HIDDEN LDS/JEWISH
INSIGHTS #26
OLD TESTAMENT Gospel Doctrine Supplement by Daniel Rona
Weekly E-mail Reminder
<< KING SOLOMON: MAN OF WISDOM MAN OF FOOLISHNESS >>
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(1.) Black Ethiopian Jews: “
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“In Ethiopia, members of this group refer to themselves as Beta Israel . . .
They practice an early form of Judaism . . . According to their tradition, their
ancestors were Jerusalem notables who came with Menelik, the son of King Solomon
and the Queen of Sheba, when he returned home.” “They said that he brought
Judaic customs and civil law to Ethiopia.” (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
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(2.) Singing the Scriptures and Prayers:
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Reading scriptures and praying are to be done in a singing or chanting way to
differentiate the common everyday sounds of the mouth with the Word of the Lord
or words to the Lord. A pattern of singing has developed that puts emphasis on
particular syllables and words. When a boy has a Bar Mitzvah, he is accompanied
by a person who may prompt him to sing his words correctly while making sure
that his clothing, cap, robe, sash, etc. is worn correctly. Singing is a festive
part of many Jewish occasions. Many times, the Eastern Jews (Sephardic) and
Western Jews (Ashkenazi) sing the same lyrics with their own ethnic music and
intonation.
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(3.) Reading Psalms along with Torah:
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“The Psalter, as the work is often called in English, contains 150
Psalm-chapters, divided into five books, each of which, except the last,
concludes with a doxolgy, or formulaic hymn of praise to God. This division
seems to represent successive stages in the composition of the work as a whole,
in such a way that the final crystallized form of 150 reflects a cumulative
edition of what were once separate collections. The five-fold arrangement was
apparently chosen in conscious duplication of the five books of the Pentateuch.
It may have been the result of the reading of the Psalms week by week in
association with the Torah readings.” (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
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(4.) Some Read Psalms Completely Daily:
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“The great popularity of the Psalms can be judged from the fact that most large
prayer books contain the Psalms in their entirety, and that special
hevrot tehillim, societies for the recitation of Psalms, exist in many parts of
the world. In Jerusalem, two separate groups recite all of the Psalms daily at
the Western Wall.” |
