The second feast, celebrated on the 21st of Nisan, or last day of Unleavened Bread, is marked by a pilgrim- age to Gerizim. The third feast is Pentecost; the fourth that of Trumpets; the fifth is the Day of Atonement. The first and eighth days of Tabernacles count for the remaining feast-days. The Sabbath, moreover, is kept with great strictness; the years of jubilee and release are also still observed.
The Samaritans have two more days of assembly, though they do not count them as holidays, termed m?2iJ, Suinmoth, on which the inimber of the congre- gation is taken, and in return every male over twenty years of age presents the priest with half a shekel (three piasters), in accordance with Exod. xxx, 12-14, receiv- ing from him a calendar for the coming six months prepared from a table in his possession — originally, it is said, composed by Adam and committed to writing in the time of Phinehas. From these offerings, the tenth of the incomes of the congregation, and other small gifts, the priest gains his living. He may consecrate any of his family that he pleases to the priesthood, pro- vided the candidate be twenty-five years of age and never have suffered his hair to be cut. Like other Orientals, he never removes his turban, and thus is not easily to be distinguished from the rest of the congrega- tion; but, in accordance with Lev. x, 6, he does not " rend his clothes" by wearing a slit on his sleeve as other Samaritans; and when the roll of the law is taken from the ark, he, like his assistants, places a cloth, which they call IT'bLJ, tullith, around his head. They wear white turbans; ordinarily they are compelled, by way of distinction from Mohammedans, to wear them of a pale-red color. They may cut their hair or not, as they please, but not their beards, this being forbidden in Lev. xix, 27; xxi, 5. Women must let their hair grow, and wear no earrings, because of them the golden calf was made. For fear of scandalizing the Moham- medans, none but the old ones venture to attend the synagogue. When a boy is born, great rejoicing is held; his circumcision always takes place on the eighth day after birth, even though it be a Sabbath. Boys marry as early as fifteen or sixteen, girls at twelve. The Samaritans may marry Christian or Jewish girls, provided they become Samaritans. When a man has a childless wife he may take a second; but if she also be barren, not a third. Divorces, though permitted, are un- common. The dead are prepared for burial by their own friends; the whole body is washed, but especially the hands (thrice), mouth, nose, face, ears, both inside and out (all this in Mohammedan fashion), and lastly the feet. The burial takes place, if possible, before sunset the same day, accoHjpanied with the recitation of the law and hymns. The following is a part of a litany for the dead :
. "i^'r^i . -ni . -ji?:mn . D-'nbx . rrni . inx
SAMARITAN PENTATEUCH 292 SAMARITAN PENTATEUCH
. Lord Jehovah, Elohim, for thy mercy, and for thine own sake, and for thy name, and for thy glory, and for the sake of our Lords Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and our Lords Moses and Aaron, and Eleazar, and Ithamar, and Phinehas, and Joshua, and Caleb, and the Holy Angels, and the seventy Elders, and the holy monnlain of Gerizim, Beth El. If thou acceptest [D'^'iT] this prayer [Sip^a = readins:], may there go forth from before thy holy couutenance a gift sent to protect the spirit of thy ser- vant, ..^Lj , .vjI . .j^^ '■^' ^^'^ ^^'" ^^ ^■"'' "^ ^^^
sons ol [ ], daughter L ] from the sons of [ ].
O Lord Jehovah, iu thy mercy have compassion on him (,( [or] have compassion on her), and rest his (her) soul iu the garden of Eden ; and forgive him (,| [or] her),
and all the congregation of Israel who flock to Mount Gerizim, Beth El. Amen. Through Moses the trusty. Amen, Amen, Amen.
These readings are continued every day to the next Sabbath, the women of the family watching near the grave. On the Sabbath it is visited by the whole con- gregation (except the near relations), who eat there together, reciting part of the law and singing hymns, finishing the recitation later in the day with the rela- tions.
From the usages among the Samaritans we see that, on the whole, they strictly adhere to Jewish customs, and yet we find numerous enactments against them in the Talmud. There is especially one whole treatise which bears upon this subject, entitled Massechelh Ku- ^^MH, which Kirchheim published with six others (Frank- fort, 1851). Frotn this treatise we see "that Jews are not allowed to suffer them to acquire immovable prop- ert\-, nor to sell them sheep for shearing, nor crops to cut, nor timber still standing. They are also forbidden to sell them weapons or anything which could damage persons, or to give or to take wives from them. A daughter of Israel may not deliver a Samaritan woman nor suckle her son, but a Samaritan woman may per- form these offices for a daughter of Israel in her (the Israelite's) house." These are some of the main points contained in that treatise, which concludes in the fol- lowing words :