New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-05-31
MOST JOYOUS OF THE ANCIENT HEBREW HOLIDAYS
SHABUOTH THE FESTIVAL OF THE WEEKS, BEGINS
At SUNSET TO-DAY-FEATURES OF OBSERVANCE

time out Of mind. concerning the efficacy OF wish
ing at the moment when the heavens cleave asun-
der. Over the East Side they will tell you to-
day Of the greedy man whose eagerness to gain
the whole world resulted disastrously for him. At
the moment when the heavens opened this Hebrew,
beholding that the great moment had arrived in
stantly determined TO wish for all good things.
the Yiddish for which is ''koI-Tov.' But in his
citement he made slip and wished not "Kol-Tov.'
but ''Kol-Ton' Kol-Ton is the Yiddish description
of tuft OF hair growing from the otherwise bald
pate So the Hebrew got his wish. and all his hair.
save one tremendous tuft of bushy locks fell out.
Many analogies in the fairy stories of the Middle
Ages suggested by this little
In Eastern Europe 1t used TO be customary. and
for that matter is still to decorate the houses with
greens.
Il remember" said one East Slider "as boy
in Russia. seeing all the windows in the Jewish
houses filled with stencil pictures. These seemed TO
me the more remarkable since the Jew does not
believe in decorating his house either with pictures
images. These wonderful portraits picture Bibl-
cal snes like Jacobs ladder and Ahraham's in
tended sacrifice of Isaac and were to my boyish
mind a wonderful and beautiful array
Special articles of food prepared for this fes-
tval. and since it is feast Of ioyousness special
license is allowed to the Orthodox these two
days. On other days he must wait six hours after
eating meat before he touches dairy products. but
Shabuoth the Jew may eat milk food after only
four hours Then there is a certain kind of butter
cakes. made prtssly for this feast. But the
striking dish of the feast is the ''blntze" This
dish is made of cheese. around which is rolled a
delicious pancake. made OF eggs. flour and butter.
This is then fried, and furnishes the piece de
resistance of the Shabroth banquet
There special services at the synagogues
and in addition, Aramaic poem is chanted.
This contains a description of the magnitude OF
God and His works. There lines describing
the day when the Messiah will come. and the
ders that will take place then On that day.
the poem proclaims. God Will send huge wild OK.
Shor-habar. and mighty leviathan On that day
he VIII feed all the righteous from the flesh OF the
fish and the But before they slain, God
will provide a wonderful game. In which they will
take part. This will be the sport for tire enjoyment
Of the righteous God Stays the beast and fish
and feeds His people. Then at that banquet He
will set before those gathered at the table wine
which He prepared during the first six days OF the
creation. and has kept in sealed jars against this
glad time, when the Messiah is to
Such are OF the traditions and religious
rites of the Shabuoth. Originally the Feast OF the
Barley the scattered children OF Israel. longer
agricultural people living n countries where
the barley does ripen until much later observe
the day with all its ancient glory, Here, as at
Pesah two days celebrated, that they may be
sure OF celebrating the time when the day falls
in far of Palestine 1t is time OF rejoicing. and
the prolongation through two days is not ErisVouE