The record-union., 1899-09-05
ROSH HASHONAH FESTIVAL.
JEWISH NEW YEAR BEGAN
LAST NIGHT.
III. Weinstock Makes an Address on
"A Day for Deep Ex-
animation

SET last night and was celebrated with
solemn services at the synagogue.
1t marks the beginning of the fall
cycle of Biblical feasts, which includes
the New Year, the Day of Atonement
and the Feast of the Tabernacles. There
are ten days between the New Year
and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atone
ment, and they are additionally given
over to serious meditation and an alb
stention from levity.
On these holidays the temples and
synagogues of the Jews are generally
crowded, they being the occasions when
all the members of the ancient frater-
nifty Of Israel rally round their old re,
ligious standard and renew their feal-
ty to their faith. Both the orthodox
and reformed Jews are celebrating in
this city.
The orthodox Jews hold their services
at Exempt Firemen's Hall on Eighth
street between j and K, the first being
held early last evening. Cantors Isaac
son and Katz officiated, and will con-
tinue so to do until the end of the fes-
tival
The reformed branch celebrate but
one day, beginning at sunset last even
synagogue on Sixth street, between J
and K. last evening, and will be re-
sumed at 10 o'clock this morning.
The services We're conducted by L.
Heilbron. Selected music for the occa-
sion was given by the quartette, COM
posed of Mrs. Mary Ross, Miss Price
and Miss Harley, the latter also acting
as organist, and Messrs. VIM. Boards
lee and j. A. Owens.
The address was delivered by H
Weinstock, who took for his subject.
"A Day for Deep Examination" Mr.
Weinstock spoke in full as follows:
Our orthodox brethren look upon this
day as day of Divine Judgment when
God seated on high reviews the record
Tor the past year of each of His children
and writes them down in His book of
books for year of joy or for one of
sorrow, for a year of prosperity or for
one Of adversely, for year of life or
for one Of death. This belief surrounds
the occasion with saeredness and SOL
emnity. The pious orthodox Jew en-
ters his synagogue in fear and in trem-
bling and deyotes the hours spent
therein to the most earnest and solemn
prayer He prayS fervently and feel
ingly for forgiveness for his past sins
and acts of omission-he utters the
most impassioned supplication for re-
newed religious spirit and for a new
lease of life in which to practice this
renewed spirit
Out of the seven or eight millions of
Jews throughout the world the reform
Jews of America and elsewhere are. at
best, handful. The vast majority Of
Jews are still orthodox in their religious
ideas and practices and thus clothe this
day with far more sacredness and holi-
ness than has become our wont. We.
whose tendency it is to take rationalis-
tic views of religious questions. we who
are influenced more by reason than by
emotion, we who cannot bring ourselves
TO believe that the Jew is any nearer to
Gods heart than are any other of His
children, and therefore cannot bring
ourselves to believe that God, on this
particular day, singles out the compar-
atiVely few Jews in the world to review
their record, we who believe that mere
prayer to God will not lessen the grav-
ity of our wrong-doing or wipe away
our sins, do not put the same meaning
upon this day as do our orthodox
friends. To us, this is a day for self
retrospection and for self-examination:
on this day we aim to calmly and dis
passionately review our past, examine
our present frame Of mind, and map out
a line of conduct for the future
We, who are not believers in special
Providence, we, who do not believe that
God would set aside His eternal laws to
accommodate any individual or any
body of individuals. we, who believe
that Gods commands are Interchangeable
and everlasting, realize that we must
accommodate ourselves to His Divine
laws rather than to expect Him to ac-
commodate His laws to our pleasure.
Believing God to be all-wise. adjust
and all-merciful, we do not enter His
house in fear and in trembling; we
come before Him rather as a loving and
trusting child comes before his we'll
beloved parent. God being aIl-wise
and adjust, we know that He does not
look for perfection among His human
children; we know that our conduct is
acceptable to Him if we but sincerely
strive after the perfect way. We know
that the God who permits His magni-
ficent sun to shine on the wicked as
we'll as on the good, whose generous
IdlIS enrich the SOlI OF the QnrlgnteOuS
as we'll as the righteous, whose moon
and stars light up the darkness sur
rounding the impious as we'll as the
pious, whose birds Of the air render
their songs to the faithIess as we'll as
to the faithful and whose fishes in the
water are as free to the unbelieving as
to the believing; we know that a God
so generous and so merciful to all who
inhabit His world, cannot remain all,
just and yet have favorites among His
children. We know that only those
who study Gods Divine laws and OBJ
serve them can attain happiness no
matter what their faith, no matter by
what name they call God. We know that
those who, through ignorance or wick
edness transgress Gods laws, suffer
punishment whatever may be their re-
ligious faith, whatever time they may
eXpend in prayer and meditation We
know that there is but one Divine
Providence and that comes from
knowledge and observance of Gods
laws: that there is but one Divine IA
voritism, and that is shown alike to all
Gods children Who keep within the
boundaries of His laws. In the eyes of
a just Government all men are equal