[It has become traditional for Sinaites to add variation to our Sabbath celebration by singing our liturgy every other Shabbat. As we have repeatedly explained, our worship music foundation comes from our Christian roots and so we merely borrow the music but revise the lyrics according to our Sinaite creed. We are indebted to Christian hymnodists for their beautiful tunes that ever reverberate in our musical memory. If you are familiar with these tunes, sing them; if not, recite them. Understandably, if you’re familiar with the original lyrics, the change is at first uncomfortable, but we agree with Hymnodists that one of the best ways to teach is through the hymns we sing. Shabbat shalom to all!—Admin1.]
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KINDLE THE SABBATH LIGHTS
Image from myjewishlearning.com
Blessed are You,
O YHWH our God,
King of the universe,
Who commanded us to set aside the Sabbath day,
to rest from our daily routine,
from our six days of work.
As we kindle our Sabbath lights,
we bless You back for blessing us with vision to see through the darkness that spread with the setting of Your magnificent sun from our horizon,
with hearts and minds that understand the need for Your Light to illumine our pathway through our life’s journey.
Your Torah is a light unto our path,
that brightens the way
that leads to our understanding of You
and who You are,
and how we are to relate to You,
and to ‘the other’, our neighbor, our fellowmen.
Blessed are You,
O YHWH, our God,
The Source of all LIGHT in our lives.
[Medley of Christian tunes, revised lyrics]
1a) Be still and know YAHUWAH is GOD (3X).
1b) YAHUWAH’s the LORD that healeth Thee (3X).
1c) In Thee Lord YAHUWAH, I put my trust (3X).
2. YHWH [YAHWEH] we love You we worship and adore You,
Glorify Your Name in all the earth,
glorify Your Name, glorify Your Name,
Magnify Your Name in all the earth.
3. We worship and adore You,
bowing down before You,
Songs and praises ringing, all our voices singing:
[If you haven’t yet entered “The Sabbath World”, this is as good a start as any. It has been called “a sanctuary in time” by Abraham Joshua Heschel and rightly so. It is a dimension in time that the Lord of the Sabbath, YHWH, the Creator Himself set apart to rest from His creative work and, as Revelator on Sinai, enshrined into the 4th of His 10 Declarations etched on tablets of stone.Who are we to ignore this sacred appointed time with the Master of the universe who has commanded that we rest from our labors, delight in His day, be joyful with family and friends, or even spend alone in a different way from the way we spend the other six days of our daily routine?
To this day there is confusion about which day is the Sabbath day. Why? Who changed it from the original 7th, as in Saturday? For the answer, simply go to any history book or google it. Now, as to HOW does one observe the Sabbath? Different religions have different traditions. The Jews have through the centuries developed their characteristic ways — it is family-oriented on erev (sundown Friday) and synagogue-centered on the Sabbath day. The basics are: YHWH, rest, joy, Torah.
Our little Sinaite community has settled into a Sabbath fellowship during which we initially incorporated some traditions of the Jewish Sabbath in our celebration. Then, just two months before the end of 2013, we added structured prayers and hymns before our meal and Torah study. We have shared each ‘liturgy’ on this website, and we hope that you visitors are benefitting from it in some way. For those who are exposed to our Sabbath liturgy for the first time, we reiterate that for the “musical” liturgy, we simply rewrite the lyrics of Christian hymn music we have grown accustomed to for all the decades we were Christ-centered Church-goers.
Shabbat Shalom to one and all, and have a YHWH-blessed 2020!–Admin1.]
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Image from www.chabad.org
Kindle the Sabbath Lights
O YHWH, LORD of the Sabbath,
As we celebrate new beginnings this new year,
we look back to the beginning of this world You created
and marvel at how Your wisdom and Your Creative design is so perfect
such that everything works in harmony and balance,
that species continue to perpetuate their own kind,
multiplying as You commanded.
We look back to the beginning of earthly time:
how You structured it according to
seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years,
designing seasons for predictable agricultural guidance,
that tillers of the soil might continue to produce food for human sustenance,
that all Your creatures might be fed from the bounties of nature.
You gave humanity the responsibility to tend ‘the garden’
Your world, and care for all its creatures,
and learn to work with the natural order rather than against it.
You thought of everything that would sustain life on earth,
and especially the life of Your ‘crown’ of creation — humankind.
We look to You with heartfelt gratitude,
O Creator of the universe,
for Your divine providence that benefit all living creatures and all humanity,
but specifically for the blessing You have been and continue to be
to all Sabbath-keepers who gather to remember
the first Sabbath that You celebrated
with the first man and woman, representative humanity.
What a joy and delight they must have felt to be in Your Presence,
and yet it is the same joy we feel today,
for blessing comes with simple obedience,
and we presume Your Presence in every gathering of Torah-keepers
who enter Your Sabbath world, Your dimension in time,
Your sanctified holy seventh day.
You, YHWH, You alone,
are the TRUE LORD of the Sabbath.
We acknowledge You, YHWH,
God of Israel, God of the nations,
LORD of lords, KING of kings,
as GOD and LORD of our Sinaite community.
Amen.
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The beginning of wisdom is reverence for God.
[Proverbs 1:7]
“Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches
But let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows
Me,
that I Am YHWH
Who exercises
kindness, justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the LORD.
(Jeremiah 9:23)
[Original Tune: “O Danny Boy”, revised lyrics]
Image from theconversation.com
1. I do not know why He, our God-Creator,
Whose words brought forth the universe we see,
All worlds in all the heavens, all the space between,
the skies above, the deep abyss, the sea.
Why God would make all humans in His image,
Why He would give free will, the right to choose,
to mortal men, with understanding limited,
Who could resist, defy, reject His Grace, His Will.
2. I do not know why God Who filled the heavens,
With sun and moon and stars to give earth light,
Who parted land and sea, filled each dominion,
with fish and fowl, with creatures big and small.
Why this great God would grant the highest favor,
in vesting man with power and self-will
to make the choice to disobey commandments,
And choose his will against his Maker and his Lord.
3. I do not know how God could love us sinners,
who hear His call, yet choose to go our way,
who turn away from blessings for obedience,
who choose what’s wrong instead of choosing right.
And yet the Source of Love, the Source of all good things,
The Source or Life Himself, our very breath,
All that He asks is turn to Him, repent and change,
And be restored to where we were before we sinned.
4. How can we serve, how can we love a God like this?
so filled with lovingkindness, endless grace,
Who tempers justice with so great a mercy,
Whose love for man, we cannot comprehend.
And yet we have within ourselves the will to turn
toward the path that leads us back to Him,
Repent and love Him, serve Him, please Him, live His Way,
For all He’s given, let us live for Him each day.
Image from teshuvaministries.net
O YHWH our God, we seek Your favor,
Your blessing upon our families —
[name them]
parents, husbands and wives, children, grandchildren, extended kin,
who are with us and those who are far away;
we seek Your providence and protection
and thank You for the blessing they have been to us.
We join Jewry and all gentile Sabbath-keepers in declaring:
“Blessed are You,
YHWH our God
King of the universe,
Creator of the fruit of the vine,
Creator of the bounties of nature that yield food for all creatures,
We thank You specially
for the food we will share at our Sabbath meal,
and for those who prepared it.
We join the Jewish people in saying:
L’Chaim! To life, and to the Giver of Life!
Sabbath Meal
Image from onehandedchef.wordpress.com
Image from www.beitsimcha.com
HAVDALAH
Oh YHWH,
Eternal God of new beginnings:
You have configured earthly time
to signal to time-conscious and time-bound humanity
that there are always opportunities to start over
with a new day, a new week, a new month, a new year;
whatever it is that we need to stop doing and start doing,
whatever it is in our life that we need to set aright,
even if we have taken the wrong direction,
fallen into bad habits, made wrong decisions,
been living unwisely resulting in unhappy and broken relationships,
stressing ourselves to the point it has negatively affected
our physical, mental, and spiritual health—
we can turn our direction around and start over.
You have given us the precious gift of free will
with the sole power to wield it according to our own choice,
so that at any point in our lives,
we could remain where we are, following a self-destructive course
that negatively affects us and those around us,
or,
we could repent of our wrongdoing and turn our course around
toward the right direction to the blessing of ourselves as well as others,
by aligning our will with Your Will.
As time continues to tick nonstop,
marking every second adding up to minutes and hours of each day,
may we ever be conscious that each moment instantly turns into a thing of the past,
and that we need to value the gift of the ‘present’ which is ever fleeting,
that we should not waste any precious moment—
irreplaceable time You give us —
on wasted opportunities we might never recover,
on meaningless and fruitless endeavors
that lead nowhere,
or amount to nothing
and benefit no one;
may we endeavor to spend Your time allotted to each of us
more wisely—
whether time at home or time at work,
time to keep busy and time for rest,
time alone and time with people,
family time and time for friendships,
time to pause and cease from our strivings,
time to welcomeYour Sabbath, the Queen of days,
time to seek You in prayer and in the study of Your Torah,
and simply time to be still and seriously ponder Your instructions for life,
where we have succeeded or failed in applying them.
May we spend more time studying Your Self-Revelation,
for there is no knowledge more important than the knowledge of You,
deeply appreciate Your goodness, loving-kindness and mercy,
reflect on Your Righteousness and Your Justice,
and be grateful for Your willingness to forgive the truly repentant soul.
O YHWH, Giver of second chances,
may we listen to Your Will for all humanity as expressed in Your Torah,
understand what it means to be truly considerate of others
and be ever conscious that we live in community,
thereby endeavor to be less self-centered and self-absorbed.
May we experience being in awe of who You are,
the Eternal and Timeless One, Creator God,
to understand Your acts in history,
be consciously aware of as many of Your attributes
as You have revealed in the Scriptures of Your chosen people,
that we might worship You and You alone
revere Your Name, YHWH,
and love You through our actions, not merely through words,
through obedience to Your revealed Will,
choosing to live Your Life
that we as Gentiles might also be bearers of Your Light,
to follow the mandate given to Israel in illuminating Your Way
so that others might discover the path leading to You
and thereby abandon gods of man’s own making.
In so doing, may it be —
that You will be pleased with the lives we have lived
so that our names will be written in Your Book of Life.
[Singing the Sabbath prayers seems to appeal to our website visitors, as evidenced by the statistics on our most popular posts. Indeed how much more delightful it is to set a Sabbath liturgy to music. So here’s another musical Sabbath to enjoy using traditional Christian hymn music but with revised lyrics in keeping with our Sinaite’s Creed (www.sinai6000.net). We often substitute the Tetragrammaton Name YHWH for the word LORD and, we have settled the pronunciation after much study, we pronounce it YAHUWAH and alternatively YAHWEH (for YHWH). —Admin1.]
Image from scentoffaith.com
KINDLE THE SABBATH LIGHTS
[Original Tune: O Come, O Come Emmanuel/Revised lyrics]
1. O come, O come, O God of Israel,
to gentiles of the nations bring Your Light.
For darkness rests in vision and in mind,
to those who see You not because they’re blind.
Rejoice, rejoice, those outside Israel,
YAHUWAH is the God of humankind.
2. O come O come, O Wisdom from on high,
Your thoughts are not our thoughts, this makes us sigh.
For how can mortal men with finite minds
begin to grasp Divinity on high.
Rejoice, rejoice, those outside Israel,
this Wisdom God imparts is here, it’s nigh.
3. All praise and thanks is due our Father God,
for all He’s done for all humanity.
He’s given all we need to find the Way,
the Path that leads to Him, from it don’t stray!
Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice O Israel,
just blaze the trail, lead Gentiles to the Way.
4. O come O God who’s chosen Israel,
reveal Your Will since none of us can tell . . .
What’s right from wrong, if there’s a heaven or hell,
so much confusion surely You can quell.
Rejoice, rejoice, those outside Israel,
God’s guiding Light likewise upon us fell.
5. You’re welcome Lord and King of Israel,
our minds and hearts and will, You could indwell.
Yet that is not the path You choose to take,
it is Your will if only for our sake . . .
to give us, leave us choices we should make—
our free will is our own, God will not take.
6. And so it’s our responsibility
to know His will and all that He has said.
That ancient pathway has been scarcely tread,
except by Israelites who have been fed–
with manna, Torah, God’s provisions all,
through wilderness and desert where He calls.
7. How long, how long it’s taken us to find,
a lifelong search for hungry hearts and minds,
We hardly know just where to turn and go,
how strange it is that all the while it’s so . . .
Rejoice, it’s here, that path has always been
before our eyes, if only we had seen.
BLESSINGS
Image from littlebirdieblessings.blogspot.com
[Tune: I love you Lord/revised lyrics]
Lord bless this wine,
symbol of our joy,
the joy we have knowing You,
our God,
We love You Lord, even more each day,
You’re the source of joy in our life, forevermore.
Lord bless this bread, it’s for us to share,
we bless You back for Your love and care,
each day, each week, every month and year,
on this Sabbath day, when we welcome You here!
Image from www.scrapsyard.com
Family Blessings
We ask You,
LORD YHWH,
God of the families represented here,
to bless each one of us: [Name]
husbands, wives,
parents, children,
relatives, in-laws.
We remember those who have once been part of our lives
but have moved on to Your pasture, O Shepherd of Israel!
O Giver of Life, Lord of our families, God of Sinaites,
we thank You for the gift of life, physical and spiritual;
we thank You for the family in which
You have birthed each one of us;
We thank You for allowing us to participate
in passing on the gift of life
to our children and grandchildren;
We earnestly pray —-
that each one of our loved ones
will come to know You as the One True God,
will call on Your Name, YHWH,
will live according to Your Torah,
and will worship You and You alone,
Amen!
Sabbath Meal
Image from towardblog.wordpress.com
Image from www.beitsimcha.com
HAVDALAH
[Original Tune: Lord I want to know You more/revised lyrics]
1. Just the time I think that I’m at peace in a world that’s fine,
I feel at ease, contented with myself and what is mine,
Then in my rest there comes a test that shakes me ’till again I know,
That what I had is not enough and again I’ve got to grow—-
Cho: Lord, I want to know You more,
deep within my heart I long to meet You,
see You, want to feel You,
Where to find You in this world,
I hear You speak Your Word, Your Revelation
Lord I long to love You more,
How I need to serve You more,
Worship You, obey You more.
2. My full supply I find as I move closer to the Truth of God,
to nourish me, to nurture me,
to strengthen will and mind,
I’ve truly grown but even so, my hunger hasn’t gone away,
For still I long, and still I thirst, to know You more each day . . .
[First posted in 2012; another timely seasonal clarification as we enter the season of “festival lights” — the answer to the title’s question is from the Sinaite’s perspective and understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures.—Admin1]
Image from build.radiantwebtools.com
Let us be absolutely clear about what Sinaites believe:
First of all, the Light of the World is YHWH.
Secondly, Israel has been called by YHWH Himself as His “light to the Gentiles.”
It is to Israel that the TORAH, instructions for living, guidelines, a Way of life was given for the enlightenment of all humankind as to righteousness and justice and interpersonal relationships.
Israel as a nation and as a people continue to be the light-bearer today as they have always been through the ages. Their Scriptures have been preserved and made available to all who wish to learn the Way of YHWH.
There is no other source of physical light, spiritual Light, the light of Divine Revelation, Absolute Truth, Illumination but YHWH.
if there are theophanies of YHWH as described in the Hebrew Scriptures, He is usually associated with Light — among others,
the burning bush that does not get extinguished,
the pillar of fire,
the Shekinah Glory,
the Consuming Fire.
Sample the following verses from the book of Isaiah/Yeshayahu and determine for yourself the answer to the question: Who is the “Light of the World”?
While we are featuring only the verses that specify who the “light” is, taking them out of their context from the whole book of Isaiah does not properly introduce nor indicate ‘who’ is the ‘servant’ of YHWH.
When you read chapters prior to or leading to these verses, you will discover and know unmistakably that the ‘servant’, as well as the ‘chosen’, is none other than Israel. With that established, these verses simply elaborate on what this ‘servant’ will do and be, so please keep that in mind as you read.
Any author does not suddenly change what he has consistently built up and surprise a reader with a sudden change in the identity of the ‘character’ or person or entity he has clearly defined and in fact named! There is no mystery in the identity of this ‘servant’ in Isaiah IF one reads the WHOLE book and not verses in isolation, divorced from their book context. In fact, the identity of that servant and that light is constantly validated in the Hebrew scriptures.
Notice as well that in the Hebrew translation [AST/Artscroll Tanach], when YHWH is speaking the pronoun referring to Him is the one capitalized, not the ‘servant’ and properly so! Notice as well that the ‘servant’ is referred to in the singular, collective Israel as a people as a nation is often referred to as one.
[AST] Isaiah 42:1-6
Behold My servant, whom I shall uphold, My chosen one, whom My soul desired; I have placed My spirit upon him so he can bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not shout nor raise his voice, nor make his voice heard in the street. He will not break [even] a bruised reed nor extinguish even flickering flax, but he will administer justice in truth. He will not slacken nor tire until he sets justice in the land and islands will long for his teaching.
Thus said the God, HaShem [YHWH],Who created the heavens and stretched them forth; Who firmed the earth and its produce, Who gave a soul to the people upon it, and a spirit to those who walk on it.
I am Hashem [YHWH]; I have called you with righteousness; I will strengthen your hand; I will protect you; I will set you for a covenant to the people, for a light to the nations; to open blind eyes; to remove a prisoner from confinement, dwellers in darkness from a dungeon.
I am HaShem; that is My Name; I shall not give My glory to another, not My praise to graven idols.
Behold the early [prophecies] have come about; now I relate new ones; before they sprout I shall let you hear [them].
[AST] Isaiah 49:6-7
He said: It is insufficient that you be a servant for Me [only] to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the ruins of Israel; I will make you a light for the nations, so that My salvation may extend to the ends of the earth.
Thus said HaShem [YHWH] the Redeemer of Israel and their Holy One, to the despised soul, to the one loathed by nations, to the servant of rulers: Kings will see [you] and arise; officers will prostrate themselves, because of HaShem [YHWH] Who is faithful and the Holy One of Israel, Who has chosen you.
AST note: According to most commentators, this verse begins a new prophecy.
When God redeems Israel, which has been “despised . . . loathed . . . a servant,” its disgrace will be ended and it will be honored by kings and rulers, who will recognize that the redemption came about “because of HASHEM [YHWH].” Alternatively, The prophet is still speaking of himself and the contempt with which his prophecies have been treated (Ibn Ezra).
[AST] Isaiah 60:1-3
Arise! Shine! for your light has arrived, and the glory of HaShem [YHWH] shines upon you.
For, behold, darkness may cover the earth and a thick cloud [may cover] the kingdoms, but upon you, HaShem [YHWH] will shine, and His glory will be seen upon you.
Nations will walk by your light and kings by the brilliance of your shine.
Lift up your eyes all around and see, they are all assembling and coming to you; your sons will arrive from afar and your daughters will be raised at [their] side.
Then you will see and be radiant, your heart will be startled and broadened, for the affluence of the West will be turned over to you, and the wealth of the nations will come to you.
Sinaite Comment:
During this holiday season, several of our former Christian/Messianic colleagues sent us “reminders” of what we had been taught in Christian/Messianic theology, concerned that we have lost our salvation, hopeful that we would turn around from this ‘apostasy’, this ‘falling away’, to borrow NT terminology for believers who were once ‘in Christ’ but have left the fold.
In fact, the harsh sounding term is ‘anti-christ’ which, if you think about it in its Hebrew context of ‘anti-messiah’, it aptly applies to us, for we have come to recognize that Jesus of Nazareth is not the long-awaited Messiah of Israel and that he is not YHWH. We have long moved on from these teachings; yet we will feature one article sent by the Gethsemane Olivet Fellowship, a messianic congregation whose ministry is to educate secular Jews of their unique heritage. Their ministry appears to be a worthy endeavor except that presumably their ultimate goal is to evangelize Jews to accept the Christian messiah who they consider is the true “light of the world” and the only Savior of mankind.
It is one thing for one religion to make claims based on its own canon of scriptures (in the case of Christianity, their New Testament); but it is quite another thing—-
to attach the scriptures of another people (Israel’s Hebrew Scriptures) yet, yet reject most of its foundational teachings and worse,
consider it irrelevant or passe by calling it “Old”
and use it as mere “prophecy” to their final “fulfillment”
and make all kinds of connections between the two;
change the very nature of the God Who spoke as Creator as well as Revelator on Sinai.
Still, in the interest of balance, we feature their teaching here:
“Light of the World”
By [source/name redacted]
This is the week between Hanukah and Christmas. We Messianic Jews are somewhat “caught” spiritually and culturally between the two. At our congregation in Jerusalem, Ahavat Yeshua, I taught on Yeshua as the light of the world and the connection with the lampstand of the Temple.
We do not know the date of Messiah’s birth. (Some calculate the date as Sukkot (Tabernacles) by the months from Aviyah’s priestly order (Luke 1:5, IChronicles 24:19) to Elizabeth’s pregnancy to Miriam’s pregnancy (Luke 1:24). This date has the added benefit of seeing Yeshua as “tabernacling” among us. However, with so many other international and local elements of Sukkot in Jerusalem, it is difficult to celebrate Messiah’s birth at that time.)
Hanukah starts the 25th of Kislev. Christmas is the 25th of December. The 25th word of Genesis in Hebrew is “Light.” If Yeshua was born on the 25th of December, then He was circumcised on January 1st (Luke 2:21). The 8th day of Hanukah, when all the lights are lit, occurs during the new moon of Tevat, making it the darkest night of the darkest month in the Hebrew calendar.
God created light in Genesis 1:3 on the first day. Yet the sun and stars were not created until the fourth day. The light of the first day has spiritual significance beyond physical creation.
This spiritual light was prophesied to come into the world to be seen by men living in spiritual darkness (Isaiah 9:1). This light was to come in the form of a “child to be born, a son to be given” (Isaiah 9:5). The light of that child will spread to a group of people who will shine with glory in the end times in the midst of great spiritual darkness over all the nations (Isaiah 60:1-3).
The Child-Light was to be born to the house of David, destined to be the king of Israel and the head of the Church – this is Yeshua! He is the Light of the world (John 8:12; 9:5). God spoke at creation to release the light; the word was the light; the word was with God at the beginning; the word and the light and God are all one. Yeshua is the word and the light of God coming into this world. Through Him we receive grace and truth and life (John 1:1-18).
The Menorah lampstand is described in the Torah (Exodus 25:31-40) – how it is to be built and how it is to be lit. In Zechariah 4:2-3, the lampstand is given further prophetic symbolism, pointing toward the Messiah. (The lampstand and olive branches form the basis of the logo of the modern state of Israel.) The priestly symbolism is given in the Torah; its spiritual meaning is revealed in the New Covenant.
In Revelation 1:12-20 the glorified Messiah stands in the midst of 7 golden lampstands. The lampstands represent a group of people, glorified together with the Messiah. They are the ecclesia (Church), the community of saints, and the greater commonwealth of Israel. The symbols of the Torah, the visions of the Prophets, and the revelations of the New Covenant are all part of the same biblical tapestry.
Hanukah tells the history of the Maccabees. They fought against the pagan emperor Antiochus in order to restore a Davidic kingdom in Israel and priestly worship in a purified Temple. The story of the miraculous oil for the lampstand is recorded only in later rabbinic writings. While the themes of kingdom and light have major importance in the New Covenant, the holiday of Hanukah is mentioned only briefly (John 10:22).
The birth of Messiah is a turning point in world history, not to mention a peak moment of Jewish history. Yeshua is the light of the world. When flames of fire came down upon the heads of the early disciples (Acts 2:3), they became the first fulfillment of the Temple lampstand. Let us follow in their footsteps so that the world may see the light of Messiah through us.
Dear reader, it is up to each of us, given two sides to ponder, to decide what to believe or not. The purpose of this website is to make you think beyond the confines and limitations of religious orientation and to encourage you to expand your horizons in terms of biblical knowledge and interpretation. Ultimately, each of us decides for ourself what path to take — the same pathway we have been on, or another.
The Light of God shines brightly and has done so since His revelation . . . . have you ‘seen’ that Light?
[First posted December 2013. We are resurrecting this topic for the benefit of one Sinaite who had dropped out of our community in 2014 for medical reasons and became home-bound, unable to attend our Shabbat meetings. Not a computer-user, she had no access to updated articles on the continuing series of teachings in our website. We realized that she might not have completely absorbed, if not understood the main reason we broke away from our Christian roots; strange, for she was part of the original “apostates.” But to her credit, still hungry for biblical truth, her only recourse was to watch what was available on televised religious programs, dominated mainly by various Christian sects which have discovered the far-reaching influence of what used to be called the “idiot box”. She contacted us after being shaken by a Christian tele-evangelist who explained that Isaiah 9:6 is PROOF that Jesus Christ was foretold in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Here’s the answer given to her (by phone), a timely reminder for those who might also be confused by Christian re-interpretation of the Hebrew Bible. Remember that the “Old Testament”–the first part of the Christian Bible and the so-called ‘Messianic Jewish Bible’–is intentionally reconstructed to be forward-looking and therefore, is often mistranslated whether consciously or unconsciously, by Christian translators. Just as bad or wrong translations could lead to trouble and misunderstanding in simple conversation, all the more MISTRANSLATED FOUNDATIONAL VERSES lead to WRONG THEOLOGY!
Best to resort to the original Hebrew Bible, the TNK (Tanach, Tanakh), translated by Jews who read IN CONTEXT, understand Biblical Hebrew, and who have no religious agenda other than to faithfully record and pass on the original instructions of the God Who gave Israel His Torah. Where to go? We’ve ‘been-there-done-that’ so we recommend the specific translations we use here: The ArtScroll Stone Edition Tanach; Everett Fox and Robert Alter’s individual translations with the same title: The Five Books of Moses; both have ongoing projects translating the whole TNK.
We asked the same question (on our title) back in 2010 when we started checking out Christian “prooftexts”. Indeed, what did we know then? We were on the TNK-ignorant level, confused by the Christian Old Testament of our 2-part Bible which was the only bible we had at the beginning of our re-direction toward the Sinai Revelation. We were unfamiliar with Part I of our Christian Bible, except for memorizing those “prooftexts” constantly cited by Christian teachers/pastors. Really and truly, who cared to read the “Old” Testament that the apostle Paul himself referred to as passe and obsolete, and that Christian bible teachers cite as “for Jews”, just like the Sabbath, just like “OT Law”? No wonder, hardly any sincere Truth-seeking Christian ventures back to the so-called “foundational scriptures” on which the “new” was based! It’s “OLD” you see?
How far have we progressed since! But looking back which is always good to do on any pilgrimage, in hindsight our first recourse was the correct recourse which was and continues to be: consult Jewish scholars when you can’t figure it out for yourself. And that is why we listed the Jewish links we first consulted, which helped us to get going on our own fresh reading of YHWH’s TORAH, and the Jew’s Sacred Scriptures, rightly called TNK or the Hebrew Scriptures. Do you know that Jews do not read the “Old Testament” (what???!!!); what they read is the TNK.
Sorry for our “kilometric introductions” in this website but we do have a lot of ground to cover for some topics we revisit. Finally, hereunder was the answer of Rabbi M. Younger, of Ask the Rabbi at Aish.comto the Question on our title. For other Q&A’s submitted to Ask the Rabbi, check this out:
Question:Who is the Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace of Isaiah 9:6? Is it Jesus?
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Shalom –
Thank you for your question.
The proper translation is,
“For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us and the dominion will rest on his shoulder; the Wondrous-Adviser- Mighty-G-d- Eternal-Father, called his name Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:5)
Taken in context, it is clear who the verse is referring to – King Hezekiah.
We mustn’t forget that Isaiah lived in the days of Hezekiah and many of these prophecies are directed to him or to the Jews who lived at that time.
In other words, ” the Wondrous-Adviser- Mighty-G-d-Eternal-Father ” is G-d! And He called Hezekiah the “Prince of Peace.”
To learn more, read the sixth chapter of the book “Their Hollow Inheritance” by Michael Drazin. You can read this book for free at www.drazin.com.
To read an excellent translation of the Bible, by the “Artscroll Stone Tanach” published by Artscroll. You can purchase it at www.artscroll.com.
but be lived out in the context of all relationships:
“Peace on earth, goodwill to men”
May love and compassion,
forgiveness and reconciliation,
tolerance and respect for one another,
and specially the ‘other’—
Be part of this season’s gatherings;
for Torah life,
prescribed by the Source and Giver of Life
is what will ultimately bring—
‘Joy to the world!’
As Christendom celebrates
their ‘reason for the season’,
May—
Israel’s Star of David,
The modern symbol of Your firstborn son,
shine even brighter
as a beacon leading to YOU,
the God of all humanity,
So that the reborn nation of Israel
and the Gentile nations
may know and acknowledge You;
So that Christianity, Islam and other world religions
may rediscover You
as You have revealed Yourself
in Your Sinai revelation
and through the Prophets of Israel.
May they worship You,
and live Your Torah life,
For only then might there be
true peace on earth,
and enduring goodwill
toward all humanity.
May Your Name be known
and Your Name be praised,
O YHWH,
And may You be glorified by worshippers
who seek You in world religions,
For You alone deserve honor,
You alone have power,
You are the One and Only God,
Creator, Master and Sustainer of the universe,
the Source of Existence.
Amen.
Hymn of Praise
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[Original Lyrics except for vs.3, line 4]
1. Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
hearts unfold like flow’rs before Thee,
hail Thee as the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness,
drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
fill us with the light of day!
2. All thy works with joy surround Thee,
earth and heav’n reflect Thy rays;
Stars and angels sing around Thee,
Center of unbroken praise;
field and forest, vale and mountain,
blossoming meadow, flashing sea,
chanting bird and flowing fountain,
call us to rejoice in Thee!
3. Thou art giving and forgiving,
ever blessing, ever blest,
Wellspring of the joy of living,
ocean depth of happy rest!
[Thou art God, Thy Name is Yahuwah]
all those who live in love are Thine,
Teach us how to love each other,
lift us to the joy divine.
4. Mortals, join the mighty chorus
which the morning stars began;
Father Love is reigning o’er us,
brother love binds man to man
Ever-singing, march we onward,
victors in the midst of strife;
Joyful music lifts us sunward
in the triumph song of life!
BLESSINGS
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The year-end season of joy is upon us!
This bread we share and this wine we drink symbolize our joy and our gratitude to the Giver of Blessings,
for truly we are blessed in so many ways:
in knowing YHWH our God,
in living His Torah,
in linking with like-minded believers.
We are thankful—-
for the daily nourishment available from the Creator’s bountiful provisions which sustain health and prolong life;
for the necessities of living not only for daily existence and survival but even for pleasure;
for the words for life from the Tree of Life—the Torah;
We thank YHWH for giving us freedom of choice,
for not leaving us ignorant but for leading us to use that freedom with individual and collective responsibility,
for providing general guidance and specific instructions on how to use that freedom for what is good, for what is right, for what is just, particularly toward the ‘other’ and not only or always for ourself.
We thank YHWH —
for keeping the pathway open for all true-seekers to discover Him,
for providing access to knowledge about Him,
for giving us minds to comprehend His Sinai Revelation
and through that understanding, the wisdom to apply His instructions in our daily living.
We thank YHWH for loved ones, [name them]
whether near or far,
who are in this life or moved on the next,
we thank YHWH for our family.
To life, l’chaim!
SHABBAT MEAL
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HAVDALAH
God, where shall I find Thee,
Whose glory fills the universe?
Behold I find Thee–
Wherever the mind is free to follow its own bent,
Wherever the words come out from the depth of truth,
Wherever tireless striving stretches
its arms toward perfection,
Wherever men struggle for freedom and right,
Wherever the scientist toils
to unbare the secrets of nature,
Wherever the poet strings pearls of beauty in lyric lines,
Wherever glorious deeds are done.
[Source: Reconstructionist Prayer Book,
A Modern Treasury of Jewish Thoughts:
An Inspiring Collection of Writings on Jewish Deed, Doctrine, and Destiny.]
Image from israelity.com
Shabbat shalom to our Sianite, Messianic, Christian friends
and all non-religionists who celebrate the Sabbath of YHWH —
[First posted 6 years ago, in 2013. Here’s the original Introduction:
‘Kindness must not be abused.’ This applies from fellowman to fellowman but even more so from us toward our gracious Creator from Whose Hands all FREE necessities flow: air we breathe, water we drink, food from the earth, sunshine so necessary for growth of all living things, and needless to say, our very life. How much of it do we take for granted? And what about the kindness experienced from benevolent persons who are mere conduits of the kindness, mercy and grace of God, for whom they do what they do? Surely they do so in loving appreciation of God’s benevolence towards them, such that they pass it on to others in need. As for other regulations reiterated in this chapter, the translationsays it like it is—‘a night accident’ and instruction on how to dispose of human waste. You will read about things that you might think have no place in the Word of God, but since the Creator and Revelator chooses to regulate every aspect of His chosen people’s life, there is no ‘censored’ part of living that is not dealt with in His instructions. Still, some of the instructions might appear strange to us today — our society and culture and mores are so far removed from those days of antiquity, yet some things never change, namely one: humankind. Let us not think that our modernized living makes us any different from people of past times, human nature is so predictable . . . in fact we read it in history like a cycle that repeats itself and why? Who was it who said that when we don’t learn from history we are bound to repeat it? This chapter, as all the previous ones, is an eye-opener in terms of the Torah requirements in all areas of living. Commentary here is from the best of Jewish minds as collected in one resource book by Dr. J.H. Hertz, Pentateuch and Haftorahs; our translation of choice is EF/Everett Fox, The Five Books of Moses.—Admin1.]
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Deuteronomy/Davarim 23
1. PROHIBITION OF MARRIAGE WITH STEPMOTHER
This law was aimed at the ancient heathen custom of inheriting women in the same way as other possessions of the deceased.
1 A man is not to take-in-marriage the wife of his father, that he not expose the skirt of his father.
his father’s skirt. Or, ‘his father’s bedcover’; a euphemism for marital relation; see Ruth, III,9.
2-9. CLASSES EXCLUDED FROM CONGREGATION
2 One-wounded by crushing, or cut-off (in the) sperm-organ, is not to enter the assembly of YHVH.
enter into the assembly of the LORD. He shall not therefore be permitted to marry an Israelite woman. The first to be excluded are the self-mutilated or unsexed in the service of some heathen cult. Isa. LVI,3 speaks of men whose mutilation was not voluntary.
3 A mamzer is not to enter the assembly of YHVH; even (to) the tenth generation no one from him is to enter the assembly of YHVH.
bastard. This does not mean a child born out of wedlock, but the child of an adulterous or incestuous marriage (i.e. one with the forbidden degrees of kinship as laid down in Lev. XVIII and XX).
tenth generation. i.e. never. The numeral ‘ten’ here denotes an indefinitely large number; Gen. XXXI,7.
4 An Ammonite or a Moabite is not to enter the assembly of YHVH; even to the tenth generation no one from them is to enter the assembly of YHVH, for the ages,
Ammonite or a Moabite. From the use of the masculine and not the feminine, the Talmud deduces that it is only the male Ammonite and the male Moabite that are excluded. But the females could, after proselytization, marry male Israelites; e.g. Ruth, who was a Moabitess, entered the Jewish fold and became the ancestress of King David.
According to the Rabbis this prohibition in regard to the admission of Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Egypt into the community ceased with Assyrian conquest, which drove the inhabitants from their original homes and led to a commingling of tribes and races.
5 on account that they did not greet you with food and with water on the way, at your going-out from Egypt, and because he hired against you Bil’am son of Be’or from Petor, (in) Aram Of-the-Two-Rivers, to curse you.
with bread. In Deut. II,29, the Moabites sold the bread and water to the Israelites. As for the Ammonites, there is no record of their willingness to do even as much for them.
they hired. In the Heb. the singular is used, because Moab alone hired Balaam against Israel; Num. XXIII,5.
6 But YHVH your God was not willing to hearken to Bil’am, and YHVH your God turned for you the curse into a blessing, for YHVH your God loves you.
turned the curse. See Num. XXIII,11,25, and XXIV,10.
7 You are not to seek their peace or their well-being, all your days, for the ages!
nor seek their place. i.e. thou shall not invite them to be on terms of amity with thee; as a punishment for their inhuman treatment of Israel. ‘Not hatred, but indifference, is commanded here'(Oettli).
8 You are not to abominate an Edomite, for he is your brother; you are not to abominate an Egyptian, for you were a sojourner in his land.
thy brother. Thy blood-brother, therefore must not be placed under a ban of exclusion.
an Egyptian. The oppression of the Egyptians was the act of the Pharaohs rather than the will of the people. Israel had found a home in Egypt, and the Israelites were ‘guests’ in that land. For this the Egyptians must be remembered with gratitude. National gratitude is as rare as national self-criticism: Israel is the classical example of both.
stranger. here in the meaning of ‘guest’.
9 Children that are born to them, in the third generation, may enter from them the assembly of YHVH.
10-25. MISCELLANEOUS LAWS – A Second Group
10-15. HOLINESS OF THE CAMP
10 When you go out as a camp against your enemies, take-you-care against anything evil.
every evil thing. This refers to both personal and moral pollution. The camp was hallowed by the Divine Presence, and must therefore be a place of purity. Uncleanliness leads to ungodliness. Morals, religion, and even the elementary rules of sanitation, were absent in ancient camps. It was to be otherwise in Israel.
11 If there should be among you a man who is not ritually-pure, (because of) a night accident, he is to go outside the camp; he is not to come into the midst of the camp.
chanceth him by night. See Lev. XV,16.
12 Now it shall be toward the turn of sunset: he is to wash with water, and when the sun has come in, he may come (back) into the midst of the camp. 13 An area you should have, outside the camp, where you may go, outside:
a place. ‘A prepared place’ (Targum). Sanitation is of vital importance in a camp. In this respect also, the Mosaic Law is thousands of years in advance of its age.
14 a spike you should have, along with your weapon; and it shall be, when you sit outside (to relieve yourself), you are to dig with it, and when you return, you are to cover up your excrement. 15 For YHVH your God walks about amid your camp, to rescue you, to give your enemies before you; so the camp is to be holy, so that he does not see among you anything of “nakedness” and turn away from you.
unseemly thing. lit. ‘nakedness of anything’; i.e. anything that one would be ashamed of.
turn away from thee. The camp must be ‘holy’, otherwise there is no place in it for God.
16-17. FUGITIVE SLAVES
The number of slaves was comparatively small in Israel; and the slave-trade could not have been extensive, since no slave-markets are mentioned in Scripture. Slaves had human rights in Jewish law, and were generally well-treated. In all Jewish history, there is no record of a servile insurrection, nor of runaway slaves. In the latter case, he was not to be restored to his master. ‘What an honourable contrast to the law of Hammurabi, which condemned to death anyone who sheltered a runaway slave!’ (McFadyen). Among the Greeks and Romans the runaway bondman was, on recapture, branded with a red-hot iron. Readers of Uncle Tom’s Cabin will remember that, as late as the middle of the last century, fugitive slaves were tracked and pursued by bloodhounds. In this Mosaic law, however, we have the same legislation which it is the peculiar boast of England to have introduced into the modern world: ‘Slaves cannot breathe in England . . . they touch our country, and their shackles fall’ (Cowper).
On the position of the slave in Greece and Rome:
Wayyiqrah XXV.46. SLAVERY
[The system of slavery, which is tolerated by the Torah was fundamentally different from the cruel systems of the ancient world, and even of Western countries down to the middle of the last century. The Code of Hammurabi has penalties only for the master who destroys the tooth or eye of another man’s slave. It orders that a slave’s ear be cut off, if he desires freedom; while to harbour a runaway slave was considered a capital offence. As to Greece, a slave was deemed ‘an animated tool’, and he could claim no more rights in his relationship to his master than a beast of burden. Agricultural labourers were chained. If at any time it was thought that there were too many slaves, they were exterminated, as wild beasts would be. Athens was an important slave market, and the State profited from it by a tax on the sales. So much for ‘the glory that was Greece’. The ‘grandeur that was Rome’ was even more detestable. The slave was denied all human rights, and sentenced to horrible mutilation and even crucifixion at the whim of his master. Sick slaves were exposed to die of starvation, and there was corporate responsibility for slaves: “Tacitus records that as late as the Empire the 400 slaves of one household were all put to death because they had been under their master’s roof when he was murdered. Worlds asunder from these inhumanities and barbarities was the treatment accorded to the Hebrew slave. The position of Eliezer in Abraham’s household (Gen. XXIV) enables us to realize the nature of servitude in the ancient Hebrew home. Kidnapping a man or selling him as a slave was a capital offence. Cruelty on the part of the master that resulted in injury to an organ of the body secured the slave’s freedom (Exod. XXI,26); and if a slave ran away he must not be surrendered to his master (Deut. XXIII,16). A Fugitive Slave Law, such as existed in America, with the tracking of runaway slaves by bloodhounds would have been unthinkable to the Israelite of old.]
Among the Greeks, slave-hunting was a not unfamiliar sport among them. As to Rome, Seneca records that the most gruesome punishments—torture, crucifixion, being thrown to the wild beasts in the arena—were inflicted on the slave for slight misdoings. Even the Stoics debated whether in a shipwreck one should sacrifice a valuable horse to save a slave. The Romans could not understand the humane treatment which the Judeans extended to their slaves. During the Hadrianic persecutions, one of the grave counts against Rabbi Eleazar ben Perata was that he had set free his slaves.
16 You are not to hand over a serf to his lord who has sought-rescue by you from his lord.
a bondman. A fleeing non-Israelitish slave, seeking refuge in Palestine from the harsh treatment of an unjust master, Jew or non-Jew, outside Palestine.
17 Beside you let him dwell, among you, in the place that he chooses, within one of your gates (that) seems good for him; you are not to maltreat him!
with thee. He was not only free, but was to be protected and helped to earn his livelihood and lead a useful life.
within one of thy gates. In any city of Israel, in any part of the land.
not wrong him. Better, not vex him, by words; this forbids wounding his feelings by speaking mockingly of his past or his race; see Lv. XIX,33.
18-19 IMMORALITY
18 There is to be no holy-prostitute of the daughters of Israel, there is to be no holy-prostitute of the sons of Israel.
harlot. In Canaanite cults, there were males and females who committed acts of immorality as part of the idolatrous worship.
19 You are not to bring the fee of a whore or the price of a dog to the house of YHVH your God, for any vow; for an abomination to YHVH your God are the two-of-them!
hire of a harlot. The profits, either in money or kind, earned in an infamous way must not be brought to the Sanctuary in fulfilment of a vow or for any other religious purpose.
a dog. The Semitic term for a male person who practised immoral conduct as a religious rite. The Rabbis, however, took the phrase in its literal sense, as anything obtained in exchange for a dog.
abomination. We dishonour God with gifts secured by unrighteous and impure means.
20-21 INTEREST
Israel is a brotherhood whose sons are linked together by kindly feeling. Hence, an Israelite must lend money to a necessitous brother without expectation of any profit whatsoever. It is otherwise in the case of the alien merchant, who requires money not to relieve his poverty but as a business investment; Exod. XXII,24 and Lev. XXV,36,37.
20 You are not to charge interest to your brother, interest in silver, interest in food, interest in anything for which you may charge-interest.
not lend upon interest. lit. ‘not exact interest,’ moderate or excessive.
‘One of the great duties of charity is here prescribed—to assist persons in reduced circumstances with timely loans, so that they may be enabled to maintain themselves by their own industry, without resorting to the degrading necessity of accepting alms. If the poor man was to derive any real assistance from the loan granted him, it was absolutely indispensable that no more was to be required of him than the actual amount that had been lent’ (H. Adler).
21 The foreigner you may charge-interest, but your brother you may not charge-interest, in order that YHVH your God may bless you in all the enterprises of your hand on the land that you are entering to possess.
unto a foreigner thou mayest lend upon interest. In contrast to the resident alien, the ‘foreigner’ could not very well be expected, in a year which the Israelites celebrated as a Release Year, to remit the debt of his Israelitish debtor. Nor could he be expected to lend money to his Israelitish customer without taking interest. If an equal basis for trading between Israelites and foreigners was to be established, it could be attained onl in this way: that the restrictions of the Release Year and the law of interest that were not binding on the foreigner a priori were also void for the Israelite, in so far as trade with foreigners was concerned’ (Guttman).
This permission to exact interest from a foreigner applied only to sums borrowed for mercantile purposes. When the Gentile needed the money for his subsistence, there was no longer any difference between Israelite and foreigner. ‘And if thy brother be waxen poor, and his means fail with thee; then thou shalt uphold him: as a stranger and a settler shall he live with thee. Take thou no interest of him or increase; but fear thy God’ (Lev. XXV,35,36). The Talmud maintains the interest prohibition throughout, even in regard to foreigners; and nowhere do we find stronger condemnation of the usurer than in Rabbinical literature. The Rabbis teach that the testimony of a usurer must not be accepted in a court of justice. He is classed in the same category with thieves and professional gamblers. These noble sentiments in regard to usury only deepen the moral tragedy of the Jew in the Middle Ages. Debarred from normal means of livelihood, money dealings were forced upon him throughout Christian Europe. ‘If we prohibit the Jews from following trades and other civil occupations, we compel them to become usurers,’ said Martin Luther. When, on the eve of the French Revolution, the National Assembly hesitated in emancipating the Jews, because of the charge of usury, a noted delegate, the Abbe Gregoire, pleaded: “O nations, if you record the past faults of the Jews, let it be to deplore your own work.’ However, if much may be brought forward in extenuation of the past, nothing can be said in defence of contemporary Jewish money-lender. ‘No amount of money given in charity, nothing but the abandonment of this hateful trade, can atone for this great sin against God, Israel, and Humanity’ (H. Adler).
not lend. Rabbinic law forbids the Jewish lender to demand interest from Jew and non-Jew alike, and forbids the Jewish borrower from a Jew to pay it.
22-13. VOWS
22 When you vow a vow to YHVH your God, you are not to delay paying it, indeed, YHVH your God will require, yes, require it of you, and it shall be (reckoned) a sin in you.
not be slack to pay it. The sacred and binding character of the vow is given in Num. XXX,3.
No one is under any obligation to make a vow. It is a purely voluntary act; but once made, it must be faithfully fulfilled. Ecclesiastes (v,4) says, ‘Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.’
23 But if you hold-back-from vowing, it shall not be (considered) a sin in you. 24 What issues from your lips, you are to keep, and you are to do as you vowed to YHVH your God, willingly, as you promised with your mouth.
that which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt observe. ‘You must be careful to perform any promise you have made’ (Moffatt). A much-needed warning as to he sacred duty of keeping one’s word.
25 When you come into the vineyard of your neighbor, you may eat (the) grapes, according to your appetite, until your being-satisfied, but in your vessel you may not put (any).
25-26. IN A NEIGHBOUR’S FIELD AND VINEYARD
as thine own pleasure. The passerby may pick and eat as much as his appetite demands, but no more. The Rabbis limit this privilege to the labourer who is engaged in gathering in the grapes.
vessel. The bag or wallet into which field or garden produce was put. Hunger, not greed, may be satisfied. Kindness must not be abused.
26 When you come into the standing-grain of your neighbor, you may pluck off ears with your hand, but a sickle you are not to swing above the grain of your neighbor.
[First posted July 31, 2012. We used to believe, like some “religionists” that we all worship the same God, as long as we believe that there is a God, or that God exists. Do we really worship the same God? Name your God and we will name our God and let us determine if we do worship the same God! The word “God” is universal, referring to a deity in any belief system that accepts the existence of a superior spiritual being who is to be worshipped and obeyed, if the worshippers know any commandments their God has issued for them to live by. This post will, hopefully, clear up that generalization that we all worship the same God. Related posts for those who wish to read more from this author:
This is part of the continuing series from James D. Tabor’s opening chapter “Knowing God” in his book Restoring Abrahamic Faith—a MUST-HAVE book for your personal library, available on the web at jamestabor.com or www.Genesis2000.org. —Admin1.]
—————–
Of the countless thousands of deities throughout history, and the endless ideas different individuals have about God, how can one speak of truly knowing the ONE true GOD? The term God is used in so many ways. For many people, the whole idea of “God” is vague and somehow unreal. After all, can anyone really say they absolutely know God? How could one possibly be sure?
It is certainly the case that we learn something about the awesome greatness and power of God by looking at our created universe, from the vast billions of galaxies to the absolutely breathtaking complexity and wonder of organic DNA-based life on our own planet, to our own internal capacity to know and feel and reason. One can look at “nature” itself and come away with a sense of profound awe and wonder. It is a naive view of “evolution” to assume that “science” has somehow explained the workings of our world on the basis of a reductionistic, materialistic, mechanistic process that operates purely by chance. The very “nature” of Nature itself points us to something beyond, to complex forces that appear to be purposeful and intelligent.
[Footnote: On the subject of “Creation and Evolution” see Michael Pitman Adam and Evolution (London: Rider & Co., 1984) and Michael J. Behe, Darwin’s Black Box (New York: The Free Press, 1996).]
Yet, from nature alone, we could never know God in the way the Hebrew Bible speaks of this ONE who created all things. Nature points beyond itself, but can one say to what or to whom? It is here that the Hebrew Bible puts forth a rather singular and unique claim.
According to these ancient texts God speaks to human beings and has acted in the concrete arena of human history. But even more to the point, the Hebrew Bible claims that God revealed Himself clearly and dramatically, once for all, in the time of Moses, at Mt. Sinai, when Israel was delivered from slavery in Egypt. This particular revelation was like no other before or since. It is constantly referred to by the later Prophets and in the Psalms. It was axial, absolutely fundamental, and never to be superseded or forgotten. This is not just one more “O.T. Bible story,” that one can quickly skim over as “background” to the New Testament. Rather, given the Biblical story, this Sinai Revelation is the bedrock foundation of the ancient BIBLICAL FAITH. Without a deep understanding of this core revelation at Sinai one will never understand and know God as revealed in the Hebrew Bible.
This special revelation comes directly through Moses, “the meekest man on earth,” when he was 80 years old (Numbers 12:3). Initially, God appeared to him in the Sinai area as a voice speaking in the first person from a fiery burning bush. Notice in the text how God first identifies Himself in the most personal and direct way:
“I am the God of your father the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
And Moses hid his face,
for he was afraid to look upon God.
(Exodus 3:6)
The way God describes Himself here is striking. He is not merely the Creator, or the First Cause, or a cosmic Power or Force. God is the intimate, personal God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—a definite family line through which He reveals Himself. To speak of the “God of Abraham” is to claim that the ONE GOD, the Creator, has involved Himself specifically in an unfolding historical PLAN. In other words, He will be known and understood through the concrete historical experiences of His chosen people. This is in contrast to philosophical inquiry or the various individual paths of seeking the “Divine” that one might pursue.
God told Moses that he is to return to Egypt and deliver the Israelites from their slavery, bringing them to the land of Canaan that had been promised to Abraham. Moses was hesitant and offered many objections. One of these is particularly noteworthy. Moses protested that if he goes to the Israelites and tells them that the God of their fathers has appeared to him, they will ask, “What is his name?” In other words, they will want this God to be identified. At that point God told Moses:
Thus you shall say to the people of Israel, “YHWH the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My Name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations”
(Exodus 3:15).
How remarkable! God appears to Moses, speaks directly in the first person, and most important, He identifies Himself by name. God actually has a Name, just as Moses, Abraham, David, or any other human being has an identifying name. The Name here, represented by the four Hebrew consonants: Y H V H [יהוה] is called the Tetragrammaton. It is used nearly 6000 times in the Hebrew Bible. It is a compound of the Hebrew verb hayah, “to be.” The meaning appears to be “The One Who Will Be/Is/Was,” combined into a single Name.
[Footnote: The Jehovah’s Witnesses have a little booklet titled “The Divine Name that will Endure Forever” which is an excellent popular introduction to the historical background and manuscript traditions related to the Sacred Name: Watch Tower Society, 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn NY 11201.]
For centuries, devout Jews have considered this Name too sacred to pronounce, and have substituted the term “Adonai” (Lord) in prayer, and the Hebrew word “HaShem” (which means “the Name”) in normal discourse.
Most modern Bible translations have rendered it by the title LORD, written in all capital letters, but this translation is misleading and problematic. The word “Lord” is clearly not a name, nor does it mean anything even related to the four-lettered Name of God in Hebrew. Such a translation confuses this very definite proper Name of God with the title, Lord (adon in Hebrew), which means “Master” or “Sir.” Referring to God as “the LORD” has also led Christians for centuries to confuse the notion of the Davidic Messiah who is called Lord or Master (Greek/Lord) with the Divine Name YHVH. There is no connection between these titles of respect used for human beings, and the Divine Name, reserved only for God. . . .the Messiah is “YHVH’s anointed one,” the Davidic King, and certainly the prime agent of YHVH, but he is never to be confused with YHVH Himself (see Psalms 2:2; 110:1). Using the Name YHVH eliminates any ambiguity regarding God and his chosen one or Messiah.
The important point here is that God reveals Himself by Name, and not by just any name, but by this AWESOME Sacred Name that belongs only to Him. There is a great difference between saying “I am the LORD” AND “I am YHVH.” The latter is personal and direct. It immediately calls forth a unique and singular understanding of the ONE GOD—identifying the ETERNAL ONE by Name. Notice, in the above quotations from Isaiah, how God uses this Name constantly, in the first person “I am YHVH, there is none besides Me.” The Scriptures speak of “calling upon the Name YHVH” which conveys a completely different meaning when translated as “calling upon the Name of the LORD” (Joel 2:32). The latter raises the question—what is the name upon which one is to call? But the phrase in Hebrew says literally—calling upon the Name YHVH. There are many so-called “gods” and “lords” upon whom people call. We hear constant talk of “the Lord” doing this or “the Lord” being asked to do that. One should always ask, just who is this “Lord?” What is His Name? Notice Jeremiah 33:2-3 with this in mind:
“Thus says YHVH who made the earth YHVH who formed it to establish it, YHVH is His Name, “Call to Me, and I will answer you and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
This is quite an extraordinary declaration. To literally call upon YHVH” leads one into an intimate relationship with the very Creator God, not as some kind of magical incantation, but as a reflection of intimacy and conceptual clarity.
Pronouncing the Name of God
The precise pronunciation of the Divine Name is uncertain. Traditionally, Judaism has shunned any vocalization of the Name. Jews came to believe that this Holy Name of God should never be pronounced publicly or written out with vowels. One positive result of this prohibition against the profanation among the various nations fo the world. One never hears anyone swear by the Name YHVH, while the terms “God,” “Lord,” and “Jesus Christ” are among the most frequently used bywords in our language. Perhaps this Jewish practice was guided by the Providence of God, if not directly stipulated by the prophet Jeremiah in the 6th century B.C.E. when Judah was taken into Exile (see Jeremiah 44:26). One can learn from this and approach this Holy Name of God with extreme respect and reverence.
There are several “Sacred Name” groups, most all of whom are believers in Jesus that argue for various “correct” pronunciations of the Name.
[Footnote: Some of these groups refer to Jesus as Yahshua, although his Hebrew name is Yehoshua, or the shortened form Yeshua. The form Yahshua is impossible in Hebrew and ignores the second syllable, represented by the letter “vav” as explained below.]
Some of these maintain that God will not respond unless one uses the correct pronunciation of His Name. Most seem to prefer the pronunciation YAHWEH, and indeed, this vocalization has the support of the majority of scholars. Others argue for such possibilities as YEHOAH, YAHUWEH or YAHUEH; YAHUWAH or YAHUVAH; YAHVAH or YAHWAH, and so forth. As is clear from these examples, not only are the proper vowels disputed, but also there is much discussion as to whether the third letter of the Name should be represented as a “V” or a “W” in English. Some of this confusion and controversy results from a lack of basic knowledge of Hebrew grammar. But even the experts, who know the language, do not always agree on this subject.
If one understands that the four Hebrew letters (Yod Heh Vav Heh/יהוה) represent four vowels, rather than four consonants, then the Name is best represented by the four sounds I-A-U-E or ee-ah-oo-eh. If one pronounces these rapidly you can hear the combined sound in English. This appears to agree with Josephus, with the Greek transliterations of the Hebrew Bible, and other ancient texts. It would be written in English, as YAHUEH, not strictly YAHWEH, which is the consonantal form.
The problem with this proposal is the question of meaning. These four sounds appear to mean nothing in Hebrew, and they lose their connection with the verb hayah, “to be,” upon which the Divine Name appears to be based. Hebrew names usually carry some kind of meaning and are not simply a string of syllables.
The combination of YE-HO-AH makes better grammatical sense. In Hebrew YE represents the future or imperfect of the verb “to be,” “HO” represents the present, while “AH” represents the past.
[Footnote: This understanding of the Divine Name is reflected in the Jewish liturgy today in the “Adon Olam,” an ancient hymn of praise to YHVH. There is a line translated, “He was, He is and He shall be,” that in Hebrew echoes and reflects the Name: Hu Hayah, Hu Hoveh, HuYih’yeh.” Read backwards one gets the equivalent of Yi-Ho-aH or Yehovah.]
In other words, this form of the Name would have a specific meaning and not be merely a repetition of vowel sounds. Quite literally, YEHOAH means “shall/is/was”—that is, the Eternal, the Everliving One who will be, is and always was. For this reason I find the pronunciation YEHOAH, or even the more popular form,
YEHOVAH, quite compelling since it expresses and carries this meaning in Hebrew.
[Footnote: The first two syllables, YEHO, are common in many biblical names (Jehoshapat Jehoiakim). These three letters or syllables in Hebrew simply cannot be represented by YAH. YAH in Hebrew is Yod Heh, while the letters of the Sacred Name, reflected in such compounds, are Yod Heh Vav. The Vav must have its common vowel sound in this form, it can not be silent or ignored. It is not the case that YEHOVAH is a merely mistaken reading of the Masoretic, or traditional Jewish vowel pointing taken from ‘adonai. Nor is it an “evil name,” as some have suggested, maintaining that it comes from the Hebrew term hovah, which means “ruin” or “disaster.” This Hebrew word hovah is from the verb havah which simply means, “to happen.” It has no grammatical connection to the Divine Name.]
YAH is then the contracted, or shortened form of this full Name, taking the first and last sounds together.
In writing many choose to represent the Name as YHVH, written without the vowels.
[Footnote: The controversy over whether to use “v” or “w” for the third letter does not come in here. I am representing in English the four letters of the modern Hebrew alphabet.]
This has a number of advantages.
First, this is precisely the form in the manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible—these four Hebrew letters יהוה/Yod, Heh, Vav, Heh.
Second, it allows for flexibility, readers can read or pronounce it according to their own sincerely held convictions.
Third, it avoids profanation of the Name in keeping with Jewish tradition.
Finally, it reminds us in a way that cannot be forgotten that YHVH is the Holy and Sacred NAME of God, not merely a title like LORD.
In public, many many prefer to use the term “HaShem,” which in Hebrew means simply “the Name.” This practice dramatically calls attention to the word, as not merely another word, or a title, but the sacred NAME itself.
The point of all this is not to chant the correct syllables as if the Name YHVH works like an incantation or mantra. Rather, it is the awesome meaning of the Name, and what it conveys about God’s being and nature, that carries such power.
“Knowing God,” implies this fundamental revelation of God’s Sacred Name, with all it involves. It is a tremendous revelation, and once understood, can transform one’s whole sense of who God is. Later God tells Moses:
I am YHVH. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as El Shaddai, but by My Name יהוה I was not known to them. [Exodus 6:2-3).
[Footnote: See Genesis 17:1; 28:3; 35:11, where God declares “I am El Shaddai,” which is usually translated “God Almighty.” It means “God of protection,” or literally, “God of the Breast.” It is worth observing that the numerical value of “HaShem” (the Name) in Hebrew is 345, which is the same as the value of “HaShem” (the Name) in Hebrew. Even though the Name YHVH does appear throughout the Genesis account in the patriarchal narratives, according to this verse in Exodus, such references are retrospective, written after the fact. In other words, Genesis was written after the revelation of the Name YHVH to Moses, and so the Name, which was in common use at the time of Moses, was included in these accounts. This phenomenon is common with place names in Genesis as well, where a later name, current in Moses’ day, will be used (see Genesis 14:14). However, it should be noted that according to the very old tradition of Genesis 4:26, the pre-Flood generations from the time of Seth did know and use the Name YHVH. It may well be that due to the increased wickedness of human beings the Name was either forgotten or forbidden, only to be revealed again in the time of Moses when there would be a proper convenient context in which it would be understood and guarded by the people of Israel. For a translation of the Hebrew Bible, still in the process of being produced, that brings out all the various names of God and their significance in context, see the website: originalbible.com.
Although the Name itself, according to this tradition, was not revealed to Abraham or to those before him, the essential meaning of that Name was known. Notice Genesis 21:33 where Abraham calls on “the Everlasting God” (El ‘olam). El Shaddai was understood to be “the Most High God, Creator of Heaven and Earth,” (Genesis 14:19). The revelation of the Name at Sinai serves to capture these concepts in a single, mystical, awesome, Word.
Much later, when Israel came out of Egypt and was gathered by Moses at Mt. Sinai, the dramatic scene was set. According to the account in Exodus God revealed Himself to the whole nation in an overwhelming display of power and glory, speaking directly to them, and setting forth the Ten Commandments (literally “the Ten Words”). There was thunder, lightning, clouds of smoke and fire, the piercing sound of a trumpet. The whole mountain shook and the people were terrified. Finally God Himself spoke in an audible voice for all to hear.
First, He identifies Himself by Name: “I am YHVH your God . . . . you shall have no other gods besides Me” (Exodus 20:2-3). The Israelites assembled at the foot of the mountain called out to Moses in terror, “You speak to us and we will hear, but let not God speak to us lest we die!”(20:19). Forty years later Moses reminded the Israelites of the uniqueness and the purpose of this great moment of revelation:
For ask now concerning the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether any great thing like this has happened or anything like it has been heard. Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard and live? . . . To you it was shown, that you might know that YHVH Himself is God; there is none other besides Him. Out of heaven He let you hear his voice, that He might instruct you; on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire . . . Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that YHVH Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.(Deuteronomy 4:32-39).
Often in his farewell speeches in Deuteronomy Moses recalls the extraordinary nature of this event, when God personally spoke His Name and revealed His Ten “Words.”“(Deuteronomy 5:4,22: cf. 4:9-14).
This was a unique one-time revelation, centered on the Ten “Words” and the manifestation of God’s awesome personal Presence. Moses warns the Israelites not to turn to other gods “whom you have not known” (Deuteronomy 11;28; cf. Jeremiah 7:9). The verb here rendered “known” can be translated “experienced.” This Sinai revelation was to be remembered as the one special time when Israel experienced direct contact with YHVH.
Continued in: Abrahamic Faith 3 – The Awesome Self-Description of God
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