ling or of giving life? No; but
while Israel looks upward to the Great Father in Heaven, He will grant
life.

"Has God pleasure in the meat and blood of sacrifices?" ask the
prophets.

No. He has not so much ordained as permitted them. "It is for
yourselves," He says; "not for me, that ye offer."

A king had a son whom he daily discovered carousing with dissolute
companions, eating and drinking. "Eat at my table," said the king; "eat
and drink, my son, even as pleaseth thee; but let it be at my table, and
not with dissolute companions."

The people loved sacrificing, and they made offerings to strange gods;
therefore, God said to them: "If ye will sacrifice, bring your offerings
at least to me."

Scripture ordains that the Hebrew slave who loves his bondage shall have
his ears pierced against the doorpost. Why?

Because that ear heard from Sinai's heights these words: "They are my
servants; they shall not be sold as bondsmen." My servants, and not lay
servant's servants; therefore, pierce the ear of the one who loves his
bondage and rejects the freedom offered him.

He who sacrifices a whole offering shall be rewarded for a whole
offering; he who offers a burnt-offering shall have the reward of a
burnt-offering; but he who offers humility to God and man shall receive
as great a reward as though he had offered all the sacrifices in the
world.

* * * * *

The God of Abraham will help the one who appoints a certain place to
pray to the Lord.

Rabbi Henah said, "When such a man dies they will say of him, 'A pious
man, a meek man, hath died; he followed the example of our father
Abraham.'"

How do we know that Abraham appointed a certain place to pray?

"Abraham rose early in the morning and went to the place where he stood
before the Lord."

Rabbi Chelboh said, "We should not hurry when we leave a place of
worship."

"This," said Abayyeh, "is in reference to leaving a place of worship;
but we should certainly hasten on our way thither, as it is written,
'Let us know and hasten to serve the Lord.'"

Rabbi Zabid said, "When I used to see the Rabbis hurrying to a lecture
in their desire to obtain good seats, I thought to myself, 'they are
violating the Sabbath.' When, however, I heard Rabbi Tarphon say, 'One
should always hasten to perform a commandment even on the Sabbath,' as
it is written, 'They shall follow after the Lord when He roareth like a
lion,' I hurried also, in