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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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,
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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.
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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.
t