children
grow, they must be educated and trained for their future roles in Jewish life.
The father's duty is to provide for his children, to give them a proper
education, to teach them a trade, and to prepare them for marriage." (Encyclopedia
Judaica Jr.)
We Are Dependant: King Benjamin’s
question is not about "begging" particularly, but about a dependancy
on God. "Are we not all beggars . . . Do we not all depend upon the same
Being, even God, for all the substance which we have . . . of every kind?"
(Mosiah 4:19)
No Biblical Word for Begging:
"Although the Bible is concerned with the poor and the needy, there is
hardly a reference to begging or to beggars, and there is, in fact, no biblical
Hebrew word for it. The needs of the poor were provided by various laws of
charity. Everybody is obliged to give charity; even one who himself is
dependent on charity should give to those less fortunate than himself." (Encyclopedia
Judaica Jr.)
Giving to the Poor – a Blessing:
"For the poor shall never cease out of the land; therefore I command thee
saying, Thou shalt open thy hand wide to thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy
needy in thy land." (Deuteronomy 15:11) In this sense, it is
beautiful to consider that the principle of receiving from the Lord is
reflected in what we give others. The giving can be a simple hand of
friendship.
Giving a Hand: The term
"hand" is used often in the scriptures and the term "right
hand" has symbolic meanings. Among the Bedouin, it is improper to eat with
the left hand. The right hand is always extended in greeting, the left hand
extended as a greeting can be offensive. Among the Arabs and the Jews, a
popular amulet or "good luck charm" is a right hand with an
all-seeing eye in the palm of the hand.
Hand of God: When the Torah scroll
is read in the Synagogue, a pointer molded in the shape of a miniature hand (yad)
is used to follow the words. It is as if the "finger of God" is
pointing the way. Unfortunately, these descriptions of God’s hand or finger
are not taken literally among most Jews.
Clean Hands: In mortality, the
hands are to be clean, both in personal hygiene and in rituals.
"The
rabbis made it mandatory to perform a ceremonial washing of the hands on
certain occasions. This washing is strictly ritual in nature and should not be
confused with washing for the sake of cleanliness. This is evident from the
fact that the hands must be clean before the ceremony is performed."
"The hand washing ritual is commonly known as netilat yadayim, a
term whose source is not entirely clear. In order to establish the practice,
the rabbis warned of dire consequences for those who disregarded it, even going
so far as to predict premature death. It is said that Rabbi Akiva, who
personally disapproved of the ordinance, nevertheless used the limited water
allowed him in the Roman prison for this ritual rather than for drinking."
(Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.) "Though I walk in the midst of
trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the
wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me." (Psalms
138:7)
Right Hand – a Symbol: It has
been the custom in religion as well as in civil covenant making that the right
hand is used in a sign or symbol.
"The custom, evidently by divine
direction, from the very earliest time, has been to associate the right hand
with the taking of oaths, and in witnessing or acknowledging obligations. The
right hand has been used, in preference to the left hand, in officiating in
sacred ordinances where only one hand is used." (Joseph
Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.3, p.107)
Importance of a Name: One of the
purposes of King Benjamin’s instruction is to bind the repentant believers in
a covenant that would record their names. In that way they would be identified
both in mortality and eternally. The forgiveness they experienced revived and
saved them. Being a covenant, it meant that they took upon themselves the name
of God and He would be given their names that He might know them.
"And now
it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall not take upon him the name of
Christ must be called by some other name; therefore, he findeth himself on the
left hand of God." (Mosiah 5:10)
Variation of Names: Names have
always been important and their meanings in the scriptures often tell something
about the person. As there are other histories coming forth, some paralleling
biblical history, sometimes another name is used for the same person. That may
be because in that language or culture the person was known by another name. A
modern example is my name. In Hebrew it is Daniel ben Herbert. That means
Daniel, son of Herbert. Yet, in Arabic it is Daniel, Abu Dauod. That is Daniel,
father of David (my honorable firstborn son). The name Daniel is explained as;
Dan - Judge, El - God, or in context, God is my judge, or in another context, a
judge for God. Either way, I have taken His name upon myself!
Meanings of Names:
"Names are
more than just arbitrary labels for people. Each Jewish name tells a story of
its own and very often reflects the nature of the time, place and atmosphere in
which it was chosen." "The most important source for Hebrew proper
names is the Bible, and biblical names were usually descriptive and meaningful,
often incorporating the name of God in praise or gratitude; thus, Nathaniel
(God has given), Eleazar (God has helped), Joshua (God the Savior). Other
biblical names describe the circumstances surrounding the birth. Thus Abraham
called his son Yizhak [Isaac] from the Hebrew word for laughter, because Sarah
had laughed at the idea of bearing a child in her old age. And Yizhak named one
of his sons Ya'akov [Jacob], a play on the Hebrew word akev (‘heel’),
because he was born grasping the heel of his twin brother Esau." (Encyclopedia
Judaica Jr.)
Identity Theft:
"The Talmud
attaches great importance to the preservation of Hebrew names, viewing foreign
names as a sign of assimilation. According to the Talmud, one reason for the
deliverance of the Children of Israel from Egyptian bondage was the fact that
they did not change their names. Yet, despite this subtle warning, Jews have
tended to adapt their Hebrew names to the language of their neighbors or to
take on purely non-Jewish names. This tendency, first noticeable during the
Middle Ages, accelerated during the late 18th and 19th centuries. Some
governments encouraged the process by passing laws which forced Jews to adopt
European names. Napoleon issued such a decree, hoping to assimilate the
Jews."
Use of Names:
"Like most
peoples of the world, the Jews have evolved certain traditions regarding the
use of names. For example, Ashkenazi Jews consider it wrong to name a child
after a living father or grandfather, whereas Sephardim consider it an honor to
do so for a grandparent. According to the Hasidei Ashkenaz, it is wrong to
marry a woman with the same name as the husband's mother. The reason for this
seems to be because of respect; the man might tell his wife to do something and
the mother might think he meant her."
Convert Given a New Name:
"Jewish boys are officially named at the circumcision ceremony eight days
after birth, and a girl's Jewish name is publicly announced when the father is
first called to the Torah after her birth. Converts are also given new names
--- usually ben Abraham or bat Abraham (son or daughter of Abraham) because
conversion is equated with rebirth." (Encyclopedia Judaica
Jr.) (Underlines added)
Becoming a Child Again: The term
rebirth connotes being a child again. It involves learning a new life,
preparing to become an honorable son of the Father. Some know that is possible
through the redemption by our "Elder Brother."