Intercession

Prayer and practical charity meet in this sermon preached at the Central Synagogue on December 30, 1916. B. N. Michelson begins with a passage from Genesis about preserving lives, then considers the moral demands of the First World War. As religious communities prepare to gather for intercession at the New Year, he urges his congregation to guard against hatred and vengeance while sustaining their resolve.

The sermon distinguishes the German people from the leaders held responsible for their country's actions and looks towards a peace founded on justice and international goodwill. Accounts of hunger in Belgium and relief supplied through American generosity lead into an appeal for the Sick and Wounded Fund. Michelson connects duties to family and fellow believers with responsibility for all humanity. For readers interested in wartime religious thought, these pages show how a public act of prayer becomes an argument for material help, moral restraint and care for those bearing the costs of conflict.