Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1874-09-22
THE JEWISH HOLIDAYS.
NEW YEARS DAY, THEDAY
OF. ATONEMENP AND Ia
~ BERNACLES.

Some Account of the Meaning of
the ObservaBces-The Cere-
mOny of Blowing the
shOphar-The Jewish.
Doctrine of Atone
E1ts1l A186A
Although the Pentateuch fixes the
vernal exuinox as the beginning of the
year, the Jews have for more than
twenty centuries dated their years
from the autumnal equinox. Besides
being the New Years Day, the 18th
was, also, the day of blowing the shop
har," trumpet made of rams horn:
The ''shophar" is blown not so much
in honor of the new year as to sound a
note of warning to all the Jewish race
to prepare for the great day of Atone
ment,n which will occur on Monday
Dist. New Years Day falling on
Sabbath this year. the Orthodox Jews
will defer the blowing of the ''shOp-
harn until Sunday, which they keep
holy also, according to the custom of
the ancient Jews, whose astronomical
system was very imperfect, and who.
being anxious to Keep all the festivals
at the same time with their brethren
in Jerusalem, kept tw6 days rather
than miss the right one. This the
Orthodox do to this day, although the
reason no longer exists. AS the Re-
formers keep but one day of the festi-
val (which is all that the Bible COM
mands,) and as they-do not object to
music on Sabbath, the ''shophar" Will
he blown mall the reform temples to-
morrow. New Years Day is observed
by the Jews throughout the world,
and the tel days which Intervene be-
tween it and the t'Day of Atonemenp
are called the "penitential days. and
are supposed to be devoted TO a rigo-
rous self-examinatiOn and to careful
preparation for the great Fast Day, the
most important in The Jewish calan-
dar. %
The Day of Atonement, which be-
gins next Sunday week, Goth, is Or
dained in the twenty-third chapter of
Leviticus, and is day of total absti-
nence from: food of any kind. 1T is
kept holy by all who have any claim
to the name of Jew. On this occasian
the Jews have, for more than three
| thousand years, met i'm their syna
gogues, i'll all parts of the world, aud
made atonenent for, and repented
them of their sins. The fact. by itself,
is not regarded as a sufficient atone
ment for the sins of the year. This is
plainly shown in the rabbinical writ
| jngs. Maimonides says True re-
pentence consists in this: that the
sinner fOrsake his sins, and put it
| away from his mind and that he sin
cerely resolve not commit it again ~
| the Mishna says no atOnement can be
| made without penitence, and the jew
| ish Scriptures declare that no sinner
| will he forgiven unless lie repent and
make restitution for his sin. The Day
| of Atonement has always been, and is
still to O great extent. regarded 10y all
| pious Jews as the image of the day of
| their death, and, from the earliest
times. they have been il the habit of
! going to their cemeteries u few hours
before the beginningof the fast to med
| ilate near the ashes of their dead on
their own approaching end and the
necessity of pr eparati0n for it. 1t was
also the custom of the Jews to seek out
| on the eve of Atonement Day every
neighhOr whom they had injured, To
make him full reparatiOn, and every
man whom they had wrOnged, 10 asG
his forgiveness, SO that they might be-
gin their fast ut peace with man. as
they hoped to be at peace with their
| God. Though these customs are not
now generally observed, still the Day
of AtOnement exercises a very strong
| Influence over even the least religious
of the Jews, Men in this community,
and in others too, who are not known
| as Jews all the year round, who may
| have married out of the faith, and
even brought up their children out Of
the fuIth, these men are often seen
on the great Fast Day creeping quietly
into the synagogue and remaining un-
observed among the most devout wor-
shippers there. TO the pious Jew,
who observes the Sabbath and all the
festivals, this is day on which no
worldly act or thought must be per-
mittcd. He generally goes to the syn
agogue at or 8 in the morning, and
does not leave his place until the blow
ing of the "shophar," which makes
known the end of the fast, at about 6
i'm the evening The services for the
day are very impressive. 1t used to
be the custom, and it is still with
many of the Orthodox German and
Polish Jews, to go to the synagogue
OH Atoaement Day in their shrouds,
or at least TO wear their shrouds dur
ing the service, in order that they
might not for n moment forget the
awful meaning of the day they were
observing. -a
| Following the Fast Day comes ''Ta-
bernacles," the festival which was
held annually in Judea after the ill.,
gathering of The harvest. 1t lasts sew
ell days. the first and last of which are
observed as days of rest and rejoicing.
AS in the case of all festivalf, the Or
thodox keep the first two days. 1t is
a custom among many congregations
to have a tabnernacle erected every
year, and have meals served there dur
ing the festival. in obedience to the
command IN Leyiticus xiii, ~ ;
aye shall dwell in booths seven days:
and all that are IsrealiteS born shall
dwell in booths"
The seventh day of Tabernacles is
known as "Hoshanna Rabah. y
Among the Orthodox Jews, and nOta-
bly, among the Spanish and Portu-
guese, this is looked upon as the day
when the atoneElent made on the
great Fast Day is sealed and confirm
ed. Seven circuits of the synagogue
are made by the eongregants bearing
a palm branch and a citron. those not
the palm being provided with bunch
of myrtle. Between each circuit the
bunch of myrtle is waved aloft, and in
the Portuguese synagogues the waving
of the myrtle is accompanied by the
sacred sounds of the ''shophar, which
is blown four times between each cir
cult. The airs sung are the same IS
those in use on Fast Day and New
Years, and the synagogues are draped
i'm white as on those occasions.
The eighth day of the feast is also a
holy day, ana is known as the Eighth
Day of Solemn Assembly" The SER