The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-04
WILL CELEBRATE PESACH
An Important Hebrew Festival
to BE Observed Next
Week.
MANY CURIOUS. CEREMONIES.
No Bread Permitted. to the. Israeli
ties During Passover
Week. -

Beginning with next Monday evening,
Hebrews all over the entire. world will
commence the celebration of .Pesach, the
feast of Passover. The date. April s, cor
responds with the 18th day of the month
Nissan. the first ecclesiastical month of the
Hebrew year. The Passover festival is OBJ
served by the orthodox or conservative
portion of the community for eight days,
but the reform" section. of which the
Congregation Emanuel is the representa-
tive in this city, only regards it for one
week.
Passover is, perhaps, the prettiest of all
Hebrew festivals. 1t was originally de-
signed to commemorate the deliverance of
the Hebrew nation from the tyranny of
Egypt, and with its observance were con-
nected many symbolic customs, which in
late years have either been relegated to
oblivion or to the orthodox in Israel.
The day before Passover is called t'The
fast of the first born, and on. this day
every first born male som of Israelite par
ents observes strict fast. The teFmina-
ton of the day of abstinence ushers in the
feast of Pesach.
The main and striking characteristic of
the festival is the fact that no bread or
leavened food of any kind is permitted to
be used. This prohibition: is even ex-
tended to beer, :. confectionery, malt
liquors-in fact to any food which. has I'M
dergone the process of fermentation. The
staple article of diet is. the matzo,. or I'M
leavened cake, made of foar and water.
but without yeast or other fermenting
matter.
Previous to- the incoming of the Pass
over. every orthodox head of Jewish
family makes. dilfgent search through his
house, from cellar to .garret, for leavened
food. When all the scraps are col
of the house pronouncing formula
in Chaldaic, annulling all leaven
that he may have overlooked, and pro-
nouncing it. to be Gas the dust of the
earth.n
The first two nights of Passover are
nights a special service of prayer is held
in every Jewish. home, at which many an
cient and curious customs arefollowed out.
On the supper-table are placed bitter herbs
of various kinds to symbolic Egyptian
tyranny, the shankbone of lamb, repre-
senting the ancient paschal. lamb, and
mixture OF chopped apples spices and
raisins, called charoseth or mortar, SYM
.bolic of the .servitude of the ancient Israel
ties under Rameses.
When all the assembled company are
seated, the master of the house, with cup
of wine in his hand, pronounces the Kid
dush, or sanctifcation prayer. He then
exhibits to all present. an unleavened' cake,
saying in Chaldaic Like this was the
bread of affection, which our fathers ate III
Egypt. Let all who are hungry enter and.
eat" The better to- carry out the senti-
ment contained in the foregoing, the outer
door of the house is Hospitality left open
during the whole of the service.
The youngest male member of the COM
pany then asks in Hebrew: "Why is this
night distinguished from all other nights T.
Why the unleavened bread and the bitter
herbs?" The answers to these questions are
furnished in the Hagada, which is then re-
cited and which forms a remarkable collec-
ton of the sayings, witty: wise and phiIo-
sophical, of the ancient Hebrew rabbis.
During the time occupied in reading the
Hagada all present lounge at the table in
free and easy positions, which are sup
posed to suggest present freedom in contra
distinction to former bondage:
After supper, which, served late in the
evening, the balance of the. Hagada, con-
sisting of psalms and lyrical compositions,
is read. By quaint and curious supersti-
ton the prophet Elijah;. who may be said
to be the good genius of the Hebrew, is
supposed to be present at the latter stage
of the proceedings. The observant Jew
even leaves. a place for the prophet at the
table and places a glass of wine for: him.