-"Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep; for it is a sign between me and you, throughout your generations, that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you." (Exodus xxxi. 13.) The simplicity and beauty of this institution is nowhere better illustrated than in contemplating Israel in his tents in the wilderness, gathering his manna, and enjoying himself in his God. Much of this simplicity has been destroyed by the consequences resulting from putting the traditions of men in the place of the commandments of God. In Daghistan we have, as it were, a glimpse of what the Sabbath was to the ancient Jews. It is not commenced, as elsewhere, by ablutions, cutting of nails, reading the Songs of Solomon and the lessons usual for the seventh day, and preparation of the food, -the routine usually followed. It is simply begun at sunset of the sixth day by extinguishing the fires and putting out the lights. (Exodus, ch. xxxv. v. 3, Ye shall not kindle a fire on the Sabbath.) They remain in the coldest and darkest weather without these; and have no recourse, as other Jews, to the services of Gentiles to supply them with these; preserving in their own persons the letter, and through strangers destroying the spirit of the law. The ce

remony of consecrating or blessing the light, and taking a portion from the dough or bread bn to be used on the seventh day is not known to them. Their sanctification of the Sabbath may be said to be illustrated by them, as in those words, "Therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days abide ye every man in his place on the seventh day." (Exodus xvi. 29.) "If thou turn away thy foot from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord." (Isaiah lvii. 13, 14.)

It is remarkable, that as they are quite ignorant of the oral law and traditions followed by the Jews elsewhere, and which enumerates thirtynine different species of occupations, from which they consider themselves prohibited, (vide Talmud, Sabbath, or Treatise, folio 73,) the Jews of Daghistan observe all these prohibitions except

; עירוב or עירויבן the last. This last is called

which is a reservation of a permission to carry loads from one house to another on the Sab

bath-day. It is allowed by the following cere

mony, practised by the Jews,

A cake which is called a

being observed.

is consecrated

A string or

and suspended in the synagogue. rope is extended from each corner of a street where Jews live; and this is deemed to constitute those embraced within the extremities of they one family; thereby evading the penalty resulting from the prohibitory injunction.

If we refer to the prophet Jeremiah, (xvii. 21-27,) we find this is in direct opposition to the word of Jehovah-" Thus saith the Lord, Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath-day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath-day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the Sabbath-day, as I commanded your fathers." Thus, in this important respect, the Jews of Daghistan preserve the institution according to its appointment before the prophet in question was commanded to reprove the Jewish people for infringing thus its sanctification, which was after the captivity of the lost tribes.

They further differ from the Talmudists in the following observances. The Jews throughout the

world abstain from those duties which necessity and mercy justify, -such as feeding cattle, milking, &c.

The day is to them a day of rest, and peace, and cheerfulness, they dance, sing, and play on instruments. These are of a religious nature, expressive of religious emotions; but are expressly forbidden by the oral law or Talmud. They spend the forenoon of the Sabbath in the way described in the following scriptures, which serve to illustrate their religious habits on that day, better than any description of mine,— See Exodus; also 2 Samuel vi. 15. Psalm lxviii. 25, 26; cxlix. 3; cl. 4.

The afternoon is spent in a very profitable way, quite unlike the Jews elsewhere. They resort to the dwellings of their elders and of religious men, who sit in their places of abode to receive the visits of those who come to them, and instruct them in the doctrines of their scriptures, and make allegories of the law of Moses. This custom of resorting to holy men on the Sabbath-day is a very ancient one, as may be gathered from 2 Kings iv. 23, practised long before the great captivities. They surround these good men until sunset, who

pronounce the Sabbath to be ended;* the women kiss the hem of their garments, and the men the

They then disperse to their

hands of the elders.

own dwellings and

resume their occupations.

They know of no nan, which means consecrating the weeks, as their brethren elsewhere after the evening prayer in the synagogue.

The consecration of the Sabbath on the sixth day evening, is another observance worthy of remark. After sunset, the whole family meet together in one room, when the head of the family, after a short prayer, reads the following passages of scripture; the first chapter of Genesis, and the first three verses of chapter the second; Exodus xx. verses 8 and 11; and then concludes by reading with great solemnity Exodus xvi. from the 22nd to the 30th verses.

This proves the consecration of the Sabbath prior to the time of Moses, and not as some would affirm, that it is an institution merely commemorative of the deliverance from Egyptian bondage. The Sabbath consecrated by the children of Israel throughout the world, is that day sanctified from the beginning of the creation; the abrogation of

* Rabbinic System kilckoth Shabbath.