[Footnote 1:  See the preceding page, n. 2.]

For the rest, the author fights shy of the difficult problems of religious philosophy, and is always on the lookout for compromises.  Even with reference to the Cabala, with which Levinsohn has but little sympathy, he says timidly:  “It is not for us to judge these lofty matters” (Chapter 135).  Fear of the orthodox environment compels him to observe almost complete silence with reference to Hasidism, although, in his private correspondence and in his anonymous writings he denounces it severely.  Levinsohn concludes his historic review of Judaism with a eulogy upon the Russian Government for its kindness toward the Jews (Ch. 151) and with the following plan of reform suggested to it for execution (Ch. 146): 

To open elementary schools for the teaching of Hebrew and the tenets of the Jewish religion as well as of Russian and arithmetic, and to establish institutions of higher rabbinical learning in the larger cities; to Institute the office of Chief Rabbi, with a supreme council under him, which should be in charge of Jewish spiritual and communal affairs in Russia; to allot to a third of the Russian-Jewish population parcels of land for agricultural purposes; to prohibit luxury in dress and furniture in which even the impecunious classes are prone to indulge.

Levinsohn was not satisfied to propagate his ideas by purely literary means.  He anticipated meagre results from a literary propaganda among the broad Jewish masses, in which the mere reading of such “licentious” books was considered a criminal offence.  He had greater faith in his ability to carry out the regeneration of Jewish life with the powerful help of the Government.  As a matter of fact, Levinsohn had long before this begun to knock at the doors of the Russian Government offices.  Far back in 1823 he had presented to the heir-apparent Constantine Pavlovich [1] a memorandum concerning Jewish sects and a project looking to the establishment of a system of Jewish schools and seminaries.  Moreover, before publishing his first work Te’udah, he had submitted the manuscript to Shishkov, the reactionary Minister of Public Instruction, applying for a Government subsidy towards the publication of a work which demonstrates the usefulness of enlightenment and agriculture, “instills love for the Tzar as well as for the people with which we share our life, and recounts the innumerable favors which they have bestowed upon us.”

[Footnote 1:  Being the eldest brother of Alexander I., Constantine was the legitimate heir to the Russian throne.  He resigned in favor of his younger brother Nicholas.  See above, p. 13, n. 2.]