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HIDDEN LDS/JEWISH
INSIGHTS #11
DOCTRINE & COVENANTS Gospel Doctrine Supplement by Daniel Rona
Weekly E-mail Reminder
<< THE FIELD IS WHITE ALREADY TO HARVEST >>
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(1.) KEEP IT IN MIND:
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Jews have some traditional symbols which “keep God’s word in front of them” at all times by binding leather
phylacteries (Tfillin) on the arm and forehead as well as a Mezuzah on all Jewish doorposts. The words in the ‘Mezuzah’ and in the ‘Tfillin’ are in
Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
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(2.) RETURNING AND PROSELYTIZING:
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Returning to the Land of Israel is like returning to the Lord. They are as great a motivating factor in Jewish life, as proselytizing is for Christians.
Special “Yeshiva” institutes have been established to help those who have “gone astray.” “Yeshiva” and the word “teshuvah” (return/repent) have a common root.
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(3.) ALWAYS FAMILY:
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The connection to “family” is unending, even if one “goes astray.” “. . . being born of a Jewish mother, [a person] never [loses] his Jewish status . . . Indeed, as the
Talmud teaches: ‘A Jew, even if he has sinned, remains a Jew’.”
(Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.) For Latter-day Saints, returning to God’s family is a powerful motivator, stretching family research
worldwide.
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(4.) THE MEANING OF WHITE:
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The expression “white and ready to harvest” gives an image of goodness and readiness to accept the Lord’s plan. In Judaism, wearing white clothing, specifically the
Talith (prayer garment), denotes the desire to be pure and spotless from the sins of generations around them. White is a combination of all colors, metaphorically implying a “wholeness” or
“completeness.”
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(5.) RELIGIOUS CLOTHING AS A REMINDER:
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“The tallit is usually white and made either of wool, cotton, or silk . . . Although the ordinary tallit is worn only in the synagogue, strictly observant
Jews wear the tallit katan (small tallit) under their upper garments the whole day. The special white garment, the Kitel, mentioned above is worn in many Jewish weddings.
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(6.) BRIDAL CLOTHING:
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“In Ashkenazi tradition it is not just the bride who wears white on her wedding day. The groom, too, stands under the canopy wearing his white kitel, or robe, over his
wedding finery. The day of their marriage is a solemn one for the bride and groom. They pray that their past sins will be forgiven and they can start their life together afresh. The white of their
clothing symbolizes the purity and the forgiveness of sin . . . for this reason a similar garment is used to clothe the dead for burial.”
(Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
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(7.) WHITE CLOTH FOR SABBATH:
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White cloth for the Sabbath table and white cloth over the wine and bread that precedes the Sabbath meal are again indicative of the special nature, the purity,
and the goodness of the meal. It should invoke a memory of partaking of the temple sacrifices and subsequent feasts in ancient days.
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