The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-03-23
PASSOVER FEAST
NEARLY AT HAND
Hebrews All Over the World
Are at Work Preparing
for 1t.

Passover, the feast day of the Jews,
will begin next Tuesday. It commem-
crates the delivery from Egyptian bond
age and is declared by the Israelites to
be the merriest, and, at the same time,
the most expensive festival in the Jew
ish calendar
Custom and the law Of the race re-
quires that every cooking utensil, all
crockery and other articles used in the
preparation Of food of the day shall be
new, or at least never have come in
contact with leavened food. Even the
food for the day must be of an espe-
cial kind, prepared for the purpose, and
is of such a character that it is not
used on other occasions.
Every family must have from ten to
fifty pounds of matzoth or the bread
baked without leaven, in commence
ration of the bread baked in the heat of
the sun in the time of the exodus. The
baking of Passover bread goes on for
months before Passover It is pre-
pared according to the peculiar laws
regulating the making Of unleavened
bread for the feast, although nova
days these laws are not rigidly observ-
ed, and in America the Introduction Of
mechanical methods into the prep
aration of this biscuitlike bread makes
many a pious Jew shake his venerable
head in despair over the degeneracy
of the times. But the machinery ia
cilitates the work, and matZoth is pro-
duced with greater ease and in larger
quantity than in the old countries, and
more is consumed here.
All matzoth must be prepared under
the supervision of a rabbi, called a
mazgiach. His duty it Is to see that
the matzoth is made in compliance
with rabbinical law. Thus even the big
factories must not mix the matZoth
dough in large quantities. Only a GER
tain small quantity of flour and water
may be mixed at one time. There are
many rigid requirements to be observ-
ed. Nevertheless the orthodox are
muttering that even the mazgiach in
America does not make the bakers
comply with the Torah strictly enough,
and that many edicts Of the law are
passed over or sighted.
Traditions Are Modified.
The traditional method of preparing
the matzoth has suffered from modi-
fications. According to the law, when
the small quantity of dough permissi-
once, under the direction of a super
intendent, who gives each woman
standing about the table a small guam,
THY to roll and make into cake. The
cakes are supposed to be four-cor-
nered.
Many bakers roll out the dough by
machinery That is a departure from
the law Another is the utilization of
the small particles of dough left from
each piece in the process Of cutting it
into a cake. These are supposed to be
thrown away. but the economical
bakers use the dough again. They also
make the matzoth round, finding that
easier, but a special make of four-cor-
nered matzoth is prepared for the use
of the pious.
Not only must certain household
goods used in cookery be new at Pass
over time, but every housewife takes
special pains to clean house at this
great season Of the year and to have
as many new articles of furniture as
she can afford. 1t is, the season of fam
lily reunions and of social parties Of all
sorts. A general atmosphere of good
will emanates from the Passover.
Even many Christians participate, as
special pains are taken by Jews to have
their Christian friends partake of the