These Have Two
Fair Synagogues, One Of Which Belongs To The Jews Of Palestine And Syria,
And The Other To Those Of Babylon; The Only Difference Between Which Sects
Is In The Way Of Dividing The Law Into Portions.
The Babylonians, every
week, read one Parascha, after the manner usual in Spain, so as to go
through the whole law once in every year; but the others divide each
parascha into three sedarim, or smaller sections, so that they read over
the whole law only once in three years.
Yet both of these join in their
solemn prayers twice every year. Over the whole Nathaniel presides, being
head of the Sanhedrim, and ruler of all the synagogues in Egypt, to which
he appoints masters and elders. He is likewise minister of the great king,
who resides in the palace of Zoan, a city in Egypt, where Ali, the son of
Abitaleb, was once commander of the faithful, and whose subjects are
considered as rebels by the other Arabs, because they refuse obedience to
the Abassidian khaliff of Bagdat.
The royal city is surrounded with walls, but Misraim is entirely open,
having the river Nile on one side. This is a very large city, having many
large markets and public buildings, and contains many rich Jews. The
country is never troubled with rain, ice, or snow, but is often afflicted
with insufferable heat. It is watered by the Nile, which begins to swell
every year in the month Elul, and continues swelling during that month and
Tisri[30], making the earth fruitful.
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