ABSTRACT
TheGhetto of a little Polish town called Zabze was one day stirred to its depths by the news that the plague had broken out in certain parts of the district to which Zabze belonged, and that it had already carried off a good many people. In the panic which ensued, the leaders of the community convened a meeting of the members to discuss matters, and the Rabbi was also requested to attend. On being asked to give his views on the situation, he said that he thought that a religious revival in the Ghetto was essential, as in that way alone could the advent of the disease be averted. He therefore ordered that the synagogue should henceforth be kept open day and night for prayers, and appealed at the same time to those present to be more strict in the observation of its rites and customs. He dwelt especially on the custom by which arrangements were made by the community to provide means for uniting in holy matrimony any adult male and female orphans in the Ghetto.
