Year: 1867

The Jewish New Year, which occurred on the
last day Of September, was generally observed by


our Jewish population by rigid closing their bus


ness places According TO their reckoning, that
day Was the first of the Hebrew month Tizri, or
the ecclesiastical year. Their day Of Atonement
occurred on Thursday last, the 10th instant The
Hebrews call II kippur, or oaiPPar, pardon, or ex


piation, because the faults of the year were then
expiated The day is principally observed here
by the simple rite Of fasting, which is not very
strictly observed by some Of the younger members
Of that mythological Church The principal cere-
emonies Of the olaen time were about as follows:
The high priest, after he had washed, not only his
hands and his feet, as usual al common sacrifices.
bat bis whole body dressed himself in plain linen
Ike the other priests, wearing neither his purple
robe, nor the ephod, nor the pectoral because he
was TO expiate his sins, together with those of
the people. He first offered bullock and "a N for
his own sins. and those Of the priests. putting his
hands on the heads of the victims, and contest ng
his own sins. and the sins of his house. After
wards. he received from the princes of the people
two goats for a sin-cferins. and ram for burnt

ton The lot determined which Of two goats
should be sacrificed, and which SET at liberty. Af-
ter this the high priest put some of the sacred fire
of the altar of burnt offerings into censer, threw
incense upon it, and entered with it, thus smoking
into the sanctuary. After having perfumed the
sanctuary with this insence, he came out, took
some OF the blood of the young bullock he had
sacriced carried that also into the sanctuary and
dipping his fingers in il, sprinkled it seven times
between the ark and the veil, which separated the
holy from the sactuary, most holy. Then he
came out second time. and beside the altar of
burnt offerings killed the goat which the lot had
determined to be the sacrifice The blood of this
goat he carried into the most holy place, and
sprinkled it seven times between the ark and the
veil, which separated the holy from thesanctuary;


from thence he returned into the court of the tab
ernaele, and sprinkled both sides OF it with the
blood of the goat. During this time, none of the
priests or people were admitted into the taberna-
Gle or into the court. This being done, the high
priest came to the altar of burntoferings wetted
the four horns of it with the blood of the goat and
young bullock, and sprinked it seven times with
the same blood. The sanctuary, the court and the
altar being thus purified he directed the goat which
set at liberty by the lot to be brought to him,
which being done, he put his hand on the goats
head, confessed his own sins and the sins of the
people, and then delivered to person to carry TO
some de sert place, and lei it loose, or throw it down
some precipice. Hence, suppose, the term
escape goat This being done. the high priest
washed emself all over in the tabernacle and pat
ting on other clothes. tsome think his pontfcal
dress his robe of purple, the ephod and the pecto


ral) sacrificed the two rams for burnt-ofering,
one for himself and the other for the people. The
day was d great solemnity Of the Hebrews; day
of rest and strict fasting. Leo of Modena. Bax-
tori and others have collected many particulars
relative to the solemnites of this day from the
Rabbins may be seen in the larger edition of
Calmet. Much Of this fummery is now dispensed
with and as We learn from some Of the younger
members of the California branch of the church,
they now "atone for the sins of the past year by
fasting and then pitch and cheat their customers
like devil for another year. to be atoned for by
other day of fasting No sabe.