Hebraic Literature; Translations from the Talmud, Midrashim and Kabbala Part 53

Ibid., fol. 17, col. 1.

The sages of the Kabbalah were not singular in this view. The Talmud Yerush, Callah, fol. 58, col. 3, says, "He that looks upon a woman's heel is guilty of an act of lewdness."

Eating meat after cheese or cheese after meat is a very serious sin; and it is stated in the Zohar, section Mishpatim, that upon him who is without scruple in this regard, an evil spirit will rest for forty days, his soul will be from the spirit which has no holiness.

Ibid., fol. 18, col. 2.

The sages of the Kabbalah have written that it becomes him who has in him the fear of Heaven to have a vessel of water near his bed, in order that (on waking in the morning) he may not need to walk four ells without was.h.i.+ng his hands, for he who walks four ells without was.h.i.+ng his hands has forfeited his life as a divine punishment.

Ibid., fol. 43, col. 2.

When a man is dressing, he should first put on the right shoe and leave it unfastened till he has put on and fastened the left; then he should fasten the right, as it is explained in the Shulchan Aruch.

Ibid., fol. 44, col. 2.

The following are some of the many laws relating to the Shemonah-esreh, or the eighteen blessings which form the most devotional part of daily wors.h.i.+p, and which are repeated three times on (ordinary) week-days, and four times on Sabbaths, new moons, and on appointed feasts:--

Before commencing the Shemonah-esreh one should step back three paces, in order to be able to advance three steps. The reason of this is that Moses our Rabbi--peace be on him!--advanced before his prayer into the three divisions, "darkness, clouds, and thick darkness" (Deut. iv. 11).

And this is also the reason why after finis.h.i.+ng the Shemonah-esreh three steps backward are to be made, returning through these three parts or divisions.

This prayer is to be performed standing, and the feet so joined together that they should seem as it were one foot only, in order to be like the angels, of whom it is written (Ezek. i. 7), "And their feet were (so in the original) a straight foot," that is to say, their feet appeared as one foot.

This att.i.tude is a sign that the power of locomotion is gone; he cannot pursue and attain any other object than G.o.d. The Gentiles place their hands together, intending to signify thereby that their hands are as it were bound; but we, by placing our feet together, intend to signify that they are as it were entirely bound, which is indicative of greater humility; for with the hands bound one could still run away in search of his own pleasure, which he cannot do when the feet are bound.

_Kitzur Sh'lh_, fol. 48, col. 2, and fol. 49, col. 1.

It is lawful for him who rides upon an animal to pray the eighteen benedictions, and when he comes to the point when he should retrace three steps, he is to back the animal he is mounted on three steps. And so also it is lawful to pray the eighteen blessings when sitting and traveling in a wagon.

Ibid., fol. 49, col. 1.

It is necessary to pay attention to the feet when the wors.h.i.+per repeats "Holy! holy! holy!" and he is to lift up his eyes toward heaven. At the instant the Kiddushah is repeated he needs only lift up his heels, and thereby his body from the earth toward heaven.... According to Tanchuma it is necessary to lift up the feet from the earth altogether, after the example of the angels, of whom it is written (Isa. vi. 2), "And with two he did fly." It is from this text that the sages have ordained that a man should fly up (as it were) when he repeats "Holy! holy! holy!" And let the chooser choose, i.e. it is optional either to lift up the heels only or to jump.

Ibid.

Any one who visits a synagogue may notice the observance of this practice. In the synagogues of the Cha.s.sidim, jumping is preferred to lifting up the heels.

It is written (Ps. cii. 17), "He will regard the prayer of the dest.i.tute," and it is not written, "He will hear." What else can the term "regard" mean than that there is a distinction between the prayer of an individual and the prayer of a community? For when a community prays, their prayer enters before the Holy One--blessed be He!--and He is not particular to regard and criticise their works and their intentions and thoughts, but receives their prayers immediately. But when an individual prays, the Holy One--blessed be He!--regards and scrutinizes his heart, whether it be devout and whether he be a righteous man. Therefore, one should always pray with the community, and this is why the text (Ps. cvii. 17) ends with the words, "And not despise their prayer." Although there are some of the community whose prayers, on account of their evil deeds, deserve to be despised, He, nevertheless, does not despise their prayer.

_Kitzur Sh'lk_, fol. 51, col. 1.

A man should study less on Friday, that he may occupy himself with the preparation for the Sabbath. And accordingly we find in the Gemara that some of the great and esteemed sages occupied themselves on that day in preparing what was needed for the Sabbath. Therefore, though one may have many servants to wait upon him, it is a great merit personally to prepare for the wants of the Sabbath in order thus to honor it; and let him not think it derogatory to his own honor to honor the Sabbath thus, for it is his honor to honor the Sabbath. It is written of H'A'ree of blessed memory, that he was in the habit of sweeping away the cobwebs in his house (in honor of the Sabbath), and it is well known to the initiated what a wonderful mystery it is to abolish the unclean spirits from the house, "And this is enough for him that understands."

Ibid., fol. 61, col. 1.

One should trim his finger-nails every Friday, never on Thursday, otherwise the nails will commence growing on the following Sabbath. He should pare the nails of the left hand first, beginning at the fourth finger and ending with the thumb; and then he should pare the nails of the right hand, beginning with the thumb and ending with the fourth finger; he should not vary the following order: 4th, 2d, 5th, 3d, 1st of the left hand; then the 1st, 3d, 5th, 2d, 4th of the right hand. Never pare two (contiguous) fingers one after the other, for it is dangerous, and it also impairs the memory. The reason and mystery about the order for paring the nails are well known to the expert.

_Kitzur Sh'lh._

In the Zohar it is explained that the benefit of immersion on Friday amounts to the restoration of the soul to her proper place, for he who is bodily unclean has no soul.

Ibid., fol. 61, col. 2.

Before entering the plunging-bath, he is to repeat (Gen. i. 10), "And G.o.d called the dry land earth, and the gathering together of the waters called He seas." When he stands in the water he is to repeat seven times (Ps. li. 10), "Create in me a clean heart, O G.o.d, and renew a right spirit within me," for the initials of "Create in me a clean heart,"

form the word "to dip," i.e., to immerse. For it is through immersion that the unclean spirits and the "other side," are separated from him, and he becomes a new creature by examining and confessing his (evil) deeds, and forsaking them, and by engaging himself in repentance, and immersing himself, and meditating on elevating subjects, and especially so if he has immersed himself fourteen times.

Ibid., fol. 61, col. 1.

When standing in the water he is to stoop four times, so that the water may reach his neck, answering to the four modes of legal execution.

After that he is to repeat the form of confession, and while the water reaches up to his throat he is to repeat these three texts--Micah vii.

18-20, Jer. x. 24, and Ps. cxviii. 5, and then say, "As I cleanse my body here below, which is formed of clay, so may the ministering angels cleanse my soul, spirit, and ghost above in the river Dinor; and as I sanctify my body here below, so may the angels of the Most High, the ministering angels, sanctify my spirit, soul, and ghost in the river Dinor above! In the name of Jehovah, He is the G.o.d and in the name of Adonai, the Rock of all Ages. Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forevermore!"

_Kitzur Sh'lh_, fol. 62, col. 1.

According to the Kabbalah, the thoroughgoing orthodox Jew has his hands full on Erev Shabbath, i.e., Friday. We cannot here go over the entire proceeding prescribed, but we will briefly touch upon its salient features in the order as we find them.

After having prepared himself for immersion, as above described, he is to turn his face and bow first toward the west and then toward the east, repeating a certain formula, and then dip himself under the water. This over, he is to turn again east and west and repeat a different formula, and while meditating on certain given letters of certain mystical divine names and other known words, and their respective numerical values, he is to dip a second time under the water. Then turning and bowing again west and east, repeating the while a different formula, he proceeds to meditate on different letters of the divine names, and dips for the third and last time. As dipping fourteen times is the exception and not the rule, no farther directions are given about the matter, except a few additional formulae and meditations.

When he comes out of the water he is to step backward in the same respectful manner as when he leaves the synagogue, and is to repeat Isa. iv. 3, 4, and Rabbi Akiva's commentary on the text Ezek. x.x.xvi. 25.

When he begins dressing he is to repeat Isa. liv. 17, and when he subsequently washes his face and hands and feet in warm water, to which is attached a great mystery, he is to say, "Behold, here I am, was.h.i.+ng myself in honor of Sabbath the queen;" and add also Isa. iv. 4, and also, "I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?" (Cant. v. 3.)

Happy is he who is able to provide himself with a complete suit of apparel down to the girdle, the shoes, and the hat for wearing on the Sabbath, different from those worn on week-days.

Then he is to repeat the Book of Solomon's Song, and if unable to repeat the whole, he is, at all events, to repeat these four verses, the initials of the first word in each of which taken together form the word Jacob, Cant. i. 2, ii. 10, ii. 8, v. 1.

After this he is to repeat certain portions of the Mishnah, and something of the Zohar or some other Kabbalistic work.

This over, the devout Israelite goes to the synagogue to meet his G.o.d as the bridegroom, and to receive the Sabbath as the bride. The service is well worthy of rehearsal, but we must refer for details to the Liturgy.

The Israelite returns home from the synagogue accompanied by two angels, one good and the other evil; and according to the condition of the domestic arrangements when he re-enters, he is blessed by the good angel or cursed by the evil one.

The Israelite is solemnly warned not to quarrel with his wife on Sabbath-eve, for the devils are very busy then to stir up more strife, as is ill.u.s.trated by the story of Rabbi Meir.

Having repeated the usual hymn appointed for the Sabbath-eve, and p.r.o.nounced the form of blessing over the cup of wine, he and his family commence their supper, which is carefully prepared of the very choicest viands, flesh and fish included. Hymns and a certain form of blessing after the meal complete the family duties of the day, and all retire to rest. The head of the family, if he be a pious Israelite, and especially a disciple of the wise, has a particular duty to perform--a duty which is based on Scripture and on the following text (Exod. x.x.xi. 16), "Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath."

(_Kitzur Sh'lh_, fol. 64, col. 1.)

Of the laws relating to the Sabbath we can here only enumerate a few; we shall, however, take them in order as detailed in the book before us.

Jewish women, maid-servants and girls are warned not to order a Gentile woman on the Sabbath to do this or that, but they may instruct her on a work-day what she is to do on the Sabbath.

Geese, fowl, cats, dogs, etc., are not to be handled on the Sabbath.

Neither are pocket-handkerchiefs, spectacles, etc., to be carried on the Sabbath in an unwalled town or village. Radishes are not to be salted in quant.i.ties, but each piece is to be dipped separately in salt and eaten.

After dinner the Israelite is to take a siesta, for each letter forms the initial of a word, and the words thus formed are "Sleep on the Sabbath is a delight." (See Isa. lviii. 13.) Before he dozes off he is to repeat the last verse of the 90th and the whole of the 91st Psalm.

The salutation should not be, as on working-days, "Good morning," but "Good Sabbath;" for respecting this it is said (Exod. xx. 8), "Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy." He is not to rise on the Sabbath as early as on the other days of the week, and this is based on Scripture.

He is to be very careful with the fur garments that he may be wearing, lest he should pluck a hair therefrom, and for the same reason he is not to scratch his head or touch his beard on the Sabbath. He is not to wash his hands with salt or soap on the Sabbath, nor may he play at ball; he is not to knock with a rapper on a door, or ring the house-bell; nor, if he has married a widow, is he to co-habit with her on that day.

_Kitzur Sh'lh_, fols. 65-67.

At the close of the Sabbath he is to p.r.o.nounce over a cup of wine what is technically termed the "Separation," for the departure of the Sabbath, as given in the prayer-book. He is then to fold up his Tallith or veil and sing "Hamavdil," the first verse of which runs thus:--

"May He who maketh a distinction between the holy (Sabbath) and the profane (days of the week) pardon our sins and multiply our children and our money as the sand and as the stars in the night!"