New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-09-10

/ pllcallon OF tha phrase . new moon, WIncn 4
is misnomer as now applied among us. In
order to discover this period, trusty observers
were sent to the neighboring mountains to
observe it; and on seeing the crescent, they
hasteAed, even on the sabbath, to inform the
Sanlledrim, and the people were notified of
it by the blowing of trumpets, while they
} cried out 1.-THE festival of new moon! the
festival of new moonl" This festival is based
/ upon the command in Numbers, c. IS V. Ills,
that a burnt offering shall be made in the
) beginning of the months. 1t seldom hap
pened that in the serene climate Of Judea the
moon was obscured by clouds; when it did,
the Sanhedrim decided when the month COM
menced. @@H
The Jews had both solar and lunar year.
The synodic month which comprised the
autumna1 equinox originally commenced the
} year. But after the departure from Egypt,
Moses ordained that in memory of the period
of the deliyerance, which was the spring, with
the month comprising the vernal equinox,
should commence year, which is called the
sacrad or ecclesiastical year, as the former is
called the civil year. The months had stdSst
no other designation than that of their
first, second, third etc., except that
vernal equinox, called Abb (green corn-ear),
and that of the autumnal equinox, called Etha-
nun lin reference to the ten penitential days
commencing it,. About the time Of the cap
tivlty they were named Nissan formerly Abb,
and answering to parts of March and April
Iyar, Swan, Tamuz, Alb, Elul, Tisri, formerly
Ethanun, and answering to parts of Septem-
Der and October Marchesyan, Kisleu Tebet,
Shabet, and Adar. These twelve months,
however, comprise but three hundred and
fifty -four days, or more than eleven days less
than the solar year; so that after three years
the close of the lunar year would arrive more
than a month before that of the solar year.
To correct this, d thirteenth month, called
embolismic or interealary, was added every
third year. This was named Yeadar.
Other forms of annual commandments OBJ
served by the Jews were that of Elul (the-
sixth month, answering to parts Of August and
September, from which, account was taken of
all cattle brought forth, in order to regulate
the tithes to be paid Oh them and that of
Shabet, (the eleventh month, answering to
parts Of January and February from which
was dated the period, within three years from
which it was prohibited to eat the fruit of
trees then being planted.
Yet another kind of yearly period observed
by the Israelites, as already observed, was the
Jubilee, or Grand Sabbatical year. AS the
Sabbatical year consisted Of week of years,
or seven years, so this consisted of week of
weeks of years, or seven times seven-that is,
forty-nine years. The ordinance for this W IL |
be found in the twenty-ftth chapter of Lee
yiticus, from the eighth verse In this year
all debts We're cancelled, all property which |
had beed sold or alienated was gratuitously re-
stored TO the original owner, and all slaves were
manumitted can the estates, says Milman,
.swere to revert to their original owners, all
burdens and alterations ceased, and the whole
land returned to the same state in which it
stood at the first partition. A singular agra
rian law, which maintained the general
equality, and effectuaIly prevented the aocu-
mutation of large masses of property in one
family, to the danger of the national indie
pendenee and the establishment of a great !
landed oligarchy."
In this sketch of the divisions of time :
among the Israelites, it is to be observed that n
neither scientific exactness nor critical deter rt
nnination on disputed points is pretended to. F
for popular purposes.is all that
is aimed at with the object of illustrating how
much more may be involved in q question at
5racting so little attention as Jewish festival :
does among US. 1t was suggested
" the fact that with the setting Of the sun
yesterday commenced the great festival of
Rosh Hashanah, or the Feast Of Trurnpets.
1shering in the civil year 5627 Of the Jewish
IRA. The former name signifies beginning
If the Year." equivalent in name to our New
Years Day. It is called the Feast of Trum- Lot
oets, par epcellence, to distinguish it from Rosh
3hodesh, as the first of every other month !. 81
vas called, on which also, as has been seen, p
Fumpets were blown. Its observance is thus il
commanded: st
''And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying $
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying In s
the seventh month, in the first of the month, d
shallFye have Sabbath, memorial of blow 8
ing Of trumpets, an holy conyocation Ye be
shall do no seryile work; but ye shall offer an Il
offering, made by fire. unto the Lord. Levitt
Gus, chapter 20, verses 1926. sa
'tAnd in the seventh month, on the first of
he month. ye shall have a holy conyocation;
e shall do no seryile work it is a day of II
flowing of trumpets unto you.n-Numbers, a,
HAPPIER 30, LIST verse. AZ
! The five verses following that last quoted "
nay be referred to for particulars of the offer -
ngs commanded to be made. Next to Yom =
zppur, the great DAY of Atone1nent, which
ecurs on the tenth day after it, Rosh Hash !,
nah is considered the most solemn holiday "a
+ the year, especially as commencing the
Ten Days Of Repentance" closing with the
ormer holiday; and as being the day on I
1hich the creation Of the world was compile :
ed ; that on which the sacrifice of Isaac bv
is father took place and that on which the
Iessiah will come The feast is also called
Yom Hadin, " or Day of Judgment, for the
'aehings Of the Rabbits say that on that day s
ne Almighty reviews the career Of every erea t ts
IRE, melting out its fate for the next year. pre-
ne belief was that on this day the good and
ad deeds Of each individual were balanced in =