The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-09-12
Ths Hebraw NsH Yaar.

ine Hebrew new year $3.50 began with
sunset yesterday evening. The seventh He
brew month, Tshri, which begins with the
new year, Is month distinguished from all
the other months as the one in which the
most important and holiest festivals. of the
Hebrew calendar occur. With the festival
which begun last night commenced the pen.
itential season, which will continue for ten
days, reaching its eliminating point on the
Day of Atonement, which Is celebrated on
the tenth day of Tishri. These ten days are
devoted to prayers of penitence and works
of charity, but With the exception Of the
New Years Day and the Day Of Atonement
are not regarded as holidays. ~ .s2
It may geem remarkable that the Hebrew
new year should take place in the seventh
Hebrew month. But the Hebrews have a
sacred as well as a civil year. The first
month in the Hebrew calendar is the month
Nissan, in the fourteenth day of which the
Passover festival begins, commemorating. the
escape of the Hebrews from Egyptian slave.
ry and their subsequent organization as ma
ton. In consequence of this fact Nissan Is
the first month of the civil year of the He
breWs. dating from the birth of that people
as o nation. The sacred year begins With
the month Tishri, which is also called the
Holy Month, during which the most sacred
festivals of the Hebrews occur. The month
Nissan generally, occurs during the vernal
equinox, and the month Tishri during the
EaDtuRnal equinox. - ss@,s -.
The festival which begun last night being
the commencement OF this penitentisl season,
the prayers and songs are characterized by
great solemnity and sadness. The drapery
and decorations are all Of white, symbolical
Of purity. The great import attached to the
day is seen in the names which it bears, the
most prominent of them being g The Day Of
Remembrance "Tbe Day of Judgment"
and g The Day Of the Blowing of the Trum-
pets" This latter appelation has been gained
from the fact that the blowing OF the trumpet
or rams horn is one of the principal
features of the festival. The object Of this
is to remind the Israelte of the near ap-
proach of the great Day of Atonement, when
be is to render his account to his Maker, and
'also--according to an old Hebrew tradition
calling on God to remember the covenant
which He made with Abraham. The term
Day Of Judgment" has been given to this
festival because OF Rabbinical tradition
that on the 1st of Tishri God fixes the des-
times of nations and individuals for the COM
ing ,ear. and judges them according to their
merits.
The New. Years Day is distinguished
from all the other principal holidays in the
prayers set down for the day. These are d-
Yided under three beads-the first being
prayers that all nations may at an early day
join In rendering homage to their Creator
and worship the true God, the Creator Of
the Universe; the second division OF prayer
is the glerifcation of the Almighty, enlarg-
ing upon His omniscence, omnipresence,
&C., and under the third head are the
prayers for the union Of nations un-
der the banner Of love and charity,
the cessation of strife and unnatural
wars, and for the brotherhood of man. Ser.
mons and hymns appropriate to the solemn
import Of the day are delivered. The ortho-
dox Israelites celebrate the festival for two
days, while those known as the Reformed
Hebrews recognize only one day as holi.
day. The festival was ushered in last night
in the synagogues, when sermons were de-
livered and the usual evening prayers were
recited.
This being one of the principal Hebrew
festivals every Israelite frequents the syna-
gogue, and business to-day will generally be
suspended among that people.