Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Curious Particulars Relative To The Jews.
CURIOUS PARTICULARS RELATIVE TO THE JEWS .
rcON'CL' . DEO FROM OUR LAST . J
F " | PHFIR sabbath , which they call shaubbath , is the most distin . guished of ail their holidays . It begins on Friday evening , one hour before sun-set , and ends on Saturday night ; so that it lasts more than four and twenty hours . They go to prayers on the Friday evening ; after which they sup , and the poorest man endeavours to have fish at his table , besides other viands , in honour of the sabbath . Those renowned dealers in the marvellousthe rabbinstell of one
, , Joseph , who was such an honourer of the sabbath , that lie would pawn his clothes , to buy the best fish he could for supper ; and for which reason he was called Joseph maker shaubbath , i . c . Joseph , honourer of the sabbath . It happened , that a certain great prince lost a valuable pearl at sea ; a fish swallowed it ; the same fish was brought to market , and Joseph bought it at a much dearer rate than any other
Jew would bestow : he went home , opened the fish to dress it , found the pearl , sold it for an immense price , and was rich ever after . From this the Jews believe , that if a man borrows money to live elegantly on the sabbath , the Lord will pay his debts . Among a number of prohibitions for the sabbath , I cannot pass over one , which seems to me truly ludicrous . I do not recollect
ever to have read it in English . —A new married man may bed with his wife , though she be still a virgin ; but he must not attempt to enjoy the rights of love , though she is his lawful wife , it being contrary to the rabbinical law . Every month , p-fter the third day of the new moon , every Jew is obligedeither by himselfor with the congregationto salute the
, , , moon with a prayer . In a part of this prayer they jump three times with both feet from the ground , and say , ' As well as I jump toward thee , and cannot reach to touch thee , so shall none of mine enemies be able to touch me for harm . ' Some of the rabbins have amused themselves with the following
fable . 1 hey say , that when the Lord created the sun and moon , they were both of equal bigness ancl lustre ; and the moon said unto the Lord , ' Thou hast given unto the sun and unto me an equal light , and the world cannot distinguish between us any difference of the day and of the night . ' From these words , they say , the Lord perceived that the moon wished to be more luminous than the sun ; and , to punish this pridehe told herher light should be diminished ,
, , and the light of the sun should ever after be the greatest . —It is thus that this scientific squad account for the moon ' s pale lustre . Owing to the dreams of Jacob , Joseph , Pharaoh , Nebuchadnezzar , Daniel ; and others , the Jews have a great respect for , and pay much
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Curious Particulars Relative To The Jews.
CURIOUS PARTICULARS RELATIVE TO THE JEWS .
rcON'CL' . DEO FROM OUR LAST . J
F " | PHFIR sabbath , which they call shaubbath , is the most distin . guished of ail their holidays . It begins on Friday evening , one hour before sun-set , and ends on Saturday night ; so that it lasts more than four and twenty hours . They go to prayers on the Friday evening ; after which they sup , and the poorest man endeavours to have fish at his table , besides other viands , in honour of the sabbath . Those renowned dealers in the marvellousthe rabbinstell of one
, , Joseph , who was such an honourer of the sabbath , that lie would pawn his clothes , to buy the best fish he could for supper ; and for which reason he was called Joseph maker shaubbath , i . c . Joseph , honourer of the sabbath . It happened , that a certain great prince lost a valuable pearl at sea ; a fish swallowed it ; the same fish was brought to market , and Joseph bought it at a much dearer rate than any other
Jew would bestow : he went home , opened the fish to dress it , found the pearl , sold it for an immense price , and was rich ever after . From this the Jews believe , that if a man borrows money to live elegantly on the sabbath , the Lord will pay his debts . Among a number of prohibitions for the sabbath , I cannot pass over one , which seems to me truly ludicrous . I do not recollect
ever to have read it in English . —A new married man may bed with his wife , though she be still a virgin ; but he must not attempt to enjoy the rights of love , though she is his lawful wife , it being contrary to the rabbinical law . Every month , p-fter the third day of the new moon , every Jew is obligedeither by himselfor with the congregationto salute the
, , , moon with a prayer . In a part of this prayer they jump three times with both feet from the ground , and say , ' As well as I jump toward thee , and cannot reach to touch thee , so shall none of mine enemies be able to touch me for harm . ' Some of the rabbins have amused themselves with the following
fable . 1 hey say , that when the Lord created the sun and moon , they were both of equal bigness ancl lustre ; and the moon said unto the Lord , ' Thou hast given unto the sun and unto me an equal light , and the world cannot distinguish between us any difference of the day and of the night . ' From these words , they say , the Lord perceived that the moon wished to be more luminous than the sun ; and , to punish this pridehe told herher light should be diminished ,
, , and the light of the sun should ever after be the greatest . —It is thus that this scientific squad account for the moon ' s pale lustre . Owing to the dreams of Jacob , Joseph , Pharaoh , Nebuchadnezzar , Daniel ; and others , the Jews have a great respect for , and pay much