Los Angeles herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1890-1893, 1891-10-02
YOM--HAZE--KORO
Today Commences the He
brew New Year.
It Is q Memorial of Blowing
the ShOfar.
A Statement of Its Features and Its
Lessons.
The Celebration OF the Creation OF the
world-A Day OF Memorial Which
Has Been Celebrated for
Thousands OF Years.

| Tine year 666Z Will be usnered In To-
day by religious services in the sy ma
gogues and in temples of the sons Of
Israel scattered throughout the world.
The day is termed "Yom- Haze-Koron, -
day of memorial
BY RABBI A. w. EDELMAN.
This evening at shutdown all IsrAelites
throughout the world with but very
few exceptions) will assemble in their
various shrines to celebrate the year
1852 from the (assumed) creation of the
world.
The recurrence of the annual festival
with which the Hebrew race celebrates
the advent OF the new year is termed
"Yom- Haze Koron," day of memorial,
a time to reflect Oh the events OF the
past year, and resolve to make the
future more worthy Of his better SELF
1t is more than mere private holi-
day, for opening new books and starting
upon new business. 1t is more than
an almanac festival. 1t is even more
than religious festival. 1t is histor
ical occasion, and founded on Biblical
authority. SIN the seventh month. in
the first day of the month, We ehall have
a Sabbath. a memorial of blowing the
shofar." Leviticus xiii, "a.
1t is day of memorial, which is OBJ
served in every quarter of the globe by
his brethren. as his brethren have cele-
brated it for thousands of wears.
But what is a memorial? 1t is some
thing which shall cause US to think,
| hal b. h.,Ik
ney and ask ourselves whittier we are
bounding, or whittier we are swifting
| Memory tells us that we are on the
| threshold of new year, and before bid
ding farewell to the past forever, we
should look back and review the past A:
to note whether in the past we have
done our duty to God, to our neighbor,
and to ourselves.
Oh, blessed gift of memory, by means
OF it we bind the sheaves which we gar
ner from the harvest of life, with it we
| carve again the lines which truth would
| impress upon us, with it we rekindle
the smoldering fires of goodness, piety
and virtue.
| Other creeds have their new year to
commence in midwinter. But orr great
| legislator, Moses, has wisely established
| ours in autumn. Then the harvest is
| gathered then we zee what the crops
have been, and then we see the fruits of
all our labor. If it is successful we
learn how to become more SO in the
future, but if we have failed, we learn
that great lesson which one can only
learn from failure.
1t is for that reason that we hold this
solemn convocation, having laid aside
all thoughts of the world and its husi-
ness, we take account of our asst. How
many have ever realized how rapidly
their lives are gliding away2 How
many really feel that the longest life is
but today2 How many use their time
property 1t is the purpose OF his sol
emn day that such thoughts as these
should occupy our time. otherwise the
day is OF no earthly value. We should
ask ourselves, what good have we done
for ourselves individually, or for Others
in general. What have we done for oul
religion, for Israel, or for God? And
the answer will be: Yes, we have had
abundant pleasure, but we have become
Indifferent to the stern call of duty and
of religion.
Many and many chance of doing
good have we neglected, many anC
many an unkind word have we spoken
many an unfeeling action have we per
formed, and now the voice of the past
which is gone, never, never to return
speaks to us, and urges us all to change
before it is too late.
To some my words may perhaps be
the summons which the prophet Jere'
miah spoke to Hananiah: This yea
shall we die" Are you ready? Are
your books in order? Are all your debts
paid? Can you stand before the grea
judgment seat Of Your own conscience
and say, have honestly and faithfully
endeavored to do my duty?
The Talmud says: "Man is borr
} with his hands clenched; he dies witt
his hands wide open. Entering life he
desires to grasp everything; leaving
the world, all which he possessed ha
: slipped away from him." Even as |
fox, SO is man. ga sleek and well-fec
: fox, who was fond of good things, espiet
one day some very juicy grapes in
vineyard. He longed and lusted tt
taste this beautiful fruit, but to his grea
| dismay, he found the vineyard too wei
hedged in and enclosed to enable him t.
enter.
"He searched hard all around the vine
| ward to find an entrance, and was jus
BOrrOWIully preparing W uOPoi1 ai'
forego his delicious treat when suddenl.
he found a little hole left open in thu
. fence. He tried hard with all his nigh
and power to creep through it, but il
vain; the hole was too small for hi
capacious body. His greedy disposl
| ton, however, would not allow him t.
depart, SO he resolved upon reducing
, his corpulence by fasting, in the hop
. that when he had become quite thin b.
: would be able to squeeze himself through
the narrow aperture. And he was no
4 doomed to disappointment, for, ate
fasting many days and nights he foun,
!, himself sufficiently thin to get through
J. the fence into the vineyard.
He sees the delicious fruit before hlr
his appetite is excellent. He taste!
8 he eats and revels in the delicacy to hl
hearts content. "What an excellen
and capital idea this was of mime" h
: saws within his heart, with self-sutfi
Gent pride and satisfaction. such
grand idea could only enter a head llk
mine" And SO he continued eatin
and eating ravenously, till-forr Their
must be an end to all things-he wa
satisfied and he began to think 1t wa
ii ne for him to return.
But, alas! he cannot go home, 10
how can he squeeze himself throug
that very small hole by which he ha
entered? No. He had grown Tar TO