February 17, 2013

  • Seeker Level (1) Lesson 1 A: The Most Sacred Name

    Due to schedule changes etc. I am creating new videos for the updated Seeker Lessons. Here is lesson 1.1.A: The Most Name. Your thoughts are invited.

    To take the complete series of lessons visit us at http://yeshivabethhashem.org

     

    Yeshiva Beth HaShem: Lessons in Authentic Messianic Judaism

    Yeshiva Beth HaShem
      © YeshivaBethHaShem.org 12.29.10 (last update: 2.17.2013)

    Introduction to the Judaism of Rebbe Y'shua

    Seeker Level (1) Lesson 1 A: The Most Sacred Name

    Welcome to Yeshiva Beth HaShem!

    NOTE:The following video is a separate presentation of the same basic material presented below. It may contain some material not found in the printed version and the printed version may include some information not found in the videos. We recommend both watching the video(s) and reading the text(s) of the lessons for the most complete understanding. When the text differs from the videos the text is more authoritative or current. The videos are gradually being redone due to significant updates in what we offer.

    Seeker Level Lesson 1 A: Introduction to the Judaism of Rebbe Y'shua


    The Most Sacred Name

    A Jew is a member of the Covenant made between HaShem (God) and the descendents of Avraham and Sarah. All who belong to this lineage are Jews/Jewish. Those who are not members of this ancient extended family are Gentiles or non-Jews. The Giver of this Covenant is the One True God and He has a Personal Name. This Name is utterly sacred and not to be lightly spoken (or written).

    Torah warns:

    Exodus 20:7 "You are not to use lightly the name of ADONAI your God, because ADONAI will not leave unpunished someone who uses his name lightly.

    The Judaica Press version has it this this way:

    Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

    As Strong's Concordance notes: The word "vain" or "shav" in Hebrew, used in the Third Commandment, refers to:

      ... the sense of desolating; evil (as destructive), literally (ruin) or morally (especially guile); figuratively idolatry (as false, subjectively), uselessness (as deceptive, objectively; also adverbially in vain: i.e. pointlessly, without cause): - false (-ly), lie, lying, vain, vanity.

    This is a stern warning. Merely speaking this Name without good cause can bring about the displeasure of HaShem (may it never happen to us!). In the early days of biblical history the Sacred Name was spoken more freely, however by the Second Temple Period (the time period of Rebbe Y'shua) the uttering of the Name became less common and only the high priest spoke the Name, and then generally only once a year. As time passed the Jewish sages realized ever more thoroughly just how Sacred the Name is and so sought to honor it more completely. Today it is rarely spoken. Balance is needed in all things of course. We do not want to view the Sacred Name as something to be feared are viewed with superstition. At the same time, due to our deep respect for HaShem (literally "The Name") we avoid uttering it without good cause.

    In Hebrew, the main language of Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), the Sacred Name is: יהוה and transliterates as Yod Hay Vav and a final Hay.
    In English characters this Most Sacred of all Names is transliterated as YHVH -- blessed be He for all eternity.

    The Sacred Name is Unique

    There are deeply religious, spiritual and mystical reasons why we do not utter the Sacred Name lightly. Most names identify the named: "That's Yochanan" (John). John (in its various forms) is the second most common name there is (after the name Muhammad). John could just as easily have been named Tom or Joe because John is "just a name." For created beings living in the duality of time names are little more than identifiers within our community. We are not our names, we have names, usually a first, middle and last. While naming customs have changed since biblical times, the last name usually identifies our lineage (family name) while the fist is our individual place within the lineage. Hence the historic "Jesus" was actually named Y'shua ben Yosef (Y'shua son of Yosef). More on this later.

    However the Holy One is without beginning, middle or end. Because the Eternal is echad (utterly One), utterly unique and completely indivisible, He is One with His attributes, with His existence and with His Name. We have love but He is Love (I John 4:8). It is not therefore precisely that the Sacred Name "is God's Name," its more that God isthe Sacred Name -- Blessed be He for all eternity. He is non-different than His Name because He alone is truly One. By honoring the Sacred Name therefore we not only honor a name, we honor the Named. We delve into this in more detail in the level two Talmidim lessons.

    In Judaism most everything is debated. This point however is not. Jewish authorities sometimes vary on whywe do not utter the Sacred Name without very good cause, but they are unanimous that we don't. As students of Rebbe Y'shua we honor this sacred tradition and do not utter the Sacred Name without very cause.

    Because the Transcendent Name is so Sacred Jews traditionally use one of two titles rather than write or pronounce the Name. This is done to honor the Sacred Name (not out of superstition against using it as some critics imagine).

    Adonai

    When reading the Holy Scriptures, and in some traditional prayers, we see the Sacred Name written in Hebrew. At such places we read the Sacred Name as Adonai ("Lord"). This title is commonly pronounced in two different ways:

    • As "Adoh-noy" by many Ashkenazi Jews:Note:
          These are the

      Y'hudey Ashkenazim

        , the "Jews of Ashkenaz". These Jews are descended from the medieval Jewish communities that lived along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north prior to the Shoah (Holocaust). Researchers believe the origin of this term (and people) may reach back to the days of Noach avinu (our father Noah). This is because I Chronicles 1:6 references among the descendents of Gomer (son of Japheth, son of Noah) a son named Ashchenaz. These Jews, which numerically dominate Am Israel today, are believed by many to have descended from Noah's son Japheth rather than Shem (as the Semitic Jews). Remember that Judaism is not a race, its a Covenant relationship peopled by different races, some Semitic, some not. The Caucasians of Europa (including those Aryans of the Rhineland) descended through Noach's son Japheth according to the Bible, making this connection plausible if not likely. Japheth's descendants were instructed to live with and support the Shemites or sons of Shem (Genesis 9:27). It is certainly possible that very early Caucasian converts to Am Israel passed this family name along.
    • As "Adoh-nigh" by the Sephardim (Hispanic and Middle Eastern Jews) and others.Note:
        These Jews are descended from the Jews of the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the late 15th century. In Israel Sepharidic Hebrew is now most widely embraced and so most Jews the world over are moving to it. It you are learning Hebrew you will want to focus on the Sephardic pronunciation.

    In practice the differences between these and other Jewish groups (such as the Adot HaMizrach -- "communities of the East," the Bnei Menashe, the Cochin Jews, Bene Ephraim, the Romaniotes of Greece; the Italkim or Bene Roma of Italia, the Teimanim Jews of Yemen and Oman, the African Lemba and Mizraḥi Jews) has more to do with historically observed liturgical traditions of ones ancestors than with present geography. This diversity is not relevant to our present study however it is important to understand that the House of Judah (Y'hudah) is not a culturally nor linguistically monolithic tradition. Jews have been living in diaspora (i.e. outside of the Land of Israel) for so long (since the 6th century BCE) that they have adopted many customs and traditions and developed many more. This adds to the richness of our Traditions and deepens the traditional Jewish respect for other cultures and beliefs.

    Regardless of pronunciation, "Adonai" is usually translated as LORD (or L-RD), proclaiming that the Named One is LORD over all lords. In the following verse from the Complete Jewish Bible note how the Sacred Name has been rendered as "ADONAI."

    Exodus 20:7 "You are not to use lightly the name of ADONAI your God, because ADONAI will not leave unpunished someone who uses his name lightly.

    Whereas the Judaica Press Version has it this way:

    Exodus 20:7 You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain, for the Lord will not hold blameless anyone who takes His name in vain.

    HaShem

    We more frequently employ the title HaShem(as in "Yeshiva Beth HaShem" or "School of the House of the Name") outside of Scripture reading and certain prayers.

    "HaShem" has two essential meanings (the first literal, the latter ascribed). He is "the Name" -- "the Name of four letters": the Tetragrammaton in Greek). He is also "the (Ha) KING." This ascribed title proclaims that the Named One is KING over all kings. This reflects our understanding that the Named One is both King of kings and Lord of lords.

    Because HaShem is utterly ONE (Hebrew: echad) He and His Name are indivisible. Both of these titles are accurate and both should be held in mind when referring to the One True God Who alone is King of kings and Lord of lords. These are the divine titles that are best used by the students of Rebbe Y'shua to refer to the Holy One, blessed be He. Again, The actual Sacred Name should rarely if ever be employed.

    The Sacred Four Letter Name is used in the Bible more than 7970 times.

    The Sacred Name is never used in the New Testament as we have it (other than as part of other words and proper names like Hallelujah and Y'shua). There the word commonly translated as Lord is kuriosand often is not referring to God at all (for instance Matthew 10:24, II Corinthians 8:9 etc). This word often means "master," one in authority, as with the European lords and ladies. The intended meaning must be determined by context as in English.

    Some Jewish sages maintain that the prohibition against using God's Sacred Name in vain found in Third Commandment: "You shall not take His Name in vain" refers only to not taking oaths with the Sacred Name. While that certainly is part of it, it is not the complete meaning. As the great Jewish theologian Rambam (Maimonides) tells us:

    It is not only a false oath that is forbidden. Instead, it is forbidden to mention even one of the names designated for G-d in vain, although one does not take an oath. For the verse commands us, saying: "To fear the glorious and awesome name" (Deuteronomy 28:58)." Included in fearing it is not to mention it in vain.

    Therefore if because of a slip of the tongue, one mentions [G-d's] name in vain, he should immediately hurry to praise, glorify and venerate it, so that it will not have been mentioned in vain. What is implied? If he mentions G- d's name, he should say: "Blessed be He for all eternity," "He is great and exceedingly praiseworthy," or the like, so that it will not have been [mentioned entirely] in vain (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Vows 12:11).

    Likewise the frequent command in the Bible to "Praise His Name" and so on does not direct us to pronounce the Sacred Name as though it were like any other. It is most precious. Many sincere people inadvertently misuse the Name by using it lightly. We are to honor the Name by "not lightly using it lightly" (Exodus 20:7) and by regarding the Name as a thing of most precious beauty and utter sacredness. The command then, as Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi explains (see: Likkutei Torah, Behar 41a, et al), is based on the fact that our praises of God arise from our emotional and/or intellectual appreciation of His Greatness. Something so grand and sacred should never be used as part of common speech.

    How, the noted rabbi ponders, can finite beings such as we even begin to know about His Glory in order to offer Him due praise and worship? No one has seen God at anytime (as we read in passages like Exodus 33:20, John 1:18). By His allowance HaShem can partially be known and praised because He reveals His glory to us through His Torah and His Torah proclaims His various aspects as Names and Titles (i.e. as Elohiym, El Gibor, El Shaddai etc.).

    Therefore we understand that the command to "Praise His Name" refers to praising His attributes, His Kindness, His Power, His Mercy and so on. HaShem's Oneness knows no division. Through His various attributes we are empowered to enter His omnipresence with thanksgiving (Psalms 69:30, 95:2, Philippians 4:6, Colossians 4:2 and so on) with some slight degree of comprehension of His greatness.

    Religious Jews and Noahidim (Gentiles who worship the God of Israel) always seek to honor the Sacred Name.

    There are a lot of people today who treat the Sacred Name of God lightly. They utter the Name (or some mispronounced version of it) as though it were any other common name. They scribble it on web pages and blogs with no more thought than when they write "John Smith" or the name of some celebrity. These people do so at their peril as the above verse from Exodus and the quote from Rambam make clear. The Sacred Name should onlybe uttered or written with full intention and all due respect, and then only when the alternative forms (Adonai, HaShem etc) do not suffice to convey the intended meaning. It is the most Sacred Name in all existence. We can not stress this point enough.

    For this reason, throughout these lessons we refer to the God of Israel primarily as HaShem and Adonai. Those taking these lessons are instructed to follow this custom as well when writing us, posting to our groups etc.

    Study Notes

    Note: If you have any questions or comments we encourage you to post them to our Beth Yachad e-group. If you are wondering about something others may be as well. This list exists, in part, for this purpose. Please utilize it.

    You are also invited to join us in Second Lifeat Beth HaShem Shalom Center for weekly discussions and fellowship.

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    Notes for this study:

    All Bible quotes are from the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) unless otherwise noted. This is an overall good modern paraphrase of the Bible derived from various manuscript sources.
    KJV: The Authorized King James Version. The preeminent translation of the superior Textus Receptus source materials.
    JPB: Judaica Press Bible: Available through Chabad

    Glossary and terms for this study (our complete Glossary of Jewish and Christian Terms):

    Adonai: The LORD -- Lord of lords

    Beth HaShem: House of God

    HaShem: The KING/the Name -- King of kings

    Jesus Christ: Rebbe Y'shua was renamed this by the Catholic Church as part of its efforts to distance their new religion from its Jewish roots.
    Jew: A Member of the extended family of the biblical Avraham and Sarah:

    • Traditionally: One whose birth mother is Jewish or who has formally converted into the family by a recognized religious court.
    • Alternately: One whose father is Jewish (but not mother) AND who was raised in a Jewish home according to some non-Orthodox movements, including the Reform.

    Judaism: The people, religion and culture of the Jews: the House of Judah (Yehuda); the biblical people of the Covenant (whether they are Torah observant or not). Of the original twelve houses of Israel only the Jews remain. This will remain the case until the coming of Messiah. The Jews are People Israel.

    Mashiach: See Moshiach
    Meshiykhiyyim (Hebrew): Messianics (English):

        This term has been so altered as to be meaningless. Meshiykhiyyim are by definition followers of the Messiah (whoever that is considered to be), however the term has become so equated with the Christian religion that we recommend avoiding it to avoid confusion.

        Jews who do not understand/accept the claims of Rebbe Y'shua (the vast majority) usually prefer the Talmudic term Notzrim ("Nazarenes"). This term is often used with derision and so we recommend avoiding it to avoid confusion.

      It seems best to us for the students of Rebbe Y'shua to just use the standard terms, Jewish or Noahide without qualifiers and then, when the subject arises, to share one rabbinic leanings.

    Messiah: English for Moshiach.
    Moshiach: The "Anointed" of HaShem: A consecrated (anointed) person (as a king or priest); specifically used in reference to the promised future King of Israel, Son of David (i.e. Ha or The Messiah).

        "Mashiach" is slightly more common transliteration in English however "Moshiach" is most correct in our opinion (and according to the Lubavitcher Rebbe)

        Many anointed persons are called "moshiach" in the Scriptures. For instance:
          KJV: Exodus 29:29 And the holy garments of Aaron shall be his sons' after him, to be anointed [Hebrew: moshiach] therein, and to be consecrated in them.

          KJV: Leviticus 4:3 If the priest that is anointed [Hebrew moshiach] do sin according to the sin of the people;

          KJV: I Samuel 10:1 Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed [moshiach] thee to be captain over his inheritance?

          KJV: I Samuel 24:6 And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD'S anointed [moshiach], to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed [moshiach], of the LORD.

          KJV: II Samuel 23:1 Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed [moshiach] of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,

        KJV: Isaiah 45:1 Thus saith the LORD to his anointed [moshiach], to Cyrus...

    (The) Nazarene: A title of Y'shua ben Yosef.

    Netser: branch, a messianic title based on Isaiah 11: root of Nazarene, Nazareth.
    Noahides: Noahidim, Noachdim: Non-Jews who worship the God of Israel. Especially those who observe the Seven Laws of Noah.
    Notzrim ("Nazarene"): A Talmudic term often used by traditional Jews to refer to those who accept Rebbe Y'shua as Moshiach.

    Talmud: A significant portion of the Oral Torah
    Tanakh: The Hebrew Bible, commonly referred to the Old Testament. The term "Old Testament" should be avoided due to the false implication that the "New Testament" has superseded it.
    Torah:

    • The five books of Moses: Genesis - Deuteronomy.
    • The teachings of the rabbis
    • The Will/Wisdom of HaShem.
    • The "Eternal Mind of God"

    Rabbi: A teacher. A teacher of the Written and Oral Torah; a leader of a Jewish congregation or other Jewish ministry.
    Rebbe: Used in different ways, from the same root as rabbi: An especially honored rabbi, a teacher of rabbis, the spiritual leader of an Hasidic fellowship.

    Y'shua: The preferred written form of the real name of "Jesus." Also correct is Yeshua.
    Yeshiva: Literally [place of] "sitting." A Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim (lectures or classes) and in study pairs called chavrutas (Aramaic for "friendship" or "companionship"). Sometimes used for any Jewish educational facility, sometimes used to reference school of rabbinic ordination.
    Yeshua: An alternate spelling of the real name of "Jesus"

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