But The
Offering Up Of Prayers By These Devotees Is Rendered Still More
Indispensible By A Dogma Contained In The
Talmud, that the world will
return to its primitive chaos, if prayers are not addressed to the God
of Israel
At least twice a week in these four cities; this belief
produces considerable pecuniary advantage to the supplicants, as the
missionaries sent abroad to collect alms for the support of these
religious fraternities plead the danger of the threatened chaos, to
induce the rich Jews to send supplies of money, in
[p.325] order that the prayers may be constantly offered up. Three or
four missionaries are sent out every year; one to the coasts of Africa
from Damietta to Mogadore, another to the coasts of Europe from Venice
to Gibraltar, a third to the Archipelago, Constantinople, and Anatolia;
and a fourth through Syria. The charity of the Jews of London is
appealed to from time to time; but the Jews of Gibraltar have the
reputation of being more liberal than any others, and, from four to five
thousand Spanish dollars are received annually from them. The Polish
Jews settled at Tabaria send several collectors regularly into Bohemia
and Poland, and the rich Jewish merchants in those countries have their
pensioners in the Holy Land, to whom they regularly transmit sums of
money. Great jealousy seems to prevail between the Syrian and Polish
Jews. The former being in possession of the place, oblige the foreighers
to pay excessively high for their lodgings; and compel them also to
contribute considerable sums towards the relief of the indigent Syrians,
while they themselves never give the smallest trifle to the poor from
Poland.
The pilgrim Jews, who repair to Tiberias, are of all ages from twelve to
sixty. If they bring a little money with them the cunning of their
brethren here soon deprives them of it; for as they arrive with the most
extravagant ideas, of the holy cities, they are easily imposed upon
before their enthusiasm begins to cool. To rent a house in which some
learned Rabbin or saint died, to visit the tombs of the most renowned
devotees, to have the sacred books opened in their presence, and public
prayers read for the salvation of the new-comers, all these inestimable
advantages, together with various other minor religious tricks, soon
strip the stranger of his last farthing; he then becomes dependent upon
the charity of his nation, upon foreign subsidies, or upon the fervour
of some inexperienced pilgrim. Those who go abroad as
[p.326] missionaries generally realise some property, as they are
allowed ten per cent. upon all alms collected, besides their travelling
expenses. The Jewish devotees pass the whole day in the schools or the
synagogue, reciting the Old Testament and the Talmud, both of which many
of them know entirely by heart. They all write Hebrew; but I did not see
any fine hand-writing amongst them; their learning, seems to be on the
same level as that of the Turks, among whom an Olema thinks he has
attained the pinnacle of knowledge if he can recite all the Koran
together with some thousand of Hadeath, or sentences of the Prophet, and
traditions concerning him; but neither Jews, nor Turks, nor Christians,
in these countries, have the slightest idea of that criticism, which
might guide them to a rational explanation or emendation of their sacred
books. It was in vain that I put questions to several of the first
Rabbins, concerning the desert in which the children of Israel sojourned
for forty years; I found that my own scanty knowledge of the geography
of Palestine, and of its partition amongst the twelve tribes, was
superior to theirs.
There are some beautiful copies of the books of Moses in the Syrian
synagogue, written upon a long roll of leather, not parchment, but no
one could tell me when or where they were made; I suspect, however, that
they came from Bagdad, where the best Hebrew scribes live, and of whose
writings I had seen many fine specimens at Aleppo and Damascus. The
libraries of the two schools at Tiberias are moderately stocked with
Hebrew books, most of which have been printed at Vienna and Venice.
Except some copies of the Old Testament and the Talmud, they have no
manuscripts.
They observe a singular custom here in praying; while the Rabbin recites
the Psalms of David, or the prayers extracted from them, the
congregation frequently imitate by their voice or gestures,
[p.327] the meaning of some remarkable passages; for example, when the
Rabbin pronounces the words, “Praise the Lord with the sound of the
trumpet,” they imitate the sound of the trumpet through their closed
fists. When “a horrible tempest” occurs, they puff and blow to represent
a storm; or should he mention “the cries of the righteous in distress,”
they all set up a loud screaming; and it not unfrequently happens that
while some are still blowing the storm, others have already begun the
cries of the righteous, thus forming a concert which it is difficult for
any but a zealous Hebrew to hear with gravity.
The Jews enjoy here perfect religious freedom, more particularly since
Soleiman, whose principal minister, Haym Farkhy, is a Jew, has succeeded
to the Pashalik of Akka. During the life of Djezzar Pasha they were
often obliged to pay heavy fines; at present they merely pay the
Kharadj. Their conduct, however, is not so prudent as it ought to be, in
a country where the Turks are always watching for a pretext to extort
money; they sell wine and brandy to the soldiers of the town, almost
publicly, and at their weddings they make a very dangerous display of
their wealth. On these occasions they traverse the city in pompous
procession, carrying before the bride the plate of almost the whole
community, consisting of large dishes, coffee pots, coffee cups, &c.,
and they feast in the house of the bridegroom for seven successive days
and nights.
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