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The Samaritan Passover Sacrifice The Samaritans practice a literal interpretation of the Torah, the five books of Moses, ignoring the Oral Law and Rabbinical understanding. Among their practices are the sacrifice of the Pascal Lamb. The Sacrifice takes place annually on Mount Grizim during the early Spring, the first month of the Samaritan calendar. The ritual slaughter takes place at sunset and the Pascal Lamb is eaten at midnight. We went to Mount Grizim to watch the celebration in 2007. Of primary interest are the similarities and the differences between their practice and those described in Rabbinic sources. We found the Samaritans very open and friendly, keen to explain their practice and how it is exactly what is required by the Torah. A warning before you look at the photographs: the service includes the slaughter of about forty lambs. These are then prepared for cooking on large skewers. Blood is smeared on foreheads of the participants. The innards are extracted and burnt on an altar. The carcass is salted and then cooked before the meat is eaten. While viewing the photographs, keep an eye on what is happening in the background. I hope that my photographs give a sense of the atmosphere at the event. Press here to view the photographs of the Korban Pesach on Mount Grizim. Sukkoth in the Torah is described as the "Ingathering Festival" and the Samaritans take this literally as well. They gather together different types of fruit and vegetables and hang them from the ceilings of their houses, in ornate patterns and designs. They include in this the Jewish custom of the four species, including them in the Succah. In past times, they used to move out of their houses into booths like the Jews. However due to persecution, they remain inside. They now claim this is more convenient, especially if it rains. They can sit anywhere in the room and are not The Samaritans also take a literal approach to mezuzah, engraving a favourite biblical passage into stone, placing these in the vicinity of the entrances to their houses. They use the ancient Hebrew script for all their texts, including in their Torah scrolls. Today some of them also have a Jewish style parchment on their doors. These too are written using the ancient font.
Press here to view the photographs of Samaritan sukkot and mezuzot. |