They all exclaimed against this sacrilegious prejudice.
"Why do you dislike him? He represented in his day the true contemporaneous spirit of the Jews with the Kladderadatch."
"I do not like him, because his spirit is a spirit of destruction, debauchery of thought, debauchery of language, irony, scepticism, and abasement of human nature. All these are scattered among the pearls and diamonds. It is no less corruption though the author be remarkable for talent and genius. It is from this very corruption that we should free ourselves, for it is a presage of death; it is the death-rattle."
"Then," finished Simon, "Judæorum finis."
"Yes. Finis Judæorum et Judaïsmi finis. The people of Israel resemble a man who, having preserved intact a treasure during a journey of a thousand leagues through forests full of brigands, lost it in a puddle at the door of his house. This treasure is our faith, and it is in danger."
"Dear Jacob, why do we always speak of religion and morality? You really believe, then, that they exist somewhere?"
"If they are dead, we should employ means to resuscitate them."
"Decidedly he is mad," muttered Mann to himself. Then he added in a loud voice:--
"I should be proud of such an honour, but I am unworthy."
"'And I," said Simon, "I advise you to devote your energies to a task less likely to prove disappointing. For example, seek in the Talmud the things forbidden to a Jewish stomach. Maïmonides has counted twenty-four. With a little perseverance you can get it up to thirty. What a glorious discovery that would be!"