Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-09-16
THE JEWISH NEW Y EAR.


Yesterday was the Rosh Hashsnsh, or
Jewish New Year, and rs such was de-
voutly observed by our Jewish fellow
citizens. It is one Of b "dRys of awe"
among the ancient people, and Is observed
as q high holiday In Standardization to
the first day of Nissan, which Is the COM
mencement of the ecclesiastical year. The
period of Rosh Hsshsnsh Is the most
solemn of the whole year. Scripture and
religion unite In impressing upon it the
character of profound ave-. The latter
designates it as the anniversary Of the
| creation of the universe, and. as the day
when the Supreme Being judges mankind
and pronounces their doom for the year
to come. It Ia therefore a period of re-
pentance, for which q months preparation
Is made by additional prayers, services
performed before daybresk, and the blow
ing of the
sHoFAR.
This primitive musical instrument con-
sists OF q rams horn cleaned, smoothed
and made bright by known processes,
having q tspeTing shape and bent ike a
hook in the lower part, with a narrow
opening at the cop, and s wide one at the
bottom. The ahrill sounds produced ty
blowing it nave been arranged into va.
rious classes, each of which is designated
by a particular name, and the party ap-
| pointed to blow the horn must know these
names so as to be able to sound the par
ticulsr toni required.
SERVICES AT THE SYNAGOGUE.
The services at the synsgORues last
evening were of the most impressive
character, and were largely attended.
That at the corner of Main sIid Exchange
was full of worshippers. The pastor pre-
sided over the services of the evening.
The synagogue at the corner of Second
and Monroe was well attended by the sd-
herents of the old dispenHstion. The
new year commenced at six O'clock in the
| evening. The holiday lasts for twenty
four hours, and consequently viii con
tinue until six O'Clock this afternoon.
THE JRwIsH CALENDAR.
The Jews date their calendar from the
Bible tradition Of the creation, which is
considered by them to have occurred $3.50
years and three months before the Chris
tisn Era. Their year is luni-solsr, and,
according as it is ordinary or embOlismic,
consists of twelve or thirteen lunar
months, each OF which has tw~enty-nine or
thirty days. 1t is occasionally made q
dsy more or less than the mssn value, in
order that certain festivals may fall on
certain days in the week tor their due
observance. The months are named:
Tisri, Hesvsn, Keslef, Tebet Ssbat, Adsr,
Veadar, Nissan, Yiar Swan, Tamus, Alb,
Elul. The year can consist of 1853, 254,
355, 3S3, 3S4 or 3S5 days, the ordinary and
embolismic year being each divided into
| three classes-imperfect, common and
perfect. The value in days of each is
given above in the order Of the figures,
the ordinary being first. The month
Veadsr is intercalary, and is introduced
that the Passover, the fifteenth (15th) day
of Nissan, may be kept st its proper Sea-
son, which is the full moon CT the vernsl
/ equinox, or that which takes place after
| the sun has entered Aries. The distribu-
ton of the embolismic year is determined
by a cycle cf nineteen (l9) years, accord
ing to tho following rule: Divide the
Hebrew year by 19; the q1otient Is the
number of the last completed cycle, and
the remainder is the year OF the current
cycle Should it be 3, 6, 8, II, IA, II or 0
Q9l, the year is embOlismic; otherwise it
is ordinary.
The Jewish calendar Is constructed by
assuming that the mean lunstion to be
t~Wenty-nine (29) days, twelve Q2) hours,
forty-four (44) minutes and three n
one-third (3H) seconds, and that the year
| commences on or Immediately after the
new moon following the sutumnsl equi-
nOX. The mean solar year liz assumed to
consist of three hundred q sixty-fve
1861 days, five (5) houls, ifty-hye (55)
minutes snd twenty-five snd twenty-five
hfly-seveDths Us 25-57) seconds. A cycle
/ OF nineteen years COUbalus O5OS uS1ss 10
hours, 80 minutes and 81 secOnds-the ex-
act measure of 235 lunstions. Thus, by
knowing which of the years are embol-
ismic, from their ordinsl position in the
cycle according 20 the rule given, the
times of ths commencement of the sue
cessive years may be carried out indefn-
itely without any trouble. l. u be
observed, however, that to avoid certain
festivals falling on incompatible days of
the week that the year must not begin on
a Sunday, Wednesday or Friday, so that if
the computed conjunctions fall on one of
those days, the new year must be fixed
for the day after. The following condi-
tons must also be attended to: If the
new moon be after twelve O'Clock, mid
day, the following day is TO be taken; if
in an ordinary year the new moon be on
Tuesday as lsts as Oh, IL M, 20 s., am,
il ia not to b. observed thereon, and as 1t
may not be held on Wednesday, is post
poned until Thursday if in 9 year imme-
distely following an embclismic year the
new moon fall as late as thirty minutes
and ifty-two seconds past three O'Clock
pm. on Monday, the new year is to COM
mence on Tuesday.