Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-04-09
THE PASSOVER RITES.
JEWISH DOORS LEFT OPEN FOR
THE EXPECTED MESSIAH.


In the evening" two nights before the be-
| ginning of Passover week, in all orthodox
Jewish families, certain preparatory meas
| ures are taken. The father, as head of the
| family, makes his tour OF thorough inspection
of his domicre, seeking for remnants Of
| lcavened bread, first invoking a blessing upon
| his task, and then preserving solemn silence
| until the conclusion of his search. Care is
| taken that there shall be some scraps left for
| him to find, and that he shall know where to
| look for them, but the form Of search is care
| fully preserved, and his wife makes very
sure that no other fragments ara left but
| those intended to bs found which are always
| mere crumbs These are gathered in a spoon
| To them is added the half mizvo left over
| from the Passover Of the preceding year and
all are carefully wrapped in clean bit of
| linen and laid aside until the forenoon OF the
succeeding day-Aref- Pesach-when, about
~ O'Clock, the little package is put in the fire
and burned,
From the time when those remnants of
leavened bread are burned, through the
whole of the succeeding seven days no other
bread is eaten than the mntzos or thin flakes
OF dry baked, crisp unleavened dough, and
| the orthodox Jew is not supposed to have in
| his possession any of the things that may not
| lawfully be eaten by him during that season.
The requirements of the truly orthodox
with reference 10 the preparation of the
matzos are very rigid. committee is APP
pointed from each congregation, whose duty
il is to buy in the field before 1t is harvested,
| If possible, the grain that is destined for con-
version into the unleavened bread II this
cannot be done, they select the best grain OBJ
| tainable from the merchants The grinding
| of it into -four must be- done in a mill that
| has been thoroughly cleansed from every
| communicating speck of other flour, and
when tisis work is completed the product is
carefully barreled and scaled to be kept until
required. In the preparation of the miZvos
about which there is a peculiar sacredness
the grinding of the grain into flour is fire.
| Queutly done in q hand mill that is kept for
| that purpose and no other For every step
| in it's progress from the field to the baking
| oven the flour is sanctited to its uses by pre-
scribed prayers uttered over it, The baking
should properly be done by each congrega-
ton in its own bakery, the quantities re-
quired for each family having been aseer-
| tanned in advance In practice in this coun-
| try, however, the matZos are made generally
| in large bakeries owned and controlled by
Jews, who scrupulously observe in their
preparation every requirement of their law,
and this is looked upon as sufficient. In the
making of the dough, the flour is simply
mixed with pure water to the required con-
u.
-, -, s,,hsta,ca 40 oiled yary
| 80 ~ - ,aI-sI a.,
a., tha ,,ozt areriro altar re,iSiops sor-
M wy 1870 ,,,hioh al uobra,so
| should attend, each family retires to its
home, and there solemnly celebrates the COM
memorative feast with which the festival be-
gins Upon the family table is set great
plate-of silver, if possible-covered with a
clean napkin, on which are laid three matzos,
Sne P ~. 49, 60. tS,;s os,,aciaI ,so anS ~
ieau -, -,.;',i.n,,- oopsonn..ad ~ +Lo
-, IT. ,.l,,. L. ,,ao,-
49,, st,oI,I, 80 of a shoulJar of lan,h apd nm
sno -, ,,nstad ,,,,,,r oo.1s. IN thi.d
,1at, 60, lat+,,ca and calary ar cbaryil and
-, l,,.,a ,.o5ih "a ,yo+aro,assos
,D.ai,,i,,s saIt ,ra,ar ~. ,,;rooar
o,,,.n f :, ~ .a,,ca ,d o1p,onds' ond
nnaaf 81 ,,,;,,o an, roy och ,erso,, rrseont
FL I'M onothor that stands nptarchad
tr,.a,,pr,',,+ tl ,a,a,noniol as symhol ~
Tho ,,,aIoon,a over rondv for tbe long hone1
sn nu NInssiah Each larsen ,1rasent 10 re-
o,,ira,7 70 d,.i,l four glasses ar runs Of vino
dnr;no, tho nrograss Of the rites All mem
La,s ~ a lavish household FROM, its ,,otri-
or,.I,,l hood down to the humblest sarvant
sit togatber at this Passover feast. for all are
oouaI before the God to whom thew offer
their thanlsrivings for his infinite mercics
10 tbair race. all are chiIdren of tbose who
we're Inv him brought ont of bondage
And the things tins displayed on the tabIe
have their emhlematic siqni6cance The
horse radish and other sharp or bitter herbs
recall the hitter seryitude in Egvpt. the nm
leayened bread. the hasty preparation for
1ight To freedom in the desert. and other
meonings attach TO each of the other articles
as for instance, the apple sauce, of the con-
sistencv of mortar which is a reminder Of
the CLAW from which the Egyptian hask
masters compelled their ancestors to make
bricLs without straw
The head of the family takes his nlace unon
n chair on which n pilIoy has been laid
to distinguish it as n sort of throne. He ia
tbe ratriarcb the MASTER. the teacber
Around the board before him gather his
family and depeudents. all attired as if ready
TO set forth upon Journey. He and thew do
not ass,,,a tho ase,, ottit,,dos cor,n,o,, a. +h
social hoard Int sit erect no If alert and ox-
,,ac,ant H. ofTare nm a nrovar Rroal,;nr,
aorcss +ba ,idIIo ono ~ +I,a t6rao ,,,ia,roo he
- oiaa boIf ~ n t no Ia,,+ ,,+il +h. 80
Az pesach xyhan n will ba burned ~
oooh ,,o,s,, soo+ad ot tba hoard ha .ri,,oa -
sraa,,,o,,+ ~ fiat r,izyo and ~ ono of tha
otbers also a small NORTON az the borho
which ora 70 ha dinnod into tho salt 1.a+or a.. |
,,;nar,ar and oatep Thon oil tata hoI1 ~
tha eader r,ato pnon which tho ,ni1yoa |
hoya heen ernosed and together tbev sustain
n ahova the table while he nttars anotber |
nraver II is then renlaced mon the board
and one of the Younger members Of the
family asks the father certain prescribed |
questlons as TO why they are SO as
sehpled Win tne ooJects pelore then
that 80 meagerly FURNISH forth the family
table In response, the patriarchai head