Weekly E-mail Reminder

	HIDDEN LDS/JEWISH INSIGHTS #6 Book of Mormon Gospel Doctrine Supplement by Daniel Rona Weekly E-mail Reminder << FREE TO CHOOSE LIBERTY AND ETERNAL LIFE >> 2 Nephi 1– 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (1.) LIFE OF LEHI – A TYPE AND SYMBOL OF THE PLAN OF SALVATION: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The long journey from Israel to the new promised land is like our mortal journey from pre life to afterlife. The dialogue, prayer and respect shared before Lehi's death is very typical in Biblical and Jewish tradition. Consider how many Prophet-fathers gathered their families, taught and blessed them before their mortality ended. Abraham blessing Jacob (instead of Esau), Jacob blessing Joseph, Joseph blessing his sons and Moses transferring his authority to Joshua are just a few examples. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (2.) TRANSFER OF AUTHORITY: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Moses transferred his authority to Joshua prior to his death. "In biblical times the father was head of the family . . . and owner of its property; he was its chief authority and was expected to show love and mercy to his family. His blessing carried legal weight in the distribution of family wealth and privilege." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (3.) RESPECT GIVEN TO THE DYING AND THE DEAD: ------------------------------------------------------------------------  ". . . nothing at all may be done to disturb or anger a dying person. All his wishes must be fulfilled even after he dies . . . everything possible must be done to prolong his life even if there is only a slight chance of it succeeding." "All in all, Judaism does not see death as something to be terrified of; it must be accepted because it is inevitable and everything must be done to enable the dying man to meet his death calmly." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (4.) LAST INSTRUCTIONS – A JEWISH CUSTOM: ------------------------------------------------------------------------  "Before his death Jacob made Joseph swear to bury him in the ancestral vault in Hebron. After blessing his sons and grandsons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and predicting the ultimate return to Canaan, Jacob bestowed on Joseph a parting gift . . ." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.) Likewise, the instruction Jesus gave his closest associates, the Twelve, at the "Last Supper" preceded His inevitable death the next day. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (5.) FATHER LEHI'S LAST INSTRUCTIONS: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ As Father Lehi reviews the Plan of Salvation, he teaches about the atonement. Two words are emphasized, Justice and Mercy. In Judaism, "Elohim" stands for justice and "YHWH" (Jehovah - I Am) stands for mercy. "The Hebrew word for justice is zedek, and indicative of Judaism's attitude is the fact that another form of the same root zedakah, means ‘charity.' For justice must be tempered with mercy and indeed the main attribute of God is His integration of justice and mercy. Yet another Hebrew word derived from the same root is zaddik, which means ‘righteous.' The righteous man is one who is both just and merciful." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (6.) IN HEBREW, "GOING BACK" ALSO MEANS TO REPENT: ------------------------------------------------------------------------  Lehi well understands the principles of "going back." He takes his family "back" to the creation. In Judaism, some of the "learning of the Fathers" has been lost. There is, however, an interesting Jewish creation tradition. ". . . The matter may be likened to an emperor's building a palace, consecrating it, preparing the feast, and only then inviting the guests.' On the other hand, the rabbis taught that Adam was created last, so that if he should become conceited, he could be told: ‘The gnat was created before you." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
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