fly in your blind hatred, has been kindled by
Sar-ha-Olam, the angel of knowledge, who is the Angel of Angels and
the prince of the world. The knowledge of religion is sacred, but
other knowledge has equally been created by him who dwells in perfect
wisdom. Good is the apple of paradise, but are we therefore to refuse
other products of the earth? A time will come when the world will be
full of knowledge, as the sea is full of water."

"Thus spoke and wrote the sage whom your teachers hold accursed. His
name was Moses Majmonides, a true prophet, who did not look into the
past but into the future, for he knew that a time would come when all
those who did not gather around the flame of wisdom would fall into
the dust, and their name become a by-word of contempt and derision.
He was the second Moses; he was my teacher from whom came all my joy
and all my sorrow."

Here the reader dropped the hands that held the papers, and an
expression of rapture shone in his face.

"He was my teacher from whom came all my joy and all my sorrow."
Strange coincidence! Both he and his ancestor who had died three
hundred years ago had listened to the same teacher. In the hearts of
both he had kindled the heroic, self-sacrificing love, the greatest
upon earth--the love of the ideal. But the descendant who read these
words which one by one dispersed all his doubts, felt no sorrow;
nothing but a great joy and hope.

A hoarse and thick voice shouted from the crowd:

"Hear! hear! he praises alien flames! He calls the accursed heretic a
second Moses!"

All heads turned towards the door to see who had spoken. It was Reb
Moshe, who had climbed upon the bench near the door and was thus
raised above the crowd; he shook his head, laughed derisively, and
fixed his malignant eyes upon Meir. But the people's curiosity was
not yet satisfied; under their ragged garments many hearts were
beating with a new, and by themselves undefined sensation.

"He speaks to us through the mouth of his descendant. Listen to him
whose soul dwells already amongst the Sefirots."

An old man with stooping back, who leaned upon his stick, raised his
white head and said to Meir, plaintively:

"How could Israel warm himself at the sun of knowledge when he was
driven away from it by his enemies? And we once had, Reb, famous
physicians and wise men who were ministers at the courts of kings;
but when they thrust us from the portals of knowledge we went forth
and said: Hen