Pilgrimage, Book 2 · Chapter 15
CHAP. XV.
Of their Morning Prayer, with their Fringes, Philacteries, and other Ceremonies thereof.
THe good-wife is to waken her husband, & the parents to awaken their children, when after thirteene yeares they are subiect to the Iewish Precepts: before their Pentecost, they rise before it is light, and after, the nights being shorter, when it is now day. They are to awaken the day, not to tarry till it awaken them. For their Morning-praier must be made whiles the Sunne is rising, and not later: for then is the time of hearing, as they interpret Lament. 2.19. And he which is deuout ought at that time to be sad for Ierusalem, and to pray eueryevery morning for the reedifying of the Temple, and Citie: if in the night-time any sheddeth teares for their long captiuitie, GOD will heare his prayer, for then the Starres and Planets mourne with him: and if hee suffer the teares to trickle downe his cheeks, GOD will arise and gather them into his bottle, and if any decree be by their enemies enacted against them, with those teares hee wil blot out the same. Witnes Dauid, aPsal.56.9.Put my teares in thy bottle, are they not in thy book? And if any rub his forehead with his teares, it is good to blot out certaine sins that are there written. In the beginning of the night, GOD causeth all the gates of heauen to be shut, and the Angels stay at them in silence, and sendeth euill spirits into the world, which hurt all they meet: but after midnight, they are commanded to open the same. This command and call is heard of the cockes, and therefore they clap their wings and crow, to awaken men: and then the euill spirits lose their power of hurting: and in this respect the Wise-men hauehave ordained them a thanksgiuing to be said at cock-crowing. Blessed art thou O GOD, LORD of the whole world, who hast giuen vnderstanding to the cocke.
They must not rise vp in their beds naked, nor put on their shirts sitting, but put their heads and armes into the same as they lie, lest the walles and beames should see their nakednes. It is a brag of Rabbi Iose, that, in all his life, he had not herein faulted. But to goe or stand naked in the chamber, were more then piacular: and much more, to make water standing naked before his bed, although it be night. He must not put on his garments wrong: nor his left shooe before the right, and yet he must put off the left-foot shooe first, When he is clothed, with his head inclined to the earth, and a deuout minde (in remembrance of the destruction of the Temple) hee goeth out of the chamber, with his head, feet, and all couered, because of the holy Schechinam (Diuine glorie) ouer his head. Then he goeth to stoole in some priuie place; for so hath Amos commanded, bAmos 4.….2.Prepare thy selfe (O Israel) to meet thy GOD: and Dauid; cPsal.103.1.All that is within me praise his holy name: that is, all within the body emptie and cleane: For else must not GOD be named; and therefore his garments must not be spotted and fouled. To restraine nature too long, were a sin, & would cause the soule to stinke: and (sauing your reuerēce) he must wipe with the left hand, for with the right he writeth the name of GOD, and the Angels. And in this place and busines he must take heed, he think not of God or his Word; much lesse name him, for God will shorren the dayes of such a one. R. Sira told his schollers, that the cause of his long life was, that in an impure place he neuer thought of the Word, nor named the name of God. Besides, he must turne his face, and not his hinder-parts toward the Temple of Ierusalem. He ought not to touch his body with vnwashen hands, in regard of the euill spirits which rest thereon til they be washed, and if hee should touch his eyes he would bee blinde, his eares deafe, his nose dropping, his mouth stinking, his hand scabbed with these vnwashed, and therefore venemous hands: and when he washeth he must powre water three times on his right hand, and as oft on the left, before one hand may touch the other: he must not be sparing in his water, for store of water, store of wealth: after the hands, the mouth & face must be washed, because they were created after the Image of GOD: and how should the name of GOD be vttered out of a foule mouth? he must wash ouer a basen, not ouer the ground: he must drie his face very well, for feare of wheales and wrinckles: and that with a cleane towell, not with his shirt, for this would make them blockish and forgetfull. After all this followeth his Brachah, or blessing, Blessed be thou, O God, our God, King of the whole world, who hast commanded vsus to wash our hands. Their hands they must alwaies wash on these occasions: in the morning; at their returne from the stoole; from bathing; when they hauehave cut their nailes; hauehave scratched their naked bodie; hauehave pulled off their shooes with their hāds; hauehave touched a dead body; hauehave gone amongst the dead; hauehave cōpanied with their wiues, or hauehave killed a louse, If he respect washing after these, if he be learned, he shal forget his learning; if vnlearned, he shal lose his sēse.
They cOf the Iewes Arba-canphos, and Zizis.hauehave a foure-cornered garment, which some put on with the rest, when they rise; others then, when they will pray. The foure-cornered parts thereof are made of linnen or silke, tied together with two winding-bands, of such length that they may draw through their head betwixt them, so that those two quadrangular peeces may hang down, one on his breast, the other on his back. In eueryevery of these 4. corners hangeth a labell, made of white woollen threds, by a little knot, downwards to the ground, and the same is foure, or eight, or twelue fingers broad. These labels they call Zizis. Those which are deuout weare this garment eueryevery day, vnderunder a long outward coat, in such sort that those labels may appeare out a little, so that they may alwaies see them, as monitories of the Commandements of God. When they put them on, they praise God that hath commanded them to weare these Zizis. He (say they) that keepeth duly this dNum.15.38. Fringes and Philacteries.precept of Zizis, doth as much as if he kept the whole Law: for there are in all fiue knots, compared to the fiue bookes of Moses: eight threds added to them, make thirteene. And the word Zizis, maketh six hundred, all together amounting to six hundred and thirteene, the number (as you hauehave heard) of Gods Commādements. They ascribe the continencie of Ioseph in Potiphars house; and of Boaz, when Ruth slept by him, to these Zizis. May it please your patience, a story out of the Talmud. One Rab. Iochanan saw a box full of iewels, which one of his scholers, Bar-Emorai purposed to steale, but was forbidden by a voice soūding out of the aire, let it alone Bar-Emorai, for it belongeth to R.Chaninas wife, which in the other world, shall put into the same violet wooll, to make thred for Zizis, that of them, the iust men there may hauehave their fringed garments sowed. Once, he which weareth this garment without intermission, is fortified against the Diuell, and all euill spirits.
Besides this memorable Vestiment, they weare a certaine knot neere their nose, out of Deut. 6.8. they shall be frontlets between thine eies. eOf their Tephillim.They make it thus. They take a little black foure-square calfe-skin, which they fold eight times, that it may hauehave foure double folds and distinct breadths. They put into these, distinct Scriptures, the same being foure-fold of parchment. These Scriptures are taken fThe fourteene first verses in Exod.13. and 4.5.6.7.8.9 of Deut.6.Pagn.out of Exod.13. & Deut. 6. Then take they haires out of a cow or calues taile, & wash them cleane, & binde them about those writings of Scripture, so that any one may see, that they are good by the ends of them appearing out of the skin. This skin they sow with cleane and fine strings, taken out of calues or kines bodies, or made of buls sinewes, or if such strings cannot be had, with strings of calue-skin-parchment. Then do they sow a long & black thong to that thick hide or skin, and knit a knot about it. This peece of worke they call Tephillims, to put them in mind of often prayer: and tie it so about their heads, that the thicke knot, wherein the Scriptures are, may hang betwixt the eyes. After this, they take another foure-cornered skin, which they fold as the former, & write certaine verses out of Exodus in parchment, and put it into a little hollowed skin, and sow it vponupon the thicke folded skin; to which they adde a long thong, & call it the Tephillim of the hand. This they tie to the bare skin, aboue the elbow of the left arme; that so that which is written may be ouer against the hart, which may hereby be the more enflamed to praier. That long string is so fastned that it cōmeth to the fore-part of the hand, thus fulfilling that commandent, gDeut.6.6.8.The words which I command thee this day, shall be on thine heart, and thou shalt tie them for a signe in thy hand. They tie on first this Tephillim of the hand, and then that of the head, & make their brachah or prayer, saying, Blessed be thou, O God, our Lord, who hast sanctified vsus in thy cōmandements, & hast commanded vsus to put on Tephillim; looking while he speaketh, diligently on the knot on his forehead. In folding, sowing, knitting, and tying them, they very subtilly frame the name of GOD Schaddai: Other their manifold Ceremonies about these Tephillim, I willingly omit. Their sanctitie is such, that he which weareth them must be pure within and without: and if he lets them fall on the ground, all that shal see them so lying, must fast with him one whole day: they must not be hāged vp bare, but in a bag; nor may they be left in a chamber, where a man and his wife lie together, except in triple chest or bag. A man must not sleepe while he hath them on, nor may he breake winde; and if he hauehave list to the stoole, he must lay them foure ells from the place of his easement, or lay them against his heart in a double bag. Their women seruants, and sicke folkes are free from wearing them. It is sufficient for women to say Amen to their prayers. And all this Moses learned in Mount Sinai.
We hauehave been tedious in furnishing our Iew to his Mattins; at Sun-rising is their houre, as you hauehave heard: but their Rabbins hauehave inlarged and lengthened that time to about nine of the clock. Where many of the Iewes liue together, they resort at a set houre to their Synagogue. Thither they must go cheerefully: before their Synagogue they hauehave an iron fastened, to make cleane their shooes, according to Salomons counsell, hEccles.4.17.Keepe thy foot when thou goest into the house of GOD. Hee that hath Pantofles, must put them off, as it is written, iExod.3.5.For the place where thou standest is holy ground. At the entrance in at the doore, he pronounceth some things out of Dauids Psalmes: they must enter with feare and trembling, considering whose presence it is; and for a while suspend their praying for the better attention. And eueryevery Iew must cast in a halfpeny at least into the Treasury, as it is written; I will see thy face in righteousnes, that is, in alines, as they interpret it. In this attention they bow themselues towards the Arke, in which is the Booke of the Law, and say, kNum.24 5.How faire are thy tents, O Iacob? and thy dwellings O Israel? And lPsal.5.7.I will enter into thy house in the multitude of thy merciemercy, I will bow downe in thy holy Temple in thy feare. And, mPsal.26.8.O LORD I hauehave loued the habitation of thy house, and the place of the tabernacle of thy glory: and diuers other verses out of the Psal. After these things they begin to pray, as is contained in their Common-praier-booke: and because these prayers are very many, therefore they run them ouer: he that cannot reade, must attend, & say Amen, to all their prayers. These praiers are in Hebrew rimes. Their first prayer is, The LORD of the World, which raigned before any thing was created, at that time, when according to his will they were created, was called KING, and then when all shall be brought againe into nothing, shall remaine KING, to whom shall be giuen feare and honor. He alway hath beene, is, and shall remaine in his bewtie for euer. He is One, and besides him there is none other, which may be compared or associated to him, without beginning and end; with him is rule and strength. He is my GOD and my deliuerer which liueth. He is my Rocke in my need, and time of my trouble, my Banner, my Refuge, my Hereditary portion, in that day, when I implore his helpe. Into his hands. I commend my spirit. Whether I wake or sleepe, he is with me, therefore I will not be afraid.
This done, they say then their hundredth nGrounded on Deut.10.12. Now Israel what doth God require of thee? they reade not Mah Schoel, but Meah schoel, he requireth an hundred.benedictions one after another, which are short, and twice a day repeated. First for the washing of their hands, that if he then forgot it, he might now in the Congregation recite it. Then for the creation of man, and for that he was made full of holes, wherof, if one should be stopped he should die: then, a confession of the resurrection: then for vnderstanding, giuen to the cocke (as you hauehave heard) to discerne day and night asunder, and with his crowing to awaken them; and in order, Blessed, &c. That he hath made me an Israelite or Iew. Blessed, &c. That he hath not made me a seruant. Blessed, &c. That he hath not made me a woman (The women heere say, that hee hath made me according to his will) Blessed, &c. That exalteth the lowly. Blessed, &c. That maketh the blinde to see; which they should say at their first wakening. Blessed, &c. That raiseth the crooked; at his rising. Blessed, &c. That clotheth the naked; at his apparelling. Blessed, &c. That raiseth vp them that fall. Blessed, &c. That bringeth the prisoners out of prison. Blessed, &c. That stretcheth the world vponupon the waters; when he setteth his feet on the ground. Blessed, &c. That prepareth & ordereth the goings of man; when he goeth out of his chamber. Blessed &c. That hath created all things necessary to life; when he puts on his shooes. Blessed, &c. That girdeth Israel with strength; his girdle. Blessed. &c. That crowneth Israel with cō lines; when he puts on his hat. Blessed, &c. That giueth strength to the weary. Blessed be thou GOD our LORD, KING of the World, who takest sleepe from mine eyes, & slumber from mine eye-lids. Then adde they two prayers to be preserued against sins, euill spirits, and men, and all euill After this, humbling themselues before GOD, they confesse their sins, & againe comfort themselues in the couenant made to Abraham, We are thy people, and the children of thy couenant, &c. O happy we! how good is our portion? how sweet is our lot? how faire is our heritage? Oh happy we, who eueryevery morning and euening may say, Heare Israel, The Lord our Lord is one God. Gather vsus that hope in thee from the foure ends of all the earth, that all the inhabitants of the earth may know that thou art our GOD, &c. Our FATHER which art in heauen, be mercifull vntounto vsus for thy names sake, which is called vponupon vsus: and confirme in vsus that which is written, oZephan.3.20.At that time will I bring you, and gather you, and make you for a name and praise among all the people of the earth, when I shall turne your captiuities, saith the Lord.
Then follow two short praiers for the Law giuen them. And then they go onto the Sacrifices, which, because they cānot execute in actiō out of the Temple, they redeeme with words, reading the precepts cōcerning Sacrifices, according to their times, comforting themselues with the saying of Hose, pHos.14.3.We will sacrifice the calues of our lips. Then repeate they a history of sacrifice, & a prayer of the vse of the Law, & how many waies it may be expounded. This done, they (with a still voice that none can heare) pray for the reedifying of the Temple, in these words; Let thy will be before thy face, O God our Lord, Lord of our Fathers, that the holy house of thy Temple may be restored to our daies, & grant vsus thy will in thy Law. After, rising with great ioy and clamor, they sing a prayer of praise in hope hereof: & sitting downe againe, they reade a long praier, gathered here & there out of the Psalmes: & some whole Psalmes, & part of 1. Chron. 30. and lastly, the last words of Obadia qOhad.vers.21.The Sauiours shall ascend into mount Sion, to iudge the mount of Esau, and the kingdome shall be the Lords. Which they speake in hope of the destruction of the Christians, whom they call Edomites, and of their owne restitution. (In some of their close writings, which they will not suffer to come into the hands of Christians, they say that the soule of Edom entred into the body of CHRIST, & that both he and we are no better then Esau.) They proceed *Munster, praecept.Mos.cum expos. Rab.singing, And GOD shall be king ouer all the earth: in that day GOD shall be one, & his name one, as it is written in thy Law, O GOD, Heare Israel, GOD our GOD is one GOD: And these words in their next prayer they repeat, resounding that last word rEchad.One, by the halfe or whole houre together, looking vp to heauen: & when they come to the last letter therof, Daleth, d, they all turne their heads to the foure corners and windes of the world, signifying that God is King of the whole world: hauing in the word echad many superstitious subtilties; that the letter Daleth in regard of his place in the Alphabet, signifieth 4. and the word echad 245. whereunto adding hael elohechem emes, God your Lord is true, they make vp the number of 348. and so many members there are in mans body: for eueryevery member, a prayer secures them all. And this verse thrice recited, secureth against the ill spirit. They sThey may not say it within foure cubits of a graue; nor in sight of an vnclean place, where dung or vrine is, except they be hardned and dried vp, or else couered. They must not stirre their eyes or fingers: It is a preseruatiue against Diuels. Munster.esteeme it a holy prayer, by which, miracles may be wrought, and therefore vse it morning and euening. They hauehave another prayer called Schmoneesre, that is, eighteen, because it containeth so many thankesgiuings, which they say twice a day, & the chiefe chanter of the Synagogue singeth it twice by himself. They think by this praier to obtaine remission of their sins. They must pray it standing so, that one foot must not stand more on the ground then the other, like the Angel, tEzek.1.7.and their foot was aright foot. When they come to those words in it, holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts; they leape vp three times aloft. And he (say their Chachamim) which speaketh a word during this praier, shal hauehave burning coales giuē him to eat after his death. These 18. thāksgiuings are for the 18. bones in the chine or back-bone, which must in saying hereof be bēded.
After this followeth a prayer against the Iewes reuolted to Christianity, and against all Christians, saying; These which are blotted out (that is, reuolters) shall hauehave no more hope and all vnbeleeuers shall perish in the twinckling of an eye, and all, thine enemies which hate thee O GOD shall be destroyed, and the proud and presumptuous kingdome shall quickly bee rooted out, broken, laide euen with the ground, and at last shall vtterly perish, and thou shalt make them presently in our dayes obedient to vsus. Blessed art thou GOD which breakest and subduest them which are rebellious. They call the Turkish Empire the kingdome of Ismael; the Romane, Edomiticall, proud, &c. After this followeth a prayer for the good sort, for proselytes, reedifying of the Temple, for sending the Messias, and restauration of their kingdome. In the end they pray GOD to keepe them in peace, and when they come to these words, hee that maketh peace aboue, shall make peace ouer all Israel, Amen … they goe backe three paces, bowe themselues downewards, bend their head on the right hand, then on the left (if some Christian be there with an image, they must not bowe out lift vp their heart) This they doe for honours sake, not to turne their hinder parts on the Arke: and thus they goe (like crabbes) out of the Synagogue, vsing certaine prayers; not running, but with a flow pace, least they should seeme glad, that their mattins were done.
Other their niceties in praying, as laying the right-hand on the left ouer the heart; not spetting not breaking winde vp or downe; not (interrupted by a King) to cease prayer; to shake his body this way and that way; not to touch his naked body; and to say Amen, with all his heart: for they that say Amen, are worthy to say it in the world to come. And therefore Dauid endeth a Psalme with Amen, Amen: signifying, that one is to be said heere, and the other in the other world.uPsal.72.19.