph-
wagen).
DRITTER AKT.
(Ein prachtiger Saal in Josephs Palast. Jakob aut einem
erhohten Platz, ihm zu seiten Benjamin und Joseph. Ant
niedrig-eren Sitzen die Bruder, ausser Simeon. Alle sind in
Erachtige agyptsche Gewander gekleidet Vorn, rechts und
nks, junge Mad_chen von Memphis und Harfenspielerinnen
in der Mitte Tanzerinnen.)
ERSTE SZENE.
REZITATIV.
Jakob.
O Herr ! Den niedrigen Hirten erzeigst
du so hohe Ehre.
Joseph.
Bald sollst du erfahren, dass sie dir
gebiihren.
21
Jacob.
'Here on the dais thou hast set me beside
thee
Surrounded by my loving children.
Benjamin.
But where is Simeon ?
Jacob.
Doth Simeon still hide from the presence
of his father ?
Joseph.
Be comforted, friends ! I have sent forth
to seek him and to bring- him to thee.
Jacob.
How shall I thank thee?
Joseph.
Daughters of this land of Egypt
Attune your golden harps, and
Sing praises to the God of Israel.
Chorus of the Maidens of Memphis.
Praise the Lord with psaltery and singing,
Great is the Lord, Israel's God.
For His might endureth for ever,
His mercy is great in our need.
A Maiden.
Tis He, that increaseth the harvest,
Tis He, that gave life to sea and sky,
His voice is the voice of the thunder,
And all the earth bows to His will.
Chorus,
Praise the Lord, etc.
A Maiden.
The herbs that grow upon the mountains,
And the lowing kine in the fields.
The sheaves, and the grain that we garner
They are blest by Him for our use.
Chorus.
Praise the Lord, etc.
A Maiden.
He blesseth the holy bond of marriage,
The innocent loveliness of youth ;
Jakob.
An deiner Seite wiirdigst du mich , zu
sitzen,
Umringt von alien meinen Kindern.
Benjamin.
Noch fehlt uns Simeon.
Jakob.
Flieht Simeon noch immer die Nahe seines
Vaters ?
Joseph.
Beruhige dich ! Auftrag gab ich, ihn zu
suchen und zu dir zu fiihren.
Jakob.
Wie bist du gutig !
Joseph.
Jetzt, ihr Tochter dieses Landes,
Stimmt an die goldenen Harfen,
Und singt das Lob des Gottes Israels.
Chor j unger Madchen von Memphis.
Lobt den Herrn mit Saitenspiel und Harfen.
Gross ist der Herr, Israels Gott !
Ewig wahrend ist seine Gnade
Und stark seine Macht in der Not,
Ein Madchen.
Durch ihn wird befruchtet die Erde,
Durch ihn wird bevolkert Luft und Meer,
Wie Dormer ertonet sein " Werde "!
In Ewigkeit, gross ist der Herr.
Chor.
Lobt den Herrn usw.
Ein Madchen.
Die Berge, wo man Krauter findet,
Und das Feld, mit Saat frisch begriint,
Die Felder, wo Garben man bindet,
Segnet Gott, auch oft unverdient.
Chor.
Lobt den Herrn usw.
Ein Madchen.
Durch ihn wird den Ehen reicher Segen,
Das Weib seine Zuversicht gewinnt.
22
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
Deep in the heart of every woman
He sowed the seed of mother-love.
Chorus.
Praise the Lord, etc.
SCENE II.
RECITATIVE.
Ufobal
(enters in haste).
My lord, silence these sounds of rejoicing- !
Envious foes of thy good fortune
Have complained of thee to the King-
That thou shovvest honour to shepherds
and strangers,
Which was meant but for thee.
The people are stirred up to wrath
Against thyself and Israel's children.
Joseph.
Ere long shall the guilty tremble !
He gives a sign ; the maidens, dancers and harp players
leave the stage.)
I hasten to Pharaoh.
(to Utobal.)
Thou shalt watch o'er Jacob's children.
And with thy life shalt answer me for
their safety !
Thou, Benjamin, stay here beside thy
father.
Exit hastily. The brothers are escorted away, Jacob and
Benjamin remain.)
SCENE III.
Jacob.
Ah, noble sir, may Heaven's blessing
Benjamin.
He cannot hear thee, father.
Jacob.
Then let us send prayers to heaven for
his safety.
Where are all thy brothers ?
Frohlich sieht sie dem Tag entgegen,
Da ihre Mutterpflicht beginnt.
Chor.
Lobt den Herrn usw.
ZWEITE SZENE.
REZITATIV.
Utobal
(tritt eiligr auf).
O Herr, lass die Gesange verstummen !
Feinde und Neider deines Gliickes
Haben dich beim Konig verklagt,
Dass niederen Hirten du Ehren
erwiesen,
Die dir selber bestimmt.
Erregt ist das Volk und beginnt,
Die Kinder Israels zu verfolgen.
Joseph.
Die Schuldigen follen zittern !
(Er winkt ; die jungen Madchen, Tanzerinnen und Harfen
spielermnen verlassen die Biihne.)
Ich eile zum Konig.
(zu Utobal.)
Du bewachst mir Jakobs Sohne.
Mit deinem Leben haftest du fur
das ihre.
Du, Benjamin bleibst bei deinem
Vater.
(Er geht eilig ab. Die Briider werden fortgefuhrt. Jakob
und Benjamin bleiben zuriick.)
DRITTE SZENE.
Jakob.
Grossmiit'g-er Mann, des Himmels Segen
Benjamin.
Er hort dich nicht mehr, Vater !
Jakob.
So lass uns Gebete fur ihn zum Himmel
senden.
Wo sind deine Briider ?
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
2 3
Benjamin.
They also are gone ; but I am with thee.
DUET.
Jacob.
Thou art the comfort of thy father,
And while 1 live, thou wilt not leave my
side,
Benjamin.
Yea, this I promise thee, my father.
That while thou livest I will guide thy
steps.
Jacob.
Mine eyes are blind, I cannot see
thee,
But I can feel thy helpful hand.
Benjamin.
But while thou livest, I will guide thy steps.
Jacob.
I feel that my powers are failing :
The weakness of age lies heavily
on me ;
But 1 am safe while thou art near me,
Thou wilt not leave me desolate.
Benjamin.
Nevermore will I leave thee, father.
Jacob.
My Benjamin, thou art the dearest of my
sons
Mine only comfort in my sorrow ;
Thou art the child that truly loves me,
Come to mine arms, my dearest
child.
Benjamin.
Why should I desert thee, O my father ?
Why should I guide thine age no longer ?
Tis a duty that yields but joy.
(Enter Simeon, escorted by an Officer.)
RECITATIVE.
Simeon.
Whither am I led ?
Officer.
'Tis Cleophas' command to leave thee with
thy father.
(exit.)
Benjamin.
Auch sie gingen fort. Nut ich bin bei dir.
DUETT.
Jakob.
Du bist die Stiitze deines Vaters ;
So lang' ich leb' , lasst du mich nicht
allein.
Benjamin.
Ja, ich versprech' es dir, mein Vater,
So lang' du lebst, werd' ich dein Fiihrer
sein.
Jakob.
Des Augenlichts bin ich beraubet,
Und du, du reichst mir hilfreich deine
Hand.
Benjamin.
So lang' du lebest, fiihrt dich meine Hand.
Jakob.
Da mich meine Krafte verlassen,
Des Alters Gebrechen und Beschwerden
droh'n,
O, welch ein Trost, um mich zu fassen :
Mir bleibt ein lieber, treuer Sohn !
Benjamin.
Niemals werde ich dich verlassen.
Jakob.
Mein Benjamin, du liebstes meiner Kinder
mir !
Komm', einz'ge Stittze meines Alters,
Komm' du, der mich so zattlich liebet,
Komm', an mein Herz, komm', teures
Kind.
Benjamin.
Dich, geliebter Vater, sollt' ich lassen ?
Nicht deinen Schritt im Alter leiten ?
Diese Pflicht iibt mit Lust dein Kind.
(Simeon wird vom Offizier hemagefQhrt.)
REZITATIV.
Simeon.
Wohin fiihrst du mich ?
Offieier.
Nach Kleophas Befehl bleibst du hei
deinem Vater !
(geht ab.)
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
Jacob.
I hear thee, Simeon ! Whv thus hide from
Simeon.
Oh, ask me not !
Jacob.
If thou hast done some evil thing,
Why wilt Thou not unto thy father tell
thy grief?
Unburden then thine heart !
Simeon
(passionately).
No, there's no pardon, no forgiveness,
none for the sin I committed !
Oh, Joseph, Joseph !
Jacob
(with alarm).
Of a great sin thou speakest, and on Joseph
thou callest?
Simeon.
Oh, curse me, father ! Take my life !
Though God forgive my sin, thou canst
not so !
Jacob.
How? Art thou the cause of Joseph's
death ?
Simeon.
Now, if God is just, he still lives.
Jacob
(beside himself)-
Joseph lives ! for fifteen years ye let
me
Mourn as dead the son I cherished ?
Oh, God, let me not perish
Ere my son is restored !
Simeon ! Hast thou a heart within thy
breast ?
Then tell me, where is Joseph ?
Wretched man ! Where is thy brother ?
Simeon
(shuddering).
Thus did the Lord speak unto Cain !
Jakob.
Bist du es Simeon ? Warum fliehst du
mich ?
Simeon.
O frag mich nicht !
Jakob.
Wenn eine Schuld dein Herz bedriickt,
Warum vertraust du deinem Vater dich
nicht an ?
Erleichtere dein Herz !
Simeon
(heftig). ,
Nein, keine Siihne, kein Verzeih'n gibt es
fiir meinen Frevel.
O Joseph ! Joseph !
Jakob
(erschrocken).
Von einem Frevel sprichst du und nennst
Josephs Namen?
Simeon.
Verfluch' mich, Vater, tote mich !
Wenn Gott mich auch verschont, du
musst es tun !
Jakob.
Wie ? Du warst an Josephs Tode
schuld ?
Simeon.
Nein, 1st Gott gerecht, so lebt er.
Jakob
(ausser sich),
Joseph lebt ! Und fiinfzehn Jahre liessest
du mich
Ihn als tot beweinen ?
O Gott, lass mich nicht sterben,
Eh' mein Sohn wieder mein !
Simeon, lebt noch ein Herz in deiner
Brust,
So rede, wo ist Joseph ? Wo ist Joseph ?
Blender! Wo ist dein Bruder ?
Simeon
(schaudernd).
So rief der Ewige den Kain !
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
Benjamin.
Simeon, say, what of Joseph thou knowest,
Or this will cost our father's life.
Simeon
(With gloomy hesitation).
That thou didst love him best of all,
stirred envy in my heart.
I wished to slay him ; but Heav'n in
mercy stayed my hand.
Then to some Arab traders he was sold !
Jacob.
Was sold ! Thou monster ! What of thy
brothers ?
Simeon.
They, too, are guilty. Mine offence was
greatest !
Jacob.
May the God of wrath and vengeance
be mine aid !
SCENE IV.
(Enter the Brothers, in haste.)
Reuben.
O, listen, father, what new favours
On us Cleophas bestows !
Jacob.
Ye vipers ! Say how can you dare to come
Before my face ? Do you not quail at
Joseph's name?
The Brothers
(aside).
Alas, he knows all !
Benjamin.
Mercy, father, mercy !
Jacob
(in great agitation).
Henceforth shall innocence no more
consort with evil-doers.
These thy brothers are brothers no more .
Benjamin.
Simeon, sag', was von Joseph du weisst,
Sonst loscht des Vaters Leben aus.
Simeon
(zogernd. dumpf).
Dass mehr du ihn geliebt als uns entfachte
meinen Neid.
Ich wollt' ihn toten, doch Gott hielt
meinen Arm zuruck.
Da habe ich als Sklaven ihn verkauft.
Jakob.
Verkauft ! Verworf ner ! Und deine
Briider?
Simeon.
Sind mit mir schuldig, ich doch mehr als
Alle!
Jakob.
Gott des Zornes und der Rache steh' mir
bei!
VIERTE SZENE.
(Die B ruder t re ten eilig aut).
Ruben.
O hore, Vater, welche Gunst aufs neu'
Uns Kleophas erzeigt !
Jakob.
Verruchte ! Wagt ihr noch, zu treten
vor mein Angesicht?
Schreckt euch der Name "Joseph " nicht ?
Die Briider
(leise).
Wir sind verloren !
Benjamin.
Gnade, Vater, Gnade !
Jakob
(sehr lebhaft).
Keine Gemeinschaft darf die Unschuld
mit der Siinde haben.
Deine Bruder sind jene nicht mehr 1
26
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
ENSEMBLE.
Jacob.
Thou shalt ne'er again share their tents !
The traitors, they robbed thee of thy brother.
Yea, all are guilty of thy loss.
The Brothers.
O, grant forgiveness, father !
We implore thee here at thy feet !
Benjamin.
Father, forgive them, for truly they repent.
Jacob.
Your father's heart ye tore in sunder,
And your brother's blood cries to heaven !
How can I such trespass forgive ?
Simeon.
'Tis I alone that here am guilty,
'Tis I alone should bear thy wrath.
Jacob.
No, 1 can never forgive.
SCENE V.
(Enter Joseph}.
Reuben
(ia Joseph).
O sir, intercede for thy servants,
My father is fierce in his wrath.
The Brothers.
Intercede for thy servants, for his wrath
is unbounded.
Simeon.
'Twas I alone betrayed my brother.
'Tis I deserve my father's wrath !
The Brothers.
We all deserve our father's wrath !
Jacob.
Hence, depart ! Ne'er again shall you
come before me,
Forgiveness shall never be yours.
ENSEMBLE.
Jakob.
Stets vermeide sie, diese Brut !
Verrater ! Sie haben deines Bruders,
Ja, deines Bruders dich beraubt.
Die Briider.
Verzeihung, teurer Vater !
Zitternd fassen wir deine Knie.
Benjamin.
Vater, verzeihe ! gebeugt bereuen sie !
Jakob.
Des Vaters Herz habt ihr zerrissen,
Brudermord befleekt euer Gewissen,
Kann ich jemals euch verzeih'n ?
Simeon.
Nur ich bin strafbar ! Mein Vergehen
Verdient mit Recht des Vaters Zorn.
Jakob.
Nein, nein, ich verzeihe nicht.
FUNFTE SZENE.
(Joseph tritt ein).
Ruben
(zn Joseph).
O Herr, unterstutz' unser Flehen,
Sein Zorn war so furchtbar noch nie.
Die Briider.
Unterstutz unser Flehen. Denn sein Zorn
ist so furchtbar.
Simeon.
Nur ich bin strafbar ! Mein Vergeh'n
Verdient mit Recht des Vaters Zorn.
Die Briider.
Mich treffe nur des Vaters Zorn !
Jakob.
Weg von mir, denn verhasst ist mir cure
' Nahe,
Und niemals verzeiht euch mein Herz,
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
2 7
Hence, begone, your presence near is
hateful to me.
Begone, approach me no more !
Begone, begone, lest I curse you all !
The Brothers.
pardon us ! In heaven's name
Restrain thy grief ! Mercy ! Say it not,
the dread word !
Joseph.
O, Jacob, hear my pleading,
And lay not a curse on thy sons.
Jacob.
Thou canst not judge of their trans-
gression ;
They sold their brother for a slave !
Joseph.
Father, our God is gracious and kind.
He pardons the sinner who repents of his
sin.
How then can Jacob curse his children,
Who thus repent them of their crime?
Jacob.
Could I but know they are repentant,
Alas ! my heart is crushed with grief.
Full well I know that I should pardon,
And gladly would say : I forgive,
Joseph.
1 am appeased, they are repentant ;
Now will 1 end my brothers' grief.
The Brothers.
Within our hearts new hope has risen,
Since we believe he may forgive;
If we repent, he will have mercy,
And gladly say that he forgives.
RECITATIVE.
Reuben
(earnestly).
Father, we'll go forth to find him.
Weg von mir, weg von mir, denn euer
Anblick ist mir verhasst,
Hinweg, ihr seid mir verhasst !
Furchtet meinen Fluch !
Die Briider.
Verzeihe uns ! Hor unser Flehen.
Still deinen Schmerz ! Weh uns ! O halt
Joseph.
O Vater, hor' mein Flehen,
Fluche deinen Kindern doch nicht !
Jakob.
Noch kennst du nicht ihr ganz Ver-
brechen.
Ihr Herz verkannte Bruderpflicht.
Joseph.
Gott unser Herr, stets giitig und mild,
Wird gerne dem Sunder, der bereut, auch
verzeih'n.
Will Jakob seinen Kindern fluchen,
Die ihre Missetat bereu'n?
Jakob.
War' ich gewiss, dass sie bereuen,
O Gott, ich fiihl', mir bricht das Herz
Ich sagte gern ; ich will verzeihen,
Ich sagte euch gern : ich verzeih'.
Joseph.
Ich bin versohnt, da sie bereuen ;
Ihr Ungliick es bricht mir mein Herz.
Die Briider.
Der Hoffnung wollen wir uns freuen,
Es werde noch erweicht sein Herz.
Er wind den Reuigen verzeihen,
Und riihren wird ihn unser Schmerz.
REZITATIV.
Ruben
(lebhafi).
Vater, wir wollen ihn suchen.
28
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
Naphtali
(earnestly).
Through all Egypt we will seek our
brother.
First Brother
(earnestly).
And cast ourselves down at his feet.
Second Brother
(earnestly).
For slaves we will sell ourselves to give
him his freedom.
Third Brother
(earnestly).
Then, if we return together, wilt thou then
forgive ?
Joseph
(solemnly).
Sons of Israel, since you repent,
The Lord has given back your brother.
Reiiben.
Heav'n ! Sudden hope thou hast raised
in our hearts ?
Jacob.
Joseph, my Joseph, shall these old arms
again enfold thee ?
Joseph.
Father, bless thy son ! thy Joseph kneels
to thee !
The Brothers
(falling on their knees).
Joseph !
Jacob
(raising Joseph).
Beloved son, come to my heart !
Blessed is God and great.
Benjamin.
With him alone is forgiveness.
Joseph
(with dignity).
Arise then, O my brothers
Naphtali
(lebhaft).
Ganz Agypten wollen wir durchwan-
dern.
Ein Bruder.
(lehhaft).
Wir wollen uns neigen vor ihm.
Ein sweiter Bruder.
(lebhaft).
Wir alle verkaufen uns, dass er wieder
frei wird.
Ein drifter Bmder
(lebhaft).
Doch, wenn wir ihn wiederbringen, wirst
du dann verzeihn ?
Joseph
(feierlich).
Sohne Jakobs, hort, weil Ihr bereut,
Gibt Gott euch euren Bruder wieder.
Ruben.
Gott ! Welche Hoffnung erweckst du in
uns ?
Jakob.
Joseph, mein Joseph, soil ich dich wirklich
wiederfinden r
Joseph.
Vater, segne mich ! Dein Joseph kniet
vor dir.
Die Bruder.
(stiirzen auf die Knie).
Joseph !
Jakob
(erhebt Joseph).
Geliebter Sohn, komm an mein Herz !
Gnadig ist Gott und gross.
Benjamin.
Verzeihung heisset sein Ratschluss.
Joseph.
Erhebt euch, meine Bruder!
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
29
FINALE.
Joseph.
Let us forget all bygone sorrow.
Take comfort, beloved Simeon.
To give thee back the peace thou cravest,
Thy father Jacob pardons thee.
Then banish every grief and care,
And let me take thee to my heart !
Benjamin, Jacob, Joseph, and all the
other Brothers.
God, Who so wisely
Leadest Thy people
On through the darkness,
Till they find joy,
Praise be to Thee,
Praise to Thy mercy !
Praise ye the Lord !
Praise the Eternal !
(Curtain)
FINALE.
Joseph.
Vergessen ist, was vorgegangen.
Sei ruhig, geliebter Simeon.
Um Seelenfrieden zu erlangen,
Vergab dir Vater Jakob schon.
Verbanne deinen Gram und Schmerz,
Und komm an deines Bruders Herz.
A lie.
Gott ! wie so weise
Fiihrst da die Deinen
Auf dunklen Wegen
Endlich zum Gliick
Lob dir O Herr,
Preis deinen Namen.
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A Plea for Orthodoxy
BY WALDEMAR M. HAFFKINE
THAT it is desirable to cultivate feelings
of kinship between individuals seems
axiomatic. The attachment between
children and parents, between members of the
same family, or citizens of the same town or
State, is felt by all to be conducive to happi-
ness. The fact that friends and critics have only
praise for the manner in which communities like
the Parsis of India, the Scotch the world over,
or the Jews, look after their poor, may be taken
as one of the criterions which show that com-
monwealths are benefited by the grouping of
masses of population into brotherhoods, friend-
ly societies, and the like, when such groups, in
their turn, are wisely co-ordinated for the good
of all. Thus it is that in all civilized countries
the conditions of life have improved with the
granting of self-government to municipalities.
The United States of America has prospered
through its organization in a number of self-
administering States ; and, in a similar way,
Russia may be expected to make rapid strides
from the moment she allows the many commu-
nities within her territory to attend, as best they
can, to the problems within their respective
spheres.
Improvement is founded on these lines
through all grades of life, the efficiency of units
being raised by the grouping into unions, and the
efficiency of unions by a combination into
larger groups. The melting of crude ele-
ments and of remnants of wreckage in a crucible is often very prof-
itable but only as a transient condition. In the development and
3
1JU-ALUEMAR M. HM'FKJNE
(born in Odessa, in 1860), one
of the leading scientists of our time,
studied at the University of Odessa,
taught physiology at the University
of Geneva, later associated with Pas-
teur in Paris, and became one of the
pioneers in the new science of bac-
teriology. In 1893 he was engaged
by the British Government to cope
with the plagues in India, and in the
accomplishment of this task he dis-
covered his notable vaccines against
cholera, typhus, and other plagues.
The late Lord Lister declared that Mr.
Ha/kine's work was of incalculable
benefit to the populations of India,
and one of the great advantages gained
by India from her connection with
the British Empire. Mr. Haffkine's
rare opportunity to study different
races and religions, in addition to his
great attainments in science, give ex-
ceptional authority to his words in
behalf of orthodox Judaism, which he
has steadily believed in and practiced.
4 THE MENORAH JOURNAL
life of an individual such a condition occurs on the dissolution
of tissues, or histolysis. Were this stage to abide, we would have in-
stead of a potent and accomplished being like the butterfly or the bee,
formed of highly individualized systems of organs a reversion to the
condition of a sponge or of a mass of amorphous plasma. Similarly in
the case of associated organizations, for example, the military if units
forming companies, battalions, regiments, brigades, etc., were to give up
their respective esprit de corps and their grouping into distinct bodies,
an army would melt into a crowd. The secret of success in most depart-
ments in which one country excels over another is discoverable, not so
much in differences between the inhabitants as individuals, as in the exist-
ence of a better welded system of specialized unions in one country than
in the other. Japan and China, the Slav countries and Turkey, British
India and the Native States of the East Indies, may serve as illustrations
of this fact. In such a system of specialized unions, a brotherhood built
up of racial ties, long tradition, common suffering, faith and hope, is a
union ready-made, differing from artificial unions in that the bonds exist-
ing between the members contain an added promise of duration and utility.
Such a union takes many centuries to form and is a power for good, the
neglect or disuse of which is as much an injury to humanity as the re-
moval of an important limb is to the individual. I believe Jews recognize
these facts in regard to their own brotherhood, and most of them are
earnestly concerned with the question of how to preserve such a brother-
hood in the circumstances now prevailing.
Talismans That Preserve Racial Ties
COMMUNITIES, even more than marriages, are made in Heaven; but
suitable lines of conduct are necessary to maintain communal life,
just as they are necessary to maintain a united married life. Even kins-
men belonging to the same families gradually become estranged from each
other, unless external circumstances keep them together, or unless they
make deliberate arrangements for preserving a mutual bond. How much
more easily must ties be lost between individuals not so intimately con-
nected. Community of interests is the most powerful binding force be-
tween people; but often common interests most essential and vital for the
group as a whole are not palpably obvious to individual members ; and
when they are so obvious as in the case of partnerships, companies, trusts
and similar combination, or else in situations of common danger they are,
without exception, of a temporary nature. In the case of the Jews, their
brotherhood has to withstand the loss even of a common soil. That racial
and historic ties are of very great help, and that they need to be carefully
and jealously guarded, is beyond question. This, indeed, is the instinct
which guides governments and learned societies, archaeological, historical
A PLEA FOR ORTHODOXY 5
and others, in searching for relics of a common past, and in preserving
such relics (in which often no material utility of any kind can be detected)
as precious possessions, whose destruction or injury is prevented by penal-
ties of the law. As inducements to unity, however, inanimate relics of a
long past must necessarily take a place second to that of close kinsmanship
or common parentage; and yet, even in the case of the latter, the centri-
fugal forces operating in the daily struggle for existence are more potent
than sentimental ties. To lessen such forces, measures are needed of a
character hidden in the intricacies of human nature ; their significance and
necessity, therefore, escape us when we deliberate on the matter in a de-
ductive way, from a priori standpoints. And so, in the course of their
long existence, in biblical and post-biblical times, the Jews have often been
in positions of great peril, sometimes on the very verge of extinction, and
such positions have always occurred, essentially, in one and the same way.
The knowledge of how to keep a community like ours together, in spirit,
while physically scattered throughout the world and living among an over-
whelming majority of other communities, has been carefully handed down
to us by our ancestors. But Jews grow easily confident of their knowledge
and understanding, and make light of the instructions given them. Per-
haps the most comprehensive summary of such instructions is compassed
in the words of the Commandment, in which we are told to speak unto our
children the words of our faith at the time of resting in our homes and
when traveling on the road; when lying down and on waking up; to bind,
for a sign, a reminder of that faith upon our hand and fix it between our
eyes; to write it upon the door-posts of our houses and our gates. Ac-
cording to this we are to teach the Torah to our children and remind them
of it daily and hourly ; and to have, for ourselves, signs of our faith as a
reminder; for only by such constant reminder can that faith be kept alive
in our hearts and our souls. It is known, indeed, to all, that the moment
man loses the habit of a rule or a line of conduct, he loses faith, without
effort or deliberation, m the source and sanction of that conduct. When
he awakens to the fact, the conclusion is already formed in him that the
old practice was the lot of the unenlightened. On examining the condi-
tions of any of the now living communities, it will be found that the plan
of continuous reminder is acted upon, in one way or other, consciously or
unconsciously, in the daily life of all of them, and mostly in objective,
material ways, so that manifestations of this procedure are seen easily,
in all directions. National costumes or uniforms are such reminders. The
Sikhs of India a race of men widely renowned as much for their physical
advantages as for their many commanding moral and social traits have
a fundamental law which forbids shaving or cutting the hair. The men
wear and dress their hair like women; and their long beards are twisted
into ropes and wound over the head. There is thus no mistaking a Sikh
6 THE MENORAH JOURNAL
wherever met in an Indian village bazaar or a drawing-room in London;
and whether prince or peasant, a man who disobeys this law ceases by the
same act to be of the Sikh community. Living as they do in a land of
many races, who vary in blood, sentiment, morals and culture, this power-
ful people have come to know that for a group of human beings to preserve
their cohesion, well-defined and continual manifestations are necessary,
acquiescence in which is a declaration of allegiance to the group, and
neglect of which is a betrayal, since it endangers the group's bonds and
existence. Military captains and empire-builders all reckon with this fact.
When Australia conceived the plan of somewhat modifying for herself the
design on the Union Jack, people in Great Britain grew alarmed. In an
analogous manner, the United States of North America, acknowledging
as they do community of blood, civilization and sentiment with the " Old
Country " and with the States of Canada, Australia or New Zealand, are
keenly jealous of their own national colors. Illustrations of this kind will
occur to all who turn their thoughts to the matter; and in every case the
practices concerned are dictated by the fact that, except where group
feeling is maintained by continual reminder and ever-enacted effort, man
slides back into the " melting pot," and the gains of history and tradition,
treasures of experience and wisdom, are lost.
Old-Fashioned " Kashruth" and the Up-to-date Microscope
IN the circumstances in which Jews live today, a good many of them find
it difficult and sometimes impossible to carry out all the traditional
customs of their community. I believe the majority of such Jews view
their position as an accidental and temporary one, however long it may
last, and seek no sanction for that position and no means of perpetuating
or extending it to others. The community as a whole views in the same
manner its inability to carry out the rites of sacrifice and certain other
sacerdotal practices which were obligatory at the. time of the Temple.
These rites, however, have not been abrogated. In this attitude there is
both unfailing reverence for the sanctity of religious institutions, and
manifestation of the ancient faithfulness and tenacity of the race, which
have enabled it to correct and atone for many shortcomings and to tide
over great misfortunes. Inability to do the thing acknowledged to be
right carries with it its own justification, and no other is desired.
While this is the position in regard to some of the traditional practices,
many usages and rites of great beneficence and importance remain within
the reach of all Jews, in every condition of life. Thus, for instance, since
the advance of the researches in microbiology, it has become known that
a remarkable provision for preserving health underlies the thorough re-
moval of the blood from the heart and vascular system of animals intended
for food, as immediately after death the blood is rapidly invaded by
A PLEA FOR ORTHODOXY 7
microbial germs and spreads infection throughout the rest of the tissues.
Similar provisions are represented in the rejection of carcases showing
tainted tissues, which the microscope has now revealed to be nests of
parasitic organisms ; in the purification of meat by means of crystal salt,
which is a preservative of great potency, yet perfectly harmless to man;
in the discarding of vessels touched, even momentarily, by an unclean ob-
ject, as such a contact suffices to contaminate them with germs of disease;
in the sterilization by boiling water or live fire of utensils so contaminated,
in short, in all the procedures which constitute the orthodox Jewish laws
of kashruth.
Apart from these surprising facts, the laws of kashruth are enjoined
in the Bible ; they have been obeyed since remotest antiquity ; and the care-
ful performance of their prescription has served as much as anything else
to keep alive in the Jew the consciousness of his Judaism and to preserve
his purity of race, just as analogous prescriptions of the Brahminical ritual
have protected some of ,the purest strains of Aryans. In contrast to not
a few of our co-religionists who have no occasion for weeks and months
together, while attending school, office, or places of business, to bestow a
thought on their creed or their people, the Jew who keeps kashruth has
to think of his religious and communal allegiance on the occasion of every
meal, wherever his lot may be cast at the time ; and on every such occasion
the observance of the law constitutes a renewal of acquiescence in the fact
that he is a Jew and a deliberate acknowledgment of that fact. The recog-
nition so obtained from the individual, the family circle, or the persons
assembled in a social gathering, is an ever-present bond between the mem-
bers; and it is with profound insight and justice that the rabbis visit with
reprobation those who omit that acknowledgment. Certainly, this attitude
of the rabbis is of incomparably deeper meaning and justification than
that which prompts the military to insist on a soldier saluting his flag or
honoring his uniform. The arrangements needed in the circumstances of
modern life for carrying out the precepts of kashruth are accessible to
all who earnestly care; and at a time when discipline and co-ordinafion
are more necessary than ever, because of the risks of dissolution which
threaten our more and more scattered Jewish communities, observance of
these rules should be fervently demanded by all of our elders and religious
teachers.
The Ancestral Tongue as a Vital Bond
ONE of the most striking reminders which a people have of their na-
tional unity is contained in the language they speak and in the
formation of the auditory and vocal apparatus resulting from the use of
that language from childhood. In this, as in many other matters, modern
Jews, being citizens of many countries, are at a disadvantage, in that they
g THE MENORAH JOURNAL
are denied such a reminder of national unity ; but they have the language
which their ancestors spoke when they lived together. Instruction in
ancient Hebrew is within the reach of children of tender years, when
taught along the traditional Jewish lines; and such instruction is found,
in a surprising manner, to develop the children's capacity for learning
of any kind, linguistic or other. The holding of religious services in
Hebrew connects Jewish worship intimately with the Bible, and thus con-
tributes to placing the influence and solemnity of that worship on a plane
far above the occurrences of daily life. In addition, there is the fact that
prayer as the expression of a longing for consolation and help, or for
achievements which we find beyond our limits of strength; or as the
craving for sympathy when we are disheartened and alone; or as an out-
burst of thankfulness in moments of great happiness is common to all,
including " atheists." But the consecrated way in which Jews spend the
time reserved for introspection and prayer, the particulars and order of
the service in which that time is employed, and the texts with which we
have been accustomed to associate our devotional feelings, are Jewish,
and bind Jews together by a faithful identity of procedure.
The bonds so constituted have been made common to us by the toilsome
effort of many generations of teachers. When, in such services, variations
are admitted ; and, more particularly, when the vernacular is introduced
on an equality with the hallowed Hebrew rendering of the texts, the prin-
ciples on which rests the exclusive position and sanction of our books of
prayer are shattered at a stroke; the people of the one Synagogue are
broken up into sections; and a gradual absorption of such sections into
the great non-Jewish congregations surrounding them, who have similarly
altered and translated the Jewish ancestral praying texts for their devo-
tional solemnities, is facilitated. In the eyes of Jews and Gentiles alike,
acknowledgment and emphasis of our lineal descent from the people of
these texts and of the Bible is contained in the fact that our religious
worship is clothed in the form handed down to us by our forefathers. This
is by far of greater significance and necessity to us than, for instance, the
use of Welsh to Welshmen, of Polish to the Poles, or Finnish to the Finns,
all of whom recognize in their language an asset the loss of which would
practically annihilate their nationality, and which they prize above any
other. Among ourselves, up to this day, Hebrew makes the most widely
divergent members of the race feel brothers and sisters. I recollect how on
one occasion many years ago, while wandering about the environs of Aden in
the company of a British officer, I came across two elderly men apparently
in the last degree of destitution, dressed in rags, barefooted, and looking
spiritless and forlorn among the rocks of that wild region. At the sight
of Europeans, the men tried to move out of the way; and I cannot recall
now what it was that made me utter to them tentatively as they seemed
A PLEA FOR ORTHODOXY 9
Arab outcasts the first words of the Shema. The community between us
of blood and faith burst forth at the first sounds; and those individuals,
to all appearances so lowly and obscure, recovering themselves at the mo-
ment, smiled meekly and went on whispering the text. It passed through
my mind, while I was viewing their demeanor, that possibly the acquaintance
these men had with one domain of learning, at least, was of incomparably
greater depth and intimacy than my companion and I could pretend to
in any domain.
It is not inevitable that children or the grown-ups in Jewish families
should be ignorant of Hebrew, or should stand on any low level in their
knowledge of it ; but even though not every child or adult be in a position
to interpret and pronounce personally a judgment on all portions of the
texts, the utterance of prayer in our ancestral tongue remains a religious
and social experience which nothing else can equal.
The Consecration of Distinctive Dress
\\ 7"E come now to a matter which no doubt presents difficulties to many
of us. The late Sir Moses Montefiore is said to have kept the
traditional skull-cap on even when in the presence of the Queen. By that
statement concerning him, certainly, a sublime trait in the nature of the
man is intended to be indicated, and is indeed effectively indicated. When
we see a man acting thus, or, still more, when we meet a man keeping to
the traditional attire of the Sephardi or Ashkenazi Jew, or a woman, in
an alien environment, wearing the wig of the orthodox married Jewess,
there is no need to inquire if they acknowledge allegiance to their people,
the answer is plainly evident. Therein lies the enormous significance of
a national dress. But obviously many .among us are not in a position to
do likewise. On his repeated visits tp Russia and Poland, Sir Aloses Monte-
fiore pleaded with his co-religionists there for the abandonment of their
distinctive costume, which was drawing upon them the cruel opposition of
their neighbors. A great many in Russia and Poland, as elsewhere, have
been brought to yield on this point. But there is the command that,
throughout their generations, the children of Israel should make unto them
a garment having on the border of its fringes a ribbon of blue, so that they
may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and
do them. For the Jew who, in dressing for the day, spares a moment to
pay regard to the consecrated thread and puts on and wears his Talis
koton, it becomes impossible, throughout the rest of the day, whether he
be student, merchant, soldier or magistrate, not to bear witness, in one
way or another, to the faith that is in him. While a large number of us
omit to conform with this command, Freemasons the world over have
learned its purport and have followed it up by elaborate arrangements, so
10 THE MENORAH JOURNAL
that their covenants be kept before their worshipful brothers by ever-
present reminder.
Youth Owes Deference to the Wisdom of the Forefathers
MAN is, no doubt, a gregarious being by nature, but this tendency
binds him to small groups of individuals only the family, the clan,
or the people he knows. When the group grows in numbers and is left
to its own inclinations, it falls asunder and disintegrates. Practices nec-
essary to keep together large communities are, therefore, not innate in
man, just as many branches of knowledge and activity necessary for what
we have come to call civilized life are not innate in him. In regard to all
such matters there arises the necessity of training and inculcating habits,
which involves effort, restraint and discipline, and cannot, in itself, appeal
to the young. In youth, all are inexperienced and to the same extent
unhesitating and assertive. The blood flows hot in the veins ; passion and
the pursuit of pleasure, prosperity and eminence necessary and laudable
at that time of life prevent us from viewing clearly wider issues and paus-
ing long enough to meditate on the interests of the race as a whole. The
stores of observation and thought accumulated by calm and far-sighted
elders, who have fought through life's struggles and possess knowledge es-
sential for guarding the destinies of a nation, are not perceivable to the
young, and the value of such knowledge is unknown to them. On account
of these inevitable circumstances, debates and arguments between parents
and children, the aged and the young, are seldom fruitful; and it is for-
tunate when trust and affection and other qualities of the heart are there
to supplement and assist the reasoning. The success of the British nation
has, no doubt, been in a considerable measure promoted by the education
given to the youth of the leading classes, who for generations were sent
away from home to the great. public schools of Eton, Harrow and others,
and were trained in an attitude of deference and a habit of yielding willingly
to their elders and superiors and to their own elected captains. Jewish
youths, on the other hand, are often under the impression that restraint
is tyrannical and illiberal, unless the reason and justification for all acts
is made clear to them. Unfortunately, what they are not aware of is that
at their period of. growth and development, and in regard to matters far
more essential than any they can learn at school, the terms they ask for
are unrealizable ; as unrealizable as, let us say, for a butterfly %t the stage
of a caterpillar to conceive how life and the world will appear to it when
it enters its arena as an imago. And so, when left to act according to its
lights, youth does away readily with precedents, traditional practices and
all the invaluable guidance which is embodied and crystallized in ancestral
rituals and rites. Wherever this course has a free way, disappointment
and failure follow, from causes fatal and apparently unaccountable, with,
A PLEA FOR ORTHODOXY 11
ns a last stage, disappearance of the actors from the scenes of the world.
Thus, the two seemingly recondite sections of that momentous command-
ment are bound together in natural sequence :
" Honor thy Father and Mother ;
" That thy days may be prolonged upon the land which the Lord thy God
giveth thee."
The Heritage of Generations is Not to be Idly Tested by Logic
THE negative attitude of the youth towards national customs becomes
the more perilous when parents who, as a rule, see clearly the
extreme importance of being trusted, in many matters blindly, by their
children do not perceive as clearly the gravity of the instructions left
to them by their own fathers and forefathers. Complaisance and encour-
agement are then shown by seniors to a neglect of traditions sometimes
affecting the very existence of the people ; relief from limitations and trou-
ble involved in observing the law is welcomed under the guise of emancipa-
tion ; and an eagerness is stimulated to copy what to the inexperienced and
uninitiated glitters as the superior ways of a latest-phase civilization. It
would be hard to find an illusion and self-deception better calculated to
destroy our own inheritance of culture and learning and our ancient
brotherhood. No parent or communal leader, not even the most enlight-
ened, can expect to discover by his personal experience what a nation has
learned in the thousands of years and the endless vicissitudes of its exist-
ence; and no man or woman need be ashamed to obey, on the faith in the
wisdom and solicitude of their people, a rule of guidance the inwardness
of which their own learning has not enabled them to penetrate.
Those of us who incline to be over-insistent on knowing the rationale
of all things lose perhaps some sight of the fact that all our understanding
consists only of a reminiscence approximate and terribly incomplete
of events as they strike us and of their sequence. None of these do we
understand any further; and so we obey, without reflecting on our dignity,
sensations of hunger, taste, cold, passion, all of which have been bred in
us to ensure our preservation and welfare, and none of which we under-
stand. Our knowledge of the origin and essence of all " laws of nature "
is in this condition. A great deal of formulated instruction reaches us
through man ; and much of such instruction is man-made and we can in-
vestigate and question its reason and derivation, and at times correct it ;
but the most fundamental rules of conduct, which have been handed down
to us through the traditions of untold generations, have their sources as
far removed from the vision of individuals as is the origin of the laws of
nature. The free-will and nobility of our youth will be shown in the joyful
acceptance of the faith and commands bequeathed to us by our nation. It
so happened that for many years in my personal career I found myself
12 THE MENORAH JOURNAL
deprived of intimate communion with fellow-Jews. Throughout those
years I obtained consolation and support from endeavoring to observe our
specific laws to the best of my knowledge and ability. I did so not because
apprehension of personal consequences was present in my mind; but be-
cause of the conviction, in which, I think, I was not mistaken, that dis-
obedience on the part of any one of us contributes to the bringing down,
in due course, of punishment and ruin upon the whole of our kinsmen and
race; and to that apprehension and fear no man or woman should hesitate
to yield.
The Approach of Modern Science to the " Adon Olam"
THE labor and care required for carrying out our religious laws not
only do not justify any attempt to simplify or abrogate them, but
constitute one of the essential objects of our endeavor in carrying them
out in their integrity. For it is in the performance of obligations calling
for thought and effort that the character of men and their loyalty are
trained and tested, and the object of their loyalty is made dear to them
and bound up with their lives. Thus, even to this day, fervent devotees
of all faiths consecrate themselves to an austere life and even inflict pain
and martyrdom on their bodies ; and similarly, during a struggle and
suffering for the safety of their country are a people uplifted and their
unselfishness and patriotism exalted. It is well in this connection to think
of the sacrifices now being borne by the youth of many countries in de-
fence of their nations. The purport of the observances demanded of the
Jews is no less far-reaching than that of the efforts made on battlefields.
In the light of such efforts it may appear a minute matter, for instance,
to teach one's children the Hebrew blessing of the bread and to accustom
them to pronounce that blessing on the necessary occasions. Yet it is
right to say that even the mere silent thinking of these few words by the
members of our race is an act of defence and self-preservation more effi-
cacious than conquests in war. For if a Jew remembers, at the time of
partaking of food, and makes the benediction in the authentic words used
by his fellow-Jews since time immemorial the world over, he revives in him-
self, wherever he be at the moment, communion with his unyielding and im-
perishable race, together with the spirit and honorable obligations thereby
involved.
Acquisitions and conquests inevitably draw aggression upon their pos-
sessors and sooner or later change hands; but so long as the children of
Israel will keep on uttering religiously, at the time of sitting to table, the
few consecrated words of that benediction, so long will the Lord sustain
them, and they will not fear the myriads of people that around beset them;
and as long, clearly, will they continue to be presented among the nations
of the earth. Such a result is at least as desirable as the existence and
A PLEA FOR ORTHODOXY 13
preservation of any people or race, or any community or nation, that man
has yet formed. Both common sense and scientific thought, which sanction
the formation and up-keep of all brotherhoods, entitle us in the highest
degree to strive for the preservation of our brotherhood and for the con-
tinuance of the spiritual influences of our people. Indeed, Science itself
would not have existed were it not that Jewish piety, learning, and un-
rivaled penetration and clarity of thought have freed the mind of man of
the condition in which the phenomena of nature appeared to him actuated
and thus explained by the free-will of separate independent deities.
Alone of all religious and philosophic conceptions of man, the faith
which binds together the Jews has not been harmed by the advance of
research, but on the contrary has been vindicated in its profoundest
tenets. Slowly and by degrees, passing through innumerable stages in
an analysis of the life of animals and plants and of the elemental phe-
nomena of heat, light, magnetism, electricity, chemistry, mechanics,
geology, spectroscopy, astronomy, Science is being brought to recognize
in the universe the existence of one power which is of no beginning and
no end; which has existed before all things were formed and will remain
in its integrity when all is gone; the source and origin of all, in itself
beyond any conception or image that man can form and set up before his
eye or mind; while all things perceivable as matter and force are subjected
to his inquiry and designs. This sum total of the scientific discoveries of
all lands and times is an approach of the world's thought to our Adon
Olam, the sublime chant by means of which the Jew has wrought and will
further work the most momentous changes in the world. As immutable
as is his religious philosophy, so immutable are the canons of morality
which he has been contending for throughout the ages and is contending
for now. Truly, no law of nature operates with more fatality and pre-
cision than the law according to which those communities survive in the
strife for existence that conform the nearest to the Jewish teachings on
the relation of man to his Creator; on the ordering of time for work and
rest; on the formation of families and the duties of husband and wife,
parents and children ; on the paramount obligations of truthfulness and
justice between neighbor and neighbor and to the stranger within the gates.
By dint of endless trials and failures, the Nations are coming to recognize
in the Commandments handed down to them by the Jews the only possible
foundation of a prosperous and orderly life.
A Plea for Orthodoxy
By
WALDEMAR M. HAFFKINE
Reprinted from The Menorah Journal
for April, 1916
A 000 046 061 8
