Omaha daily bee., 1910-04-23

At sunset this evening viii begin the
fourteenth day OF the month Nissan. Of the
Jewish year $500 which win be celebrated
by Jews all over the world as the feast Of
the Passover. This is the first and most
important OF the three festivals when the \
Jews were wont to present themselves be-
fore the Lord in Jerusalem, the others be-
ing Pentecost and the Feast OF Tabner-
nacles. The Passover was the great spring
feast Of the Jews and was celebrated 10
commemorate the escape from bonSage in
Egypt when Jehovah smot All Tie first
born in the land OF Egypt except those
/ Of the chosen people who had sprinkiea
the blood OF lamb on the Intel and the
side posts OF their doors Jehovah passed
over the houses so designated. sparing the
lives OF the first-born, and the children Of
Israel departed from Egypt
This feast had been observed reliriously
by the Jews ever since the time of Moses.
and it is remarkable that not even the
Dispersion, and the consequent division of
the Jewish people into sects has affected
materially the ceremonies and the ritual OF
this great feast day. The day also is OF
peculiar significance to Christians, for the
institution OF the Lords supper was on the
occasion OF the celebration Of the Passover
by Jesus and his disciples
The seven days following the Passover
proper are observed as the Feast Of I'm
leaveped Bread, and during these eight
days the orthodox Jew will eat no leav-
ened bread. Many Jews keep this festival
who no longer follow the orthodox mode
of Jewish life at other seasons OF the year
The unleavened bread is made from
flour, salt ana water fithout any other
seasoning or leaven. 1t is made in thin
waters, and is known as matzo. In the
United States many Jews have this bread
made in their own home according to the
ancient recipe, but the greater number buy
the matzo as prepared in the great bakeries
In Philadelphia which make a specially Of
baking this bread
The essential unity of the Jewish people
is strikingly illustrated by the manner OF
of observanees Of the Passover and the
Feast OF Unleavened Bread. The Jews Of
the world are divided into three sects. and
these, in turn. are sub-divided accordingly
TO habitation and minor ritualistic differ
ences. The two great seots are the Sefar-
dim, and the AshkenaEim; while the third
large subdivision Is composed Of the Jews
Of Yemen, or southern Arabia. The Sef-
ardim are those Jews who observe the
Spaniard and Portuguese rite, They are the
inheritors Of the language OF Judea and
of the Jewish schools which flourished in
Babylonia after the Dispersion. The Jews
of Turkey, northern Africa, the southern
. European countries and most Of those in
Palestine follow this rite M
The Ashkenazim are the German Jews.
who take their religious rites and their
language from the Jews Of Galilee. A
; large colony of Jews was removed from
Tiberias in Gsllee to Germany by the
! Roman emperor, Hadrian. These Jews be-
came the founders of the great 1ewisi,
race Of the north. which spread over all oi
Germany, Poland. Hungary and Russia.
The Jews of Yemen are few in number
but they represent the purely oriental sect
of Jews. The Jewish colonies In India
and China are of the Yemen sect When
the Jews were expelled from Spain in 14s,
the Sefardim were the wealthiest and mosi
Influential people in the world, controlling
as they did the larger part OF the com
merce of the Mediterranean, which meani
practically the comuerce Of the world
For the last four centuries they have d.
minished steadily in numbers and in in.
E fiuenee, while the Ashkenazim have in
creased Until now they outnumber the othe,
: sect In the ratio of twelve to one. Tn,
S greater number Of Jews in the UniteC
I Estates follow the Ashkenazirn rite Tht
: divisions known popularity as Orthodox anl
= Reformed are subdivisions of this sect
and are unknown except in Germany anc
the United States. In this article refer
ence is had only 10 orthodox Jews
In each Of the three great sects the OBJ
serVance of the Passover is substantial,
the same, except that in the Ashkenazin
rite the Interpolation OF European musi
and system Of poetieal allegories hal
been accepted generally. The observano,
Of this feast is-singuiarly free from ritual
istic additions TO the ancient liturgy a.
practiced In Bible times
In every Jewish home tonight the tabl,
win be covered with a clean cloth and upor
it will be set the Sedar service. Tbs head O
the household sits in a cushioned chair
and takes charge Of the ceremonies. TIL,
program is exact. and is divided into six
teen separate acts, eachs one being knowr
E by a single Hebrew word In the nature O.
a rubric In napkin is folded three squari
cakes OF nn1eavened bread. On top Of tn
napkin there is a roasted bone Il
represent the pasehal lamb. On th'
table there Is an egg boiled hard hors
radtsh in two forms. green tops and roots
bunch Of parsley, a saucer filled with