| Joseph Friedlander, comp. The Standard Book of Jewish Verse. 1917. | | | | Who Serves Best | | By George Alexander Kohut |
| | | IN stern debate, all through the night they strove— | |
| The sages of the Talmud, to record | |
| What man deserved the favor of the Lord. | |
| The ancient Rabbi Judah, he who throve | |
| On fasting and on prayer, spake of one | 5 |
| Who lavished wealth, as worthy. “Nay,” quoth Saul, | |
| The scribe and scholar, looming gaunt and tall, | |
| “None but the wise is fit to look upon!” | |
| “Not so,” exclaimed the zealot Zadok. “Place | |
| Him first who best observes the Law!” Lo, then was heard | 10 |
| A child’s sweet voice which thrilled the men who erred:— | |
| “To him alone is vouchsafed God’s good grace | |
| Who renders loving service to his kind!”— | |
| And ere they grasped the vision, it declined. | | | | |
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