Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-08-30
JEWISH FUNERALS.
Curious Customs That Are the Same Now
 as in the Days of Moses.

Curious Customs That Are the Same Now
 in the Days of Moses.
 In their funeral rites and observances the Jews have preserved many of the most ancient customs of their race, says the St James, Gazette. They still rend the upper garments in token of bereavement, as Jacob did when informed of the death of his favor ite son; they still seat themselves for seven days on the ground in sign of mourning as Job and his friends are represented in the Scripture to have done. They still eat the mourners' meal, as their ancestors dld in Palestine: they kindle the memorial light to comfort the departed soul, as they did, in all likelihood, ages before Judaism was known; and they still recite in public the. mourners' prayer, every repetition of which according to rabbinical notons-helps the deceased q step further out of purgatory.
 The Jews rigidly exclude all relatives from the chamber of a dying co-religionist. Only strangers should be present when the soul leaves the body. As soon as death oc- CUTS all the vessels in the house containing water are Cmpticd. On tEe continent, in places where Jews reside, the emptying of the water vessels in the pubic roadway is the usual mot,e of notifying that a death has occurreG The practice had it's origin, we gathS' from the rabbinical books, in an Old Orld superstition that standing water in such circumstances became the abiding place of certain evil spirits whose presence in the house was prejudicial both to the dead and to the living. In the interval between death and interment the Jews lay the corpse upon the bare ground with the feet toward the door. The body is covered, but nothing-save occasionally little straw may be placed under it. Then the two big toes are tied together. On Sabbaths it is not, however, permitted to remove a body on to the floor; it would be work. But as it is sometimes necessary that this should nevertheless be done, rabbinical ingenuity has Contrived a means of accomplishing it without violating the sanctity of the day. A loaf of bread is placed upon the corpse, and the two together are lifted to the ground. It is held that only the tGead has been moved, and this is permitted on the Sabbath.
 Two or three hours before the interment takes place, the ceremonial purifcation of the body known the tdhdrd takes place It consists merely in pouring seven def- nite measures of warm water over the
 body, while repeating the words: II will pour upon you cleansing waters, and ye shall be cleansed of your uncleanliness; for of all your iniQuities I will purify you.'' The body is then placed in the coffin, at
 tired in a white cotton gown known as 6 kittel. This nttel is, in Northern Europe,
 presented to bridegroom by his bride on the day of their wedding, and is worn by
 him on certain occasions, such as the Day of Atonement and the Passover Eve cele-
 bration. It is made by the female relatives of the bride, but she herself must not take part in the sewing of it. In Poland, Galicia, and in Russia the bridegroom always wears the death garment under the wedding can Opy during the performances of the marriage ceremony. Besides the llittel, the body is enveloped in the praying scarf or tultth used by the deceased during life. When this is done the relatives are summNhed. One by one they draw near and bend over the
 coffin; friend takes a sharp knife and
 makes a slit in one of the outer garments of the mourner-on the right side if the de- ceased be a parent, on the left if a child. The mourner himself then rends the gar
 ment according to the custom of the coun- try. In the East the Jews tear the vest
 ments clean across; in England it is only
 torn a couple of fingers breadth. The rent
 must not be sewn up for month, and the mourning garment must be worn, for a parent, fully eleven months. The Spanish and Portuguese Jews rend their undergar- ments as well. Except among the German JeWs-as they are called-in this country, the last offices of the dead are performed by
 the members of what are termed "Chevrah kadishah," or Holy Brotherhood" an or ganization formed in every orthodox con- RrCSdllOu OuIy LOT UulS purpose.
 Just as near relatives are excluded from the death chamber, so are females prohib- tied from attending funeral or interment.
 Why this should be so it ia difficult to say.
 The custom of excluding women on such occasions is certainly not an ancient one,
 since we know from the Talmud and later
 rabbinical books that, of old, women joined in the funeral processions of their people chanting dirges appropriate to the cere-
 mony. However, nowadays they @re not 1 permitted to join, and the obsequies are
 attended by males only. In Northern Flu 1 rope and in parts of Russia, father is not ! allowed to be present at the interment of | the first child he iS unfortunate enough to 1 lose. IL is believed he will lose a second if he does; though this will not in itself suffice to explain the existence of so strange 6 | custom. The Polish Jews are, however, 1 peculiar in more than this. It is the uni
 versal belief of Orthodox Hebrews that the
 resurrection of the dead will take place in the Holy Land, and therefore all bodies l will have to make their way underground to | Palestine before the Day of Judgment. So, to facilitate this task, the "Chassidim," or
 ultra pious of Russia and Poland put | fork in the hands of the deceased when he l is placed Tn the ground-for cofins are
 only used in the case of bchor first | born), or tOlen Zone of priestly family)-
 in order that he may dig his way through
 the ground with it and thus reach the
 Holy Land, where the resurrection takes
 place.
 On leaving cemetery-which is known
 as the bcthcldm, ''house of eternity" or
 beth hdin,, house of Gfe"-it is customary 1 to pluck some of the grass growing there
 and throw it over the shoulder without 1 looking back, repeating the words: Lila
 moveth l netzath" (He will destroy death forever). Primarily the plucking of the 1 grass had no connection with the formula
 that nowadays accompanies it; but the orig | inal symbolism of the act is forgotten like
 so many of the practices still extant in l Jewry. On returning from funeral the
 mourners take their seats on the floor,
 or on low hassocks placed upon the floor, l and partake of the " mourners' meal"
 This consists of hard-boiled eggs and dry | bread and salt, which is always prepared
 by neighbors and is arranged in readiness
 for the party upon ta low stool. It must be
 eaten seated upon the floor, as indeed must
 all meals during the whole seven days of | mourning.