THE DAY OF ATONEMENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2391, 28 December 1899, Page 33

THE DAY OF ATONEMENT.

i . THE CATHEDRAL SYNAGOGUE,

MELBOURNE,

BY THE BARON.

(Specially Written for the Otago Wit-

The Day of Atonement, which is considered most important by those calling themselves Hebrews, was, according to Jewish Calendar, celebrated 10th Jishri, 5660, in September. The services at the synagogue began at sundown, 6.15 p.m., and concluded at 9 p.m., recommencing next day at 7.30 a.m., and continuing till 6.27 p.m. without any interruption, during which no food or liquid was permitted to pass the lips of those belonging to the religion. On arrival at the Cathedral Synagogue in Bourke street at 6 p.m. the place was well lit, and looked exceedingly cheerful and bright, as every part that could be decorated was covered in white, and three rabbis robed completely in the same colour were officiating. The service actually commenced on a signal being given by tne Chief Rabbi, when all the men present (of whom there was a very large gathering) spontaneously, at one and the same moment, first pressed to their lips, then placed round their shoulders, the richly fringed, blue-bound silk scarf called tallis ; and, as may be supposed, the sight was peculiarly interesting. In a former article, when writing about the Jewish New Year, I mentioned why this tallis, or praying scarf is worn ; but in case the reason may have been forgotten, those who take an interest in the matter will find all particulars in Numbers xv, 38th verse, which explains the reason why the male worshipper should be thus adorned. The tallis is usually very handsome, of rich thick white silk, and in some cases so wide that it reaches from the neck down to the heels when opened out ; while the long ends, falling over the arms, frequently permit the fringe to touch the feet, which gives a singular appearance to the wearer. Meanwhile, two of the rabbis put their tallis completely over the head as a sign of mourning and repentance for sins committed during the past year. Then a hymn of unity and glory was sung by the congregation, fonowed by "In Memoriam " prayers for the departed. These prayers are called Permanent Yizkors, during which Dr Abrahams, the Chief Rabbi, chanted, his rich bass voice fi.ling the building from end to end. The responses were given by the male worshippers, all respectfully standing. At 6.30 "Kol Nidre" took place. This means the opening words, or the beginning of evening service, and was accompanied by a well-chosen and most efficient chorus, of some 40 carefully trained voice. The singing is without any accompaniment, and some of the quaint old-fashioned tunes, thus rendered, are exceedingly pretty.

At the conclusion of the singing, for a short time there was total silence in the large building. So complete was the silence that the smallest noise must have sounded intensified. The reason is that

every person present was expected to pray for the souls of those whom they had lost. Here followed a reading by the treasurer (Mr Leon Cracour) stating amounts of donations given towards the expenses of the synagogue by various members, whose names were mentioned. Some of the sums reached a goodly and generous amount. Then the elegantly silver embroidered white curtain which had teen closed in front of the ark was opened, revealing the Toran — i.e., scrolls of the Law of Moses, in stiver-worked white silk covers. The sermon was here preached by the Rev. Dr Abrahams, who principally treated the Dreyfus question. He spoke with remarkable vehemence, alluding to the unfortunate man's sufferings in terms of deepest sympathy, adding that in the olden time the high priest in the temple used to send a scapegoat into the wilderness ; but in the present time Dreyfus had been the scapegoat. There appears to be a great deal of trutu in the remark. Dr Abrahams then branched off, explaining the purpose of the Atonement, and giving as the reason why the Rabbi should wear wthite : that he wished to approach the Throne of Grace suitably clad. The sermon was followed by "Vidal Adon 01am," which is a special hymn containing the thirteen principles of Judaism, and the conclusion of the evening service, which terminated after 9 o'clock. The services next day commenced at the uncomfortably early hour of 7.30 a.m. — when even then I found a fairly large sprinkling of men on the ground floor, which is the part devoted exc.usively to the male worshippers, whose seats range on both sides of the building, each one having a small locker attached for the purpose* of holding the large number of 'heavily-bound prayer books, which are sold in sets, and also for keeping the tallis safely out of sight till it is required. No woman is admitted to this part of the building, excepting those who sit at one end and form the choir on a rising platform. The gallery is devoted to the gentler sex, and there no man is admitted, excepting the one who has full charge and control of the balcony, and the power to settle any disputes that may perchance arise among the ladies. On the morning of the Atonement I watched those in the body of the synagogue with considerable" interest. It was easy to notice that they had come prepared to stop for the whole day, for the greater part of them tried to make themselves as comfortable as circumstances would permit. Most of them removed their hats, and put on either white caps or ordinary smoking caps. They also discarded their boots for slippers, and settled themselves for the day as easily as they could considering that the benches are uncushioned and hard. Two, and afterwards three, rabbis who were officiating were clothed literally from head to foot in pure white, and looked exceeding interesting and picturesque. At the conclusion of tne ordinary morning service followed the reading of the Torah, which is always considered of special importance. The scroll, topped with turrets of bells (which refer to the bells attached to the canonicals of the high priest Aaron), was taken from the ark and carried to the foerna, or praying desk, situated in the centre of the synagogue, and when received there, the bells and elegant white silk covers were removed from the Torah, and the reading of the law commenced. Among the Tery large number of gentlemen who were called up to the berna to have the Word of God read to them I noticed the Attorney-gen-eral of Victoria (Mr Isaac A. Isaacs, M.L.A.), Sir Benjamin Benjamin, the late Mr E. L. Zox (who was gathered to his fathers in the month after the Atonement), and many other leading and influential men. Wlhen Dr Abrahams had readthe prayer for the Royal Family, there followed general Yizkors, when" meml/ers of the congregation entered the berna requesting special prayers foj those whom

the" had lost, a donation being paid in return for same. It is very seldom that the Hebrews ever kneel during worship excepting two or three times a year, once being on the Day of Atonement, when after the silence of a few moments, the rabbi suddenly uttered a few words sharply, and immediately all flhe members of the immense congregation present prostrated themselves as near the ground as possible and this was respectfully repeated several times.

At 3 p.m. the children's service took place. The little folk, of whom there wa« a very large gathering, filed in on either side of the berna, and were received by the Rev. S. M. Solomon, who had trained them. They sang exceedingly well, and repeated some Hebrew prayers, speaking clearly and distinctly enough for everybody to hear them. Then the chief rabbi gave them a special address, which was simplified for their understanding ; but was of so instructive a nature that it proved also of interest to their elders. After the children's service followed the " Miuchah " — i.e., afternoon service; the English service ; " Neilah,'' special service ; " Maariv " — i.e., evening service, and lastly, ' Ovenu molkinu shernang yisroile," which signifies, " Confession to our Father and our King. Hear, 0 Israel, the Lord is a Unity." The long day's worship ended at 6.27 p.m., being sundown, the exact time having been obtained from the Melbourne Observatory, when the shofar — i.e., the sacred horn — was sounded, announcing the termination of the services. This shofar, as I mentioned in a previous article, is simply a real ram's horn, which has no notes, as the tone has to be produced from the mouth. It is used in commemoration of the ram which was caught in the thicket when Abraham was about to slay his son Isaac, and it is only blown two or three times in the year ; specially on the Day of Atonement, wihen it gives notice of the conclusion of the 25 hours' fast; and I observed how speedily the synagogue was emptied, as everybody was anxious to get home to break the fast. It may, perhaps, interest readers to know that there is a rule with regard to this to prevent the food from disagreeing after being without it so many hours. Each person takes a small nobbier of the very best and very purest rum obtainable (of which a quantity is sold at that time of the year to the Jews) ; this is followed either by soup or porridge, taken sparingly, after which at an earlier hour than usual they retire to rest. Regarding the Day of Atonement there is a verse in the Bible which spurially alludes to it. This can be found in JNumbers xxix, 7th verse, and as I thought that many persons may not know what the Hebrew language sounds like, the Rev. S. M. Solomon has very kindly taken the trouble to translate it for me into phonetic English ; therefore, anybody" reading the words as I am going to give them will have an idea of the sound of the Hebrew tongue. Numbers xxix, 7: "Uhovayosor earchondash harshervehe harzae mickroe kowdash yeheryae locham vereeneesam ass narfshousiecham kol merlocho lou sararsve." The

eh is pronounced hard in the throat as in German, and the roughness of the r is most prominent ; but yet, the language is remarkably rich, especially when used in chanting.

The next holy day following after the Atonement is known as the Feast of Tabernacles. The beginning of the service was similar to the ordinary Sabbath, when the Torah is read. The principally noticeable and singular part was that every male worshipper held a green branch, about 4ft long, to which was fastened a small bunch of willow, myrtle, and palm ; this is called the Loof. Besides that each person held a citron (or lemon) specially sent out here from Jerusalem for the celebration of the day. As each man entered the synagogue he re.;d a portion from the Prayer Book while still standing, >>♦ the conclusion of which he shook the branch several times before laying it down beside him. A most interesting sight was when the Torah was brought from the Ark, and the whole vast congregation was standing, holding the Loof in front of them towards the Torah. After this, a procession was formed by the male members only. Dr Abrahams, holding the branch and citron, being at the head, marched round the outside of the berna, followed by a laiye number of leading adherents of the synagogue, all holding the Loof and citron while chanting. This was repeated three times, after which the rabbi returned to the beinu and the members took their several seats again. Then followed an impressive address, and at its conclusion, the whole congregation, en masse, adjourned to the outside of the building, where, at the b lck of the synagogue, a large, spacious room had been arranged to receive the worshippers. This room has been specially built for the purpose by having a sliding roof, which on particular occasions is removed, and in place thereof branches of trees and green leaves are placed across the top, turning the place into a sort of arbour. The room itself was handsomely decorated with vari-coloured wreaths, the tasteful work of the daughter of Rev. S. M. Solomon, and a long table was covered with fruits of all kinds obtainable at this time of the year, cakes, biscuits, sweetmeats, and wine, which were distributed among the guests, who partook standing, after listening to a short prayer by the officiating minister. At the conclusion of the ceremony the people quietly dispersed, and the Feast of Tabernacles was ended for the elder worshippers, but was celebrated next day by the children who assembled in large numbers, and did justice to the many good things that were given to them.

Regarding this Feast of Tabernacles, a reference will be found to it in Numbers xxix, verse 12. The religious observances axe carried out in memory of the exodus of the Children of Israel. It has 1 often been noticed how exceedingly healthy the Hebrews usually are, and I believe' that in a great measure this is due to the fact that the Jews are not only an exceptionally clean people in themselves, but also in the food they take. They never dream of -eating without washing their

And so, probably, are stolen melons : At least, such appears to be the opinion of the dark-skinned urchin who here confronts us with glancing eyes and teeth, and an irresistible, irresponsible expression of triumphant mischief which brings up an answering smile to the face of the beholder. No doubt the young rascal deserves a whipping ; but, for my part, I would rather see him crunch the melon with those teeth, which are the envy of the civilised weakling ; and content myself with the thought that, like the young bear, his troubles are yet to come.

bands first, even though th~e~ hands may -be perfectly clean ; and the tiniest little youngsters are taught to do the same thing. Regarding the meat, Hebrews will not touch any unless it has been killed kosher. It is most carefully examined by the ehouchat (the killer), one who is perfectly competent to discover if anything has been the matter with the animal, before being killed. He examines the carcase throughout, and if he finds the slightest symptom of disease, or even of a cold, it is immediately condemned. The meat is carefully drained of blood, therefore considered more healthful ; and this may explain the particular vitality and longevity of the Jewish people. Also the home life is a good one, and the men are made so comfortable that they do not care to go to the club, where they would be likely to get tood which had not, perhaps, been so carefully prepared as they have it at home. For my own part I may mention that for a very long time I have been getting my meat at the kosher shop in Little Collins street, Melbourne, and I feel very much better for it. I remember on one occasion wishing to get some beef, but failed, as there had been a run on the small quantity supplied, because out of 11 bullocks which had been examined only one was found to be fit food for the dainty Jews! The other 10 — N.B. — were, however, good enough for the Christian population, and were sold accordingly — but I favoured mutton that day. I give this as an actual fact which I can vouch for. Ere concluding, it may be interesting to my readers if I ' give a few particulars regarding a Jewish wedding. As a rule, when the contracting parties are rich this ceremony is celebrated in very grand style, as no expense is spared, and the dresses generally are most magnificent. Before the actual marriage service takes place the bride is sworn by the officiating rabbi privately regarding her past and her future. Then he enters the synagogue and takes his position under what is known as a Chuppa (pronounced " hooppah "), which is supposed to represent heaven, and under which all Hebrew marriages have to be conducted., This usually measures about 6ft square, ' the upper part consisting either of crimson or blue velvet, richly ornamented with gold cord and tassels, supported at the corners by four polished wooden poles fastened into heavy feet. On the occasion of the last wedding at which. I was present the ceremony was specially interesting, as the bride was exceptionally beautiful and quite young, barely 16' or 17, and everything was done in a generous and open-handed manner. In accordance with the recognised Jewish custom both of the contracting parties must have two parents, or other relations or friends, to give them away, and these are called Unterfurers. On the occasion I am speaking of there were two rabbis to tie the knot — the Rev. Dr Abrahams and the Rev. S. M. Solomon ; and as soon as they had taken their position under the Chuppa the bridegroom joined them with h : s L T nterfurers and his groomsmen, and

almost immediately after the bride. -entered the synagogue with her parents and' a large number of bridesmaids, who- were all grouped around so that a flashlight' picture might be taken. Then followed the service, conducted, in Hebrew, and after a short prayer and the words : "He who is mighty and blessed and great above all beings, may He bless the- bridegroom and the bride," followed an admirable address in English, exhorting -the couple who were being married to keep all the laws, rules, and regulations of their faith, and ending with much excellent fatherly advice. Then a goblet containing raisin' wine was handled to the bridegroom and the bride, and the Hebrew portion of the marriage contract was read by the Rev. S..M. Solomon, the equivalent being given by Dr Abrahams in English. The bride now removed her glove from her right hand, and the rabbi instructed the bridegroom to place the ring on the forefinger of the right hand of the bride, while repeating these words in Hebrew : '' Behold, thou art consecrated unto me by this ring, according to the law of Moses and of Israel" (after the ceremony the bride removes the ring to the third finger of the left hand). Following upon the chanting of the seven benedictions by the Rev. S. M. Solomon, the last part of the ceremony took place, when on a mat placed in front of the bridegroom a wineglass was laid. This he broke with his foot, symbolising the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Kissing and congratulations then took place, and the large wedding party left the synagogue to partake of the usual wedding tea, and the two principals thereafter to prepare for the honeymoon trip, that very mystical time, which so often is a sunbeam with a cloud behind it.

"How little is the happine&s that will content a child." Clad in rags, and hugging a rag doll, she is yet a princess — nay, a queen, in her own right. Health breathes from every sturdy limb and shines in her clear eyes sheltering love gives her all tilings needful, and she has no artificial wants ; the rag baby calls forth all the latent maternal instincts of her nature, and she is blest. Health, waalth, happiness — all are hers. And she herself is the light and sunshine of a home whirl) is thus crowned Avith the true riches.