The morning call., 1893-09-20
THE YOM KIPPUR.
Jewish Day of Atonement
and Fast.
CAME WITH THE SETTING SUN
Twenty-four Hours of Prayer and
Observances of the Temple With
out Food or Drink.

With the setting of the sun last
night began the Jewish Yom kippur.
which translated means the day of atone
ment and fast. Even among the most
orthodox Jews no fast in all the year has
a deeper meaning than the one that began
last night. 1t is held in universal observ-
ance by every man, woman and child OF
Jewish birth, whether living up to their
faith or not on all other days. The fast is
an absolute one, neither food nor drink of
any kind whatsoever being permitted TO
pass their lips during the twenty-fOur
hours duration.
According to the custom Of the ancient
Jews of the East the hour beginning the
day is announced in the temples and syna-
gOgues seven days previous. and from that
beginning hour forth to the sounding OF
the shofar, or rams horn, twenty-fouT
hours later, the time is spent in commu-
nion, prayer and the obserVanceS of the
temple
The hour announced for the beginning
OF Y ON Kippur yesterday was o'clock, and
shortly before that all Jewish places OF Dusi-
ness were closed. not again TO be opened
on any pretext until the fast Is over. In
some of the large corporations. where
Jews and GeDtiles are interested, business
Will U6 CdtIItu vi 10 usual NI-OhJs but al
the Jewish members will remain away.
The last meal is usually eaten at home,
with only the members or the family pres
ent, about an hour before the beginning of
day. 1t is a substantial meal ana must
serve to satisfy the paugs OF hunger until
the fast Is over. After this is finished In
the more orthodox families short service
of prayer is held before going to the tenn
pie where the regular Atonement-day ser
vices are gone through with. On arriving
at the tenn pie the sexes separate and, after
donning their gowns, enter the church
proper 0arefooted.
The services at the Geary-street temple
began last night at 6 o'clock. the opening
prayer. Koe Nidra. being offered by Rabbi
NJ. s. Levy. This prayer was Of
fered in chanting tone, and listened to
by the audience with bowed heads. Fol-
lowing the prayer was the sermon, by the
Rabbi, "Is there hereafter?" After
quoting several passages from the Hebrew
Bible he said:
''My friends: Every person is impelled
onward by Al idea. Not only leaders in
science or literature are possessed of some
idea that haunts them day and night. but
all men are kept awake by some fact or
fancy they would like to have or be. What
is true of each man is true of that larger
life we call an age. People speak of the
Mosaic, the time of Ezra, of the Augustin-
ian, Elza0ethan, medieval, of the VictO-
rian, of the revolutionary ages. and by
this they mean the leading IDEA that ami
mated those periods"
or the moral life of man and its infiu-
ence he spoke forcibly. The belief of a
hereafter, he said, took its rise from
natural grounds. Man dreaded the time
when he could no longer behold what he
loved on earth. He looked around for a
proof that he would not drop into nothing
ness and discovered a snake shedding its
skin. This he thought must be death and
the spirit emerging newborn. After treat
ing of the immortality OF man from the
cradle to the grave he said: Upon their
hands they will carry us, least we stumble
/ agal l.ie stone OF disbelief. Thus ]
hope the belief of a hereafter will ever
move onward. always remaining the most
splendid and potent of human beliefs"
Services were held beginning at the same
hour in Beth Isreal. Sheriff. Isreal and
Obai Shalome synagogues and also in a
number OF halls throughout the city. In
each they lasted about two hours.
In the synagogues the services to-day
begin at o'clock and last until 6 this
evening. In the temple they begin at 10
O'clock and last without intermission until
Shachrlth, meaning morning service
Musaf, extra service; Nareeo. afternoon
service, and Mincha, evening service
Between the extra and afternoon services
will be held what Is known as a service
for the dead. during which time it is GUS
tomary for those who have not been be-
Teaved to leave the temple.
In the thoroughly orthodox synagogues
there is no music, the reader reading his
speeches, which ara chanted back by his
congregation. During the services the
wOrshipers beat their breasts and fall
upon their knees, reciting from Scripture
hymns and prayers.