Marlena's Excellent Judaica

Romney Or Not, We Can Learn From The Mormons

2012-01-16T15:29:00.000-08:00

Author Rosenblatt

Sitting around the Shabbat table, a friend posed a question: “Now that it looks like Mitt Romney will be the Republican nominee, how should we respond as Jews to the fact that he’s a Mormon?”

My first thought was that as members of a minority religion in America, we Jews should be especially supportive of the rights of other minorities. Of course that doesn’t mean we should feel obligated to vote for Romney as a sign of solidarity, but rather that he should be judged on the merits of his qualifications, not his religion. Same as we wanted for Sen. Joe Lieberman when he ran for vice president, or any other candidate for that matter.
The issue is a bit more complicated, though, in part because Romney served as a missionary in France in his youth, as is common among Mormon young adults, and in his church as bishop and stake president, which are lay and volunteer roles.
That profile makes some Jews queasy, but then the Mormon religion is a bit more exotic than mainstream Christian faiths, and some have called it heretical or a “cult.” But those disputes seem to involve Christians more than Jews, who tend to lump Catholics, Protestants, Mormons and other believers in Jesus as simply “Christian.” There are said to be six million Mormons in America and 13 million worldwide — about the same number as Jews here and around the world — and the church is growing rapidly, by some 250,000 people a year.
One reason for that growth is that Mormons have a proselytizing religion. Indeed, there was much concern in the 1980s here and in Israel when they planned to build a branch of Brigham Young University on Mount Scopus, overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem. A showdown was averted when the church agreed not to proselytize to Jews in Israel.
A deeper controversy that seriously threatened Mormon-Jewish relations began a few years later when it was learned that the controversial church practice of performing a “baptism for the dead” on all non-Mormon souls who ever lived included Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

Jewish survivors were deeply offended, noting that the millions of Shoah victims had been murdered by the Nazis because they were Jews.Difficult negotiations took place between Mormon leaders and Jewish Holocaust survivor groups and others to resolve the dispute. But the issue dragged on for many years, with the Jewish groups insisting that despite an agreement to stop the proxy baptisms of Holocaust victims, the Mormons were continuing the practice.

Only last year (as first reported in The Jewish Week), did the two sides repair their ruptured relations by announcing “a breakthrough.” The church statement said the Mormons would allow Jewish Holocaust victims to be the only category exempt from their doctrine calling for the symbolic baptism of the dead. (The exemption doesn’t apply to other Jewish souls.)
Beside their numbers, Mormons and Jews have a good deal in common. Though they have very different theologies, both place an emphasis on family life, charitable giving, performing good deeds and education. And both are strongly supportive of Israel. Mitt Romney is an attractive candidate for Jewish Republicans for reasons that include his outspoken backing of Jerusalem, relatively moderate positions, past business success and his having served as governor of Massachusetts.

The fact that Tea Party activists and Evangelical Christians distrust him is another plus for many American Jews particularly wary of those groups.One of the intriguing aspects of the Romney candidacy is how the Mormon Church has handled the glare of attention with two Republican candidates who are members of the faith — John Huntsman, though fading, being the other one.

For the most part, the church takes a decidedly, and admirably low-key approach to negativity in the media and elsewhere, focusing on its mission. And in that, and other ways, there is much the American Jewish establishment can learn from the Mormons.

Consider for a moment how our community and organizations might have responded to the hottest ticket on Broadway being a show called “The Five Books of Moses,” best known for its foul, bawdy, irreverent portrait of religious Jews.
I can picture angry pickets and calls for boycotts, charges of anti-Semitism and worse, with the attendant splash of national media coverage.

Yet in response to “The Book of Mormon,” here’s what the church had to say: “The production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening, but the Book of Mormon as a volume of scripture will change people’s lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ.”

That’s it. Brilliant, with a restraint we seem incapable of.

What’s more, the Mormons have had great success in engaging their young people in service to the church and to others. Teenagers 14-18 participate before and after school in courses in private homes or meeting houses, taught by volunteer teachers, supplemented by an online course for those far from community. And 19-25-year-old men who meet standards of “worthiness” are encouraged to devote two years to full-time missionizing, usually abroad. About 50,000 young men a year take on the commitment, described as a rite of passage for church members, and do so as volunteers, receiving no pay for their work.

Specifics aside, Jewish leaders who bemoan how difficult it is to attract young Jews to participate in Jewish life should take note of this success and explore how that sense of commitment and devotion can be applied in our community.
Just last week the New York Times published a front-page story on how the Mormon leadership is tackling what it calls “a perception problem,” with the church seen as “secretive,” “cultish,” “sexist” and “controlling” by many Americans.

Four years ago, 40 percent of voters said they would not choose a Mormon for president. Those numbers have gone down somewhat, but the church hired two top ad agencies and has launched a national campaign depicting Mormons as normal and reflecting the diversity of the country.

Ads in the “I am a Mormon” campaign depict white, black, Asian and Hispanic people from the U.S. and around the world, and include single parents, working women and an interracial couple.“We’re not scared of what people think of us,” said the church official leading the campaign. “If you don’t recognize the problem, you can’t solve the problem.”

Pride. Confidence. Direct action. Reaching out to others.Like I said, there’s a lot we can learn from the Mormons. And whether or not Mitt Romney becomes the Republican candidate or our next president, our Jewish leaders would do well to think about why the Mormons are the fastest-growing religion in the world while what most unifies us is our ongoing obsession with our decreasing numbers.

Gary@jewishweek.org

At BYU Seder, Mormons Dip, Eat, Sing Their Own ‘Dayenu’

2012-01-15T17:54:00.000-08:00

By Gabrielle Birkner

Why Is This Night Different?: Since Mormons abstain from liquor, the four cups of wine were filled instead with grape juice at this recent Seder. But students still dipped parsley in salt water, tasted bitter herbs, and ate matzo sandwiches.
By Gabrielle Birkner

issue of April 22, 2011.

Inside the student center, the tables were set with all of the Passover staples: bitter herbs, haroset, parsley sprigs and salt water, a Haggadah at each place setting. By 6:15 on a recent Friday evening, the hall had filled up with college and graduate students, alumni, faculty and a smattering of “townies” — more than 160 people in total. It was a scene reminiscent of the Seders that so many Jewish campus centers host at Passover time.

But this was no Hillel-sponsored event, a fact that would become apparent as soon as the invocation was given “in the name of Jesus Christ.” Rather, this Seder was hosted by Brigham Young University, the flagship school of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Seders have become a tradition at BYU, where nearly 99% of its 33,000 students identify as Mormon, and where, according to a university spokeswoman, there are only three Jewish students.

This year, BYU is sponsoring seven springtime Seders. Each of them is capped at 165 people, and all are sold-out affairs with long waiting lists, said Victor Ludlow, a BYU religion professor who has been organizing campus Seders for almost four decades. “I do so many of these here,” Ludlow said, “that the Salt Lake rabbi — we were on a radio program together for the Easter-Passover season — said: ‘Professor Ludlow, here, I call him the Passover Patriarch of Provo. He does more Seders than anyone I know, except, maybe, Elijah.

At two recent Seders, which Ludlow led from behind a podium draped in an Israeli flag, the professor explained the symbolism of the Seder plate and the afikomen, guided the youngest guest through an English translation of the Four Questions, and asked attendees to read aloud the story of the Israelites’ epic journey from slavery to freedom. Ludlow had everyone alternately rapt and roaring with laughter. He peppered his explanations with anecdotes about getting matzo and peanut butter sandwiches stuck to the roof of his mouth, and how, some years back, one shrewd young Seder guest, in exchange for handing over the afikomen, convinced her grandparents to take her with them to Hawaii.

Ludlow’s version of “Dayenu” included all of the customary lyrics — about the parting of the sea, the manna from heaven, the giving of the Torah — in addition to some with unique significance to the BYU community: “Had He scattered us among the nations, but not gathered us in the Rocky Mountains, dayenu; had He gathered us in the Rocky Mountains, but not given us Latter-Day Temples of our own, dayenu; had He given us Latter-Day Temples of our own, but not given us a special university, dayenu; had He given us a special university, but not a mighty basketball team, dayenu.”

Then there was the eating of the salt water-dipped parsley, the tasting of the bitter herbs — first-timers could be seen wincing and reaching for their water glasses — and the building of “Hillel sandwiches,” out of matzo, horseradish and haroset. And, finally, more than two hours after the Seder began, a chicken-and-latke dinner was served. Most of those in attendance were participating in a Seder for the first time, though several local families said that these Passover meals have become a springtime tradition. The vast majority of guests were Mormons, but some of them touted their Jewish roots — sharing stories of their own conversion, or how their parents or grandparents had joined the Church years ago.

“My grandfather was a Jewish convert to Mormonism,” said Ryan Caplin, a 21-year-old BYU freshman, who came to the Seder with his parents, two of his siblings and their respective spouses. “I wanted to learn more about my heritage, because it’s interesting — and because, even though I’m not Jewish, it still applies.” After the meal, Ludlow had Seder-goers participate in a series of responsive readings, rise in anticipation of greeting the prophet Elijah, and sing along to a soulful rendition of the Passover classic “Who Knows One?” It was all very traditional, even if the Manischewitz was nowhere to be found, since Mormons strictly eschew alcohol; the carafes were filled with grape juice.

In many ways, BYU is a typical college: Students cram for exams, fill the football stadium for home games and eat pizza late into the night. In other ways, though, the school sets itself apart: Those enrolled must adhere to a strict honor code that demands they abstain from using profanity, drinking coffee, tea and alcoholic beverages, engaging in homosexual behavior, and having sex outside of marriage. (The school’s honor code garnered national media attention last month, when star basketball player Brandon Davies was booted from the BYU team, after he reportedly admitted to having sex with his girlfriend.) Men are required to keep their hair closely cropped and are forbidden from growing beards or sporting body piercings; women cannot wear strapless, backless or form-fitting fashions, and are to avoid “extreme” hairstyles and colors.

The genesis of the Passover Seder on this G-Rated campus was Exodus. Specifically, it was a series of lessons that Ludlow was teaching, back in the fall of 1973, on the second of the five books of Moses. “I found that my students had a hard time connecting to the Old Testament time period and events,” Ludlow said. “I decided to do it just so they could have a cultural experience, so they could socialize a little bit and identify with that important event of the Bible.”
Since that first gathering happened to coincide with the Yom Kippur War, Ludlow brought with him a small radio so that, during breaks, he could tune in to the latest news about the conflict.

Ludlow, a lifelong Mormon who graduated from BYU and earned his Ph.D. at Brandeis University, has traveled to Israel at least once a year for decades; he sometimes stays for months at a time to teach at BYU’s Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. He said, however, that attitudes of Mormons toward Israel tend to be more complicated than those of many Evangelical Christians, who are often unflaggingly supportive of Israel. “As Latter-Day Saints, we believe that the Jews coming to Israel and establishing a state is a fulfillment of prophesy… but that doesn’t necessarily justify the means by which they’re doing it or how they may treat other peoples,” Ludlow, who is critical of the concrete security barrier that Israel has erected, told the Forward...

While it has become increasingly common for Christian groups to host Passover Seders — both because of a hunger to connect with Christianity’s Jewish roots and because of the belief that Jesus’ Last Supper may have been a Seder — for Mormons, the ritual meal has additional significance: Many of them identify with the Exodus narrative, given their ancestors’ flight from the Midwest to their own “Promised Land,” in Utah.

For BYU junior Ken Kenworthy, 22, the bitter herbs on the Passover table recall not only the suffering of the Israelites under Pharaoh, but also the past suffering of the Mormons. “Our early church history had a lot of persecution,” Kenworthy said. Mormon pioneers, like the Israelites before them, “sacrificed a lot for faith, and were ultimately willing to make a long journey” to freedom. Kenworthy, whom Ludlow tapped to lead the musical portions of this year’s campus Seders, said that the Passover story “reinforces my faith in God’s ability to work the same yesterday as he does today.” For freshman Amy Underwood, 18, who this year attended her first-ever Seder, the event’s value was largely its outreach potential. “I think it shows that we’re not just Mormons doing our own thing,” she said. “It shows that we’re open to different cultures.”

The American-born religion, which today claims 14.1 million adherents worldwide, thanks in part to its aggressive missionary work, remains mysterious to many. That may be about to change, with Mormons set to play a prominent role in national politics over the next year. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has launched a presidential exploratory committee, while fellow Church member Jon Huntsman Jr., who recently resigned his post as America’s ambassador to China, is also considered a potential candidate for the Republican nomination. Meanwhile, in New York, audiences are getting a satirical take on Mormonism, thanks to the Broadway musical “The Book of Mormon,” which opened last month to rave reviews.

More than 2,000 miles from the Beltway and Broadway, Ludlow said that he hopes his Seders serve not only to bring ancient history to life, but also to debunk cultural stereotypes and break down barriers between the Mormon and Jewish communities. “What we need to do is come to learn about each other as we really are, and this is one of the things that is a little bridge,” he said, noting that Mormons and Jews are increasingly inhabiting the same communities, as more Mormons move East, and Jews move West. “As long as we’re going to start being neighbors and working together on PTA committees, why not understand each other a little before we even meet?
Contact Gabrielle Birkner at birkner@forward.com

Baptism for the Dead in Early Christianity

2012-01-05T17:54:00.000-08:00

In the first part of this series,1 we established that apocalyptic Christian writers were deeply concerned about the fate of those who had no chance to receive the gospel in this life. They felt that an eternal condemnation meted out to these souls—simply because they had not accepted the inaccessible—was not in keeping with their understanding of a merciful God.

This concern is the crux of the soteriological problem of evil, which is best stated as a logically inconsistent triad: (1) God is perfectly loving and just, desiring that all his children be saved; (2) salvation comes only through an individual's acceptance of Christ's salvific gifts in this life; and (3) countless numbers of God's children have died without having a chance to hear about, much less accept, Christ's salvific gifts.2 Surely, the God of mercy would offer salvation to all; according to some early apocalyptic Jewish and Christian writers, he has. Apocalyptic Jews taught that eternal damnation was a punishment reserved for fallen archangels and wicked men,3 while righteous Gentiles would be spared such tortures.4 However, this solution did not fully mitigate the soteriological problem of evil; righteous Gentiles, although escaping endless punishment, would not share in the exaltation of the covenant people.

Some early Christians, on the other hand, provided a more thorough solution than the said Jewish predecessors. They taught that righteous individuals could receive the gospel in the next life through postmortem evangelization, a work initiated by Jesus's descent into hell "to save those who had not known him on earth." 5 However, some did not believe that postmortem acceptance of the gospel was sufficient to ensure the salvation of the deceased but that it must also be accompanied by vicarious ordinance work, a belief implicit in their involvement in baptisms for the dead.

In this paper we will provide evidence that the practice of baptism for the dead existed in some early Christian6 communities. We do not attempt to prove that baptism for the dead is a true teaching. This cannot be demonstrated by historical research. We intend only to trace the history of proxy baptism in early Christianity and the theological rationale for its practice. To support our thesis, we will show that early Christians, including New Testament writers, taught that baptism is essential to salvation. Because of this belief, vicarious baptisms were performed to ensure that the unbaptized dead would not be denied access to salvation. Next, we examine 1 Corinthians 15:29, arguing that metaphorical interpretations of this passage are ultimately unconvincing. Instead, we support what some modern scholars refer to as the "majority reading," 7 which understands 15:29 as a reference to vicarious baptism. Third, we explore the possible origins of the practice by examining the texts that teach doctrines closely related to baptism for the dead. And, finally, we detail the historical practice of proxy baptisms by early Christian communities now labeled "heretical." We argue, however, that retroactively measuring ancient Christian practices by later standards of orthodoxy is misguided and that we must, therefore, independently reexamine practices traditionally considered heretical.

Before setting out and assessing historical evidence for early Christian practice of proxy baptisms for the dead, an important caveat is in order: though Joseph Smith believed that first-century Christians performed proxy baptisms,8 the modern Latter-day Saint practice is not grounded on historical precedent. Rather, as we will detail in the last part of this series, it is based on modern revelation.

Baptismal Theology of the New Testament and Patristic Literature
Proxy baptisms are based on the conviction that the sacrament of baptism is necessary for salvation. Accordingly, we will look at the teachings of New Testament and patristic writers regarding the necessity of this sacred ordinance. These writers taught that baptism was essential for forgiveness of sins and for entrance into the church and into heaven. Indeed, according to Everett Ferguson in his highly respected study of early Christian liturgy, Christians through the first five centuries believed that baptism "effects salvation, forgiveness of sins, freedom from the rule of sin and death, purification, and washing." 9

Three main arguments from the New Testament support the essential nature of baptism. First, Christ himself is baptized, signifying the necessity for Christians to receive the same. Second, there are pivotal verses of scripture, such as John 3:5, Mark 16:14–16, and Matthew 28:19, which, according to some scholars, affirm the necessity of baptism for salvation. Third, throughout the book of Acts, baptism is without question the rite of initiation that all converts must undergo. According to Acts, this rite assures the convert a remission of sins and links them to Christ.

Brock M. Mason, and David L. Paulsen

Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture: Volume - 19, Issue - 2, Pages: 22-49
Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, 2010

Read the full article:

C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\for blogs\Baptism for the Dead in Early Christianity - Brock M_ Mason, and David L_ Paulsen - Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture - Volume 19 - Issue 2.mht

The Name Connection

2011-11-29T15:22:00.000-08:00

By Benjamin Urrutia

My study of reformed Egyptian led me on a trail from the Book of Mormon to the land of the Pharaohs.

Christmas 1981 found me in the state of New York, quietly celebrating the holiday with friends. I began reminiscing about the Church in my homeland. “The Church has been in Ecuador for only 17 years,” I said. “But already there are second-generation Latter-day Saints, some with names like Moroni Valdivieso or Nefi (Nephi) Hernandez.”

“Down there,” one of my young friends commented, “those must seem almost like ordinary, everyday names.”

“Don’t you believe it!” I replied. “In Spanish those names sound just as exotic and unusual as they do in English.”

A discussion followed, during which I assured him that there is only one country in the world where at least some Book of Mormon names might seem like everyday names. That country would be Israel, where Hebrew is still spoken much as it was at the time Lehi left Jerusalem. Egyptian names from the Book of Mormon would seem unusual to living Egyptians because they speak Arabic, not Egyptian.

As I have studied Eastern languages, the names in the Book of Mormon have held a fascination for me. If the book was written in reformed Egyptian, as Joseph Smith says it was, then the names would probably have both Hebrew and Egyptian origins. While I don’t claim to offer conclusive proof, there appear to be evidences that this is indeed true.

While most of us think of our name simply as what other people call us, most names have a meaning as well. Richard, for example, means “powerful ruler.” Rex means “king.” In Japanese, the family name Matsushita means “under the pine tree.” And of course different spellings and roots help us determine that a name originated in a specific area or region, as well as showing what language it comes from. Larsen, for instance, is a family name that came from Scandinavia.

The same is true with Book of Mormon names. Some Nephite names offer striking similarity to Hebrew words. Professor Johnathan Shunary (who has translated selections from the Book of Mormon into Hebrew) points out that Zarahemla probably means “seed of mercy.”¹John Welch and Joann Carlton translate Abinadom’s name as “my father is a wanderer” (see Omni 1:10–12, Jacob 7:26).²Sariah is a name which could mean “princess.”³And there are other examples as well.⁴

As I mentioned earlier, many Book of Mormon names also appear to be Egyptian. But because the ancient Egyptian language has not been in use for hundreds and hundreds of years, the people of Egypt have been speaking and writing Arabic for some 13 centuries. Book of Mormon names, even though Egyptian in origin, would be unusual in that country today. Nevertheless, since the 1820s scholars have been able to decipher some of that extinct language.⁵

Dr. Hugh Nibley, professor emeritus of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University, has identified many Hebrew and Egyptian names in the Book of Mormon. As a student in his classes and through my own research and thought, I have reached the following ideas about some names I consider to have ancient origins:

MORMON—This word could easily have been formed by combining two ancient Egyptian words, mor (“love”) and mon (“established forever”). This would render a meaning of “love established forever.” Further evidence that Mormon is an Egyptian word is offered by a character copied by Frederick G. Williams, second counselor to the Prophet, from what Joseph told him was the symbol for Mormon’s name as written on the gold plates.⁶The figure looks like this:

It is easy to see how this symbol could be derived from the Egyptian hieroglyphics for mor and mon, which look like this:

It is also interesting to note that the idea expressed by the name, “love established forever,” is a concept shared by Paul the Apostle in the New Testament when he says, “charity never faileth” (1 Cor. 13:8). The word charity originally meant divine love, so the passage in the Bible could easily have read “charity lasts forever” or “love established forever.”

CUMORAH—This is another name which can be associated with a Biblical passage, although the connection is not a direct one. Isaiah 60:1 [Isa. 60:1] begins with a forceful command to Zion: “Arise, shine.” In Hebrew that translates as kumy, ury. These commands were addressed to a female listener, in this case Zion. If the same words had been addressed to a male, I believe they would be kum, orah. If my understanding is correct, this must be the meaning of Cumorah: “Arise, shine.” What an appropriate name for a hill where sacred records were to lie buried for centuries, later to rise from the dust and give their light to those who would receive it!

In ancient Hebrew letters, the name Cumorah would be written more or less like this:

MOSIAH—This name seems to me to be composed of the Hebrew name for divinity, Yah (Yahweh, the LORD, Jehovah) and the Egyptian mos, “is born.” The name, if it indeed has this meaning, would seem to be a prediction of the birth of Christ: “the Lord is born.”

I have taken the liberty of imagining what the name might look like if represented by a mixture of Egyptian and Hebrew symbols. This is, perhaps, what Mosiah might look like written in reformed Egyptian:

SHIBLON and CORIANTUMR—These names, of Jaredite origin, are neither Hebrew nor Egyptian. They do, however, seem to me to have their origin in some Semitic language related to Hebrew. At the Symposium on Archaeology of the Scriptures held at BYU in 1977, I reported on my investigation of these names given to the sons of Alma the Younger (see Ensign, Mar. 1978, p. 76). Both names seem to be related to Semitic words meaning lion cub or jaguar cub, shibl- being an Arabic root with that meaning and corian- perhaps being related to the Hebrew gurrion, which means the same thing. Shibl- may also be the root of the monetary unit, shiblon, mentioned in Alma 11:15–16, 19.⁷

The Ensign report on the symposium also made a statement about names which bears repeating:

“Book of Mormon names are virtually the only samples we have of the language the Nephites were using—and as Hugh Nibley has long since pointed out, names tend to be the most archaic, out-of-date words in any language. For instance, how many people remember the meanings of such common English names as William, Steven, Sandra, or Anne? Yet investigation can show English cultural links with diverse cultures through those names—and many scholars have tried to link Book of Mormon names with Old World cultures, to show the relationship” (Ensign, Mar. 1978, p. 76).

From what I’ve been able to observe during my studies of both the Book of Mormon and ancient languages, it appears to me that the authors were obviously well acquainted with Egyptian, Hebrew, and other ancient languages. Yet Joseph Smith never had any formal instruction in Egyptian. In fact, at the time he translated the Book of Mormon, virtually no one in America knew any Egyptian. In Europe Thomas Young and Jean Francóis Champollion had just completed studies based on the Rosetta Stone, but it is highly improbable that their work, or even a report on it, was available to Joseph Smith. Even if it had been, their studies had only managed “to make out the general drift of most historical inscriptions.”⁸It wasn’t until the turn of the century that Egyptian began to be widely studied in the United States.

In 1830, when the Book of Mormon was published, Joseph Smith knew no Hebrew. Even though he would later receive some instruction (at Kirtland, Ohio, from 1835–36 a professor was hired to acquaint Church members with the fundamentals of Hebrew), he received his first formal introduction to Hebrew five years after the Book of Mormon was published.⁹

Critics of the Book of Mormon and of Joseph Smith have often charged two things. First, that he was an ignorant farm boy who invented the whole story. Second, that he was so clever a writer that he could fool the unwary by spinning yarns about ancient civilizations. In time, critics said, science would show the folly of his teachings.

Much to the contrary, time continues to add evidence that Joseph Smith was indeed a prophet and that the Book of Mormon is true. My studies lead me to believe that the only way the Book of Mormon could have been produced was by divine intervention. Joseph Smith could have translated the book, but not by any of the methods normally available for translation. He could not have known of the connection Book of Mormon names would have with ancient languages, except that an angel told him where the records originated.

My meager efforts to understand the names in the Nephite record don’t prove that the Book of Mormon is true. The method for proving its truth is explained in Moroni 10:4–5 [Moro. 10:4–5]. But for me, at least, the names in the book offer one more evidence that God lives and that he has restored his Church to the earth.

Benjamin Urrutia is a well-traveled student of Eastern languages and a convert to the Church. His articles on the subject of ancient Semitic names have been published in scholarly journals since 1972.

From The New Era, June 1983

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Light the candles on Rosh Ha Shanah

2011-09-22T15:18:00.000-07:00

Girls and all women that are in the house (or if there isn't a woman in the house, the head of the household), light candles to usher in each night of the holiday and Shabbat. See Procedure for Holiday Candle Lighting for detailed holiday candle-lighting information.

Blessings for the evenings of September 28 and 29, 2011:

1) Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu me-lech ha-olam asher ki-deshanu be-mitzvo-tav ve-tzvi-vanu le-hadlik ner shel Yom Hazikaron.
Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us to light the candle of the Day of Remembrance.

[Note: When reciting the following blessing on the second night of the holiday, one should have in mind the new fruit which one will subsequently be eating after Kiddush.]

2) Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu me-lech ha-olam she-heche-ya-nu ve-ki-yi-ma-nu ve-higi-a-nu liz-man ha-zeh
Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.

Since this year's holiday is followed immediately by the Shabbat, make this blessing before sunset (see Candle Lightong Times) on the evening of September 30, 2011:

Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu me-lech ha-olam asher ki-deshanu be-mitzvo-tav ve-tzvi-vanu le-hadlik ner shel Shabbat kodesh.
Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us to light the candle of the holy Shabbat.

see http://www.chabad.org/

2011-09-12T16:29:00.000-07:00

This is my button to reach my Mormon.org profile. Please click the button and read it. Then, if you haven't made your own, do so!!! Marlena

The Quest for a Peculiar People - NEW

2011-08-26T14:06:00.000-07:00

The story of Israel is the epic of all ages. Its scope is vast; beginning in eternity, it sweeps down through time and on into eternity again. The Father apportioned his earthly estate among his spirit children with Israel in mind:

“When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.” (Deut. 32:8–9.)

There is a grand design for mankind, and Israel is central to it. Even as Christ (Jehovah) is the Firstborn of all the Father’s children, so is Israel the firstborn among the nations. Moses was instructed to tell Pharaoh: “Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn.” (Ex. 4:22.)

And just as Israel is chief among the nations, so is Ephraim chief among the twelve tribes. In a touching description of Israel’s latter-day gathering, Jeremiah prophesied: “They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.” (Jer. 31:9.)

Christ the Lord, Israel, Ephraim—each a firstborn son in his own right! Although Adam and the patriarchs of the period before the flood were undoubtedly Israelites in spirit, the temporal house of Israel did not come into being until several centuries after the flood. Abraham, a descendant of Shem, is generally recognized as the father of the Hebrews. He was one of the (Abr. 3:22) sons of God who were foreordained to rule on earth in the majesty and power of the holy priesthood...

There is much to be done, however, before Israel will be the “peculiar people” the Lord had in mind when he employed that term so long ago. In referring to themselves as a peculiar people, the Latter-day Saints tend to do so with certain theological concepts and religious customs in mind. Such things as the belief in an anthropomorphic deity, the preexistence, work for the dead, temple marriage, and the Word of Wisdom are cited as proof that we are a peculiar people.

While it cannot be denied that many of these precious principles are unique, still, they are but means to an end. Israel’s past history—both in Palestine and in America—is good evidence that, of themselves, doctrines, ordinances, and religious practices in general cannot produce a peculiar people.

Rodney Turner, Sept 1980 Liahona

More: http://lds.org/liahona/1980/09/the-quest-for-a-peculiar-people?lang=eng&query=israel

Glenn Beck's revealing visit - NEW

2011-08-26T13:51:00.000-07:00

Note: This article is not focused on Beck but upon the point the writer makes: Israel does not seem to be able to tell her friends from her enemies. Because Beck is LDS he is making it easier for other Mormons to befriend their Jewish brethren in an unassuming way through his example of friendship and encouragement. Having the spotlight on positive action and encouragement for the world to stand with this historic country also keeps her enemies at bay for another season. In that light he is doing us all a favor.

American media superstar Glenn Beck's visit to Israel this week was a revealing and remarkable event. It revealed what it takes to be a friend of Israel. And it revealed the causes of Israel's difficulty in telling its enemies from its friends.

Many world leaders, opinion shapers and other notables profess enduring friendship with Israel. From Washington to London, Paris to Spain, policymakers and other luminaries preface all their remarks to Jewish audiences with such statements. Once their declarations are complete — and often without taking a breath — they proceed to denounce Israel's policies and deny its basic rights.

US President Barack Obama exemplifies this practice. Obama always begins his statements on Israel by proclaiming his enduring friendship for Israel. Then he tells us to deny Jewish property rights, accept indefensible borders, or desist from defending ourselves from aggression.

The Israeli Left habitually embraces self-proclaimed friends like Obama. Often leftist leaders encourage such friends to harm Israel in the name of helping it. For instance, in 2007, speaking to then secretary of state Condoleezza Rice — who had a habit of comparing her friend Israel to the Jim Crow south — then Ha'aretz editor David Landau asked her to "rape" the Jewish state. Opposition leader Tzipi Livni recently encouraged Obama to increase pressure on Israel.

When anti-Semitic public intellectuals like the late Nobel laureate Jose Saramago compare Israel to Nazi Germany, the Israeli Left make light of their remarks. For instance, when at the height of the Palestinian terror war in 2002 Saramago said that Israel was worse than the Nazis and that Jews had no right to speak of the Holocaust, Yediot Ahronot's Ariella Melamed referred to Saramago as "one of the most beloved foreign novelists in Israel."

Thursday Israeli Arab actor and filmmaker Muhammad Bakri was the subject of a two-page, hagiographic profile in Yediot. Bakri's libelous 2003 film "Jenin, Jenin," in which he falsely portrayed IDF soldiers as murderers and war criminals was brushed off as merely "controversial...

More: http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0811/glick082611.php.3

Hebrew Priestly Garments - Compare with Mormon Practices

2011-05-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

"And draw near to yourself Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to me in the priest's office; Aaron, Nadav, and Avihu, Elazar, and Itamar, the sons of Aaron. And you shall make sacred garments for Aaron your brother, for honor and for beauty. And you shall speak to all who are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister to me in the priest's office. And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a quilted undercoat, a mitre, and a girdle; and they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, and his sons, that he may minister to me in the priest's office ... "(Ex. 28:1-4)

Moses was instructed by G-d that the garments of the priests were to be both dignified and beautiful; as precious as the garments of royalty. Indeed, the Talmud informs us that when the wicked Persian king Ahasuerus made a feast for his advisors and officers and sought to impress them with his greatness (as recorded in the scroll of Esther, which tells the story of Purim) he put off his own royal vestments and donned the uniform of the High Priest... which was more precious than his own. These priestly garments were in his possession since the First Temple had been destroyed by the Babylonians.

Understanding Life in the Holy Temple
It is noteworthy and revealing that one of the finest ways to gain insight into both the details of life in the Holy Temple, and to its inner spirit, is by a study of the priestly garments.

We shall see that these garments are essential in order for the priests to function in their sacred capacity; so much so that in their absence, the offerings made by the priests in the Temple have no validity! Without his uniform, the priest who serves in the Holy Temple is considered like a "stranger" serving before the Lord - like an ordinary non-priest. What, then, is the basis for the garments' powerful significance?

The Garments Possess An Intrinsic Holiness
No priest, neither lay nor the High Priest himself, is fit to serve in the Temple unless he is wearing the sacred garments. As the Talmud states, "While they are clothed in the priestly garments, they are clothed in the priesthood; but when they are not wearing the garments, the priesthood is not upon them" (BT Zevachim 17:B). Conducting the service without these garments would render the priests the same as those who are not descendants of Aaron - all of whom are unfit for service in the Temple.

Why does the Bible attach so much significance to the garments? Because their quality is such that they elevate the wearers - Aaron and all his descendants - to the high levels of sanctity required from those who come to serve before G-d in the holy place. These garments themselves possess a certain holiness; powerful enough to sanctify all those who merely come in contact with them, as we read in the prophets: "... so as not to hallow the people with their garments" (Ezekiel 44:19).

Actually, the Hebrew expression which we are translating as "sacred" or "holy" garments also means "garments of the Temple;" that is, the garments themselves show that their wearers are standing in the Divine service.

The Garments Atone for Sins
Another important quality of the priestly garments is that their very presence, worn by the priests during the Temple service, serves to atone for the sins of Israel. It is taught that just as the sacrifices facilitate an atonement for sin, so do the priestly garments (BT Zevachim 88:B).

This is one of the deeper aims of wearing these garments, and something for the priest to ponder while they are upon him. For his everyday actions in the Temple transcend his own personal idiom and take on a more universal theme... he makes atonement and spiritual rectification for all humanity.

Thus we are taught (ibid.):
The tunic, which covers most of the priest's body, atones for killing.
The pants atone for sexual transgressions.
The turban, worn on the head, atone for haughtiness.
The belt, wound about the body and worn over the heart, atones for "sins of the heart" - improper thoughts.

The breastplate atones for errors in judgment.
The ephod atones for idolatry.
The robe atones for evil speech.
The High Priest's crown atones for arrogance.
"For honor and for beauty"

The rabbis established that G-d's command for the priestly garments to be "for honor and for beauty" teach us that they must be new and dignified. If the garments were soiled, stained, or ripped, the priests may not conduct the service while wearing them - and if they did, the service would be invalid.

Another aspect of "honor and beauty" means that the uniform must fit each fit perfectly. It was forbidden for the pants, for example, to be too long or too short. The garments were made to order for each priest, tailored to fit his measurements exactly.

This tells us something of the tremendous work force needed to turn out these garments in such quantities that every priest in Israel could be supplied with his own garments. As we shall learn with regard to the incense offering, there were so many priests available for duty in the Holy Temple that no priest ever offered the daily incense service more than once in his lifetime, and it was offered twice daily for many hundreds of years! Yet each had his own garments.

The Garments Were Not Washed
Furthermore, although the priests were extremely neat, just as they were diligent and careful - still, they were working with the sacrifices. Any garment which became soiled to the extent that its stains could not be removed, those garments were not washed. When they became disqualified from use in this manner, they were shredded and used to fulfill another of the Creator's commandments! The tunics were used to make wicks for the menorah, and the belts and pants, wicks for the oil lamps of the Festival of the Water Libation which took place in the Women's Court during the Festival of Sukkot. This applies only to the garments of the ordinary priests, of which there were a great many. When the High Priest's uniform became unusable through wear and tear, it was not destroyed, but hidden away so that no other man could ever wear it.

The Production of the Garments
"And you shall speak to all who are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister to me in the priest's office" (Ex 28:3)
Aside from the fact that the priestly garments must be made "for honor and for beauty," the above verse also instructs us that they must be made with wisdom and understanding... for they must be produced in exact accordance with all the nuances of the Biblical requirements.
Furthermore, they must be made with a special intention in mind - namely, that they are being created for the sake of fulfilling G-d's commandment.The priestly garments are not sewn, like other clothes. Each item is woven, seamless, of one piece. The only exception to this is the sleeves of the robe, which are woven separately and sewn onto the robe afterwards.

The Three Categories of Priestly Garments
There are three separate categories of priestly garments:
The High Priest's uniform, which he wears all year round. These consist of eight garments, called the "golden garments." The clothing worn by the High Priest on the Day of Atonement. These are four garments called the "white garments." The uniform of the ordinary priests, consisting of four garments.

The Golden Garments
The eight garments worn by the High Priest all year round are as follows:
The ephod, breastplate, robe, tunic, turban, belt, crown, and pants.
These are the garments described in these verses: "And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, an ephod, a robe and a tunic of checkered pattern, a turban and a belt. And they shall make the sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, to serve me" (Ex. 28:4).

"And you shall make a crown of pure gold" (ibid. 36). "And make for them linen pants" (ibid. 42).

The White Garments
With regard to the High Priest's service on the Day of Atonement the Bible states: "He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and he shall have the linen pants upon his flesh, and he shall be girded with a linen belt, and with the linen turban he shall be attired" (Lev. 16:4).

The four garments worn by the High Priest on the Day of Atonement are the tunic, pants, the turban and the belt. These garments are made from white flax; hence their designation "the white garments." They must be woven, as mentioned above, and each thread used must be six-ply - woven from six individual strands of fabric.

The High Priest had two tunics which he wore on the Day of Atonement. One-he wore in the morning, and the other at the evening.
After the conclusion of the Day of Atonement, he will never again wear the white garments in which he officiated on this day. They are hidden in the place where he removes them, as the verse indicates "And Aaron shall come into the Tent of Meeting, and he shall take off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and he shall leave them there" (ibid. v. 23)

The Uniform of the Ordinary Priests
The ordinary priests wear four garments all year round-these are the same as the "white garments" worn by the High Priest on the Day of Atonement: tunic, pants, hat, and belt. Referring to these priests, the verse states "And for Aaron's sons you shall make for them tunics, and you shall make for them belts, and you shall make for them hats... and make for them linen pants... " (Ex. 28:40-42). These garment are to be made from flax, and they too must be created from threads consisting of six individual strands.

The Materials - Garments
Five different materials were used to create the priestly garments:
gold
techelet, sky-blue wool
dark-red wool
crimson wool
twisted linen

The gold was beaten into thin sheets, and then cut into fine threads. The techelet sky-blue color (said by the Talmud to resemble indigo - BT Menachot 42:B) was a dye obtained from an aquatic invertebrate known as chilazon. The exact identification of this animal, and the method used to produce the dye, is the subject of extensive research. While various attempts have been made to conclusively identify the chilazon, most recently it has been classified to the Mediterranean snail known as murex trunculus.

The dark-red color (said by some to more closely resemble purple), argaman in Hebrew, is also derived from a snail; possibly the murex trunculus as well. According to this theory, the difference in color is a product of the amount of time the substance is initially exposed to sunlight.

The crimson color is produced from a worm called by the Bible the "crimson worm," tola'at shani in Hebrew, a mountain worm which has been identified as kermes biblicus, the cochineal insect.
The Hebrew word which appears here for "linen" is shesh, which literally means "six." This indicates that each thread used in these garments is required to be a six-ply linen thread.

The Ephod and Breastplate
The ephod and breastplate were made of all five materials. Thus the Bible states regarding each, "And they shall make the ephod of gold, sky-blue, dark-red and crimson dyed wool, and twisted linen" and "And you shall make the breastplate of judgment, the work of an artist; after the manner of the ephod shall you make it: of gold, sky-blue, dark-red, and crimson dyed wool, and of twisted linen shall you make it" (Ex. 28:6,15)...

Portion from an article by The Temple Institute of Jerusalem.

Mormon Events on Sacred Hebrew Holidays

2011-05-15T18:38:00.000-07:00

...several major events in early Mormon history fall on Jewish holidays, either by divine design or coincidence. Jewish holidays can last from two to eight days, and "Erev" signifies the day before the holiday begins. Months in the Jewish calendar start on the new moon - the first day of the month, the day of the new moon, is referred to as "Rosh Chodesh". Saturday, Jewish Sabbath, is referred to as "Shabbat". The following date correlations have been provided by members of the LDS church:

December 23, 1805 (Hanukkah: 8th Day) - Joseph Smith Jr. Born (Founder of LDS Faith)
September 21, 1823 (Sukkot I) - Joseph prays and is visited three times during the night by an angel named Moroni. Moroni tells him about a hidden book and quotes scriptures from the books of Acts, Joel, Isaiah, and Malachi.
September 22, 1823 (Sukkot II) - Joseph goes to the place where the gold plates are concealed, but is instructed by the angel Moroni not to retrieve them.
September 22, 1827 (Erev Rosh Hashana) - Joseph receives the gold plates.
July 1, 1829 (Rosh Chodesh Tamuz (the first day of the month of Tamuz)) - According to David Whitmer, the translation of the Book of Mormon was completed July 1, 1829.
April 6, 1830 (Rosh Chodesh Nisan (the first day of the month of Nisan)) - The "Church of Jesus Christ" is officially organized in the home of Peter Whitmer, Sr., in Fayette, NY.
March 24, 1832 (Shabbat Parah) - Joseph Smith is tarred by a mob.
April 3, 1836 (Pesach I) - Mormons believe that following the dedication of the Kirtland Temple (on Pesach I/Easter Sunday, April 3, 1836), Jesus, Moses, Elijah, and Elias appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, restoring specific "keys," or blessings, powers and authority as held in previous dispensations of divinely revealed truth. They committed to Joseph and Oliver the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, the leading of the ten tribal families from the north, the administering of the keys of the Abrahamic dispensation, and the keys of sealing powers (compare with the apostolic binding power that Jesus bestowed on Peter). (D&C 110:3–4, 7).
July 24, 1847 (Shabbat Nachamu) - Mormon settlers first arrive at what becomes Salt Lake City and the home the LDS Church.
September 9, 1850 (Rosh Hashana II) - The Great Compromise of 1850 is signed into law, creating the Utah Territory and appointing Mormon Prophet Brigham Young governor.
July 23, 1857 (Rosh Chodesh Av (the first day of the month of Av)) - June 29, 1857: U.S. President James Buchanan declares Utah in rebellion of the U.S. government. Buchanan appoints Alfred Cumming as governor of Utah. Cumming is to be escorted by a regiment of the U.S. army, initially led by Col. Edmund Alexander.

Joseph Smith marshalling the Nauvoo Legion
September 18, 1857 (Erev Rosh Hashana (the day before Rosh Hashana)) - United States Army starts marching towards Utah to take control of Territory. Col. Johnston and troops leave Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
October 5, 1857 (Sukkot II) - Nauvoo Legion engages United States Army in first armed conflict of Utah War. Fight for freedom begins.
April 12, 1858 (Erev Rosh Chodesh Iyyar (the day before the first day of the month of Iyyar)) - The U.S. Army and Cumming arrive in Salt Lake City. Mormons surrender Salt Lake City. United States gains control of Utah. Alfred Cumming assumes governorship.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Mormons

Excerpts from People of The Book - by Marlena Tanya Muchnick

2011-05-15T12:12:00.000-07:00

Old things can become new.

New things can become old.

New things can become holy.

—Talmudic saying

Excerpt 1: Opening scene

Yesod Chai Eleazer pulled his black coat around his spare and

hunched frame and hurried toward the synagogue ahead. Gray,

drizzling rain fogged his thick glasses, cutting off the world ahead

of his eyes. “Vay is mere,” he complained to the rain running off

the rim of his black hat. “Meshuga rain.” He moved faster,

knowing that in five minutes he would be late for Friday night

services, which he never missed. The winter night obliterated any

view of a sundown to mark the start of Shabbat. He had visions

that the nine other men needed for the minyan tonight were all

hurrying, too. For it was better in the eyes of the Eternal One if,

gathered like one body at the doors of God’s house, all ten men

entered His sanctuary as one to begin the traditional services.

A moment later he saw the familiar brownstone building,

Temple B’nai Israel, a narrow brown monolithic presence in the

gloom. He sighed in relief that only one, Strasser, had arrived. He

could tell by the man’s huddled apparition. Gelber soon arrived,

pacing impatiently in front of the door. Valenkov and Malkhot,

two of the best singers, converged from other directions. He saw

them greet each other in the rain. Then Gevurah, the attorney,

whooshed up to the curb and stepped out of his Cadillac. He was

always prompt, Yesod remembered with a cynical grunt.

“God’s laws are immutable, and His timetables do not allow

us much latitude of negotiation,” Gevurah would say. He was the

very tick of time, never without both his wristwatch and his

father’s legacy to him, a 24-carat gold pocket watch, carried in his

side pocket, against his hip. He also wore a pager on his belt in

case important clients discovered the need for his services day or

night. Gevurah often fiddled with these several devices so they

would work in that perfection of tireless harmony that he expected

from all things, human or divine. Now eager to enter the sanctuary,

his key pushed into the brass slit of the lock. He deftly turned

it and the echo of its click sounded emptily in the maw of blackness

that gaped inside the building.

Excerpt Two: (Upon seeing a picture of Jesus in Gethsemane and not knowing him)

...This last picture caught his attention. It was larger than the

rest, a good print maybe 24x36. There was only one figure, a man

kneeling beside a thick, wide tree trunk. Yesod guessed it was an

olive. A sheaf of white light began at the top of the painting and

fell liberally across the man’s upraised face and shoulders. The

branches and leaves made a safe bower above the man’s head. The

painting’s background was somber gray, giving the appearance of

morning mist. Yesod felt sudden compassion for the praying man,

as though the artist had happened upon a stranger during an

intensely private moment.

He studied it further. It could have been a photograph. Its

subject’s fervent expression made him wonder whether he looked

like that when he prayed in his room or on High Holy Days. The

painting was disturbing because of its simple power. Yesod stood

as if rooted there for several minutes, not wanting to move, but

he did not know why. He felt a new quietude come over him,

almost happiness. Some Jew on his knees, Yesod thought, feeling like

he’d just happened upon something of great value. Who would

paint a picture like that? He wondered how old it was, he’d never

seen it in all the years of coming to visit. Just like Ali to take in junk.

Someone would buy it to cover a hole in a wall. Yesod wondered

uneasily why it moved him so. He laughed out loud and turned

quickly away.

Want more? Order the book. $13 includes shipping. www.jewishconvert-lds.com

How the Jews Saved the American Revolution

2011-05-06T18:41:00.000-07:00

"They (the Jews of St. Eustatius, Caribbean Antilles) cannot too soon be taken care of - they are notorious in the cause of America and France."

Admiral Sir George Rodney commander of the British Fleet, February, 1781.
The Colonial American Jewish experience 1654 - 1770 was characterized by sharp departures from historic European anti-Semitic patterns of isolation, social, economic, physical, legislative and religious discrimination. The American Colonial world was growing, changing and evolving so rapidly it did not have time to focus on historical Jewish scapegoat-ism. The demands of the frontier and the expanding new American economic power needed the best of all of its people.

Jews in Colonial America struggled and won rights that were inconceivable and nonexistent in Europe. Jews struggled for and won the rights to equal economic opportunity, to own land, to go to higher secular education, to serve in the armed militias, to vote and in some colonies to become members of the legislative bodies. In some colonies the struggle was easy, in others it was very hard.

The American experience was not an automatic entitlement to toleration and sufferance, rather the pre-revolutionary experience was one that permitted the old discriminations to be challenged and eventually to be put aside. Hatred of the Jew and imported anti-Semitism did exist but it could not flourish in the melting pot of common need and survival.

Patrick Henry, the revolutionary war governor of Virginia, rose in assembly and made his famous "Give me Liberty or Give me Death," speech. He did so with the belief in liberty for all except for Jews, Blacks and Indians.
Jews traced their earliest participation in Virginia's life from the 16th century with Sir Walter Raleigh through Jamestown and the revolution. The first permanent synagogue community Kehilah ha Kadosh Beth Shalome, was founded in 1789 in Richmond, Va.. Beth Shalome built its first permanent building in 1820 in Richmond. The president of the congregation at the time of dedication was Jacob Mordecai, born in 1762 in Philadelphia. His mother Elizabeth (Esther) Whitlock had been a Christian convert to Judaism.

Who could do the best became more important than who was who's parentage in Colonial America. It was not until many years later that who were your parents and where did they come from became more important than what can you do to better yourself, your community and your country.

In 1753, the British Parliament, to legitimize and encourage economic development both in the colonies and in the mother country passed a Jewish Naturalization Bill. The purpose simply enough was to grant limited rights, such as land ownership, to foreign born Jews who wished to become British subjects. The bill had the opposite effect in England stirring intense violent anti-Semitic feeling and prejudices. The bill was repealed by Parliament in 1760. In Colonial America the legislation was generally ignored or circumspectly treated.

For almost a hundred years, if one colony refused to grant citizenship to a Jew the expedient thing was to go to another colony that would grant it or more simply ignore the issues of Naturalization entirely as most immigrants did. For the most part the tiny Jewish community was not affected by the machinations of the mother country's bigotry. Jews were generally free to develop economically, participate in colonial life and practice their faith.
Political equality was not a universal right but an evolving right in colonial America. Yet it left a lasting impression on Jews before the Revolution that the old world, if given the opportunity, would try to transfer it's bigotry to the new world. The repeal of the Naturalization act placed an awareness in the minds of much of colonial Jewry that America was different from Europe. It was the commonality of the challenge of America that was to shape American views and identity.

The colonies were different from each other, the North from the South, or the West. The British struggled to impose a central government on a frontier world that was rapidly developing far away from London. For the Jew, the Colonial experience was different in that there was no fully established homogenous world that they encountered. Rather they encountered a world that was being established and was not fully formed or mature. It was not until many years later, as the American frontier officially closed, (1890), that Nativism and the weak seeds of anti-Semitism would grow as Americans searched for identity.

The Jews tended to settle wherever doors were open; most frequently in the urban environments but also in rural and frontier areas. Jews did not come seeking freedom of religion as much as freedom of opportunity. Traditional Judaism weakened in the face of American freedom of choice only to be reborn later with an American voice.
The American Revolution, 1776-1783, did not start out intentionally as a revolution. The Colonial American world was an evolving, growing English world that demanded fair representation from the British Parliament. The British government saw the Americas as a source of money, power and natural resources to be delivered and ruled unquestioningly by the mother country.

The British government failed to realize that the Colonials saw themselves as British Americans with the right to a voice in their affairs, to influence their laws, their economy their frontiers and their taxation. The Revolutionary war was to be the longest war in American history prior to Vietnam. It was fought over a one thousand five hundred mile front on the developed farmlands of thirteen colonies, on the sea and on the frontier. Oct. 25. 1765, a group of Philadelphia merchants gathered in the State House to sign the non-importation agreement to fight the hated Stamp Tax of the British government. The first man to step forward to sign his name was the president of Mikve Israel Congregation, Philadelphia's only synagogue, Mathias Bush.
As the tensions between Britain and the American Colonies increased and finally erupted into war the American Colonial population was split almost into thirds; one third supported the war, one third was neutral and one third was pro British. The small Jewish population of America was also divided – the choice though was very heavily and disproportionaly in favor and support of the American Revolution. Not only did the Jews pledge their fortunes and sacred honor for America but their very lives.

Compromise between Britain and its colonies could not be reached. The British blockaded Boston and sent an occupying army to take the city. The call to arms rang throughout the countryside. Volunteers rushed to defend the city at the Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1776. The famous order of the American commander during the battle was "do not fire until you see the whites of their (the advancing British Regular's) eyes."

In the front ranks of the smoke and fire of battle was Aaron Solomon standing shoulder to shoulder with his Christian comrades of the Gloucester volunteers. Eight hundred miles to the South the British were stirring up the Cherokee Indians to attack and kill settlers on the South Carolina/Georgia frontiers.

Francis Salvador, a Jew of Sephardic heritage, the first Jew to be elected to a Colonial constituent assembly rode out to carry the alarm and raise the volunteers to repel the impending Indians attacks. He returned at the head of a force of frontiersmen only to be ambushed, shot down and scalped, July 1, 1776. Salvador had the dubious honor of being the first American Jew to give his life for his adopted country.

A few days later in Philadelphia, July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was written. A copy was sent to Amsterdam via the small Dutch Caribbean Island of St. Eustatius. The Declaration was intercepted by the British at sea. An accompanying letter with the Declaration of Independence was also intercepted and sent to London as being a secret code about the document that needed to be deciphered - the letter was written in Yiddish.

The war was not going well at first for the young American army. Though facing hard times and even defeat, Jews stood and fought along with their neighbors. Into the terrible dark cold winter at Valley Forge, Abraham Levy and Phillip Russell stood their watch. Joseph Simon from his frontier forge at Lancaster, Pa. supplied the Army with the famous Henry Rifles. Jewish trading merchants, peaceful before the war, outfitted their ships to become privateers and ravage the British at sea. The cost to many was great, the great merchant traders of Newport, Rhode Island saw their fortunes lost.
Men such as Aaron Lopez were bankrupted supporting the Revolution when their ships were lost to the British. In the area of finance the young American government might have foundered too except for the financial genius and personal financial risk and support taken on by Hayim Solomon. Solomon was to die bankrupted by his total support of the American cause. Though small in number the Jews chose to caste their fate with America.

But how did the Jews save the American Revolution? As late as 1781 the war had not been won by the Americans nor was it lost by the British. Arms were being funneled into the Colonies by arms merchants running the British blockade primarily from the tiny free trading Island of Dutch St. Eustatius. Jewish merchants and arms traders were a major presence on the island.
In 1781, the British realized they had to cut off the open door of arms shipments to the rebels through St. Eustatius. Admiral Sir George Rodney was sent to capture the island. His goal was to destroy the supplies and destroy the island's commercial and merchant class so they could not provide any more aide to the rebels. Early in 1781 the lightly defended island fell to the heavy presence of the main British battle fleet. Rodney in his vehemence destroyed the warehouses and the supplies. He burnt every home. He paid particular venomous attention to the Jews of St. Eustatius. The British burnt their homes and the synagogue, Honen Dalim, "She Who is Charitable to the Poor" – built 1739. Jewish property was confiscated and the men imprisoned with particular cruelty. Rodney spent months directing half his fleet to convey much of the stolen treasure back to England.

While Rodney was engaged in St. Eustatius, Lord Cornwallis and his army of British regulars were forced out of the Carolinas and retreated to the small port of Yorktown, Virginia on the James Peninsula. He needed to await critical reprovisioning and fresh reinforcements being brought by the British fleet. The weakened British fleet, with Cornwallis's reinforcements, was intercepted at sea by the French fleet under Admiral DeGrasse and soundly defeated. Degrasse took up positions at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay blockading Yorktown from the Sea.
General George Washington saw his chance. Washington trapped and besieged Cornwallis. In short course Cornwallis surrendered. The war was over. The Americans had won with the help of the French.
But how did the Jews save the American Revolution? If the Jews had not helped turn St. Eustatius into a major arms center for the Revolution and if Admiral Rodney had not spent so much time destroying St. Eustatius and particularly the Jews, the war might have ended differently. There is little doubt that Admiral Rodney's anti-Semitism helped squander his time and played a role in delaying and weakening the British fleet. Ironically it was the Jews of St. Eustatius who helped win the American Revolution.

Jerry Klinger, the author of this piece, is President of the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation: http://www.jashp.org/

The Hebrew School - an excerpt from a journal

2011-04-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

Journal 1835-6 - Unknown author - facts are correct

Educational program instituted by JS in Kirtland, Ohio, in January 1836 for the study of the Hebrew language. Class was usually held in the westernmost room in the third, or attic, story of the House of the Lord in Kirtland. Under the tutelage of Joshua Seixas, a Hebraist and language scholar, at least eighty students gained a basic knowledge of Hebrew in sessions that met regularly until the end of March of that year. Seixas apparently conducted an additional term of the Hebrew School in Kirtland in the summer of 1836.

Preparation of church officials for carrying out their responsibilities required ministerial training. This was accomplished in the Elders School, which was a revival of the earlier School of the Prophets. In early January 1836, an additional school was opened offering two months’ intensive study of biblical Hebrew under the tutelage of scholar Joshua Seixas. This instruction ran concurrently with the Elders School and involved many of the same students. JS himself participated as an enthusiastic student of Hebrew.

After resolving differences among church leaders, the officers were ready to receive the rituals associated with the temple and the anticipated endowment. This was a new development. The previous fall JS had told members of the Quorum of the Twelve that they were soon to attend the organization of a school of the prophets that would involve a solemn assembly and the ordinance of foot washing—patterned after Jesus’s ministration to his disciples after the Last Supper and mandated in the same revelation that first called for a temple to be built.23 This would have repeated the procedures followed at the organization of the initial School of the Prophets in 1833. Instead, JS organized the Elders School on 3 November 1835 without a solemn assembly, and the foot-washing ordinance was performed during a solemn assembly in the House of the Lord at the conclusion of a set of newly instituted ordinances.

Before the Lord could “endow his servants,” recorded John Whitmer, “we must perform all the ordinances that are instituted in his house.”24 To this end, washing, anointing, and blessing the presidents of quorums began 21 and 22 January 1836. In the coming weeks, these rituals were administered in hierarchal order to each church officer in the House of the Lord. The ordinances were accompanied by exclamations of “hosanna” in unison. Visions and other spiritual manifestations were noted by numerous participants. (Seixas, Joshua - Jeshua – he who makes free).

Biography

4 June 1802–1874. Hebraist, textbook writer, teacher; probably born at New York City. Son of Gershom Mendez Seixas and Hannah Manuel. Married Henrietta Raphael of Richmond, Henrico Co., Virginia. Taught Hebrew at New York and Charlestown, Massachusetts. His work Manual Hebrew Grammar for the Use of Beginners was published at Andover, Essex Co., Massachusetts, 1833. Taught at Oberlin College, Ohio, 1835. Among his students was Lorenzo Snow, whose sister Eliza was a Latter-day Saint and lived in JS household at Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio. (JS possibly first heard of Seixas from this source or from Daniel Peixotto, whose wife, Rachel, was Seixas’s cousin.) Taught private course in Hebrew for six weeks at Western Reserve College at Hudson, Portage Co., Ohio, beginning in Dec. 1835 and ending 23 Jan. 1836. On 26 Jan. 1836, arrived at Kirtland, where he taught Hebrew from 26 Jan. to 29 Mar. 1836. Returned to New York by 1838.

Church members eventually settled in Kirtland, Ohio. There, Joseph Smith organized a school for adults. Initially, the classes were held in the temple and included classes in Hebrew and Greek. Both men and women participated in the school and studied together. Joseph enrolled in and attended the Hebrew class because he wanted to learn to read the Bible in its original language. One entry of his personal journal reads: “After a hard day’s work, went to my Hebrew class, and studied far into the night. Up in the morning and out at nine o’clock, attended the school and translated with the morning class. . . Attended my studies as usual and made some advancement.”

The Hebrew class was taught from January 26 to March 29, 1836 by Joshua Seixas, a Jewish man who had converted to Christianity. The previous year, Seixas had taught at Oberlin College in Ohio, where Lorenzo Snow attended. Snow was not a member of the church at that time, although he would later join and would eventually become a prophet. He took classes from Seixas and wrote to his LDS (Mormon) sister about how much he enjoyed the teacher. His sister, Eliza R. Snow, was currently living in Joseph Smith’s home. She passed along the information to the prophet, who sent emissaries to hire Seixas. Seixas taught forty students during the course.

This course had the side impact of helping to convert Lorenzo Snow, who was becoming frustrated with his religious studies at Oberlin. His sister suggested he come to Kirtland and study Hebrew there under Seixas. While there, he was converted to the church.

Joseph studied Hebrew on his own until the classes began and later joined nine other students for additional coursework from Seixas. Although the class didn’t last for long, Joseph and one other student were able to read Hebrew well by the time the class ended. He often discussed language issues in his talks about the scriptures. Joseph became very excited by the study of languages, and made a list of a dozen languages he hoped to master in his lifetime.
When the church was forced out of its home and moved to Nauvoo, Illinois, it again established schools, including a small university. Hebrew was also a part of this school.

Macy's and Israel and Nathan Straus

2011-04-29T13:14:00.000-07:00

An interesting bit of Jewish history - gives great meaning to "Fate" and "Destiny"

At the turn of the twentieth century, two of the wealthiest and most famous men in America were a pair of Jewish brothers named Nathan and Isidor Straus. Owners of R.H. Macy 's Department Store and founders of the A&S (Abraham & Straus) chain,the brothers were multimillionaires, renowned for their philanthropy and social activism.

In 1912, the brothers and their wives were touring Europe , when Nathan, the more ardent Zionist of the two, impulsively said one day:
- "Hey, why don't we hop over to Palestine ?"

Israel wasn't the tourist hotspot then that it is today. Its population was ravaged by disease, famine, and poverty; but the two had a strong sense of solidarity with their less fortunate brethren, and they also wanted to see the health and welfare centers they had endowed with their millions.

However, after a week spent touring, Isidor Straus had had enough.
- "How many camels, hovels, and yeshivas can you see? It's time to go," Isidor decreed with edgy impatience in his voice. But Nathan refused to heed his brother's imperious command. It wasn't that he was oblivious to the hardships around him; it was precisely because of them that he wanted to stay.

As he absorbed firsthand the vastness of the challenges his fellow Jews were coping with, he felt the burden of responsibility.
- "We can't leave now," he protested. "Look how much work has to be done here. We have to help. We have the means to help. We can't turn our backs on our people."
- "So we'll send more money," his brother snapped back. "I just want to get out of here."

But Nathan felt that money simply wasn't enough. He felt that the Jews who lived under such dire circumstances in Palestine needed the brothers' very presence among them: their initiative, their leadership, and their ideas. Isidor disagreed. The two argued back and forth, and finally Isidor said,

- "If you insist, stay here. Ida and I are going back to America where we belong."

The two separated. Isidor and his wife returned to Europe, while Nathan and his spouse stayed in Palestine, traveling the country and contributing huge sums of money to the establishment of education, health, and social welfare programs to benefit the needy.

Nathan also financed the creation of a brand-new city on the shores of the Mediterranean . And since his name in Hebrew was Natan, and he was the city's chief donor, the founders named it after him and called it...Natanya.

Meanwhile, back in Europe, Isidor Straus was preparing to sail home to America aboard an ocean liner for which he had also made reservations for his brother, Nathan, and his wife.
- "You must leave Palestine NOW!" he cabled his brother in an urgent telegram. "I have made reservations for you and if you don't get here soon, you'll miss the boat."

But Nathan delayed.

There was so much work to be done that he waited until the last possible moment to make the connection. By the time he reached London , it was April 12 and the liner had already left port in Southampton with Isidor and Ida Straus aboard.

Nathan felt disconsolate that he had, as his brother had warned, "missed the boat." For this was no ordinary expedition, no common, everyday cruise that he had forfeited, but the much ballyhooed maiden voyage of the most famous ship of the century. This was the Titanic.

Nathan Straus, grief-stricken and deeply mourning his brother and sister-in-law could not shake off his sense that he had had a rendezvous with history. The knowledge that he had avoided death permeated his consciousness for the rest of his life, and until his death in l931, he pursued his philanthropic activities with an intensity that was unrivaled in his time.

Today, Natanya is a scenic resort city of 200,000 and headquarters to Israel 's thriving diamond trade - one of the most important industries in the country. And in almost every part of the city, there is some small reminder of Nathan Straus's largesse, his humanity, and love for his people.

His legacy lives on.

Hebraisms in the Book of Mormon

2011-04-18T21:49:00.000-07:00

Moroni who wrote in the Book of Mormon about A.D. 400, tells us that the book's authors wrote in reformed Egyptian; but if the plates had been large enough, they would have written them in Hebrew to eliminate imperfections in the record (Mormon 4:98-99). It is not surprising that we find Hebrew idioms and syntax (i.e., the way words are put together to form phrases, clauses or sentences) in the English translation. This article gives only a sampling of Hebraisms found in the Book of Mormon; many more could be cited.

"And"
One prominent peculiarity of Biblical Hebrew is the frequent use of the conjunction "and," both in beginning a sentence and in the listing of a series within a sentence. In A. B. Davidson's, An Introductory Hebrew Grammar, the author states:

Hebrew syntax, though it has many subtleties of its own,is, broadly speaking, extremely simple, as a glance at any literal translation of the Old Testament, with its ever recurring and, will show.... The Hebrew habit is to coordinate rather than to subordinate, and one principal verb follows another with a regularity which reminds one of the simple speech of children [emphasis in original] (1954:2).

There seems to be a dislike among Hebrew writers to begin a sentence without "and"; even books begin with "and"-such as Leviticus and Numbers (Davidson 1950:184). In the 22nd chapter of Genesis, "and" begins the verse in 21 of the 28 verses [20 of 24 KJV] A similar pattern is found throughout the Book of Mormon. In the 11 th chapter of Alma, "and" begins the verse in 20 of 23 verses. In Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar, the author states, "Contrary to English usage, which in lengthy enumerations uses the and to connect only the last member of the series, in Hebrew polysyndeton is customary" (1956:484) (i.e., "and" stands before each word or phrase in a series). A perfect example is found in Genesis 24:35 of the Old Testament.

And the Lord hath blessed my master greatly,
and he is become great;
And he hath given him flocks and herds,
And silver and gold;
And men servants and maid servants ...

Notice the structure of Enos 1:34 from the Book of Mormon.

And it came to pass that the people of Nephi did till the
land and raise all manner of grain and of fruit,
And flocks of herds and flocks of all manner of cattle of
every kind,
And goats and wild goats and also much horses.

Read rest of article:

http://www.restoredcovenant.org/Document.asp?CAT=Hebrew+Nature&DOC=Hebraisms+in+the+Book+of+Mormon&PAGE=2

Learn The Hebrew Letters

2011-04-17T20:33:00.000-07:00

http://www.aish.com/jl/heb/hl/48965091.html

The first step in learning the Hebrew language is to learn the names of the letters. The sound of the letter is usually the beginning sound of the letter's name. See the excellent video that helps you pronounce the letters.

About Pronounciation

There are different dialects of the Hebrew language. The two most common pronunciations are the Ashkenazic dialect, used by European Jewry and their descendents, and the Sefardic dialect, used by Jews from the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern areas. Modern Hebrew uses the Sefardic pronunciation, whereas the pronunciation of prayer or reading from the Torah is dependent on one's descent. The first stage of this ulpan presents the Ashkenazic pronunciation.

Speak Hebrew with Moshe and Leah

Start the animated ulpan. This animated Ulpan is a first step in understanding Hebrew speech. Ulpan is a word derived from Aramaic - it means "learn."

Next Scene: Parts of the Body

Some simple words to start with

This charts list most of the words that are used by Moshe, Leah and friends. Use the transliteration to perfect your pronunciation of each word, emphasise the part in bold - not sha-lom but sha-lom. If you are not familiar with the Hebrew letters start by Learning the Hebrew Letters.

English	Hebrew		Transliteration

Hello			sha-lom
Who?			mi

I/I am			a-ni
You (a girl)			aht
You (a guy)			ah-ta

You (guys)			ah-tem
You (girls)			ah-ten
We/we are			a-nach-nu

http://www.aish.com/

Jewish Holidays 5772 Dates in 2011

2011-03-30T17:38:00.000-07:00

New Year for Trees January 20, 2011

Purim March 20, 2011

Passover April 19-26, 2011

Israel: April 19-25, 2011

Yom HaShoah
Holocaust Remembrance Day May 1, 2011

Yom HaZikaron
Israel's Memorial Day May 9, 2011

Yom HaAtzmaut
Israel's Independence Day May 10, 2011

Lag B'Omer May 22, 2011
Shavuot

Pentecost June 8-9, 2011

Israel: June 8, 2011
Tisha B'Av

Ninth of Av August 9, 2011

Glossary of Biblical and Cultural Terms, Practices

2011-03-29T22:08:00.000-07:00

Abraham: Father of a multitude. Antiquities of the Jews: Title of Josephus’ Jewish history, which begins with the earliest biblical stories and concludes just prior to the outbreak of the Great Revolt against Rome in a.d. 66.Aliyah: immigration to Israel. Apocalypse: From the Greek “to reveal,” referring to literary works that purport to reveala secrets of the divinity, future history, and the nature of the world. Apocalyptic literature often contains a messianic component.

Apocrypha: From th word “hidden”, in Greek; refers to books written by Jews and included in the Greek (Septuagint) or Latin versions of the Old Testament preserved by the Christian church, but not found in the Hebrew bible.Ashkenazi: Jews from Germany and surrounding Euroopean countries - Poland, Ukraine,Russia. Most Jews in America are Ashkenazic. Babylonian Talmud: Edited in Babylon aroun 550 bc.Bar Kochba revolt: Failed revolt against Rome, 132-135 bc. Bar Mitzvah:Son of the commandments.When Jewish boy becomes 13. Obligates him to serve commandments. A ceremony held. Beersheba: Can mean well of seven or well of the oath.Canon: Greek for “bar” or “rod”, and taking on the meaning “standard” or “norm”; the authoritative body of sacred scripture.

Chanukah: WInter holiday celebrating military triumph of Macabees. Means "dedication".Chanukiah: 9-branched candelabra especially for Chanukah. Childbearing: privilege viewed as being in God's hands. Inability to bear seen as punishment, grounds for divorce. Contracts based on Hammurabi law, to effect that an infertile woman provide her husband with a surrogate.Common Judaism: Elements of Jewish beliefs, behavior, or practice embraced by all or most sections of the Jewish community, in Judea as well as the Diaspora, regardless of social and cultural contexts or sectarian affiliation.

Covenants: Ancient, royal ones often began with self-idenification of king and historical prologue. Crouching: (Gen 4:7) Hebrew word translates same as a Babylonian word for demon lurking behind a door/also just lying down. Cyrus Declaration: Edict issued by the King of Persia in 538 b.c., allowing Jewish captives in Babylon to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Jewish temple.

Diaspora: The dispersion of the Jews that developed in the wake of the destruction of the First Temple in 586 b.c. and grew during the Second Temple period.Dust and ashes: Hebrew (aphar, epher) signifies body from ordinary chemicals, contrasting lowliness of man to dignity of God. Eber: may be origin of word for Hebrew. He was distant descendant of Shem. Eliahu: Elijah. 2 parts: God +chosen of God.

Eschatology: From the Greek eschatos, doctrines referring to the “end of days”, often including resurrection, messianism and national restoration. Essenes: A Jewish sect of the Second Temple Period (516 b.c.), removed from mainstream society and identified by many scholars with the Dead Sea Scrolls.

First Temple: The Jewish Temple, built in Jerusalem by King Solomon. The First Temple was completed in the mid-10^th century BC and destroyed by the Babylonians in 586.b.c. Gehenna: Rabbinic name for Hell.Jerimiyahoo: Hebrew name for Jeremiah. Ending=chosen of Yaweh. Jershon: place of inheritance. King: Mulek, melek. Levirate marriage: The duty of a brother-in-law (Gen 38:8) to marry his widowed sister-in-law if the husband dies leaving her childless.

Messiah: Means “anointed” in Hebrew. Mashiach. Applied in the Hebrew Bible to kings and priests who were anointed as a symbol of divine confirmation of their position. In post-biblical times refers to an ultimate redeemer of Israel, usually considered a descendant of the House of David. Known by Christians as Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of all mankind! Nahom: consolation, comfort.

Nauvoo: pleasant, suitable, beautiful. Original Sin: Humans designed to be imperfect so we can experiment with choices, eventually reclaim our purity on our own. Only original bad choices. No belief in original sin. Mankind fell from a more spiritual level and Adam's actions affected mankind. Old Testament: The Christian designation of the Hebrew Bible: referred to a Tanakh by Jews. Pesach: Passover: Commemorates exodus from ancient Egypt by Israelites (Ex13:4, 14:8).

River: nahar - to flow. Sariah: princess of the Lord. Semite: derived from Noah's son, Shem (Gen.9:18-19). Identifies diverse group of ancient people with related languages. Progenitor of the Hebrew people. Shekel: A weight, not a coin. Coinage invented in 7th century. Sister: (Hebrew: ahoth) refers to females with same parents or one parent in common, female relative or woman of same country.

Tanakh: Hebrew acronym designating the three components of the Hebrew Bible: Torah (5 books of Moses), Nevi’im (Prophets), Ketuv’im (Writings). Valley:-eytan - perrenial, enduring. Zarahemla: seed of compassion. Ziff: splendor, brightness.

Shekina: The Divine Presence. Refers to man’s relationship with God. Jews consider it inseparable from God. They do not compare it with the Holy Ghost because they do not understand the Godhead. They consider anything more to be idolatrous. Shul: Yiddish=synagogue=meeting place. Place of study. Symbols: A man's seal, cord and staff were symbols of his individual and corporate identity-the ancient equivalent of a signature (or I.D. card).

The Messianic Age

2011-03-29T22:03:00.000-07:00

Maimonides wrote a commentary to a tractate in Talmud stressing that in the Messianic Age Jews will regain ther independence and their land, Israel. Their messiah will be a king greater than Solomon. People will be able to make a good living, peace will cover the earth. We will have a community of righteousness, honesty and goodness. All people will return to Judaism. We will know the meaning of all allegories. Jews will concern themselves with Torah and wisdom.

The personal Messiah will come from the Davidic line. There may be a bodily resurrection from the dead. Maimonides held that the events of the messianic era are not necessarily connected with the resurrection.

The human soul is immortal and will survives physical death. Hereafter is known as Olam Haba (world to come), a heavenly Gan Eden (Garden of Eden) and Gehinom (Purgatory). In medieval Judaism Gehinom is a place where souls cannot be tortured longer than 12 months, except in rare circumstances. It is considered a spiritual forge where the soul is purified so it can ascend to Gan Eden.

The Temple of Jerusalem will be rebuilt (Ezek 40). Jews will know Torah without study (Jer 31:33). Peoples of the world will turn to Jews for guidance (Zech 8:23). The Sanhedrin will be re-established (Isa 1:26). The land will be abundant and fruitful (Isa 51:3, Amos 9:13, Ezed 36_29-30, Isa 11:6-9). See: http://www.simpletoremember.com/, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/, http://www.jewfaq.org/, http://www.faqs.org/

Jewish Cultural and Religious Practices

2011-03-29T22:01:00.000-07:00

Washings/Baptism: Clarification of Rituals

Ritual anointings were a prominent part of religious rites in the biblical world. Recipients of the anointing included temple officiants (Ex. 28:41), prophets (1 Kgs. 19:16), and kings (1 Sam. 16:3; 1 Kgs. 1:39). In addition, sacral objects associated with the Israelite sanctuary were anointed (Ex. 30:22-29). Of equal importance in the religion of the Israelites were ablutions or ceremonial washings (Ex. 29:4-7). To ensure religious purity, Mosaic law required that designated individuals receive a ritual washing, sometimes in preparation for entering the temple (Ex. 30:17-21; Lev. 14:7-8; 15:5-27).

The washings and anointings of the biblical period have a parallel today in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In response to a commandment to gather the saints and to build a house "to prepare them for the ordinances and endowments, washings, and anointings" (TPJS, p. 308), these ordinances were introduced in the Kirtland Temple on January 21, 1836 (HC 2:379-83). In many respects similar in purpose to ancient Israelite practice and to the washing of feet by Jesus among his disciples, these modern LDS rites are performed only in temples set apart and dedicated for sacred purposes (D&C 124:37-38; HC 6:318-19).

Purification - In Torah and Talmud, the laws of purification are many,each with its own Hebrew root. The basic root covering all purification rituals is Toharot (purities). The Hebrew people practiced these rites because of a command of Torah that includes a set of purification laws for women, priests, converts to Judaism, and general purification for spiritualcleansing. Spiritual cleansings were also associated with physical cleansings and atonement for sin or for the desire to have oneness with God, and ONLY with God. Levite priests, before making ritual sacrifice, used the lavers or fonts in the east court of Solomon’s temple to wash themselves before each step in offering animal sacrifice on the yearly Day of Atonement.

Yom Kippur - Various forms of washing of the outward body to symbolize inner, spiritual cleansing were common (tavilah =immersion). A purpose for the cleansing act is for the purpose of communing with God and becoming closer to Him, expressing thanks, love and gratitude. It is true that no references to baptism appear in Torah, but it is common knowledge among Orthodox Jews through their Torah laws and commentaries that Jews did ritual washings in seas and in fonts to come before God as faithful followers of the Law of Moses. The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible notes that there were baptisms from Adam’s time to that of Enoch, but that it had ceased among the apostate people of Avraham’s time.

These so-called baptisms were actually spiritual cleansings–they may or may not have included immersion–to call the righteous to the study of and reverence for the canon of the Law of Moses and for repentance of various sins. There is no record or indication through Hebrew scripture that there was a baptism by immersion with regard to a Messiah in the modern sense, though they preached of a coming Messiah. In the Book of Mormon there were baptisms for repentance upon conversion before the Christ visited the Nephites (3NE7:21-25).

See www.peopleofthebook-judaica.com - the Historical References link - LDS articles on Judaic subjects relevant to Old Testament studies.
The pimary verb bapto, as used in the Old Testament, means to overwhelm, to cover with a fluid (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible,1996). In all cases, baptism refers to a single occasion. It may or maynot include presenting the gift of the Holy Ghost or assuming the entranceof a holy presence into the person being baptized. Ancient Judaism often practiced a form of what Christianity calls baptism, as noted above, in a special sense. They used Hebrew words that had somewhat different meanings than the Greek word.
Donald W. Parry wrote:

The Names For God

2011-03-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

The Names For God

HaShem: literally "The Name", הַשֵּׁם in Hebrew. It's used by some religious Jews as a way of avoiding saying the name of God directly, which would be seen as disrespectful. Adonai : אֲדֹנָי in Hebrew, literally "Lords". The pluralism is intended as a sign of respect, rather than indicating that there's more than one of them; it's like the royal "Elohim" is also a plural. El: another name for "God", literally meaning "power". It's also used to refer to "gods" in general, but when "Elohim" means "God" it's the same kind of royal "we". EL and ELOHIM: The word El is used for God about 238 times while Elohim is used about 2,600 times. In the Bible Elohim has two distinct meanings. An example of the first meaning used in the plural form can be found in Deuteronomy 5:7 “You shall have not other false gods [elohim] before me.” But the most common use of Elohim is its second distinct meaning when it is used as a personal name for God or when referring to God as the true God among false gods.

There is no explanation why the plural form is used for the One True God (as it is in Genesis 1:1). However, scholars from suggest that the plural form suggests the mystery of the Trinity which was hidden in the Old Testament to be revealed in the New. These 2 names are used in litugy--for prayer. Orthodox Jews will only say Elohim and Adonai in prayer. YHWH: the Tetragrammaton...which is never uttered per se. Adonai, which means "my Lord", has been spoken in place of the Tetragrammaton for centuries. This is used both in referring to God and when reading in the Hebrew scriptures you get to the places where the four letter name of God is written (YHVH), usually referred to as the Tetragrammaton. This is a convention for pronouncing the Tetragrammaton. It is the biblically proper name for God which must not be vocalized. Jews will substitute Adonai or HaShem. This is party because you will notice that the transliteration of the Hebrew into YHVH has no vowels. Hebrew is written without vowels .The vowels that made up the name of God were (reportedly) only known to the high priests of the Temple.

"Yhwh" is the proper name of God (= "the Almighty"; see Ex. iii. 12 et seq., vi. 2), used wherever the personality of God is to be emphasized.

Hence only such expressions are used in connection with "YHWH" as convey the impression of personality, i.e., anthropomorphisms. Eyes, ears, nose, mouth, face, hand, heart are ascribed only to "YHWH," never to "Elohim." These anthropomorphisms are used merely to suggest the personal life and activity of God, and are not literal personifications, as is conclusively proved by the fact that phrases which would be actual anthropomorphisms-e.g., "God sees with His eyes"; "He hears with His ears"; "one sees God's face" ("head," "body," etc.)-never occur.

The expression "YHWH's eyes" indicates divine knowledge of what may be seen through personal apperception; "Yhwh's ears," what may be heard; = "God's anger" indicates the reaction of God's moral nature against evil; "YHWH's mouth" indicates the utterances of the God who speaks personally; "YHWH's face" indicates immediate personal intercourse with the God who is felt to be present; "YHWH's hand" indicates His sensible manifestations of power; "YHWH's heart" indicates His thoughts and designs. The phrase "YHWH, a personal God," characterizes fully the use of this name.

A person or a nation can have personal relations with the personal YHWH only; and only He can plan and guide the fate of either with a personal interest. YHWH is the God of history and of the education of the human race. Only YHWH can exact a positive attitude toward Himself, and make demands upon man that are adequate, i.e., moral: YHWH is the God of positive morality. A personal, inner life longing for expression can be organized into definite form and find response only if YHWH be a personal, living God. YHWH is the God of ritual, worship, aspiration, and love.

El Shaddai: “God Almighty” or “God the All-Sufficient One”. The etymology is so ancient that Biblical scholars do not agree on the meaning of this name. Genesis 17:2-3 “I AM El Shaddai. Live in my presence, be perfect, and I shall grant a covenant between myself and you, and make you very numerous. And Abram bowed to the ground.

Jesus, Yeshua, Jehovah, Mashiach

2011-03-29T21:52:00.000-07:00

Jesus is not mentioned in Torah. Jews believe his earth life did not qualify for status as their Moshiach (Mo she akch), partly because his circle of followers was small (except for the converts, who were mostly Hebrews), and he seemed to make little impact among the overwhelming majority of his contemporaries or among the millions in Diaspora.

Jews believe he was only one of many martyrs. They expected a warrior-like leader to lead them to peace, to declare himself as their anointed one and to fulfill his mission among them. They reject the Christian belief that Jesus of Nazareth came to earth as the only Begotten Son of God; that his mother Mary conceived as a result of the Holy Spirit coming upon her; or that he was their Savior and the Jehovah of Avraham; Isaac and Jacob who gave Moses the Ten Commandments.

The Jewish people do not accept that Jesus voluntarily gave up his life in behalf of humanity to pay for its sins or that he overcame death and sin through resurrection. They also do not understand that he came to give full spiritual meaning to the Mosaic Law. The name “Jesus” is a translation of the Greek name "Iesous" (pronounced "[ee-yay-sooce"). "Iesous" was translated into Latin as "Jesu" ("yay-soo") and finally into English as "Jesus." “Iesous" is itself a translation of another name. According to Matthew 1:21, the meaning of the name that is translated "Jesus" in English means "he will save his people from their sins."

From: The Sweetest Name I Know, Peter Colon.

In Hebrew, the name "Yehoshua" (translated "Joshua" in English) means "the Lord, or Jehovah. A contraction of "Yehoshua" in the Hebrew scriptures is in the form of "Yeshua," which means, "he will save" (see Matthew 1:21). We find this name in the book of Chronicles as well as in Ezra and Nehemiah where it usually translates to English as "Jeshua" and the concatenated (linking together in a series) form of Yahoshua, the "LORD who is Salvation.

Excerpted from: A Mormon’s Guide to Judaism, by Marlena T. Baker with Daniel C. Baker, third printing, Dec. 2009.

...Mashiach does not mean "savior." The notion of an innocent, divine or semi-divine being who will sacrifice himself to save us from the consequences of our own sins is a purely Christian concept that has no basis in Jewish thought. Unfortunately, this Christian concept has become so deeply ingrained in the English word "messiah" that this English word can no longer be used to refer to the Jewish concept.

Some gentiles have told me that the term "mashiach" is related to the Hebrew term "moshiah" (savior) because they sound similar, but the similarity is not as strong as it appears to one unfamiliar with Hebrew. The Hebrew word "mashiach" comes from the root Mem-Shin-Chet, which means to paint, smear, or annoint. The word "moshiah" comes from the root Yod-Shin-Ayin, which means to help or save. The only letter these roots have in common is Shin, the most common letter in the Hebrew language.Saying that "mashiach" is related to "moshiah" is a bit like saying that ring is related to surfing because they both end in "ing." http://www.jewfaq.org/

Jehovah, Yeshua

Excerpt from Marlena's book: Life Changing Testimonies of the Lord Jesus Christ. Chapter One

2011-03-29T21:50:00.000-07:00

Palestine At The New Era

Jesus Christ is our Savior. He came to this earth to save our souls from certain death at the hands of the Adversary of the world. He came to cleanse this world of its sinfulness, to soothe and teach us in our pain and sadness and sorrows. He came to show us the fount of true joy and fulfillment. He came to teach us of his Heavenly Father who is also our Creator. Corollary to that lesson, Jesus taught brotherly love as an eternal principle of living, presenting the hearers of his Word with many examples from his private and public life. Jesus Christ gave the earth and all people on it an unprecedented opportunity…

Jesus appeared on earth at a time when there was favorable spiritual thinking. In prior centuries the Jews had been subject to Greek culture and language, which had spread over the Occident. The Jewish Diaspora (dispersion after the destruction of Israel and then Judah) saw many thousands of Jews adopt Greek ways or outwardly appear to embrace them under fear of death should their own ceremonies, held mainly in secret, be discovered.

In Jerusalem there was at the time internal accord and what seemed like prosperity in the Greco-Roman world, known as the Pax Romana.

The Greeks spread culture, language, and philosophy. The Romans built the roads and ruled in the Mediterranean and the Roman Empire spanned the borders of Britain, Mesopotamia and Egypt.2 Under no threats of war for a time, they kept a somewhat tolerant political rule. A great era of trade was opening up, not to be rivaled until the nineteenth century. Travel for Jews was common then and encouraged throughout the region—the gospels record Jesus’ journeys with his apostles as far north as Tyre in Syria.

The Pharisees and members of the Sanhedrin constituted the wealthy class. Other residents of Jerusalem lived in relative squalor. Jesus found himself with almost no middle class to preach to, but there was for a time equanimity between the Roman politicaland social systems while Jewish moral teachings were spreading throughout Syria, Lebanon and Israel. The Apostle Paul was an example of this, being a Roman citizen (See Acts 16:37) and preaching in Greek the gospel of a Hebrew Messiah. The impression is that this temporary tranquility was but a hiatus between wars, but it gave him the opportunity to establish his Church among them in that dispensation.

Written Instructions for Living

2011-03-29T21:48:00.002-07:00

Note to my readers: Where you read Torah, insert Book of Mormon and LDS scriptures. Torah refers to the Old Testament, but we have so much more!
"When we learn Torah, we are not studying an abstract and arcane text of the ancient world. We are engaged in discovering the essence of Judaism, which is the essence of ourselves.
The Jewish people have a set of "written instructions for living" - the Bible, and also "oral instructions for living" - the Talmud. Jewish wisdom is incomprehensible unless both parts are working together.
Way #14 is "b'mikreh," the written instructions. The Bible has three parts, totaling 24 books:

Torah - The Five Books of Moses, revealed to the Jewish people by God at Mount Sinai.
Prophets - God spoke to various prophets (e.g. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel) who transmitted messages strengthening the Jewish commitment to Torah.
Writings - The Writings (e.g. Proverbs, Psalms, Esther) emphasize God's message in a poetic style.

The Bible is the all-time bestseller and has made an enormous impact on Western civilization. Everyone should study the Bible at least once in a lifetime.
"All men have an inalienable right" - straight from the Bible. "Love your neighbor" - the Bible. Isaiah's vision of peace adorns the United Nations. The biblical sanction to "proclaim freedom throughout the land" is engraved on the Liberty Bell.
You don't need to accept the existence of God to learn these basic lessons. Whether interpersonal relationships, self-awareness, community relations, or environmental concerns - Torah is the ultimate "owner's manual."
On a deeper level, Jewish tradition says that Torah is the "blueprint for creation." Everything in life can be found in Torah... if you ask the right questions, and possess the right set of tools."
By Rabbi Noah Weinberg through www.aish.com

Lineage of the Aaronic Priesthood

2011-03-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

Levi, one of twelve sons Abraham, had three sons and named them Gershon, Kohath, Merari. Moses and Aaron were also descended from the tribe of Levi through Amram and Kohath. When the Lord anointed Aaron’s line to the priesthood, he also presented the tribe of Levi to Aaron. The Levites were commanded to provide Aaron assistance in carrying out the priestly duties. This included the assignments of taking care of all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting and fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle.

God said, "I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether man or animal." (Numbers 3:12-13 KJV).

The Gershonites were responsible for the care of the tabernacle and tent, its coverings, the curtain at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, the curtains of the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar, and the ropes—and everything related to their use (Numbers 3:25-26, KJV). The Kohath clan were responsible for the care of the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the article of the sanctuary used in ministering, the curtain, and everything related to their use (Numbers 3:31-32, KJV). The Merari clan was responsible for the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, bases, all its’ equipment and everything related to their use, as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs and ropes (Numbers 3:36-37, KJV)
PRIESTLY ORDER OF THE COHANIM
When the Israelites were in the wilderness, God told Moses to have his brother Aaron, and Aaron’s four sons brought before him so they may serve as priests to the people. God anointed Aaron and his sons so that the priests could only come from Aaron’s lineage. According to Jewish tradition, Aaron’s family name was HaCohen and the high priest was named the Cohen Gadol.. And God said, "Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priest; anyone else who approaches the sanctuary must be put to death." (Numbers 3:10, KJV).

There were thirteen Cohen Gadol’s from the time of Aaron’s anointing in the wilderness to the completion of David’s temple by King Solomon. Zadok was the first Cohen Gadol in David’s temple. All future priests (eighteen in all) were from the direct line of Zadok up to the destruction of Solomon’s temple and the Jewish exile in Babylon. The high priest at the time of this exile was Josadek.After 70 years of Jewish exile in Babylon, Cyrus, King of Persia, gave a decree to allow the Jews to go back to their land and rebuild their temple. Joshua the son of Josadek was chosen to serve as high priest in the new temple. Summarily, Jewish history accounts for 83 Cohen Gadols from the time of Aaron’s anointing to the destruction of Herod’s temple by Titus in 70 AD.

The Jewish Torah states that there is no way to be promoted into the priesthood. The Jewish priesthood is only passed down from father to son. Jewish tradition also says this priesthood will be everlasting. Exodus 29:9 (KJV) speaks of the "Priesthood as a statute forever." Exodus 40:15 (KJV) says, " it shall be for them an appointment to an everlasting Priesthood throughout their generations." Numbers 25:13 (KJV) says "it shall be to him and to his descendants after him a covenant of everlasting Priesthood." The priesthood of Cohanim is one of many everlasting covenants made to the Jewish people by God. This idea is one of the foundational premises behind the Jewish belief that a future temple must be built.
THE COHANIM GENETIC MARKER Since the Cohanim priestly order is transferred only through males, the confirmation of their bloodline is believed to rest in the Y-chromosome . Y-chromosome DNA analysis has proven useful in constructing patrilineal genealogies in the past because (1) the Y-chromosome is transferred from the father to son essentially unchanged and (2) most of the genetic material is noncoding. However, small changes (called polymorphisms) can occur, but since most are non-coding, the mutation is less likely to be life threatening. Identifying different combinations of these polymorphisms that are inherited together (haplotypes) is the first step in this type of analysis. When these haplotypes are interpreted properly, a patriarchal genetic roadmap can be developed providing information that reconstructs a human history passed down from father to son for several generations.

The Jewish Views of Evil and Suffering

2011-03-29T21:45:00.000-07:00

No more wrenching question. Why do the innocent suffer? Why do some get away with murder. Judaism has a variety of theodicies from Genesis through Job. Look at it from two directions. One is horizontal, that is communal. It says there is a collective reward for those who follow specific law of Torah. The people Israel will live again in their land. In contrast, there are punishments for the community – when Israel transgresses and disobeys God’s will, they are visited with famine and drought. (Deut 11:13-17.)

Intergenerational punishment: (Ex 20:5-6). God will visit the guilt of the parents upon the 3^rd and 4^th generation of those who reject Him, but show kindness to the 1000^th generation of those who love Him and keep His commandments. Then there is the individual, horizontal line of thinking that each person is responsible for his or her own sins and good deeds.

The rabbis used the notions of heaven and hell to explain this. If we are righteous here but suffer, we are rewarded in the olam haba, the afterlife, and vice versa. So the wicked will eventually pay for their sins after death, and the good among us will prosper forever in heaven.

There are other Jewish sages and rabbis who believe that there is no connection between one world and the next, that the world does not make sense in that there is no interference by God in the affairs of men because He won’t step in and interrupt our free will. We will simply be rewarded or punished later on. So the world makes sense to God but not to us and we should stop trying to figure it out.

Then there is the measure for measure approach wherein the specific reward we receive is identifiably related to the deed. The Egyptians lost their males in the last plague and in the Sea of Reeds because they had sought to kill all the Israelite men by throwing them in the Nile. So you see, systematic theology cannot do justice to the complexity of human experience. That is why the rabbis could not come up with one explanation for good, evil and suffering.

Heaven or Hell, reward or punishment, God’s grace and His mercy, essentially the Plan of Salvation. They have the Spirit of Christ, of course, but the deprival of the Holy Ghost greatly hinders their understanding of God’s plan in this life and the lives to follow. They do not believe in revelation as such or understand its origins. This is where the Mormons come in! We have much to teach them about the Plan of Happiness. Ask your Jewish acquaintance or friend to read these blogs and learn about Judaism and about the Gospel of Christ.

Do You Want Your Freedoms Back?

2011-03-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

I feel that we, the American people, are in a crucial crossroad. A milestone in history looms before us. I think that we have the opportunity to decide the very future of our country. Perhaps 200 years from now, some historian will write about the time when the United States Constitiution hung, as it were, by a thread and that freedom loving Americans from across the country joined forces and saved it from destruction. I firmly believe that we are that generation and now is that time. Some of us may have our names go down in history as modern day Jeffersons, Franklins, Washingtons, and Adams. We have the chance to restore our republic, to restore Constitutional freedoms that have been taken away from us, slowly, over the years.

The government has been in the freedom stealing business for a long time. They did it under various schemes and plots. The programs and clichés were numerous. Here are some of them: Freedom was taken in the name of ‘the less fortunate,’ or ‘the disadvantaged,’ or ‘to fight terrorism;’ to give us a ‘New Deal,’ or a ‘Fair Deal;’ a ‘New Frontier,’ or a ‘Great Society;’ or how about ‘compassionate conservatism’ or ‘change you can believe in.’ In all these slogans and clichés, two facts stand out. First, in each case, government got bigger and assumed more power, and secondly, we wound up with less freedom. It’s a case of cause and effect that as government power increases, freedoms decrease.

Do you want your freedoms back? So do I. I want the freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution. But in order to achieve the goal of regaining our freedoms under the Bill of Rights, we have to understand freedom as defined by the Founders, for it is THAT concept of freedom that they guaranteed us. They bequeathed us THEIR idea of freedom. In order to restore THAT kind of freedom, we have to understand it. We can never achieve a goal that we don't understand. So the logical question is, how did the Founders define freedom? Actually, their definition is quite different than how we define it today. Their definition of the term was more comprehensive. The Founders believed, as we do, in the concept of freedom from government interference. We want the government to get off our backs and out of our pocketbooks. And as far as it goes, that's not bad. But that was only a part of their idea of freedom.

They also believed that freedom was inextricably linked to personal responsibility. The two are so intertwined that if you take away a person’s responsibility over a certain aspect of their lives, you will take away their freedom. Let me explain. Recently, President Obama signed into law the Health Care Reform bill. This is a huge power grab by the government. They took away our freedom in matters of health care. Now we can go to jail for five years if we don’t get mandatory health insurance.

Now, our options for a doctor’s care will depend on a government bureaucrat instead of a personal consultation with our physician. The list of outrages found in this law goes on and on. But the government took away our freedom in health care matters when they took over our personal responsibility for health care. Normally, we have the responsibility to take care of our family’s health, but when they took that responsibility, they robbed us of our freedom. That is why the Founders never put welfare powers into the Constitution. They knew that taking away a person’s responsibility robbed them of their freedom. The people were expected to govern themselves.

Other Useful Jewish Websites

2011-03-29T21:37:00.001-07:00

Other Useful Jewish Websites

http://www.israelrevealed.com/
Prime source of Jewish take on all scripture by Daniel Rona, Jewish convert to LDS. Check his LDS Supplements link.
http://www.jewfaq.org
Basic Jewish teachings http://www.jewishjournal.com/blogs Mark Paredes excellent site http://www.shamash.org/ Shamash=servant
Jewish Internet Consortium http://www.hebcal.com/ Jewish calendar tools; find ancient dates. http://www.maven.co.il
Jewish index and search engine http://www.jewishnet.net/
Global Jewish Information Network http://www.judaica-guide.com/ Excellent for rituals, holidays and general info http://www.blogger.com/www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org Another excellent site. http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/ With a bit of effort, you can find much historical material here. http://www.613.org/
A source of educational Orthodox Jewish audio and video files, all available for free viewing online using RealPlayer! http://judaism.about.com/ A great resource for Jewish information with links http://www.myjewishlearning.com/
A little bit of everything! Connections with Christianity, Islam.

Albanian Muslims risk their own lives to save Jews from Nazis during World War II

2011-03-29T21:35:00.000-07:00

Creve Coeur, MO (KSDK) -- With rising anti-Muslim sentiment across the country, an untold story is raising greater awareness about the Muslim faith and the teachings of the Quran. That awareness comes from an unlikely source: a small Temple Emanuel is premiering a groundbreaking exhibit of photos that reveals Albanian Muslims who saved 2,000 Jews during World War II. It's a story you've likely never heard. It is a story told through the faces of Albanian Muslims who risked their own lives to live by a code of faith and honor called Besa.

Dr. Ghazala Hayat is a neurologist at St. Louis University and serves as spokesperson for the Islamic Foundation of Greater Saint Louis.

Hayat said while Besa is an Albanian word, it is part of Islamic culture and teachings. According to Dr. Hayat, Besa is an ancient code which requires people to endanger their own lives if necessary to save the life of anyone seeking asylum. To this day, Besa is the highest moral law of the region, superseding religious differences, blood feuds, and even tribal traditions.

The exhibit is opening eyes throughout the world.
"You don't have to share the same faith. You have to respect each other's faith," Hayat said.

Pictures of the Albanian Muslims in the exhibit tell a lifetime of stories. As a young mother, one woman did not have enough breast milk to feed her son. A Jewish woman she hid nursed him instead. She was asked if she minded that a Jewish mother had fed her baby.

"Jews are God's people like us," the woman said.
Another man who also hid Jewish families said, "I did nothing special. All Jews are our brothers."

And the head of the Bektashi sect, with more than seven million followers, tells the story of Albania's prime minister, who gave a secret order during the Nazi occupation.

"All Jewish children will sleep with your children, all will eat the same food, and all will live as one family," the order read.
In post-war Europe, it is said Albania was the only Nazi-occupied country to boast a greater number of Jews than before the Holocaust.

"They were among the people who at great personal risk sheltered Jews and protected them in their homes and did so out of a religious obligation," said Rabbi Justin Kerber, Temple Emanuel.

The Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis and several local Jewish agencies hope the St. Louis community will experience this rare look at the role Albanian Muslims played in sheltering Jews from the Nazis.
"At this time of tension over Islam in America, there is so much more to understanding Islam," Rabbi Kerber said.

Leisa Zigman

Muslim dignitaries pay their respects at Auschwitz

2011-03-29T21:33:00.000-07:00

OSWIECIM, Poland – In a bid to fight anti-Semitism and bridge cultural rifts, a large delegation of Muslim dignitaries visited Auschwitz on Tuesday to pay tribute to the millions of Jews and others who were systematically killed in the Holocaust.

The group of some 150 people included representatives from Morocco, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq, as well as rabbis, Holocaust survivors and Christian representatives. Several European dignitaries also were part of the group, including the former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

"Muslims have to stand up with Jewish friends because in Europe, anti-Semitism is rising — and where there is anti-Semitism, Islamophobia is not far away," said British Mufti Abduljalil Sajid. Sajid said he knew of the Holocaust from books and movies but that it was his first visit to Auschwitz. "I wanted to see it with my own eyes — and teach others about the evil of hate," he said. "This should never happen again, to anybody."

Israel Meir Lau, a former chief rabbi of Israel and himself a Holocaust survivor, said he was happy that such a large number of Muslim leaders were seeking to deepen their understanding of the Holocaust.The vice president of the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and their Descendants, Elan Steinberg, called the visit "unprecedented."

"Holocaust survivors welcome this extraordinary visit as a major blow against the scourge of Holocaust denial and as an act of encouragement to the strengthening of interfaith relations," Steinberg said. "This delegation will spread the message of mutual tolerance and understanding as the antidote to hate and disrespect. It is a welcome benefit to both Muslim and Jew."

Aeriel pix of Auschwitz II, Birkenau
The trip was organized by UNESCO, the educational and cultural arm of the United Nations, as well as Paris City Hall and a new anti-racism group called the Aladdin Project. It comes at a time when some in the West voice unease over Islam's growing clout in the underbelly of their communities and with Holocaust denials by political leaders such as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

It also comes amid the recent upheaval that toppled a regime in Tunisia and which is threatening the regime of Egypt's longtime president, Hosni Mubarak, with whom Israel has painstakingly built strong ties.
Anne-Marie Revcolevschi, head of the Aladdin Project, said it was important to have the Muslim representatives on hand.

"The reason is clear," she said. "Because it's primarily from some of these countries where the speeches and documents that trade in Holocaust denial, hatred and anti-Semitism come from."

She noted the participation of Karim Lahidji, the head of the Iranian League of Human Rights and a former top lawyer in Tehran, saying: "No one will miss out on how his presence is important."

The Paris-based Aladdin Project was created two years ago to raise awareness about the Holocaust and to fight racism, Islamophobia and intolerance. Its website offers primers about Judaism for non-Jews and about Islam for non-Muslims, and highlights the historic ties between their communities. Envoys from Egypt, Tunisia, Iran and Algeria had to cancel for various reasons, including the current political upheaval in the Mideast.

The visit comes after Thursday's commemoration of the 66th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Nazi Germany's most notorious death camp built in occupied Poland where 1.1 million Jews, Gypsies and others were murdered.
Jamey Keaten, AP

The book of Esther

2011-03-29T21:31:00.000-07:00

Megillat Esther, the Book of Esther in the form that we have it in the Hebrew Bible, provides the story of the origin of Purim, the blueprint for its celebration, and the authorization for its observance in perpetuity.

The story itself is implausible as history and, as many scholars now agree, it is better viewed as imaginative storytelling, not unlike others that circulated in the Persian and Hellenistic periods among Jews of the Land of Israel and of the Diaspora. This story seems to have been known in several different versions, or to have gone through a number of different stages in its development, before it was linked with Purim and incorporated into the Bible.

Diaspora Story

As a Diaspora story--a story about, and presumably for, Jews in the Diaspora during the Persian period--it provides an optimistic picture of Jewish survival and success in a foreign land. In this it resembles other Diaspora stories such as the biblical Book of Daniel (chapters 1-6) and the apocryphal books of Judith and Tobit. But unlike those books, Esther lacks overtly pious characters and does not model a religious lifestyle.

Esther and Mordechai, by Aert de Gelder, 1685

Esther is the most "secular" of the biblical books, making no reference to God's name, to the Temple, to prayer, or to distinctive Jewish practices such as kashrut [keeping kosher]. Yet Esther, of all the biblical books outside of the Torah, is the only one that addresses the origin of a new festival. For this reason, if for no other, Esther should be considered a "religious" book. Its main concern, the very reason for its existence, is to establish Purim as a Jewish holiday for all generations.

Legitimizing Purim

Megillat Esther establishes the Jewishness of the holiday by providing a "historical" event of Jewish deliverance to be commemorated and an authorization, through the letter of Mordecai, for the continued commemoration of the event. Just as the more ancient festivals are historicized and their observance is mandated by the Torah, so Purim is historicized and its observance is mandated by the Megillah.

The Book of Esther serves as the authorizing document for Purim, a holiday that is not mentioned in the Torah. But the Megillah's mandate differs from the Torah's in one crucial respect: it is careful not to say that God commanded the observance of Purim. In fact, God is nowhere mentioned in the book and this absence emphasizes the distinction between the Torah and its festivals on the one hand and the Megillah and its festival on the other. The Megillah makes no suggestion that Purim is an ancient festival that had been forgotten or neglected. Purim is clearly a new festival, of recent origin.

The Megillah gives legitimacy to this first post-Torah festival in a mode that is quasi-traditional but at the same time quite contemporary. Following tradition, the book's explanation of Purim as a "historical" event to be commemorated harks back to the Torah's etiologies (stories of origin) for the well-established holidays. But, calling on contemporary practice, the form in which the holiday was instituted imitates the legal practice of Persia. Purim was legislated in much the same way that all Persian law was legislated--by means of a document written by the king or his authorized agent and circulated throughout the empire.

This rhetorical strategy of calling upon both traditional and current forms must have made the etiology of Purim more compelling to ancient readers. In fact, the Book of Esther, more than anything else, is responsible for the continued celebration of Purim. It also opened the way for the establishment of later holidays that, like Purim, could be instituted without divine command if they commemorated an important event or served an important function in the life of the Jewish people.

Serious Theme, Comic Style

Another successful rhetorical strategy is the combination of a serious theme and a comic style. The threat of the destruction of the Jews is no laughing matter, but the Book of Esther is hilariously funny. The raucous Persian court, with its lavish display of luxury and its pervasive drinking parties, is not the setting we expect for the impending annihilation of the Jewish people. The plot glories in revelry and bawdiness (and this may be the primary reason for the absence of God's name).

The frivolity of the book's style--with its hyperbole, mockery, and comic misunderstandings and reversals--undercuts the gravity of its theme. Yet, for the Purim festival this setting, plot, and style are natural and fitting, part and parcel of the celebration of Purim. The tone of the book fits its purpose: a comic story for a carnivalesque holiday.

I find in this comic style additional evidence that the purpose of the Megillah was to model and to authenticate the celebration of Purim. In the Greek versions of Esther, which de-emphasize Purim, the comic elements are diminished. The Hebrew Esther and the festival of Purim bring us a uniquely irreverent and joyously optimistic celebration of Jewish identity and Jewish continuity.

From http://myjewishlearning.com/holidays/

Hand Signs of The Jews

2011-03-29T21:28:00.000-07:00

Throughout history, many societies have had secret, and not-so-secret hand signs. These hand signs have religious, political, cultural and social meanings. The origins and significance have often been lost to history, even when the signs are still used.

Some signs are used to communicate information, either of support like the thumb's up sign, or two thumbs up, or that of an insult. Signs differ from culture to culture. The same sign may have a very different meanings in different societies. For the international traveler, this may cause embarrassment, and even conflict...
Many religions use hand expressions and signs. The more traditional Christian denominations use numerous methods of making the sign of the cross. Moslems use upraised hands and cover the face during prayer.

Why Use Signs?
Hands are used to communicate or to show signs of respect or loyalty. In the religious sense, it may be to communicate with God, or to make others aware of respect or obedience to God. A hand sign also adds a physical dimension to the religious involvement expressed by speaking, singing or chanting.
The making of a sign signifies a group or community. Those who enter and recognize the sign will know that they have entered their own community. In some communities, these signs have been secret since the members had to impart a message that would have otherwise brought them into danger.

Jewish Hand Signs
Hand signs do not play as important a role in Jewish religious practice as in some other communities. Because the signs tend to be traditional, they are used less frequently and often not at all by less traditional Jews. There are no doubt many Jews who have never seen some of the hand signs, nor do they understand their origins and purpose.

The Sign of the Priestly Blessing
Of all the Jewish hand signs, the most famous is that of the priestly blessing, the Birchat Kohanim, and yet it is rarely seen. This is the sign of both hands outstretched at shoulder height under a tallit, with the fingers spread apart, as the Kohen blesses the congregation. The Kohen's face is covered. The hands in the position of the priestly blessing are often seen as decoration on jewelry or on the tombstone of a Kohen.

The hands are held with the fingers straight ahead with the little finger of each hand separated from the ring finger and a space between the second and third fingers. There is a further space between the two thumbs, making a total of five spaces. The palms are face downwards. The right hand is placed slightly above the left. This raising of the hands during the blessing is called the nesiat kohanim.

Breast Beating
At any time during a confessional, when the words "we have sinned" or words to that effect are stated, it is the custom to beat the left breast over the heart with the right fist. Self-flagellation is common in many religions. The Jewish practice of breast beating however, is not flagellation and is not intended to be painful. It is a symbol to remind the person of the words being spoken and to encourage penitence.

Pointing at the Torah
Following the reading of the Torah, the scroll is raised while still open for all to see. Once the act of raising the Torah or hagbah takes place, some communities have the custom to point at the Torah with the small finger, others point while holding the tzitzit or fringes of one's tallit while reciting the words "and this is the Torah."

Blessings over Shabbat Candles (Watch Shabbat video: When Shabbat candles are lit, a ritual involving hands takes place. Usually this is done by the woman lighting the candles, though if there is no woman in the house, a man is obligated to do it. The candles are lit, and with both hands she waves the light towards her three times. The symbolism is to draw the spirit of the holiness of the Shabbat towards her. She closes her eyes, covers them with her hands, and recites the blessing. It is this sight of physical movement, bathed in the soft glow of the candles, and the faint murmur of her prayers that has been etched into the memories of so many generations of Jews.

It is often the physical aspect of a ritual that not only adds to but impresses on us the importance of the ritual, so that we remember it long after the ritual is over. That is what Jewish hand signs are all about.
Lorne Rosovsky

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/593036/jewish/Shabbat.htm

Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon

2011-03-29T21:19:00.000-07:00

For this article I am going to discuss an ancient literary form known as chiasmus. Chiasms appear in Greek, Latin, English and other languages, but it was most highly developed in Hebrew. This writting style was essentially unknown in Joseph Smith's time.

Chiasmus can be defined most simply as an inverted type of parallelism. This is where two thoughts might be mentioned and then they are repeated in reverse order.

For MY thoughts are not YOUR thoughts, Neither are YOUR ways MY ways, saith the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8)

It we look at this graphically, the simple chiasm takes on the form of a X:

        a   b

          X

        b   a

The name chiasmus, derived from chi (X), the 22nd letter in the Greek alphabet. A couple examples from English are: "Old King Cole was a merry old soul, and a merry old soul was he", and "He who fails to prepare, prepares to fail."

Whereas in languages such as Greek, Latin, and English, chiasms are most often composed of two elements, in Hebrew there appears to be no limit to the number of terms or ideas that may be employed. An illustration of this with five elements is found in Psalm 3:7-8;

        a. Save me

          b. O my God,

            c. For thou has smitten

              d. All my enemies

                e. On the cheek-bone

                e' The teeth

              d' Of the wicked

            c' Thou has broken.

          b' To Yahweh

        a' The salvation.

A second example comes from Isaiah 60:1-3:

        a. Arise,

          b. Shine,

            c. For thy light is come,

              d. And the glory

                e. Of Yahweh

                  f. Upon thee is risen

                    g. For behold, dimness shall cover the earth

                    g' And gross darkness the peoples.

                  f' But upon thee will arise

                e' Yahweh

              d' And his glory shall upon thee be seen

            c' And nations shall come to thy light

          b' And kings to the brightness

        a' Of thy rising.

This can show why Chiasmus was attractive to the ancient Hebrew. First, chiasms are easy to memorize and would be useful since the Hebrew tradition was mainly oral. Second, chiasmus was simple a vogue. Just as 16th century English poets were fond of the sonnet, chiasmus seems to have been preferred by many of the ancient Hebrew writers. Third, the form can be very pleasing aesthetically.

John Welch article in Light Planet. See rest at:

C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\E Data\posts,articles\Chiasmus.mht

Until Shiloh Comes

2011-03-29T21:15:00.000-07:00

Genesis 49:8-12

Jacob gave a "prophetic blessing" to his sons that pictures in grand outlines the future history of a nation yet to come into existence. In his blessing, he viewed how each son and their descendents would be a part of the "redemptive" nation. The blessing embraces the whole history of Israel from Jacob's time until its ultimate completion.

Before him is a large canvas. What will he paint? The patriarch Jacob first sketched his eldest son, Ruben, who should have been the natural leader and recipient of a double share of the inheritance. However, Ruben was morally bankrupt and unworthy of becoming the leader of the new nation. He was reckless, even characterized by a seething lust, and "unbridled license."

Judah is the son to whom the role of national leadership falls. His name means, "He for whom Yahweh is praised" (Genesis 49:8). The people of Israel will praise the LORD God for what He shall bring about through the tribe of Judah. His mother was praising God when she named her child Judah (Gen. 29:35). In this prophecy Judah will receive praise from his brothers for supremacy in Israel. From the line of Judah will come King David, the greatest of all kings. Moreover, whatever preeminence Judah might have had has been eclipsed by the Messiah Jesus Christ.

Lineage of Judah

This blessing to Judah emphasized the superior leadership ability and triumph over his enemies (v. 8). “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s sons shall bow down to you" (Genesis 49:8). Friend and foe will recognize his effectiveness as a leader. The emblem of the lion symbolizes the strength of this tribe's leaders. "Judah is a lion's whelp" (v. 9).

"The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet" (v. 10). The "scepter" is the symbol of royal authority, rule and dominion. It symbolizes his capacity for rule. Originally it was a long staff, then it became a short rod. The idea is that no one will be able to remove Judah's sovereignty, or dominion.

In fact, the dominion of the earthly rulers of Judah will be protected until a certain climax is achieved. It is established by the expressions, "until Shiloh comes," and by the obedience of the "peoples." These "peoples" are the non-Jews who submit to His rule. The name "Shiloh" is a name for the Messiah.

Later in history, the tribes of Israel went to David and expressed their recognition of him as the person God had chosen as king. They said, "Previously, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and in. And the Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be a ruler over Israel.’ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them before the Lord at Hebron; then they anointed David king over Israel" (II Samuel 5:1-3).

In the person of king David, Judah grew strong and became a conquering lion. He received the promise that the "lion of the tribe of Judah" would fulfill the greatest aspirations of the prophecy. (2 Samuel 5:10-12ff; Revelation 5:5). The people made the wrong choice when they chose Saul from the tribe of Benjamin. God's will was for them to wait until David, from the tribe of Judah, was crowned king. The royal family tribe of Israel was Judah (Hebrews 7:14; Luke 3:33; 1 Chronicles 28:4).

The important emphasis is the reign of the tribe of Judah would be extended out into eternity through the rule of the Messiah. In 2 Samuel 7:13 Yahweh explains to David that He will set up one of David's descendents as king. "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." It would attain eternal duration and sovereignty over all nations only by reaching beyond earthly rulers in the tribe of Judah to Shiloh-Messiah. The dominion of Judah was to be perfectly fulfilled in the appearance of Shiloh. The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled all of these Messianic prophecies.

From: E:\posts,articles\Genesis 498-12 Until Shiloh Comes.mht

Human Anguish and Divine Love

2011-03-29T21:13:00.001-07:00

From an essay by Truman Madsen (Four Essays on Love, presented at the 4th Annual Religion Lecture Series under the title "The Problem of Evil".

...In a seminar at Harvard we were devoted to the analysis of St. Augustine's writings... In his doctrine of creation Augustine begins with a promise that God is all-powerful. To him that means all things, all else beside God, including space, time and the souls of men, were created by God from nothing. The puzzle arises as to why a being of unimited power should have chosen to create such a universe as this: of pain, torment, and (0n some views) endless damnation. Specifically, evil and the devil, were among the realities God chose to create.

Why, being good, could He - would He- do such a thing? This eventually led Augustine to the topic of freedom. How it was that God could make us from nothing and yet condemn us our reward us for actions? Why hold US responsible when He alone is responsible? "For," said one student in the class, "a God who is totally the cause of what is, is indirectly the cause of everything one does."

...Actually, as soon as it is recognized... that there is more than one eternal will in the universe - indeed, an infinity of such wills or autonomous intelligences - we have cut the thread that supposes God can "do anything." In all important ways even He, the greatest of all, can only do WITH us what we will permit him to do. Our center selves can agree or disagree, assent or resent, cooperate or oppose. To say, as the scriptures do, that God has all power and that He is almighty and that with Him all things are possible is to say that He has all the power and might it is possible to have in this universe of multiple selves.

And as soon as it is recognized...that there are eternal inanimate things which are subject to laws... which God did NOT create but Himself has mastered, we have cut another thread of illusory omnipotence... He can do only what our wills and eternal laws wil permit. In short, He did not make us from nothing and what He makes OF us depends on us and the ultimate nature of a co-eternal universe.

Egypt’s Threat to Israel

2011-03-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

Mubarak, Arafat, Hussein in 1988

Israel is apprehensive about the situation in Egypt. The fall of the Mubarak regime presents a wonderful opportunity for a government that the people of Egypt can be happy with, but there are many rumors of an Islamic Brotherhood rule eventually capturing a large portion of the Middle East. One of their stated goals is to kill Jews and destroy Israel.

Here is a portion of a column from Davud Frum, a CNN columnist:

1) Right now, Egypt cooperates with Israel in isolating the Hamas regime in Gaza. What if Egypt changes its mind? If Egypt stops policing the border between Gaza and Sinai, Israel will be forced into an ugly choice. Allow Hamas to import weapons or else intrude into Egyptian territory to close the border itself.

What do Israelis fear? Some scenarios:

2) The Mubarak regime operates an effective if heavy-handed counterterrorism regime inside Egypt. Egypt has produced its share of terrorists: the blind sheikh who tried to blow up New York landmarks, 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta. But these terrorists have been compelled by Egypt’s efficient police to operate outside Egypt. What if that changed? If the Egyptian police collapse, Cairo — population 17 million — suddenly becomes an attractive place for terrorists to hide.

3) Israel enjoys peace on its two longest borders, with Egypt and Jordan. Peace has enabled Israel to reduce defense spending from about one-quarter of GDP in the 1980s to 9% by the end of the 1990s to only 6.7% in 2010. Peace has also freed Israel to concentrate its forces against a shorter list of threats. A hostile turn by Egypt will intensify Israel’s security problems and force increases in Israel’s defense spending.

Saved by the Light

2011-03-29T21:08:00.000-07:00

Shalom, Dear Readers,

Mormons often ask me whether it is important that the Saints in particular investigate the Jewish way of studying scripture. Of course, I tell them, because of the in-depth methods that involve questions and answers, concentration on one theme at a time, Hebrew phraseology and grammar construction so different from English, yet applicable to English study techniques.

We cah learn Jewish study techniques to better know our scriptures. The Jewish method includes in-depth inquiries for a full understanding of words and concepts. Studying rabbinic texts in a group setting, asking questions of the text and seeking deeper understanding of what is read is a valuable tool. Jewish study involves finding continuity in the interpretations while trying earnestly to place yourself in the timeframe of the writings. You can learn a lot about Christianity and appreciate the Hebraisms in the Book of Mormon as well, from the substance and scholarship of rabbinic Judaism. Email me for a workshop that will help you learn from your brethren, the Jewish people.

I hope, too, that you will develop a desire to know more about the way Jews lived in Jesus’ time. Often we tend to view the scriptures in a historical vacuum with the result that we transpose our 21^st century Western values and concerns upon what we read.

I also promote my own books toward an understanding between Mormons and Jews - these are part of my mission of bringing together the Sceptre and the Birthright tribes... Read the excerpt from Life Changing Testimonies... below this column.

**************************************************************Please see http://www.jewishconvert-lds.com/ to browse and order. Email me for info on classes and firesides in your area, they are freely given: comeuntochrist@att.net. ***************************************************** If you want earlier articles, please see my overflow blog: http://judaicaworld.wordpress.com for the 90-plus articles that graced this space during 2010. Thanks! *****************************************************
Check out the www.moregoodfoundation.org, managed by my friend and fellow Jewish convert Gale Boyd. I am a columnist for them. I post a new article monthly. This month: Jewish Attitudes Toward Messianism. Link:http://mormonsandjews.net/90/

Newsroom Items

2011-03-29T21:04:00.000-07:00

Marlena gives free lessons on Judaica history, culture and religon and especially loves to give firesides on her conversion and to host get-together classes. Available in Seattle and around the country. Subject: The Symbolic Connections between Mormon and Jewish worship.

Do you know the secret hidden in the sacred 4-letter word for God that Jews never say and how it is connected to the laying on of hands?

What do the 238 body parts of mankind have to do with the phrase in Moroni 10:32-Come unto Christ and be perfected in him?

How is the Parable of the Dry Bones in Ezek 37 a specific call to action for Mormons?

What four famous LDS events happened on Jewish holidays and what is the spiritual symbolism?

Do you know the personal name of God? Not his titles, but his name?

Contact her: comeuntochrist@att.net.

Workshop - April 9 - Fairview Ward, Renton Stake

Upcoming: April 22-24th in Van Nuys, CA

Maple Valley WA stake - Spring

Passover - Pesach - April 18-26

2011-03-29T21:01:00.000-07:00

If you want a general understanding of what your Jewish friends' and colleagues' holidays are, or if you just want to avoid making Principal Skinner's mistake when you schedule Jewish employees, co-workers, colleagues or students, then this is the page for you. Other pages on this site provide more detailed information about the Jewish calendar and the holidays; this page just tells you what you minimally need to know to avoid embarrassing yourself or offending Jews.

Why do Jewish holidays keep changing dates?

Congregant 1: When is Chanukkah this year?
Congregant 2: Same as always, 25th of Kislev.
- Overheard at Congregation Children of Israel, Athens Georgia

Jewish holidays actually occur on the same day every year: the same day on the Jewish calendar! The Jewish calendar has a different number of days than the calendar you use because the Jewish calendar is tied to the moon's cycles instead of the sun's. The Jewish calendar loses about 11 days relative to the solar calendar every year, but makes up for it by adding a month every two or three years. As a result, the holidays don't always fall on the same day, but they always fall within the same month or two. The Chinese calendar (which is also lunar) works the same way, which is why Chinese New Year occurs on different days but is always in late January or early February. The Muslim calendar is lunar but does not add months, which is why Ramadan circles the calendar.

When does a Jewish Holiday Start and End?

Attorney 1: Thursday is Rosh Hashanah, but I'm available for trial on Friday
Attorney 2: Thursday and Friday are Rosh Hashanah for me.
Attorney 3: I have to leave early on Wednesday for Rosh Hashanah.
Judge: Is this holiday one day, two or three?
Attorney 1: One day.
Attorney 2: Two days.
Attorney 3: Two days. - Inspired by a true story

How long is a Jewish holiday? It depends on who you ask!
In ancient times, because of confusion about the calendar, an extra day was added to some holidays. In modern times, some branches of Judaism have abandoned this custom, returning the holidays to the length specified in the Bible. Other branches continue the ancient tradition of adding a day to certain holidays. Thus for some Jews, Thursday is a holiday but Friday is not, while for others, both Thursday and Friday are holidays.
Adding to the confusion is the fact that a Jewish "day" starts at sunset, and holidays start the evening before the day on your secular calendar. For example, if your calendar says that Passover starts on April 24, families will be getting together for Passover dinner on the night of April 23. A few secular calendars mark the preceding day as "Erev Passover," which basically means Passover Eve. If your calendar says "Erev" or "Eve" before a holiday name, it means the holiday starts the evening of that day and continues into the next day.

Strictly observant Jews do not work, go to school or carry out any business on the first two and last two days of Passover (first one day and last one day for some branches). This is a requirement of Jewish law; however, only about 10% of the American Jewish population observes this rule strictly. Most American Jews will work through Passover, although many may want to take time off the day before Passover, to prepare for the big family dinner. To put this in perspective: imagine if you had to work during the day of Thanksgiving, then prepare for Thanksgiving dinner after getting home from work. This holiday commemorates the Exodus from Egypt. If you've seen Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments," then you know the story of Passover, more or less. Passover is celebrated for seven or eight days (depending on your branch of Judaism) starting on the night of a full moon in April. Passover usually overlaps with Easter, though occasionally Passover occurs a month after Easter.

Almost all American Jews observe Passover to some extent, even if only to go to their parents' house for a ritual dinner (called a seder, pronounced SAY-der) on the first and/or second night of the holiday. Most (though not all) American Jews avoid bread and grain products to one extent or another throughout this holiday, in memory of the fact that our ancestors left Egypt in a hurry and didn't have time to wait for their bread to rise. You should avoid scheduling events involving food during this holiday, and should avoid scheduling travel for Jews because it may be hard for them to find suitable food away from home.

Remember that Passover, like all Jewish holidays, begins the evening before the date that it appears on your calendar. If your calendar says that Passover starts on April 24, then Passover really begins with the family dinner on the night of April 23.

America and Jewish Values

2011-03-29T20:42:00.000-07:00

The United States was the first country to be created, from its inception, as a democracy. And the Bible played a major role in the process.

By Rabbi Ken Spiro

An excerpt from WorldPerfect: The Jewish Impact on Civilization

The creation of the United States of America represented a unique event in world history. Unlike other countries where democracy evolved over a period of hundreds of years, the United States was the first country to be created, from its inception, as a democracy. And the Bible -- and Jewish values -- played a major role in this process.

Many of the earliest "pilgrims" who settled the "New England" of America in early 17th century were Puritan refugees escaping religious persecutions in Europe.

Over the next century, America continued to be not only the land of opportunity for many people seeking a better life but also the land of religious tolerance. By the middle 1700's, the east coast of America was settled by a virtual "Who's Who" of Christian splinter sects from all over Europe. Among them were:

the Puritans, whom we already know so well
the Quakers, an extremist Puritan sect who did not believe in ministers and for whom a Society of Friends meeting together was good enough to bring down the Holy Spirit
Calvinists, who early on had challenged the Catholic belief that the bread and wine became the body and blood of Jesus in the celebration of the mass
the Huguenots, or French Calvinists
the Moravians, followers of John Hus, the protestant martyr from Bohemia
the Mennonites, a Swiss sect of Anabaptists who rejected infant baptism
the Amish, the most stringent of the Mennonites

These were just some of the numerous groups who arrived in America in search of religious freedom.Thanksgiving was initially conceived as day parallel to the Jewish Day of Atonement.

The majority of the earliest settlers were, of course, Puritans. Beginning with the Mayflower, over the next twenty years, 16,000 Puritans migrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and many more settled in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Like their cousins back in England, these American Puritans strongly identified with both the historical traditions and customs of the ancient Hebrews of the Old Testament. They viewed their emigration from England as a virtual re-enactment of the Jewish exodus from Egypt. To them, England was Egypt, the king was Pharaoh, the Atlantic Ocean was the Red Sea, America was the Land of Israel, and the Indians were the ancient Canaanites. They were the new Israelites, entering into a new covenant with God in a new Promised Land. Thanksgiving -- first celebrated in 1621, a year after the Mayflower landed -- was initially conceived as day parallel to the Jewish Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur; it was to be a day of fasting, introspection and prayer.

Gabriel Sivan, in The Bible and Civilization, (p. 236) observes:
No Christian community in history identified more with the People of the Book than did the early settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, who believed their own lives to be a literal reenactment of the Biblical drama of the Hebrew nation. They themselves were the children of Israel; America was their Promised Land; the Atlantic Ocean their Red Sea; the Kings of England were the Egyptian pharaohs; the American Indians the Canaanites (or the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel); the pact of the Plymouth Rock was God's holy Covenant; and the ordinances by which they lived were the Divine Law. Like the Huguenots and other Protestant victims of Old World oppression, these émigré Puritans dramatized their own situation as the righteous remnant of the Church corrupted by the "Babylonian woe," and saw themselves as instruments of Divine Providence, a people chosen to build their new commonwealth on the Covenant entered into at Mount Sinai.

In England, the Puritan identification with the Bible was so strong that some Puritan extremists sought to replace English common law with Biblical laws of the Old Testament, but were prevented from doing so. In America, however, there was far more freedom to experiment with the use of Biblical law in the legal codes of the colonies, and this was exactly what these early colonist set out to do.

The earliest legislation of the colonies of New England was all determined by Scripture. At the first assembly of New Haven in 1639, John Davenport clearly stated the primacy of the Bible as the legal and moral foundation of the colony:

Scriptures do hold forth a perfect rule for the direction and government of all men in all duties which they are to perform to God and men as well as in the government of families and commonwealth as in matters of the Church … the Word of God shall be the only rule to be attended unto in organizing the affairs of government in this plantation. (See Abraham I Katsch, The Biblical Heritage of American Democracy, p. 97)

Subsequently, the New Haven legislators adopted a legal code -- the Code of 1655 -- which contained some 79 statutes, half of which contained Biblical references, virtually all from the Hebrew Bible. The Plymouth Colony had a similar law code as did the Massachusetts assembly, which, in 1641 -- after an exhortation by Reverend John Cotton who presented the legislators with a copy of Moses, His Judicials -- adopted the so-called "Capitall Lawes of New England" based almost entirely on Mosaic law. A very significant political evolution was taking place in the New World. Unlike the Puritans in England who, of necessity, lived under English common law and were ruled by a King and Parliament, the Puritans of America had no central authority or national governing body. Yet, they did not lapse into anarchy. Instead, they created communities governed by elected councils of elders similar to the "presbyters" of England. Their communities were both stable and prosperous, with mandatory school systems modeled after the Jewish ones.

This unique political evolution goes a long way toward explaining the strong sense of independence shared by the colonies and the early success of democracy in America. The Puritans felt that God was watching them, and fear of heaven was a thousand times stronger than fear of the crown.

It almost seems as if these early settlers had recreated the Biblical period of the "Judges," when, following the conquest of Jericho and settlement of Canaan, Israel had no king or central authority and "every man did what was right in his own eyes." (Judges 21:25)

What was right in Puritan eyes, of course, was what the Bible said. But what did it say exactly? So much of it could be subject to interpretation of the reader.

Without the Jewish Oral Law, which helped the Jews understand the Bible, the Puritans were left to their own devices and tended toward a literal interpretation. This sometimes led to a stricter, more fundamentalist observance than Judaism had ever seen. For example, the Jewish Sabbath is a day of refraining from work as the Bible mandates. However, "work" -- in Hebrew melacha -- is defined by Jewish Oral Law as cessation of all creative activity that was in progress when the Tabernacle was being built and which, the Bible states, ceased on the Sabbath. But the Puritans took the commandment to cease work as unconditional. And their prohibitions were actually more restrictive than what the Jews had themselves practiced. Even household chores such as sweeping floors, making beds, or feeding animals were not allowed for the twenty-four hours of the day of rest. Adherence was enforced by fines and public floggings.

While we stress the importance of the Hebrew Bible to the early American settlers, it is important to note that, of course, the "New Testament" was revered as well. However, the Hebrew Bible was seen as the original and pure source of Christian values, and also as a legalistic and ritualistic guide, something which the New Testament was not.

In addition, there was a political agenda involved in this special focus in the Old over the New Testament. Many New Englanders viewed the New Testament as an instrument of justification, used by powers-that-be in Europe, to preserve the existing order. Had not Paul written in his letter to the Romans (13:1-2):

Every person must submit to the authorities in power, for all authority comes from God, and the existing authorities are instituted by him. It follows that anyone who rebels against authority is resisting a divine institution, and those who resist have themselves to thank for the punishment they receive.

That sure smacked of the divine right of kings and condemnation of the rebels of the Puritan revolution. No wonder that the Hebrew Bible, with its message of obedience to God alone, of personal responsibility, and of freedom from tyranny, was far more in tune with the mindset of these Protestant splinter sects of America.

Focusing even further on the issue of individual responsibility, the Massachusetts Bay Colony enacted legislation requiring parents to teach their children to read and understand the basic principles of religion and capital laws. All towns in New England with a minimum of 50 households were required by law to establish schools and appoint teachers.

In 1670, British commissioners making a survey of conditions in the American colonies reported that in Connecticut fully one-quarter of the annual revenues were set aside for free public education. Universities were established (the first being Harvard University founded in 1636 as training school for Puritan ministers), and many printing presses were imported for the printing and dissemination of books.

The Bible played a central role in the curriculum of these institutions of higher learning.

In insisting on education for all, the Puritans were following Jewish law. (Had not the 12th century Jewish philosopher Maimonides admonished: "Appoint teachers for the children in every country, province and city. In any city that does not have a school excommunicate the people of the city until they get teachers for the children.")

Education for all thus became a hallmark of early America and not just New England. In addition to Harvard, many other colleges and universities were established under the auspices of various Protestant sects: Yale, William and Mary, Rutgers, Princeton, Brown, Kings College (later to be known as Columbia), Johns Hopkins, Dartmouth etc.

The Bible played a central role in the curriculum of all of these institutions of higher learning with both Hebrew and Bible studies offered as required courses. (See Lawrence A. Cremin, American Education: The Colonial Experience 1697-1783, p. 16.)

Many of these colleges even adopted some Hebrew word or phrase as part of their official emblem or seal. Beneath the banner containing the Latin Lux et Veritas, the Yale seal shows an open book with the Hebrew Urim Vtumim, which was a part of the ceremonial breastplate of the High Priest in the days of the Temple. The Columbia seal has the Hebrew name for God at the top center, with the Hebrew name for one of the angels on a banner toward the middle. Dartmouth uses the Hebrew words meaning "God Almighty" in a triangle in the upper center of its seal.

So popular was the Hebrew Language in the late 16th and early 17th centuries that several students at Yale delivered their commencement orations in Hebrew. Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Brown, Princeton, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Pennsylvania taught courses in Hebrew -- all the more remarkable because no university in England at the time offered it.

Many of the population, including a significant number of the Founding Fathers of America, were products of these American universities -- for example, Thomas Jefferson attended William and Mary, James Madison Princeton, Alexander Hamilton King's College (i.e. Columbia). Thus, we can be sure that a majority of these political leaders were not only well acquainted with the contents of both the New and Old Testaments but also had some working knowledge of Hebrew. Notes Abraham Katsh in The Biblical Heritage of American Democracy (p. 70):

At the time of the American Revolution, the interest in the knowledge of Hebrew was so widespread as to allow the circulation of the story that "certain members of Congress proposed that the use of English be formally prohibited in the United States, and Hebrew substituted for it."

Their Biblical education colored the American founders' attitude toward not only religion and ethics, but most significantly, politics. We see them adopting the biblical motifs of the Puritans for political reasons. For example, the struggle of the ancient Hebrews against the wicked Pharaoh came to embody the struggle of the colonists against English tyranny.

The first design for the official seal of the United States depicts the Jews crossing the Red Sea.

Numerous examples can be found which clearly illustrate to what a significant extent the political struggles of the colonies were identified with the ancient Hebrews. The first design for the official seal of the United States recommended by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas in 1776 depicts the Jews crossing the Red Sea. The motto around the seal read: "Resistance to Tyrants is Obedience to God." The inscription on the Liberty Bell at Independence Hall in Philadelphia is a direct quote from Leviticus (25:10): "Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." Patriotic speeches and publications during the period of the struggle for independence were often infused with Biblical motifs and quotations. For example, Benjamin Rush, in his editorials denouncing the Tea Act, drew on inspiration from the Hebrew Bible:

What did not Moses forsake and suffer for his countrymen! What shining examples of patriotism do we behold in Joshua, Samuel, Maccabees and all the illustrious princes, captains and prophets among the Jews.

Likewise, Thomas Paine's anti-monarchial pamphlet Common Sense cited the Hebrew Bible and words of the Prophet Samuel concluding:

These portions of the Scriptures … admit no equivocal construction. That the Almighty hath here entered his protest against monarchial government is true, or the Scriptures are false.

Even the basic framework of America clearly reflects the influence of the Bible and power of Jewish ideas in shaping the political development of America. Nowhere is this more evident than in the opening sentences of the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among them are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Whereas, these words echo the Enlightenment's -- specifically John Locke's --idea of "the inalienable rights of man," without a doubt, the concept that these rights come from God is of Biblical origin.

This and the other documents of early America make it clear that the concept of an God-given standard of morality is a central pillar of American democracy. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in his The State acknowledges the obvious:

…it would be a mistake…to ascribe to Roman legal conceptions an undivided sway over the development of law and institutions during the Middle Ages… The Laws of Moses as well as the laws of Rome contributed suggestions and impulse to the men and institutions which were to prepare the modern world; and if we could have but eyes to see… we should readily discover how very much besides religion we owe to the Jew.

Thus we see that it is with the birth of American democracy that we have the next milestone in the process of the spread of Jewish ideas in civilization. For the first time in history, Jewish ethical ideas were legally enshrined into the laws of a non-Jewish nation. That country, the United States, would, in turn, become a powerful model to be emulated by numerous countries around the world.

From www.aish.com

Lehi's House at Jerusalem and the Land of His Inheritance

2011-03-29T20:35:00.000-07:00

Where did Lehi and his family live before their departure into the wilderness? Nephi reported that Lehi had "dwelt at Jerusalem in all his days" (1 Nephi 1:4) and that he had "his own house at Jerusalem" (1 Nephi 1:7). We also read of a "land of his inheritance" (1 Nephi 2:4), which, along with his house and his riches, Lehi left behind when he took his family into the wilderness. But what was the connection between the two: Jerusalem and Lehi's land of inheritance? Indeed, was there any connection at all? I will examine evidence in 1 Nephi concerning these questions and will supplement those passages with a significant amount of background information from the Old Testament, ancient Near Eastern historical records, and the findings of modern Israeli archaeology.

After assessing all the data, I will suggest that Lehi's house was located in the city quarter of ancient Jerusalem called the Mishneh (the same location today is part of the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City). I will further suggest that Lehi's land of inheritance was a piece of real estate about fifty kilometers (thirty miles) north of Jerusalem, in the former tribal area of Manasseh, which Lehi owned by virtue of having inherited a deed to the property and which he probably visited on occasion in order to manage the affairs of the land. However, I will suggest that he maintained no residence at the land of inheritance. Reading through the evidence from which my data is culled may seem, for some readers, somewhat long and circuitous. Those readers may trust, however, that by the end of this study they will be much more informed about the world of Lehi preceding 1 Nephi and that the above conclusions will be logically supported and understandable.

Before examining the evidence, it will be necessary to dismiss a misconception that has been in circulation among Latter-day Saint students for many years. In his 1952 book Lehi in the Desert, Hugh Nibley suggested the following about the residence of Lehi: "Though he 'dwelt at Jerusalem,' Lehi did not live in the city, for it was after they had failed to get the plates in Jerusalem that his sons decided to 'go down to the land of our father's inheritance' (1 Nephi 3:16), and there gather enough wealth to buy the plates from Laban."¹

The oft-repeated notion that Lehi's house was not inside the city of Jerusalem but somewhere well outside the city on his land of inheritance is simply incorrect. Also incorrect is the idea that Lehi's land of inheritance was a plot of real estate close enough to the city of Jerusalem to be within the boundaries of the greater land of Jerusalem. Lehi's house is sometimes said to have been "at Jerusalem" but not in the city Jerusalem, but this whole notion is not tenable since it does not correspond to the information in the Book of Mormon text. To his credit, Nibley himself later realized this error and offered a correction in his 1958 work, An Approach to the Book of Mormon:

He [Lehi] had "his own house at Jerusalem" (1 Nephi 1:7); yet he was accustomed to "go forth" from the city from time to time (1 Nephi 1:5–7), and his paternal estate, the land of his inheritance, where the bulk of his fortune reposed, was some distance from the town (1 Nephi 3:16, 22; 2:4).²

Here, Nibley correctly alluded to the fact that Lehi's house at Jerusalem was inside the city itself and that his land of inheritance was a distinctly different location from both his house and Jerusalem. In this conclusion Nibley was certainly correct, although he offered no specifics concerning the questions of the location of the land of inheritance or its direction from Jerusalem, nor did he attempt to locate Lehi's house in any specific location within Jerusalem's walls. We may now address both of those issues by turning to the text of 1 Nephi itself.

The Land of Jerusalem versus the Land of Inheritance
It seems clear that Nephi meant for readers of his record to understand that his father Lehi lived in the city of Jerusalem itself, not somewhere outside the city walls. In the same verse in which he reported that his father had "dwelt at Jerusalem in all his days," Nephi called Jerusalem "the great city" (1 Nephi 1:4)—in other words, by saying "Jerusalem" Nephi was making reference to the city itself, not merely the land of Jerusalem region in which the city was located. When Lehi "went forth" to pray (1 Nephi 1:5), he was probably exiting the city walls, just as Nephi himself did later when he said, "I went forth unto my brethren, who were without the walls" (1 Nephi 4:27). It is entirely possible that Lehi went eastward from the walls of Jerusalem. Immediately east of Jerusalem is the Mount of Olives, a perfect place for Lehi's private prayer—he would even have been able to gaze over the Temple Mount and Solomon's temple from that location. Perhaps the Mount of Olives was where Nephi and his brothers went to "hide themselves without the walls" (1 Nephi 4:5), although that would more likely have taken place directly adjacent to the city wall. In any event, Lehi's house clearly seems to have been located within the walls of Jerusalem.

Lehi's land of inheritance is first alluded to in 1 Nephi 2:4. Later, speaking to his brothers, Nephi called it "the land of our father's inheritance" (1 Nephi 3:16). But the real estate seems to have been destined to be passed on to Lehi's sons, for Nephi also called it "the land of our inheritance" (1 Nephi 3:22). The land of inheritance is not to be confused with the land of Jerusalem first mentioned in 1 Nephi 3:9. From the text of 1 Nephi as a whole, two things are obvious about the land of Jerusalem region: (1) The city of Jerusalem is obviously within the boundaries of the land of Jerusalem, and (2) the land of Jerusalem is a totally different region from Lehi's land of inheritance.
These observations are demonstrated by a three-step examin
ation of Nephi's text:

Nephi and his brothers returned from the valley of Lemuel up to the land of Jerusalem (1 Nephi 3:9).
They then went down to the land of inheritance to collect Lehi's gold and silver (1 Nephi 3:16, 22).
Finally, Nephi and his brothers returned back up again to Jerusalem (1 Nephi 3:23).

It is important to remember that in the idiom of Nephi one always went up to come to the Jerusalem region, and one always went down when exiting the Jerusalem region. This is also the Hebrew idiom employed in the Bible, where persons in both the Old and New Testaments typically are said to go down to leave Jerusalem (see, for example, 2 Samuel 5:17; Luke 10:30; and Acts 8:15) and go up to come to Jerusalem (see, for example, 2 Chronicles 2:16 and Matthew 20:18). Nephi adhered to this Hebrew idiom throughout his account—whenever his party is reported to have gone to Jerusalem, they went up (see 1 Nephi 3:9; 4:4; 5:6; 7:3–4), and whenever the reference is to leaving the Jerusalem region, they went down (see 1 Nephi 2:5; 3:4, 16, 22; 4:35; 5:1; 7:2, 5). It should be clear, then, that when Nephi and his brothers go down to the land of inheritance, they are in fact leaving the region of Jerusalem. The land of Jerusalem is clearly not the same as the land of inheritance. Since the location of Jerusalem has not changed, the question now becomes: Where was the land of inheritance?

For reasons that will become obvious in this discussion, Lehi's land of inheritance was most likely not located within the borders of the southern kingdom of Judah. The most likely location for Lehi's ancestral real estate in the ancient land of Israel was the region of Manasseh. Lehi is reported to have been a descendant of Manasseh, the son of Joseph who was sold into Egypt (see 1 Nephi 5:14 and Alma 10:3). The ancient tribe of Manasseh possessed large tracts of land on both sides of the Jordan River (see photo essay, p. 74). As described in the Bible (Joshua 13:29–31 and 17:7–10), the territory of Manasseh east of the Jordan was equivalent to the area of Bashan (the modern Golan) and the northern part of Gilead (north of modern Amman). West of the Jordan, Manasseh held territory in what came to be known as the Samaria region, from the Jezreel Valley on the north to Tappuah on the south—Tappuah being about thirty-five kilometers (twenty-one miles) north of Jerusalem (see fig. 1). Historical considerations suggest that the area west of Jordan and north of Tappuah—specifically between ancient Tirzah on the east and modern Jenin on the west—was more likely than any other segment of Manasseh to have been the location of Lehi's ancestral land tract. We will now explore those considerations and how it was that people of Manasseh came to live in Jerusalem, making it possible for Lehi to have been born there and to have dwelled there all his days until the time of his exodus in 1 Nephi 2.

Lehi's Ancestors—From Manasseh to Jerusalem
At least two significant migrations of Israelites from the Manasseh tribal areas to Jerusalem are now known. The first is reported in the Bible, and the second (for our investigation the more significant) has been discerned through the efforts of Israeli archaeologists working in Jerusalem. The first account, found in 2 Chronicles, reports that a number of Israelites from northern tribes left the northern kingdom of Israel and defected to the southern kingdom of Judah during the fifteenth year of Asa, king of Judah (about 900 BC). In speaking of Asa, the record reports that "he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance" (2 Chronicles 15:9).

By Jeffrey R. Chadwick - Professor of Ancient Scripture
at BYU
Read the rest of this wonderful article at: http://www.maxwellinstitute.byu.edu