Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1915-09-09
PEOPLE
 ARE CELEBRATING
 NEW YEAR., 5676
Two Local Congregations Begin Observance with
 Services Last Night.

The celebration of ROsh Hashona, the Jewish New Year, 5676, was be- gun last night and will continue through today, by the Jews of Pine Bluff, with services by the congrega- ton Anshe Emeth and the congrega- tion B'Nai Israel, this latter being the orthodox.
 Rabbi Joseph Jasn, pastor of the congrc gation Anshe Emeth, officiated 1 at the services at the temple at 7:4o o'clock last evening, and there will be services again at 10 o'clock this forenoon. Special music will be a feature of these services, with Mrs. F. F. Renfrow, the organist, in charge. The choir is composed of Miss Hucy Hearn Broadstreet, Miss Ethel Schloss and Dot Kastor ! The congregation B'Nai Israel held it's services last evening at the hall of the Harmony club, where today's services also will be held.
 Today is New Years Day, accord 1 ing to the Hebrew calendar. The day 1 started at o'clock last evening, and comes to an end at o'clock this ev- ening. It is one of the most import ant of the holidays in the Hebrew calendar, and is being observed by all the Jews of Pine Bluff.
 Significance of Feast.
 The significance of the day is eX- plained by Dr. l.. Jacobs, writing in the Memphis News-Scimitar, as fol- lows:
 The Jewish New Year inaugurates the most solemn season of the Jewish religious year.
 CD Speak unto the children of Israel, saving: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convoca- tion. Qeviticus xxiii. 24)
 On the first day of Tishri, which 1 is the seventh month of the regnal year, the religious New Year in Israel | is ushered in, and in this year will be on Thursday and Friday of this week, Sept. 9 and 10. During the period of lsrael's national career in Palestine, only one day was observed until when the sages of Jemniah (Jabneh) commenced to follow the teachings of Johanan ben Zakkai, it was ordained that two days must be observed. The reason for adding an- other day, aside of being based, ac- cording to Cabalistic authorities, on ] passages of Job a. 6, and II. D is traced to the difficult methods em- ployed by the ancients in ascertain ing the exact time of the New Moon, which rendered it impossible to know 1 the precise hour when the New Year is to be ushered in. It thus was de- clared by the rabbis that the AS hours which are observed as the New Year festival constitute one continuous day tYoma Archita). And, because we continue to follow the lunar year in | observing our Sabbaths and New Moons, the Yoma Archita of the New Year is as binding upon us today as it was when first inaugurated in Jab- neh.
 Prayer and Retr0spectiOn.
 On Rosh HaShanah (New Year) we must devote our time to prayer, and to retrospect of our deeds of the past year, of our past life. New Year is next in importance to the Day of Atonement. We must observe it as Sabbath as a day of rest. @. 'Ye shall do no servile work therein" ueviticus xxiii. 25.)
 On Rosh Ha-Shanah the records of the just of the intermediary, and of the wicked classes are looked over They all pass before the Almighty, i who Himself is the Judge of the day, even as sheep pass before their shep- herd. The day is considered a turn ing point in every mans life. The I just are at once inscribed in the Book of Life. The wicked are at once con- i demned to death. The intermediary ! class is given ten days time in which | to repent and become just. There is a moral sort of life, and moral sort of death. The wicked who heedlessly l continue in their wickedness, are con- sldered morally dead. There is not | to be found even one spark of moral ] life within them. The righteous con-