, 1879-04-20
SEPuIROTU.

SEPHIROTU.
4 SYSTEM OF COUNTING.
Dr.. GeTsont IN tie Jtntxh Ldr4nce.
Most OF our older brethren know that it is
customary to count the Sep1irdh or (as the Ger
man Israelites call it) the Onaern every evening
from the second Passover eve to the Feast Of
Weeks. The origin Of this custom lies in the
command: "And you shall count unto you
from the morrow after the Sabbath (mcaning
here the day Of Passover) from the day that you
brought the measure Of the wave offering !;
seven Sahbaths shall be complete. Even unto
the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall you
number fifty Gays, etc." Lev. xiii, 15 l6.
Thus between the SECOND DAY Of the Passover
and the Feast OF Weeks {Shabuoth) forty-nine
DAYS are to intervene, the Feast Of Weeks itself
making the hftieth day. "Sephirah I" means
the act Of counting; the weeks to be counted
are, therefore. called the Sephroth (p1uraD in
the popular language. The ''mcasure " which
was to be brought on the Passover Us an otter
ing is called IN Hebrew "Otncr." Our German
brethren, therefore, call the ceremony OF count
ing '+Omeru," adding German prefix to the
Hebrew word, aud thus making verb Of it in
their own dialect.
Pessah is the Feast OF Liberty md Of the
Spring, aud Shabuoth tthe Feast of Weeks) IS
law on Sinai. Liberty and enlightenment again
arc to conduct the human race to happiness i'll
the knowledge Of the justice and providence OF
God. In order to impress the believer with
these catholic principles, the rabbins have Sc
lected the stxty-seVcnth psalm as the must ap
propriatc to study carefully during the forty
nine days between the two feasts the psalm
contains forty-nine words, and every time at
counting the Sephiroth, one word Of that psalm
is to lie repeated consecutlvetS.
MI r. rf
the fifth verse thereof: W, let the nations be
glad and sing TOR Joy; Tor !hon shalt juogc ti'e
people rEhteUuslY, ana uirect peaceluny tHc
nations upon earth, Seah." Universal happl.
ness in the knowledge anu oy the Eu'dance q
God allotted to all the nations upon cartn :"
is predicted here. This verse, containing forty
niue letters In the original text, mas therefore
been taken for the lorty-nlu days ot the Sepni-
roth, to be pronounced orc letter every day Ill
addition to the one word OF the Whole psalm.
"countng the Sephirotf - is concerned. It
Teaches the true lesson OF life, the aspirations
for f @ U1 ~ hc ored w.
out between tie attainment OF liberty anu the
achievement OF enlightenment, lor tns nc l2ttcf
cannot take place before the former. Ille pl1u-
ciples Of this destiny arc therefore to be studied
between the feast OF tue Passover and that OF
the Weeks. In order that no lsrac!tc should
neglect the studies ana reilcc1lons OF the sea
sou, It was prohio1teo 10 communicate ING mum
Der OF the Sephlroth uays TO Others, except IN
an Indirect manner; put more ph1losophca1
idea has been attacneo 70 tnese 1orty:nlne Guys,
which may give our rcaucrs au outaue ot tnc
Rabbinica! and haboallst1c teacnlnss o1 tne su-
pernaturat.
Judaism teaches that everything comes from
God and exists in Elm. All meolatohs OF SPIRITS,
angels, etc, Is 1orclsn TO tne Principal element
OF our belief in one Gou Wh1le some OF our
Christian friends cannot conceive the father
hood of the Eternal, and believe that man IS
too unworthy Totally dcpraVeI) from his very
origin to approach Him directly, ne ilrmly be-
lieyc that every human ocln@ IS lae sou OF Goo.
and may approach Him as . cnllu comes TO MS
father, and must strive to become worthy
(the worthicst, II posslole) enid OF the One
above. Man is endowed With lntcll1@ence and
sentiment; he Is Tree moral agent, aud can
and shall shape his destiny SO as to DC worthy
of uis spiritual endoWments in the sight OF the
One who has endowed him. What Is an object
Of aspiration to d pious Christian believer may
therefore be IN object OF degradation to an Is
raelitc who understands tnc teachings Of his
religion.
"What?" we once said to Christian friend.
who was anxious In behalf OF our poor soul, and
said that We would become an angel in Heaven
il we were to believe otherwise than we did,
s'Whut? while I live and struggle to be good,
and to promote that which is to my understands
iDr noble rood and bcneicial,-WniIc [ live I
am n free neral ageut. fully conscious OF hay-
ino rasnons;hi1ities. u,,d of the po,rer tn conn
~ eIans. o,n frnn to av.re;cn INV ;ntoil;
grrce. a,d to art according to irs dictates: I
have nm Individuality. and ar1 conscious Of it:
nv strnpp1es. INV anxictics. nv efforts would
not he II we're not sclf-conscious being; that
str,rppc which is commonly called life, is for
s'S5I a'tS51 t;L s..,,at - hr,on .r;th;, ~