WHY DO JEWS DO THAT ?
First Word
I
thought is would be interesting to research some of the things found in Jewish
culture.
What
seems far out, actually points to a reverence, obedience and remembrance
of YEHWAY.
I
would like to point out that there were 12 tribes of Israel
With Judah ALL Israelites.
Why do they sway when they
pray?
- When the Ten
Commandments were read to the Israelites, the earth shook and they
were moved with awe, trembling and shaking.
- The spirit of the man
is the candle of the lord that flickers and waves in harmony with
the light of the Torah.
- The swaying of
the body is in rhythm and time with the prayer being recited.
- With limited number
of books, many people had to share from the same book, bending forward
to read the book on the ground then straighten back up. This has
continued even when they had sufficient books.
Prov 20:27 – The lamp of
the Lord
27 The lamp of the LORD
searches the spirit of a man;
it searches out his inmost
being. NIV
Ps 35:10 – My bones move and speak
10 All my bones shall (move and) say, LORD, who is like unto
thee KJV
Ps 68:8 – They were moved at the presence of God
8 The earth shook,
the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved
at the presence of God, the God of Israel. KJV
Why be Circumcised?
- The Jewish law
requires a male child to be circumcised on the eight day after he is born.
- Circumcision in
Hebrew is “brit” which
means covenant.
- The covenant is the
pledge God gave Abraham to bless and prosper him and his descendents who
would obey his commandments.
- The circumcision is
performed by a mohel (one
who cuts away) a surgical specialist who recites the blessings
during the procedure.
Gen 17:2 – Circumcision is a covenant
2 I will confirm my
covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers."
NIV
Gen 17:11 -12 –It is
the sign of the covenant
11 You are to undergo
circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and
you.
12 For the generations to
come every male among you who is eight days old must be
circumcised, NIV
Why is the word “Amen” used so often in
Prayer?
- Amen is an acrostic for three
Hebrew words El Melech Ne’man
meaning The Lord is a
trustworthy King and first appears in the book of numbers.
- Amen has become to mean; “truly”
or “so be it”. – It is a declaration; “blessed be the Lord”.
- Many of the
congregation could not read and would respond to the prayers or reading of
the Talmud with “Amen”. – So let it
be.
Num 5:22 – First
time taught
22 And this water that
causes the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy
thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen. KJV
Ps 89:52 – Bless His name – Amen and Amen
52 Blessed be the LORD for
evermore. Amen, and Amen. KJV
Deut 27:16-19 – All the people shall say Amen
16 "Cursed is the man
who dishonors his father or his mother."
Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
17 "Cursed is the man
who moves his neighbor's boundary stone."
Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
18 "Cursed is the man
who leads the blind astray on the road."
Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
19 "Cursed is the man
who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow."
Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
NIV
Why do Jews not intermarry with other
races?
- The essential core of
Judaism is weakened through the intermarriage of other races; it leads to
the breakdown of the primary Jewish institution, the family unit.
- It’s origin was
because of the leading astray of the Jew with the worship of other Gods
Ex 34:16 – They will cause you to turn from the True God
16 And when you choose
some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute
themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same.
NIV
Why do mourners tear their garments?
- This comes from when Jacob heard his son had been
killed by wild animals, he tore his garment.
- King
David
tour his clothes at the news about the death of Saul’s son Absalom
- Job tore his robe when
he was in anguish.
Gen 37:34 – Jacob tore his clothes
34 Then Jacob tore his
clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days NIV
2 Sam 13:31 – King
David tore his clothes in anguish
31 The king stood up, tore
his clothes and lay down on the ground; and all his servants stood by with
their clothes torn. NIV
Job 1:20 – Job tore
his robe in anguish
20 At this, Job got up and
tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship:
NIV
What’s in the box on their door post?
- The “Mezuza” is small verses of scripture
rolled up and placed in a compartment on the door post of ever Jewish
persons home.
- It is hand written
as the scribes of old would have done and placed at an angle with the top pointing
toward the interior of the home and placed high on the upper third of the
door post; It symbolized reaching upward to God.
- Ironically there was
a debate over whether to mount it vertical or horizontal and the 30 degree
angle was the compromise. – Go
figure.
- It serves as a
reminder of God’s laws and their own loyalty to the Jewish people.
Deut 6:9 –
Write it upon your door post
9 And thou shall write
them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. KJV
Why do some Jews wear a little skull cap?
- While the covering of
the head is not dictated by the Talmud, many observant Jews prefer to keep
their head covered. They reverenced
God, considering that the Shechina glory of
God is above their head.
- In
- It was also thought
that anyone who walks around bareheaded was frivolous and disrespectful of
Jewish Law; so put your hat on.
What Kind of tree was in the Garden of Eden?
- Christian’s commonly
call the Tree of knowledge of good and evil, an apple tree.
- Jews disagree and
call it a fig tree because Adam
and Eve sewed fig leaves to cover their nakedness.
- Interestingly, the Hebrew word for
SIN is chet and the word
Gen 3:7 –
Maybe it was a fig tree
7 Then the eyes of both of
them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig
leaves together and made coverings for themselves NIV
Why are the Jews called Christ Killers?
- The
Chief Priest and Elders shouted out to crucify Jesus and
Pilate washed his hands of the crucifixion.
- However, 90% of the
Jewish population was not even present.
It was the Gentiles, the non-Jews; the Romans who actually carried
out the execution.
Matt 27:22 –
The chief priest and elders said crucify Him.
22 "What shall I do,
then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked. They all answered,
"Crucify him!" NIV
Matt 27:24 –
Pilate washed his hands of His blood
24 When Pilate saw that he
was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and
washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this
man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!" NIV
Why do they shout “MAZAL TOV” at weddings?
- Mazal refers to the
constellation of the zodiac, a star, Tov meaning good; a good star, a lucky star. Also Siman tov or “good omen”;
both a way of saying congratulations.
Why do Jews not eat pork?
- This is based on the
dietary laws of the Old Testament concerning the split hoof and the
chewing of the cud.
- The
Talmud
goes further and says to not even raise pigs. – This goes back to
when the Syrian-Greeks tried to force the Jews to sacrifice pigs in the
temple and eat their flesh – This made the pig the most repugnant of all
the non-kosher animals.
Lev 11:26 – The Pig is unclean to you
26 "`Every animal
that has a split hoof not completely divided or that does not chew the cud is
unclean for you; whoever touches [the carcass of] any of them will be
unclean. NIV
Lev 11:7-8 –
The pig does not chew the cud
7 And the pig,
though it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is
unclean for you.
8 You must not eat their
meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you. NIV
Deut 14:8 –
Don’t eat the pig
8 The pig is also
unclean; although it has a split hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are
not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses.
NIV
Why do the Jews refer to
themselves as the chosen people?
- This comes from the
agreement between God and Abram – God chose Israel as His chosen people
when there was only one guy; Abram, and he had no children.
- God changed Abram’s
name to Abraham – The added “h” was taken from the name Jehovah
as was Sara, naming her Sarah.
– Many names today have an “h”
added to them.
- Abraham had a son
named Isaac; and Isaac had a son named Jacob
- God Changed Jacob’s
name to
Gen 17:5 –
Abram’s name changed to Abraham
5 No longer will you be
called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father
of many nations. NIV
Gen 32:28 –
Jacob’s name changed to Israel
28 Then the man said,
"Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel
Gen 12:1-3 –
The promises of God to Abraham
1 The LORD had said to
Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go
to the land I will show you.
2 "I will make
you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your
name great, and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless
those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all
peoples on earth will be blessed through you." NIV
Deut
29:10-15 – I make this covenant with you this day
10 All of you are standing
today in the presence of the LORD your God…
11 together with your
children and your wives…
12 You are standing here
in order to enter into a covenant with the LORD your God, a covenant
the LORD is making with you this day and sealing with an oath…
13 to confirm you this day
as his people, that he may be your God as he promised you and as he swore to
your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
14 I am making this
covenant, with its oath, not only with you
15 who are standing here
with us today in the presence of the LORD our God but also with those who
are not here today. NIV
What is Kosher?
- Originally it meant good and proper and later became “something fit” for ritual
use and even applied to witnesses who “were competent” to testify.
- Ester asked the king
do her a favor if he found it “good and proper” (kosher).
- Later it evolved into
dietary laws NOT for health reasons, but whose purpose was to bring holiness
and unity to the Jewish people.
- The Bible gives no
reason for the distinction between the clean and the unclean.
- A Shochet, who is trained in the laws of the Shechita (Kosher
slaughtering), does the killing.
- I include more
scripture here than you want to know.
Est 8:5 – If it’s good and
proper, kosher; do me a favor
5 And said, If it please the king, and if I have
found favor in his sight, and the thing seem right (kosher) before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be
written to reverse the letters devised by Haman KJV
Lev 11:2-47 – A
distinction between clean and unclean.
2 Say to the Israelites: `Of all the animals that
live on land, these are the ones you may eat:
3 You may eat any animal that has a split hoof
completely divided and that chews the cud.
4 "`There are some that only chew the cud or
only have a split hoof, but you must not eat them. The camel, though it chews
the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is ceremonially unclean for you.
5 The Coney, though it chews the cud, does not
have a split hoof; it is unclean for you.
6 The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not
have a split hoof; it is unclean for you.
7 And the pig, though it has a split hoof
completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you.
8 You must not eat their meat or touch their
carcasses; they are unclean for you.
9 "`Of all the creatures living in the water
of the seas and the streams, you may eat any that have fins and scales.
10 But all creatures in the seas or streams that
do not have fins and scales--whether among all the swarming things or among all
the other living creatures in the water--you are to detest.
11 And since you are to detest them, you must not
eat their meat and you must detest their carcasses.
12 Anything living in the water that does not have
fins and scales is to be detestable to you.
13 "`These are the birds you are to detest
and not eat because they are detestable: the eagle, the vulture, the black
vulture,
14 the red kite, any kind of black kite,
15 any kind of raven,
16 the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any
kind of hawk,
17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,
18 the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey,
19 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and
the bat.
20 "`All flying insects that walk on all
fours are to be detestable to you.
21 There are, however, some winged creatures that
walk on all fours that you may eat: those that have jointed legs for hopping on
the ground.
22 Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket- or
grasshopper.
23 But all other winged creatures that have four
legs you are to detest.
24 "`You will make yourselves unclean by
these; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening.
25 Whoever picks up one of their carcasses must
wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening.
26 "`Every animal that has a split hoof not
completely divided or that does not chew the cud is unclean for you; whoever
touches [the carcass of] any of them will be unclean.
27 Of all the animals that walk on all fours,
those that walk on their paws are unclean for you; whoever touches their
carcasses will be unclean till evening.
28 Anyone who picks up their carcasses must wash
his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening. They are unclean for you.
29 "`Of the animals that move about on the
ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great
lizard,
30 the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard,
the skink and the chameleon.
31 Of all those that move along the ground, these
are unclean for you. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean
till evening.
32 When one of them dies and falls on something,
that article, whatever its use, will be unclean, whether it is made of wood,
cloth, hide or sackcloth. Put it in water; it will be unclean till evening, and
then it will be clean.
33 If one of them falls into a clay pot,
everything in it will be unclean, and you must break the pot.
34 Any food that could be eaten but has water on
it from such a pot is unclean, and any liquid that could be drunk from it is
unclean.
35 Anything that one of their carcasses falls on
becomes unclean; an oven or cooking pot must be broken up. They are unclean,
and you are to regard them as unclean.
36 A spring, however, or a cistern for collecting
water remains clean, but anyone who touches one of these carcasses is unclean.
37 If a carcass falls on any seeds that are to be
planted, they remain clean.
38 But if water has been put on the seed and a
carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.
39 "`If an animal that you are allowed to eat
dies, anyone who touches the carcass will be unclean till evening.
40 Anyone who eats some of the carcass must wash
his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening. Anyone who picks up the
carcass must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening.
41 "`Every creature that moves about on the
ground is detestable; it is not to be eaten.
42 You are not to eat any creature that moves
about on the ground, whether it moves on its belly or walks on all fours or on
many feet; it is detestable.
43 Do not defile yourselves by any of these
creatures. Do not make yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean
by them.
44 I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves
and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature
that moves about on the ground.
45 I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt
46 "`These are the regulations concerning
animals, birds, every living thing that moves in the water and every creature
that moves about on the ground.
47 You must distinguish between the
unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those
that may not be eaten.'" NIV
Why
do they wear the little boxes on their forehead?
- Tefilin (phylacteries) is a
sign of devotion and obedience to God. – It is a reminder that God
redeemed them out of the bondage of
- All male Jews were expected
to wear two phylacteries at morning prayers – One on their forehead and
one on their left arm which is closest to their heart. – These were small
leather cases containing four scriptures from the Torah. – Oddly
enough, they do not wear it on the Sabbath, because that would constitute
“work” or carrying on the Sabbath.
- The straps were wound
around the arm seven times representing the seven Hebrew words
in Psalms. – The Hebrew Translation is; You open your hand and satisfy every
living creature. Then the end is wrapped around the hand three
times and the ring finger
three times to form the word Shaddai, meaning God – betrothed to God.
- What the Jews deem as
being obedient, the world deems as being weird.
- I include the FOUR SCRIPTURES for you to
understand their devotion.
Hos 2:19-20
– God said Three Times – I will betroth you
19 I will betroth you
to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love
and compassion.
20 I will betroth you
in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD. NIV
Ps 145:16 -
The SEVEN HEBREW words translated
16 Thou openest thine
hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. KJV
Ex 13:8-10 –
Sign on your hand- a reminder on your forehead
9 This observance will be
for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead
that the law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For the LORD brought you out of
Egypt
10 You must keep this
ordinance at the appointed time year after year. NIV
Deut 6:8 Tie
them on you hands and foreheads.
8 Tie them as symbols on your
hands and bind them on your foreheads. NIV
Deut 11:18 – Fix God’s word in your heart and mind
8 Fix these words of mine
in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and
bind them on your foreheads.
NIV
Ex 13:1-10 –
FIRST Scripture
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "Consecrate to me
every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites
belongs to me, whether man or animal."
3 Moses said to the
people, "Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt
4 Today, in the month of
Abib, you are leaving.
5 When the LORD brings you
into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites--the
land he swore to your forefathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and
honey--you are to observe this ceremony in this month:
6 For seven days eat bread
made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival to the LORD.
7 Eat unleavened bread
during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor
shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders.
8 On that day tell your
son, `I do this because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt
9 This observance will be
for you “like” a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead
that the law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For the LORD brought you out of
Egypt
10 You must keep this
ordinance at the appointed time year after year. NIV
Ex 13:11 -16 – SECOND Scripture
11 "After the LORD brings you into the land
of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as he promised on oath to you and your
forefathers,
12 you are to give over to the LORD the first
offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to
the LORD. 13 Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not
redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons.
14 "In days to come, when your son asks you,
`What does this mean?' say to him, `With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out
of Egypt
15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go,
the LORD killed every firstborn in Egypt
16 And it will be “like” a sign on your hand
and a symbol on your forehead that the LORD brought us out of Egypt
Deut 6:4-9 – THIRD
Scripture
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is
one.
5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your strength.
6 These commandments that I give you today are to
be upon your hearts.
7 Impress them on your children. Talk
about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you
lie down and when you get up.
8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind
them on your foreheads.
9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses
and on your gates.
NIV
Deut 11:3-21 – FOURTH
Scripture
3 the signs he performed and the things he did in
the heart of Egypt Egypt
4 what he did to the Egyptian army, to its horses
and chariots, how he overwhelmed them with the waters of the Red Sea as they
were pursuing you, and how the LORD brought lasting ruin on them.
5 It was not your children who saw what he did for
you in the desert until you arrived at this place,
6 and what he did to Dathan and Abiram, sons of
Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth right in the middle of all
Israel
7 But it was your own eyes that saw all these
great things the LORD has done.
8 Observe therefore all the commands I am giving
you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land
that you are crossing the Jordan to possess,
9 and so that you may live long in the land
that the LORD swore to your forefathers to give to them and their descendants,
a land flowing with milk and honey.
10 The land you are entering to take over is not
like the land of Egypt
11 But the land you are crossing the Jordan
12 It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the
eyes of the LORD are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its
end.
13 So if you faithfully obey the commands I am
giving you today--to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your
heart and with all your soul—
14 then I will send rain on your land in its
season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new
wine and oil.
15 I will provide grass in the fields for your
cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.
16 Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away
and worship other gods and bow down to them.
17 Then the LORD's anger will burn against you,
and he will shut the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield
no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the LORD is giving you.
18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and
minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
19 Teach
them to your children, talking
about them when you sit at home and when you walk along
the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
20 Write
them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates,
21 so that your days and the days of your
children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your
forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth. NIV
THE TAKE AWAY
- As a Christian and a
Gentile, I see the Jews laden down with traditions, rules and laws that
are considered LEGALISTIC. This places
the follower in bondage which the New Covenant has redeemed us
from.
- New Testament
scripture says; Why go back to the weak and beggarly elements.
- The Old Covenant teaches
man must do something to be saved. – Tradition, rules and Laws.
- The New Covenant teaches
man can do nothing to be saved – Jesus Christ did it all.
- But my heart sees the
Jew’s reverence, devotion and the striving for obedience
to the Holy Scriptures as laid down by the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
- The Christian does
not OPENLY do these things that remind and testify of God,
nor daily seek the face of God as the Jew does through the symbolism that
reminds him daily of God’s provisions.
- When you read the
scriptures you can just feel the Jew’s hunger for God’s word as they
sought for it, even out in the desert. – We do not have that hunger today –
By His grace
we have been grafted into the vine and now have
Jewish roots.
Gal 4:9 -
Why go back
9 But now, after that ye
have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak
and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
KJV
Rom 11:17 – The Christian now has JEWISH ROOTS.
17 You, though a
wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share
in the nourishing sap from the olive root, NIV
In the multitude of counselors,
there is wisdom.
Prov 11:14
I am grateful for those that went before me providing concepts, ideas, historical information, and scripture verses. Because of them I can stand on their shoulders and see further than I otherwise ever could have.
A Commentary - Eerdmans
Apocrypha; The – Edgar J. Goodspeed
Bible Almanac; The – Nelson
Bible Commentary – R.B. Meyer
Commentary on the Pre-Adamic flood – Dr. Al McCallister.
Customs and Folkways of Jewish Life – Theodor H. Gaster
Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible - Dake
Expositor’s Bible Commentary; The – Frank E. Gaebelein
Harper’s Bible Dictionary – Harper and Row
Illustrated Bible Dictionary – Nelson’s
Illustrated Bible Dictionary; The – Tyndale
Illustrated Manners and Customs of the Bible – Packer – Tenney
Invisible War; The – Donald J. Barnhouse
Jewish book of why; The - Kolatch
Matthew Henry’s Commentary - Zondervan
New International Dictionary of the Bible; The – Douglas - Tenney
There were Two Trees in the Garden – Rick Joyner
Today’s Dictionary of the Bible – T.A. Bryant
Who’s Who in the Bible: The Complete – Paul D. Gardner
Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible; The
- Tenney
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