The speaker was Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, a pioneering Jewish leader in America. Preaching in English, Wise rejected one of Christianity’s core doctrines: Original Sin. Humanity, he argued, was not cursed at birth but blessed with freedom. Every person, he declared, is “a free agent. He must be free to be perfect, and the powers are given him to cast off sin, to live truly, avoiding all the evil influences which corrupt society and give the world its sorrows and afflictions.”
The Hartford Courant published his words in full, adding that “its moral teachings were worthy of inculcation in every heart, whether Jew or Gentile.” Wise’s message was clear: Judaism does not teach inherited guilt. It teaches that we are responsible for our choices, and capable of repentance, repair, and renewal.
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