Lecture 47. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated · Sabato Morais Digital Repository · Legacy Projects from Judaica DH at Penn Libraries

Title

Lecture 47. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated

Author

Morais, Sabato

Location(s)

United States -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

United States -- Pennsylvania

Format

10 pages on 4 sheets

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?

Language(s)

English

Source

Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies

Sabato Morais Collection, Box 12, Folder 5

Has Format

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p35q4s521/manifest.json

Link to Colenda

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p35q4s521

Provenance

Transfer of Custody from the Hebrew Education Society, 10 March 1913.

Is Format Of

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content

Post-Biblical
47

This Sabbath may appropriately suitably engage our attention to a subject connected with a work accomplished in the Judean schools, to of which I have referred spoken at different intervals in the course of my post-Biblical lectures. We have just read an extra section of from the Pentateuch, in--tended as an announcement of the ushering in of the incoming ecclesiastical month in during which Passover is kept. All should know that the seasonably correct observance in its proper season of that festival, which serves as a guide to all the Jewish holidays of the year, is due to the son of Judah II, of to whom I last spoke referred in my series. The decay of paganism and the progress of Christianity, through the conversion of Constantine, did not improve the condition of our people in Palestine. Heavy taxation drained national resources; a systematic oppression weakened mental activity. The cities where learning had flourished, lost much of their lustre. Few, deserving the name of Hebrew sages, remained in the once famous Jammia, Lydda Sephoris Lydda and Tiberias, and other ancient centres of sacred learning. Still, from time immemorial a rule had been in force which gave the country of our former glory certain pri--vileges bearing on the government of our religious affairs.

The most important regulation was considered that which instructed Israelites how and when to keep the festivals unitedly. There is no doubt that the knowledge of calculating time had been largely acquired by the Rabbis. Indeed, they esteemed it so highly that they said [Hebrew] "Whoever can cultivate mathematics and astronomy and does not do so, neglects a study giving an insight into God's marvelous handi-work." But that knowledge, so justly valued, was jealously preserved treasured by its possessors. It was not popularly disclosed. So long as the Sanhedrin, or Synod, could meet in any part of the Holy Land, the proclamation of each new moon, and of the character of the year, whether bissextite or regular, was to emanate from that authoritative body, conformably with traditional ordinances. Witnesses, stationed on a great height, having seen the moon at its first appearance, reported it to the President of the Sanhedrin, and Rosh Chodesh was, accordingly, declared. To insure a uniform observance of the holidays, messengers were expe--ditiously sent to various points, to inform Israelites on what day, for instance, was Nissan appointed, so that Passover might be kept together on the fifteenth thereof;

or when Elul was appointed that Jews might know when to celebrate their New Year. The Sanhedrin had also a right delegated to it, to add a mouth to the year, as often as it was deemed necessary, either through because of the backwardness of the season, or for other reasons of national interest. The additional month, whenever resorted to, it was made in Adar, the month preceding that in which Passover occurred. I will explain the object. The Jews reckoning their months--as the most natural method--by the appearance of the moon, and the latter showing itself anew in the sky every 29 days and a half and some minutes, it followed that the Jewish year, or 12 moons, would consist of 354 days and several hours, whereas the year, calculated astronomically by the sun, contains 365 days and se--veral hours. Now: the Bible, speaking of the month in which the deliverance form Egypt was experienced, calls it "the month of Abib". Thus we read: [Hebrew] "Observe Watch the month of Abib, and celebrate the Passover". The word Abib means, "springing up," and refers to the season, in which

nature,--specially in warm climates like Palestine,--shows signs of a revival by new pro--ductions. But the yeilding of the soil depends upon the sun which quickens, heats it and fructifies it, conse-quently Passover must be kept when the sun has begun to ripen vegetable and fruits, or at Spring. Moreover Besides, Israelites were obliged in olden times to bring to the altar on the second day of Passover the Omer, or an offering of flour made of the barley harvest, which was the earliest to mature in Judea. It is obvious clear therefore that Passover must be regulated by the sun and not by the moon. To do so effectually, and prevent the festival from going back to winter, and additional intercalary month was added introduced every now and then before that festival arrived, so as to equalize the number of days between the 354 of twelve moons and the 365 of the twelve solar months. When the schools of Judea were flourishing, and while a competent synod continued lasted, all regulations proceeded from thence; but during the fourth century of the Christian era, about 358 the schools were growing less in importance, and the Synod greatly [?] fast [?] waned greatly in its power.less

It was a noble self-denial which led in the Pre--sident of the Sanhedrin, Hillel II, to relinquish the exclusive prerogative of regulating the new moons and the intercalary month which was exclusively his own, and fix a ca--lendar in which every Jew, wherever he might dwell, should have a guide and be not forced to consult apply to Rabbinical authority. That wise and good man--a worthy descendant of his self-sacrificing and peace-loving ancestor Hillel I--, foresaw that with the spread of Christianity, and the continuance of Israelites in the Holy Land became precarious and Judaism was exposed to severe trials. of Yet, if though the dispersion should grow ever so world wide, and the suf-ferings still more fearful, the religious unity of his people must not be broken up. So thought Hillel, and this pious sentiment suggested the laying down of rules for a calendar, which has lasted, without a change, since the year 358 of the Christ- vulgar -ian era in which it was formulated.
It cannot be expected that I shall go into details upon this complicated subject. It is constitutes a study as deep as it is interesting, and among those who have

enlarged thereon, David Nieto that wrote in Hebrew, and in Spanish and in Italian, may be profitably read consulted. In the En--glish language, a perusal of the introduction by the late Ab--raham De Sola to the Calendar, which he jointly issued with Jaques J. Lyons, will prove instructive. But not to dismiss here the topic altogether, I will simply say that Jewish months are alternately of 29 and 30 days. Properly speaking, they are of 29 days and a half and some minutes each which is the length of time occupied by the moon to go through its various eight phases and appear anew. But rather than cal--culate so oddly, we add join two half days each every other d month and keep then Rosh Chodesh two days; the 30th and the succeeding day. To dispose of the minutes in excess of the days Hillel ordered that the month of Heshvan, following our fall autumnal holidays, should occasion--ally be, like the preceding, of 30 days, instead of 29. About the leap years or bissextite years, the Sage arranged it so, that there should be seven years containing thirteen lunar months, in a cycle of of nineteen years; namely, the 3rd, the 6th,

the 8th, the 11th, the 14th, the 17th, and the 19th. For other reasons needing too lengthy an explanation, he ordered that certain holidays should not fall on certain days of the week, and that Rosh Chodesh be put off to another day, when the conjunction, or the meeting of the moon and the sun, takes place at certain hours. The astronomical knowledge displayed in the Jewish Calendar has won the admiration of scientists in all ages civilized countries, and its approach to perfection mathematical precision was made visibly ma--nifest in 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII, felt bound to commit the monstrosity of cutting down shortening the month of October of that year of full ten days, making it a month of 21 days, because Easter, which should be regulated like the Jewish Passover, was being kept after the prescribed season. Thus, Christianity which indirectly compelled the work of Hillel II in the fourth century, virtually accepted that work and paid homage thereto in the Sixteenth century. Nemesis arose to do us justice and vindicated the wisdom of our Sages even in the department of science.
Rabbinical writings tells us scarcely anything of the

life of our Hillel, beyond giving him and his synod the credit of having prepared a thorough Almanac. Some maxims embodied in treatise Aboth, connected with his name in the opinion of some Rabbis, would seem to me an more likely to have emanated proceeded form his illustrious ancestor Hillel I, famous for his pithy sentences and maxims aphorisms. But profane history makes honorable mention of Hillel II. The Emperor Julian, whom the Christian church calls "the apostate," because he denied the divinity of its founder, but whom even his enemies confess to have been a brave and well learned man, styled our Sage his venerable estimable friend. In an astonishing letter, full of kind expressions to our people, the grand son nephew of Constan--tine, wrote "I have advised my brother, the venerable pa--triarch Hillel to stop the tax paid hitherto". All know that the reign of Julian lasted no more than two years, and that his decree for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple was not carried out. But though human assistance failed us then and too often in subsequent ages, the Dweller in heaven who neither slumbers nor sleeps watch--ed over our destiny. We have lived to this day, and we Jews are now preparing to celebrate the greatest event in our

annals, keeping the Passover in the month of Abib, at the season ordained by our Celestial Redeemer, and annually kept with precision observed in religious Union through the zealous labors of Hillel II, the good and the wise.

Identifier

p35q4s521

identifier

SMBx12FF5_4