In contrast to the usual tenor of Jewish preaching, and much of the synagogue liturgy, Mendelssohn’s Jewish God was not a hanging judge, ever on the lookout to punish backsliders, either singly or in entire cities and empires. Mendelssohn’s Jehovah wore an eighteenth-century smile. How could He not, since His earthly creation was intended for pleasure and happiness, and His corrections were more akin to that of a celestial gardener, periodically pruning and weeding, the better to ensure a new blossoming.
