As Mormons, we know why the Jewish people need us. But why do Jews need the Saints? I wish to give you six reasons.
1. The Savior read the Hebrew bible and preached his wisdom from it. His Hebrew name is Yeshua, meaning “he who makes free”. Though not an ordained rabbi, Jesus taught from Hebrew oral and written texts that explain the meaning of life and the way to salvation. I suggest you might familiarize yourselves somewhat with the idioms, the religious practices of the First and Second Temple periods in Israel. Most Christians are unaware that a part of the New Testament was communicated in Hebrew originally because one or more of the writers (we know of Matthew), the the traditions and concepts are Hebraic.
2. We are indebted to the Jews for the Mosaic Law and the Dead Sea Scrolls, which built the practice of monotheism and sacramental ceremonies that were practiced through a rabbinical order through the laying on of hands. We know that the Levitical priesthood and the essential line of authority of the priesthood are the underpinnings of today’s church, without which it could not be established.
The world is indebted to the Jews for giving it a testimony of the existence of God, the record of the beginnings of mankind as a divine race placed on the earth for eternal, divine purposes, the history and purposes of the establishment of an elect lineage through which the priesthood would be restored.
3. Mormons must learn about the Jewish people because they will discover a deeper, more intense and richer method of study. Learn the Hebrew holidays, read the Hebrew prayer book the Siddur, attend a Friday night Shabbat service in a synagogue, avail of Jewish literature, Jewish websites, books on Jewish holidays and Hebrew blessings. These will lead to better understanding of the words of the Savior in a Jewish context. He used rabbinic phraseology and idioms common to his day that are not well interpreted in the KJV or other English interpretations.
When Jesus was on the earth, his name was Joshua, pronounced Yeshua, meaning he who saves. He was proclaiming himself the Savior. Yeshua is his personal sacred name, not one of his titles, as Lord or Christ. We Saints know his name as Jehovah, a name first published by William Tyndale in his translation of Torah.
The name of Heavenly Father is Yahveh. The vowel sounds are added to make pronounciation easier. These four letters = YHVH – are called the Tetragrammaton. Have you ever pondered that Yahveh is given in the present tense? It is therefore not a noun, not a person, place or thing, it is a verb, an action word, continuous and unfinished. It is not a title for God, but is the name of Heavenly Father and tells much more about who He is.
It means, according to Kabbalahic interpretation: Behold the hand, behold the nail. That’s right: YH=behold the hand. VH=Behold the nail. This is a holy name to the Jews but they do not realize the import of the symbols, for it spells out the singular truth of all Judaism and all Christianity = To know the Father, you must know the Son.
4. Mormons must learn Jewish study techniques to better elucidate scripture. The basic Hebraic method is a question and answer technique that includes in-depth inquiries for a full understanding of words and concepts. Studying rabbinic texts in a group setting, asking questions of the text and seeking deeper understanding of what is read is a valuable tool in searching scripture. I hope you will develop a desire to know more about the way Jews lived in Jesus’ time. Often we tend to view the scriptures in a historical vacuum with the result that we transpose our 21st century Western values and concerns upon what we read.
5. Mormons can better know the Jewish people through their pattern and traditions of worship. Only by familiarizing oneself with these concepts can one find greater appreciation for the truth of the Gospel. Judaism today is somewhat of an open religion, though it is based on secularism and age old tradition. Modern Jewry is growing away from its roots. They don’t understand evil in a world ruled by a just God. They don’t understand the role of their Savior or that he was with them in Egypt, in Sinai, in Canaan, in Israel even today. They believe they are a chosen people but have no central authority or temple. Most Jews in America have never seen their homeland of Israel. They have become bohemian and worldly and they seem to have lost their vision of a personal spirituality they can treasure and devote their lives to.
6. Without the birthright of Ephraim, Judah is a sword of undirected spiritual energy and incomplete testimony. Mormons must the Jewish men and woman who will live our Gospel with passion. Mormons need to appreciate the full tapestry of history. Heavenly Father wants and waits to see the restoration of the birthright and the scepter tribes (Judah and Joseph) coming together. The whole earth will be blessed by that union.
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Adapted from Marlena’s blogsite: http://judaicaworld.wordpress.com
Marlena’s websites and other blogsites:
www.jewishconvert-lds.com, www.peopleofthebook-judaica.com,
www.berdichev1941.com
http://comeuntochrist.blogspot.com, http://judaicaworld.blogspot.com
Books on Kindle:
• Notes of a Jewish Convert to the LDS Church: Conversion of a Soul (non-fiction)
• A Mormon’s Guide to Judaism: Introduction to Jewish Religion and Culture for Latter-day Saints (non-fiction)
• People of the Book (fiction-based)