The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-10-14
Saturday Morning, Oct. "A, 1865.
[sroa' aae N. z. Tribune Of Oct. 4h.l
TEE FEAST OF THE TABERNACLEs.
IltaslsIsiianiaoanoe. SIC olsesvanoe ana oastons.

~ -
The days of fasting aud penitence having
passed, season OF JOY and thanksgiving is be-
ing maugurated by the Jews, which, though
partaking of religious character, is far from
being observed so strictly as the festivals they
have just closed. This festival is the Feast of
the Tabernacle or Succoth, which commences
this evening in accordance with the oivine
commandment found in Leviticus, xxIII., as
follows: 81 islta - 8Gs sIsid7 &
"The fifteenth day of this seventh month
shall be the Feast of Tabernacles unto the
Lord. On tie first day shall be holy convo-
cation. Ye shall do no servile work therein
Also, in the fifteenth day Of the seventh
month, when ye have gathered the fruit of the
land, ye shall keep feast unto the Lord seven
days. On the first shall be Sabbath, and We
shall take unto yourselves on the first day the
hult OF the tree Hadar, palm leaves, bows Of
the tree Abboth, and willows of the brook
And ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God
seven days. An everlasting statute to all
your generations, in the seventh month We
Shall celebrate it. In booths We shall dwell
seven days. Every denizen in Israel shall
dWeliin booths, in order that your genera
tons may know that / caused the children Of
Israel to dwell in booths when brought them
out OF Egypt am the Lord your God"
The same ordinance is repeated in sub
stance in Numbers, xxx, where it reads as
follows:
And on tie fifteenth day of the seventh
montn. ye shall have hoy convocation: We
snail do no Seryile work, and We shall keep
feast unto the Lord dseven days!3 s5IEL u !
Here we find two distinct commandments
for the observance of the feast: first, the
dwelling IN booths, and secondly, the use of
prayer ana commemorafion of four species of
plants, viz: the palm leaves, myrtle branch.
willow branch, the fruit OF the tree Hadar, a
species Of citron, which is grown at present
only in the Ionian Islands, whence the Jews
all over the world draw their supply of the
article. This citron, the peel Of which is
rough, has peculiar, agreeable smell, and
long stem. Ii this stem should be pulled off
the "Esrog5i as this citron is called, Is unfit to
be used. The willow and myrtle branches
must all have seven rows of three leaves each,
to make them tit for use. They are to be tied
to the palm leaf with three bands made of
palm leaf, and each morning the Palm leaf, or
"Luloi,p which is about three feet long, is taken
into one and the Esrog into the other, and an
invocation called down from Heaven. In the
synaSogues circuit is made, preceded by
person carrying the scrollssof the Lew. 1'a
The second, commandment is the dwelling
in booths" The booths or "Succosn are erect
ed By almost every Israelite who has the
means and room for the purpose at the back
of his dwelling ,,s.s ..es.s.,s.,sF
f4l = a,- D Z ..
Some OF these booths are decorated in the
most handsome manner with fruit, gilt nuts,
and other baubles, after the manner of our
Christmas trees, and when LIGHTED up at night,
present most brilliant appearance. All these
booths have to be thatched with leaves, to al
low the sky to be seen through the aperture
In hot climates, the Jews live altogether in
the booths duIing the festival. ~
On the seventh day OF the festival occurs
"Hoshannah Rabbah.n This day, like the
preceding four days,is a SO called half holiday,
the observance being confined only to reiig-
ious services In the morning, work being al
lowed. The latter day, however, has O pecu-
liar significance. The Tal1nud says, that God,
in his great goodness, gives the repentant sin
ner ten days grace, from the Day Of Atone
ment, to fully atone for his transgie and
the. record OF man is finally closed, and his
fate for the next year made up on that day.
Therefore, the entire night preceding the day
is spent in a room in the synagogue building,
In reading the Scriptures and recitiug prayers,
and at daylight, morning prayers are said, dur
ing which the leaves are beaten from small
willcw branches, in significance of the erasion
& Of the sins from mans record by God.
s. The eighth day Is a separate festival called
"Shemiah Azereth,p according to the Divine
command expre sssl in Numbers xxx. 35:
son the eighth day shall ye have a solemn as
sembly. Ye shall do no seryile work." Part
: OF the liturgy of the day is prayer for rain
during the Winter and propitious season
Collections are taken up in the synagogues for
the benefit Of hospitals and Orphan Asylums.
According to the regular service of the syn-
agogue, each Sabbath a section Of the Penta-
teuch is read, so that the whole five books Of
Moses are read each year. And with the first
Sabbath after the season Of holidays the first
of Genesis is commenced. The reading of the
last section in Deuteronmy (xxxMI.) is re-
served for the ninth day of the festival called
"Simchath Torahn or "Joy ofthe Law" This
festival, the gayest in the Jewish Calendar,
commences with the close Of "Shiminlh Az
ereth, !" when 1t is customary to take all the
rolls of the law from the ark and carry them in
solemn procession around the especially illu-
minated synas0gue. s5 1 e Ja'tk q
I In order to pay due honor TO the "Torah"
or divine word as revealed to Moses, both at.
the termination and at the recommencement,
two persons are appointed in each synagogue
to fill the Office of bridegroom Of the Law
and Bridegroom of the Genesis" The former
closes the reading of the section in Deuteron-
omy recltlng the death of Moses, and the lat
ter commences the new year with the first chap
Cer q 0eneSs. 1t is customary to call up a
greater number OF adults to the reading of To-
ran than usual, and also to call IN all the bows
under ~ years Of age below which age no
: boy Is counted as belonging to the conoreps-
ti0n FOL the purpose of Worshinr;no 4 Il, 7orSer
to impress them with veneration tnr tbe lstr
3 The liturgy OF the day celebrates The exeallen-
CIV of the law and of the mission of Moss
The day is passed in joyous festivity. ~ 0-G' -
Mot of these ceremonies are kent nm. ave,,
hy the Reformed jews, though the latter hoya yn
abolished some of them, which they think are
moi adapted to the nineteenth century n q
.rThis festival concludes the series of An
-tumnaI Ieasts. the first two OF which are IN