Subject: The Feast of Shavuot - Part I
Date: Wed, 3 Jun 1998 00:35:20 +0000
To: "Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
From: Uri Marcus
To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject: The Feast of Shavuot - Part I
PART 1
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CELEBRATION OF GIVING
=====================
Shalom Rav aleichem me'Yerushali'im (may there be much Peace
upon you):
Shavu'ot is the celebration of the giving of Torah on Har Sinai to the
whole redeemed community, bnei Israel (the nation of Israel). It is a
time of rededication and commitment to learning Torah, and applying its
eternal wisdom to our lives by means of the direct assistance of Ruach
HaKodesh (the spirit of the Holy One), who was also given to indwell
Believers and write the Torah upon their hearts, for the first time on
this day, Shavu'ot, nearly 2000 years ago in Jerusalem.
Torah is the life blood of the Jewish people and of those who have been
grafted in to the commonwealth of Israel. Our enemies have always known
that when we stop learning Torah, our assimilation is inevitable.
Without knowledge there is no commitment. Melech David wrote, "Great
peace have they who love your Torah, and nothing can make them stumble"
[Mizmor (Psalm)119:165]. One cannot love what one does not know. A
person cannot do or understand what he has never learned. A Jew is
commanded to learn Torah day and night and to teach it to his children,
as are all who dwell in the redeemed camp. With the enabling of Ruach
HaKodesh, we now have the power to apply the knowledge of God's will,
and in so doing, we shall not fail to acheive our part in the love
relationship between us and the Holy One, blessed be He, our ultimate
Beloved. That is why the revelation at Mt. Sinai is likened to a
wedding ceremony... because we exchanged mutual statements of
commitments.
On Shavu'ot, amongst the Orthodox, Jewish custom is to stay up all
night learning Torah. Virtually every synagogue and yeshiva have
scheduled learning throughout the night ending with the praying of
Shacharit, the morning service at dawn. The idea is to relive the
experience of the Revelation at Mount Sinai... preparing ourselves
spiritually for the moment at Dawn... when morning prayers and the
reading of the Book of Ruth begins. In Jerusalem tens of thousands of
Jews begin to walk to the Western Wall from all points of the city. The
tiny streams of people then come together into a mighty flow of
worshipers. One day soon, we shall all make this journey together, but
for now, those of you who live far from Jerusalem can also relive this
great day of giving of the Torah and of Ruach HaKodesh, by simply
reclaiming God's instructions, teaching them to your children, and
celebrating this appointed season of God.
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CELEBRATION OF THANKS
=====================
Shavu'ot also marks a time of thanksgiving. We give thanks the Land,
for the promises, for our redemption and for our Torah.
Unaccustomed as we are, we should still give thanks, in accordance with
the command. [ViYikra (Lev) 7:12, Eph 5:20]
For Jews, we are reminded of thanksgiving by the very definition of our
name. What does the word "Jew" mean? "Jew" is a translation of the
Hebrew "Yehudi" which comes from the same root as the verb "le'hodot."
"Le'hodot" is an interesting word. It has two meanings. It can mean "to
give thanks," and it can mean "to admit."
What does admitting have in common with giving thanks? When a person
says "thank you," he is, in essence, admitting. He's admitting that he
is in the debt of someone else for a kindness he has received. Unless
we can admit that we have received or even need something, we can never
really say "thanks."
These two qualities of admitting and of giving thanks should describe
who we are. They should be integral elements of the collective persona
of not only the Jewish People, but of all those whose King is of the
tribe of Yehuda.
====================
CELEBRATION OF LIGHT
====================
"Command the Children of Israel...to kindle a continual lamp." [ViYikra
(Lev) 24:2]
Go into any Synagogue when it's dark and you will see a small lamp
shining above the Holy Ark. It's called the Ner Tamid - the eternal
flame.
That lamp is a memorial of the Ner Ma'aravi (western lamp) of the
Menorah which the Kohanim lit in the Beit Hamikdash. The Ner Ma'aravi
burned miraculously. It never went out. Every evening, when the Kohen
came to kindle the flames he would find the Ner Ma'aravi still alight
from the previous evening. He would remove the still-burning wick and
oil, clean out its receptacle and then put back the burning wick and
the oil. Then he would kindle all the other lamps with the western
lamp.
However, when the Romans destroyed the Beit Hamikdash it seemed that
the little solitary flame had been put out forever.
In Rome, there stands a triumphal arch built by the Emperor Titus. One
of its bas-reliefs depicts the Menorah being carried through the
streets of Rome as part of the booty pillaged from the Beit Hamikdash.
All its lamps are dark. It looks like some expensive antique, soon to
languish under the dust of ages in some Vatican vault.
But did Titus really extinguish that eternal flame?
The Beit Hamikdash is a macrocosm of the human body. If you look at a
plan of the sanctuary in the Beit Hamikdash, you will notice that the
placement of the various vessels - the altar, the table, the Menorah -
corresponds to the location of the vital organs in the human body. Each
of the Temple's vessels represents a human organ.
The Menorah is the vessel that corresponds to the heart. The Menorah
also represents the light of Torah. That is why David HaMelech says,
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path [Mizmor
119:105], and "I desire to do your will, O my God; your Torah is within
my heart." (Mizmor 40:8). David well understood the Shavu'ot concept
that the Torah must be written upon the heart, in order for a man to
let his light shine.
Why is it that so many people today are choosing to return to the
Torah, that their parents had forgotten? It is as though some mystical
force is being transmitted in the spiritual genes of everyone who fears
the Lord. Shavu'ot always awakens the light burning on the Menorah of
the Believers heart across the millennia, and for this reason Shav'uot
was given. This light which can never be extinguished, and it burns
miraculously, even without replenishment of the oil or wicks (the good
works that the Torah produces).
So, in a very real sense, the light Titus tried to put out continues to
burn in the Menorah of the Believers heart.
But you know what? Titus is in for some more disappointing news because
the Menorah that is collecting dust in the Vatican is not the original
Menorah. It is a copy. The original Menorah was hidden away (together
with the other vessels) in the caves and tunnels under the Temple
Mount.
If while the Temple was standing, the western lamp of the Menorah
burned miraculously without human assistance, why shouldn't it go on
burning even after it was buried?
That western lamp continues to "burn" under the Temple Mount throughout
the long dark night of exile. It continues to "burn" to this day. And
it will continue to "burn" until Mashiach comes. Then, the light of the
Menorah of the Believers heart will be revealed as identical to the
light of the Menorah in the Holy Beit Hamikdash.
========================
CELEBRATION OF JERUSALEM
========================
In the Talmud, in a tractate called "Pesachim" 54A, our sages teach us
from the Torah that "seven things were created before the world was
created, and these are they:
1. The Torah
2. The concept of repentance
3. Gan Eden (The Garden of Eden)
4. Gehenna (Hell)
5. The Throne of Glory
6. The Holy Temple and...
7. The Name of the Messiah
What have all of these in common? Much in every way I am sure. But
certainly for each, the focus is always upon Yerushali'im.
On Shavu'ot, the annniversary of the giving of the Law and the Spirit,
as you study and eat, and study and eat again, ponder these things:
1. The Prophet says "...from Tzion shall the Torah go forth, and from
Yerushali'im, the Word of the Lord." [Yishayahu (Isaiah) 2:3].
2. Yeshua the Mashiach announced to Jerusalem only four days before His
death, as he overlooked the city from the Mt. of Olives, "You will not
see me again, until you cry out (in repentance...) 'Baruch HaBah BaShem
Adonai' ('Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord.')."
3. Gan Eden has always been, and continues to be located on the Temple
Mount, in the center of Jerusalem. All Scripture testifies to this
immovable fact (e.g. Ez 28:11ff). It once served, and will again in the
near future, serve as a portal passage from Earth to God's heaven.
Pentecost is a prime example, when the Spirit fell upon 120 who were
worshipping on the Temple Mount.
4. Gehenna, which represents the antithesis of Jerusalem, finds its
earthy counterpart in a valley called "Gay'hinnom" which runs just to
south of the Old City. Here it is believed by many, that when the
Mashiach appears, God shall gather to this place, the nations who tried
to scatter His people and divide His Land, and there enter into
judgment against them, in this Valley called Yehoshefet (God will
Judge), spoken of my the Prophet Yoel (3:2).
5. The Throne of Glory will, during the Great Shabbat (the millenial
age) be occupied by the King of Glory, Yeshua, who shall rule from the
City of the Great King, Yerushali'im.
6. He shall build the Holy Temple once again, in accordance with the
word of the Prophets, most notably Yehezka'el (Ezekiel) 40ff and
Yochanan (Revelation 20ff), in the City which G-d has chosen place His
Name, and to install His King -- in Tzion. This would seem to be most
fitting for He who is the Living Torah, for which our Torah is but a
shadow of things to come. It is as if God's brilliance was being
projected onto Yeshua (the Living Torah), and the shadow that results,
which we see, is the Written Torah.
Since the day I brought my people out of Egypt, I have not chosen a
city in any tribe of Israel to have a Temple built for my Name to be
there, nor have I chosen anyone to be the leader over my people Israel.
But now I have chosen Jerusalem for my Name to be there, and I have
chosen David to rule my people Israel.' (Devray Yamim Bet (II
Chronicles) 6:5-6].
7. There are many Names given to the Mashaich throughout the Tenach
(Bible), but the common denominators are that His name is eternal --
for something to be eternal, not only does it have to be there at the
beginning of time, but it has to be there at the end of time as well --
and He shall reign over all the earth, from one location on the earth,
namely Yerushali'im.
"His Name has endured forever from before the sun. His name is Yinon,
and all are blessed through Him. All the nations acknowledge Him.
(Mizmor 72:17)
"The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together
against the LORD and against His Mashiach... The One enthroned in
heaven laughs... he rebukes them in his anger... saying, "I have
installed my King on Tzion, my holy hill." (Mizmor 2:2-6)
Here is the Bibical Prophecy lived out in today's headines. Read some
of the following statements made by senior Palestinian officials
disparaging and threatening the Jewish People, Jerusalem and the holy
sites:
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Q: In your opinion, is there room for coexistence between Arabs and
Jews on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem?
PA Mufti Ikrama Sabri: "Moslems have no knowledge or awareness that the
Temple Mount has any sanctity for Jews why should we allow the Jews to
share in places which our holy to us and to Islam? The Moslems will
never permit anyone to enter the Temple Mount. If the Jews really want
peace, they must absolutely forget about having any rights over the
Temple Mount. The Western Wall also belongs to Moslems, and was given
to the Jews as a place of prayer only because the British asked and the
Moslems agreed out of the goodness of their hearts. The Western Wall is
just a fence belonging to a Moslem holy site. Since 1967, the Israelis
have dug and searched for proof that the site is holy to them, but they
have not found any sign of the existence of a Temple or a Jewish
community at the site. For us, the Moslems, the place is holy and was
always such. I heard that your Temple was in Nablus or perhaps
Bethlehem."
Hatam Abdel Kader, member of the PA's Legislative Council, May 24,
1998: "Any extremist who enters the Temple Mount compound will not
leave it alive."
PA Mufti Ikrama Sabri, November 22, 1997: "The 'Al-Buraq' Wall [the
Western Wall] is a part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Jews have no
relation to it"
Sheikh Ahmed Yassin 5/27: "The first quarter of the next century will
witness the elimination of the Zionist entity and the establishment of
the Palestinian State over the whole of Palestine.
Yasser Arafat on the anniversary of Abu-Jihad's death, 4/98: "O
Abu-Jihad, we stand by our pledge and oath... let us see more
revolution, more escalation of our blessed intifada; Let us turn the
land into a flaming fire under the feet of the invaders."
Shiekh Hamed Bitawi, head of the PA's Sharia Court of Appeals in
Nablus, 5/14: "Our choice is the military option. We must put an end to
the despicable negotiations. The time has come for jihad [holy war] and
martyrdom."
Yasser Arafat and Abu Mazen (5/24) have vowed "to declare a Palestinian
state next year,leading to a war with Israel, with the first target
being the destruction of the settlements. If an agreement is not signed
between Israel and the Palestinians, there will be unprecedented
bloodshed."
----------------------------------------------------------
On Shavu'ot, celebrate the fact that the Holy One of Israel, thankfully
has the last word, and not Yasser Arafat.
Take a look at the first Book of Shmu'el 15:29. The following
revelation is written:
"He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for He
is not a man, that He should change His mind."
The Hebrew words for "Glory of Israel" are "Netzach Yisrael" and that
phrase can be understood in two ways:
First, it can mean the `Eternal One of Israel' -- HaShem -- who will
not lie, who will never desert His people through the long night of
exile.
But "Netzach Yisrael" can also mean `the eternity of Israel' or `the
victory of Israel' will not lie. The survival of the Jewish People, and
their identity through both persecution and the cunning embrace of
assimilation, will not lie. It will stand as an everlasting proof that
the Jewish People are what the Torah calls them: An eternal nation with
a God given mission. The Nations can be encouraged by this, for if God
keeps His promises with Israel, then surely He will keep them with
regard to the nations as well.
It was Samuel the prophet who said `the eternity of Israel will not
lie' nearly 3,000 years ago. How could he have known that the Jewish
People would still be around in 1967, some 3,000 years after he spoke
that prophecy? And not only were they around, but they were
re-capturing the city he had helped to re-identify on the exact day
that he passed on to the world of truth.
You see, the heart of a Jew is Yerushali'im and even in our morning
prayers we say: "To you HaShem is the Greatness, the Power, the Glory,
and the Victory (Netzach)..."
The Talmud (Berachot 58a) tells us that Netzach here refers to
Yerushali'im. Victory is Yerushali'im. Eternity is Yerushali'im.
But the enemy of all ages doesn't like this, and he is bent on
destroying this ideology or any people who accept this ideology, for he
knows that once Yerushali'im regains its place in this world, he
himself must come to an end.
In order to stay this order of execution, HaSatan has mobilized the
world of Islam to claim Yerushali'im as its own and to use this as a
catalyst to stir the rest of the nations against the City of our God.
War is inevitable, and the Islamic aim to control Yerushali'im is its
fuel. HaSatan has cleverly arranged for one of Islam's main goals to be
the acquisition of "Islamic territory," which in this case is all the
land comprising the State of Israel, from the Jordan River to the
shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Therefore, Islam cannot and will not
tolerate the presence of the ancient people fo God in their midst or a
Jewish Yerushali'im. For if the Jews are back in their Land, and dwell
in Yerushali'im, then they shall call upon the name of the Lord, and
the Mashiach will return. A collision therefore, is about to occur in
both the unseen spiritual world as well as in the physical world, and
the so called "Peace Process" is merely a mechanism that HaSatan has
introduced to insure that this confrontation is fully backed by the
world of nations as they embrace their idols of peace, in direction
opposition to the Lord, the God of all the earth.
Israel has always been the one severely criticized by the media and by
world leaders for exacerbating the situation in the Middle East and
jeopardizing this idol of the nations -- the "Peace Process" -- and it
will surely climax with the conflict over Yerushali'im as the two
opposing forces vie for the same territory, and the same designated
capital.
The Bible is not silent on this subject, nor should any Bible Believer
be silent. As Shavu'ot dawns, remember Psalm 122, and read the
prophets, especially Zechariah 12:2-9, and pray! Inquire about our (the
Remant's) peace. Turn your eyes and your hearts towards Yerushali'im
and towards the Believing Remnant in the Land. The Messianic promise is
that God will prevail and "Netzach Yisrael" will shine forth for the
Eternal One of Israel cannot not lie. He will keep His promise, the
promise He made to our fathers.
"This is what the LORD says: `Yet in the towns of Yehuda and in the
streets of Yerushali'im, there will be heard once more the sounds of
joy and gladness, the voice the bride and the voice of the
bridegroom.... For I will restore the fortunes of the Land as they were
before,' says the LORD." Yermiyahu (Jeremiah) 33:10-11.
=======================
CELEBRATION OF SHAVU'OT
=======================
Briefly, I would like to share with you some of the JEWISH customs
associated with Shavu'ot. In so doing, please DO NOT assume that I
endorse the "taking hold" of these CUSTOMS by the Gentiles. I share
them here with the idea that since the Torah belongs to the whole
Redeemed Community, including the Gentiles, they too should have the
opportunity to get creative and develope their own traditions and
customs. Perhaps our customs will help you develope your own unique
expressions, where the Torah is silent with regard specific "how to's."
1. Shavu'ot is a holiday which bids us to share what we have, in
keeping with the Torah commands to feed the stranger, the orphan, the
widow and other poor and unfortunate people within the redeemed
community.
2. Milk dishes are customary foods, symbolizing the Torah which is
likened to milk, according to an allegorical interpretation of the Song
of Songs. Meat is not eaten on Shavu'ot.
3. In synagogues, it is customary to read Megilat Rut (the book of
Ruth) whose setting also takes place in spring and at harvest time. One
of the central messages of Shavu'ot, that of voluntarily taking upon
oneself the instructions of God (Torah) is shared in the story of Rut
who expressed her loyalty to the Torah and to the Jewish people by
freely embracing both. Rut was the Great Grandmother of King David, and
according to the Talmud, David was born and died on Shavu'ot.
4. An additional custom connected with the holiday is that of spending
the night before Shavu'ot in prayer and study so as to be prepared
spiritually for the commemoration of the giving of the Torah.
END OF PART 1, CONTINUED IN PART 2...
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