attempt was made on the part of that monarch to destroy every copy of the law; which he commanded to be delivered up under penalty of death.

It was at this time of persecution that these selections were made by the Jews to be read instead of the law. Each portion selected had some reference to the section of the law formerly read.

For instance: the portion of the prophet which was read instead of the first five chapters of Genesis, is a part of the forty-second chapter of Isaiah, beginning at the fifth verse: "Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out," because allusion is here made that God is the creator of the world.

For the second portion of the law, which commences at the ninth verse of the sixth chapter of Genesis, and finishes at the end of the eleventh chapter, the fiftyfourth chapter of Isaiah has been selected, because in this chapter mention is made of the deluge. Again, for the portion where the death of Jacob is related, they chose the second chapter of the first book of Kings because here the death of David is referred to, and so throughout.

When the Jews were liberated from this persecution by the Asmoneans, they kept both, and read now a portion of Moses and one of the Prophets, as follows:

These are the portions of Scripture which are read as the First and Second Lessons in the Synagogues throughout the year, arranged according to the Hebrew Bible.

The whole of the book of the Preacher is read on the Sabbath in the Feast of Tabernacles.

The whole of the book of Song of Songs is read on the Sabbath in the Feast of Passover.

The book of Ruth is read on the second day of the Feast of Weeks.

The book of Esther is read on the evening of the Feast of Esther, and again the following morning on the Feast of Purim.

In the East and on the coast of Africa the Jews read also the Psalms on the Sabbath, in the synagogues, between the afternoon and evening services.

These are the only portions of holy Writ which are read publicly in the synagogues. We can therefore not wonder that the majority of the Jews are not better versed in the writings of their own Scriptures.

A short portion of the law is also read publicly in the synagogues every Monday and Thursday; the reason given for choosing these two days, is because they say that Moses went up on Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments on Thursday and descended on Monday.

Into how great a mistake even a scholar may fall, if he does not understand the subject he describes, is seen by what Professor Robinson states of the roll of the law which he saw at Hebron; he says, "As we were about to take leave, two rabbies, of their own accord, led us into the synagogue situated under the same roof, furnished with benches; in it was now a school of six or eight boys. The manuscripts of the Old Testament are kept in two cupboards or presses on one side. Like all Hebrew manuscripts, they are written upon long rolls of parchment, at each end of which a rod is fastened, so that they may be rolled backwards or forwards as a person reads, the columns being perpendicular to the length of the roll. In the first cupboard were six or eight manuscripts, enclosed in cases, standing upright. The rolls are read as they

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stand in the cases without being taken from the cupboard." "Dr. Robinson's Biblical Researches," second volume, page 447.

Now I would observe that Dr. Robinson mistook the five books of Moses for the whole of the Old Testament, and asserts that the roll is never taken out from the cupboard, whilst they are taken out as often as they are read as above described; besides, these five books of Moses are without points and without accents, whilst all the Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Testament are with points and accents.

The Jews at Jerusalem keep five public fasts: namely, the fast Gedaliah, the fast Asaar Bedebeth, the fast of Esther, the fast of Sheba-Asaar Betamoos, and the fast Tischa-Beab.

The first fast-day is celebrated on account of the murder of Gedaliah (see 2 Kings chap. xxv.); this fast is kept about the middle of September.

The second is on the 10th day of Debeth, corresponding with the 23d of December. They keep this fast because on that day Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem.

The third is the fast of Esther, of which a full account is given in the book of Esther.

The fourth is kept on the 17th day of the month of Tamoos, about the 25th of June, because on that day Moses broke the tables of the ten commandments; on the same day the sacrifices ceased in the first Temple, the walls of Jerusalem were scaled before the destruction of the second Temple, and on that day Antiochus Epiphanes burnt the book of the law, and placed an image in the Temple.

The last is the 9th day of the month of Ab, about the middle of July, because, according to their tradition, on that day it was decreed that the generation who left Egypt should die in the wilderness, the first and second Temples were destroyed on that day, Bither was taken on the same day, when many thousands of Israelites were put to death, and Turrus Rufus ploughed up Mount Moriah on that day.

For each of these fast-days appropriate prayers are appointed.

The Chasidim have an additional fast-day on the 9th day of the month of Adar, in March, because Moses died on that day.

Many fast every Monday and Thursday.

Some appoint for themselves certain fast-days, on which they offer up various prayers to God, amongst which is the following remarkable one :—

"Lord of the Universe, I humble myself before thee with fasting and prayer; it is known unto thee, O Lord, that in the days when the Temple stood, the man who sinned brought a sacrifice to thee, and the blood and the fat of the sacrifice did atone for his sins, but now on account of our many sins, we have no temple, no altar, and no priest to atone for us. May it therefore please thee, O Lord my God, and the God of my fathers, that the diminishing of my blood and fat, occasioned by my fasting to-day, be counted and accepted before thy throne, as if I had offered up sacrifices upon thine altar, and forgive me for thy mercy's sake my sins. And may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be well-pleasing unto thee, my Rock and my Redeemer."

The festivals kept by the Jews in the Holy City are Passover, Pentecost, New Year, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, the Feast of Purification and Dedication of the Temple, (celebrated in commemoration of their deliverance from the great persecution under Antiochus Epiphanes,) and the feast of Esther.

Every Sabbath there is a sermon in Jewish-Spanish in one of the largest Spanish Synagogues, and likewise one in Jewish-Polish in the German Synagogue.

This was the town and these the people among whom I was privileged to proclaim the Gospel of salvation; how this was received will appear from the following pages of my