Weekly E-mail Reminder

	HIDDEN LDS/JEWISH INSIGHTS #11 Book of Mormon Gospel Doctrine Supplement by Daniel Rona Weekly E-mail Reminder << Press Forward With a Steadfastness in Christ >> 2 Nephi 31–33 --------------------------------------------------------------------- (1.) FEASTING – FOOD FOR THOUGHT: --------------------------------------------------------------------- A religious Jewish family will always discuss Torah during every meal. Eating tables must be square or at least have four corners because the sacrificial Altar doesn’t exist any more and the tables with food simulate the altar and eating the sacrificial offering. "A feast held in connection with religious acts . . . is the duty of every Jew . . . eaten in the spirit of pleasure and enjoyment, blessing and thanksgiving, being particularly careful to avoid overeating." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (2.) FESTIVE HOLIDAY MEALS: --------------------------------------------------------------------- ". . . for the purpose of honoring a festival or rejoicing in the fulfillment of a commandment, it is considered more than an ordinary meal . . . such festive meals include the following: 1) Sabbath . . . 2) . . . after the departure of the Sabbath, 3) the Passover seder, 4) the Purim dinner, 5) . . . before the fast of the Day of Atonement . . . 6) . . . on the completion of the study of a Talmudic tractate. 7) . . . Hevra Kaddisha (the burial brotherhood) held on the Seventh of Adar." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (3.) FESTIVE FAMILY MEALS: --------------------------------------------------------------------- "Joyous family occasions . . . 1) the circumcision feast, 2) the meal at the ceremony of the redemption of the firstborn (pidyon ha-ben), 3) the festive meal celebrating a bar mitzvah, 4) the betrothal and wedding feasts, and 5) the occasion of dedicating a new home (se'udat hanukkat ha-bayit)." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (4.) MONTHLY DAYS OF FASTING AND PRAYER: --------------------------------------------------------------------- The religious Jew has a fasting day at the beginning of each month. It stands to reason that the meal afterwards is a "feast" of sorts - with prayers. It is the custom among religious Jews to pray before and after every meal. Each prayer is preceded by a washing of hands in "living water" that is naturally flowing. Over time, these and other prayers have come to be pre-written. Yet that was not the biblical custom or instruction. --------------------------------------------------------------------- (5.) FIXED OR SPONTANEOUS PRAYERS? --------------------------------------------------------------------- "In general, biblical prayer was spontaneous and personal; the more formal aspect of worship probably consisted of bringing sacrifices at set times and with a fixed ritual. It seems, however, that even during the period of the First Temple there were already some prayers whose wording was set and which were always recited on certain specific occasions. Some scholars, basing themselves on Psalms 55:18 and Daniel 6:11, believe that the practice of worshiping at least three times a day may be traced back to the biblical period." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (6.) PRAYER WITH REAL INTENT: --------------------------------------------------------------------- ". . . the rabbis urged the worshiper to meditate before he began to worship, to think of ‘before Whom he was standing’ in prayer, and to create a new prayer every time he worshiped. Melodic chanting was used as a means of increasing kavvanah and worshipers were taught to sway as they prayed, thus throwing their entire body into the worship." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (7.) PERSONAL PRAYER REPLACED WITH MEMORIZED PRAYERS: --------------------------------------------------------------------- "Texts of the customary daily and festival prayers did not exist in ancient times. The reader would pray aloud . . . congregants would chant the words along with him, or . . . simply say ‘amen’ to the blessings. Only after the completion of the Talmud . . . were prayers written down . . . the very first ‘prayer book’ was produced only in the 9th century." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (8.) NEPHI SPEAKS TO JEWS AS A JEW AND INCLUDES THE GENTILES : --------------------------------------------------------------------- "I have charity for the Jew--I say Jew, because I mean them from whence I came. I also have charity for the Gentiles . . ." (2 Nephi 33:8-9) Neph prays for acceptance or, at least, respect for his and the Lords words, wherever they come from. "And you that will not partake of the goodness of God, and respect the words of the Jews, and also my words, and the words which shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the Lamb of God, behold, I bid you an everlasting farewell, for these words shall condemn you at the last day." (2 Nephi 33:14)
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