1207. | 
tion of a grand Sanhedrin of the wande- 
rers of Israel, among the lively Parisians. 
Of this new “ spectacle,” no accounts 
have reached this countr y, but those oc- 
casional notices of their sittings, which 
have excited curiosity among the now- 
welles of a Journal de Paris. 
If have just been favoured with all the 
Acts of this Sanhedrim, and purpose to 
detail the remarkable occurrences, and 
something of the addresses of the ora> 
tors. I will abstain from any kind of re- 
flections, for I will neither hazard appro- 
bation nor censure, where much of both 
is so loudly called for. Collected merely 
as historical documents, these acts and 
Speeches may not be found i incurious to 
phuosophers, and will probably gratity a 
more numerous class of Suge eae 
A single prelinimary observation it 
may be useful to make, for the due under- 
standing of the genius of this Sanhediim. 
As the poems of Petronius were so very 
obscene, and so very elegant, that they 
were said to be pura impuritas, so the 
genius of this assembly is equally a pure 
impurity; it is perfectly Gallic! After 
due enguiry, I can assert that the Jews 
in this country have never comruni- 
cated with this Sankedrim; its principles 
can never be those of an English He- 
brew, whose shoulders were never scarr- 
ed by that yoke of degrading servitude 
which the French, the German, and the 
Jtalian Hebrews, have been doomed to 
endure. The recent sufferings of this 
unhappy seule in those countries can 
almost apologise, if any thing could, for 
tat apostacy from Judaism which these 
acts indicate; and the humiliating elo- 
quence of thet orators only blends with 
that of the vacillating nation which pro- 
tects them, and who address their mo- 
narchs, their directors, their consuls, and 
their emperors, with more devotion than 
they do their God. 
Acts of the Great Sanhedrim* 
On the 4th of February, 1807, a select 
committee of nine members of the San- 
hedrim met at the hotel of M, Molé, one 
of the imperial commissioners, to verify 
% as Panis drim was originally the Jew- 
ish senate, consisting, in the time of Moses, 
of seyent - elders. [he judges were the su- 
preme magistrates, janie a feeclae power 
granted to them by the original law, and to 
which they had a power vested in them to 
add at pleasure. Asa memorial of the pre- 
“sence of this great legislator, they have a 
prince of the Sanhedrim, who completes the 
mumber of seventy-one numbers. 
Sanhedrim of the Jews in Paris. 
35 
the powers of the members, both rab- 
bins and laics. 
They chose a Nassy, or prince of the. 
Sanhedrim, i in the person of David Sintz- 
heim, a rabbin of Strasburgh, and of the 
department of the Lower Rhine; an 
Abcihdin, or the father of the rabbins: 
and a Xavam, or wise man. 
They appointed three scribes, and a 
number of supplementary rabbins, and 
laics called notables, to fill vacant places, 
The president was Abraham Furtado, a 
French Jew, of the department of Gi- 
ronde. 
Ceremonies at the Opening. 
To give every solemnity to the epen- 
ing of the Grand Sanhedrim, pravers and — 
ceremonies for the occasion were’ per- 
formed. 
The Jews having assembled in the sy- 
nagogue, the Sanhedrim remained on 
the outside, chaunting the 19th verse of 
Psalm cxvii: “ Open to us the gates éf 
righteousness; we will go in to them, 
and we will praise the Lord.” heread- 
er ie by the foilowing verse, “ This 
is the gate of the Lord, into w hich the 
righteous shall enter.” The Sanhedrim 
then advancing into the synagogue, 
seated themselves together, and the read- 
er chaunted the 24th, 96th, and, 29th 
verses of the same Psalin. They turned 
themselves towards the ark, where the 
rolls of the Pentateuch, or the: Books of 
the Law, are deposite ad, and collecting 
themselves in silence for a few minutes, 
the doors of the ark were opened; they 
recited the prayer which confesses the 
unity of the Deity. An appointed rab- 
bin then laid his hand on the Penta- 
tech, and delivered a prayer adapted to 
the occasion, followed by the usual ones 
for the sovereign and imperial family, and 
the preservation of the armies, victory, 
and peace. 
The Sanhedrim now departed, to meet 
at them hall. 
tinsiatlation and Mode of Deliberation of 
the Grand Sunhedrim. 
Tlere are sixteen regulations, of which 
the following are the most remarkable. ° 
When two delegated commissioners, 
drawn out of the committee of nine, 
shall submit a subject for the decision of 
the Grand Sanhedrim, its. deliberation 
shall be adjourned for eight days; dur- 
ing this meron every member of the 
Grand Sanhedrin may present his obser- 
vations, written ee signed by himself, to 
the Committee of Nine, who will make 
report thereon, to the Commissioners of 
his Majesty, and atterwardsto the Grand 
F 2 Sanhedrim, 
