Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-01
IN THE CHU RICHES

as q day of mourning the saddest day of
the whole year. This holiday Is known as
Tisha Bah, the ninth day OF the jewish
month of Alb. and 1t commentaries the an
niversary of the fall of Jerusalem and the
destruction of the temple by the Roman
soldiers in the reign of Titus, 1883 years
| ago. 1t is considered that this anniversary
! marks the beginning Of the rtsfortunes OF
! the race, and according to the strict OBJ
| servance of the holiday the grief of the race
| at the period mentioned will be represented
| in realistic manner tomorrow.
| This date is regarded by the orthodox
| Jews as one of great Importance. Accord
| ing to the popular belief. on this date
| Northumberland sacked Jerusalem for the
| first time. On this day the DICTIONARIES OF
| Titus finally reduced Jerusalem. and on this
| day also, it is believed, the decree expelling
| the Jews from Spain became operative in
1892 and this momentous day, so the legend
| goes. also saw Columbus weigh anchor for
| the new western world.
| AS a general rule. the day preceding the
\ holiday marks the actual beginning of the
| observance but since today is the Jewish
| Sabbath, and that sacred day cannot be one
| of mourning, the ceremonies will commence
| tomorrow. Ordinarily. the last meal before
the holiday consists of one course, after
which an egg dipped in ashes is eaten, and
| with the setting Of the sun begins the fast
| of twentyfour hours. But the three weeks
previous to the approach of the day Of mourn
| Ing have been observed in the ghettoS Of the
world. On the seventeenth day Of the Jew
ISM month of TamuZ which fell on July II
this year. there Is a fast day, and the three
weeks that follow give name to the whole
period In Hebrew. since the period is known
as The Three Weeks" This marks the
date when the hordes of Nebuchadnezzar
Invested Jerusalem and began the siege
which is recorded in the Bible in the Book
of Kings. During the period of twenty lone
fc al 20. mod
dings. festivals. even new CLOTHES and baths
are prohibited.
In strict observance of the custom,
! meat is not eaten for eight days before
the maj holiday. and wine may not be
drunk excepting on the Sabbath when
these rules are relaxed. On the last day Of
the period which this year occurs tomor-
row. there is an absolute fast and even
the books of the law may not be read,
since this is considered as a pleasure. In
the synagogues the phylacteries may not
be worn. since they ornaments. The
very ark containing the law is laid bare
of all adornment.
In the services in the synagogues tomor-
row the reading will be from the Book of
lamentations. and the people who come
to the Synagogues will sit the floor
barefooted and chant after the cantor in
slow and mournful tones, the story of the
ancient grief of their people.
In addition to the Book of Lamentations
| there is the Book of Kinoth," which con-
| tains history of the later prosecutions of
| the Jews after the fall of Jerusalem This
volume was written by the poet-prophet of
ZionisIr, Jehuda Halevi, in the twelfth
century. and it records the conflict of re-
| ligion and race that confronted the author
| in Toledo Spain. where the Mahometans,
| Christians and Jews met and carried on
| their disputes at that time. 1t is stated
| that Halevi was the founder of Z;onisn,
| since the first effort to carry the Jews back
! to Palestine is attributed to him. Accord
| ing to the story, in his time the crusades
had Spd the Christians had aba
| their attempt TO seize the Holy Sepulchre.
and the Mahometans possessed Jerusalem.
| Then it was that to this Spanish and Jew
| ish physician came the dream to restore
Zion. Filled with this idea, he went, as so
many thousands of Jews have. to weep at
| the Wall Of Zion. the remnant Of the
With his arrival in Jerusalem he vanishes
| from history. There survive among the
Jews two legends one that he died of a
broken heart when he beheld in Jerusalem
| the impossibility Of Zionism: the other,
more widely accepted, that as he lay pros
trate and weeping by the wall OF the tenn
pie an Arab stabbed him and he fell dying
on the last bulwark Of Zion.
In the SynagOgueS where the holiday is
| strictly observed tomorrow two stories from
| the "Kinoth,' in addition to others will be
| read. The first of these stories relates the
| story of the fate of four hundred captives.
taken by Titus from the ruined city OF Is
racl to grace his triumph at Rome. These
four hundred belonged not to the most re-
| ligiOus nor even to the most loyal Of the
jewish race. Their patriotism was in
doubt in those last days of factions that
preceded the fall of the city. But the suf-
| fering and the wrongs they shared united
them. and as their ship moved on it's way
| toward Rome and they realized the shame
| and ignominy before them at the imperial
| city. these captives. who represented the
| flower and grace of Jerusal lem, considered
the only method Of escape that of leaping
| into the sea
Their religious scruples however were
| opposed to their committing suicide.
| the story runs and there was a question
as to whether they would be permitted to
partake of the blessings of heaven If they
ended their lives In the manner suggested
One of the number at this point, 1t is re-
corded arose and. stretching Oat his arm
quoted the lines. Even from the depths of
the ocean I shall bring ye back to Me-"
whereupon the captves divided according
to rank and family and cast themselves
into the sea, thus robbing Titus OF the
cruel pleasure of witnessing their death
by other means.
Another story tells Of the fate OF ten
learned Jewish rabbits. who were sum
| moned before one Of the Roman tyrants and
were commanded to tell him the story of
their Bible. The recital was begun, and
the tyrant at first interested, but
later became wearied and at the close of
the story of Jacob, the record says
he interrupted the reading and, declaring
that the ancestors of the rabbits did Joseph
! a great wrong stated his purpose to avenge
the wrong upon their bodies. Then he
devised torments for the rabbis and they
were all slain. and the story Of the
derful manner in which they met death
| is preserved In the "kinOth' and told
| with wonderful power.
Among the Reformed Jews this holiday
| is not strictly observed as In the syna
| gogues of the orthodox members Of the
race. The former branch, 1t is said, do
not regard the day as one of i'll omen, and
| they do not contemplate any return to
| Palestine In some places they listen to
the reading of the Book of Lamentations"
| and to the "kinoth," but they do not
| mourn. 1t is stated they recall with bit
| terness the day as one Of the departure
| Of the Jewish race and their dispersal
| over the face of the world. but they
gard it blessing In disguise, since
| II furnishes the Jewish civilization and
| ligion with It's opportunity to carry to the
world its own message.
The period of mourning for the ancient
miSfortunes comes to an end with the close
| OF the ninth day of Alb, and the period
| of great JOY begins The weeks that follow
are marked in the Jewish calendar as THE
| seven weeks of hope" In these weeks
| each Sabbath the people come to the syna-
gogues chanting and listening to the read