Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-10-05
YOM KIPPuR
The Jewish Observance of the Day oi
Atonement

Ahe oeW1sn observance OF the Day OF
Atonement.
| AT snndown last evening commenced
the fast of Yom Kippur, an event that i.
| observed throughout the Jewish worlG
with the greatest solemnity The name i:
an abbreviated form of Yom ha Kippur
reem, signifying the Day of Atonement
and it occurs en- the 10Th day of Tishree
the seventh month of the ecclesiastical
year and the first of the Hebrew civil
year. 1t is the last of the ten davs Of
penitence, which began with Rosh Hash.
onah.
At the Synagogue last evening the con-
gregation celebrated the occasion with i'm.
presslve ceremonies. Rabbi Levy adj
dressed the congregation in an eloquent
and fervid manner. The music was excel
lent, and the choir was composed of the
| following members: Sopranos, Mrs. w. H
kInross and Miss Ginsberg: altos. Mrs.
| Albert Elkus and Miss Nettie Price; TENOR.
Eugene Eikus, and basso, w. H. Kinrass'
Miss Adoitine Ksibel officiated at the or
gan.
Ycm Kippur is considered the most holy
DAY IN the year, and is set apart for
| fasting. prayer and repentance in accord.
ance with Leyiticus xiii, 27-28, where it
| says; And he tenth day Of the seventh
month is the Day of Atonement. 1t shall
be TO you day of holy convocation, and
ye shall affiict your souls By fasting Ye
shall do no work on that day, for it is
Day OF Atonement on which We shall be
pardoned before the Eternal, your God Ii
snail oe TO you complete day Of rest, and
ye shall affiict your souls By fasting. On
the evening Of the ninth day We shall be-
gin and keep your resting day until the
next evening"
This day is called the "Sabba,h Of Sab
baths, and is observed strictly by the re-
formers as well as the most strict OF the
orthodox. Among the very strict followers
OF the law the observance of the day is car
red so far that they will OF wash or wear
shoes during the continuance of the fast
They will not trim a lamp or do anything
that might be deemed an infraction of the
law.
In the olden time the ceremonies of the
day were peculiarly awe. inspiring. The
Year OF Jubilee was proclaimed upon ii
with souud Of trumpets. Il was the only
day OF the gear in which the Ksuhein
Hagodowl, the High Priest of the Temple
OF Jerusalem, was allowed 10 enter the
Holy of HOLES, and il was the only day,
too, when the High Priest himself offered
the sacrifices, sprinkling the blood of a
bullock and goat upon The horn of the
altaer, fulfilling the law as laid down in
Levitlcus xvi, IS, This was the only &C.
casion OF the year upon which the High
Priest pronounced the mystic name Of God.
As the syliabies of the iueiiable name of
Jehovah fell from his hps in PRAYER, the
whole congregation in the temple ieiI pros
trate and cried: Biased be the name of
His glorious kingdom forever and everIn
When the High Priest pronounced the
words Tit Ho Ra, "Ye are pure" there was
general rej 3icing
In the modern Jewish church there are
few survivals of this service The cabinet
in which the scroll of the Peutateuch is
kept hardly answers the description of the
Holy of Holes. The pronunciation of
the mystic name of Jehovah has been lost
but in the Musaph service OF Yom Kippur
there Is recollection of the ceremony
when the High Priests pronounced the
name, the rabbi and the congregation dur
ing the prayer prostrating themselves four
times.
The Iom Kippur services began last
night with the kal NidTa. The specially
prepsred prayer of suppliCation, as chanted
in the old style. is very beautiful. This
morning, in the Shachrilh, is the reading
Of the law from the sixteenth chapter of
LeVihcus, the preaching of the sermon and
the chanting of the service, followed by
the ceremony of praying for the dead, when
the names of the dead are mentioned and
prayed for. In some synagogues the names
OF the dead are read from book in which
| they are kept. This service lasts until
about noon, and is followed by the Musaph
| service, which lasts about three hours, and
! is followed by the Mincha service. The
last service of the day is the Neelah. This
| prayer is generally chanted by the rabbi
himself, if he is physically able; otherwise,
by the cantor. Then there is a short
prayer, such as that dismissing the con-
! gregation On an ordinary Sabbath, and the
assembled gathering disperses. During
these services the strict followers of the
law remain all day in the synagogue.
All Jews observe the present fast, and
their places of business will remain closed
to day.