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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/15173-h.zip b/15173-h.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..be41252 --- /dev/null +++ b/15173-h.zip diff --git a/15173-h/15173-h.htm b/15173-h/15173-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2e97bf7 --- /dev/null +++ b/15173-h/15173-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,2789 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> + <head> + <title> + The Project Gutenberg eBook of Pictures of Jewish home-life fifty years ago, by Hannah Trager. + </title> + <style type="text/css"> +/*<![CDATA[ XML blockout */ +<!-- + p { margin-top: .75em; + text-align: justify; + margin-bottom: .75em; + } + h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { + text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ + } + hr { width: 33%; + margin-top: 2em; + margin-bottom: 2em; + margin-left: auto; + margin-right: auto; + } + body{margin-left: 10%; + margin-right: 10%; + } + + table {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;} + + .linenum {position: absolute; top: auto; left: 4%;} /* poetry number */ + .blockquot{margin-left: 5%; margin-right: 10%;} + .pagenum {position: absolute; left: 92%; font-size: smaller; text-align: right;} /* page numbers */ + .sidenote {width: 20%; padding-bottom: .5em; padding-top: .5em; + padding-left: .5em; padding-right: .5em; margin-left: 1em; + float: right; clear: right; margin-top: 1em; + font-size: smaller; background: #eeeeee; border: dashed 1px;} + + .bb {border-bottom: solid 2px;} + .bl {border-left: solid 2px;} + .bt {border-top: solid 2px;} + .br {border-right: solid 2px;} + .bbox {border: solid 2px;} + + .center {text-align: center;} + .smcaps {font-variant: small-caps;} + + .figcenter {margin: auto; text-align: center;} + + .figleft {float: left; clear: left; margin-left: 0; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: + 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 0; text-align: center;} + + .figright {float: right; clear: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; + margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0; padding: 0; text-align: center;} + + .footnotes {border: dashed 1px;} + .footnote {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;} + .footnote .label {position: absolute; left: 12%; text-align: left;} + + .poem {margin-left:10%; margin-right:10%; text-align: left;} + .poem br {display: none;} + .poem .stanza {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;} + .poem span {display: block; margin: 0; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} + .poem span.i2 {display: block; margin-left: 2em;} + .poem span.i4 {display: block; margin-left: 4em;} + // --> + /* XML end ]]>*/ + </style> + </head> +<body> + + +<pre> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Pictures of Jewish Home-Life Fifty Years Ago +by Hannah Trager + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Pictures of Jewish Home-Life Fifty Years Ago + +Author: Hannah Trager + +Release Date: February 25, 2005 [EBook #15173] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PICTURES OF JEWISH HOME-LIFE *** + + + + +Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Keren Vergon, Cori Samuel and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team. + + + + + + +</pre> + + + +<h4><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1" />To<br />MY BELOVED PARENTS<br /> +in reverence and gratitude for their<br /> +beautiful and holy example</h4> + +<h1><br /><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2" /> +PICTURES OF<br /> +JEWISH HOME-LIFE<br /> +FIFTY YEARS AGO</h1> + +<h3>By</h3> + +<h2>HANNAH TRAGER</h2> +<h5>Author of<br /> +<i>Stories of Child-Life in Palestine</i><br /> +<i>Festival Stories of Child-Life in Palestine</i><br /> +<i>Pioneers in Palestine</i></h5> + +<h4> +WITH A PREFATORY LETTER BY<br /> +LEO JUNG<br /> +<br /> +<br /> +WITH FOUR PLATES<br /> +AND A GLOSSARY<br /> +<br /> +<br /> +NEW YORK<br /> +BLOCH PUBLISHING CO., Inc.<br /> +<br /> +<br /><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3" /> +PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY<br /> +THE STANHOPE PRESS, LTD.<br /> +ROCHESTER<br /> +<a name="Page_4" id="Page_4" /> +</h4> + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2>FOREWORD</h2> + + +<p>My dear Mrs. Trager,</p> + +<p>It gives me great pleasure to write a preface to your new book. I +consider it a real privilege, since it represents the fulfilment of a +hope expressed some five years ago. When you sent me the first article +for "The Sinaist" I told you that your pen would win the love and the +esteem not only of the child, but essentially also of the adult readers.</p> + +<p>The simple joyousness of your style, the beauty and freshness of the +atmosphere, which you very well succeed in bringing to the pages of your +books, the strength of your faith, and the vividness of your +description, the love of Jew above the love of Palestine, all these +combine to render your volumes valuable additions to the small stock of +good Jewish literature in English. It is not only that you teach, while +talking so pleasantly; that you instruct while you interest and amuse; +that you have your own personality in the stories; that you convey the +charm of <a name="Page_5" id="Page_5" />Eretz Israel, and the beauty of holiday spirit; but because +your stories help us to feel the depth of faith and the height of ideal +as the self-evident, normal factors of Jewish life.</p> + +<p>For the children of our age, both young and old, should know that that +God-consciousness of the Jew, that wondrous sense of eternity in his +mission, is not a laboriously acquired conviction, not the result of +some spasmodic effort of grasping the innermost meaning of our history, +but the natural pervading spirit of Jewish life, the air which the Jew +breathes, when he lives with Torah as his guide and Mitzvah as his +ladder towards heaven.</p> + +<p>They who read your stories conceive a deep love of Judaism, they find a +desire growing in them to live the life which produces such happiness +and goodness, they will want to study the Law and lore, of which that +life is an outward expression. I have given your tales to children in +various countries and all of them were enchanted with them, regretting +that "there were only two books by Mrs. Trager." I am glad indeed to +find that another one is coming out. And it is in the interest of our +youth that I hope you will give us every year some of these nourishing +and very palatable fruits of your pen.</p> + +<p>You will thereby be doing an additional bit for our God and our people +whom you are serv<a name="Page_6" id="Page_6" />ing so loyally. You reinterpret to the Jewish youth of +to-day the treasures they are so carelessly abandoning, you will shed +light and reawaken love and hope in the heart of many a Jew, who seemed +to feel that our glorious faith had no message for the child of to-day, +unless it were shorn by our 'religious' barbers, robbed of its native +beauty and reduced to some platform-commonplace. As a lamented London +Maggid told me, "There still live some real soldiers of God." Such are +those who use persuasion from the pulpit, such as shine through the +example of their own humane Jewishness and such as capture our hearts by +artless beautiful tales of Jewish life and lore.</p> + +<p>I wish you every success in the world,</p> + +<p>Yours very sincerely,</p> + +<p>LEO JUNG <a name="Page_7" id="Page_7" /></p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2>CONTENTS</h2> + +<ul> +<li><a href="#THE_ARRIVAL_IN_JERUSALEM"><span class="smcaps">The Arrival In Jerusalem</span></a></li> +<li><a href="#THE_WELCOME"><span class="smcaps">The Welcome</span></a></li> +<li><a href="#THE_CELEBRATION_OF_PURIM"><span class="smcaps">The Celebration Of Purim</span></a></li> +<li><a href="#THE_BAKING_OF_THE_MATZOS"><span class="smcaps">The Baking Of Matzos</span></a></li> +<li><a href="#LAG_BOMER"><span class="smcaps">Lag B'omer</span></a></li> +<li><a href="#THE_SABBATH_IN_PALESTINE"><span class="smcaps">The Sabbath In Palestine</span></a></li> +<li><a href="#THE_SUCCAH"><span class="smcaps">The Succah</span></a></li> +<li><a href="#HOW_CHARITY_IS_GIVEN"><span class="smcaps">How Charity Is Given</span></a></li> +<li><a href="#FATHER_FROST_IN_JERUSALEM"><span class="smcaps">Father Frost In Jerusalem</span></a></li> +<li><a href="#ENGAGEMENT_AND_WEDDING_CEREMONIES"><span class="smcaps">Engagement And Wedding Ceremonies</span></a></li> +<li><a href="#APPENDIX"><span class="smcaps">Jubilee Of Zorach Barnett</span></a></li> +<li><a href="#GLOSSARY"><span class="smcaps">Glossary</span></a></li> +</ul> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> + +<ul> +<li><a href="#pic01"><span class="smcaps">The Father Teaching The Child The Meaning Of The Tsitsith</span></a></li> +<li><a href="#pic02"><span class="smcaps">Chadar (School)</span></a></li> +<li><a href="#pic03"><span class="smcaps">Yeushiva (Talmudical School)</span></a></li> +<li><a href="#pic04"><span class="smcaps">The Old Lady</span></a></li> +</ul> + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8" /><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9" /> +<a name="THE_ARRIVAL_IN_JERUSALEM" id="THE_ARRIVAL_IN_JERUSALEM" />THE ARRIVAL IN JERUSALEM</h2> + + +<p>On a Friday afternoon everyone was very busy in Benjamin's home washing +and dressing to go to Shule. The mother was getting the living-room +clean and tidy for the Sabbath.</p> + + +<p><br />THE OFFENCE</p> + +<p>The family lived in a few rooms off Commercial Road, in one of the many +back streets. The underground kitchen had to be used as the dining-and +sitting-room, for they had not been many years in England and it was a +hard struggle for Benjamin's parents to make ends meet and provide for a +large family.</p> + +<p>The father and the elder boys were dressing as best they could in this +room. Just then the mother came in, very excited, and said to her +husband: "What will you say to this? I gave Benjamin his Sabbath clothes +and a clean tsitsith, and what do you think he did?" </p> + +<p>"<a name="Page_10" id="Page_10" />What?" asked the father, and stopped brushing his clothes.</p> + +<p>"Why, he took the tsitsith and threw it on the floor, and said he would +never wear it again. I punished him, and told him to put it on again. So +you had better go to him and give him what he deserves."</p> + +<p>"You are rather hasty, my dear wife," said the father; "for, before +punishing him, you should have asked him why he did such a thing."</p> + +<p>"What!" exclaimed the mother, "do you think I have nothing else to do +but to stand and argue with him just before Sabbath, when I have so much +work? You are far too easy-going, Jacob—you should really be firmer +with the children."</p> + +<p>"No, no!" said Jacob, who was a kindly man and understood human nature +better than his hasty, but well-meaning and loving, wife. The struggle +and constant hard work in keeping the home of a large family was telling +upon her, and any disobedience in the children irritated her very much.</p> + +<p>"We must not be hasty with the children," continued Jacob, "especially +now-a-days, for they live under different circumstances from those we +knew when we were young. Instead of hastily scolding and punishing them, +let us <a name="Page_11" id="Page_11" />rather quietly reason with them, when possible, and show them +where they are wrong."</p> + +<p>"Perhaps you may be right," said Benjamin's mother; "so let us leave the +matter till you return from Shule and have had our Sabbath meal—then +you can quietly ask Benjamin why he acted as he did."</p> + + +<p><br />THE BOY BENJAMIN</p> + +<p>An elder brother was sent to call Benjamin to go to Shule with his +father and brothers. Benjamin expected a scolding from his father +similar to that which he had had from his mother, so he came into the +room looking very sulky. As nothing was said to him on the subject when +he came into the room, he took his prayer-book, and followed his father +to Shule.</p> + +<p>Benjamin was like many other boys of 13, not very clever, but blessed +with a good deal of common sense. His great ambition was to become a +teacher, and so he worked steadily at his lessons. His reason for +wishing to be a teacher was that he wanted to rule and to punish boys as +his master did. Whenever he had a caning from his headmaster he always +consoled himself with the thought that <i>his</i> turn would come some +day—when he was a teacher—to do the same to other boys.</p> + +<p>When they returned from Shule and nothing <a name="Page_12" id="Page_12" />was said, even at the evening +meal, about the way Benjamin had annoyed his mother, he was rather +surprised. His mother, during the time they were at Shule, had made the +living-room, which was really the kitchen, look so clean and bright with +the five lighted candles placed on the snow-white table-cloth, and the +old stove so well polished, that it almost looked as bright as a looking +glass. What interested the young ones most was the saucepan which stood +on one side of the stove waiting for its contents to be put on the +table, and, oh, how they enjoyed the sweet savour which came from it!</p> + + +<p><br />FRIDAY EVE</p> + +<p>They all gathered round the table to welcome the Princess Sabbath. The +father made kiddush, and the wine cup was handed round to all. Then they +washed their hands and said a prayer before sitting down to the evening +meal, which passed off very pleasantly, and zmires (or songs or psalms +of praise) were sung at intervals during the meal.</p> + +<p>When the meal was ended, and the grace said by the father, they all +separated: one or two went out for a walk, while the other members of +the family took a newspaper or a book and quietly read.</p> + +<p>When the table was cleared, the mother sat <a name="Page_13" id="Page_13" />down to rest. Grateful, +indeed, was she for this Sabbath rest after her week's hard work. She +often said that, for such as herself, no blessing was as great as the +command: "Thou shalt not do any work on the Sabbath."</p> + + +<p><br />WORD OF LOVE</p> + +<p>When all were quietly settled down, Benjamin's father took him between +his knees, and said: "My son, I wish to ask you something, and I want +you to answer my question frankly and truly. What made you throw the +tsitsith down on the floor this afternoon and say to your mother that +you would not wear it?"</p> + +<p>The boy Benjamin dropped his head and was silent for a minute or two, +for to hear his father speak in a kindly way made Benjamin far more +ashamed of himself and his deed than if his father had scolded him and +given him a whipping—in fact, he felt so wretched that he longed to run +out of the room and hide himself from everybody. His father's knowledge +of human nature made him understand what was passing through Benjamin's +mind, and he said: "Do not fear to tell me, my son, why you acted in +such an unusual way, for there must be some reason for a Jewish boy to +act so."</p> + +<p>With his head still down, Benjamin said: "When I go swimming in the +baths, my school-<a name="Page_14" id="Page_14" />fellows see my tsitsith when I undress, and they make +fun of it and pull it about, and say all sorts of nasty things to me for +wearing it, and it makes me feel I cannot stand it any longer. I will +gladly put on my tsitsith at home in the morning when I say my prayers, +but, Father, do let me go to school without wearing it?"</p> + +<p>"I expected something like this," said his father, looking at his wife. +"Listen to me, my child—instead of being ashamed, you should feel it a +privilege to wear tsitsith."</p> + +<p>"But I can't see why," said Benjamin.</p> + +<p>"Well," said his father, "I will tell you the idea of the tsitsith. When +you say the Shema twice a day, as every good Jew is expected to do, you +read in it that God commanded us, through Moses, to wear a fringe on our +garment—the tsitsith, a visible sign to remind us of His Commandments, +just in the same way as a table, spread ready for a meal, reminds us of +our meals. Our religion is not a thing to be kept only for the Sabbath +and the Holy Days, and left out of our minds on all other days. Our +religion must be a living influence, always with us, so the tsitsith is +a very simple kind of symbol to be ever worn to remind a Jew of his God, +his duty to Him and to his neighbour. It is not only we Jews who have +religious symbols; every other religion has them. Now imagine if you +were to <a name="Page_15" id="Page_15" />go up to a Christian boy and mock him and say nasty words to +him for wearing a cross, or crucifix, he would turn round and fight you, +and he would be right in doing so, for no one has a right to insult +another for wearing or doing what he believes to be holy. Instead of +being ashamed when you were mocked and laughed at by Christian boys for +wearing your tsitsith, you should have asked them to hear you explain +the reason for wearing it. I am sure they would not have laughed at you +any more. They would respect you for trying to be true and to live up to +your convictions.</p> + +<p>"We Jews have, in the past, made a great mistake in not letting the +outside world know more of the deeper spiritual meaning of each of our +symbols. Had we not done this, we should have been better understood by +non-Jews, and our children would not have suffered as you and many +others also have done, through the ignorant mocking of your Christian +schoolmates.</p> + +<p>"I know that in Palestine the Jews, whether old or young, greatly love +to wear their tsitsith, and take a pride in letting them be seen, so +that the Arabs and the Turks look upon the tsitsith as a sacred +garment."</p> + +<div class="figcenter"> +<a name="pic01" id="pic01" /> +<img src="images/pic01.jpg" width="378" height="600" alt="The Father Teaching The Child The Meaning Of The Tsitsith +(Sacred Garment)" title="The Father Teaching The Child The Meaning Of The Tsitsith +(Sacred Garment)" /> +<br /> +<b>The Father Teaching The Child The Meaning Of The Tsitsith +(Sacred Garment)</b> +</div> + +<p><br /><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16" />UNCLE'S LETTER</p> + +<p>"How do you know this, Father?" said Benjamin.</p> + +<p>By this time all in the room had dropped their papers and books, and +were listening to their father.</p> + +<p>"Well, this is how I know: nearly thirty years ago my uncle and his +family went to live in Jerusalem, and for many years one of my cousins +used to write to me about once a month. His letters were most +interesting. When his letters came I could almost imagine, when reading +them, that I was living in Bible times.</p> + +<p>"Have you any of his letters still, Father?" they all exclaimed.</p> + +<p>"Yes," said the father, "I have many of them."</p> + +<p>"Oh, do read some of them to us!" they pleaded. "All right, I will; and +I will first try to find the one about the tsitsith."</p> + +<p>The father went up to his bedroom, and soon came down with a bundle of +letters wrapped in a newspaper. He started looking through them while +all the family stood around him, watching as eagerly as if he were +searching for an heirloom.</p> + +<p>"I will choose a very short one," said the father, "for it is on the +subject I have spoken to Benjamin about; but if you like I will make it +a rule every Friday evening, after our Sabbath meal, to read some of the +letters to you." </p> + + +<p><br /><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17" />THE HOLY CITY</p> + +<p>When all were quietly and comfortably seated, their father started +reading:</p> + +<p>"My dear Cousin,—After a great many adventures and suffering (which I +will write to you about another time) we arrived safely in Jerusalem. To +me, it seemed rather dull after London, but both father and mother shed +tears of joy when they at last arrived in the Holy City. Some people met +us a little way out, for father had written telling them we were coming. +We were almost royally received and heartily welcomed, for very few Jews +come here with their young families.</p> + +<p>"We must have looked a sight—you in London could not imagine anything +like our cavalcade! First went Father riding on a mule, with Mother +following on another mule. Mother's saddle was made with pillows, for it +is impossible for a woman to ride for sixteen or eighteen hours without +a soft, comfortable seat.</p> + +<p>"You go up high hills, and then down again, imagining every time you go +down that you will topple over and fall over the precipice and be +killed. In fact, your heart is in your mouth every five minutes, so that +by the time you arrive in Jerusalem (which is surrounded by hills) you +are almost too weak to rejoice at the beauty that greets your sight, for +nowhere in the world can, <a name="Page_18" id="Page_18" />I think, anything be seen more beautiful than +a sunrise over the mountains around Jerusalem.</p> + +<p>"Oh, I forgot to tell you that we youngsters were put into baskets on a +camel's back, and how we were shaken! I felt as if I were praying and +shaking all the time, for it seemed as if we could never get to +Jerusalem alive in this way."</p> + + +<p><br />THE PROUD BOYS OF JERUSALEM</p> + +<p>"At last we entered the Holy City, and arrived at Father's friend's +house, where we were made very welcome and treated most kindly. I soon +made friends with the boys, for, you know, I can speak yiddish quite +well.</p> + +<p>"They are funny little chaps. They look like old men, with long kaftans +(coats) and side ear-locks of hair, carrying their prayer book or Bible +to Shule. The first thing I noticed was the tsitsith. They wear really +long ones, with long fringes hanging down about a quarter of a yard or +more. They wear them as we do a waistcoat, so that they can be seen by +everyone, not as we wear them in England, tucked away out of sight. Here +young and old, even little boys who can only just walk and lisp their +prayers, wear them, and, what is more, take a real pleasure in wearing +them. I asked some of them why they wore them so openly, and they +answered: 'Because when we look at them we always remember that our +chief <a name="Page_19" id="Page_19" />duty in life is to try to obey God's commands, and if we had them +tucked away out of sight we should forget to be obedient.' 'Besides,' +they said, 'we are commanded in the Torah to do so openly.' Then I told +them if we wore them so openly in Europe we should perhaps be laughed at +by some people and made fun of. They said: 'Why should doing so make us +be laughed at by other nations? Do we laugh at the symbols and charms +that many of them wear? Every nation,' they said, 'has its tokens and +symbols, and we Jews have ours, and we should rejoice in wearing ours +when they are to help us to feel that God is near us when we think and +act rightly.' All this made me think very seriously, and in a way I had +never thought before. I began to realize that they were more in the +right than we Jews are in England.</p> + +<p>"So now I have decided to wear my tsitsith, too, on the outside, as the +Jerusalem boys do. The boys never play except on the quiet, just now and +then, for their parents think that their only duty in life is to study +and do as many Mitzvoth as they can. Really, the boys are as full of fun +and pranks as we English boys, and they just love a bit of play and +larking when they can get it.</p> + +<p>"I must now end this letter, but I have a lot more to tell you, and I +will keep my promise and <a name="Page_20" id="Page_20" />write you by degrees of all I see. Meanwhile, +I send you the greeting of Zion and Sabbath. Rachael wanted to put a +letter into my envelope to your sister, but she says she has not +finished it yet, although she has already written ten pages. So I will +wait no longer, in case I miss the post, as it goes only once a week +from here, and sometimes only once a month."</p> + +<p>Thus ended the first letter, and Benjamin's brothers and sisters were so +pleased with it that they were delighted that one of the bundle of +letters should be read aloud after the Sabbath meal on every Friday +evening.</p> + +<p>Benjamin was quite happy now, for, although he had done a thing which +was not right, now that he had repented good would come out of it, for +there was a chance of their now having pleasanter and more instructive +Sabbath evenings than they had ever had before. Besides, he now made up +his mind always to wear his tsitsith. </p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="THE_WELCOME" id="THE_WELCOME" /><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21" />THE WELCOME<a name="Page_22" id="Page_22" /></h2> + + + +<p><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23" />On the following Friday, after the Sabbath evening meal, the boys asked +their father to read them another letter from his cousin in Jerusalem. +He was pleased at their eagerness, and, while Upstairs getting the +letter, some of the boys' friends came in and settled comfortably down, +for all were eager to hear the letter read.</p> + +<p>Mr Jacob said: "This time I will read a letter from your Cousin Dora to +my sister which will certainly interest you, my dear," turning to his +daughter, "but at the same time, I think it will interest you all."</p> + +<p>"My dear Milly,—Isaac must have written to Jacob all about our arrival, +so I will begin by giving you some idea of our life here and my +impressions. The people, who so kindly asked us to stay with them till +Father finds a dwelling, have a few rooms in a house, which has a marble +paved courtyard. Six other families also have two or three rooms each. +All the work is done in the courtyard, even the cooking; for each family +uses tiny stoves, made of mud, into which they put a little lighted +charcoal and cook just outside or near their own doors; for there are no +<a name="Page_24" id="Page_24" />kitchens or fireplaces in any of the rooms, and thus we see what each +family cooks. The Sephardim (Jews who have lived here for years) eat +their meals in the courtyard. They lay a mat on the marble tiles, on +which they place a small low table, and they sit on the mat and eat. Two +Sephardim families have rooms in the house and they speak Arabic and +Spanish, and their ways of living are more like those of the Turks, just +as the Jews in England live more like the English.</p> + +<p>"Everyone seems most interested in us. Many people have come to visit +us, to see the new arrivals!</p> + +<p>"The evening of the day on which we arrived was Friday; there was a +clear moonlight such as you would not often see in England, and it was +very warm, too; so we and our visitors sat in the courtyard. All eagerly +asked us many questions, till quite late; and thus the evening passed +very quickly and pleasantly.</p> + +<p>"After prayers on Sabbath some people sent a bottle of wine and a most +delicious pudding, which is made nowhere but in Jerusalem. It tastes +like milk and honey, with other tasty things mixed up in it. Others sent +a lovely sponge cake, coated with different-coloured sugar-icing: many +other good things were also given to us; and they lasted us for nearly a +month.<a name="Page_25" id="Page_25" /> </p> + +<p>"Later in the day the people who sent the eatables paid us visits, and +ate some of the good things. It is rather a nice custom, I think, for +new arrivals to have no bother to prepare food for their visitors, as it +gives them time to enjoy their company. What a lot of talking there was! +The men discussed several things with Father, while the women wanted to +know many things about England which Mother could tell them. The boys +and girls could not take their eyes off our clothes, so much did they +admire them! It was quite amusing, the funny questions they asked us +about them. They all promised to help us look for a dwelling; and they +kept their promise. I can tell you it was a great help and comfort to us +that they did, for I don't know what would have become of us out here, +away from our old friends, where the ways of living are so different +from what we have been used to. Whether it will always be so or not, of +course I can't say—time alone will show.</p> + +<p>"Very soon afterwards they found us a vacant dwelling, which Father was +very thankful to get, and in my next letter I will tell you something of +our life after we had moved in; but I must tell you more of what +happened when we were staying with our kind host. The first afternoon, +one of our visitors insisted on our <a name="Page_26" id="Page_26" />I going to her home; so, when I and +our youngsters arrived, we were taken to a room, and in it was a table +covered with lovely apricots, and delicious-looking pastries and jams; +also wine which only cost 3d. a bottle, so it is very nearly as cheap as +buying water. When they handed us some of the good things we naturally +took them and ate them.</p> + +<p>"Suddenly I saw our host's children move away from us saying: 'She is a +Shiksa,' and 'He is a Shakitz,' and they kept on whispering and pointing +to us. I could not think what we had done to make them act in such a +way, and so asked their mother. She answered: 'They are surprised to see +you eating without making a Brocha (a blessing), for our children unless +they first make a Brocha never taste anything.'</p> + +<p>"You know, dear Milly, that, though we too were taught to do as they +here, yet the hurry and scurry of going to school and the busy life in +London have made us forget to practise these religious laws. We, +however, felt very uncomfortable and ashamed of ourselves, and made up +our minds to get into the habit of doing it—that is to remember to +thank our Creator for every blessing we receive, including food—so that +it should become a matter-of-course.</p> + +<p>"Now I must tell you about our water-supply, for the scarcity of water +struck us, very much, coming from London; for here every drop is +<a name="Page_27" id="Page_27" />precious and is used for several things, as every drop has to be +bought, and money amongst our Jerusalem brethren is very scarce. In +fact, it often costs more than the wine of the country.</p> + +<p>"A water-carrier brings us up every morning a skin bag of water (it is +made of skins sewn together, with a small outlet at the top); for it we +pay twopence, which is equal to more than a shilling in London. The +water that he brings he pours into a large earthern jar, which keeps it +cool, and to it is attached over the mouth of the jar a sieve which is +made of thick unbleached calico: if this were not done, hundreds of +little red worms would get into the jar, because the water in Palestine +is full of them. A law was made by the Jews that to drink water that had +not been passed through a sieve was a sin; and, as little children are +taught not to commit any sin, they do not drink any water that has not +been passed through a sieve; owing to this, many illnesses are prevented +among the Jews that are rampant among the Arabs and others.</p> + +<p>"The Jews are also very careful about their water for ordinary use, yet +they really employ it more plentifully than we do in London when used in +connection with laws of health as laid down in the Shulchan Aruch (a +book of laws). For example, as soon as you step out of your bed, you +pour water over your hands, wash your face, <a name="Page_28" id="Page_28" />gargle your throat, and rub +your teeth with a clean finger and rinse your mouth. No one would think +of moving out of the room without doing this. I know among the very +orthodox Jews in London they do the same thing, but the average Jew does +not do it, and here it is done by everyone—even a baby is taught to do +it the same way.</p> + +<p>"Later in the day, or when the men go to Synagogue, and we have finished +with our household duties, we have the regular soap-and-water wash. Then +again, everytime we have a meal we have to wash our hands and repeat a +blessing; and, as this is done at various other times in a large family, +it takes a good deal of water, but as it is used for cleaning purposes +we need not stint ourselves. This law is especially valuable here, for +it is very hot, and, if we were not very clean and especially careful +about cleansing our eyes and mouths and throat, we should run the risk +of catching a great many diseases which are quite common in the Holy +Land at present.</p> + +<p>"I remarked to some women that it surprised me how much water was used +for personal washing considering how scarce it was, but they told me +that they were as careful with every drop of water as they were with +food; none was wasted. Where the religious laws commanded the use of +water for personal washing and cleans<a name="Page_29" id="Page_29" />ing they did not grudge it; for +was not the body of man the temple where the Holy Spirit of God dwelt? +God's spirit is in each one of us, and, therefore, we must do our best +to keep our bodies clean for the presence of our Heavenly King, just as +carefully as we should keep a house or palace clean in which our earthly +king dwelt—more carefully indeed. What would courtiers around an +earthly king say if they saw us take our food in the presence of the +king, and praise him, with dirty hands?</p> + +<p>"They save water in many ways that are rather amusing to a stranger +until he gets to know the reason for it. For instance, they do not, at +meals, use different plates on the Sabbath, when they have a few +courses: they eat the fish on one side of the plate, and then they wipe +it and turn the plate over, and have soup and meat on the deeper +side—thus saving the washing of many plates.</p> + +<p>"In my next letter I will write you all my tribulations and struggles in +getting used to the new life when we moved into our own house. My great +comfort is that we have got to know an American family, and they have +been so kind to us and so cheery that it has made us feel a bit +brighter, and Mother says that in time we shall get used to our new +life. But I doubt it after living in London."<a name="Page_30" id="Page_30" /> </p> + +<p>When Mr Jacob had finished reading the letter the young folks began +talking, the older ones listening and giving a smile now and then.</p> + +<p>One said: "I should not like to be there."</p> + +<p>"Neither should I," said another girl; "it must be awful after London."</p> + +<p>"The only thing that I like about the life," said the former, "is the +hospitality and the friendliness that they show to one another, and the +jolly good time they give to people who are utter strangers to them. We +don't do that here—we seem cold and unfriendly." </p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="THE_CELEBRATION_OF_PURIM" id="THE_CELEBRATION_OF_PURIM" /><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31" />THE CELEBRATION OF PURIM<a name="Page_32" id="Page_32" /> +<a name="Page_33" id="Page_33" /></h2> + +<p>As had now become a custom, the young friends of the Jacobs had all +collected on the next Friday evening in the bright and warm +kitchen-sitting room. After a short friendly chat with them Mr Jacobs +said:</p> + +<p>"As Purim will begin in two days, perhaps you would like to hear how our +cousins saw it celebrated when they went to Palestine, so I have chosen +this letter to read to you this evening:</p> + +<p>"In Jerusalem a week is none too long to prepare for Purim. As you know, +when we lived in London we always were strict about keeping our holy +days; but while there I never realized the pleasure and excitement +during Purim that one sees in Jerusalem.</p> + +<p>"Old and young are equally full of fun and joy, and there is plenty of +rushing about with sleeves tucked up. At other times the women here +gossip a great deal, and the girls naturally copy their elders and +gossip too; but, when preparing for Purim, they are all too busy to talk +or even to ask questions. The boys, too, up to the age of twelve, are +allowed to help. Some break up the big pieces of loaf-sugar, and beat up +the <a name="Page_34" id="Page_34" />eggs, and take the cakes, when ready, to the public ovens, for here +there are no proper ovens as there are in London houses, so a public +oven is built not far from the Synagogue. It is very large, and each +family sends its cakes in its own tins to be baked in it. Generally +about half a dozen tins are carried by each boy. Nothing I have seen +before can be compared with the many kinds of delicious cakes and +stuffed monkeys that are seen here. My mouth waters even when I think of +the delicious strudels filled with sesames and plenty of raisins and +shiros! These things are very cheap here.</p> + +<p>"As there are not many boys free to help, you see quite young children, +as well as young women and even grandmothers, going to and from the +public oven, carrying tins of all the Purim delicacies. As they wait +while the cakes are being baked, or waiting their turn to have their +cakes put in, oh! what a chatter there is, and I imagine nowhere else +can there be anything like it. I called it the 'Female Club' instead of +'An Old Maids Club,' as Mr Zangwill did, for there were no old maids +waiting near the oven.</p> + +<p>"Most of them come as early as 5 a.m., and none care to leave till they +have their cakes baked, for, if you do, your tins will be pushed aside +as you are not there to scream at and scold the baker—if someone slips +a copper into <a name="Page_35" id="Page_35" />his hand he, on the quiet, puts their tins in first, +though they may have come later!</p> + +<p>"Besides, if you are not there to watch carefully (for the tins are not +named or numbered), someone might take your tins in exchange for his +own, if the cakes, etc., look more tempting. During Purim this is not +looked upon as stealing, but merely as a joke or a bit of fun. The +youngsters will not move an inch unless they can trust someone to take +their place. So I leave you to try to imagine the noise and the chatter. +There is probably not a thing that has happened in Jerusalem during the +last two months that is not discussed around the public oven while +people are waiting for their cake-tins; and, as everyone wants to talk +rather than to listen, the noise is like the buzz in a factory.</p> + +<p>"After all the cooking and so forth was finished, of course we had to +keep the Fast of Esther, and everyone, even babies went to Shule to hear +the Megilla (the <i>Book of Esther</i>) read; and, when the Chazan came to +Haman, the Gragers went off with just such a noise as they do in the +London Shules in Old Montague Street or Booth Street. Then we went home; +and after the evening meal the joyfulness began, for they did not wait +till the next day, as we do in England.</p> + +<p>"As only one room was lighted up by each <a name="Page_36" id="Page_36" />family to economize light and +for other reasons—there are no curtains or blinds to draw down—we were +able to go through all Meah Sheorim and stop a minute or two at every +lighted window and watch the goings on. We heard nothing but singing and +clapping of hands, while the children danced. Sometimes one of the +elders looking on could not resist joining in the fun, and tied his +kaftan behind his back so as to leave his legs free, put one of the +youngsters on his shoulders, and danced like a chassid or a jolly +Irishman.</p> + +<p>"As we went from house to house peeping in at the windows, sometimes +some of the family would come out and drag us in by force, and make us +drink wine and eat cakes. If we did not wish to join in the dancing, but +wanted to leave, they would just say 'Shalom'—'go in peace but come +again.' I can tell you it was jolly, and nowhere else in all the world +could Yomtov be kept up as it is here.</p> + +<p>"We were given wine in so many houses that from the eldest to the +youngest we were beginning to feel rather funny. Next morning, after +being well shaken up by Father, and after we had had a wash with cold +water in the open air, we made up our minds to be firmer at the next +Purim.</p> + +<p>"After going in the morning to hear the Chazan <a name="Page_37" id="Page_37" />again, and coming home +and enjoying the Hamantaschen and other good things, then begins the +pleasure and excitement of sending Shalach-manoth to friends, +acquaintances, and chiefly to the poor, and even to enemies if you have +any. As you are supposed, if possible, to send back to the sender +something similar to what is sent to you, things cannot be made ready +beforehand. To the poor you always send useful presents as well as +delicacies which are likely to last them for months or longer.</p> + +<p>"As to the beggars, I never imagined there could be so many in one +country. We generally get enough beggars coming to us on Fridays and +before holy days, but at Yom Kippur and Purim they come in crowds. Most +of them are Sephardim and Yeminites. It is true you give each of them +only a para, which is about a quarter of a farthing, and they give you a +blessing for it; but, if they come to a rich class of home and are not +given there according to the style of the house, they upbraid the +people, and even curse them, so the children are told to stand at the +doors with paras and cakes, etc. At some houses they are invited in. +Each carries a sack on his shoulder, expecting, I suppose, that it will +be filled with good things by the time Purim is over; and, as they never +pass a door without begging, they are not likely to be disappointed.<a name="Page_38" id="Page_38" /> </p> + +<p>"The fun I enjoyed best was the uncovering of our plates and seeing what +Shalach-monus had been sent to us. A cap had been sent to Father, made +of velvet, with tails of sable and other skins round it. Father felt +very downcast, for he did not at all like the idea of giving up wearing +the high hat that he always wore in London on Sabbaths and holidays. +Whether he will wear the velvet schtramel or not I cannot tell, but I +will wait and see who wins—Father or the community—for we have some +idea who sent it.</p> + +<p>"Mother received a beautiful, soft silk kerchief to wear on her head, +and it seemed a sign that the community wanted her to put her wig aside +and wear a kerchief instead. I was most thankful they did not send me a +pair of scissors. If they had, I should have thought they wanted me to +cut my plaits off. Well, I should have fought for my hair as I would for +life!</p> + +<p>"In the afternoon I went to visit some friends, and I found a house full +of men, young and old, with their schtramel on their heads, and their +kaftans tied back, singing at the very top of their voices (and some +have very fine voices); others were clapping their hands, while eight +men, four on each side, were dancing what looked like a pantomime ballet +that I once went to. It was simply grand to watch them, for some were +<a name="Page_39" id="Page_39" />old men with long, white beards, while others were serious-looking +young men who are to be seen daily in the street walking to and from +their homes and Shules, always deep in thought and so very +serious-looking that you would imagine that they did not know how to +smile. Here they were, on this Purim afternoon, dancing with all their +might, and with bright, smiling eyes! You could see it was not wine that +had made them bright and cheery: it was the spirit, or fire, of their +religious zeal commemorating with thankfulness the anniversary of the +day when their nation was saved from destruction. Of course I was too +fascinated watching them at the time to think this was the reason for +this unusual sight.</p> + +<p>"After a while, they went to pay visits to the Rav and to others who +were scholars or pious men in the community. Often when walking to the +various houses they would catch hold of others and dance with them in +the open streets as you see children doing when an organ-grinder plays.</p> + +<p>"I was so attracted by them, and so was everyone who saw them, that we +followed them at a respectful distance. Sometimes someone had had a +little too much wine when visiting and it had gone to his head. Then +some of the party would say: 'Ah well, it is Purim—there is no shame.'</p> + + +<p>"<a name="Page_40" id="Page_40" />I told Father this when I returned home, and he explained to me that +their rejoicing during Purim did not mean simply a material +satisfaction—it was a spiritual rejoicing, as on Simhath Torah, when +the Reading of the Law was started again, so that during Purim and +Simhath Torah allowance is made if a little more wine is taken than is +usually the case.</p> + +<p>"Then we had Purim Schpielers, who visited every house, dressed up very +funnily and full of jokes; some acted, and some were disguised. In fact, +it was the happiest Purim I have ever spent, and I doubt if there is any +other place where it could be spent so happily. For here in Jerusalem we +are all like one large family: respect is paid to the righteous and to +worthy scholars, whether they are poor or rich. Money has not the same +power here. There is a good deal of quarrelling and mischief going on +among our female neighbours, but the quarrels are not very serious but +more like quarrels in a large family. In another letter I will write +about our 'Female Club.'"<a name="Page_41" id="Page_41" /> </p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="THE_BAKING_OF_THE_MATZOS" id="THE_BAKING_OF_THE_MATZOS" /><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42" /><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43" />THE BAKING OF THE MATZOS</h2> + + +<p>Friday evening came round again, and the friends of the Jacob family +were comfortably seated in the bright cellar-kitchen, eagerly waiting to +hear another letter read, for old and young were equally interested in +hearing details of life in Palestine so many years ago.</p> + +<p>On coming in with a letter Mr Jacob said: "As preparation for the +Passover is not far off, I think it will interest you to hear how it was +done in Palestine."</p> + +<p>They all agreed, so he began:</p> + +<p>"My dear Jacob,—Please forgive my not having written sooner, but I have +really been too busy. We have just had Passover. I think you will be +glad to hear how we prepared for it here. Each family is forced to bake +its own matzos, as none can be bought from abroad. It was no easy +matter, I can tell you, especially the baking, and it is a good thing we +had strong teeth, as the matzos are not rolled out as thin as in London +and are pretty hard to eat. There's a lot of fun attached to making +matzos, but I am thankful the baking comes only once a year.</p> + +<p>"As each family in turn gets the use of the <a name="Page_44" id="Page_44" />public baking-oven, it is +necessary to start soon after Purim to prepare the special flour used +for matzos. In every house a room is set apart and thoroughly cleansed +for the wheat, which is laid out on large trays. Then during the winter +it is examined by the mother and girls to see that no dust be mixed with +it, and sometimes neighbours come in and help. All who enter this room +must have very clean hands; even the finger-nails must be carefully +cleaned, and clean clothes put on, so that there is no chance of any +chometz. When enough of the best grains have been selected, they are +washed, dried, and then ground into flour.</p> + +<p>"As each family's turn comes round for the use of the bakehouse, those +who help always wash very carefully and put on clean overalls; also new +cooking-utensils are always used.</p> + +<p>"Water is carried by a few of the elder men of the family, as the +youngsters would not be trusted to carry it without spilling it.</p> + + +<p><br />ADVENTURES</p> + +<p>"There is great talking among those waiting their turn for the use of +the oven, and great teasing, and sometimes fighting, amongst the boys. +Now and then one of the elder men pulls their ears with a vengeance for +being 'shkotzim', as he calls it. Then they keep quiet till he goes +<a name="Page_45" id="Page_45" />away. When our turn came, Millie kneaded the flour, while father +poured the water on for her. You remember what a strong girl she is, and +she did the kneading with such a will that I warned her not to get too +hot. No flour-dredgers are used. My duty was to roll out the dough, but +Mother wasn't satisfied with the way I did it, and sent me to put more +wood in the oven. When the oven was hot enough, I had to sweep all the +burnt wood and ashes out to get it nice and clean.</p> + +<div class="figcenter"> +<a name="pic02" id="pic02" /> +<img src="images/pic02.jpg" width="600" height="377" alt="Chadar (School)" title="Chadar (School)" /> +<br /> +<b>Chadar (School)</b> +</div> + + + +<p>"Then we started to put the matzos in, one by one. Oh, it was hot work! +I hardly knew what to do, it was so hot. Mother came and pushed me +aside, saying to herself I was good for nothing. In fact, my dear Jacob, +one wants training to stand such heat, as one does to be a blacksmith. +Mother said that making matzos teaches us to realize what some of the +hardships were that our forefathers went through in Egypt. I hope it +will become easier in time, for all the others are quite happy making +and baking them, singing at the same time.</p> + +<p>"Well, well! to be a true Jew is a hard matter. As I grow older and get +more knowledge and sense I shall find a pleasure in doing these things.</p> + + +<p><br />TEMPTATION—AND JONATHAN</p> + +<p>"After a few hours of hard work all the newly baked matzos were put in a +basket, in which had <a name="Page_46" id="Page_46" />been laid a clean table-cloth; and, when all had +been carefully packed in, they were covered with another white cloth. +What I felt most was not being allowed to taste a bit, for it is +forbidden till Seder to eat any of the matzos. As I was carrying the +basket home, I felt as if the devil was in me, and the temptation was so +strong that I undid the cord and took one out. Hearing someone coming up +behind me, I slipped it hurriedly into my pocket and took up the basket +and started off again.</p> + +<p>"I heard the footsteps coming closer until who should come up to me but +my best friend, Jonathan? He glared at me and said: 'Oh you sinner in +Israel!' 'Why, what have I done?' I exclaimed. 'I saw you put a matzo in +your pocket!' he said.</p> + +<p>"I felt hot all over, for I did not want him to have a bad opinion of +me, as we had sworn friendship to each other like Jonathan and David.</p> + +<p>"So I took the matzo out of my pocket, threw it in the gutter, and +jumped on it.</p> + +<p>"'Why have you done that?' he said. 'Because I don't want you to think +badly of me.' 'Yet you did not care for what God thought!' he said. +'Don't you know that our Rabbis say that a bad thought is just as evil +as a bad deed; for, if we check a bad thought or wish, it helps <a name="Page_47" id="Page_47" />us not +to put the bad thoughts or wish into action. If we were as anxious to +please God as we are to please our friends, and to be as well thought of +by Him, we should check our bad thoughts before they led us to do bad +deeds.'</p> + +<p>"He said, too, that he was sorry to see that I cared more for his +approval than I did for God's approval. I promised for the future to try +to overcome any evil thoughts or wishes that came into my mind so that I +should not be so tempted to do wrong—in fact I would try to check a bad +thought in the bud.</p> + +<p>"Then he forgave me, and we parted good friends, for I love him. He is +exactly what I think Jonathan must have been to David, and I will write +more about him in another letter.</p> + +<p>"When I arrived home, we had to prepare and cleanse the house for +Passover. We had to do all the work ourselves, for we could not hire any +helpers except, by a stroke of luck, the 'white-washers,' as they are +called.</p> + + +<p><br />SPRING CLEANING</p> + +<p>"All the furniture is put out of doors, not even a pin is left in the +house. As everyone does the same, a stranger passing by would think +there must be a 'jumble sale' going on.</p> + +<p>"Passover time is usually like lovely English summer weather. As very +little water can be <a name="Page_48" id="Page_48" />got, guess how everything is scrubbed and rubbed!</p> + +<p>"Outside Meah Sheorim there are large holes from which clay has been +taken for building purposes, and during the winter-rains they get filled +with water and they look nearly as large as ponds.</p> + +<p>"We carried or pushed all the furniture to one of these ponds, took sand +moistened with a little water, and rubbed the furniture till it was +white and clean. This we have to do three times: such is the rule. If +any of the furniture was polished, you can imagine that not much of the +polish was left after all this scrubbing and rubbing.</p> + +<p>"We threw into the pond whatever we could, and as it was not deep, we +pulled up our trousers, and washed those pieces of furniture in the +water. Some threw in boards, and we made see-saws and played on them +till one of us fell in. It was such fun! Sometimes the furniture got +mixed, and it was hard to tell to whom it belonged. Indeed, I never +enjoyed myself so much as on this Erev Passover. Even more than in +London when I went to see <i>Sindbad the Sailor</i>. There is plenty of fun +going on when we are left free, but that is not often, you may be sure. +The best fun we had was when someone threw a chair into the pond and sat +on it while other <a name="Page_49" id="Page_49" />boys pushed it along. Somebody else threw in a barrel +and a few of us got on it, and then over we went into the water.</p> + + +<p><br />LOTS OF FUN</p> + +<p>"We were not anxious to go home, even for meals, when our mothers called +us. When we did get home, we found all the walls looking lovely with +fresh whitewash. For a few days we were not allowed to go into the house +unless we took our outer clothes off to prevent our bringing in some +chometz. The weather was beautifully warm, so that we really enjoyed +eating our meals out of doors and calling out to other boys as they ate +theirs.</p> + +<p>"On the eve before Passover we had the fun of going to the Turkish bath +and then to Mikva and help to have all new things 'tavelt', and then the +greatest enjoyment was on the day for the preparation of the Seder!</p> + + +<p><br />THE BONFIRE</p> + +<p>"Before I stop writing I must tell you of the bonfire we had on Erev +Passover, when over a hundred of us each threw the wooden spoon and +remnants of chometz on the lighted fire, and then there was such a blaze +for nearly two hours! We caught hold of each other's hands and danced +round the bonfire. Oh! it was a grand sight. Now I'm called to go to a +Bar Mitzvah, but will <a name="Page_50" id="Page_50" />write you again very soon. How I wish you were +here with me, Jacob!"</p> + +<p>"I wish I was, too," exclaimed Benjamin, who had sat listening quietly +whilst the letter was being read. On the faces of several of the elder +people there was a far-away look and sometimes a smile, for the scenes +described in the letter brought back memories of their own childhood +when the holidays and the preparations for them were similar to those in +Palestine.</p> + + +<p><br />HOW TO ENJOY THE PASSOVER IN LONDON</p> + +<p>One of the boy-listeners said: "I see now why some of us in London do +not enjoy the holidays. It is due to our surroundings. Many of us here +have to work or go to business whether it is a holiday or not, and so we +do not enjoy them in the same spirit as the boys and girls in Palestine, +where they are freer to carry out the teaching of our religion."</p> + +<p>"Well!" said Benjamin; "there's one thing at least I can do, and that is +to help my mother to prepare for the Passover in my spare time."</p> + +<p>"And I, too," and "I, too," exclaimed others.</p> + +<p>"Bravo, boys!" said Mr Jacob. "Even if you do not enjoy it so much +physically, you will do so spiritually, for anyone who tries to help his +mother to keep up our fine old customs will be blessed."<a name="Page_51" id="Page_51" /> </p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="LAG_BOMER" id="LAG_BOMER" /><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52" /><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53" />LAG B'OMER</h2> + + +<p>It was a week before Lag B'Omer, and the friends of the Jacobs family +continued to attend every Friday evening to hear a letter from Jerusalem +read. There was only one drawback to these Friday re-unions, and that +was that every week the little cellar-kitchen sitting-room got more and +more crowded, for each friend became so interested that he brought +another with him without asking permission. However, as no one +complained, Mr and Mrs Jacobs said nothing, and were indeed thankful +that so many were interested in those old letters; and Mr Jacobs at once +started reading as follows:—</p> + +<p>"<span class="smcaps">Dear Millie</span>,—I want to tell you how we spent Lag B'Omer here, for in +London we used not to make much of a holy day of it. Here days are taken +in preparing for it, baking cakes and preparing tasty meals. Both old +and young spend that day in visits to the graves of our great Rabbis and +in picnics on the Mount of Olives or in the cool shade of the many caves +in the neighbourhood. Those who have large families have their hands +full, for the walks in the open air give the children huge appetites; +<a name="Page_54" id="Page_54" />and, unless you are prepared for such appetites it is difficult to +supply all that is needed, for you cannot buy extra food, as in England, +except perhaps a few nuts and a drink of water.</p> + +<p>"Before dawn, our youngsters awakened us and hurried us to get ready to +start, as if we should not have quite enough of their pranks even if we +left a few hours later. As we have to form ourselves into large groups, +we arrange these a day or two beforehand, for there are a great number +of Arabs and Turks about, and many of them are very wild. If you go +alone, or even in pairs, they are often known to attack you, especially +in the case of a girl or a woman. At first I laughed at the girls +fearing to go alone when in the country, but, after having had an +unpleasant adventure myself, I determined to be more careful and obey +those who knew better than I did as to what was safe and what not.</p> + +<p>"It happened in this way. One Sabbath afternoon I went out of the suburb +with a few girls, who, like myself, had the spirit of adventure. As we +went along chatting merrily together, we felt ourselves caught from +behind by some Turks. Fortunately we had not got far, so that when we +shrieked out our cries were heard in the town, and to our great relief +we soon heard a horse galloping in our direction. We kept on screaming, +and one Turk put his hand over my <a name="Page_55" id="Page_55" />friend's mouth; but she bit and +scratched his hand. Then, suddenly, we were let loose, and the Turks +took to their heels, for they saw Europeans galloping up to us. Two of +them jumped off their horses and asked if we were hurt, for we had been +so frightened that we could not quickly leave off crying. They kindly +brought us home, and after that experience I never wanted to go out +without enough men in our party to guard us.</p> + +<p>"Now this Lag B'Omer a number of girls wanted to go to see some special +places, so we formed ourselves into a large party and started very +early, for you rarely get such an outing. It was a most glorious spring +morning, and a few of us had donkeys to ride. To do so is not as much +pleasure as you might think, for the donkeys in Palestine stop every few +minutes, and, unless you beat them cruelly, which we did not like doing, +they will not budge an inch. Sometimes they consent to be led, but they +will not be driven, and you have a weary time of it. Now and then a +donkey will suddenly start off on a quick trot, and, being thus taken +unawares, the rider often falls off. You can imagine the laughter of +your friends and how stupid the girl feels, but somehow it is always +taken in good part.</p> + +<p>"Our visit first was to David's Tomb, but <a name="Page_56" id="Page_56" />we were not allowed to go in. +Next we walked round the walls of Jerusalem, climbed up the Mount of +Olives, then rested under the shade of a large olive-tree, where we +spread out our table-cloth and arranged on it all the good things we had +brought with us. The long walk had given us good appetites. After we had +finished our meals, other groups of friends came close to us, and then +some of the men in turns told us tales of our nation's ancient glory, +and each one had something interesting to relate. Then a middle-aged man +with a group of boys came near us. I think he must have been a teacher, +for he started telling the boys about Bar Cochba and his struggle with +the Romans.</p> + +<p>"'Fierce struggles for Jewish freedom went on for three years, and the +Jews were proving so successful under the leadership of Bar Cochba that +the Romans thought it necessary to bring their greatest general, Julius +Severus, from Britain to command the Roman Army in Palestine. At last +the Samaritans betrayed our people: our last remaining fortified city, +Bethar, fell, and Bar Cochba died in defending it on 9th of Ab, 135 C.E.</p> + +<p>"'The Jews were the last people under Roman rule in those days to fight +for freedom, and over half-a-million of them lost their lives in this +long struggle. Rabbi Akiba, the wise <a name="Page_57" id="Page_57" />and dearly-loved Jewish scholar, +was taken prisoner and scourged, until he expired under his sufferings. +Jerusalem was turned into a Roman colony called Aelia Capitolina, and no +Jew dared appear in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem, under penalty of +death. Jews under the Roman rules were forbidden to practise their +religion, and anyone found teaching or preaching Judaism was horribly +tortured.'</p> + +<p>"The Rabbi, continuing, reminded his boys that, in remembrance of the +brave deeds of Bar Cochba and his Jewish soldiers, Jewish boys to this +present time play with bows and arrows on Lag B'Omer.</p> + +<p>"I was most interested to hear all the Rabbi had to tell his boys, and +glad to feel I was at last living in the Holy Land where so many of our +noble heroes of past ages lived and fought and suffered martyrdom. I +could not prevent tears coming to my eyes when thinking on our nation's +past glory and praying silently we may come again into our own; but I +believe it will not be so much by the power of the sword, but as the +Prophet Zachariah foretold unto Zerubbabel: 'Not by might, nor by power +(or arms), but by <span class="smcaps">My Spirit</span>, saith the Lord.' Those who have been born +here or lived here for many years cannot understand our feeling thus, +though they love their country and their nation dearly.<a name="Page_58" id="Page_58" /> </p> + +<p>"When the Rabbi had ended, we all stood up and received his blessing. We +then went on to the grave of Rabbi Shiman, which was in a beautiful, +cool, and shady spot. There we found numbers of people. Some groups were +having a lively time singing and clapping their hands, while the men +were dancing; but none of the women or girls danced, as it would be +thought immodest of them, but they helped by singing and clapping their +hands. Then other folks came to pray at the saint's grave for the health +of some of their children that were ailing. Others dropped letters or +pieces of paper into the Rabbi's tomb with special requests written on +them. Some put money into the charity-boxes hanging at different parts +around the tomb. There was also no end of beggars there. One +nice-looking man went about with a red handkerchief tied up by the four +corners, asking people to put in as much as they could spare to uphold +the yeshibas and the hospital or the home for the aged, and other +institutions. But as most of the people there around the Rabbi's grave +lived on charity, I could not see what they could spare.</p> + +<p>"I happened to mention this to Father and said how I disliked seeing +people living on Chalukha (alms sent them from Europe), and I could not +understand why they were not ashamed to take it, for they did not look +like ordinary <a name="Page_59" id="Page_59" />beggars, but quite the reverse—independent, studious, +and refined-looking, as I found out later when I spoke to them. They +seemed indeed to think they were conferring a favour by accepting alms. +Father said to a certain degree they were wrong, but from another point +of view it is difficult for a man to progress in business and at the +same time devote many hours to the study of the Torah. Our ancient +Rabbis realized this, and said that those who had not the leisure or the +inclination to devote much time to the study of the Torah should make it +their duty to give of their means towards the up-keep of those who did. +If they did this God would bless them. So it is now a recognized duty +for every Jew in Europe who has any respect for the Torah and other +religious learning or teaching to send his 'bit' towards the yearly +support of the scholars here.</p> + +<p>"The latter, who do nothing but study the Torah, think that it is +through their efforts in this direction that Israel is saved. They do +not consider the money given for their support a charity, but believe +they hold a similar position in Palestine to that of professors and +students who hold scholarships in the various universities in Great +Britain and Europe. The Jews in certain countries send more money for +the support of their fellow-countrymen who are teachers and <a name="Page_60" id="Page_60" />scholars +than the Jews of some of the Eastern European countries, and that is why +some appear to be better off than many of their fellow-teachers and +scholars.</p> + +<p>"This chat with Father helped me to understand other things as well +which had puzzled me before. About this I will write more in another +letter.</p> + +<p>"Now I must return to Lag B'Omer, and tell you what struck me as very +strange on that day. As I went with a few of my girl-friends from group +to group to see and hear all I could about what was going on, we came to +a group of women, girls, and youngsters, and in the centre of them all a +lovely little child about three years of age sitting dressed in silk, +and a plate near by with some lovely black curls lying on it. I, of +course, asked what it all meant, and was told that those people who had +only one boy, or who had lost some by death, never cut the hair of their +children till they were between three and four years of age. Then, when +it was cut, they put all they had cut off upon a scale, and upon the +other side of the scale copper, silver, or gold money, according to +their means. If poor, they put copper coins upon the scales to test the +weight of the hair, and then distributed these copper coins among the +poor. In fact, it just looks as if those who receive charity <a name="Page_61" id="Page_61" />take it +in one hand and distribute it with the other.</p> + +<div class="figcenter"> +<a name="pic03" id="pic03" /> +<img src="images/pic03.jpg" width="600" height="388" alt="Yeushiva (Talmudical School)" title="Yeushiva (Talmudical School)" /> +<br /> +<b>Yeushiva (Talmudical School)</b> +</div> + +<p>"Nowhere have I ever seen so much alms-giving as here. Alms-boxes are +hung up in various places, where in Europe you would see only ornaments. +For every joy or blessing and for those who have relatives or friends +ill or in danger, money is freely dropped into the box. This money is +given towards the up-keep of the hospital for the very poor, and so on. +Really, it must be very hard for those people who have little to spare, +but Father says this is one of the means by which every Jew in Palestine +is trained to love his neighbour as himself. I feel he is right, for I +never saw so much kindness and thoughtfulness for others as I have seen +since we arrived here. Everyone naturally does what the others do, and +it has proved to me how true it is that example is far more powerful +than preaching or teaching.</p> + +<p>"As we appeared so interested in what they told us, they kindly invited +us to sit down and offered us wine, cake, delicious pasties, and jams, +and later on baked nuts, though we were quite strangers to them. It is +this kindliness that surprised me so much. Altogether we spent a very +joyful day, returning home by moonlight, when we girls and women +thoroughly enjoyed <a name="Page_62" id="Page_62" />listening to the groups of men and boys who sang and +danced on the way home.</p> + +<p>"I don't think I could ever make you realize all the drawbacks to the +life here; but yet it has a very pleasant and happy side too, and you +really see far more pleasure than you ever do in London. In my next +letter I'll tell you about the engagement and marriage of my friend who +is only fifteen years old. Now I must stop, hoping that we may see you +here some day soon."</p> + +<p>The older folks started discussing the life in Palestine. Directly Mr +Jacobs had finished reading the letter, they agreed that it could only +be in Palestine that a truly Jewish life could be lived, for everything +depends so much on environment. "In London the surroundings are against +a consistently Jewish religious life," said one; "if you try, it is just +like swimming against a strong current." "But here comes our chance," +replied another, "for if we fight or swim against the current, we +gradually become stronger, and at last we are able to swim well in spite +of it, and so win the race and prize. If we just swim with the current, +or just suit our life to our environment, which of course at first is +much easier and pleasanter, the current at last carries us along so +rapidly that we are unable to avoid rocks or crags in the river, and +then we 'go under,' or make shipwreck of our lives."<a name="Page_63" id="Page_63" /> </p> + +<p>"That's true indeed," said all the elders, shaking their heads solemnly. +"Then," replied Mr Jacobs, "our greatest duty is to have one thought and +one aim constantly in our minds, no matter what our environment may be, +and that thought is that God's Holy Spirit is in and around all who try +to obey Him, no matter where they are; and it is only by the guidance +and help of His Holy Spirit that we can lead true, consistent, Jewish +lives, live up to the old familiar words of the Shema, and love our +neighbours as ourselves."<a name="Page_64" id="Page_64" /> </p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="THE_SABBATH_IN_PALESTINE" id="THE_SABBATH_IN_PALESTINE" /><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65" /><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66" /><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67" />THE SABBATH IN PALESTINE</h2> + + +<p>When Mr Jacobs' family and friends assembled again on Friday evening, he +said: "You know what discussions there have been lately in England about +the proper way to keep the Sabbath, so it may interest you to hear a +letter from my cousin, giving an account how Sabbath was kept in +Jerusalem."</p> + +<p>"My dear Millie,—I will explain as well as I can what it means to +prepare for Sabbath here, and how it is spent. About four o'clock on +Friday mornings Mother and I get up and prepare the Sabbath loaves. I +can tell you it is no easy matter, for, even when the weather is not +frosty, the exertion of kneading the dough makes you perspire. If you +finish kneading early enough, you get back to bed while the dough is +rising.</p> + +<p>"Early on Friday mornings beggars start going from house to house +(especially the Sephardim and Yemenites or Arabian Jews). At each house +they are given small, fresh-baked chola, bun, or beigel. No one refuses +to give this. Later on, two respectable men or women go from house to +house collecting in a large bag whatever anyone gives them, such as +cholas, meat, cereals, <a name="Page_68" id="Page_68" />oil, wine, or money. The Community know that +these things are not for themselves, but are to be distributed amongst +the sick and the most needy, who cannot beg for themselves. Sometimes we +have as many as six or seven people who come collecting, and no one ever +thinks of refusing them. In fact, everyone prepares for this, and gives +most willingly, knowing that the Sabbath must be celebrated by rich and +poor alike with the best one has.</p> + +<p>"In a future letter I will tell you more about certain people who give +up a part of their time to works of charity, and how they do it; for +there is no Board of Guardians here, as there is in London.</p> + +<p>"Then when Father and the boys go to synagogue, we start to prepare for +the day's work. First we take all the furniture we can out of the house, +so as to leave the rooms free for the lower part of the walls to be +whitewashed and the marble floors cleaned. Of course, we try to use as +little water as possible, as it is scarce, but even so the floors must +be clean and look well polished, and the wooden furniture washed and +rubbed well with sand.</p> + +<p>"Then the tea-urn and all the saucepans and trays, which are either +brass or copper, have to be cleaned and brightened; and, as we cannot +get brass-polish here, we rub them with fine sand. <a name="Page_69" id="Page_69" />It needs plenty of +'elbow grease' to make them look bright, but the rubbing well repays us. +Since we came here I quite understand how brass or copper +looking-glasses were used by our ancestors, for, after rubbing very hard +with fine sand and a piece of lemon peel, you can see your face clearly +reflected in the trays. Some who had no mirror used the trays for +looking-glasses.</p> + +<p>"Mother prepares our Sabbath meals, whilst we girls are doing the hard +work—hanging up our best curtains or putting our best covers on the +beds and cushions, and spreading the Sabbath table-cloth. These are put +away again on Saturday evenings. Those who have them also use special +Sabbath china, glass, and silver for their meals.</p> + +<p>"This work keeps us busy nearly all day. About three hours before sunset +Father and the boys go to the public baths, and by the time they return +we are all dressed in our best clothes, the samovar (the urn) is placed +on a table in the porch, and we all sit there to rest and drink tea, +awaiting the coming in of 'Princess Sabbath.' A matter of an hour before +Sabbath a voice is heard calling out:</p> + +<p>'Sabbath is in, friends! Sabbath is in!'</p> + +<p>"The first time I heard the call I could not understand the reason until +Father told me that, as there are no bells in the suburb and very few +<a name="Page_70" id="Page_70" />people have clocks, one of the highly-respected members of the +community undertakes the job of going right round Meah Sheorim every +Friday, so that the women may know when to light their Sabbath +lamps—for directly the Sabbath call is heard all the women stop +whatever work they are at and go to light the Sabbath lamp, which has +seven wicks, in a basin of oil hanging from the ceiling, for there are +no candles here. When this is done the men and children go to synagogue, +and some of the women too. As they all love bright colours, when you see +them from a distance walking to synagogue, the suburb looks like a +flower-garden.</p> + +<p>"After Sabbath dinner, which consists of the <i>cholent</i> baked on the +previous day, Father gathers the boys round the table to hear what +lessons they have learnt during the week. He discusses and explains part +of the Torah to them, while mother and we girls read the Zeene ureene (a +commentary on the Bible for women), the Ethics of the Fathers, and the +like. This goes on for some time, and then we are free to go and visit +our friends. We and several of our friends often go to an old lady's +house, where we spend pleasant Sabbath afternoons.</p> + +<p>"Years ago this dear old lady came from Russia to end her days in the +Holy Land. She is well provided for by her children, so she has <a name="Page_71" id="Page_71" />the +time and means to lead a happy and useful life here, and does a lot of +good quietly, by the cheery, sensible way she often gives a "helping +hand" to those who need it.</p> + +<p>"She so understands all our fun that we sometimes forget she is old. We +just talk things over with her as we would with our young friends. Not +only we girls, but young married women, just love spending part of the +Sabbath afternoons with her. The room is often so full that we have to +sit cross-legged, like the Turks, on the marble floor, which in summer +time is quite the coolest seat.</p> + +<p>"We then play 'Nuts.' Each one puts a certain number into a cap, but to +win the game one has to be very quick and sharp: it is really quite +exciting. What we like best is when the old lady sits amongst us and +reads us a tale from a book, or some of the papers sent her from abroad. +The stories are very tantalizing, for they always leave off at the most +interesting part, and then we may have to wait a week or two before we +get the next number! During the week we try to imagine what the next +chapter will be like.</p> + +<p>"Sometimes she reads from the Ethics of the Fathers—those wise sayings +of the ancient Rabbis. I remember last week she told us of one of the +Rabbis who wrote that 'those who <a name="Page_72" id="Page_72" />control or overcome their hasty +tempers are greater than those who take a city from an enemy,' She, as +usual, asks us to give our views on what she has read, and an excited +discussion follows. Those of us who naturally have a calm, good temper +said that they did not agree with the Rabbi, because they did not think +it at all hard to keep their temper when provoked. Others, who had hasty +passionate tempers, said the Rabbi was quite right: it would be far +easier, they felt sure, to take a city than to control their tempers, +for the whole nation would help them to take a city, as it was +considered a grand thing to do, but very few people would help them to +control their tempers. In fact, even their relatives and friends +provoked them to be hasty and passionate. When provoked or irritated the +blood rushes so quickly to the head that it makes it very, very hard to +remain calm, and then we often say or do things we are really sorry for +afterwards.</p> + +<p>"As we could not agree, we turned to the old lady, for she is full of +wisdom and understanding. She tried to pacify us, for we were nearly on +the verge of quarreling. She said that if, when young, we tried, with +the Almighty's help, to keep our hasty tempers under control, it would +be easier to do so every time we were provoked, but the older we were +before beginning, the <a name="Page_73" id="Page_73" />more difficult it would be to be successful. +Even then we had always to keep a watch over ourselves, for one of our +wise sages wrote: 'One is never sure of himself till the day of his +death.' We all saw the wisdom of her advice, and made up our minds that +we must all help each other, for very often the calm quiet natures are +those who love teasing and provoking the hasty-tempered ones, for the +fun of seeing them get into a temper; and this, we realized after her +talk with us, was not pleasing to God.</p> + + + +<div class="figcenter"> +<a name="pic04" id="pic04" /> +<img src="images/pic04.jpg" width="385" height="600" alt="The Old Lady" title="The Old Lady" /> +<br /> +<b>The Old Lady</b> +</div> + +<p>"After we leave her we take a walk outside the suburb. At sunset, when +we return home, until the time to go to bed, we are kept very busy +washing up all the things used at meals, as no washing up is done during +the Sabbath. Then, too, all the Sabbath curtains, coverlets, glass, +china, and silver have to be carefully put away.</p> + +<p>"In my next letter I will write you more about our old lady."</p> + +<p>When Mr Jacobs had finished the letter, the usual talk started. One said +that "Such a Sabbath might be all very well in Palestine!"</p> + +<p>An elderly friend said: "Well! in Palestine they at least <i>know</i> what +the Sabbath is, whilst here in London, unless one keeps it strictly and +remains indoors all day, except to go to synagogue, one never sees any +difference between the Sabbath and any other day of the week."</p> + +<p>Mr Jacobs said: "I think what you both say <a name="Page_74" id="Page_74" />is true, and the only way is +to try to keep our Sabbath in the spirit, as well as in the letter as +much as possible. If each of us tried to do this in his own home, even +in London, gradually a difference would be seen in the neighbourhood in +which we live. A wise man wrote: 'All reforms begin with <i>man</i> and not +with <i>men</i>.' The first important step is to think good thoughts; for +'thoughts have wings,' and, when expressed, they are readily impressed +upon the minds of those in sympathy with the thinker."</p> + +<p>"True, very true!" exclaimed the others. "Let us each, with God's help, +strive to remember more often those thoughts of our Prophet Isaiah +(chap. 58): 'If thou call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy of the +Lord honourable, and shalt honour it, not doing thy wonted ways, nor +pursuing thy business, nor speaking thereof, then shalt thou delight +thyself in the Lord, and I will make thee to ride upon the high places +of the earth, and I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy +father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.'"</p> + +<p>By this the Prophet meant that we were to drive all thoughts of business +from our minds on the Sabbath. No thoughts of scandal, evil, or +uncharitableness were to be harboured, but our minds and hearts were to +delight in words of prayer, in the study of the Holy Law. It was to be +truly a day of peace, a day of rest.<a name="Page_75" id="Page_75" /> </p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="THE_SUCCAH" id="THE_SUCCAH" /><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76" /><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77" />THE SUCCAH</h2> + + +<p>Mr Jacob told his friends the next Friday evening, when they arrived as +usual, that he thought they would be interested in the letter describing +the Succah.</p> + +<p>"My dear Millie,—After the Day of Atonement, everyone was very busy +preparing for the Feast of Tabernacles, which is still celebrated here +as it must have been in Bible times.</p> + +<p>"With great merriment all the young people decorate their Succahs, while +their mothers with the baby in their arms watch the young folks at work.</p> + +<p>"The Succahs in Palestine are not made as they are in Europe. The +saplings are covered with palm-leaves woven together, the roof with +branches of trees, as there is no chance of rain at this time of the +year in Palestine. Everything that is beautiful in the home is brought +out to decorate the interior of the Succah. The poor make their Succahs +of doors or wooden boxes.</p> + +<p>"As this was the first Succah since our arrival, we were invited by +our neighbours to join them. The father, a patriarchal looking old +man with a saintly face, sat at the head of the <a name="Page_78" id="Page_78" />table, and we were +fascinated by his looks. His eldest son came in soon after, followed +by his other grown-up sons and his daughters. He greeted his aged +father with a smile, and wished him good 'Yom Tov' and bowed his +head for his father's blessing. Then one by one all the children +came to greet him and receive his blessing, with quite a number of +grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and last but not least the +little great-great-grandchild.</p> + +<p>"When my parents looked astonished at the number, one of the daughters +quietly said: 'You see that here we marry our children while very young, +so that the Psalmist's words are very often fulfilled in Palestine, and +nearly everyone has his quiver full.' When all were quiet, our aged +friend repeated a prayer over the wine, and the large silver cup was +passed from one to the other. This was very solemnly and reverently +done.</p> + +<p>"After this, our aged neighbour's children who had large families went +to their own homes, while those of his children who had small families +remained to celebrate the Feast with him. When he had washed his hands +before eating and repeated the blessing upon the meal, he took his +youngest great-grandchild on his knee.</p> + +<p>"The only thing that saddened the scene was the empty chair beside our +aged friend—his <a name="Page_79" id="Page_79" />wife had died during the course of the year. The +family all looked at the empty chair and sighed, and the +great-great-grandfather, with tears glistening in his eyes, also gave a +sigh, and then turned with a smile to his large family and said: 'Let us +begin. My little Samuel will start a Brocha,' and the rest listened to +hear how the little one lisped the words after his great-grandfather.</p> + +<p>"The following day our aged friend sat like a king in his Succah, while +relatives and friends came to pay their respects to him, and all was joy +and merriment.</p> + +<p>"Some of the younger grandchildren wanted to show their grandfather what +they had lately learned, and there was quite a scramble around his knees +to try and be first heard. With a wave of his hand he said: 'I will hear +you all in turn, my children.' This quietened the eager little souls, +and they waited patiently for their turns to come.</p> + +<p>"While the children were thus busy with their grandfather, the elder +sons and sons-in-law and their wives sat around, discussing quietly +various topics of interest, till the time for Mincha came round.</p> + +<p>"Then the great grandfather went to Shule, followed by all his children.</p> + +<p>"Visiting other neighbours during the Succah <a name="Page_80" id="Page_80" />weeks, we found that they +preserved this beautiful and ancient way of keeping the Festival.</p> + +<p>"I never realized till then what a great influence for good the +surroundings and teaching in childhood can be, and how a father and +mother can leave the impress of their teaching in early life upon both +sons and daughters. It is the mother specially who forms the child's +soul, quite as clearly on the boys as on the girls from their +cradle-days, and the father and the teacher only builds on the +foundation laid by the mother: this is seen here more than elsewhere."</p> + +<p>"Very true," exclaimed the others; "a great deal is done by the mother; +but the environment has a great influence on the character."</p> + +<p>This caused a good deal of discussion and the meeting did not close till +one o'clock in the morning.<a name="Page_81" id="Page_81" /> </p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="HOW_CHARITY_IS_GIVEN" id="HOW_CHARITY_IS_GIVEN" /><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82" /><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83" />HOW CHARITY IS GIVEN</h2> + + +<p>On the following Friday evening, the next letter that Mr Jacob chose for +reading to his family and friends was on the way alms-giving, or +charity, was managed in Palestine. Before starting to read, he advised +his hearers not to forget that the Jewish community in Palestine was +very small when this letter was written, and the majority of the people +were very poor. Many had spent most of their money and worldly goods in +the expenses of travelling there, with the object of ending their days +in their beloved land, and being buried with their forefathers.</p> + +<p>Mr Jacob then began the letter.</p> + +<p>"My dear Millie,—You seem so interested in all I have so far told you +about our life in Palestine, that I think you will like to hear of some +of the ways that our poorer brethren are helped in Palestine.</p> + +<p>"Many of the ways will appear strange to you; yet I think some of them +are really better than those adopted by our community in England.</p> + +<p>"Here, there is no Board of Guardians, so that the giving of charity, or +a 'helping hand' to the sick or needy, is more of a direct personal +<a name="Page_84" id="Page_84" />matter. The givers strive to be wise and tactful, so that our people +may not lose their self-respect; for, as a rule, they are naturally very +sensitive, and if self-respect is lost some are encouraged to become +beggars proper.</p> + +<p>"Mother tells us that our Jewish ethics teaches 'that true charity, or +almsgiving, is to make personal sacrifices when helping others. There is +no self-sacrifice in giving what you cannot make use of yourself.' +Indeed, one Jewish ethical teacher wrote: 'If one who has lived a +luxurious life becomes sick and in need, we should try to deny +ourselves, in order to give the sick one dainties such as chicken and +wine.'</p> + +<p>"Really some of our neighbours here seem to rejoice in giving away not +only all they can spare, but also in making personal sacrifices in +helping to relieve a needy neighbour.</p> + +<p>"From early childhood they were trained to give. In every Jewish home in +Palestine we see from two to perhaps more than a dozen boxes placed in +various parts of the house, and written on each is the special charity +to which the box is devoted. Into these boxes even tiny children are +trained to drop a coin at special times, and it is considered a happy +privilege to do so at times of Thanksgiving to God. The coins thus +collected are from time to time distributed amongst the sick and the +needy.<a name="Page_85" id="Page_85" /> </p> + +<p>"There is one hospital near us; and, though it is known to be well +managed, very few Jews whom we know go there for treatment, for it is a +Missionary Hospital, and we strongly object to the methods of Christian +missionaries. Instead of many of them as formerly, persecuting us for +clinging to our dearly beloved religion, they now try, by acts of +kindness in times of sickness and poverty, to influence our people in +favour of accepting their religion.</p> + +<p>"Indeed, I have heard some of our people say that they would rather go +to the Arabs for treatment than enter the Missionary Hospital! Therefore +those who cannot nurse the sick ones at home take them to the +Bikkur-Holim, which a doctor visits once every few days. A mother, wife, +or father goes with the patients to give them the necessary food and +medicine, for in the Bikkur-Cholem there are no trained nurses. The +relatives also keep the patients clean and tidy; but little cooking is +done there, as the food is generally brought cooked from the patients' +homes.</p> + +<p>"I once went to visit the Bikkur-Cholem. One patient I saw had a jug of +cold water brought to her, and, though her own lips were very parched, +she would not take even one sip, but had the water given to those near +her, who, in a very high state of fever, were clamouring for water. +Other <a name="Page_86" id="Page_86" />patients I saw were cheerfully and willingly sharing their food +with those who had none. Until I had visited that Bikkur-Cholem I had +never realized what real charity meant. For these sufferers, in their +love and thoughtfulness and genuine self-sacrifice towards +fellow-sufferers less fortunate than themselves, were obeying in spirit +as well as in the letter the time-honoured commandment given us 'to love +one's neighbour as oneself.'</p> + +<p>"The arrangements in the Bikkur-Cholem are most insanitary; +disinfectants are unheard of; and I greatly pitied the poor unfortunates +that have to go there."</p> + +<p>Mr. Jacob was too overcome by his feelings to continue—so for a few +minutes there was a deep silence. Then one of the listeners said: "One +is thankful to remember that this letter was written fifty years ago, +and conditions must have improved since our writer first went to +Palestine."</p> + +<p>"Yes, thank God!" replied kind-hearted Mr Jacob; and then he continued +reading the letter.</p> + +<p>"Most of the patients die; but a few get cured and leave. If they do, it +is certainly more through faith in God's love and mercy than through the +remedies they receive while there.<a name="Page_87" id="Page_87" /> </p> + +<p>"Now, I want to tell you of a voluntary service which respectable, +well-to-do men and women, and even scholars, do, for the poor who die. +These kind folk are called 'the Chevra Kadisha.' No doubt because of the +heat, there is a strict law that no one who dies in Palestine is allowed +to remain unburied long; and it is believed here that the dead continue +to suffer until they are entombed. So the custom is to bury within +twelve hours every one who dies. The Chevra Kadisha look upon such a +deed as a Mitzvoth. If a poor woman dies, one of these kind women at +once goes to wash the corpse and lay it out ready to be put on the +bier—then when all the relatives and friends of the deceased have given +vent to their sorrow by weeping, some men and some scholars belonging to +the Chevra Kadisha voluntarily carry the bier on their shoulders to the +place of burial (which I think is the Mount of Olives), while others dig +the grave and a scholar or two read the Prayers over the Dead.</p> + +<p>"By the Chevra Kadisha beggars and tramps are thus washed and buried +when dead, free of expense, by these good, self-sacrificing people, at +all times and in all weathers, as a sign that in death all are equal. +The people who can afford it leave enough money to pay all their own +burial expenses or these are paid for by their relatives.<a name="Page_88" id="Page_88" /> </p> + +<p>"Acts of charity towards very poor girls who have no dowry or suitable +wedding-clothes are very touching and generous. It is considered a +disgrace to the community if a poor girl is not given the opportunity to +marry, and a community not only provides a dower, but also seeks for a +bridegroom for her. The housewives willingly and generously prepare the +wedding-feast, for everyone is willing to give something from their +store-room. No shame is attached to poor girls accepting such help; for +it is considered a duty by all our brethren to provide what is necessary +for a bride who has not the means to get things for herself.</p> + +<p>"I am sorry that I cannot write more by this mail."</p> + +<p>One listener interrupted, saying: "Most of what you have read Mr Jacob +happens in Russia and in other parts of the world where Jews live in +ghettos."</p> + +<p>"Quite true," said Mr Jacob, "for wherever Jews live together they keep +up old customs, and all old customs are more or less alike in all +ghettos. It is only when we Jews live outside the ghettos, under +different surroundings, that we are tempted to throw over many religious +customs. The unfortunate thing is, that we are too often inclined to +throw off the really good customs rather than the useless ones, and more +<a name="Page_89" id="Page_89" />inclined to adopt the bad traits and customs of our neighbours rather +than the good ones amongst whom we live, be it in England, France, +Germany, India, or elsewhere. This is a bad habit, and we must do our +utmost in the future to guard against it; for, if we all made an effort +to retain our own ancient customs that are really good and beneficial to +ourselves and others and adopt only the good and healthy customs of our +neighbours, then, indeed, we might feel we had a right to call ourselves +and be recognized by those we live amongst as 'God's Chosen People.'"<a name="Page_90" id="Page_90" /></p> + + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="FATHER_FROST_IN_JERUSALEM" id="FATHER_FROST_IN_JERUSALEM" /><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91" /><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92" /><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93" />FATHER FROST IN JERUSALEM</h2> + + +<p>The next Friday evening Mr Jacob read the following letter.</p> + +<p>"My Dear Cousin Mill,—I have not yet written to tell you how we manage +during cold weather. Before we arrived, we were under the impression +that it was always warm in Palestine. Certainly the sun does shine more +in winter here than in England, and while it shines the weather is very +pleasant; but we get very cold weather, too, especially in Jerusalem. We +get very little snow, but a good deal of frost, which no one enjoys. No +doubt you wonder why, because we all enjoyed the cold and frost in +England, and loved the skating and the snowballing.</p> + +<p>"The reason is very clear, for here we have no cheery open fireplaces, +which give out so much heat in England; in fact there are not even any +steel or iron ovens, and the result is, the Palestinian houses are +intensely cold in frosty weather. The ceilings are all lofty and in the +shape of a dome, which, with the very thick stone walls is very pleasant +in summer but very cold in the winter. Then there is very little +firewood to be had here, as the Turks try to prevent much +<a name="Page_94" id="Page_94" />tree-planting, so fire wood is a luxury which very few can afford. +Instead, we have all copper buckets pierced with holes standing on a +tripod and filled with burning charcoal, which is placed in the middle +of the room.</p> + +<p>"How we all eagerly cluster round it and watch the red hot charcoal, +hoping that by <i>looking at it</i> the warmth will go into our bodies! Such +a small amount of charcoal as we can afford does not warm a room very +much, so all the windows are closed tightly to prevent any cold air +coming in. This also prevents the fumes of the burning charcoal from +escaping, so naturally the air gets very stuffy, and many suffer from +headaches or fall into a heavy sleep.</p> + +<p>"You will wonder why it is many people do not get frozen. Well, the old +proverb holds good here, that 'Necessity is the mother of invention,' so +even in the coldest weather we have a remedy; for we heat also our brass +samovar, which holds about thirty glasses of tea, and we drink a glass +of hot tea every now and then.</p> + +<p>"As the samovar boils all day the steam also sends out some warmth into +the room.</p> + +<p>"Then, again, the younger children are during the very cold weather kept +warm in bed with feather coverlets and pillows, which the elder people +try to keep warm in doing the necessary household duties. Very few go +out in the streets, <a name="Page_95" id="Page_95" />except the men when they go to Shule, and the elder +boys when they go to the Yeshiba or Cheder, and even they are very often +kept at home.</p> + +<p>"One comfort is that 'Father Frost' does not stay long, so we can manage +to bear his icy breath: the greatest hardship is when he visits us on a +Sabbath, for of course on that day we cannot heat the samovar and so we +have to do with less tea.</p> + +<p>"We prepare our Sabbath meals in a small scullery, or porch, in which a +small brick oven is built to keep the food hot for the Sabbath. A few +pieces of wood are put in, and, when well lighted, the oven is +half-filled with charcoal-dust—this again is covered by pieces of tin +or lime, and, on top of all, the saucepans are put containing food for +the Sabbath meals: also bottles or jars of water are thus kept hot for +tea or coffee. Neighbours who are not lucky enough to have such an oven +bring in their food, and we let them put it in our ovens. In this way we +have enough for every one to drink who may come in. Sometimes twenty +poor people come in on a Sabbath day and say: 'Spare me, please, a +little hot water?' No one would think of refusing to give them some, +even if they had to share their last glass with them.</p> + +<p>"Generally on cold Sabbath afternoons our parents have a nap after +eating the nice hot <a name="Page_96" id="Page_96" />cholent, and we girls and the young married women +go and spend a few hours with our old lady friend, who always entertains +us with stories and discussions on various interesting subjects. So the +time passes very quickly and so pleasantly that we forget how cold it +is. About twenty or thirty of us all sit close together on her divan +covered up with rugs, and this with the excitement over the tales she +tells us, helps to keep us warm.</p> + +<p>"Last Sabbath our old lady was not very well, and we were feeling very +miserable without her entertaining tales. Suddenly, one of my +girl-friends asked me to tell them about our life in London.</p> + +<p>"As they had never read or heard about life outside Jerusalem, it was +most amusing to hear their exclamations of wonder; for they could hardly +believe what I told them was true, till our old lady confirmed our +statements.</p> + +<p>"First, they wanted to know how young men and women behaved toward each +other.</p> + +<p>"I told them that every man and every woman, whether young or old, +either in the street or in-doors, always shook hands with friends—at +this they looked very surprised and some seemed even horrified, +exclaiming: 'What a sin to commit.' I asked them where it was written +that this was a sin? 'Well,' some <a name="Page_97" id="Page_97" />replied, 'our parents or husbands say +it is a sin,' 'I don't think it is a sin, but only a custom,' said I. +'But it <i>is</i> a sin,' insisted one little wife of fifteen 'to touch one +another's hands.' I tried to explain to her, but she would not listen to +me and we were on the verge of quarreling but as usual, when there was a +difference of opinion between any of us, we always appealed to our old +lady and she agreed with me that there was no sin in shaking hands. +'Sin,' she said, 'comes from thoughts—if while talking or laughing or +even shaking hands, evil thoughts pass through the minds of men or women +then, and then only, is the act likely to be a sin. In Europe,' she went +on to say, 'it is quite a natural thing for men and women to shake hands +and talk to each other naturally.'</p> + +<p>"Then I asked my new friend Huldah (a young wife of fifteen years of +age) to tell us all about her own love-affair and marriage. She was +greatly shocked to hear me speaking of love <i>before</i> marriage—'Such a +thing could never happen to a modest Jewish maiden in those days,' she +said.</p> + +<p>"I told her that it did happen in Europe. 'May be,' she replied; 'it may +happen in lands where Jews mix with non-Jews and copy their ways!'</p> + +<p>"As I rather liked to tease her, I said she was <a name="Page_98" id="Page_98" />mistaken, for here in +Jerusalem did the great Rabbi Akiba fall in love with his wife before +marriage. 'Oh, that was quite different!' she replied. 'Not at all,' +said I, for were not feasts and rejoicing held so that youths and +maidens could meet one another in the vineyards and dance in the +meadows?—Look in the Bible,' I continued, 'and you will see it is +mentioned there.' Then all looked abashed. The only one who smiled was +our old lady.</p> + +<p>"'Don't unsettle their minds, dear,' she whispered softly to me. 'I +don't want to,' I said; 'I only want to show them that, though such +things are done in other countries, there is no sin in it as they have +been brought up to believe.' 'Well, well!' she said, 'let us hope God +will restore our beloved land to us in his own good time, and then we +shall again, as in days of old, celebrate such Festivals!'</p> + +<p>"We all said 'AMEN,' most heartily, to this wish.</p> + +<p>"In my next letter I will tell you of our friend's engagement and +marriage. Your loving cousin, Millie."<a name="Page_99" id="Page_99" /> </p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="ENGAGEMENT_AND_WEDDING_CEREMONIES" id="ENGAGEMENT_AND_WEDDING_CEREMONIES" /><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100" /><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101" />ENGAGEMENT AND WEDDING CEREMONIES</h2> + + +<p>The hearers waited with eagerness for the next Friday evening, as they +enjoyed so much hearing those interesting letters.</p> + +<p>The next Mr Jacobs read was this:</p> + +<p>"Hulda is only fifteen years of age, and has already been married six +months. If she were dressed as girls are dressed in England, she would +really look beautiful; but her beauty is, I think, marred by the silk +handkerchief she wears on her head, which covers half her forehead and +her ears, so that none of her hair can be seen, I mean that part of it +that was shaved off. Over the silk handkerchief she wears a black velvet +band, to which gold coins are attached and these are put on so +coquettishly that it makes the head-gear look quite artistic. Sometimes +she wears ornaments with pearls in them. These special trinkets are, of +course, worn only on Sabbaths and Festivals or some other special +occasions.</p> + +<p>"The shaving of part of the young wife's head the day after her marriage +is a custom to prevent young married women from being tempted by <a name="Page_102" id="Page_102" />vanity +to show off their hair, which is generally in Palestine very beautiful. +The poor things cover up the part so well that there is no fear of any +of it being seen.</p> + +<p>"Hulda is tall and well-developed for her age, and lively as a cricket, +always ready to play and laugh and joke with us. She started by telling +me: 'I was invited to visit my betrothed's family during the holidays, +and my future mother-in-law let me help her with the baking and cooking, +and was specially pleased with the way I stretched out the dough for the +lockshen—I made it look so thin, like a paper wrapper. She told me that +I would make a good housewife. Then I showed all the family some of the +linen garments I had made and had with me, and the crochet I had trimmed +them with.'</p> + +<p>"Here Hulda turned to me and said: 'our mothers encourage us at eight +years of age to begin to make garments for our trousseaux, and at the +age of ten we start to crochet lace and embroider, so by the time we get +married we have all our things ready, for they cannot be bought +ready-made in Palestine. When we become betrothed we work our future +initials on our things and make our dresses.'</p> + +<p>"'While I was staying at my betrothed's home, we never spoke to each +other, except to say Good-morning and Good-night. Sometimes <a name="Page_103" id="Page_103" />when no one +saw us we looked at one another, for already I liked my young man, +though he was not handsome. A wise girl does not want good looks in a +husband so much as that he should be a good Talmudist and be a good +character; this he is, and I could listen to him for ever,' she said, +blushing like a rose; 'when he sings Zmires, his voice is like a +nightingale, and even in the mornings, when he thinks I am asleep, it is +just lovely to hear his sing-song as he studies—it is to me the +sweetest of all music,' she said.</p> + +<p>"'So it should be, my child,' said our old lady, 'and it is a privilege +for us women to help them to study.'</p> + +<p>"'So my mother says,' said Hulda, naturally.</p> + +<p>"At the same time I thought to myself: 'A nice thing it would be if only +our men were to study and our women to work, as they mostly do here and +in Russian ghetto towns. No,' I thought, 'I would rather that the men +did some manual labour as well as study, and the women have some time +for study as well as for household work.'</p> + +<p>"But I kept these thoughts to myself, while Hulda continued to tell me +what a longing she had to see more of her betrothed; but she did not see +him again till after the marriage ceremony.</p> + +<p>"I will try to describe the ceremonies to you <a name="Page_104" id="Page_104" />in detail, as I have now +been to several weddings here, and I think you would like to know.</p> + +<p>"A week before the wedding, all the relations and friends come to help +bake and prepare the wedding-feast; for, as these proceedings last about +eight days, it is no easy matter to celebrate them.</p> + +<p>"The bride's trousseau is shown to the guests who come, and everything +is examined and counted by all, especially the relations of the +bridegrooms. When there happens to be less than expected, woe betide the +bride, for she is always reproached about it by her mother-in-law or his +other relatives.</p> + +<p>"On the Sabbath before the marriage the bridegroom is called up to read +the Law, and friends pay him visits.—First they send him nicely baked +cakes or puddings and a bottle of wine. (It is a good thing that this is +the custom, or else a poor man would be ruined by the cost of all the +feasting that he is expected to provide).</p> + +<p>"During the week the bride's friends come every evening and dance and +sing in her home, coffee and cakes and baked nuts being handed round.</p> + +<p>"The morning of the wedding, both bride and bridegroom fast, and each +goes with his or her parents to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, to <a name="Page_105" id="Page_105" />pray +for a blessing on their married life, and then they go to be blessed by +the Rav.</p> + +<p>"When the bride returns home, she is dressed in her bridal dress. Then +she is led up to a chair that has been raised off the floor; her hair is +unloosed and allowed to hang over her shoulders; and this is the last +time, for the next day most of it is shaved off.</p> + +<p>"Her young friends stand near her and each sings a song, bidding +good-bye to her maiden days; and the bride weeps, fearing what the +future may hold in store for her. Then the bridegroom comes in, led by +his friends, who carry candles. He is given a veil, which he throws over +his bride's head, and then leaves with his friends for the Synagogue.</p> + +<p>"Though some parts of the ceremony look ridiculous, yet all is carried +out so solemnly that one feels very much impressed.</p> + +<p>"The bride is then led by two of her relatives or friends, who carry +candles, and all the other friends follow them through the streets, some +also carrying candles. As there are no carriages to be had in Jerusalem, +they have sometimes to walk some distance to the Synagogue.</p> + +<p>"The usual bridal canopy is in the Synagogue, and they walk round it +seven times; then prayers are said, and the glass is broken; Mazzeltov +is said, and with songs and clapping of hands the <a name="Page_106" id="Page_106" />bridal pair is led +home again. Near the home a large Bagel is held by a friend, and as the +couple cross the threshold it is broken over their heads, and the pieces +are distributed among the guests. The bride and bridegroom are then led +into a room, and the door is closed for five minutes—I suppose to be +sure that they are the right persons, anyhow the bridegroom lifts the +bride's veil and gives her the first kiss he has ever given her. (I do +not know if she kisses him, for she may be too shy: they will not tell +when I ask).</p> + +<p>"After the five minutes have passed, the bride is led out of the room to +a room where the women-guests are assembled, while the bridegroom goes +to a room where the men-guests are. The feasting lasts for a few hours +in each room. Then the bride is led by some of her women friends to the +room where the men are, and the bridegroom takes her by the hand and +starts dancing; the other guests follow suit. It is amusing to see the +old grey-bearded scholars, who, one would think, could not move their +legs, dance and rejoice while the lookers-on clap and sing. It is far +more exciting than a wedding in London, for it is considered a 'Mitzvah' +to rejoice with a young bridal couple.</p> + +<p>"The dancing goes on for some time, the only miserable pair, I expect, +are the bride and <a name="Page_107" id="Page_107" />bridegroom, who generally become very weary of it +all, for they started their wedding pilgrimage very early in the morning +and had fasted till the feasting began late in the afternoon—I often +wonder that they have any energy left in them, poor things, for they +cannot retire till late at night.</p> + +<p>"The next day comes the ceremony of cutting off the bride's hair. The +bridegroom's mother hands her a few silk handkerchiefs to be worn on her +head on special occasions. Sometimes the poor little bride is so young +that she cries while her beautiful plaits are being cut off.</p> + +<p>"At times a quarrel begins between the two mothers: the bride's mother +sometimes insisting that her child's hair shall only be cut short and +not shaved, and she generally gets her way.</p> + +<p>"Some brides do not mind being shaved, for they like the idea of wearing +the pretty coloured silk handkerchiefs.</p> + +<p>"At nearly every wedding a table is spread for the poor, and I was +present at a wedding when more than a hundred poor men came regularly +for eight days, and the table was spread as bountifully for them as for +the other guests. Here in Palestine the poor share in the joys of their +richer brethren.</p> + +<p>"When the eight days of Festival are over, the young couple usually +settle down close by or <a name="Page_108" id="Page_108" />in one of their parents' homes, who give them a +room. A great deal of the happiness of young couples depends on the +character of the mother-in-law, for they have the power of making or +marring their happiness more than anyone else.</p> + +<p>"Huldah told me that she would have been quite happy in her +mother-in-law (for she really was a good kind woman) if only she would +more often allow her to talk to her husband, 'and I do so like a talk +with him,' she said to me with a sigh, 'for he is so wise. When my +mother-in-law sleeps after the Sabbath dinner, we go into the next room +and we sit talking, and he tells me tales from the Talmud, and sometimes +reads aloud from it. I do so enjoy those Sabbath hours,' she continued, +'for I have only my bedroom which I can call my own, but I am not +allowed to be much in it,—the little time I have with my husband each +day makes me very happy, for I know he loves me dearly (although he does +not say so), for when he comes home his first word is for me,'</p> + +<p>"'Sometimes, when my mother-in-law is in a good temper, she lets us eat +out of the same dish, and then he jokingly puts the daintiest bits on my +side; often when I wake in the mornings I find pinned to my pillow a few +words he has copied from the <i>Song of Songs</i>, put there before leaving +for the Synagogue.' Then Huldah added <a name="Page_109" id="Page_109" />'After returning himself from the +Synagogue on Sabbath Eve, my dear husband always looks at me with a +loving smile when he reads that part where it says: ''The price of a +virtuous woman is far above rubies, the heart of her husband trusteth in +her.' 'Yes indeed,' she said, 'thanks be to God—I am a very happy wife, +and when God blesses us with children, my cup of joy will be very full.'</p> + +<p>"And this child-wife of fifteen did indeed look very happy as she +spoke—and I, deep down in my heart, thought, 'What would they say to +such match-making in England and Western Europe,' and yet in Palestine +such marriages arranged by the parents are nearly always happy.</p> + +<p>"I must close now, Your loving Millie."</p> + +<p>When Mr Jacob had finished reading, some of his young listeners said +they thought it was a very foolish way to arrange marriages. One of them +remarked: "How could there be any love, if a couple rarely met each +other before marriage."</p> + +<p>Another said: "For my part, I would never marry unless I felt sure that +I was in love with my husband to-be and that he also was in love with +me. Love is everything in life, <i>I</i> think."</p> + +<p>Then said a middle-aged lady, much loved and respected by all the +listeners: "How often has many a marriage not turned out well, even when +as young people a husband and wife had <a name="Page_110" id="Page_110" />a passionate love for each +other. The seed of love may be sown before or after marriage; but, +unless carefully cultivated during married life by both husband and +wife, through deeds of kindness and thoughtfulness and forbearance and +mutual sympathy and understanding, the tender plant may soon wither and +die. The old customs of our race, which this letter shows are still kept +up in Palestine and I believe in other parts where ghetto life still +obtains, if they are not carried to extremes, are, I think, very wise; +but, unfortunately, our people are very tempted to go to extremes, and a +good custom can thus be distorted and brought to ridicule."</p> + +<p>"True, true," murmured some of the older people.</p> + +<p>"In all things moderation and balance are safe guides to follow," said +Mr. Jacobs.</p> + +<p>The next book will be all about Millie's love affairs and marriage and +her life, impressions, and tribulations in Palestine.<a name="Page_111" id="Page_111" /> </p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="APPENDIX" id="APPENDIX" /><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112" />APPENDIX </h2> + + +<h4><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113" />THE CELEBRATION OF THE JUBILEE OF ZORACH BARNETT</h4> + +<p>(Translated from the <i>Palestine Daily Mail</i> of Friday, December 2nd, +1921).</p> + + +<p>Those who felt stirred to celebrate the jubilee of this illustrious old +pioneer did very well indeed. For a young man who leaves all his +business enterprises far behind him in London and who migrates to +Eretz-Israel over fifty years ago—at a time when Jaffe did not posses +even a Minyan foreign Jews; and at a time when the way from Jaffe to +Jerusalem was a very long and tedious one—aye, a way fraught with all +possible dangers, and moreover, teeming with robbers, a journey which +lasted three whole days, such a Jew is indeed entitled to some mark of +appreciation and respect.</p> + +<p>A Jew who has worked for the re-building of our land for over fifty +consecutive years in which period he visited the lands of the Diaspora +fifteen times and all that he did and profited there was <a name="Page_114" id="Page_114" />afterwards +invested in the re-building of Eretz-Israel such a Jew has indeed +merited to be praised even during his life-time.</p> + +<p>A Jew who was one of the first to found the colony of Petah-Tikvah and +therefore merited that people in Jerusalem should mark him out as an +object of derision and scorn because he was a dreamer—a man who built +the first house in this Petah-Tikvah—who was one of the founders of the +"Me'ah Shearim in Jerusalem—who constructed perfect roads in Jaffe—who +founded Zionist Societies in the lands of the Diaspora at a time when +Zion did not occupy such a foremost part in the heart of the Jew—such a +Jew is indeed worthy that a monument of his splendid achievement be +erected for him even during his life-time!"</p> + +<p>It must, moreover, be mentioned that Z. Barnett and his wife are one of +the remnant of those noble men who participated in that famous assembly +of Kattovitz—that noble gathering of illustrious men which can be +verily described as the Aurora as the Dawn of the conception of the +Restoration of the land of Israel.</p> + +<p>The celebration took place on Sunday, November 27th, in the private +house of Mr. Barnett. Those who had assembled were many, in fact, there +were present representatives of every shade and section of Jewish +communal life in Palestine. Thus there came along Rabbis of all the +various <a name="Page_115" id="Page_115" />congregations, various Jewish communal workers, heads of +colonies, teachers, business men and workpeople and even beggars who +came to enjoy the material blessings of this great national festivity.</p> + +<p>Mr. Joseph Lipshitz opened the proceedings by explaining the importance +of this great red letter day for Mr. Barnett and then called upon Rabbi +Auerbach of Jerusalem who had come specially to take part in this +celebration. Rabbi Auerbach delivered a long Talmudical dissertation in +which he recited the great merits of the jubilant. He compared Z. +Barnett to a king, because he based himself on a Talmudic statement +concerning Omri which asserts that he who builds a little town or +village is worthy to be called a king. The learned Rabbi also emphasised +the importance of acquiring land in Palestine by many pithy remarks. +Then spoke the Rabbis: Joseph Ha-levi, Shneiur Lenskin, Joseph Arwatz +and Joseph Rabbi. All these testified to the great qualities of their +host, who besides being a great idealist was also a very practical man +too.</p> + +<p>After the Rabbis, Mr. S. Nissim, chief of the colony of Petah-Tikvah +spoke. He narrated in a very realistic and eloquent way how that pioneer +Zorach Barnett came fifty years ago to build up the ruins of the land +and how he bought <a name="Page_116" id="Page_116" />up the land of Petah-Tikvah, which was now a +flourishing colony, but which was then a howling desert wilderness, such +as only insane men could ever think of converting this into an +habitation of men. At the present day, thousands of pioneers are +flocking to the land, but they are only a continuation of the pioneering +of Z. Barnett and his stalwart companions. The speaker concluded by +blessing the jubilant that he should survive to see thousands of Jewish +Colonies in Palestine and tens of thousands of pioneers flocking here +from every part of the world.</p> + +<p>Mr. I. Adler, chief representative of the Council at Jaffe, also spoke +on this great member of the Jewish community at Jaffe. Such men are +really a blessing to the whole of Israel; they are not only Banim (sons) +of the Jewish people, but also Bonim (builders).</p> + +<p>Many were the letters and telegrams of congratulation received on this +occasion from various ranks of Jewish representatives in Palestine. The +private secretary of Sir Herbert Samuel wrote: "I am commanded by His +Excellency, the High Commissioner, to acknowledge your invitation to +partake in your celebration of the 27th inst. His Excellency, is, +however, restrained from accepting this invitation owing to the various +duties which occupy him at present. He sends you his blessing and hopes +that all <a name="Page_117" id="Page_117" />your ambitions will be realised with, the greatest success."</p> + +<p>The Chief Rabbi of Eretz-Israel, Rabbi A.I. Kook, wrote: "I should very +much have wished to be present at the occasion of the jubilee of my dear +and respected friend, who first trod upon this Holy soil over fifty +years ago and who has since then been building up the ruins of our land, +but, unfortunately, to my great pain, I am not able to realise this my +wish, owing to the present troubled state of the Jewish community. +Please accept my heartiest blessings for a happy old age, in which you +may verily see the re-birth of our People and of our land."</p> + +<p>Rabbi Rabbinowitz wrote: "I bless our jubilant from the depths of my +heart. This occasion is not only a happy one for him, it is also for us. +This shows that though the enemies of re-building Palestine were, and +are still, many, Palestine is, nevertheless, steadily but surely being +rebuilt."</p> + +<p>Mr. Diznoff, in the name of the Colony of Tel-Avis wrote: "On this great +occasion, we should like to say, that as you have merited to see that +the "howling desert" you have found, you have succeeded in creating into +a "Garden of Eden," thus may you merit to see the flourishing state of +the whole of Palestine."</p> + +<p>Mr. Ephraim Blumenfeld wrote: "Though I <a name="Page_118" id="Page_118" />should have very much have +liked to be present, yet my present bad state of health does not enable +me to do so. This is a happy moment for all lovers of Zion. May you +merit to see with your own eyes the restoration of Israel on its own +land."</p> + +<p>Messages and telegrams were also received from the Yeshivah Me'ah +Shearim, Mr. D. Slutskin, from the scholars of the Yeshivah "Or Zoraiah" +of Jaffa and many synagogues. Also from Mr. Friedenberg of Jerusalem, +Mr. S. Tolkovsky, Dr. Eliash, from the Chief Rabbi of Alexandria, from +the "Old Aged" Home in Jaffe, from the Mizrachi, from Rabbi S.L. Shapiro +of Jerusalem, etc., etc.</p> + +<p>At the request of the host, who is a British subject, a special prayer +was offered up for the Divine protection of King George the Fifth, and +also prayers in the name of R. Barnett for the health of the High +Commissioner, the Secretary, the leaders of the Zionist +Movement—Weitzman, Sokolov and Usishkin, for the Chief Rabbis of +Palestine and for the Rabbi Sonnenfeld, Rabbis Diskin, Epstein, etc., +etc.</p> + +<p>Mr. Barnett offered a certain sum in the name of each, and among the +numerous institutions to which he contributed were the following: Hebrew +Archaeological Society at Jerusalem, the building of a synagogue on the +site of <a name="Page_119" id="Page_119" />the Old Temple Wall, the school for the blind, the poor of +Jaffe, the Home for Aged Jews, etc., etc.</p> + +<p>Mr. Barnett was then enrolled in the Golden Book by those present. Great +indeed was the honour which R. Zorach Barnett and his wife received on +that day, but they were really worthy of it.</p> + +<p>May theirs be an example to others!<a name="Page_120" id="Page_120" /> </p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="GLOSSARY" id="GLOSSARY" /><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121" /><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122" /><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123" />GLOSSARY</h2> + +<p> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Bar Cochba</span>. The heroic Jewish leader who led the +final revolt against the Romans in the year +A.D. 123.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Bar Mitzvah</span>. Confirmation of a boy at the age of +thirteen.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Bezel</span>. A cake made in the shape of a ring.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Bikkur-Holim</span>. Used to denote a Hospital.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Brocha</span>. A blessing or a thanksgiving used on various +occasions.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Challah</span>. White bread shaped as a twist used for the +Sabbath sanctification.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Chassid</span>. Pietist; a name assumed by a sect of Jews +mainly in Galicia established by "Baal Shemtob."<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Chazah</span>. A cantor, or Synagogue reader.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Chevra-Kadisha</span>. A burial society.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Cholent</span>. A dish of various vegetables and meat, +eaten on the Sabbath.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Chometz</span>. Leavened bread.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Erev</span>. Evening.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Hamantaschen</span>. A triangular cake eaten on Purim, +shaped according to the hat Haman was supposed to have worn.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Kaftan</span>. A long coat, worn by Jews in eastern +Europe.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Kiddush</span>. A blessing of sanctification over wine, <a name="Page_124" id="Page_124" /> +said at the ushering in of Sabbath and of Festivals.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Lag B'Omer</span>. The 33rd day of the seven weeks +between Passover and Pentecost: a students' holiday.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Mazzeltov</span>. A greeting signifying Good Luck.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Meah Sheorim</span>. A Hundred Gates: the name of a +suburb of Jerusalem.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Mincha</span>. The afternoon service.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Mitzvoth</span>. Acts of piety.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Para</span>. A Turkish coin of small value.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Pesach</span>. Passover.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Princess Sabbath</span>. A poetical expression, used for +welcoming the Sabbath.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Purim</span>. The Festival referred to in <i>The Book of Esther</i>.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Rav</span>. One learned in rabbinical lore.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Samovar</span>. A tea-urn.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Schpielers</span>. Strolling-players.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Schtramel</span>. Head-gear worn by Chassidim.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Seder</span>. The Service on the first two nights of Passover.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Sephardim</span>. Jews of Spanish or of Portuguese origin.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Shalach Manoth</span>. Gifts—especially used with reference +to distributions on Purim (vide <i>The Book of +Esther</i>).<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Shalom</span>. Peace.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Shiros</span>. Oil made from the sesame seed.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Shulchan Aruch</span>. The Jewish religious Code; compiled +in the middle of the 16th century and regarded as of high authority.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Shule</span>. Synagogue, derived from the German <i>Schule</i> +(school).<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Simhath Torah</span>. The festival of the Law, following <a name="Page_125" id="Page_125" /> +the Tabernacle festival when the reading of the +<i>Pentateuch</i> is completed and recommenced amid +great rejoicing.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Strudel</span>. A sweet pudding or cake.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Succah</span>. The tabernacle used as a dwelling on the +Feast of Tabernacles.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Tavelt</span>. Immersed; used in reference to the Ritual +Bath.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Torah</span>. The Law; specially referring to the Mosaic +code and its derivatives.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Tsennah Urennah</span>. A Jewish German translation +of the <i>Pentateuch</i>, embellished with legends for +the use of women.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Tsitsith</span>. Knotted fringes worn by men according to +Mosaic injunction on Tallith or praying-scarf, and +also used for a small four-cornered fringed garment +worn on the chest, under the coat.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Yemenites</span>. South-Arabian Jews.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Yeshibah</span>. A Jewish theological Academy.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Yom Kippur</span>. The Day of Atonement.<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smcaps">Yomtov</span>. Holy-day<br /> +</p> + + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Pictures of Jewish Home-Life Fifty +Years Ago, by Hannah Trager + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PICTURES OF JEWISH HOME-LIFE *** + +***** This file should be named 15173-h.htm or 15173-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/5/1/7/15173/ + +Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Keren Vergon, Cori Samuel and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team. + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Pictures of Jewish Home-Life Fifty Years Ago + +Author: Hannah Trager + +Release Date: February 25, 2005 [EBook #15173] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PICTURES OF JEWISH HOME-LIFE *** + + + + +Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Keren Vergon, Cori Samuel and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team. + + + + + +PICTURES OF +JEWISH HOME-LIFE +FIFTY YEARS AGO + +By +HANNAH TRAGER + + +Author of +_Stories of Child-Life in Palestine_ +_Festival Stories of Child-Life in Palestine_ +_Pioneers in Palestine_ + + +WITH A PREFATORY LETTER BY LEO JUNG + +WITH FOUR PLATES AND A GLOSSARY + +NEW YORK +BLOCH PUBLISHING CO., Inc. + + +PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY +THE STANHOPE PRESS, LTD. +ROCHESTER + + + + + To + MY BELOVED PARENTS +in reverence and gratitude for their + beautiful and holy example + + + + +FOREWORD + + +My dear Mrs. Trager, + +It gives me great pleasure to write a preface to your new book. I +consider it a real privilege, since it represents the fulfilment of a +hope expressed some five years ago. When you sent me the first article +for "The Sinaist" I told you that your pen would win the love and the +esteem not only of the child, but essentially also of the adult readers. + +The simple joyousness of your style, the beauty and freshness of the +atmosphere, which you very well succeed in bringing to the pages of your +books, the strength of your faith, and the vividness of your +description, the love of Jew above the love of Palestine, all these +combine to render your volumes valuable additions to the small stock of +good Jewish literature in English. It is not only that you teach, while +talking so pleasantly; that you instruct while you interest and amuse; +that you have your own personality in the stories; that you convey the +charm of Eretz Israel, and the beauty of holiday spirit; but because +your stories help us to feel the depth of faith and the height of ideal +as the self-evident, normal factors of Jewish life. + +For the children of our age, both young and old, should know that that +God-consciousness of the Jew, that wondrous sense of eternity in his +mission, is not a laboriously acquired conviction, not the result of +some spasmodic effort of grasping the innermost meaning of our history, +but the natural pervading spirit of Jewish life, the air which the Jew +breathes, when he lives with Torah as his guide and Mitzvah as his +ladder towards heaven. + +They who read your stories conceive a deep love of Judaism, they find a +desire growing in them to live the life which produces such happiness +and goodness, they will want to study the Law and lore, of which that +life is an outward expression. I have given your tales to children in +various countries and all of them were enchanted with them, regretting +that "there were only two books by Mrs. Trager." I am glad indeed to +find that another one is coming out. And it is in the interest of our +youth that I hope you will give us every year some of these nourishing +and very palatable fruits of your pen. + +You will thereby be doing an additional bit for our God and our people +whom you are serving so loyally. You reinterpret to the Jewish youth of +to-day the treasures they are so carelessly abandoning, you will shed +light and reawaken love and hope in the heart of many a Jew, who seemed +to feel that our glorious faith had no message for the child of to-day, +unless it were shorn by our 'religious' barbers, robbed of its native +beauty and reduced to some platform-commonplace. As a lamented London +Maggid told me, "There still live some real soldiers of God." Such are +those who use persuasion from the pulpit, such as shine through the +example of their own humane Jewishness and such as capture our hearts by +artless beautiful tales of Jewish life and lore. + +I wish you every success in the world, + +Yours very sincerely, + +LEO JUNG + + + + +CONTENTS + +THE ARRIVAL IN JERUSALEM +THE WELCOME +THE CELEBRATION OF PURIM +THE BAKING OF MATZOS +LAG B'OMER +THE SABBATH IN PALESTINE +THE SUCCAH +HOW CHARITY IS GIVEN +FATHER FROST IN JERUSALEM +ENGAGEMENT AND WEDDING CEREMONIES +JUBILEE OF ZORACH BARNETT +GLOSSARY + + + + +LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS + +THE FATHER TEACHING THE CHILD THE MEANING OF THE TSITSITH +CHADAR (SCHOOL) +YENSHVA (TALMUDICAL SCHOOL) +THE OLD LADY + + + + +THE ARRIVAL IN JERUSALEM + + +On a Friday afternoon everyone was very busy in Benjamin's home washing +and dressing to go to Shule. The mother was getting the living-room +clean and tidy for the Sabbath. + + +THE OFFENCE + +The family lived in a few rooms off Commercial Road, in one of the many +back streets. The underground kitchen had to be used as the dining-and +sitting-room, for they had not been many years in England and it was a +hard struggle for Benjamin's parents to make ends meet and provide for a +large family. + +The father and the elder boys were dressing as best they could in this +room. Just then the mother came in, very excited, and said to her +husband: "What will you say to this? I gave Benjamin his Sabbath clothes +and a clean tsitsith, and what do you think he did?" + +"What?" asked the father, and stopped brushing his clothes. + +"Why, he took the tsitsith and threw it on the floor, and said he would +never wear it again. I punished him, and told him to put it on again. So +you had better go to him and give him what he deserves." + +"You are rather hasty, my dear wife," said the father; "for, before +punishing him, you should have asked him why he did such a thing." + +"What!" exclaimed the mother, "do you think I have nothing else to do +but to stand and argue with him just before Sabbath, when I have so much +work? You are far too easy-going, Jacob--you should really be firmer +with the children." + +"No, no!" said Jacob, who was a kindly man and understood human nature +better than his hasty, but well-meaning and loving, wife. The struggle +and constant hard work in keeping the home of a large family was telling +upon her, and any disobedience in the children irritated her very much. + +"We must not be hasty with the children," continued Jacob, "especially +now-a-days, for they live under different circumstances from those we +knew when we were young. Instead of hastily scolding and punishing them, +let us rather quietly reason with them, when possible, and show them +where they are wrong." + +"Perhaps you may be right," said Benjamin's mother; "so let us leave the +matter till you return from Shule and have had our Sabbath meal--then +you can quietly ask Benjamin why he acted as he did." + + +THE BOY BENJAMIN + +An elder brother was sent to call Benjamin to go to Shule with his +father and brothers. Benjamin expected a scolding from his father +similar to that which he had had from his mother, so he came into the +room looking very sulky. As nothing was said to him on the subject when +he came into the room, he took his prayer-book, and followed his father +to Shule. + +Benjamin was like many other boys of 13, not very clever, but blessed +with a good deal of common sense. His great ambition was to become a +teacher, and so he worked steadily at his lessons. His reason for +wishing to be a teacher was that he wanted to rule and to punish boys as +his master did. Whenever he had a caning from his headmaster he always +consoled himself with the thought that _his_ turn would come some +day--when he was a teacher--to do the same to other boys. + +When they returned from Shule and nothing was said, even at the evening +meal, about the way Benjamin had annoyed his mother, he was rather +surprised. His mother, during the time they were at Shule, had made the +living-room, which was really the kitchen, look so clean and bright with +the five lighted candles placed on the snow-white table-cloth, and the +old stove so well polished, that it almost looked as bright as a looking +glass. What interested the young ones most was the saucepan which stood +on one side of the stove waiting for its contents to be put on the +table, and, oh, how they enjoyed the sweet savour which came from it! + + +FRIDAY EVE + +They all gathered round the table to welcome the Princess Sabbath. The +father made kiddush, and the wine cup was handed round to all. Then they +washed their hands and said a prayer before sitting down to the evening +meal, which passed off very pleasantly, and zmires (or songs or psalms +of praise) were sung at intervals during the meal. + +When the meal was ended, and the grace said by the father, they all +separated: one or two went out for a walk, while the other members of +the family took a newspaper or a book and quietly read. + +When the table was cleared, the mother sat down to rest. Grateful, +indeed, was she for this Sabbath rest after her week's hard work. She +often said that, for such as herself, no blessing was as great as the +command: "Thou shalt not do any work on the Sabbath." + + +WORD OF LOVE + +When all were quietly settled down, Benjamin's father took him between +his knees, and said: "My son, I wish to ask you something, and I want +you to answer my question frankly and truly. What made you throw the +tsitsith down on the floor this afternoon and say to your mother that +you would not wear it?" + +The boy Benjamin dropped his head and was silent for a minute or two, +for to hear his father speak in a kindly way made Benjamin far more +ashamed of himself and his deed than if his father had scolded him and +given him a whipping--in fact, he felt so wretched that he longed to run +out of the room and hide himself from everybody. His father's knowledge +of human nature made him understand what was passing through Benjamin's +mind, and he said: "Do not fear to tell me, my son, why you acted in +such an unusual way, for there must be some reason for a Jewish boy to +act so." + +With his head still down, Benjamin said: "When I go swimming in the +baths, my school-fellows see my tsitsith when I undress, and they make +fun of it and pull it about, and say all sorts of nasty things to me for +wearing it, and it makes me feel I cannot stand it any longer. I will +gladly put on my tsitsith at home in the morning when I say my prayers, +but, Father, do let me go to school without wearing it?" + +"I expected something like this," said his father, looking at his wife. +"Listen to me, my child--instead of being ashamed, you should feel it a +privilege to wear tsitsith." + +"But I can't see why," said Benjamin. + +"Well," said his father, "I will tell you the idea of the tsitsith. When +you say the Shema twice a day, as every good Jew is expected to do, you +read in it that God commanded us, through Moses, to wear a fringe on our +garment--the tsitsith, a visible sign to remind us of His Commandments, +just in the same way as a table, spread ready for a meal, reminds us of +our meals. Our religion is not a thing to be kept only for the Sabbath +and the Holy Days, and left out of our minds on all other days. Our +religion must be a living influence, always with us, so the tsitsith is +a very simple kind of symbol to be ever worn to remind a Jew of his God, +his duty to Him and to his neighbour. It is not only we Jews who have +religious symbols; every other religion has them. Now imagine if you +were to go up to a Christian boy and mock him and say nasty words to +him for wearing a cross, or crucifix, he would turn round and fight you, +and he would be right in doing so, for no one has a right to insult +another for wearing or doing what he believes to be holy. Instead of +being ashamed when you were mocked and laughed at by Christian boys for +wearing your tsitsith, you should have asked them to hear you explain +the reason for wearing it. I am sure they would not have laughed at you +any more. They would respect you for trying to be true and to live up to +your convictions. + +"We Jews have, in the past, made a great mistake in not letting the +outside world know more of the deeper spiritual meaning of each of our +symbols. Had we not done this, we should have been better understood by +non-Jews, and our children would not have suffered as you and many +others also have done, through the ignorant mocking of your Christian +schoolmates. + +"I know that in Palestine the Jews, whether old or young, greatly love +to wear their tsitsith, and take a pride in letting them be seen, so +that the Arabs and the Turks look upon the tsitsith as a sacred +garment." + +[Illustration: THE FATHER TEACHING THE CHILD THE MEANING OF THE TSITSITH +(SACRED GARMENT)] + + +UNCLE'S LETTER + +"How do you know this, Father?" said Benjamin. + +By this time all in the room had dropped their papers and books, and +were listening to their father. + +"Well, this is how I know: nearly thirty years ago my uncle and his +family went to live in Jerusalem, and for many years one of my cousins +used to write to me about once a month. His letters were most +interesting. When his letters came I could almost imagine, when reading +them, that I was living in Bible times. + +"Have you any of his letters still, Father?" they all exclaimed. + +"Yes," said the father, "I have many of them." + +"Oh, do read some of them to us!" they pleaded. "All right, I will; and +I will first try to find the one about the tsitsith." + +The father went up to his bedroom, and soon came down with a bundle of +letters wrapped in a newspaper. He started looking through them while +all the family stood around him, watching as eagerly as if he were +searching for an heirloom. + +"I will choose a very short one," said the father, "for it is on the +subject I have spoken to Benjamin about; but if you like I will make it +a rule every Friday evening, after our Sabbath meal, to read some of the +letters to you." + + +THE HOLY CITY + +When all were quietly and comfortably seated, their father started +reading: + +"My dear Cousin,--After a great many adventures and suffering (which I +will write to you about another time) we arrived safely in Jerusalem. To +me, it seemed rather dull after London, but both father and mother shed +tears of joy when they at last arrived in the Holy City. Some people met +us a little way out, for father had written telling them we were coming. +We were almost royally received and heartily welcomed, for very few Jews +come here with their young families. + +"We must have looked a sight--you in London could not imagine anything +like our cavalcade! First went Father riding on a mule, with Mother +following on another mule. Mother's saddle was made with pillows, for it +is impossible for a woman to ride for sixteen or eighteen hours without +a soft, comfortable seat. + +"You go up high hills, and then down again, imagining every time you go +down that you will topple over and fall over the precipice and be +killed. In fact, your heart is in your mouth every five minutes, so that +by the time you arrive in Jerusalem (which is surrounded by hills) you +are almost too weak to rejoice at the beauty that greets your sight, for +nowhere in the world can, I think, anything be seen more beautiful than +a sunrise over the mountains around Jerusalem. + +"Oh, I forgot to tell you that we youngsters were put into baskets on a +camel's back, and how we were shaken! I felt as if I were praying and +shaking all the time, for it seemed as if we could never get to +Jerusalem alive in this way." + + +THE PROUD BOYS OF JERUSALEM + +"At last we entered the Holy City, and arrived at Father's friend's +house, where we were made very welcome and treated most kindly. I soon +made friends with the boys, for, you know, I can speak yiddish quite +well. + +"They are funny little chaps. They look like old men, with long kaftans +(coats) and side ear-locks of hair, carrying their prayer book or Bible +to Shule. The first thing I noticed was the tsitsith. They wear really +long ones, with long fringes hanging down about a quarter of a yard or +more. They wear them as we do a waistcoat, so that they can be seen by +everyone, not as we wear them in England, tucked away out of sight. Here +young and old, even little boys who can only just walk and lisp their +prayers, wear them, and, what is more, take a real pleasure in wearing +them. I asked some of them why they wore them so openly, and they +answered: 'Because when we look at them we always remember that our +chief duty in life is to try to obey God's commands, and if we had them +tucked away out of sight we should forget to be obedient.' 'Besides,' +they said, 'we are commanded in the Torah to do so openly.' Then I told +them if we wore them so openly in Europe we should perhaps be laughed at +by some people and made fun of. They said: 'Why should doing so make us +be laughed at by other nations? Do we laugh at the symbols and charms +that many of them wear? Every nation,' they said, 'has its tokens and +symbols, and we Jews have ours, and we should rejoice in wearing ours +when they are to help us to feel that God is near us when we think and +act rightly.' All this made me think very seriously, and in a way I had +never thought before. I began to realize that they were more in the +right than we Jews are in England. + +"So now I have decided to wear my tsitsith, too, on the outside, as the +Jerusalem boys do. The boys never play except on the quiet, just now and +then, for their parents think that their only duty in life is to study +and do as many Mitzvoth as they can. Really, the boys are as full of fun +and pranks as we English boys, and they just love a bit of play and +larking when they can get it. + +"I must now end this letter, but I have a lot more to tell you, and I +will keep my promise and write you by degrees of all I see. Meanwhile, +I send you the greeting of Zion and Sabbath. Rachael wanted to put a +letter into my envelope to your sister, but she says she has not +finished it yet, although she has already written ten pages. So I will +wait no longer, in case I miss the post, as it goes only once a week +from here, and sometimes only once a month." + +Thus ended the first letter, and Benjamin's brothers and sisters were so +pleased with it that they were delighted that one of the bundle of +letters should be read aloud after the Sabbath meal on every Friday +evening. + +Benjamin was quite happy now, for, although he had done a thing which +was not right, now that he had repented good would come out of it, for +there was a chance of their now having pleasanter and more instructive +Sabbath evenings than they had ever had before. Besides, he now made up +his mind always to wear his tsitsith. + + + + +THE WELCOME + + + +On the following Friday, after the Sabbath evening meal, the boys asked +their father to read them another letter from his cousin in Jerusalem. +He was pleased at their eagerness, and, while Upstairs getting the +letter, some of the boys' friends came in and settled comfortably down, +for all were eager to hear the letter read. + +Mr Jacob said: "This time I will read a letter from your Cousin Dora to +my sister which will certainly interest you, my dear," turning to his +daughter, "but at the same time, I think it will interest you all." + +"My dear Milly,--Isaac must have written to Jacob all about our arrival, +so I will begin by giving you some idea of our life here and my +impressions. The people, who so kindly asked us to stay with them till +Father finds a dwelling, have a few rooms in a house, which has a marble +paved courtyard. Six other families also have two or three rooms each. +All the work is done in the courtyard, even the cooking; for each family +uses tiny stoves, made of mud, into which they put a little lighted +charcoal and cook just outside or near their own doors; for there are no +kitchens or fireplaces in any of the rooms, and thus we see what each +family cooks. The Sephardim (Jews who have lived here for years) eat +their meals in the courtyard. They lay a mat on the marble tiles, on +which they place a small low table, and they sit on the mat and eat. Two +Sephardim families have rooms in the house and they speak Arabic and +Spanish, and their ways of living are more like those of the Turks, just +as the Jews in England live more like the English. + +"Everyone seems most interested in us. Many people have come to visit +us, to see the new arrivals! + +"The evening of the day on which we arrived was Friday; there was a +clear moonlight such as you would not often see in England, and it was +very warm, too; so we and our visitors sat in the courtyard. All eagerly +asked us many questions, till quite late; and thus the evening passed +very quickly and pleasantly. + +"After prayers on Sabbath some people sent a bottle of wine and a most +delicious pudding, which is made nowhere but in Jerusalem. It tastes +like milk and honey, with other tasty things mixed up in it. Others sent +a lovely sponge cake, coated with different-coloured sugar-icing: many +other good things were also given to us; and they lasted us for nearly a +month. + +"Later in the day the people who sent the eatables paid us visits, and +ate some of the good things. It is rather a nice custom, I think, for +new arrivals to have no bother to prepare food for their visitors, as it +gives them time to enjoy their company. What a lot of talking there was! +The men discussed several things with Father, while the women wanted to +know many things about England which Mother could tell them. The boys +and girls could not take their eyes off our clothes, so much did they +admire them! It was quite amusing, the funny questions they asked us +about them. They all promised to help us look for a dwelling; and they +kept their promise. I can tell you it was a great help and comfort to us +that they did, for I don't know what would have become of us out here, +away from our old friends, where the ways of living are so different +from what we have been used to. Whether it will always be so or not, of +course I can't say--time alone will show. + +"Very soon afterwards they found us a vacant dwelling, which Father was +very thankful to get, and in my next letter I will tell you something of +our life after we had moved in; but I must tell you more of what +happened when we were staying with our kind host. The first afternoon, +one of our visitors insisted on our I going to her home; so, when I and +our youngsters arrived, we were taken to a room, and in it was a table +covered with lovely apricots, and delicious-looking pastries and jams; +also wine which only cost 3d. a bottle, so it is very nearly as cheap as +buying water. When they handed us some of the good things we naturally +took them and ate them. + +"Suddenly I saw our host's children move away from us saying: 'She is a +Shiksa,' and 'He is a Shakitz,' and they kept on whispering and pointing +to us. I could not think what we had done to make them act in such a +way, and so asked their mother. She answered: 'They are surprised to see +you eating without making a Brocha (a blessing), for our children unless +they first make a Brocha never taste anything.' + +"You know, dear Milly, that, though we too were taught to do as they +here, yet the hurry and scurry of going to school and the busy life in +London have made us forget to practise these religious laws. We, +however, felt very uncomfortable and ashamed of ourselves, and made up +our minds to get into the habit of doing it--that is to remember to +thank our Creator for every blessing we receive, including food--so that +it should become a matter-of-course. + +"Now I must tell you about our water-supply, for the scarcity of water +struck us, very much, coming from London; for here every drop is +precious and is used for several things, as every drop has to be +bought, and money amongst our Jerusalem brethren is very scarce. In +fact, it often costs more than the wine of the country. + +"A water-carrier brings us up every morning a skin bag of water (it is +made of skins sewn together, with a small outlet at the top); for it we +pay twopence, which is equal to more than a shilling in London. The +water that he brings he pours into a large earthern jar, which keeps it +cool, and to it is attached over the mouth of the jar a sieve which is +made of thick unbleached calico: if this were not done, hundreds of +little red worms would get into the jar, because the water in Palestine +is full of them. A law was made by the Jews that to drink water that had +not been passed through a sieve was a sin; and, as little children are +taught not to commit any sin, they do not drink any water that has not +been passed through a sieve; owing to this, many illnesses are prevented +among the Jews that are rampant among the Arabs and others. + +"The Jews are also very careful about their water for ordinary use, yet +they really employ it more plentifully than we do in London when used in +connection with laws of health as laid down in the Shulchan Aruch (a +book of laws). For example, as soon as you step out of your bed, you +pour water over your hands, wash your face, gargle your throat, and rub +your teeth with a clean finger and rinse your mouth. No one would think +of moving out of the room without doing this. I know among the very +orthodox Jews in London they do the same thing, but the average Jew does +not do it, and here it is done by everyone--even a baby is taught to do +it the same way. + +"Later in the day, or when the men go to Synagogue, and we have finished +with our household duties, we have the regular soap-and-water wash. Then +again, everytime we have a meal we have to wash our hands and repeat a +blessing; and, as this is done at various other times in a large family, +it takes a good deal of water, but as it is used for cleaning purposes +we need not stint ourselves. This law is especially valuable here, for +it is very hot, and, if we were not very clean and especially careful +about cleansing our eyes and mouths and throat, we should run the risk +of catching a great many diseases which are quite common in the Holy +Land at present. + +"I remarked to some women that it surprised me how much water was used +for personal washing considering how scarce it was, but they told me +that they were as careful with every drop of water as they were with +food; none was wasted. Where the religious laws commanded the use of +water for personal washing and cleansing they did not grudge it; for +was not the body of man the temple where the Holy Spirit of God dwelt? +God's spirit is in each one of us, and, therefore, we must do our best +to keep our bodies clean for the presence of our Heavenly King, just as +carefully as we should keep a house or palace clean in which our earthly +king dwelt--more carefully indeed. What would courtiers around an +earthly king say if they saw us take our food in the presence of the +king, and praise him, with dirty hands? + +"They save water in many ways that are rather amusing to a stranger +until he gets to know the reason for it. For instance, they do not, at +meals, use different plates on the Sabbath, when they have a few +courses: they eat the fish on one side of the plate, and then they wipe +it and turn the plate over, and have soup and meat on the deeper +side--thus saving the washing of many plates. + +"In my next letter I will write you all my tribulations and struggles in +getting used to the new life when we moved into our own house. My great +comfort is that we have got to know an American family, and they have +been so kind to us and so cheery that it has made us feel a bit +brighter, and Mother says that in time we shall get used to our new +life. But I doubt it after living in London." + +When Mr Jacob had finished reading the letter the young folks began +talking, the older ones listening and giving a smile now and then. + +One said: "I should not like to be there." + +"Neither should I," said another girl; "it must be awful after London." + +"The only thing that I like about the life," said the former, "is the +hospitality and the friendliness that they show to one another, and the +jolly good time they give to people who are utter strangers to them. We +don't do that here--we seem cold and unfriendly." + + + + +THE CELEBRATION OF PURIM + + +As had now become a custom, the young friends of the Jacobs had all +collected on the next Friday evening in the bright and warm +kitchen-sitting room. After a short friendly chat with them Mr Jacobs +said: + +"As Purim will begin in two days, perhaps you would like to hear how our +cousins saw it celebrated when they went to Palestine, so I have chosen +this letter to read to you this evening: + +"In Jerusalem a week is none too long to prepare for Purim. As you know, +when we lived in London we always were strict about keeping our holy +days; but while there I never realized the pleasure and excitement +during Purim that one sees in Jerusalem. + +"Old and young are equally full of fun and joy, and there is plenty of +rushing about with sleeves tucked up. At other times the women here +gossip a great deal, and the girls naturally copy their elders and +gossip too; but, when preparing for Purim, they are all too busy to talk +or even to ask questions. The boys, too, up to the age of twelve, are +allowed to help. Some break up the big pieces of loaf-sugar, and beat up +the eggs, and take the cakes, when ready, to the public ovens, for here +there are no proper ovens as there are in London houses, so a public +oven is built not far from the Synagogue. It is very large, and each +family sends its cakes in its own tins to be baked in it. Generally +about half a dozen tins are carried by each boy. Nothing I have seen +before can be compared with the many kinds of delicious cakes and +stuffed monkeys that are seen here. My mouth waters even when I think of +the delicious strudels filled with sesames and plenty of raisins and +shiros! These things are very cheap here. + +"As there are not many boys free to help, you see quite young children, +as well as young women and even grandmothers, going to and from the +public oven, carrying tins of all the Purim delicacies. As they wait +while the cakes are being baked, or waiting their turn to have their +cakes put in, oh! what a chatter there is, and I imagine nowhere else +can there be anything like it. I called it the 'Female Club' instead of +'An Old Maids Club,' as Mr Zangwill did, for there were no old maids +waiting near the oven. + +"Most of them come as early as 5 a.m., and none care to leave till they +have their cakes baked, for, if you do, your tins will be pushed aside +as you are not there to scream at and scold the baker--if someone slips +a copper into his hand he, on the quiet, puts their tins in first, +though they may have come later! + +"Besides, if you are not there to watch carefully (for the tins are not +named or numbered), someone might take your tins in exchange for his +own, if the cakes, etc., look more tempting. During Purim this is not +looked upon as stealing, but merely as a joke or a bit of fun. The +youngsters will not move an inch unless they can trust someone to take +their place. So I leave you to try to imagine the noise and the chatter. +There is probably not a thing that has happened in Jerusalem during the +last two months that is not discussed around the public oven while +people are waiting for their cake-tins; and, as everyone wants to talk +rather than to listen, the noise is like the buzz in a factory. + +"After all the cooking and so forth was finished, of course we had to +keep the Fast of Esther, and everyone, even babies went to Shule to hear +the Megilla (the _Book of Esther_) read; and, when the Chazan came to +Haman, the Gragers went off with just such a noise as they do in the +London Shules in Old Montague Street or Booth Street. Then we went home; +and after the evening meal the joyfulness began, for they did not wait +till the next day, as we do in England. + +"As only one room was lighted up by each family to economize light and +for other reasons--there are no curtains or blinds to draw down--we were +able to go through all Meah Sheorim and stop a minute or two at every +lighted window and watch the goings on. We heard nothing but singing and +clapping of hands, while the children danced. Sometimes one of the +elders looking on could not resist joining in the fun, and tied his +kaftan behind his back so as to leave his legs free, put one of the +youngsters on his shoulders, and danced like a chassid or a jolly +Irishman. + +"As we went from house to house peeping in at the windows, sometimes +some of the family would come out and drag us in by force, and make us +drink wine and eat cakes. If we did not wish to join in the dancing, but +wanted to leave, they would just say 'Shalom'--'go in peace but come +again.' I can tell you it was jolly, and nowhere else in all the world +could Yomtov be kept up as it is here. + +"We were given wine in so many houses that from the eldest to the +youngest we were beginning to feel rather funny. Next morning, after +being well shaken up by Father, and after we had had a wash with cold +water in the open air, we made up our minds to be firmer at the next +Purim. + +"After going in the morning to hear the Chazan again, and coming home +and enjoying the Hamantaschen and other good things, then begins the +pleasure and excitement of sending Shalach-manoth to friends, +acquaintances, and chiefly to the poor, and even to enemies if you have +any. As you are supposed, if possible, to send back to the sender +something similar to what is sent to you, things cannot be made ready +beforehand. To the poor you always send useful presents as well as +delicacies which are likely to last them for months or longer. + +"As to the beggars, I never imagined there could be so many in one +country. We generally get enough beggars coming to us on Fridays and +before holy days, but at Yom Kippur and Purim they come in crowds. Most +of them are Sephardim and Yeminites. It is true you give each of them +only a para, which is about a quarter of a farthing, and they give you a +blessing for it; but, if they come to a rich class of home and are not +given there according to the style of the house, they upbraid the +people, and even curse them, so the children are told to stand at the +doors with paras and cakes, etc. At some houses they are invited in. +Each carries a sack on his shoulder, expecting, I suppose, that it will +be filled with good things by the time Purim is over; and, as they never +pass a door without begging, they are not likely to be disappointed. + +"The fun I enjoyed best was the uncovering of our plates and seeing what +Shalach-monus had been sent to us. A cap had been sent to Father, made +of velvet, with tails of sable and other skins round it. Father felt +very downcast, for he did not at all like the idea of giving up wearing +the high hat that he always wore in London on Sabbaths and holidays. +Whether he will wear the velvet schtramel or not I cannot tell, but I +will wait and see who wins--Father or the community--for we have some +idea who sent it. + +"Mother received a beautiful, soft silk kerchief to wear on her head, +and it seemed a sign that the community wanted her to put her wig aside +and wear a kerchief instead. I was most thankful they did not send me a +pair of scissors. If they had, I should have thought they wanted me to +cut my plaits off. Well, I should have fought for my hair as I would for +life! + +"In the afternoon I went to visit some friends, and I found a house full +of men, young and old, with their schtramel on their heads, and their +kaftans tied back, singing at the very top of their voices (and some +have very fine voices); others were clapping their hands, while eight +men, four on each side, were dancing what looked like a pantomime ballet +that I once went to. It was simply grand to watch them, for some were +old men with long, white beards, while others were serious-looking +young men who are to be seen daily in the street walking to and from +their homes and Shules, always deep in thought and so very +serious-looking that you would imagine that they did not know how to +smile. Here they were, on this Purim afternoon, dancing with all their +might, and with bright, smiling eyes! You could see it was not wine that +had made them bright and cheery: it was the spirit, or fire, of their +religious zeal commemorating with thankfulness the anniversary of the +day when their nation was saved from destruction. Of course I was too +fascinated watching them at the time to think this was the reason for +this unusual sight. + +"After a while, they went to pay visits to the Rav and to others who +were scholars or pious men in the community. Often when walking to the +various houses they would catch hold of others and dance with them in +the open streets as you see children doing when an organ-grinder plays. + +"I was so attracted by them, and so was everyone who saw them, that we +followed them at a respectful distance. Sometimes someone had had a +little too much wine when visiting and it had gone to his head. Then +some of the party would say: 'Ah well, it is Purim--there is no shame.' + + +"I told Father this when I returned home, and he explained to me that +their rejoicing during Purim did not mean simply a material +satisfaction--it was a spiritual rejoicing, as on Simhath Torah, when +the Reading of the Law was started again, so that during Purim and +Simhath Torah allowance is made if a little more wine is taken than is +usually the case. + +"Then we had Purim Schpielers, who visited every house, dressed up very +funnily and full of jokes; some acted, and some were disguised. In fact, +it was the happiest Purim I have ever spent, and I doubt if there is any +other place where it could be spent so happily. For here in Jerusalem we +are all like one large family: respect is paid to the righteous and to +worthy scholars, whether they are poor or rich. Money has not the same +power here. There is a good deal of quarrelling and mischief going on +among our female neighbours, but the quarrels are not very serious but +more like quarrels in a large family. In another letter I will write +about our 'Female Club.'" + + + + +THE BAKING OF THE MATZOS + + +Friday evening came round again, and the friends of the Jacob family +were comfortably seated in the bright cellar-kitchen, eagerly waiting to +hear another letter read, for old and young were equally interested in +hearing details of life in Palestine so many years ago. + +On coming in with a letter Mr Jacob said: "As preparation for the +Passover is not far off, I think it will interest you to hear how it was +done in Palestine." + +They all agreed, so he began: + +"My dear Jacob,--Please forgive my not having written sooner, but I have +really been too busy. We have just had Passover. I think you will be +glad to hear how we prepared for it here. Each family is forced to bake +its own matzos, as none can be bought from abroad. It was no easy +matter, I can tell you, especially the baking, and it is a good thing we +had strong teeth, as the matzos are not rolled out as thin as in London +and are pretty hard to eat. There's a lot of fun attached to making +matzos, but I am thankful the baking comes only once a year. + +"As each family in turn gets the use of the public baking-oven, it is +necessary to start soon after Purim to prepare the special flour used +for matzos. In every house a room is set apart and thoroughly cleansed +for the wheat, which is laid out on large trays. Then during the winter +it is examined by the mother and girls to see that no dust be mixed with +it, and sometimes neighbours come in and help. All who enter this room +must have very clean hands; even the finger-nails must be carefully +cleaned, and clean clothes put on, so that there is no chance of any +chometz. When enough of the best grains have been selected, they are +washed, dried, and then ground into flour. + +"As each family's turn comes round for the use of the bakehouse, those +who help always wash very carefully and put on clean overalls; also new +cooking-utensils are always used. + +"Water is carried by a few of the elder men of the family, as the +youngsters would not be trusted to carry it without spilling it. + + +ADVENTURES + +"There is great talking among those waiting their turn for the use of +the oven, and great teasing, and sometimes fighting, amongst the boys. +Now and then one of the elder men pulls their ears with a vengeance for +being 'shkotzim', as he calls it. Then they keep quiet till he goes +away. When our turn came, Millie kneaded the flour, while father +poured the water on for her. You remember what a strong girl she is, and +she did the kneading with such a will that I warned her not to get too +hot. No flour-dredgers are used. My duty was to roll out the dough, but +Mother wasn't satisfied with the way I did it, and sent me to put more +wood in the oven. When the oven was hot enough, I had to sweep all the +burnt wood and ashes out to get it nice and clean. + +[Illustration: CHADAR (SCHOOL)] + +"Then we started to put the matzos in, one by one. Oh, it was hot work! +I hardly knew what to do, it was so hot. Mother came and pushed me +aside, saying to herself I was good for nothing. In fact, my dear Jacob, +one wants training to stand such heat, as one does to be a blacksmith. +Mother said that making matzos teaches us to realize what some of the +hardships were that our forefathers went through in Egypt. I hope it +will become easier in time, for all the others are quite happy making +and baking them, singing at the same time. + +"Well, well! to be a true Jew is a hard matter. As I grow older and get +more knowledge and sense I shall find a pleasure in doing these things. + + +TEMPTATION--AND JONATHAN + +"After a few hours of hard work all the newly baked matzos were put in a +basket, in which had been laid a clean table-cloth; and, when all had +been carefully packed in, they were covered with another white cloth. +What I felt most was not being allowed to taste a bit, for it is +forbidden till Seder to eat any of the matzos. As I was carrying the +basket home, I felt as if the devil was in me, and the temptation was so +strong that I undid the cord and took one out. Hearing someone coming up +behind me, I slipped it hurriedly into my pocket and took up the basket +and started off again. + +"I heard the footsteps coming closer until who should come up to me but +my best friend, Jonathan? He glared at me and said: 'Oh you sinner in +Israel!' 'Why, what have I done?' I exclaimed. 'I saw you put a matzo in +your pocket!' he said. + +"I felt hot all over, for I did not want him to have a bad opinion of +me, as we had sworn friendship to each other like Jonathan and David. + +"So I took the matzo out of my pocket, threw it in the gutter, and +jumped on it. + +"'Why have you done that?' he said. 'Because I don't want you to think +badly of me.' 'Yet you did not care for what God thought!' he said. +'Don't you know that our Rabbis say that a bad thought is just as evil +as a bad deed; for, if we check a bad thought or wish, it helps us not +to put the bad thoughts or wish into action. If we were as anxious to +please God as we are to please our friends, and to be as well thought of +by Him, we should check our bad thoughts before they led us to do bad +deeds.' + +"He said, too, that he was sorry to see that I cared more for his +approval than I did for God's approval. I promised for the future to try +to overcome any evil thoughts or wishes that came into my mind so that I +should not be so tempted to do wrong--in fact I would try to check a bad +thought in the bud. + +"Then he forgave me, and we parted good friends, for I love him. He is +exactly what I think Jonathan must have been to David, and I will write +more about him in another letter. + +"When I arrived home, we had to prepare and cleanse the house for +Passover. We had to do all the work ourselves, for we could not hire any +helpers except, by a stroke of luck, the 'white-washers,' as they are +called. + + +SPRING CLEANING + +"All the furniture is put out of doors, not even a pin is left in the +house. As everyone does the same, a stranger passing by would think +there must be a 'jumble sale' going on. + +"Passover time is usually like lovely English summer weather. As very +little water can be got, guess how everything is scrubbed and rubbed! + +"Outside Meah Sheorim there are large holes from which clay has been +taken for building purposes, and during the winter-rains they get filled +with water and they look nearly as large as ponds. + +"We carried or pushed all the furniture to one of these ponds, took sand +moistened with a little water, and rubbed the furniture till it was +white and clean. This we have to do three times: such is the rule. If +any of the furniture was polished, you can imagine that not much of the +polish was left after all this scrubbing and rubbing. + +"We threw into the pond whatever we could, and as it was not deep, we +pulled up our trousers, and washed those pieces of furniture in the +water. Some threw in boards, and we made see-saws and played on them +till one of us fell in. It was such fun! Sometimes the furniture got +mixed, and it was hard to tell to whom it belonged. Indeed, I never +enjoyed myself so much as on this Erev Passover. Even more than in +London when I went to see _Sindbad the Sailor_. There is plenty of fun +going on when we are left free, but that is not often, you may be sure. +The best fun we had was when someone threw a chair into the pond and sat +on it while other boys pushed it along. Somebody else threw in a barrel +and a few of us got on it, and then over we went into the water. + + +LOTS OF FUN + +"We were not anxious to go home, even for meals, when our mothers called +us. When we did get home, we found all the walls looking lovely with +fresh whitewash. For a few days we were not allowed to go into the house +unless we took our outer clothes off to prevent our bringing in some +chometz. The weather was beautifully warm, so that we really enjoyed +eating our meals out of doors and calling out to other boys as they ate +theirs. + +"On the eve before Passover we had the fun of going to the Turkish bath +and then to Mikva and help to have all new things 'tavelt', and then the +greatest enjoyment was on the day for the preparation of the Seder! + + +THE BONFIRE + +"Before I stop writing I must tell you of the bonfire we had on Erev +Passover, when over a hundred of us each threw the wooden spoon and +remnants of chometz on the lighted fire, and then there was such a blaze +for nearly two hours! We caught hold of each other's hands and danced +round the bonfire. Oh! it was a grand sight. Now I'm called to go to a +Bar Mitzvah, but will write you again very soon. How I wish you were +here with me, Jacob!" + +"I wish I was, too," exclaimed Benjamin, who had sat listening quietly +whilst the letter was being read. On the faces of several of the elder +people there was a far-away look and sometimes a smile, for the scenes +described in the letter brought back memories of their own childhood +when the holidays and the preparations for them were similar to those in +Palestine. + + +HOW TO ENJOY THE PASSOVER IN LONDON + +One of the boy-listeners said: "I see now why some of us in London do +not enjoy the holidays. It is due to our surroundings. Many of us here +have to work or go to business whether it is a holiday or not, and so we +do not enjoy them in the same spirit as the boys and girls in Palestine, +where they are freer to carry out the teaching of our religion." + +"Well!" said Benjamin; "there's one thing at least I can do, and that is +to help my mother to prepare for the Passover in my spare time." + +"And I, too," and "I, too," exclaimed others. + +"Bravo, boys!" said Mr Jacob. "Even if you do not enjoy it so much +physically, you will do so spiritually, for anyone who tries to help his +mother to keep up our fine old customs will be blessed." + + + + +LAG B'OMER + + +It was a week before Lag B'Omer, and the friends of the Jacobs family +continued to attend every Friday evening to hear a letter from Jerusalem +read. There was only one drawback to these Friday re-unions, and that +was that every week the little cellar-kitchen sitting-room got more and +more crowded, for each friend became so interested that he brought +another with him without asking permission. However, as no one +complained, Mr and Mrs Jacobs said nothing, and were indeed thankful +that so many were interested in those old letters; and Mr Jacobs at once +started reading as follows:-- + +"DEAR MILLIE,--I want to tell you how we spent Lag B'Omer here, for in +London we used not to make much of a holy day of it. Here days are taken +in preparing for it, baking cakes and preparing tasty meals. Both old +and young spend that day in visits to the graves of our great Rabbis and +in picnics on the Mount of Olives or in the cool shade of the many caves +in the neighbourhood. Those who have large families have their hands +full, for the walks in the open air give the children huge appetites; +and, unless you are prepared for such appetites it is difficult to +supply all that is needed, for you cannot buy extra food, as in England, +except perhaps a few nuts and a drink of water. + +"Before dawn, our youngsters awakened us and hurried us to get ready to +start, as if we should not have quite enough of their pranks even if we +left a few hours later. As we have to form ourselves into large groups, +we arrange these a day or two beforehand, for there are a great number +of Arabs and Turks about, and many of them are very wild. If you go +alone, or even in pairs, they are often known to attack you, especially +in the case of a girl or a woman. At first I laughed at the girls +fearing to go alone when in the country, but, after having had an +unpleasant adventure myself, I determined to be more careful and obey +those who knew better than I did as to what was safe and what not. + +"It happened in this way. One Sabbath afternoon I went out of the suburb +with a few girls, who, like myself, had the spirit of adventure. As we +went along chatting merrily together, we felt ourselves caught from +behind by some Turks. Fortunately we had not got far, so that when we +shrieked out our cries were heard in the town, and to our great relief +we soon heard a horse galloping in our direction. We kept on screaming, +and one Turk put his hand over my friend's mouth; but she bit and +scratched his hand. Then, suddenly, we were let loose, and the Turks +took to their heels, for they saw Europeans galloping up to us. Two of +them jumped off their horses and asked if we were hurt, for we had been +so frightened that we could not quickly leave off crying. They kindly +brought us home, and after that experience I never wanted to go out +without enough men in our party to guard us. + +"Now this Lag B'Omer a number of girls wanted to go to see some special +places, so we formed ourselves into a large party and started very +early, for you rarely get such an outing. It was a most glorious spring +morning, and a few of us had donkeys to ride. To do so is not as much +pleasure as you might think, for the donkeys in Palestine stop every few +minutes, and, unless you beat them cruelly, which we did not like doing, +they will not budge an inch. Sometimes they consent to be led, but they +will not be driven, and you have a weary time of it. Now and then a +donkey will suddenly start off on a quick trot, and, being thus taken +unawares, the rider often falls off. You can imagine the laughter of +your friends and how stupid the girl feels, but somehow it is always +taken in good part. + +"Our visit first was to David's Tomb, but we were not allowed to go in. +Next we walked round the walls of Jerusalem, climbed up the Mount of +Olives, then rested under the shade of a large olive-tree, where we +spread out our table-cloth and arranged on it all the good things we had +brought with us. The long walk had given us good appetites. After we had +finished our meals, other groups of friends came close to us, and then +some of the men in turns told us tales of our nation's ancient glory, +and each one had something interesting to relate. Then a middle-aged man +with a group of boys came near us. I think he must have been a teacher, +for he started telling the boys about Bar Cochba and his struggle with +the Romans. + +"'Fierce struggles for Jewish freedom went on for three years, and the +Jews were proving so successful under the leadership of Bar Cochba that +the Romans thought it necessary to bring their greatest general, Julius +Severus, from Britain to command the Roman Army in Palestine. At last +the Samaritans betrayed our people: our last remaining fortified city, +Bethar, fell, and Bar Cochba died in defending it on 9th of Ab, 135 C.E. + +"'The Jews were the last people under Roman rule in those days to fight +for freedom, and over half-a-million of them lost their lives in this +long struggle. Rabbi Akiba, the wise and dearly-loved Jewish scholar, +was taken prisoner and scourged, until he expired under his sufferings. +Jerusalem was turned into a Roman colony called Aelia Capitolina, and no +Jew dared appear in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem, under penalty of +death. Jews under the Roman rules were forbidden to practise their +religion, and anyone found teaching or preaching Judaism was horribly +tortured.' + +"The Rabbi, continuing, reminded his boys that, in remembrance of the +brave deeds of Bar Cochba and his Jewish soldiers, Jewish boys to this +present time play with bows and arrows on Lag B'Omer. + +"I was most interested to hear all the Rabbi had to tell his boys, and +glad to feel I was at last living in the Holy Land where so many of our +noble heroes of past ages lived and fought and suffered martyrdom. I +could not prevent tears coming to my eyes when thinking on our nation's +past glory and praying silently we may come again into our own; but I +believe it will not be so much by the power of the sword, but as the +Prophet Zachariah foretold unto Zerubbabel: 'Not by might, nor by power +(or arms), but by MY SPIRIT, saith the Lord.' Those who have been born +here or lived here for many years cannot understand our feeling thus, +though they love their country and their nation dearly. + +"When the Rabbi had ended, we all stood up and received his blessing. We +then went on to the grave of Rabbi Shiman, which was in a beautiful, +cool, and shady spot. There we found numbers of people. Some groups were +having a lively time singing and clapping their hands, while the men +were dancing; but none of the women or girls danced, as it would be +thought immodest of them, but they helped by singing and clapping their +hands. Then other folks came to pray at the saint's grave for the health +of some of their children that were ailing. Others dropped letters or +pieces of paper into the Rabbi's tomb with special requests written on +them. Some put money into the charity-boxes hanging at different parts +around the tomb. There was also no end of beggars there. One +nice-looking man went about with a red handkerchief tied up by the four +corners, asking people to put in as much as they could spare to uphold +the yeshibas and the hospital or the home for the aged, and other +institutions. But as most of the people there around the Rabbi's grave +lived on charity, I could not see what they could spare. + +"I happened to mention this to Father and said how I disliked seeing +people living on Chalukha (alms sent them from Europe), and I could not +understand why they were not ashamed to take it, for they did not look +like ordinary beggars, but quite the reverse--independent, studious, +and refined-looking, as I found out later when I spoke to them. They +seemed indeed to think they were conferring a favour by accepting alms. +Father said to a certain degree they were wrong, but from another point +of view it is difficult for a man to progress in business and at the +same time devote many hours to the study of the Torah. Our ancient +Rabbis realized this, and said that those who had not the leisure or the +inclination to devote much time to the study of the Torah should make it +their duty to give of their means towards the up-keep of those who did. +If they did this God would bless them. So it is now a recognized duty +for every Jew in Europe who has any respect for the Torah and other +religious learning or teaching to send his 'bit' towards the yearly +support of the scholars here. + +"The latter, who do nothing but study the Torah, think that it is +through their efforts in this direction that Israel is saved. They do +not consider the money given for their support a charity, but believe +they hold a similar position in Palestine to that of professors and +students who hold scholarships in the various universities in Great +Britain and Europe. The Jews in certain countries send more money for +the support of their fellow-countrymen who are teachers and scholars +than the Jews of some of the Eastern European countries, and that is why +some appear to be better off than many of their fellow-teachers and +scholars. + +"This chat with Father helped me to understand other things as well +which had puzzled me before. About this I will write more in another +letter. + +"Now I must return to Lag B'Omer, and tell you what struck me as very +strange on that day. As I went with a few of my girl-friends from group +to group to see and hear all I could about what was going on, we came to +a group of women, girls, and youngsters, and in the centre of them all a +lovely little child about three years of age sitting dressed in silk, +and a plate near by with some lovely black curls lying on it. I, of +course, asked what it all meant, and was told that those people who had +only one boy, or who had lost some by death, never cut the hair of their +children till they were between three and four years of age. Then, when +it was cut, they put all they had cut off upon a scale, and upon the +other side of the scale copper, silver, or gold money, according to +their means. If poor, they put copper coins upon the scales to test the +weight of the hair, and then distributed these copper coins among the +poor. In fact, it just looks as if those who receive charity take it +in one hand and distribute it with the other. + +[Illustration: YEUSHIVA (TALMUDICAL SCHOOL)] + +"Nowhere have I ever seen so much almsgiving as here. Alms-boxes are +hung up in various places, where in Europe you would see only ornaments. +For every joy or blessing and for those who have relatives or friends +ill or in danger, money is freely dropped into the box. This money is +given towards the up-keep of the hospital for the very poor, and so on. +Really, it must be very hard for those people who have little to spare, +but Father says this is one of the means by which every Jew in Palestine +is trained to love his neighbour as himself. I feel he is right, for I +never saw so much kindness and thoughtfulness for others as I have seen +since we arrived here. Everyone naturally does what the others do, and +it has proved to me how true it is that example is far more powerful +than preaching or teaching. + +"As we appeared so interested in what they told us, they kindly invited +us to sit down and offered us wine, cake, delicious pasties, and jams, +and later on baked nuts, though we were quite strangers to them. It is +this kindliness that surprised me so much. Altogether we spent a very +joyful day, returning home by moonlight, when we girls and women +thoroughly enjoyed listening to the groups of men and boys who sang and +danced on the way home. + +"I don't think I could ever make you realize all the drawbacks to the +life here; but yet it has a very pleasant and happy side too, and you +really see far more pleasure than you ever do in London. In my next +letter I'll tell you about the engagement and marriage of my friend who +is only fifteen years old. Now I must stop, hoping that we may see you +here some day soon." + +The older folks started discussing the life in Palestine. Directly Mr +Jacobs had finished reading the letter, they agreed that it could only +be in Palestine that a truly Jewish life could be lived, for everything +depends so much on environment. "In London the surroundings are against +a consistently Jewish religious life," said one; "if you try, it is just +like swimming against a strong current." "But here comes our chance," +replied another, "for if we fight or swim against the current, we +gradually become stronger, and at last we are able to swim well in spite +of it, and so win the race and prize. If we just swim with the current, +or just suit our life to our environment, which of course at first is +much easier and pleasanter, the current at last carries us along so +rapidly that we are unable to avoid rocks or crags in the river, and +then we 'go under,' or make shipwreck of our lives." + +"That's true indeed," said all the elders, shaking their heads solemnly. +"Then," replied Mr Jacobs, "our greatest duty is to have one thought and +one aim constantly in our minds, no matter what our environment may be, +and that thought is that God's Holy Spirit is in and around all who try +to obey Him, no matter where they are; and it is only by the guidance +and help of His Holy Spirit that we can lead true, consistent, Jewish +lives, live up to the old familiar words of the Shema, and love our +neighbours as ourselves." + + + + +THE SABBATH IN PALESTINE + + +When Mr Jacobs' family and friends assembled again on Friday evening, he +said: "You know what discussions there have been lately in England about +the proper way to keep the Sabbath, so it may interest you to hear a +letter from my cousin, giving an account how Sabbath was kept in +Jerusalem." + +"My dear Millie,--I will explain as well as I can what it means to +prepare for Sabbath here, and how it is spent. About four o'clock on +Friday mornings Mother and I get up and prepare the Sabbath loaves. I +can tell you it is no easy matter, for, even when the weather is not +frosty, the exertion of kneading the dough makes you perspire. If you +finish kneading early enough, you get back to bed while the dough is +rising. + +"Early on Friday mornings beggars start going from house to house +(especially the Sephardim and Yemenites or Arabian Jews). At each house +they are given small, fresh-baked chola, bun, or beigel. No one refuses +to give this. Later on, two respectable men or women go from house to +house collecting in a large bag whatever anyone gives them, such as +cholas, meat, cereals, oil, wine, or money. The Community know that +these things are not for themselves, but are to be distributed amongst +the sick and the most needy, who cannot beg for themselves. Sometimes we +have as many as six or seven people who come collecting, and no one ever +thinks of refusing them. In fact, everyone prepares for this, and gives +most willingly, knowing that the Sabbath must be celebrated by rich and +poor alike with the best one has. + +"In a future letter I will tell you more about certain people who give +up a part of their time to works of charity, and how they do it; for +there is no Board of Guardians here, as there is in London. + +"Then when Father and the boys go to synagogue, we start to prepare for +the day's work. First we take all the furniture we can out of the house, +so as to leave the rooms free for the lower part of the walls to be +whitewashed and the marble floors cleaned. Of course, we try to use as +little water as possible, as it is scarce, but even so the floors must +be clean and look well polished, and the wooden furniture washed and +rubbed well with sand. + +"Then the tea-urn and all the saucepans and trays, which are either +brass or copper, have to be cleaned and brightened; and, as we cannot +get brass-polish here, we rub them with fine sand. It needs plenty of +'elbow grease' to make them look bright, but the rubbing well repays us. +Since we came here I quite understand how brass or copper +looking-glasses were used by our ancestors, for, after rubbing very hard +with fine sand and a piece of lemon peel, you can see your face clearly +reflected in the trays. Some who had no mirror used the trays for +looking-glasses. + +"Mother prepares our Sabbath meals, whilst we girls are doing the hard +work--hanging up our best curtains or putting our best covers on the +beds and cushions, and spreading the Sabbath table-cloth. These are put +away again on Saturday evenings. Those who have them also use special +Sabbath china, glass, and silver for their meals. + +"This work keeps us busy nearly all day. About three hours before sunset +Father and the boys go to the public baths, and by the time they return +we are all dressed in our best clothes, the samovar (the urn) is placed +on a table in the porch, and we all sit there to rest and drink tea, +awaiting the coming in of 'Princess Sabbath.' A matter of an hour before +Sabbath a voice is heard calling out: + +'Sabbath is in, friends! Sabbath is in!' + +"The first time I heard the call I could not understand the reason until +Father told me that, as there are no bells in the suburb and very few +people have clocks, one of the highly-respected members of the +community undertakes the job of going right round Meah Sheorim every +Friday, so that the women may know when to light their Sabbath +lamps--for directly the Sabbath call is heard all the women stop +whatever work they are at and go to light the Sabbath lamp, which has +seven wicks, in a basin of oil hanging from the ceiling, for there are +no candles here. When this is done the men and children go to synagogue, +and some of the women too. As they all love bright colours, when you see +them from a distance walking to synagogue, the suburb looks like a +flower-garden. + +"After Sabbath dinner, which consists of the _cholent_ baked on the +previous day, Father gathers the boys round the table to hear what +lessons they have learnt during the week. He discusses and explains part +of the Torah to them, while mother and we girls read the Zeene ureene (a +commentary on the Bible for women), the Ethics of the Fathers, and the +like. This goes on for some time, and then we are free to go and visit +our friends. We and several of our friends often go to an old lady's +house, where we spend pleasant Sabbath afternoons. + +"Years ago this dear old lady came from Russia to end her days in the +Holy Land. She is well provided for by her children, so she has the +time and means to lead a happy and useful life here, and does a lot of +good quietly, by the cheery, sensible way she often gives a "helping +hand" to those who need it. + +"She so understands all our fun that we sometimes forget she is old. We +just talk things over with her as we would with our young friends. Not +only we girls, but young married women, just love spending part of the +Sabbath afternoons with her. The room is often so full that we have to +sit cross-legged, like the Turks, on the marble floor, which in summer +time is quite the coolest seat. + +"We then play 'Nuts.' Each one puts a certain number into a cap, but to +win the game one has to be very quick and sharp: it is really quite +exciting. What we like best is when the old lady sits amongst us and +reads us a tale from a book, or some of the papers sent her from abroad. +The stories are very tantalizing, for they always leave off at the most +interesting part, and then we may have to wait a week or two before we +get the next number! During the week we try to imagine what the next +chapter will be like. + +"Sometimes she reads from the Ethics of the Fathers--those wise sayings +of the ancient Rabbis. I remember last week she told us of one of the +Rabbis who wrote that 'those who control or overcome their hasty +tempers are greater than those who take a city from an enemy,' She, as +usual, asks us to give our views on what she has read, and an excited +discussion follows. Those of us who naturally have a calm, good temper +said that they did not agree with the Rabbi, because they did not think +it at all hard to keep their temper when provoked. Others, who had hasty +passionate tempers, said the Rabbi was quite right: it would be far +easier, they felt sure, to take a city than to control their tempers, +for the whole nation would help them to take a city, as it was +considered a grand thing to do, but very few people would help them to +control their tempers. In fact, even their relatives and friends +provoked them to be hasty and passionate. When provoked or irritated the +blood rushes so quickly to the head that it makes it very, very hard to +remain calm, and then we often say or do things we are really sorry for +afterwards. + +"As we could not agree, we turned to the old lady, for she is full of +wisdom and understanding. She tried to pacify us, for we were nearly on +the verge of quarreling. She said that if, when young, we tried, with +the Almighty's help, to keep our hasty tempers under control, it would +be easier to do so every time we were provoked, but the older we were +before beginning, the more difficult it would be to be successful. +Even then we had always to keep a watch over ourselves, for one of our +wise sages wrote: 'One is never sure of himself till the day of his +death.' We all saw the wisdom of her advice, and made up our minds that +we must all help each other, for very often the calm quiet natures are +those who love teasing and provoking the hasty-tempered ones, for the +fun of seeing them get into a temper; and this, we realized after her +talk with us, was not pleasing to God. + +[Illustration: THE OLD LADY] + +"After we leave her we take a walk outside the suburb. At sunset, when +we return home, until the time to go to bed, we are kept very busy +washing up all the things used at meals, as no washing up is done during +the Sabbath. Then, too, all the Sabbath curtains, coverlets, glass, +china, and silver have to be carefully put away. + +"In my next letter I will write you more about our old lady." + +When Mr Jacobs had finished the letter, the usual talk started. One said +that "Such a Sabbath might be all very well in Palestine!" + +An elderly friend said: "Well! in Palestine they at least _know_ what +the Sabbath is, whilst here in London, unless one keeps it strictly and +remains indoors all day, except to go to synagogue, one never sees any +difference between the Sabbath and any other day of the week." + +Mr Jacobs said: "I think what you both say is true, and the only way is +to try to keep our Sabbath in the spirit, as well as in the letter as +much as possible. If each of us tried to do this in his own home, even +in London, gradually a difference would be seen in the neighbourhood in +which we live. A wise man wrote: 'All reforms begin with _man_ and not +with _men_.' The first important step is to think good thoughts; for +'thoughts have wings,' and, when expressed, they are readily impressed +upon the minds of those in sympathy with the thinker." + +"True, very true!" exclaimed the others. "Let us each, with God's help, +strive to remember more often those thoughts of our Prophet Isaiah +(chap. 58): 'If thou call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy of the +Lord honourable, and shalt honour it, not doing thy wonted ways, nor +pursuing thy business, nor speaking thereof, then shalt thou delight +thyself in the Lord, and I will make thee to ride upon the high places +of the earth, and I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy +father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.'" + +By this the Prophet meant that we were to drive all thoughts of business +from our minds on the Sabbath. No thoughts of scandal, evil, or +uncharitableness were to be harboured, but our minds and hearts were to +delight in words of prayer, in the study of the Holy Law. It was to be +truly a day of peace, a day of rest. + + + + +THE SUCCAH + + +Mr Jacob told his friends the next Friday evening, when they arrived as +usual, that he thought they would be interested in the letter describing +the Succah. + +"My dear Millie,--After the Day of Atonement, everyone was very busy +preparing for the Feast of Tabernacles, which is still celebrated here +as it must have been in Bible times. + +"With great merriment all the young people decorate their Succahs, while +their mothers with the baby in their arms watch the young folks at work. + +"The Succahs in Palestine are not made as they are in Europe. The +saplings are covered with palm-leaves woven together, the roof with +branches of trees, as there is no chance of rain at this time of the +year in Palestine. Everything that is beautiful in the home is brought +out to decorate the interior of the Succah. The poor make their Succahs +of doors or wooden boxes. + +"As this was the first Succah since our arrival, we were invited by +our neighbours to join them. The father, a patriarchal looking old +man with a saintly face, sat at the head of the table, and we were +fascinated by his looks. His eldest son came in soon after, followed +by his other grown-up sons and his daughters. He greeted his aged +father with a smile, and wished him good 'Yom Tov' and bowed his +head for his father's blessing. Then one by one all the children +came to greet him and receive his blessing, with quite a number of +grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and last but not least the +little great-great-grandchild. + +"When my parents looked astonished at the number, one of the daughters +quietly said: 'You see that here we marry our children while very young, +so that the Psalmist's words are very often fulfilled in Palestine, and +nearly everyone has his quiver full.' When all were quiet, our aged +friend repeated a prayer over the wine, and the large silver cup was +passed from one to the other. This was very solemnly and reverently +done. + +"After this, our aged neighbour's children who had large families went +to their own homes, while those of his children who had small families +remained to celebrate the Feast with him. When he had washed his hands +before eating and repeated the blessing upon the meal, he took his +youngest great-grandchild on his knee. + +"The only thing that saddened the scene was the empty chair beside our +aged friend--his wife had died during the course of the year. The +family all looked at the empty chair and sighed, and the +great-great-grandfather, with tears glistening in his eyes, also gave a +sigh, and then turned with a smile to his large family and said: 'Let us +begin. My little Samuel will start a Brocha,' and the rest listened to +hear how the little one lisped the words after his great-grandfather. + +"The following day our aged friend sat like a king in his Succah, while +relatives and friends came to pay their respects to him, and all was joy +and merriment. + +"Some of the younger grandchildren wanted to show their grandfather what +they had lately learned, and there was quite a scramble around his knees +to try and be first heard. With a wave of his hand he said: 'I will hear +you all in turn, my children.' This quietened the eager little souls, +and they waited patiently for their turns to come. + +"While the children were thus busy with their grandfather, the elder +sons and sons-in-law and their wives sat around, discussing quietly +various topics of interest, till the time for Mincha came round. + +"Then the great grandfather went to Shule, followed by all his children. + +"Visiting other neighbours during the Succah weeks, we found that they +preserved this beautiful and ancient way of keeping the Festival. + +"I never realized till then what a great influence for good the +surroundings and teaching in childhood can be, and how a father and +mother can leave the impress of their teaching in early life upon both +sons and daughters. It is the mother specially who forms the child's +soul, quite as clearly on the boys as on the girls from their +cradle-days, and the father and the teacher only builds on the +foundation laid by the mother: this is seen here more than elsewhere." + +"Very true," exclaimed the others; "a great deal is done by the mother; +but the environment has a great influence on the character." + +This caused a good deal of discussion and the meeting did not close till +one o'clock in the morning. + + + + +HOW CHARITY IS GIVEN + + +On the following Friday evening, the next letter that Mr Jacob chose for +reading to his family and friends was on the way almsgiving, or +charity, was managed in Palestine. Before starting to read, he advised +his hearers not to forget that the Jewish community in Palestine was +very small when this letter was written, and the majority of the people +were very poor. Many had spent most of their money and worldly goods in +the expenses of travelling there, with the object of ending their days +in their beloved land, and being buried with their forefathers. + +Mr Jacob then began the letter. + +"My dear Millie,--You seem so interested in all I have so far told you +about our life in Palestine, that I think you will like to hear of some +of the ways that our poorer brethren are helped in Palestine. + +"Many of the ways will appear strange to you; yet I think some of them +are really better than those adopted by our community in England. + +"Here, there is no Board of Guardians, so that the giving of charity, or +a 'helping hand' to the sick or needy, is more of a direct personal +matter. The givers strive to be wise and tactful, so that our people +may not lose their self-respect; for, as a rule, they are naturally very +sensitive, and if self-respect is lost some are encouraged to become +beggars proper. + +"Mother tells us that our Jewish ethics teaches 'that true charity, or +almsgiving, is to make personal sacrifices when helping others. There is +no self-sacrifice in giving what you cannot make use of yourself.' +Indeed, one Jewish ethical teacher wrote: 'If one who has lived a +luxurious life becomes sick and in need, we should try to deny +ourselves, in order to give the sick one dainties such as chicken and +wine.' + +"Really some of our neighbours here seem to rejoice in giving away not +only all they can spare, but also in making personal sacrifices in +helping to relieve a needy neighbour. + +"From early childhood they were trained to give. In every Jewish home in +Palestine we see from two to perhaps more than a dozen boxes placed in +various parts of the house, and written on each is the special charity +to which the box is devoted. Into these boxes even tiny children are +trained to drop a coin at special times, and it is considered a happy +privilege to do so at times of Thanksgiving to God. The coins thus +collected are from time to time distributed amongst the sick and the +needy. + +"There is one hospital near us; and, though it is known to be well +managed, very few Jews whom we know go there for treatment, for it is a +Missionary Hospital, and we strongly object to the methods of Christian +missionaries. Instead of many of them as formerly, persecuting us for +clinging to our dearly beloved religion, they now try, by acts of +kindness in times of sickness and poverty, to influence our people in +favour of accepting their religion. + +"Indeed, I have heard some of our people say that they would rather go +to the Arabs for treatment than enter the Missionary Hospital! Therefore +those who cannot nurse the sick ones at home take them to the +Bikkur-Holim, which a doctor visits once every few days. A mother, wife, +or father goes with the patients to give them the necessary food and +medicine, for in the Bikkur-Cholem there are no trained nurses. The +relatives also keep the patients clean and tidy; but little cooking is +done there, as the food is generally brought cooked from the patients' +homes. + +"I once went to visit the Bikkur-Cholem. One patient I saw had a jug of +cold water brought to her, and, though her own lips were very parched, +she would not take even one sip, but had the water given to those near +her, who, in a very high state of fever, were clamouring for water. +Other patients I saw were cheerfully and willingly sharing their food +with those who had none. Until I had visited that Bikkur-Cholem I had +never realized what real charity meant. For these sufferers, in their +love and thoughtfulness and genuine self-sacrifice towards +fellow-sufferers less fortunate than themselves, were obeying in spirit +as well as in the letter the time-honoured commandment given us 'to love +one's neighbour as oneself.' + +"The arrangements in the Bikkur-Cholem are most insanitary; +disinfectants are unheard of; and I greatly pitied the poor unfortunates +that have to go there." + +Mr. Jacob was too overcome by his feelings to continue--so for a few +minutes there was a deep silence. Then one of the listeners said: "One +is thankful to remember that this letter was written fifty years ago, +and conditions must have improved since our writer first went to +Palestine." + +"Yes, thank God!" replied kind-hearted Mr Jacob; and then he continued +reading the letter. + +"Most of the patients die; but a few get cured and leave. If they do, it +is certainly more through faith in God's love and mercy than through the +remedies they receive while there. + +"Now, I want to tell you of a voluntary service which respectable, +well-to-do men and women, and even scholars, do, for the poor who die. +These kind folk are called 'the Chevra Kadisha.' No doubt because of the +heat, there is a strict law that no one who dies in Palestine is allowed +to remain unburied long; and it is believed here that the dead continue +to suffer until they are entombed. So the custom is to bury within +twelve hours every one who dies. The Chevra Kadisha look upon such a +deed as a Mitzvoth. If a poor woman dies, one of these kind women at +once goes to wash the corpse and lay it out ready to be put on the +bier--then when all the relatives and friends of the deceased have given +vent to their sorrow by weeping, some men and some scholars belonging to +the Chevra Kadisha voluntarily carry the bier on their shoulders to the +place of burial (which I think is the Mount of Olives), while others dig +the grave and a scholar or two read the Prayers over the Dead. + +"By the Chevra Kadisha beggars and tramps are thus washed and buried +when dead, free of expense, by these good, self-sacrificing people, at +all times and in all weathers, as a sign that in death all are equal. +The people who can afford it leave enough money to pay all their own +burial expenses or these are paid for by their relatives. + +"Acts of charity towards very poor girls who have no dowry or suitable +wedding-clothes are very touching and generous. It is considered a +disgrace to the community if a poor girl is not given the opportunity to +marry, and a community not only provides a dower, but also seeks for a +bridegroom for her. The housewives willingly and generously prepare the +wedding-feast, for everyone is willing to give something from their +store-room. No shame is attached to poor girls accepting such help; for +it is considered a duty by all our brethren to provide what is necessary +for a bride who has not the means to get things for herself. + +"I am sorry that I cannot write more by this mail." + +One listener interrupted, saying: "Most of what you have read Mr Jacob +happens in Russia and in other parts of the world where Jews live in +ghettos." + +"Quite true," said Mr Jacob, "for wherever Jews live together they keep +up old customs, and all old customs are more or less alike in all +ghettos. It is only when we Jews live outside the ghettos, under +different surroundings, that we are tempted to throw over many religious +customs. The unfortunate thing is, that we are too often inclined to +throw off the really good customs rather than the useless ones, and more +inclined to adopt the bad traits and customs of our neighbours rather +than the good ones amongst whom we live, be it in England, France, +Germany, India, or elsewhere. This is a bad habit, and we must do our +utmost in the future to guard against it; for, if we all made an effort +to retain our own ancient customs that are really good and beneficial to +ourselves and others and adopt only the good and healthy customs of our +neighbours, then, indeed, we might feel we had a right to call ourselves +and be recognized by those we live amongst as 'God's Chosen People.'" + + + + + +FATHER FROST IN JERUSALEM + + +The next Friday evening Mr Jacob read the following letter. + +"My Dear Cousin Mill,--I have not yet written to tell you how we manage +during cold weather. Before we arrived, we were under the impression +that it was always warm in Palestine. Certainly the sun does shine more +in winter here than in England, and while it shines the weather is very +pleasant; but we get very cold weather, too, especially in Jerusalem. We +get very little snow, but a good deal of frost, which no one enjoys. No +doubt you wonder why, because we all enjoyed the cold and frost in +England, and loved the skating and the snowballing. + +"The reason is very clear, for here we have no cheery open fireplaces, +which give out so much heat in England; in fact there are not even any +steel or iron ovens, and the result is, the Palestinian houses are +intensely cold in frosty weather. The ceilings are all lofty and in the +shape of a dome, which, with the very thick stone walls is very pleasant +in summer but very cold in the winter. Then there is very little +firewood to be had here, as the Turks try to prevent much +tree-planting, so fire wood is a luxury which very few can afford. +Instead, we have all copper buckets pierced with holes standing on a +tripod and filled with burning charcoal, which is placed in the middle +of the room. + +"How we all eagerly cluster round it and watch the red hot charcoal, +hoping that by _looking at it_ the warmth will go into our bodies! Such +a small amount of charcoal as we can afford does not warm a room very +much, so all the windows are closed tightly to prevent any cold air +coming in. This also prevents the fumes of the burning charcoal from +escaping, so naturally the air gets very stuffy, and many suffer from +headaches or fall into a heavy sleep. + +"You will wonder why it is many people do not get frozen. Well, the old +proverb holds good here, that 'Necessity is the mother of invention,' so +even in the coldest weather we have a remedy; for we heat also our brass +samovar, which holds about thirty glasses of tea, and we drink a glass +of hot tea every now and then. + +"As the samovar boils all day the steam also sends out some warmth into +the room. + +"Then, again, the younger children are during the very cold weather kept +warm in bed with feather coverlets and pillows, which the elder people +try to keep warm in doing the necessary household duties. Very few go +out in the streets, except the men when they go to Shule, and the elder +boys when they go to the Yeshiba or Cheder, and even they are very often +kept at home. + +"One comfort is that 'Father Frost' does not stay long, so we can manage +to bear his icy breath: the greatest hardship is when he visits us on a +Sabbath, for of course on that day we cannot heat the samovar and so we +have to do with less tea. + +"We prepare our Sabbath meals in a small scullery, or porch, in which a +small brick oven is built to keep the food hot for the Sabbath. A few +pieces of wood are put in, and, when well lighted, the oven is +half-filled with charcoal-dust--this again is covered by pieces of tin +or lime, and, on top of all, the saucepans are put containing food for +the Sabbath meals: also bottles or jars of water are thus kept hot for +tea or coffee. Neighbours who are not lucky enough to have such an oven +bring in their food, and we let them put it in our ovens. In this way we +have enough for every one to drink who may come in. Sometimes twenty +poor people come in on a Sabbath day and say: 'Spare me, please, a +little hot water?' No one would think of refusing to give them some, +even if they had to share their last glass with them. + +"Generally on cold Sabbath afternoons our parents have a nap after +eating the nice hot cholent, and we girls and the young married women +go and spend a few hours with our old lady friend, who always entertains +us with stories and discussions on various interesting subjects. So the +time passes very quickly and so pleasantly that we forget how cold it +is. About twenty or thirty of us all sit close together on her divan +covered up with rugs, and this with the excitement over the tales she +tells us, helps to keep us warm. + +"Last Sabbath our old lady was not very well, and we were feeling very +miserable without her entertaining tales. Suddenly, one of my +girl-friends asked me to tell them about our life in London. + +"As they had never read or heard about life outside Jerusalem, it was +most amusing to hear their exclamations of wonder; for they could hardly +believe what I told them was true, till our old lady confirmed our +statements. + +"First, they wanted to know how young men and women behaved toward each +other. + +"I told them that every man and every woman, whether young or old, +either in the street or in-doors, always shook hands with friends--at +this they looked very surprised and some seemed even horrified, +exclaiming: 'What a sin to commit.' I asked them where it was written +that this was a sin? 'Well,' some replied, 'our parents or husbands say +it is a sin,' 'I don't think it is a sin, but only a custom,' said I. +'But it _is_ a sin,' insisted one little wife of fifteen 'to touch one +another's hands.' I tried to explain to her, but she would not listen to +me and we were on the verge of quarreling but as usual, when there was a +difference of opinion between any of us, we always appealed to our old +lady and she agreed with me that there was no sin in shaking hands. +'Sin,' she said, 'comes from thoughts--if while talking or laughing or +even shaking hands, evil thoughts pass through the minds of men or women +then, and then only, is the act likely to be a sin. In Europe,' she went +on to say, 'it is quite a natural thing for men and women to shake hands +and talk to each other naturally.' + +"Then I asked my new friend Huldah (a young wife of fifteen years of +age) to tell us all about her own love-affair and marriage. She was +greatly shocked to hear me speaking of love _before_ marriage--'Such a +thing could never happen to a modest Jewish maiden in those days,' she +said. + +"I told her that it did happen in Europe. 'May be,' she replied; 'it may +happen in lands where Jews mix with non-Jews and copy their ways!' + +"As I rather liked to tease her, I said she was mistaken, for here in +Jerusalem did the great Rabbi Akiba fall in love with his wife before +marriage. 'Oh, that was quite different!' she replied. 'Not at all,' +said I, for were not feasts and rejoicing held so that youths and +maidens could meet one another in the vineyards and dance in the +meadows?--Look in the Bible,' I continued, 'and you will see it is +mentioned there.' Then all looked abashed. The only one who smiled was +our old lady. + +"'Don't unsettle their minds, dear,' she whispered softly to me. 'I +don't want to,' I said; 'I only want to show them that, though such +things are done in other countries, there is no sin in it as they have +been brought up to believe.' 'Well, well!' she said, 'let us hope God +will restore our beloved land to us in his own good time, and then we +shall again, as in days of old, celebrate such Festivals!' + +"We all said 'AMEN,' most heartily, to this wish. + +"In my next letter I will tell you of our friend's engagement and +marriage. Your loving cousin, Millie." + + + + +ENGAGEMENT AND WEDDING CEREMONIES + + +The hearers waited with eagerness for the next Friday evening, as they +enjoyed so much hearing those interesting letters. + +The next Mr Jacobs read was this: + +"Hulda is only fifteen years of age, and has already been married six +months. If she were dressed as girls are dressed in England, she would +really look beautiful; but her beauty is, I think, marred by the silk +handkerchief she wears on her head, which covers half her forehead and +her ears, so that none of her hair can be seen, I mean that part of it +that was shaved off. Over the silk handkerchief she wears a black velvet +band, to which gold coins are attached and these are put on so +coquettishly that it makes the head-gear look quite artistic. Sometimes +she wears ornaments with pearls in them. These special trinkets are, of +course, worn only on Sabbaths and Festivals or some other special +occasions. + +"The shaving of part of the young wife's head the day after her marriage +is a custom to prevent young married women from being tempted by vanity +to show off their hair, which is generally in Palestine very beautiful. +The poor things cover up the part so well that there is no fear of any +of it being seen. + +"Hulda is tall and well-developed for her age, and lively as a cricket, +always ready to play and laugh and joke with us. She started by telling +me: 'I was invited to visit my betrothed's family during the holidays, +and my future mother-in-law let me help her with the baking and cooking, +and was specially pleased with the way I stretched out the dough for the +lockshen--I made it look so thin, like a paper wrapper. She told me that +I would make a good housewife. Then I showed all the family some of the +linen garments I had made and had with me, and the crochet I had trimmed +them with.' + +"Here Hulda turned to me and said: 'our mothers encourage us at eight +years of age to begin to make garments for our trousseaux, and at the +age of ten we start to crochet lace and embroider, so by the time we get +married we have all our things ready, for they cannot be bought +ready-made in Palestine. When we become betrothed we work our future +initials on our things and make our dresses.' + +"'While I was staying at my betrothed's home, we never spoke to each +other, except to say Good-morning and Good-night. Sometimes when no one +saw us we looked at one another, for already I liked my young man, +though he was not handsome. A wise girl does not want good looks in a +husband so much as that he should be a good Talmudist and be a good +character; this he is, and I could listen to him for ever,' she said, +blushing like a rose; 'when he sings Zmires, his voice is like a +nightingale, and even in the mornings, when he thinks I am asleep, it is +just lovely to hear his sing-song as he studies--it is to me the +sweetest of all music,' she said. + +"'So it should be, my child,' said our old lady, 'and it is a privilege +for us women to help them to study.' + +"'So my mother says,' said Hulda, naturally. + +"At the same time I thought to myself: 'A nice thing it would be if only +our men were to study and our women to work, as they mostly do here and +in Russian ghetto towns. No,' I thought, 'I would rather that the men +did some manual labour as well as study, and the women have some time +for study as well as for household work.' + +"But I kept these thoughts to myself, while Hulda continued to tell me +what a longing she had to see more of her betrothed; but she did not see +him again till after the marriage ceremony. + +"I will try to describe the ceremonies to you in detail, as I have now +been to several weddings here, and I think you would like to know. + +"A week before the wedding, all the relations and friends come to help +bake and prepare the wedding-feast; for, as these proceedings last about +eight days, it is no easy matter to celebrate them. + +"The bride's trousseau is shown to the guests who come, and everything +is examined and counted by all, especially the relations of the +bridegrooms. When there happens to be less than expected, woe betide the +bride, for she is always reproached about it by her mother-in-law or his +other relatives. + +"On the Sabbath before the marriage the bridegroom is called up to read +the Law, and friends pay him visits.--First they send him nicely baked +cakes or puddings and a bottle of wine. (It is a good thing that this is +the custom, or else a poor man would be ruined by the cost of all the +feasting that he is expected to provide). + +"During the week the bride's friends come every evening and dance and +sing in her home, coffee and cakes and baked nuts being handed round. + +"The morning of the wedding, both bride and bridegroom fast, and each +goes with his or her parents to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, to pray +for a blessing on their married life, and then they go to be blessed by +the Rav. + +"When the bride returns home, she is dressed in her bridal dress. Then +she is led up to a chair that has been raised off the floor; her hair is +unloosed and allowed to hang over her shoulders; and this is the last +time, for the next day most of it is shaved off. + +"Her young friends stand near her and each sings a song, bidding +good-bye to her maiden days; and the bride weeps, fearing what the +future may hold in store for her. Then the bridegroom comes in, led by +his friends, who carry candles. He is given a veil, which he throws over +his bride's head, and then leaves with his friends for the Synagogue. + +"Though some parts of the ceremony look ridiculous, yet all is carried +out so solemnly that one feels very much impressed. + +"The bride is then led by two of her relatives or friends, who carry +candles, and all the other friends follow them through the streets, some +also carrying candles. As there are no carriages to be had in Jerusalem, +they have sometimes to walk some distance to the Synagogue. + +"The usual bridal canopy is in the Synagogue, and they walk round it +seven times; then prayers are said, and the glass is broken; Mazzeltov +is said, and with songs and clapping of hands the bridal pair is led +home again. Near the home a large Bagel is held by a friend, and as the +couple cross the threshold it is broken over their heads, and the pieces +are distributed among the guests. The bride and bridegroom are then led +into a room, and the door is closed for five minutes--I suppose to be +sure that they are the right persons, anyhow the bridegroom lifts the +bride's veil and gives her the first kiss he has ever given her. (I do +not know if she kisses him, for she may be too shy: they will not tell +when I ask). + +"After the five minutes have passed, the bride is led out of the room to +a room where the women-guests are assembled, while the bridegroom goes +to a room where the men-guests are. The feasting lasts for a few hours +in each room. Then the bride is led by some of her women friends to the +room where the men are, and the bridegroom takes her by the hand and +starts dancing; the other guests follow suit. It is amusing to see the +old grey-bearded scholars, who, one would think, could not move their +legs, dance and rejoice while the lookers-on clap and sing. It is far +more exciting than a wedding in London, for it is considered a 'Mitzvah' +to rejoice with a young bridal couple. + +"The dancing goes on for some time, the only miserable pair, I expect, +are the bride and bridegroom, who generally become very weary of it +all, for they started their wedding pilgrimage very early in the morning +and had fasted till the feasting began late in the afternoon--I often +wonder that they have any energy left in them, poor things, for they +cannot retire till late at night. + +"The next day comes the ceremony of cutting off the bride's hair. The +bridegroom's mother hands her a few silk handkerchiefs to be worn on her +head on special occasions. Sometimes the poor little bride is so young +that she cries while her beautiful plaits are being cut off. + +"At times a quarrel begins between the two mothers: the bride's mother +sometimes insisting that her child's hair shall only be cut short and +not shaved, and she generally gets her way. + +"Some brides do not mind being shaved, for they like the idea of wearing +the pretty coloured silk handkerchiefs. + +"At nearly every wedding a table is spread for the poor, and I was +present at a wedding when more than a hundred poor men came regularly +for eight days, and the table was spread as bountifully for them as for +the other guests. Here in Palestine the poor share in the joys of their +richer brethren. + +"When the eight days of Festival are over, the young couple usually +settle down close by or in one of their parents' homes, who give them a +room. A great deal of the happiness of young couples depends on the +character of the mother-in-law, for they have the power of making or +marring their happiness more than anyone else. + +"Huldah told me that she would have been quite happy in her +mother-in-law (for she really was a good kind woman) if only she would +more often allow her to talk to her husband, 'and I do so like a talk +with him,' she said to me with a sigh, 'for he is so wise. When my +mother-in-law sleeps after the Sabbath dinner, we go into the next room +and we sit talking, and he tells me tales from the Talmud, and sometimes +reads aloud from it. I do so enjoy those Sabbath hours,' she continued, +'for I have only my bedroom which I can call my own, but I am not +allowed to be much in it,--the little time I have with my husband each +day makes me very happy, for I know he loves me dearly (although he does +not say so), for when he comes home his first word is for me,' + +"'Sometimes, when my mother-in-law is in a good temper, she lets us eat +out of the same dish, and then he jokingly puts the daintiest bits on my +side; often when I wake in the mornings I find pinned to my pillow a few +words he has copied from the _Song of Songs_, put there before leaving +for the Synagogue.' Then Huldah added 'After returning himself from the +Synagogue on Sabbath Eve, my dear husband always looks at me with a +loving smile when he reads that part where it says: ''The price of a +virtuous woman is far above rubies, the heart of her husband trusteth in +her.' 'Yes indeed,' she said, 'thanks be to God--I am a very happy wife, +and when God blesses us with children, my cup of joy will be very full.' + +"And this child-wife of fifteen did indeed look very happy as she +spoke--and I, deep down in my heart, thought, 'What would they say to +such match-making in England and Western Europe,' and yet in Palestine +such marriages arranged by the parents are nearly always happy. + +"I must close now, Your loving Millie." + +When Mr Jacob had finished reading, some of his young listeners said +they thought it was a very foolish way to arrange marriages. One of them +remarked: "How could there be any love, if a couple rarely met each +other before marriage." + +Another said: "For my part, I would never marry unless I felt sure that +I was in love with my husband to-be and that he also was in love with +me. Love is everything in life, _I_ think." + +Then said a middle-aged lady, much loved and respected by all the +listeners: "How often has many a marriage not turned out well, even when +as young people a husband and wife had a passionate love for each +other. The seed of love may be sown before or after marriage; but, +unless carefully cultivated during married life by both husband and +wife, through deeds of kindness and thoughtfulness and forbearance and +mutual sympathy and understanding, the tender plant may soon wither and +die. The old customs of our race, which this letter shows are still kept +up in Palestine and I believe in other parts where ghetto life still +obtains, if they are not carried to extremes, are, I think, very wise; +but, unfortunately, our people are very tempted to go to extremes, and a +good custom can thus be distorted and brought to ridicule." + +"True, true," murmured some of the older people. + +"In all things moderation and balance are safe guides to follow," said +Mr. Jacobs. + +The next book will be all about Millie's love affairs and marriage and +her life, impressions, and tribulations in Palestine. + + + + +APPENDIX + + +THE CELEBRATION OF THE JUBILEE OF ZORACH BARNETT + +(Translated from the _Palestine Daily Mail_ of Friday, December 2nd, +1921). + + +Those who felt stirred to celebrate the jubilee of this illustrious old +pioneer did very well indeed. For a young man who leaves all his +business enterprises far behind him in London and who migrates to +Eretz-Israel over fifty years ago--at a time when Jaffe did not posses +even a Minyan foreign Jews; and at a time when the way from Jaffe to +Jerusalem was a very long and tedious one--aye, a way fraught with all +possible dangers, and moreover, teeming with robbers, a journey which +lasted three whole days, such a Jew is indeed entitled to some mark of +appreciation and respect. + +A Jew who has worked for the re-building of our land for over fifty +consecutive years in which period he visited the lands of the Diaspora +fifteen times and all that he did and profited there was afterwards +invested in the re-building of Eretz-Israel such a Jew has indeed +merited to be praised even during his life-time. + +A Jew who was one of the first to found the colony of Petah-Tikvah and +therefore merited that people in Jerusalem should mark him out as an +object of derision and scorn because he was a dreamer--a man who built +the first house in this Petah-Tikvah--who was one of the founders of the +"Me'ah Shearim in Jerusalem--who constructed perfect roads in Jaffe--who +founded Zionist Societies in the lands of the Diaspora at a time when +Zion did not occupy such a foremost part in the heart of the Jew--such a +Jew is indeed worthy that a monument of his splendid achievement be +erected for him even during his life-time!" + +It must, moreover, be mentioned that Z. Barnett and his wife are one of +the remnant of those noble men who participated in that famous assembly +of Kattovitz--that noble gathering of illustrious men which can be +verily described as the Aurora as the Dawn of the conception of the +Restoration of the land of Israel. + +The celebration took place on Sunday, November 27th, in the private +house of Mr. Barnett. Those who had assembled were many, in fact, there +were present representatives of every shade and section of Jewish +communal life in Palestine. Thus there came along Rabbis of all the +various congregations, various Jewish communal workers, heads of +colonies, teachers, business men and workpeople and even beggars who +came to enjoy the material blessings of this great national festivity. + +Mr. Joseph Lipshitz opened the proceedings by explaining the importance +of this great red letter day for Mr. Barnett and then called upon Rabbi +Auerbach of Jerusalem who had come specially to take part in this +celebration. Rabbi Auerbach delivered a long Talmudical dissertation in +which he recited the great merits of the jubilant. He compared Z. +Barnett to a king, because he based himself on a Talmudic statement +concerning Omri which asserts that he who builds a little town or +village is worthy to be called a king. The learned Rabbi also emphasised +the importance of acquiring land in Palestine by many pithy remarks. +Then spoke the Rabbis: Joseph Ha-levi, Shneiur Lenskin, Joseph Arwatz +and Joseph Rabbi. All these testified to the great qualities of their +host, who besides being a great idealist was also a very practical man +too. + +After the Rabbis, Mr. S. Nissim, chief of the colony of Petah-Tikvah +spoke. He narrated in a very realistic and eloquent way how that pioneer +Zorach Barnett came fifty years ago to build up the ruins of the land +and how he bought up the land of Petah-Tikvah, which was now a +flourishing colony, but which was then a howling desert wilderness, such +as only insane men could ever think of converting this into an +habitation of men. At the present day, thousands of pioneers are +flocking to the land, but they are only a continuation of the pioneering +of Z. Barnett and his stalwart companions. The speaker concluded by +blessing the jubilant that he should survive to see thousands of Jewish +Colonies in Palestine and tens of thousands of pioneers flocking here +from every part of the world. + +Mr. I. Adler, chief representative of the Council at Jaffe, also spoke +on this great member of the Jewish community at Jaffe. Such men are +really a blessing to the whole of Israel; they are not only Banim (sons) +of the Jewish people, but also Bonim (builders). + +Many were the letters and telegrams of congratulation received on this +occasion from various ranks of Jewish representatives in Palestine. The +private secretary of Sir Herbert Samuel wrote: "I am commanded by His +Excellency, the High Commissioner, to acknowledge your invitation to +partake in your celebration of the 27th inst. His Excellency, is, +however, restrained from accepting this invitation owing to the various +duties which occupy him at present. He sends you his blessing and hopes +that all your ambitions will be realised with, the greatest success." + +The Chief Rabbi of Eretz-Israel, Rabbi A.I. Kook, wrote: "I should very +much have wished to be present at the occasion of the jubilee of my dear +and respected friend, who first trod upon this Holy soil over fifty +years ago and who has since then been building up the ruins of our land, +but, unfortunately, to my great pain, I am not able to realise this my +wish, owing to the present troubled state of the Jewish community. +Please accept my heartiest blessings for a happy old age, in which you +may verily see the re-birth of our People and of our land." + +Rabbi Rabbinowitz wrote: "I bless our jubilant from the depths of my +heart. This occasion is not only a happy one for him, it is also for us. +This shows that though the enemies of re-building Palestine were, and +are still, many, Palestine is, nevertheless, steadily but surely being +rebuilt." + +Mr. Diznoff, in the name of the Colony of Tel-Avis wrote: "On this great +occasion, we should like to say, that as you have merited to see that +the "howling desert" you have found, you have succeeded in creating into +a "Garden of Eden," thus may you merit to see the flourishing state of +the whole of Palestine." + +Mr. Ephraim Blumenfeld wrote: "Though I should have very much have +liked to be present, yet my present bad state of health does not enable +me to do so. This is a happy moment for all lovers of Zion. May you +merit to see with your own eyes the restoration of Israel on its own +land." + +Messages and telegrams were also received from the Yeshivah Me'ah +Shearim, Mr. D. Slutskin, from the scholars of the Yeshivah "Or Zoraiah" +of Jaffa and many synagogues. Also from Mr. Friedenberg of Jerusalem, +Mr. S. Tolkovsky, Dr. Eliash, from the Chief Rabbi of Alexandria, from +the "Old Aged" Home in Jaffe, from the Mizrachi, from Rabbi S.L. Shapiro +of Jerusalem, etc., etc. + +At the request of the host, who is a British subject, a special prayer +was offered up for the Divine protection of King George the Fifth, and +also prayers in the name of R. Barnett for the health of the High +Commissioner, the Secretary, the leaders of the Zionist +Movement--Weitzman, Sokolov and Usishkin, for the Chief Rabbis of +Palestine and for the Rabbi Sonnenfeld, Rabbis Diskin, Epstein, etc., +etc. + +Mr. Barnett offered a certain sum in the name of each, and among the +numerous institutions to which he contributed were the following: Hebrew +Archaeological Society at Jerusalem, the building of a synagogue on the +site of the Old Temple Wall, the school for the blind, the poor of +Jaffe, the Home for Aged Jews, etc., etc. + +Mr. Barnett was then enrolled in the Golden Book by those present. Great +indeed was the honour which R. Zorach Barnett and his wife received on +that day, but they were really worthy of it. + +May theirs be an example to others! + + + + +GLOSSARY + + +BAR COCHBA. The heroic Jewish leader who led the +final revolt against the Romans in the year +A.D. 123. + +BAR MITZVAH. Confirmation of a boy at the age of +thirteen. + +BEZEL. A cake made in the shape of a ring. + +BIKKUR-HOLIM. Used to denote a Hospital. + +BROCHA. A blessing or a thanksgiving used on various +occasions. + +CHALLAH. White bread shaped as a twist used for the +Sabbath sanctification. + +CHASSID. Pietist; a name assumed by a sect of Jews +mainly in Galicia established by "Baal Shemtob." + +CHAZAH. A cantor, or Synagogue reader. + +CHEVRA-KADISHA. A burial society. + +CHOLENT. A dish of various vegetables and meat, +eaten on the Sabbath. + +CHOMETZ. Leavened bread. + +EREV. Evening. + +HAMANTASCHEN. A triangular cake eaten on Purim, +shaped according to the hat Haman was supposed +to have worn. + +KAFTAN. A long coat, worn by Jews in eastern +Europe. + +KIDDUSH. A blessing of sanctification over wine, +said at the ushering in of Sabbath and of Festivals. + +LAG B'OMER. The 33rd day of the seven weeks +between Passover and Pentecost: a students' +holiday. + +MAZZELTOV. A greeting signifying Good Luck. + +MEAH SHEORIM. A Hundred Gates: the name of a +suburb of Jerusalem. + +MINCHA. The afternoon service. + +MITZVOTH. Acts of piety. + +PARA. A Turkish coin of small value. + +PESACH. Passover. + +PRINCESS SABBATH. A poetical expression, used for +welcoming the Sabbath. + +PURIM. The Festival referred to in _The Book of Esther_. + +RAV. One learned in rabbinical lore. + +SAMOVAR. A tea-urn. + +SCHPIELERS. Strolling-players. + +SCHTRAMEL. Head-gear worn by Chassidim. + +SEDER. The Service on the first two nights of Passover. + +SEPHARDIM. Jews of Spanish or of Portuguese origin. + +SHALACH MANOTH. Gifts--especially used with reference +to distributions on Purim (vide _The Book of +Esther_). + +SHALOM. Peace. + +SHIROS. Oil made from the sesame seed. + +SHULCHAN ARUCH. The Jewish religious Code; compiled +in the middle of the 16th century and +regarded as of high authority. + +SHULE. Synagogue, derived from the German _Schule_ +(school). + +SIMHATH TORAH. The festival of the Law, following +the Tabernacle festival when the reading of the +_Pentateuch_ is completed and recommenced amid +great rejoicing. + +STRUDEL. A sweet pudding or cake. + +SUCCAH. The tabernacle used as a dwelling on the +Feast of Tabernacles. + +TAVELT. Immersed; used in reference to the Ritual +Bath. + +TORAH. The Law; specially referring to the Mosaic +code and its derivatives. + +TSENNAH URENNAH. A Jewish German translation +of the _Pentateuch_, embellished with legends for +the use of women. + +TSITSITH. Knotted fringes worn by men according to +Mosaic injunction on Tallith or praying-scarf, and +also used for a small four-cornered fringed garment +worn on the chest, under the coat. + +YEMENITES. South-Arabian Jews. + +YESHIBAH. A Jewish theological Academy. + +YOM KIPPUR. The Day of Atonement. + +YOMTOV. Holy-day + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Pictures of Jewish Home-Life Fifty +Years Ago, by Hannah Trager + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PICTURES OF JEWISH HOME-LIFE *** + +***** This file should be named 15173.txt or 15173.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/5/1/7/15173/ + +Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Keren Vergon, Cori Samuel and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team. + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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