The Jewish Synagogue, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
How the Jewes after morning prayer behave themſelves, and prepare themſelves to dinner.
BEfore the men returne home from the Synagogue,Oruch. chay… num. 55. their wives have ſwept and made the houſe very neat and cleanly, leſt their husbands eies ſhould faſten upon any object which might moleſt and diſturbe them in their pious meditations; becauſe theſe are as yet erected to God, who keeps his reſidence in the higheſt Heavens. Now if every man returning to his own houſe, findes every thing in a decent order, then his underſtanding remains pure, and his mind untroubled; but if he finde the contrary, his underſtanding becomes muddy and perplext. A wife that is honeſt indeed, laies her husband a book upon the table, which is either the Pentate…ch, or ſome reprehenſory booke, directing aright our life and converſation, to the end, that thence he may learn the feare of God, and civility of behaviour; and therefore he reads in the ſame an houre at leaſt, before he goes out of doors to performe any other buſineſſe. This the Cachamim and wiſe men among the Jewes, conclude from the words of Solomon in his Proverbs; ſaying, The feare of the Lord is the beginning of wiſdome. Hence teaching us, that in all our actions we undertake, we ought to feare God and learn his word.Deut 7. 1…. foreign foreign After the ſame manner might the Rabbines have expounded thoſe words, Vehaiah Gnekebh Tiſmegnun, That the Jewes being interpreters, they muſt be rendred thus, There ſhall be a heale or foot, you ſhall beare it; and that which followes is this: Before you ſet your heele or foot out of doors, you ſhall learn the law by reading ſomething therein, and hearing what God wils and commands to be done. It is a good work indeed to learn the law, and on the contrary, a great ſinne for any to be negligent in the reading of the ſame. In the time of the firſt. Temple, the peopl of Jeruſalem committed many hainous offences; as, Inceſt and Idolatry, yet the Lord did only in a manner know theſe and took notice of them, untill they deſpiſed the law, and would take no more paines to learn it. Then the Lord baniſhed them out of his ſight, deſtroied a great number of them, and utterly laid waſte their holy Temple. Hereupon the Lord cried out by Jeremie the Prophet,Icr. 9. 12, 13. Who is wiſe to underſtand this? and to whom the mouth of the Lord hath ſpoken he ſhall declare it. Why doth the Land periſh, and is burnt up like a wilderneſſe, and none paſſeth thorow? And the Lord ſaith, becauſe they have for ſaken the law which I ſet before them, and have not obeied my word, neither walked there after. Againe,Deu. 29. 24, 25 it is written in the firſt booke of Moſes, Then ſhall all nations ſay, wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this land? how fierce is his great wrath? And they ſhall anſwer, becauſe they have for ſaken the Covenant of the Lord God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. Wherefore a religious Jew must not preſently after his comming from morning praier, fall to his daily labour and ſervile emploiments, but either retire himſelfe to his owne houſe, or in Beth Hammedraſch, or the Schoole dedicated to ſtudy, and there to read and learne ſomewhat out of the Law, which may preſſe him forward to the feare of God, and an honeſt life, and godly converſation with men; that by this meanes that may come to paſſe which the Prophet David makes mention of,Psal. 84. 7. ſaying, They will goe from ſtrength to ſtrength, and unto the God of Gods appeareth every one of them in Sion. Which is alſo very well expounded according to the ſagacity of the Jewes, in a little book written concerning the feare of God, in theſe words: They did goe from one ſtudy to another, that they might by learning underſtand the Law.
When they are returned unto their owne houſe, then laying aſide their phylacteries and precatory fardles, they put them into a cheſt. Firſt, unlooſing them of the head, then thoſe of the hand, to the end they may at any time firſt take and bind on theſe of the hand. Some alſo are accuſtomed to put off their garment of remembrance, or their fringed Coat, to which the Ribbands are annexed; yet in my judgement it were more fitting they ſhould weare it continually, that they might not forget the commandements of the Lord, but alwaies fulfill his Law. They who are godly carry it all the day long under a corſelet or cloake, but ſo that the ribbonds may be ſeen of them, that they may bee terrified from committing ſin. I once ſaw a crabbed Rabbine of a waiward holineſſe, who was Maſter of the Synagogue, whoſe ribbands hanging at his fringes, hung ſo low downe, that they did even touch his feet: For as ſome deſiring not to be forgetfull of any thing committed to his memory, knits a knot in his girdle, to the end that he looking thereupon, may call to his remembrance what he ought to put in execution. So theſe five knotted fringes in uſe with the Jewes, are as ſo many memorandums to warne them to avoid the by-paths of ſin and iniquity. And hence it comes to paſſe, that all the Jewes are of ſuch a ſanctified converſation, that they fulfill, keep and obſerve every one of Gods commandements.
They alſo accounted it very good for the wholſome to eate ſomething before a man in the morning undertake any buſinesse: For there are ſixty three diſeaſes of the Gall, which may all be cured by the eating of cruſt, and a mornings draught of the blood of the grape. Who wants wine, he may drink Ale, or a cup of cold water, as Raſchi is of an opinion, and ſo ſhall he be fitted to undergo any labour.
They which are honeſt wives indeed, will in the meane time make ready for dinner ſome boiled meate,Brand ſpiegel, cap. 43. that their husbands bellies at their return home finding ſuch cleanly provision, may not by a long tarrying be occaſioned to a thought that their throats are cut. In that tract of the Talmud about the Sabbath, it is ordained that the Jewes ſhould goe to dinner ſome five houres after day-break, which is about eleven a clock; if any over-ſtay any longer, hee may fall into ſome diſeaſe, by the vehemence where of he may bee brought upon his knees; for at that time the body expects and requires its naturall nouriſhment, which if it have not, then it seeds upon its owne members: As a Bore in the time of winter is wont to doe; for then if it be not poſſible for him to come by any ſuſtenance, hee by ſucking his owne feete relieves himſelfe.
The wives alſo muſt have an eſpeciall care that they ſerve in the meate thus cleanly drest in a cleanly manner; as it is written, You ſhall not make your ſoules abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither ſhall you make your ſelves unclean with them that you ſhould be defiled thereby; for I am the Lord your God,Lev. 1. 43, 44. you ſhall therefore ſanctifie your ſelves; and you ſhall be holy, for I am holy; neither ſhall you defile your ſelves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. This place the profound Rabbines conſtrue in this manner unto us: That they being commanded by God, ought to eate meates artificially cooked, as men, not beaſts are accuſtomed to doe; and that if any one do not eate ſuch viandes, he polluting himſelfe, without fall, becomes unſanctified in the eies of the Lord. The table is to be ſpread with clean linnen, bread in whole loaves pure well baked and not burn'd, is to be ſet thereupon; then Grate muſt be ſaid, and …a bleſſing conſerred upon the meat to be received. If the good wives of the houſe have any pullen, or other cattell which are to be fed and nouriſhed, they ought firſt to ſerve them, before they preſume to ſit downe to table,In tract. Gitti… S. 3. & 5. Deut. 11. 15. as Rabbi Juda in the Talmud hath taught and commanded, grounding upon thoſe words: I will ſend graſſe in thy fields for thy cattell, that thou maieſt eat and bèe full. For there the Law in the firſt place making mention of Cattell, gives us to underſtand, that a man ought firſt to ſhew mercy and care for the ſoule of his beaſt, then to refreſh himſelfe that in so doing, his meat may be wholſome unto him, and he by feeding thereupon may be full. In the book called Sepher Mitznos Naſchim, or the booke of womens conditions, it is regiſtred to be the dutie of women, preſently after the ending of morning prayer, to fodder their Cattell yea before they take their children out of bed and put on their clothes;Pro. 12. 10. becauſe it is written, A righteous man regardeth the life of his beaſt; but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruell. Therefore if the good wife of the houſe doe earely feed her flock, ſhe gaines from thence a name graced with the addition of juſt and honeſt. It is read in the ſame place, that it is good and praiſe-worthy, to breed up young Cattell in the houſe, becauſe the ſtars and celeſtiall planets doe often prognoſticate by their aſpects, ſome misfortune about to happen unto the Maſter or Miſtriſſe of the family. Now if in the mean time the husband or wife have been pious in the diſtribution of almes, and done many good workes of the ſame nature, then the Lord chiefe Chancel our (ſome Angell is hereby underſtood) who is overſeer of the good deeds of men here on earth, preſently enroles them in his table-book, by which means they come unto the fight of the Almighty, unto whom the foreſaid publike notary delivers this petition, O Lord of the whole univerſe, avert the unfortunate influence of the ſtarres from this man and his fimily, for they have done theſe and theſe good works. Then the misfortune ſeiſeth upon ſome wicked perſon or other (for the heaven being a naturall agent, doth of neceſſity keep his courſe) as it is written,Pro; 11. 28. The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked commeth in his ſtead. If there be no ungodly ſinner in the houſe, then the influentiall mi… chiefe lights upon the head of ſome of his Cattell. This matter is too prolixe, and cannot be comprehended by the ſhallow capacity of many women.
It is neceſſary that before any preſume to ſet downe to dinner, he ſhould go and unload his belly in ſome ſecret place, that he fall to his victuals with an empty ſtomack and purified body; for if he come to the table with a full ſtomack, he ſhall depart from it with a body ſtuft with diſeaſes. This the Jewiſh Doctors gather out of that verſe,Lev. 26. 10. bring forth the old becauſe of the new: Hence concluding, that a man ought firſt to empty his ſtomacke of the meat formerly received, before he take in any more.
It is alſo neceſſary, that a man ſhould waſh his hands before he go to dinner;Oruch, thaym. num. 1571. to this end he ought to have freſh and clean water, not that which is any way troubled; and that is accounted for cleane water, which hath not formerly been transferred to any other uſe; that is accounted uncleane, in which any kind of wine hath been cooled in the former time, in which cups or drinking glaſſes have been waſhed, or out of which hens or dogs have drunk: Ordinarily the houſhold ſervants waſh firſt, then the Miſtriſſe, and laſt of all the Maſter of the family. that he being cleane every whit, may inſtantly beflow a bleſſing upon the creatures provided for their daily food and nouriſhment, the form of which I will here after delineate. Furthermore it is a poſition of the Rabbines, that any Maſter of a family being exquiſite in the performance of this ceremony,Tract S…tah, cap 1. which is as an uſheting prologue to the filling of his paunch cannot come within the reach of any evill.
The hands being waſhed, are to be cleanly wiped: Hence it is recorded in the Talmud, that Rabbi Ahbahu was wont to affirm, that whoſoever eates his bread with wet and undried hands, his fact is no lesse hainous, then if he had eaten that bread, which by the law was accounted uncleane unto the Iſraelites;Ezek: 4. 13. as it is written, So ſhall the children of Iſrael eate their defiled bread among the Gentiles, foreignwhither I will caſt them. In the Originall, the words ſignifying defiled bread, are lachmam Tame, which comprehend according to the Hebrew Cabbaliſticall computation, 168. Which number the letters of theſe three words, Belo, Niggubh, Jadaiim, doe likewiſe ſpecifie; which do ſignify being conſtrued, without the waſhing of the hands. So then the Cabbaliſticall meaning muſt bee this; The Iſraelites ſhall eate their bread with unwaſhen hands; that is, they ſhall eat it defiled. Rabbi Joſe ſaith, that whoſoever eates bread with unwaſhen hands,Tract. Sotah. cap. 1. Prov. 26. commits as grievous a ſinne as if he had laien with a whore. And this he ſifts out of thoſe words of Solomon, For a whoriſh woman, a man ſhall be brought to a morſell of bread. This then is so ſlrictly obſerved of the Jews both before and after meat, that you ſhal not ſind one amongſt a million, that is forgetfull or negligent in the performance thereof; yea, so curious are they therein, that when they waſh, they will not ſuffer a ring to ſtay on their finger, left ſome filth might be ſheltered under the ſame; and the obſervation of drawing off the ring is so accurate, that he who in time of waſhing doth not draw it off, is accounted as unclean, as if he had not waſhed at all. It is written in the Talmud, that Rabbi Akibha was once for a long time impriſoned by the Gentiles or Chriſtians: To whom Rabbi Jehoſhua Garſites brought every day ſo much water as might ſerve for to quench his thirſt and waſh his hands. At a certaine time the keeper of the priſon tooke the water from him, and poured halfe thereof upon the ground;Tract. Egub. hin. cap. 2. which Rabbi Akibha ſeeing, and perceiving that there was not water ſufficient ſaid unto Rubbi Jehoſhua, reach me the water that I may waſh my hands; who replyed, Sir, here is not enough for you to drink. Rabbi Akibha anſweres, whoſoever eates meate with unwaſhen hands, is guilty of death; It is better therefore that I ſhould dye by thirſt, then that I ſhould deſpiſe, and ſet nothing by the traditions of my Anceſtours.
There is alſo another ſtory in the Talmud to this purpoſe. Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Joſa, Tract. Iom▪ de feſtis. cap. 8Rabbi Juda, upon a certaine time were travelling together, and comming to a certaine Inne, where mine Oſle was a Jew, they required lodging, for the Sabbath drew on, when it is not lawfull for the Jewes to travell. Rabbi Meir asked the In-keeper what his name was, who anſwered and ſaid, his name was Kiddori. Whereupon Rabbi Meir began to think with himſelfe, that his Oſte muſt needes be a wicked man who had ſuch an ill name,foreign Deut. 32. 20▪ grounding his thoughts upon thoſe words, ki dor tahphuroth Hemmah, They are a perverſe generation. Which although the event proved to be true, yet Rabbi Joſe, and Rabbi Juda ſo lightly regarded the nomenclation, that they gave him their cloak-bags to lay up untill the Sabbath was paſt. Rabbi Meir would not doe the ſame, but went and hid his in the Sepulchre of the mans father that kept the Inne. The dead time of the night being come, the Oſte was warned in a dreame to go and dig in his fathers grave, where he ſhould find a bag full of money. When he was up in the morning he told the dreame to Rabbi Meir; who ſaid unto him, that thoſe dreames which were dreamed on the night going before the Sabbath, were nothing to be eſteemed: And then departing with great heed and care, watched the Sepulchre all the Sabbath day, leſt the dreamer ſhould come and take away his money; which the Sabbath once ended he took out of the earth againe. Upon the firſt day of the week the other two did alſo require mine Oſte to deliver their cloak-bags, who conſtantly affirmed that he had them not, and ſloutly denyed that they left any with him. They invite him to the wine Tavern, hoping that by his friendly usage to regaine their goods. While they were a drinking, they eſpye ſome peaſe and lentiles ſticking in his beard; from whence they collected, that without all doubt he had eaten ſuch kinde of pulſe that morning to breakfaſt, Whereupon they returning to his wife, required their cloakebags of her, telling her that her husband commanded them to bee reſtored, by the ſame token hee had eaten lentiles in the morning. The woman knowing it even to bee as they had ſpoken, preſently made delivery, and they held on their journey. The good man returning to his house, hearing how matters were carried, beat his wife so cruelly, that ſhee ſhortly after departed this life. This ſtory yields us an evident demonstration, that every one ought to waſh after meare; for if the O…te had waſhed his hands and wiped his mouth and beard, these travellers had not ſpied the ſigne in his beard, by occaſion whereof they recovered their goods; without which they had not had their cloak-bags reſtored, and their Oasteſſe had not come to this untimely death.
There is another ſtory in the Talmud concerning a Jew, who eate ſwines fleſh becauſe he did not waſh his hands before he ſate downe to table: It runs thus. There was a certaine Jewish In-keeper, who received into his houſe, as well Christians as Jewes: Whensoever any Jewes did turn aſide to lodge with him, he knew them by the waſhing of their hands before meales; and therefore he alwaies ſet the fleſh of clean and choice fatlings before them, even such as in the Law was commanded and appointed to be eaten. But whenſoever any Chriſtians came, he ſet ſwines fleſh before them. It fortuned that upon a time a certaine Jew having more ſtomach then devotion, came unto his houſe, who ſetting down at the table forgot to waſh his hands; whence the Oaſte drawing a profitable argument that hee was a Gentile, ſet ſwines fleſh before him: The Jewes ſtomack being to far removed from his braine, as to enter into conſideration of what he eate, carried headlong with a hunger ſtarved appetite, luſtily invaded with teeth and knife, what was ſet before him, never queſtioning what he crammed his guts withall. Well, dinner being ended, and the reckoning ariſing to a round ſumme, the gueſt queſtions his Hoſt how Beefe came to be at ſo high a rate: To whom hee anſwered, my friend, you have hitherto fed upon ſwines fleſh, and have eaten not a little, which now is very deare. The poore Jew hearing this became very ſore afraid for the commiſſion of ſo hainous an offence, and was forced over and above, to pay an heavy mulct, and undergoe much hard pennance for this his delinquency. All this happened unto him for the neglect of waſhing his hands; which may ſerve as a ſufficient warning to every one to have an eſpeciall care to waſh before they ſit downe to meate. This outward curioſity is reprehended by Iſ…ah the Prophet; Their feet run unto evill, and are ſ…ft to ſhed innocent blood: deſtruction and unhappineſſe are in their waies, and the way of peace they have not known; neither is there any judgements in their waies: …hey have perverted their owne pathes; whoſoever goes through them, knowes not peace. This is that which St▪ Matthew brands them with,Mat. 15. 1, 2, 3. saying, Then c…me to Jeſus the Scribes and Phariſees which were of Jeruſ…lem, ſaying, why do thy diſciples tranſgreſſe the tradition of the Elders? for they waſh not their hands when they eat bread. But he anſwered and ſaid unto them, why do you alſo tranſgreſſe the commandement of God by your traditions? Mark 1. 2, 3, 4.St Marke, alſo ſaith, Then gathered together unto him the Phariſees and aPhariſaeus … Phariſee from foreign paraſch expandere, for enlarging and laying open their Phylacteries, or from paraſch exponere, explanare, becauſe they were expounders of the Iaw, or from the ſame verbe in Pihel, ſignifying to ſeparate, either that they ſeparated themſelves to the ſtudy of the law, or from commerce with other people in habit and manner. What their opinions were, the New Testament declares to the full. There were …even ſorts of them, as the Talmud witneſſeth, Tract▪ Sota. cap. 3. 1. Phariſaeus Sichemita, who turned Phariſee for gaine, as the Si…hemites embraced circumciſion. 2. Truncatus, so called, becauſe he walked as though he wanted feet, to cauſe the greater opinion of his meditation. 3. …mp…gens, who winked when hee went abroad, to avoid the temptation of beauty, which often made his wit jump with a poſt. 4. Phariſaeus quid debeo facere & faciam illud? the questionary, such was he, Luke 18. 5. Morturius, becauſe he wore a hat in form of a deep mortar. 6. Phariſaeus ex amore, who obeyed God out of meere love. 7. Phariſaeus ex timore, who obeyed the Law onelyonly for feare of puniſhment. See Pirke Aboth, Rabbi Moſes, Gerundenſis, Mr Godwin.certaine of the Scribes which came from Jeruſalem. And when they ſ…w ſome of his diſciples eat with common hands (that is to ſay, unwaſhen) they complained. For the Phariſees and all the Jewes, except they waſh their hands oft, eate not, holding the tradition of the Elders. And when they come from the market, except they waſh, they eate not: And many other things there be, which they have taken upon them to obſerve; as the waſhing of cups and pots, of brazen veſſels, and of beds.