THE VERY SPIRIT OF SABBATH PERVADED THE NOISELESS AIR
THERE THEY SAT AND STOOD, IN VARIOUS ATTITUDES, WHILE THE DEEPENING SHADOWS MADE THEIR FIGURES EVER VAGUER AND MORE INDISTINCT
All possible subjects came up for discussion “between _Minchah_ and _Maariv_.” The politician of the Kehillah discoursed learnedly on the European situation and the various problems of statecraft involved in the relations of the great Powers to each other, the philosopher shed the light of his wisdom on the great scientific movements of the day and the wondrous inventions which are revolutionizing civilization, while the Talmudist elucidated knotty and interesting questions of rabbinical law or lamented the downfall of religious sentiment in these evil days and contrasted these with the unyielding fidelity and loyalty of yore. They all found attentive and eager listeners, to whom their words were as the very revelation of the Urim and Tummim; but they did not arouse the same degree of enthusiasm as the story-teller. This accomplished narrator of witty tales and humorous anecdotes held the hearts of his auditors in his hands; and when his turn came and he began to draw upon his apparently inexhaustible stock of _Mesholim_, an immense enthusiasm took possession of the entire audience, and there was no limit to their enjoyment of the numberless good points he made. They were indeed amusing, those tales of impecunious rabbis, and still more impecunious _Bachurim_, of awkward bridegrooms and homely brides, of witty Poles and scheming _Schnorrers_. But they were more. They were instructive, for they reflected the inner life of the Jewish people, and showed, even if from a humorous point of view, the many trials and difficulties by which they were encompassed.
But now the shadows had deepened into night, and the _Shammas_, who had the privilege of reading the service before the rest of the congregation in order that he might be permitted to perform the work-a-day task of lighting the lights, interrupted the pleasant tales of the story-teller by a brief notification that the time for prayer had arrived. The evening service was brief, lasting in all hardly more than a quarter of an hour. Its chief feature was the _Havdoloh_, in which the Chazan pronounced a number of benedictions over wine, spices, and a peculiar braided wax candle, and thanked the Lord that He makes a distinction between light and darkness, between Sabbath and week-day, and between Israel and the nations. The service concluded, the worshippers greeted each other with hearty “_Gut Woch_” and repaired to their homes, but not yet to resume work-a-day tasks.