Weekly E-mail Reminder

	HIDDEN LDS/JEWISH INSIGHTS #41 New Testament Gospel Doctrine Supplement by Daniel Rona Weekly E-mail Reminder “I HAVE FINISHED MY COURSE” 1 and 2 Timothy; Titus ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (1.) DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PROCEDURE AND PURPOSE: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like the Jews, some Latter-day Saints are faithful in reading scriptures daily. In the course of daily prayers and reading of the scriptures, religious Jews will cover the entire Bible (Old Testament) in one year. These readings include some repetition. There is an "Akeda" reading every morning during daily prayers. It is a reminder of Abraham’s and Isaac’s willingness to obey the Lord and perform the sacrifice of Isaac on Mount Moriah. The point I see here is the daily reminder of the imagery of the Father and the Son. All of our daily reading and prayers should have that same intent and purpose. Reading and prayers are often used as "superstitions" to ward off "the evil eye:" "Famous men, attractive women and newborn babies were thought to be in particular danger from the evil eye. Thus, the use of praise and the display of beauty, wealth, success and happiness were generally avoided." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (2.) LOVE OF MONEY: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The process of acquiring money versus the proper use of money has often been taught in the scriptures. Unfortunately, the Jews have often been maligned with the love of money. Karl Marx perpetuated the myth of greedy Jews. "Marx's father Heinrich, whose original name was Hirschel ha-Levi, was the son of a rabbi and the descendant of many generations of Talmudic scholars. Marx associated Jews largely with greed, self-interest and love of money. He reveals a surprising ignorance of Jewish history and culture, and often refers to Jews as the symbol of financial power and capitalist mentality." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (3.) LENDING MONEY, A MORAL OBLIGATION: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "In Jewish tradition, the lending of money to the needy is a moral obligation of extreme importance . . . also a basic component of any business economy. . . in biblical and Talmudic law, no distinction is made between the two situations: no matter what the occasion, money lent by one Jew to another must not earn interest . . . even the most minimal amount is flatly prohibited by the Torah . . . one of the most universally violated obligations of biblical law." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (4.) PURPOSE OF HUMAN EXISTENCE IN ONE SENTENCE: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ". . . on the eve of the Children of Israel's entry into the Promised Land, Moses made a farewell speech to the Jews . . . he reviewed their history and gave direction for their future. ‘And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God demand of you? Only this: to revere (fear) the Lord your God, to walk only in His paths, to love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.’(Deuteronomy 10:12) " "The Hebrew word for ‘revere’ is (yirah) which is usually translated as ‘fear,’ and that for ‘love’ is (aha'vah). These two concepts, although they may seem contradictory at first glance, are the essence of Judaism's view of man's attitude to God." "The ‘fear’ referred to is . . . awe at the thought of the infinity and greatness of God." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (5.) SEVEN CATEGORIES OF THEFT: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- According to the Encyclopedia Judaica Jr., Jewish law classifies the criminal act of theft or of robbery into seven broad categories: 1) Fraud, that is, "stealing another person's mind"; 2) Stealing by way of falsifying weights and measures; 3) Stealing objects that are useless or have no value; 4) Misappropriating documents, land or property consecrated to the Temple; 5) Stealing personal items of worth; 6) Stealing animals . . . and then slaughtering or selling them; 7) Stealing a person, that is, kidnapping." "Each of these categories carries a different penalty, ranging from death in the case of kidnapping . . . double fine in the case of the theft of a personal item of worth and of a fourfold or fivefold fine in the case of the theft and subsequent slaughtering or selling of an animal." ". . . in Jewish law . . . theft being defined as an act of stealing done clandestinely, while robbery is an act of stealing done openly and with force." ". . .‘Thou shalt not steal’ of the Ten Commandments . . . was interpreted to be a reference to kidnapping, since that is the only type of theft punishable by death." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (7.) SLAVERY: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "There can be no justification whatsoever for enslaving another person against his will." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.) As a closing thought, in a very righteous sense, we are all "slaves of our God." We have been bought and paid for. We should, therefore, show our willingness to serve Him through all of our activities and in all our thoughts and expressions. ". . . ye are indebted unto him . . . ye were created of the dust of the earth; but behold, it belongeth to him who created you." (Mosiah 2:23-25)
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