The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1864-05-27
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.TEMPEsE CLOSE AROUND HIM.
The Jewish Passover. .


fy0nt "Wednesday evening our Jewish
population commenced IND observance Of
the PassoyerEor Pasehal Festival, also call
ed the Feast of Unleavened Bread, institu-
tedto comm emofate the deliverance Of Is
rael from the1bondagein Egypt. iItis the
first commandment, the Lord vouchsafed
through Moses to the Israelites. Thus it
is a rabbihical theory that the twelfth
chapter Of Exodus, ia which this has been
declared, is the commencement of the law
of Moses. Inthis chapter, ID verses IA to
2Q,dit Isl ordained;"Seveni days shalt ye
eat unleavened bread, even the first day
shall ,ye put leayen ont,.of, your honses.-
Seven daysshall there be no, leayeuei bread
found in your houses, for whosoever eateth
leayened bread, that soul shall he cut off
from lsrael.D The extreme rigor with.
which the prohibition of'leavenad bread
during the festival is enforced is frequent
ly repeated in Holy Writ, as in Exodus
viii, 6,47 and Is, and Deuteronomy xvi,
3 and 4. Thus throughout the whole of
the law of Moses the prohibition Of leaven-
&c. bread is strongly aud repeatedly enfor-
ced. Indeed there is, no other observance,
except thatIof the Sabbath, of which there
is SO much mention made in the Penta-
teuch, and accordingly the Divine predic,
ton that the lsrealites should observe this
festival throughout all their generations,
is duly Iandptruly fulfilled unto this day.
3 Unlike many otherfestisals, this feast
has many, peculiar observaaees, which we
will briefly enumerate.y The unleayened
bread ordinance is the first aud most rigid
one, Several weeks before the recurrencs
of the feast the preparation of this bread,
called "Mazoth," is commenced. II con-
sits of the finest wheaton -four and cold
water, without salt or yeast, kueaded in
the quickest possible manner, is rolled out
in thin fat cakes about six inches ip di-
ameter and baked in quick oven. These
Mazoth strongly resemble our ships bread,
but they are thinner and harder, A per-
son authorized by the Rabbi is in attend.
ance at the baking Of the Mazoths who su-
perintends the entire, procedure of mix.
ing the dough, baking and delivering the
bread. Those of the, Jews who are too
poor to buy the bread, are furnished with
it by their more wealthy coreligionists
and through charitable institutions found
ed for the purpose. OF course other ve-
getables, fruit, fish and meat are partaken
on Passover, but farinaceous food is strict
ly excluded FROM every Jewish dwelling.
The second observance, ..'No leaven
shall be found within thy confines" is
also strictly observed. The residences of
the Jews are cleaned thoroughly, and
even the dishes and cooking apparatus
are changed for the festival, so as to re-
move the idea Of even the smallest niorsel
of leaven in the place, a.. IN. ,..,.
The next observance is "to keep the day
holy" This is also adhered to with much
rigor. The first two and the last two days
are kept like. the Sabbath, no secular oc.
cupation being permitted, and divine SER
vice held in every synagogue, with ad-
dresses from the Rabbi preachers.
But there is one peculiar observance,
which more than anything else, distin-
EuiouOc puO lVohtNut llOIu ObhSio W. VIC
Jewish Calender, viz: The observance in
the family circle on the first two evenings.
Ga these evenings the Jewish families as
semble; in their dwellings, around festive
board, on which are spread horse radish,
to commemorate the bitterness Of bondage;
an egg, in commemoration Of mourning for
the destroyed temple; greens. to common
crate the blessings of God; a mixture of
apples. almonds and cinnamon, resem-
bling mortar,i in remembrance of the loan
used by the, Israelites in their works du-
ring their bondage in Egypt and a bone
of a lamb, to indicate the Paschal sacri-
fee. After blessing the wine, the history
of the exodus from Egypt is related and
hymns and psalms recited in joyful tone
in honor of the grand meaning Of the day.
These gatherings are carried on in every
house, and are even strictly observed by
the, less relgiously inclined. -hOatrsa'
{ Caaada) Gazette. srs, ,ass,s, b +
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