Farewell to thee, France! But when liberty rallies Though withered, thy tear will unfold it again! And yet may thy heart leap awake to my voice; There are links which must break in the chain that has bound us Then turn thee, and call on the chief of thy choice! THE PASSOVER OF THE MODERN JEWS. syn'-a-gogue...a building where the Jews meet for prayer and worship lect'-ure .sermon, discourse ob-served' ..kept, performed ap-proach-ing ...coming, near ob-serv'-an-ces......rites, cere monies cost'-ly expensive ..rich, valuable, ce'-re-mon-y...outward form, proceeding by prescribed rule af-flic'-tion ....trouble, sorrow atand pov-er-ty......poorness, destitution, want rejoicing abs-tain' keep from pasch-al belonging to leav-ened......made with yeast the time of the Passover The Feast of the Passover begins on the fifteenth day of the Jewish month Nisan, and continues, with those Jews who live in or near Jerusalem, seven days; and with those in all other places, eight days. The Sabbath immediately before the Passover is called "The Great Sabbath." On that day the Rabbi, or teacher of each synagogue, delivers a lecture, in which he explains the rules to be observed on the approaching festival. During the whole time they are required to abstain from leavened bread (that is, bread with anything put into the dough to make it ferment, or rise), and to suffer no leaven to remain in their houses. On the thirteenth day of the month, in the evening, the most careful and minute search is made by the master of each family through every part of his house, in order to clear it of leavened bread, and every other particle of leaven. All that can be found is collected together in a vessel, carefully preserved during the night, and, together with the vessel in which it is deposited, solemnly burnt a little before noon the next day. No vessels are to be used at the Passover that have had any leaven in them; and, therefore, the kitchen utensils used at other times are to be put away, and their places to be supplied by new vessels, or by some that are kept from one Passover to another, and never used but upon that occasion. For the same reason, the kitchen tables and chairs, shelves and cupboards, undergo a thorough purification, first with hot water, and then with cold. After the burning of the leaven, they make unleavened cakes, as many as will be wanted during the festival, to be eaten in the place of all common bread. Amongst other rules for preparing the grain for these cakes, the meal is to be kneaded in the presence of a Jew, and the dough is not to be left a moment without working or kneading, lest the least fermentation should take place. The cakes are commonly round, thin, and full of little holes, and, in general, they consist of flour and water only; but the more wealthy and dainty Jews enrich them with eggs and sugar. Cakes of this latter kind, however, are not allowed to be eaten on the first day of the festival. They are also forbidden to drink any liquor made from grain, or that has passed through the process of fermentation. During this season, therefore, their drink is either pure water, or a home-made raisin wine. On the fourteenth day of the month the first-born son of each family is required to fast, in remembrance of the first-born of the Israelites being delivered, when the Lord smote all the first-born of the Egyptians. In the evening of the fourteenth day of the month the men assemble in the synagogue, to enter upon the festival with prayers and other appointed observances, during which the women are occupied at home in preparing the tables against their return; and all the most costly furniture which each can procure is then made use of. The table is covered with a clean linen cloth, on which are placed several plates and dishes; on one is laid the shankbone of a shoulder of lamb or kid, but generally lamb, and an egg; on another, three cakes, carefully wrapped in two napkins; on a third, some lettuce, chervil, parsley, and celery, wild succory, or horse-radish. These are their "bitter herbs." Near the salad is placed a cruet of vinegar, and some salt and water. They have also a dish made to represent the bricks which their forefathers had to make in Egypt. This is a thick paste, composed of apples, almonds, nuts, and figs, dressed in wine, and seasoned with cinnamon. Every Jew who can afford wine, also, provides some for this great occasion. The ceremony then proceeds in this way :-The family being seated, the master of the house pronounces a grace or blessing over the table in general, and over the wine in particular; then, leaning on his left arm, in a somewhat stately manner, so as to show the liberty which the Israelites regained when they came out of Egypt, he drinks a portion of wine; in this also he is followed by the rest of the family or party assembled. Then they dip some of the herbs in vinegar and eat them, whilst the master repeats another blessing. He next unfolds the napkins, and taking the middle cake, breaks it in two, replaces one of the pieces H between the two whole cakes, and conceals the other piece under his plate, or under the cushion on which he leans. And for what reason is this? In allusion, as they say, to the circumstance mentioned by Moses, that the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading-troughs being bound up in their clothes. He then removes the lamb and the egg from the table, and next the plate containing the cakes being lifted up by the hands of the whole company, they join in saying, "This is the bread of poverty and affliction, which our fathers did eat in Egypt; whosoever hungers, let him come and eat; whosoever needs, let him come and eat of the paschal lamb. This year we are here, and the next, God willing, we shall be in the land of Canaan. This year we are servants; the next, God willing, we shall be free children of the family, and lords." The lamb and the egg are then again placed on the table, and another portion of wine is taken; the plate containing the cakes is removed, to lead the children of the family to inquire into the meaning of this festival; if no children are present, some person of riper years puts the question, according to a regular form. This is answered by an account being given of the captivity, bondage, and slavery of the people of Israel in Egypt, their deliverance by the hand of Moses, and of the institution of the Passover on that occasion. This history is followed by some psalms and hymns being sung ; after which the cakes are again placed on the table, and pieces of them are distributed amongst those present, who, instead of the paschal lamb, the offering of which is now altogether discontinued, eat this unleavened bread, with some of the bitter herbs and part of the paste made in memory of the bricks. The reason they give for not eating the paschal lamb is, that this cannot be lawfully done out of the land of Canaan, or Holy Land, all other countries being unholy and polluted. After the unleavened bread has been eaten, then follows a plentiful supper. Then some more pieces of the cakes are taken, and two more portions of wine. Each is required to drink, on this occasion, four portions; and every cup of wine, the Rabbis or teachers say, is in memory of some special blessing vouchsafed to their forefathers. The fourth, and last cup, is accompanied with some prayers, borrowed from Scripture, calling down the Divine vengeance on the heathen, and on all the enemies of Israel. This same series of discourses is repeated on the second night; and the modern Jews profess to consider that all this will be as acceptable in the presence of the Lord as the actual offering of the Passover. The first two days, and the last two, are kept as days of high solemnity, being celebrated with great pomp by extraordinary services in the synagogue, and by abstaining from all labour, nearly as strictly as on the Sabbath. The four middle days are not so strictly kept. The last day of the festival is concluded with a peculiar ceremony, called Habdala, in the course of which the master of the house, holding a cup of wine in his hand, repeats a very considerable portion of Scripture, and finishes with drinking, and giving to others to drink, of the cup; after this they are at liberty to return to the use of leavened bread as usual. BRUTUS ON THE PROPOSED ASSASSINATION OF CÆSAR. 66 It must be by his death: and, for my part, But for the general. He would be crowned :— How that might change his nature, there's the question. |