Hands On: True religion has the "laying on of hands" with proper authority. Biblical evidence includes:
". . . Moses . . . took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest . . . and he 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 that since the last Temple destruction there is the loss of priesthood, yet the "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 . . .
through the symbolic act of placing of the hands (known as semikhah) . . . by the early Middle Ages the traditional semikhah procedure had completely ceased to exist and the
direct chain of ordination begun by Moses was broken."
(Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Ordinance of Bread and Wine is Ancient: The substantive elements of that meal, "fruit of the vine"
(wine) and bread preceded the deliverance of Israel from Egypt (Passover). It is important to realize that what Latter-day Saints call the Sacrament, was in fact an ancient ordinance.
"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)
Bread and Wind at Home: There are two blessings each Sabbath eve. One is the kidush. It is the blessing for
the wine. It always precedes the blessing over the hallah, a special Sabbath bread. The blessing over the bread (which happens at every meal) is popularly called Ha Mozi.
". . . preceded by the word savri (Attention!) so that all present, men and women, may fulfill the requirement of Kiddush by listening
carefully to the recital of the prayer and by responding ‘Amen’ afterwards." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Many religious families prefer to eat at a four-cornered table because since there is no Temple, the table at least represents the shape of the altar.
Bread and Wine at Synagogue:
". . . 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 . . . the blessing over bread is recited over two loaves (representing the double portion of manna that fell
on Friday and did not go bad when kept till the Sabbath) . . . and are usually covered with a cloth embroidered with Shabbat symbols. Should there be no wine for Kiddush,. . .
beverages other than wine may also be used." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
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.
Meet Often: Modern Jewry has public meetings where the Torah and other scriptures are read three times a week.
These are on Mondays, Thursdays and, of course, on Sabbaths, Saturday.
"According to an ancient tradition, Moses commanded that the Israelites should read the Torah on the Sabbath, on festivals, and on the first day of
each month; Ezra decreed that it should also be read on Monday and Thursday . . . as well as Sabbath . . . 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 (sedarim, singular: sidrah; or parashot,
singular: parashah) . . . 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.)
Three Year Ministry: In the days of the Savior, the Torah and 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. What is paramount in the Lord’s ministry, then and now, is that all
religious work, procedures and practices are to be guided by emunah, faith, true faith.
How Meetings Are Lead:
"And their meetings were conducted by the church after the manner of the workings of the Spirit, and by the power of the Holy Ghost; for as the power
of the Holy Ghost led them whether to preach, or to exhort, or to pray, or to supplicate, or to sing, even so it was done." (Moroni 6:9)
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