JEWS ON OATH
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR] SIR,—In the issue of The Spectator, No. 5,794, of July r4th, 1939, under the caption of" A Spectator's Notebook," on page 42, I noticed in the third paragraph of Mr. Christopher Hob- house's observations (on the covering of the head), the fol- lowing assertion : "It is well established that a practising Jew must wear his hat when taking an oath, which is otherwise not binding on his conscience." (Italics are mine.) I beg leave to correct that (italicised) part of Mr. Hob- house's erroneous statement. According to Jewish law and
teachings an oath, taken as such by a Jew, is binding on him, whether it was taken on Holy Writ or not, with covered head, or uncovered. While an observant Jew should, and doe.,, cover his head (as he always does during any religious exer- cise, such as prayer or religious study, &c.) as a mark of due solemnity, the accidental omission of the covering does not in the least affect the binding force of his oath.—Yours faithfully, HARRIS M. LAZARUS, Ecclesiastical Assessor. Court of the Chief Rabbi, Mulberry Street,
Commercial Road, London.
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