The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1860-01-05

Cu~toms Of the Hebrews.
The Jews imagine that the two great
est acts that can be performed arc---say.
ing prayers for dying man, and follow
ing him to :he grave: on the principle
that he who does another favor in diff.
ferent circumstances may be selfish from
an expection Of its return but that in
these cases the motive must be pure, as
no such expectation can be induIccd.-
When jew is dying, it is no unusual
thing, therefore, for his friends nd re-
lations to inform the whole neishbor
hood Of tho fact. A poor Jew. as we'll
as rich Que, always has, at such time.
two nurses to attend him andsay prayers;
he may have them night aud day tor
months, the whole expense of which, to.
gethcr with that Of doctors, &c, is de-
frayed from the treasury Of the syna-
go.uc. Those who attend a Jew in his
dying moments are we'll acquainted with
the symptoms of death; for, though bu
rial takes place within twcnty.fuur hours,
instances are very rare Of persons being
buried alive.
The departed lies on the same bed for
one hour; feather is put on his lips Ito
be blown away if he should breathe, and =,
as is reckoned an hour, tho Jews present
stop during that time; they strip the
corpse aud lay it on the ground. or, in
some cases, curry it to another room. 4
black cloth is now obtained from the
synagogue to lay over the corpse a pew
ter plate with salt is generally put on the
breast, which, they say, keeps it from
swelling: oil is put in vessel, and a
cotton wick is inserted basin Of water,
covered with clean napkin, is broueh'
forth; aud two watchers (provided by
the synagogue, if the individual be poor, J
sit by the dead.
An hour before the time of burial
certain people come from the synagogue
to wash aud shroud the corpse, in the
abluton of which from forty to fifty gal
Ions Of water may be used. Before i,
leaves the house, the husband for the
wife, the wife for the husband, children
Tor parents, and parents for children, &c. -,
&c, stand on one side of tie coffin, and
the clerk Of the synagogue on the other,
while, as each relation leans over the
coffin, the clerk takes a knife, makes q
slit on the right side of the male or fe-
males upper garment, about two inches
long, and then tears it two inches far.
Their. The garments must be worn in
this state for thirty one days.
When any OF the Jews assembled can
not follow the corpse to the grave, a pail
of water and a jug are brought, with
which they wash each others hands,
The first takes the water and dashes it
over the hands of the next, three times,
but he must not touch them with the
vessel; this is afterwards placed on the
ground when he who is WISHED takes it
up and does the same for him who wash
ed him, and thus the process of ablution
Is carried on through the whole.
The collins of the rich aud poor are
made of four deal boards, merely p.aned
over to prevent splin,ers running into
the hands. Tn, rhrouds are generally
made Of wool, but some Of the more
wealthy are buried in fine linen. The
jews have no walking funerals; and no
difference is apparent between those of
the poor and the rich, except relatives or
friends Of the latter should follow them
in carriages. 1t is by no means uucom.
mon for corpse to be followed by null
titudc, consisting Of from one hundred
to one thousand persons, as may be fire.
quently witnessed, at the east end Of
London, where there are severol Jewish
burying grounds. Publicity is given to
a case of dissolution in two ways. One
is by its announcement in the synagogue;
for, when a person has died, the clerk in
he midst OF the prayer stops, and with
a loud voice nentions his name, the spot
where the corpse lies, and the hour of
Interment
The other is more remarkable One
Of the Jews belonging to the synagogue
goes into the place crowded with his
people, having copper money box in
the shape of half-gallon cask, secured
BY lock and key, with niche large
enough to admit Of penny piece. The
peculiar sound of the box when shaken,
ntimates that some one is dead, the
Jews therefore flock around him, make
every inquiry, and cast into the box what
hey please. This is always done unless
The departed was an illcgitimate child, a
person Of very impure life, or one grossly
negligent Of Jewish forms. In this case
seldom more than eight or nine follow
him to his grave. So Infamous, indeed,
is it to be an exception to the custom
Just alluded to, that it is sometimes men
TONED many years after; as branding
even distsg relations.
When the Jews quarrel, it may be in
the synagogue, one will sometimes saw to
The other, Il know something about you,
don't You unlock my lips, or | will dis.
grace you and, when he is dared to utter
all he knows, it is not uncommon to re-
ply, if il cannot be charged or a nearer
relation, " Why, your grandfather, or
your fourth cousin died, and the box did
not 20 for him." Females rarely or even
attend corpse to tho grave; but it is
heart, rcndinx to witness their mourning
When the males retire oil sit on tn 9