Moroni 1–6

(1.) HEBREW MEANING OF "FAITH: True religion is based on true faith in the Lord. The Hebrew word for faith is emunah, likely derived from the word imun which means practice, procedure or work. Inherent in the word emunah is faith and works. "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead . . ." (James 2:17)

(2.) HANDS ON: Biblical evidence of "laying on of hands" with proper authority includes: ". . . Eleazar the priest . . . laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses." (Numbers 27:22-23) Judaism recognizes the loss of priesthood, yet "laying on of hands" is still done. ". . . in the symbolic act of bestowing a blessing . . . the priestly blessing . . . nesi'at kappayim (‘raising of the hands’) . . . with the hands uplifted, and the fingers spread in a special formation . . . parents place their hands on the heads of their children when they bless them . . . also of passing on authority . . ." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)

(3.) ORDINANCE OF BREAD AND WINE IS ANCIENT: The elements of the Passover meal, "fruit of the vine" (wine) and bread preceded the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. "And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine; and he broke bread and blest it; and he blest the wine, he being the priest of the most high God . . ." (JST Genesis 14:17)

(4.) BREAD AND WINE AT HOME AND SYNAGOGUE: There are two blessings each Sabbath eve, Kiddush, the blessing for wine, always preceding the blessing over the hallah, a special Sabbath bread. ". . . all present. . . listening carefully to the . . . prayer and by responding ‘Amen’ afterwards." ". . . it is a custom among Ashkenazi Jews to say Kiddush in the synagogue just after the Sabbath services. Originally it was for the benefit of travelers who were lodged in the synagogue, to enable them to fulfill the precept . . . "should there be no wine for Kiddush,. . . [other] beverages . . . may also be used." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)

(5.) SPECIAL PRAYERS: It may be significant that, to the Jews, the blessing of wine and then bread is in anticipation of a greater deliverance than from Egypt. To believers in Jesus, the ritual is done by blessing the bread first and then the wine. This is done in remembrance of the great deliverance, the atonement.

(6.) MEET OFTEN: Modern Jewry has public meetings where the scriptures are read three times a week, Mondays, Thursdays and, of course, on Sabbaths, Saturday. ". . . The Babylonian Talmud relates that the Jews of ‘the West’ (i.e., Erez Israel) took three years to complete their public reading of the Torah. They apparently divided the Torah into more than 150 different sections . . . by the end of three years, they had read the entire Torah." "In Babylonia, the custom was different. There the Torah was divided into 54 different sections (naturally the Babylonian sections were about three times as long as the Palestinian sections) so that the entire cycle was completed in one year. Today, nearly all communities follow the Babylonian custom." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)

(7.) THREE YEAR MINISTRY: In the days of the Savior, the scripture reading was only once a week and the three-year cycle was probably being used. Maybe, that is one reason He had a three-year ministry. That way He taught the entire Law and the Prophets.