The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-09-27
THE JEWISH NEW YEAR.
The solemn Feasts and Fests During Fishri,
1854

I
gan, this beirg the commencement of the
5664th Jewish year, the day being known
as Rosh Ha-Shana, the end of Septem-
Der, the month being known as Tishri and
in it are the three most important Jewish
holy days
The celebration of the Jewish New
Year is purely a religious festival The
year begins with the month of Tishri and
is fixed on Immediately after the day of
the mean new moon, provided the moon
does not occur within the last six hours
of the day, which begins and ends at 6
y. m.
In ancient times the Jewish New Year
began on the first day of the first month";
Nissan; on the fifteenth day of which month
the festival in commemoration of the exc
dus from Egypt is still celebrated. All
of this was changed, however, during the
Babylonfan captivity of the Jews. The
Persians. amcng whom they dwelt, cele-
brated New Years day in the fall of the
year; and the Israelites, wishing to con
form to the customs of the people among
whom they dwelt, changed the day of
their celebration to the first day of the
seventh month.
On this day they had, however, observ-
ed a religious festival-that of the sound
ing of the comets, to announce the APP
proach OF the Day of Atonement The
trumpet call is designed to serve as a
summons to all Israel to enter upon the
work of sanctification and to prepare for
the Day of Atonement. 1t is the belief
of the Jews that on New Years day the
deeds of men are weighed and their desti-
MES determined.
Atonement Day is the day of national
humiliation, the only fast day commanded
in the Mosaic law, and the most widely
observed of the Jewish holy days. Bust
ness is suspended on that day by the
| most liberal as we'll as the most orthodox
Jews, and quiet pervades every Jewish
| community
| A peculiar form of sacrifice is perform
ed by the strict Jew on the day preced-
| ing the atonement. Having provided
himself with fowl, properly slain by a
rabbi, he takes it by the legs and with
uplifted hands swings it nine times over
the heads of himself and his company,
and al the same time prays to God that
the sins they have been guilty of during
the year may enter into the fowl He
then presents the fowl to the poor with a
gift according to his means.
A feast precedes the fast which is not
broken until sunset of the next day. Dur
ing the "a hours from sunset to sunset
the orthodox Jews permit no food to pass
their lips, and spend most of the time in
prayer. Every orthodox Jew over Is
years of age is expected to observe this
fast, while many of the more devout re-
main in the synagogues during the whole
period, standing upon one spot and re-
peating over and over again the prayers
for the occasion. These prayers abound
with declarations of peuitence; Scripture
Passages, declaring mercy and forgiveness
which await repentant sinners, are con-
stantly recited, while the rabbi empha
sizes in sermons the duties of the day,
not failing to point out the futility of
! mere verbal repentance to receive pardon
The sins to be pardoned are the kind
committed by man against his Maker more
than by man against man. In the latter
class of wrongs it is insisted that repara-
ton must be made by the injurer and
the pardon of the injured personally Sc
cured.
This most mouTnful of Jewish holy days
| is succeeded five days later by eight days
OF rejoicing, which are known as the feast
OF Tabernacles, which corresponds to the
Christian Thanksgiving Day 1t is the
third OF the three great festivals of the
Hebrews, which lasted from the 18th to
the 22nd OF Tishri. The time of the festi-
val fell In the autumn, when the whole
OF the chief fruits of the ground, the corn
the wine and the olive were gathered Its
duration was strictly only seven lays, but
1t was followed by day of holy con
vocation, distinguished by sacrifices of it's
own which was sometimes designated as
the eighth DAY