The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-09-12
TALMUDIC new YEAR
IMPORTANT EVENT IN THE IS
RAELITISH CALENDER.
HOLDS SOLEMN SIGNIFICANCE
It Will Be Observed in Butte With All
the Reverence Of Patriarchial n
Days-Rabbi of Cincinnati Of
VIII Officiate. ,of

The Jewish New Year. the most
solemn season of the Hebrew calendar.
will be ushered in Friday evening with
special services by Rabbi Munnheimer
of the Theological college Of Cincinnati.
This year will, according to the Jews.
conclude $3.50 years that have passed
since the creation of the world. The
New Year or Rosh HashOnah (head OF
the year, opens a very significant festa1
season of 10 days which will be devoted
to penitence. ending with the day OF
atonement Of Yom Kippur. =
Friday evening the New Year really
begins, and special service will be held
in Temple Emanuel at 1880 o'clock. At
this service the music that has been
sung for centuries will be used. The
second service will be held Saturday
morning at 10 o'clock, when the twenty
second chapter Of Genesis will be read
from the scroll.
In speaking of the coming New Year.
a Jewish resident of Butte said to-
day:
THE Jewish New Year is day Of
memorial or recalling of deeds of the
past year. It also is called a day of
judgment, and in the poetic u ncy OF
the old rabbis men and nations passed
in long array before the king of. kings.
Legend has it that God, on New Year
night; sits upon the throne and before
hi>A there are two books, one the book
q life and the other the book of death.
in which are inscribed the names and
the fate of all mortals.
Portent Of the Period. -
ION this night. too, rabbinical poetry
has it, is decreed whether war or peace.
plenty Or poverty. trial or triumph shall
be the destiny of man. The Individual
is gifted with the power Of altering the
decree If he honestly and sincerely de-
termnes to avoid the follies and foibles
OF the past and to make beautiful the
future.
The trumpet is one of the significant
symbols of the day. 1t is blown to an
nounce the approach of the festival, just
before the reading of the scroll. TIE
trumpet, in ancient days, was sounded
to herald the approach of each new
month. Gradually this means of noti-
fication fell into disuse, but the trumpet
has always been retained to signal the
advent of the New Year. 1t has been
explained that this instrument was Sc
lected because God had substituted the
ram on Mount Moriah. when Abraha
was about to slap Isaac. rams horn
is used. even to this day, in many syn
agogues.
"The trumpet's notes were, moreover.
held 20 have heralded the gift of the
ten commandments on Mount Sinai. as
also the trumpet was supposed to nave
been sounded at the creation OF the
world. The fancy of the rabbfs. long aft
er the destruction of the second temple,
was rich in poetic explanation OF the
meaning of the trumpet.
Before the destruction of the temple
it was the custom to offer sacrifices on
the New Year day. Another CUSTOM
long ago abandoned, was to send the
scapegoat of community out into the
wilderness laden with the sins of the peo-
pie, This, however, has not been done
since the year 20 Of the present era
Many customs have changed IN the
course of the years, but the New Year
festival has not lost any OF its impor-
lance. It has, on the other hand, m
creased in importance with the passage
of the years. y
"The New Year is an occasion for great
rejoicing. Every pious Jew in every
part of the world eagerly listens to the
appeal Of the day, in Stockholm as well
as in New Zealand; in the Argentine
republic the same as in the United States.
| The day is devoted to self-examinatfo n,
Few, indeed. are those upon whom th1S
tS'Se~A OSS~~S-ON> ~
portant impression. W.
FOLLOWING the New Year come the ten
days of penitence, then the day of atone
nent. This latter is the most solemn Of
all Jewish festivities. 1t is a day Of de-
| liberate introspection and investigation.