The record-union., 1899-11-19
IS THE MESSIAH
YET TO COME?

Synagogue Harris WeinStOck delivered
discourse on the above named subject.
He spoke as follows:
The evening of evenings which, as
boy, l looked forward to with interest
and pleasure was that of the Sedaf,
celebrated on the eve of the Passover.
For weeks preparations were made In
the home for the important event, and
for many days the household was un-
settled, and a stranger could readily sea
that something uncommon was about to
take place. House cleaning became the
order of the day. Every nook and COR
ner of the home was cleansed and ran
sacked and every particle of leavened
bread removed. The dishes and cook
ing utensils used throughout the year
were carefully stored away, and those
reserved for the days of Passover were
brought out from their hiding place
The interest of the household was
conferred in the Cedar festival, on which
occasion the table was decked out in
the best the home afforded. Whatever
of plate, whatever of candelabra, what
ever of fine linen and glassware was In
the possession of the family, was made
use of on this state occasion.
The table, in it's holiday attire, ladened
with unleavened cakes and the mysterl-
Gus dishes intended for Passover SYM
bols, was surrounded by all the mem
berS of the family dressed in their best;
while the master of the house, reclining
on soft pillows and robed in his death
garments of pure white, read the story
of the exodus from Egypt of the chill
dren of Israel, their miraculous cross
ing of the Red Sea, their wonderful es-
cape from their enemies. and the final
destruction of their Egyptian pursuers
To me, as a boy, the service, the sur
roundings and the family board, with
it's unusual decorations and its many
mysterious dishes, were all of profound
interest. On the table stood a dish OF
parsley; the latter dipped at the proper
time into salt water and distributed to
every one at the table and eaten, after
repeating a suitable prayer praisinS
God as the Creator of the fruit of the
earth. Yet another dish was near by
containing three unleavened cakes, the
shank bone of the shoulder of lamb and
an egg, both roasted on Goals. The
two latter, in the course of the even
| ing's service being taken off, while all
at table laid hold of the dish and re-
peated a statement reciting that this
is the bread of aff1iction eaten by their
ancestors in the land of Egypt" and
inviting all who are hungry to enter
and eat thereof and to celebrate with
them the Passover.
Distributed over the long table were
numerous decanterS of unfermented
Passover wine, which refreshed but did
not intoxicate, and which were used
to frequently fill the glasses as the
service progressed. Later in the SER
vice. and between the washing of hands,
the master of the house took hold Of
the leavened cake in the dish, and,
showing it to the company, said: These
leavened cakes, wherefore do we eat
of them? Because there was not suffi-
Gent time for the dough of our an
cestors to leaven when they were thrust
out of Egypt" Following which the
master of the house took hold of the
green top of horse raddish in yet an
other dish, and, showing it to the COM
pany, said: This bitter herb, wherefore
do we eat it? Because the Egyptians
embittered the lives of our ancestors
in Egypt with cruel bondage" Then
followed the breaking of two un-
| leavened cakes-each one at table re-
ceiving a piece of each-which were
eaten after reciting prayer praising
God as the King of the universe, who
brings forth bread from the earth.
Then the master of the house took
from yet another dish some bitter herbs,
dipped them into a compound formed
of almond and apples worked up to the
consistence of mortar, and, passing a
piece to each. repeated a benediction in
which God was praised for sanctifying
Israel with the commandment to eat
bitter herbs.
Then came the eating of horse
raddish, which was taken by the
small piece placed between two parts Of
unleavened cakes was passed to each
and eaten after all had repeated the
Talmudical statement of the pascal ar
engagements according to Hillel, who.
during the time of the temple, did like
wise eat bitter herbs with unleavened
! cakes.
All these ceremonies were ever of pro-
found interest to my boyish mind, but
the most intensely interesting, if not
most thrilling event of the feast was
the filing of the great cup with infer
mented wine dedicated to the Messiah
and the opening of the door to admit of
His mysterious and invisible incoming
to sip of the wine, and to thereby testify
to His existence in the spirit and of His
promise to manifest Himself in the body
at some future time for the redemption
of Israel.
l remember with what profound and
childish interest watched the Messianic
cup of wine, and how in my nervous
excitement l imagined that during the
brief moment of the opened door, and
while the Messianic prayer was being
recited, l surely saw the wine growing
somewhat less as the lips of the i'm
aginary Messiah were being pressed to
the cup.
How few of us living in this age, and
especially in this country, can appre-
ciate the hope and the comfort, the joy
and the satisfaction that this faith and
sincere belief in the coming of a per-
sonal Messiah brought to the hearts and
minds of the oppressed and the perse-
cuted in Israel during all the ages Of
their national misfortunes while yet in
Judea and during the centuries of suf-
fering to which they have been sub
jected since their dispersion. 1t was
this faith and this hope in the regener-
alton of their people that gave the
Jews the courage, the fortitude and the
strength to bear sorrows and burdens.
calamities and misfortunes such as
would have caused most others to
viaId in deSpair