Shalom!
Because of how busy Shabbat can get for me, I realize that there are many people who I don’t get the opportunity to speak with each week. So I decided that those of you who have questions might need an outlet to get those questions answered. And if you have a question, others may have the same question. So this is a forum where you can ask you questions and get them answered. So click here to fill out the form, then check back frequently for new questions and answers from the rabbi!
Please feel free to scroll down and read all of the questions, or click on the topic below.
Creation and the Tabernacle – Is there a parallel between the two?
Fear of Commitment? – What does John 2:24-25 mean?
God or Elohim? – Which name should we be using?
Haftarah and B’rit Hadashah Readings – Where do they come from?
Living Water – Where does this imagery in the B’rit Hadashah come from?
Messages on the Website – Will they continue?
Miriam and the Heifer – Is there a connection between the two?
Rosh Hashsnah or Yom Teruah? – Which one should we use?
Shavuot – Isn’t Pentecost a Christian holiday?
Sound the Shofar – How do the silver trumpets of Numbers 10 relate to the notes heard on Rosh Hashanah?
Torah Cycle and then Some – We study the Torah…but do we study other books as a whole?
Traditional vs. Messianic Services – What are the differences between them?
Yeshua: Divine, Diety or Dud? – What exactly is the nature of the Messiah?
Rosh Hashanah or Yom Teruah?
Q: I noticed that your congregation observes “Rosh Hashannah.” In Lev. 23, I see that God calls this date “Yom T’ruah.” Why the one and not the other?
A: This festival has a number of different names. It is called Yom ha Din, the Day of Judgment. It is called Yom ha Zikkaron, the Day of Remembrance. It is called Rosh Hashanah, the Head of the Year. And it is called Yom Teruah.
Yeshua: Divine, Diety or Dud?
Q: Is Yeshua diety?
A: Yes, Yeshua is deity.
God or Elohim?
Q: If we are zealous for the Messiah’s name “Yeshua” why do we still use the term “God” when its etimology, just like “Jesus” is rooted in a language foreign to the Father’s Word and reveals nothing about who He is?
A: First, we must understand that there are different aspects of the God-head. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, while being one God, are different, and called differently. You wouldn’t call the Holy Spirit by the name Yeshua. They’re different.
Therefore, when we talk about God, in any of His aspects, we need to know who it is we are talking about. And I would have to disagree with your comment. The word “God” is how we translate the word, “Elohim,” which is clearly Hebrew, and definitely NOT foreign to the Father’s Word. Elohim is used very specifically to refer to the Lord’s creative and merciful attributes. It is the only reference, in fact, that is used for God during the creation account in Genesis 1.
When we use the term Lord, it is a translation of the word Adonai, which is euphemistically used wherever the tetragrammaton (four-letter name of God) appears, we are referring to God’s justice and ruling nature. It is the most common reference to God in the Scriptures.
Most of the other names of God, El Shaddai, El Gibor, El Elyon, are a combination of the word El, which is a Hebrew word, a shortened form of the word Elohim, and translated as God, along with a descriptive adjective to modify the noun. Gibor is mighty. Therefore, El Gibor is the Mighty God. Elyon is high, and we translate El Elyon as God, most high. You get the point.
The name Yeshua refers to one aspect of the God-head, and describes the redemptive aspect of God, His name meaning salvation. It would be wonderful if we all spoke Hebrew, and were able to converse in the language of the Scripture. However, since we do not, we use the language we know. In English, we use God, and Lord, and Jesus. The point is not so much which name we use as much as it is that we know who we are talking about. If we push it to the extreme, legalistic use of the Hebrew language would make it possible for us to say that we don’t believe in Jesus. We believe in Yeshua. And that is both incorrect, and misleading, to both Jew and Gentile alike. Let me illustrate.
Let’s say that a Messianic believer wants to make aliyah and move to Israel. They are asked by immigration officials if they believe in Jesus. They answer no. They are believers, but because they are Messianic and use the name Yeshua instead, they deliberately mislead others. The issue isn’t what name is used, because they knew full well who the immigration officials were talking about.
I actually have no problem using the name Jesus, because I know who I am referring to. I know that it refers to the Jewish Messiah, the Promised One of Israel, Who lived as a Jew in a Jewish land, died as a Jew, and will return as a Jew. I know that I am not referring to a Norse, blond-haired, blue-eyed attractive man that people followed when they went on Crusades and killed Jews and Muslims alike, who people followed during the Inquisition and forced Jews and pagans to convert to Catholicism or die. Those are creations of man. I know who I am talking about, and that’s what matters.
Traditional vs. Messianic Services
Q: I am not a life-long Jew. I have never attended a Jewish service. I am a life-long Christian, however, and I have come to really value the Jewish roots of my faith. Would it be possible to explain how the Messianic Shabbat service is different from the traditional Jewish service? It would help educate me in honoring our shared tradition(s).
A: Your question is difficult, because there are many different types of services in both the traditional and Messianic Jewish communities. So let me start by saying that the point of reference for this discussion will have to be the Shabbat service at Kehilat Sar Shalom. With that in mind, let me see if I can do your question justice.
The biggest difference between a traditional service and a Messianic service would obviously have to be the emphasis placed on Messiah Yeshua. While there are plenty of Messianic references in the traditional service, Yeshua is not recognized as having fulfilled that role. Similarly, where elements of our service emphasize an obedience to Rabbi Yeshua’s interpretation, there is no such emphasis in a traditional service. For example, it is common for me to make reference to Yeshua’s statement, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.’” This is from Mark 12:29, of course, where Yeshua quotes from Deuteronomy 6:4. This is the Shema that we recite every service. We follow it with the V’ahavta prayer, which Yeshua also quotes from (Deuteronomy 6:5) in the passage from Mark. (See Mark 12:28-34.) So while the Shema is recited in synagogues all over the world, only in Messianic services would you find those types of things brought out.
Apart from that, our services are very similar. Traditional services may include some singing. The more traditional shuls will probably not have musical instruments, as that may be construed as work on Shabbat. Their focus will be more on the recitation of the Psalms. However, many do include music in their services. In fact, a large portion of the Jewish world is turning to the art of music to reinvent the traditional liturgy. Artists like Debbie Friedman, Sam Glaser, and Craig Taubman have been pioneers in what has been termed the Jewish Revival Movement. They have been producing songs that are based on the traditional liturgy, but put to modern-sounding music. The Barechu that we sometimes do, and the Romemu version that we do are both creations of Craig Taubman. How much or how little music is included will depend entirely on the synagogue.
Each service will also have some type of liturgy. Liturgy includes various prayers, such as the Shema, the V’ahavta, the Aleynu, the Kaddish, and the most common one, the Amidah. There are many others, and additional ones are added at various times during the year, including special liturgical pieces for the High Holy Days. At KSS, we have limited the amount of liturgy that we do, primarily because the majority of the people who come are not too familiar with it, and wouldn’t find it meaningful at first. Of course, those who stay and learn eventually come to appreciate and enjoy the liturgy. But again, even in traditional services, the amount of liturgy that is done will vary greatly. The more Orthodox the congregation, the more liturgical it generally is. That is not to say that the other services don’t have any liturgy at all, but you will more likely find the liturgical prayers recited in the form of a song or poem in those less traditional congregations.
The language will tend to be different as well. The more Orthodox the congregation, the more likely it is that the entire service will be conducted in Hebrew, with little or no translation. The siddur (Jewish prayer book) that they use will most likely also be completely in Hebrew. As you move more toward the conservative and reform congregations, you are likely to find a progressively less Hebrew prayer book. That is, they will add in the English translations. They may add in transliterated Hebrew so that the person who doesn’t speak Hebrew fluently will be able to recite the prayers in Hebrew by reading the transliteration. Then there are those congregations that don’t even use the siddur at all, and conduct the entire service in English. It has always been the policy at KSS never to have prayers or blessings that aren’t translated. Because whatever the language, the element of kavannah is of importance.
Kavannah is the heart attitude with which the prayers are recited. It used to be that it was felt that the recitation of the prayers was more important that even knowing what the prayers meant. If you can read them and understand them, and actually MEAN them, even better, but it is more important just that they are recited. You can tell these congregations when you go in and the prayers are being read at break-neck speeds, all in Hebrew, sometimes with just one person doing them, and the congregation responding with a well-placed, “Amen!” Their goal is simply to get through them. Understanding is secondary.
At KSS, understanding is primary. After all, how can you really mean what you are saying when you don’t even speak the language? The prayer become almost irrelevant. This was partly what was driving the Jewish Reform Movement when it began in Germany. Therefore, while we encourage people to learn Hebrew, and certain Hebrew lessons are taught during the weekly message, all services will be conducted primarily in English, and all Hebrew prayers will be translated for understanding. This will help everyone to be able to pray with kavannah.
Speaking of prayers, at traditional synagogues, there is a position called chazzan, or cantor. This is the person who has been trained in the recitation of the prayers, particularly how to sing them. He or she is also trained to read from the Torah scroll, using what is called a trope to sing the Torah. We do not currently have a cantor at KSS. Right now, the rabbi is filling that position, leading the singing of the prayers, and reading from the Torah scroll. And that does happen from time to time. This is a more common phenomenon in Messianic congregations, however, who will differ on their approach to the Torah.
One thing you will find that is consistent is the Torah cycle. You can see earlier posts about the origins of the Torah and Haftarah cycle. What you obviously won’t find in a traditional synagogue is the B’rit Hadashah portion. The traditional understanding of Torah comes primarily from the Jewish sages of the Talmud and later. Judaism looks to it’s learned men, men such as Rashi and Maimonides and others for the interpretation and application of the precepts of Torah. To them, the authority has been given to the rabbis to make those decisions. For us, “Yeshua came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.’” So rather than relying on post-Biblical rabbis for our interpretation, we rely on the One Rabbi Who actually is the Living Word for our interpretation. In that sense, the B’rit Hadashah is our Talmud. It is our guide how to interpret and apply the precepts of Torah.
I guess, to sum it all up, if you were to look at all of the different types of Messianic services, and compare them with all of the different types of traditional Jewish services, you would find some that are very similar, with the exception of Yeshua, and some that are very different. The bottom line is that all of them are theoretically designed to take you on a journey from the secular to the sacred. As you enter the service, you are being transitioned from a 6 day secular work week into a period of holy time. You are slowly brought up the mountain until you hear the very Word of God. When you are done, you make an offering, and you transition back into the realm of the secular, hopefully changed for the better by the mountaintop experience. However, the only one that can actually give life is the one that has Life infused throughout it.
“Yeshua said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. ’” (John 14:6)
Creation and the Tabernacle
Q: Is there a parallel between the Creation account and the building of the tabernacle – seven commands, or something?
A: I have read that in one journal that there is a connection in the patterns of creation and the commandments to build the tabernacle. However, this was just one person’s research, and I have not seen it in other places. So while it may be an interesting correlation in facts, it is not something that has been accepted into mainstream theology. Nor is it something upon which theology or doctrine should be based.
Fear of commitment?
Q: What is meant by this except from this weeks reading? “But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.”(John 2:24-25) This seems to make no sense. What would committing Himself to them have to do with the fact that “He knew all men”? Thanks for your thoughts.
A: The keys to understanding this passage rely in context and understanding the Greek.
The New King James Version translates John 2:24 this way. “But [Yeshua] did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men.” OK. So who is them? Them refers to the people who came to faith when they saw the signs that He had performed. The word 
is the word that is translated as commit. A better understanding of this word is an acknowledgement or a confidence in a certain fact. So a better understanding of this verse would be, “But [Yeshua] did not place any confidence in their statements of belief, because He knew all men.” This, of course, is also making reference to the believers who came to faith in verse 23.
It is because Yeshua knows all men that He perhaps knew that the folks of verse 23 were insincere. In that context, the rest of the passage makes sense. Because Yeshua is Messiah, and He knows all men, he knew what they were really thinking, and feeling in their hearts, and therefore wouldn’t acknowledge, or place any confidence, in their statements of faith.
Messages on the Website
Q: Are you going to resume posting your messages on your website. Nothing has been posted since May 22, 2010.
A: The past several weeks have been quite a blur for me, actually, which is partly why there aren’t any messages posted since May 22nd. The next Shabbat, May 29th, there were no services held at Kehilat Sar Shalom. Our services were held in conjunction with the Chosen People Ministries retreat, Simcha 2010, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. So there will not be a recording for that Shabbat.
The day after we returned from the Simcha retreat, we left for our missions trip to Cuba. On June 5th, Elder Bryan gave the message, and on June 12th, a friend of mine, Scott Heine, gave the message. It is my understanding that these messages were recorded, but have not yet been processed to be put up on the web. June 19th was the first Shabbat that I was back, and the message was essentially a presentation of our time in Cuba. It went quite long, and while it was recorded, it might take some additional processing in order to break it into parts for posting on the website. The message from June 26th was the first regular message that was given since May 22nd. I would anticipate that posting sometime in the next few days.
So the answer to your question is yes, we will be resuming the posting of the messages very soon. However, it may take a little extra time to post the message from June 19th due to it’s size.
Miriam and the Heifer
Q: Numbers 19 details the death of the red heifer and the laws of purification by ashes and water. Numbers 20:1 follows immediately with the death of Miriam. Is there a deeper connection or analogy between Miriam and the red heifer?
A: The only connection here would be chronological. God gives the instructions for the ritual of the red heifer, and then Miriam dies. The whole process with the red heifer was in the instance that someone became unclean due to the touching of a dead body. I would say that it is likely that whoever was responsible for burying Miriam would probably have had to undergo the ritual, but I would say that there is no direct connection that is evident from the text.
Sound the Shofar!
Q: Numbers 10 talks about the two silver trumpets and the four different reasons for blowing them. Are these the same four notes that are blown on the shofar at Rosh HaShanah?
A: The four notes of the shofar that are heard on Rosh Hashannah are tekiah, shevarim, teruah, and tekiah gedolah. They each have different meanings, and some of them are, in fact, mentioned in Numbers 10. It is impossible to determine exactly what each of the sounds mentioned in this passage were. We can make inferences, and well-educated guesses, but that is all they will be.
Numbers 10:2 talks about the creation of the silver trumpets, and gives two reasons for using them. The first one mentioned is the calling of the congregation, and the second one is for directing the movement of the camps of the tribes of Israel, as they were stationed around the tabernacle in the wilderness. The calling of the congregation actually has it’s origins a little earlier, though. Exodus 19 relates the story of the Israelites camped around the base of Mount Sinai, prior to receiving the Torah. And the Lord instructs them in Exodus 19:13 not to approach the mountain until they hear the sound of the shofar. It even describes the sound. “When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain.” This is the biblical foundation for sounding the shofar at the beginning of our services. We correlate the worship service to the experience at Sinai, and that is the clarion call that lets people know we’re heading up to the mountain. The first blast tells us, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob.” (Isaiah 2:3) Based on the “sounds long” reference, this could either be tekiah or tekiah gedolah. It would definitely NOT be either of the other two based on the description.
Sounding the advance is the second sound that is discussed. Numbers 10:5-6 tell us that the first time the advance is sounded, the camps on the east start moving. The second time it is sounded, the camps on the south start moving. So this is a different sound from the one long blast that is heard to gather the congregation. Verse 7 is a little cryptic, but might give some idea as to what the sounding the advance might be. Numbers 10:7 says that it is possible to blow, but not sound the advance. This would seem to imply that the two sounds are fairly close, but not the same. The only two sounds that fit that description would be the tekiah and tekiah gedolah. Perhaps one of them had a slightly different ending, perhaps the quick transition to a higher note that we have come to associate with the blast of the shofar. There is no was to know for sure.
Numbers 10:9 talks about the sound of the alarm. This was to be sounded when going to war. The word used in the Scripture is, in fact, teruah. Rosh Hashannah is, in fact, called Yom Teruah in Leviticus 23, or Day of the Alarm. This one is a series of 9 short notes. It was never to be used except for the sounding of an alarm.
Numbers 10:10 talks about sounding the shofar during festivals and times of gladness, and at rosh chosdesh, which is the new moon indicating the start of a new month. Perhaps this the is final sound, shevarim, but there is really no way to infer that from the text.
There were a number of other times that the shofar was sounded. For example, it was blown at Jericho. So Numbers 10 is not an all-inclusive list. It is a great starting place, though.
