The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-03


individual Choice Allowable to a
Certain Extent.
From the New York Press.
In. some respects a rabbits vcstmen,s are
the most interesting articles of apparel
which exist to-day, Then connect the
nineteenth century with the period of
King solomon. Some go even further
back and reach the dim years when Moses
and Aaron led the chosen people out of
the land of Egypt across the Red sea and
into the wilderness on the sterile Arabian
peninsular. There are at least three dis
tihct styles of vestments used by Jewish
clergymen. The most ancient Is that
worn by a canonical orthodox rabbi, OF
this class oddly enough there is not one
at present in the United States. There
was one on the Fest Side short time
ago who was brought over by his people
from Russia, but as he did not prove
great attraction 10 the American Jews,
the income of the synagogue did not in
crease as had been hoped and after a
short stay he went back TO the land of the
Car.
All the other .rabbis are ministers In the
American sense of the word. The other
two classes are well represented in the
leading cities of the union, the one the
liberal, or progressive, school of Hebrew
| thought, and the other the orthodox, or
| conservative, school,
Jewish canoncal law Is liberal and al
| lows considerable discretion to the rabbi
| In regard to his official raiment. Thus In
| the times of war he is permitted to per-
| form a function i'm even his working
clothes.
In general his apparel should be spotless-
| ly clean, neat, well made and fashioned
| from the best materials. He should have
| the head covered. AS to that covering there
is considerable latitude The simplest head
gear is the silk hat, Familiarity known as
| the 'stoVe pipe" A silk skull cap, plain or
! embroidered y also popular. Another style
consists of velvet or plush of the richest
/ texture, handsomely embroidered. The por-
| traits of the great rabbis in history reveal
many curious variations In these articles
and give the types of vestments worn. The
| famous picture of Maimonides depicts him
| as wearing what looks like a beautiful
| modified Moorish turban, made of a dark
| colored silk on which are embroidered
| curving lines in gold. Rabbi Leil accord
ing to his portrait wore a plush cap SINH
lar to high sealskin cap, and at the top
finished with a large, round button.
Rabbi Shaul of Amsterdam wore round
cap like a Cossack's. which had tabs COM
ing down and covering the ears. Rabbi Da-
| vid of Amsterdam had a cooked hat some
| thing like those worn by the French gem
erals in 1906 Rabbi Akiva wore a head
piece greatly resembling an astrakhan fur
cap well turned up around the bottom.
| Rabbi Israel of Kozeuic covered his head
| all eth uhau xHyhA oh feNn n
his shoulders, and over the center of the
head attached smaH ornament in the
shape of a velvet covered circular box.
The Tflum, eor prayer straps derived
| from the Hebrew word 'fTe6lu" a pray
err are composed of two thin leather straps
in the center of which is a square box
ranging in size from one-haH to one inch
| This box is attached to the forehead, the
| strings failing on either side of the shout
der. A second part of the Tflum, differ
ing from the first only in so far as the
/ fastening to the little square box As con-
| cerned (the latter being attached to the
end of the straw, is wound around the arm
seven times, which expresses the seven
days of the week, the seven branches Of
the candIestick in the temple, the seven
| heavens and the seven planetary influences.
| It is then further wound in and out upon
| the hand so as to form in rough outline
| the Hebrew character ssh on the back
| hand. the character ID" on the palm and
the character 'I' on the middle finger.
This combination spells the word "Sha-
dali" which is one of the many names for
| God The Thlum and it's use come from
the earliest time. According to the He
brews 1t expresses the divine command
written in the book of Deuteronomy, chap
ter viii, verse s, And thou shalt bind them
| for sign upon the hand and they shall
be as frontlets between thine eyes"
Some thlums contain. In addition to the
objects described, a second scroll on which
is written the inscription which was on
| the ''Sepher Thora" which Moses brought
down from God Others contain four chap
ters of the Old Testament. These Thlum
are worn at morning prayers only.
/ II the tendency of Christian clergyman
| is toward wearing smooth face, that Of
/ the rabbi is the exact opposite. In collec-
ton of one hundred portraits of the fa-
nous rabbis who set the style In this direc-
ton not one was completely shaven.
AT least eighty wore full boards. Only
ten of the eighty, however, left the beard
| IN lis natural shape. Each employed the
| scissors and produced some neat, and, Oft
entimes, startling effect. The commonest
variation was trimming the beard so as
Ito separate in the middle and fall in two
ends. Rabbi David Meteor of London
shaved the upper lip and trimmed the
beard TO sharp point III prOHounctu
Rembrandt style Ten of the eighty
shaved the upper lip smooth One shaved
the face. but allowed the beard TO grow
on the neck aad under the chin like Hor-
ace Greeley, while others shaved the
upper lip and the upper part of the
| cheeks.
Ia New York city to-day nearly all the
| rabbis of the East Side wear full boards,
as do majority Of those in other city
districts.
Under the clothing and touching the skin
all rabbis and most orthodox Jews wear
symbolical garment which is said to be
tNe original of the scapula, II Is known
las the Tit Sis or "Arba Kanfass." In
its general form 1t is a small double apron,
with a large hole in the middle which al
lows Il TO be put on over the head. Some
times II consists of two small pieces of
fabric connected by two cords. 1t is made
Of cotton. linen or woo.en, the last named
being the favorite material. At each of
the four corners are eight strings. At the
TON the wearer makes two knots. takes
one string and winds 1t five times, then
..c.afv ard xufade ~ aighf fft,aa