The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-09-26

THE JEWISH DAY OF AToNEMENT.-At sunset
Yesterday the Jews an over the world began
the celebration Of JON Kippur, Or Day oil
Atonerlent, the greatest and most important
feast in their religion. 1T is period 80 SOL
emn and SO rigid, involving abstinence from
food or drink forfull twenty -four hours time
80 heart-stiIring and so soul searching to every
member Of the House of Israel, it has such
firm hold on the mind Of every Jew, be he lax
in his religious duties or strict in his ideas OF
responsibility to Heaven. that it may be well
termed, as 1t undoubtedly is, q divine institu-
tion." The origin Of the festival is more def
nitely set forth in the Old Testament, as found
in Leviticus, xvi. 81: '.Thia shall be ar, ever
lasting statute with you to make atonen1ent
for the children of Israel once q year, also in
Leviticus xiii. 26, SO. The day OF atonement is
type of the one great Precipitation. 1t was but
once year that the High Priest stentered within
the veil OF the temple With blood as.the atone
ment for the sins Of the people. Aud this was
on certain set and appointed time,I as the
reader Will find in the twenty-ninth verse OF
the book we have quoted. 'I4 the seventh
month, on the tenth day Of the month, and
at no other time Was the day Of the atonement
to- be, to show us that Gods great day OF
atonement was appointed and predestlnatei by
himself The person who made the atonement
was the High Priest. ''Thus shall Aaron come
into the holypacs, with o young bullock Tor
a sin Offering and ram for burnt offering"
Inferior priests slaughtered the lambs. Other
priests at other times did almost all the work
of the sanctuary; but on this day nothing was
done by any one, as part OF the business OF
the great day Of atonement, except by the
High Priest. Old rabbinical traditions tell us
that everything on that day was done by him,
even the Lighting Of the candles, and the fire
and the incense. and all the Offices that we're
required, and that, for fortnight beforehand,
he was obliged to so into the tabernacle and
slaughter the bullocks, and assist in thS work
OF the priests and Levites, that lie might
be prepared 10 do the work. which was un-
usual to him. %
The Jewish ceremonies on this day are as
follows: First. Holy convocations, the a5sti-
nence from food or drink, and the prohibition
of all work. Second. From the afternoon OF
the previous day until three stars are visible
to the naked eye on the evening Of the day it
self, no food Oh drink is partaken OF except in
cases of extreme sickness. The synagogues
are kept open to the faithful, robed in shrouds,
reciting prayers Of penitence; men are released
from all VOWS they may make hastily and with
out forethought, those who have quarrelled
during the year ask each others forgive ness;
restitution is made of what they may have be-
come unlawfully possessed of; confessions OF
sin are made by the psople; and the ''Selicloth'
or prayers for forgiveness, which are repeate dly
said, commence and close with the invocations
of Moses on his second ascent of Mount Sinai.
In this manner the day is religiously observed
until dark, when the prayer @Hear ye, o Israel,
&C.," is offered up by the rabbis, when it is
followed by blast on the ''shofar," or rams
horn, which is the signal that the festivals
ended, and the faithful may return to their
leisure pleasure and tolls. Hol