B'Nai B'Rith Const Lodges

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INDEPENDENT ORDER OF BNAI BRITH

District Grand Lodge of Great Britain and Ireland.

(District No 15.)

RITUALof


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Published by

THE INDEPENDENT ORDER. O~ BNAI BRITH

District Grand Lodge ofGreat Britain and Ireland.Districi No 15)

{n~r,dSecrcMry~ Address 2 1 Church Road, R,chniond. Surrey

p . ,

CONTENTS.

i i . AOpeningtheLodge

BClosingtheLodge

II. Initiationof Members

Ill Installation o f Officers

IV. Institution o fNew Lodges

AInauguration

BInitiation

CInstallation

V. Institution o f New District GrandLodges

PAGE

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INDEPENDENT O I~ D E I~ OFBNAI B I ~ITH

DISTRICTGRAND LODGE of GREAT BRITAiN andIRELAND

(District No. 15)

RITUAL.

I.

I I A.Opening the Lodge.

&gnal to rise . .

President :Brethren, we are again assembled to exemplify the

teachings o f the Independent Order of Bnai Brith. Brother

Vice-President, how can the brethren best carry into practice

the principles of the Order ?

Vice-President:By remaining constant to our motto: Benevo-lence, Brotherly Love and Harmony. We are to workand

watch,learnandteach,seekpeace and pursue it.

President:Brethren, these preceptswe are admonished to observe,

not only while intheLodge, but in our every-daylife; and

your presence manifests your desire to promote the purposes

of our Order. Brethren, I request your assistance i1i this

work. Be mindful of your obligations: BENEVOLENCE,

BEOTFIERLY LoVE and HARMONY.

In beginning our labours w e implorethat Divine Aid which

Israel has called to its support for ages past. The Monitor

will invoke Gods blessing.


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,Jkt onitorsAll-Powerful and All-Merciful God, we pray Thee to

grant Thy blessing upon the work before us. May it be a

worko f BrotherlyLove and Benevolence. Hearour supplica-

tion in behalf of the oppressed, the sick, the widow and the

orphan. Heal, console and protect them in Thy mercy.

Enlighten us with the understanding of Thy law, lead us in

the path of truth and righteousness, andgrant us Harmony.

Amen.

Presidents 1 now declare the (name of the Lodge) open for

the transactionof business.

Signal to be seated

B.Closing the Lodge.

Signal to rise

President Brother Vice-President, the business of this Meetingis ended ; proceed to close the Lodge.

Vice-PresidentsBrethren,we enteredthe Lodge withthe earnest

purpose of promoting the objects of our Order. Let us, on

leaving, endeavourto carry them into practice.

President sBrethren, attend while the Monitor invokes Gods

blessing on our parting.

MonitorsHeavenly Father, we again implore Thy blessing.

Strengthenus by Thy spirit so that we maypractise throughout

our lives BENEVOLENCE, BROTHERLY LOVE and HARMONY.

Amen!

President sI now declare the (name of the Lodge) closed until

our next meeting.

Signal to close

3

IL

Initiation of Members.

The Officers of the Lodge place themselves by the side of the

President.

President Brethren, again fellow-Jews (a yellow-Jew) seek(s)

admission into our Brotherhood. A new link is to be added

to our fraternalchain.

To the Candidate(s) s Willthecandidate(s) come forward.

Myfriend(s),Idirect your careful attentionto theprinciples and

purposes o four Order. The Independent Order of Bnai Brith

has takenupon itselfthe task ofuniting Israelites inthework

of promoting their highest interests and those of humanity,

of supporting science and art, of practising philanthropy,

of alleviating the wants of the poor and needy, visiting and

attending the sick, coming to the rescue ofvictims ofpersecu-

tion, and protecting and assisting the widow and the orphan.

Beforeproceeding with yourinitiation into this Order, it wilt

be necessarythat you pledge yourselves (yourself) to obey its

laws and tofurther its aims to the best ofyour ability. Are

you willing tomakesuch a pledge?

Candidate(s) answers (answer).

President sBrethren, I call upon you to witness these candidates(this candidates) solemn pledges (pledge).

Place your right hand upon yourheart. On your honouras

Jews (a Jew),do you solemnlypromiseto abide by thelawsandV regulations of the Order and of this Lodge of which you are

now to become members (a member) ? Do you promise to

promote the principles andpurposes of the Order? Do you

promise to defend and protect the fair name of Judaism?

To all this, do you pledge your honour?

-~. N

Candidate(s) answers (answer) s I (We) do,

President sI shall now direct your attention to the emblem of

the Order.

N

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The Menorah has been made the emblem of the Order of

Bnai Brith, andin each Lodge we find its counterpart. The

seven .branchedM en orah stood in the first Tabernacle erected

to theworship of God,andinthe Temple oftheHoly City.

The Menorahis typical of the Mission of Israel which is to

filltheworld with the lighto f theDivine Truth. Eachbranch

symbolises a noble ideal.

Light.

President s(Tlie President lights the first light of the Menorak,

commencing from the right.)

(Gen. 1, 3.)

In the beginning . . . . darkness x~as upon the face of the

deep and God said, Let there be light, andthere was

light. This wasthedecisive act of creation. It fashioned theUniverse and made it brilliant and warm withlight. Sincethat

first day nature testifies to a living God.

Justice.

Vice-President (Lighting the second light)

(Deut. 16, 20.)

Justice, justice shalt thou pursue.

Justice upholdsthe world andordersthe affairs o f men.

Peace.

.Monitor (Lighting the third light)

Andthe worko f righteousness shall be peace, and the effect

of righteousness quietness andconfidence forever.

The worko fman andtheenjoyment o f the fruits o f his labour

require the guarantee of peace.

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President sMy brother (brethren),these three symbols

JUSTICE and PEACE, are represented by o ne arm of the

Menorah; the other arm (Presidentpoints to the three lights

on the left) is dedicated to the three virtues which make up

the Orders motto:

BENEVOLENCE, BROTHERLY LOVE

AN]) HARMONY.

Benevolence.

Treasurer (Lighting the fifth lightfromthe right, omitting the centre

light, which is t he last one tobe lighted)

He that hath a bountiful eye shallbe blessed, forhe giveth

of his bread to the poor.

In various ways each o f us canrender some service unto hisfellow- men.

Brotherly Love.

Vice-President (Lighting the sixth light, omitting the centre light):

Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Brotherly love leads us to labour for others, and to contribute

to their happiness; and in the exercise o f thisvirtue we realize

thecommon fatherhoodof God and the common brotherhoodof man.

Harmony.

Monitor(Lighting the seventh light, omitting the centre light)

.4 r

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to

dwell together in unity!

Harmonyis the strength of a people. This spirithasgiven

unto Israel the powerofits pastand the promise of its future.

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Truth.

President (Lighting the centre, orfourth, light)

(Rabbinic Saying) ~ KTh

The seal of the Holy One, blessed be lie, is Truth~.)2

Without Truth, no labour has value, no wordhas credence,no talent has power. Israel has borne the banner o f truthin

the dark ages of the worlds ignorance, andits mission still

is to hold this banner firmly aloft.

1 ? shall now impa&to you the signs, signals and passwords

of a Ben Brith,which you shall guard as ameans ofidentifica-

tion of membership. The password is : (President gives t4e

pas swo rd).

It was the injunctionto Abraham to become a blessinga

blessing to himself andto mankind.

Thereis alsoa

travelling password by means ofwhich youcan

gain entrance into sister Lodges, and which will be communi-

cated to you by the President when required.

The signal o fadmission isgi-ven thus

The signal of salutation, which on entering or leaving the

Lodge you are requested to give to the President, is given in

this manner (President shows the signal).

Thisis the sign of recognition. (Presidentgives the sign).

The signal of admission is also the signal for the brethren

to rise .. lit reminds usof the three cardinal principles

of the Order: BENEVOLENCE, BROTHERLY LOVE and

HARMONY.

This is thesignal to be seated and is also the callto order.

MonitorsMybrother (brethren), while in every fraternalorganisa-

tion it is customary that there shall be some ceremony of

initiation, this Order is not dependent on rites to captivate

the imagination. Its purposeis to cultivate the sentiment of

common brotherhood and to promote lofty conceptions of

Jewish obligations.

7

Iaddress you nowas amember (members) o fthe Independent

Ordero f Bnai BrithSons o f the Covenant. This, ourname,.

reminds usof the covenant made betweenG od and Abraham

and betweenGod and his people on Sinai, when the divine

words ivere addressedto Israel: Andye shallbe unto me a

kingdomofpriests and a holy people, a priesthood to proclaima divine mission, exclaiming withone voice, amidsttrials and

sufferingis, evenin the face of deathitself:

Hear, 0 Israel. the Lord our God,the Lord is One.

Dispersed throughout the world, Israel has diffused the know-

ledge of God and preserved the truth of Judaism amidst the

overthrow of peoples andthe destruction of nations.

My brother (brethren), light, represented by the Menorah, is

the symbol of our Order. Bybecoming a member (members)

of the Bnai Brith you have undertaken to tend this light,

the light o f faith, justice andtruth.

My brother (brethren), asa Ben Brith(Bnai Brith)the honour

of Israel is in your keeping, as a member (members) of our

Order, you should spread faith, justice and truth, until all

nationswillproclaim The Lordis One and Hisname isOne.

I n ow invoke upon you andupon thebrethren here assembled

the benediction which the High Priest invoked upon Israel:

TT T ~ j4 TT ~T

~. ~ i ~ ~T:

May the Lordbless you andkeep you. May theLord make

His countenance to shine upon you andbe graciousunto you.

May.the Lord turn His countenance toivard you and give, /yo u peace. /

~1

PresidentsThis~ my brother (brethren), completes the ceremony

of your initiation and constitutes you a member (members)~


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of the (name ofth e Lodge). it should be your endeavour to

attend ourmeetings regularly, toassociate yourself (yourselves)

with the workof the Order,andto perform to the best o f your

ability those duties which devolve upon you as a Ben Brith

(Bnai Brith).

~ (President gives name ofcandidates). I now take great pleasurein introducingyou to the brethren of the Lodge.

The President mentions the name of each initiate, shak.es

hands with him and gives him the grip ofrecognition.

I

III.

Installation of Officers.

Lodg es are permiUedto hold public installations oftheir officers,

iftheydesire to do so.

The installations of officers is to b e conducted bymembers ofthe

District Grand Lodge. It isthe prerogative ofth e Grand Lodge

President, but he may depute any Past President who isa

memberofthe D. G. L ~, toactin hisstead, andifhefailto appointthe Installing Officer, the Lodge may invite anyP.P. to act.

The retiring President hands to the Installing Officer the list of

t~ te names ofth e officers-elect.

The Installinj officer gives the signal to rise ( .. ) and addressesthe retiring PresidentsBrother President, we have come to

install the officers o f the Lodge.

I declarethe term for whichyou were elected President of this

Lodge closed. I tender you the thanks of the Grand Lodge

for the services which you have rendered, andI trust that you

will continue inyour labours for the good of your Lodge and

ofthe Order. In conformitywith ourlaws, you will officiateas

Monitor for the ensuing term. Proceedto your seat and taI~e

charge of your honourable oftice.

The 1.0. thereupon takes the chair of the President, gives

the signal for the brethren to be seated, and says sTo you,Brother Vice-President, and the other officers of the Lodge,

[likewise tender the thanks ~fthe Grand Lodge fortheservices~

you have rendered, and I hereby declare the term of your

offices closed.

At public installations all signals used in executive sessions

must be dispensed with.

The officers-elect will please come forward.

The officers-elect place the niselves in front of the Presidents

seat according to rank. Shouldany of them notb e present,

/

1>1


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their installation is to be postponed, and their offices-

ftll~d temporarily by the newly installed President.

The 1.0. addressesthe President-elect.

Brother , you have been elected President of this

Lodge for the ensuing term. Do you accept the office?Answer.

Brother , do you promise to discharge the duties

of the office of President~ o f this Lodge for the ensuing term in

a conscientious manner and to the bestofyour ability? Doyou

promise to observe the Constitution, the Laws andthe RituaL

of the Order; toobey, carry out and enforcethe laws, enact-

ments and resolutions of the Constitution Grand Lodge and

of the District Grand Lodg e. Do yo u promise to decide

impartially inall cases that may come before the Lodge, and

to endeavour to promote BENEVOLENCE, BIiOTITERLY LovE

AND HARMONY? Do you promise to take care of the Charterof this Lodge, and of the books in which the Ritual of the

Order is contained, andnot to make any improperu se of them,

or suffer any one to do so? Shouldthe Grand Lodge demand

the Charter from this Lodge, do you promise that you will

deliver the same, together withall propertyof the Lodge which

may be in your possession,to those whom the Grand Lodge

officers may designate?

Answer.

My brother, I accept your solemn promise, which, as a man

anda Ben Brith, you will ever consideras a sacred pledge.

Please take a seat at my~ight.

The 1.0 ciddressesthe Vice -Preside~~-~elect.

Brother .,7,by the choice ofthe~fri~ethren,you are called

A~-thW b


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You will now proceed to your stations and enter upon the

performance ofthe dutiesofyour respective offices.

If newly elected Trustees of the Lodge are to be installed, thel,

place themselves infront of the 1.0. who addresses them a&

follows

Brethren, the confidence which the members of the Lodge

repose in you has inducedthemto elect you as Trusteeso f this

Lodge. As such, the funds of the Lodge, their safe and ad-

vantageous investment, in accordance with its laws and in-

structions, are confided to your care.

Are you willing to performthese duties conscientiouslyand to

the best of your ability?

Answer.

I accept your answer as a sacred pledge that during the term

for which you have beenelected you will act strictly in accord-

ance withthe promise you have now given.

The 1.0. may now address to the newly installed President

and the officers and members of the Lodge remarks

appropriate to the occasidnespecially on the aims and objects

ofthe Order; thatthese are infull harmony with th e principlesof

ourreligion, which are realized in the elevation of our earthly

life; thatfaithis born ofwork; that our duty to G od isman2 -

fested in our duty to man, as our Prophet said: What

does the Lord require of thee but to a ctjustly, to love mercy and

to walkhumbly before thy God.

The 1.0. then closes with the following words

Brother President, to your chargeI confide the charter o f this

Lodge and the booksin which the Ritual is contained. You

will now take your seat ~nd enter upon thedischarge of the

duties ofyour office.

Andnow, inthe name of the District GrandLodge of Great

Britainand Ireland, District No. 15, I declarethe officers of

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Lodge, No. -

installed according to law.

for the ensuing term, duly

The newly-installed President maynow address words ofthanks

and appreciation to the G. L. officers. The President then

proce eds with the business ofthe -meeting in dueorder.


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IV.

Institution of New Lodges.

A.Inauguration.

The Presidentofthe District Grand Lodge, or his representative

duly authorized, takes the chair, appoints a temporary Vice-

President, Monitor and Secretary.

~G.L. President:As representative(s)o f the District Grand Lodge

ofGreat Britain andIreland, District No.15 ,ofthe Independent

Orderof Bnai Brith, ii am (we are) here to institute, under i~~

jurisdiction, Lodge, No , a charter forwhich

has been duly granted.

The members of the new Lodge will stand facing the Vice-

President.

Vice-President -Gentlemen, you have beenelected to membership

in Lodge, No. , about to be instituted. Your

association as members oftheOrderofBnaiBrith is onewhich

implies service not for yourselves, but for the benefito f others.

Areyou desirous ofuniting withour Brotherhood, to further

the aims andobjects o f the Order o f Bnai Brithand to carry

into practice its teachings of BENEVOLENCE, BROTHERLY

LOVE AND HARMONY?

(

Answer.

Areyou willing to preserve the charter of the Lodge now to

be instituted and to preserve the books of the Ritual and

deliver them as well as all other property of the Lodge, which

unay at any time be inyour possession, upon demand of the

District Grand Lodge?

Answer.

15

Are you willing to impose these obligations upon each person

hereafter elected to membership ?

Answer.

B.Init jation.

The regular Initiation Ceremony will then be proceeded with(see above, pp. 3 to 8.)

G. L. President :I nowdeliverto you thecharter and thebooks of

the Ritual, and I declare in the name of the District Grand

Lodge of Great Britain and Ireland, District No. 15, this

- Lodge, No. , dulyinstituted as a Lodge of

the [ndependent Order of Bnai Brith under the jurisdiction

of District Grand Lodge No. 15.

(Signalto rise - - )/

7Monitor:Unto Thee, 0 God, we pray, and beseech Thyblessingupon our work. Give unto this new Lodge strength and

duration. Endow with knowledge and with perseverance

those who may be entrusted with the direction of its affairs.

Amen.,/

All respond: Amen.

G L. President:Brethren of -. Lodge No. , your

Lodge is now prepared to proceed to business, the first of

which is the election o f your officers as prescribed by law.

I announce to you, and it will be recorded on your minutes,

that dispensations are now granted to any officers elected

where such dispensation may be necessary for him to assume

his office.

(A dispensation to a Monitor shall not thereby constitute him a

Past-Presidentofth e Lodge, butmerely authorize him to holdt he

position ofMonitorwithont having served as President.)

C.Installation.

The officers-elect are now installed (for Installation of Officers

see above,pp. 9 to 13)

The Lodge will close aspre scri bedin th e Ritual, see abovep. 2 .


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V.

Institution of New District Grand Lodges.

Theform ofthe institution ofa NewDistrictGrand Lodge isleftto the discretion ofth e Executive Committee ofthe Constitution.

Grand Lodge.

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