Evening star., 1901-09-13
HEBREW NEW YEAR
1t Will Be Ushered in Tonight With
Joyous Greetings.
PENTECOSTAL SEASON WILL FOLLOW
Special Services to Be Held at
Eighth Street Synagogue.
SIGN ANCE OF DAY

When the sun goes down tonight the
five thousand six hundred and sixty-second
year of the Hebrew calendar will begin,
and during the. twentyfour hours follow
ing the Hebrew race in all parts of the
world will join in the observance of the
ancient rites and customs of their fathers.
The day will be one of feasting and re-
joicing-wherever a Hebrew greets his
friends he will exclaim Lisbon tovo tik-
kosev," which translated means "mayest
thou be inscribed to a happy new year"
The day has many designations. 1t was
first known as "Yom Hozikaron, the me-
mortal day Later it's designation be-
came "Rosh Hashanah. or head of the
year" 1t is also designated as the me
mortal of the blowing of the Shofar." Ten
pentecostal days follow, the tenth of which
is the holiest day-the great day of atone
ment Yom Kippur. This day will begin
Sunday, September o. at sundown, and
will be solemnized by prayer and fasting,
benevolence and spiritual publication.
At the Eighth Street Synagogue.
Rabbi Stern will conduct services in the
Hebrew synagogue on Sth street, begin
ming at the hour of sunset this evening
The services will be of joyous character.
special musical program has been ar
ranged. The music will be both traditional
and modern. A quartet. composed of Mrs
Nellie Wilson Shir-Cliff, soprano: Mrs
Margaret Nolan Martin, alto; William b.
Mcfarland, tenor. and John H. Nolan
basso, will render Verdi's Lord of the
World The address will be in the form
of prayer. In speaking of the occasion
today Rabbi Stern remarked that every
thing was eclipsed by the sad news from
Buffalo, and that the anxiety in the mind
of every one overshadowed all else. To-
morrow morning at 10 o'clock another
ssting of an address by Rabbi Stern and
musical features by the same quartet, as
sisted by a voluntary choir. II viii Hope
in Thy Salvation" by Rossini, will be rem
dered as the principal modern music.
Two Great Days.
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Hakeppurim-
the great day of atonement-which follows
it. are the two important annual celebra-
tions of the Jewish cult.
Both occasions are limited to one day
each, and both were appointed for the
time after the autumn in-gatherng and be-
fore the celebration of the feast of booths
The first day of the seventh month was
selected as the time when the people OF
Israel were done with their arduous farm
labors and could spare the time for the
journey to the holy city of Jerusalem and
remain through the season of prayer, peni-
tence and thanksgiving which follows.
The authority for the new year day is
1OunI IN une BfD1e IN OOIQ LeVltlcuS 00.Z5-
25 and in Numbers 29:1, which makes the
first day of the seventh month a Sabbath,
a memorial of the blowing of trumpets
and day of holy convocation. The season
was the end Of the agricultural year, and
1T was at this time that the exiles who
returned from Babylon under Zerubbabel
became re-established in their fatherland
On the first day of the seventh month
Ezra began his work of organizing the new
community, and thus there was brought
about the institution of the secular year.
dating from the beginning of the seventh
month Tishr while the religious calendar
began Nissan, the Egyptian month of Abb,
or corn gathering, in accordance with the
command of Exodus 1872.
In this way Rash Hashanah, character
lied by the blowing of trumpets to call the
people to renewed allegiance to the law
became the beginning of the calendar year
1t is time for admonition of the obliga-
tion imposed by that covenant and for a
renewed appreciation of it's reward.
The obligation imposed on the priestly
people was righteousness, the doing of JUS
tice and the refraining from wrong.
The reward was freedom, temporal and
spiritual, and above all manumission
from the thraldom of idolatry and super
stition.
Such was the spirit of this important hol-
iday in ancient times, and such it remains
today.