Volume 2: Shevat 2016

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Ephraim’s Shofar is a free electronic magazine so please freely distribute it

Original © Benjamin Thompson November 2015 This Edition: © Benjamin Thompson December 2015

My name is Benjamin Thompson, I am of the Tribe of Ephraim, and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I live in the Bay Area of California. I have always been attracted to Israeli culture and then I discovered that my

ancestors were Jewish. Since then I have studied my ancestral culture and language. This study has greatly blessed me. As I searched I discovered that there were more people like me who wanted to study their Israeli heritage but did not

know where to start. The purpose of this magazine is to help all those with Israeli heritage who are interested in learning about their heritage and to help them not feel alone.

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Disclaimer: It should be noted that though Ephraim’s Shofar is made by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, it is not an official publication created by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The opinions presented in this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Ephraim’s Shofar is not meant to establish doctrine or answer questions for the Church. It is intended only to help all people interested in exploring their Israeli heritage and cultural background from the perspective of the Restoration.

Finding the Spirit of the Torah By Benjamin Thompson

ITHIN modern Christianity there is a very important book that is often neglected.

As I said that, probably most of you thought about the Book of Mormon. It is true that the Book of Mormon is a very important book that is neglected by modern Christians, but there is a book even more neglected: the Torah. Even Latter-day Saints will ignore the Torah while embracing the Book of Mormon. I have far too often heard this phrase in LDS wards, “The Law of Moses is dead so we do not need the Torah anymore.” Though the Law of Moses is dead, nothing could be further from the truth about the Torah. As an opposition to this idea that the Torah is no longer needed, other members of the Church recognize that the Torah and Law of Moses were meant to prepare the people to receive Christ. This of course is true, but they often interpret this to also mean that since Christ has already come, the things in the Torah are only meant for meditation and spiritual reflection, having not much value in our day. I am also opposed to this view as well, though I do agree that the purpose of

the Law is to prepare us to receive Christ. I intend to show you that there is a third way to view the Torah. Since I have started viewing the Torah in this third way, I have felt an increase of the presence of the Holy Ghost. I would highly recommend that you prayerfully meditate on what I am going to show you today. The true purpose of the Torah is not only to point us to Christ, but also to show us how to live in such a way that the Holy Ghost can be with us. The Torah helps us to create a spiritual society. A just society. A healthy and strong society. These things help us to have the Holy Ghost with us more. Having the Holy Ghost with us is what helps us recognize Christ. It is what points us to Christ. Jesus Christ taught us that the rock of revelation is the foundation of his church. The first thing to understand about the Torah is that Jesus Christ is the one who gave it, not Moses. Moses received it from the Lord. After the Israelites had proven themselves too rebellious to receive the Higher Law, the Lord altered that same Law by removing the ordinances of the High Priesthood and removing the spiritually focused parts of the law, as well as adding carnal commandments and observances. The five Books of Moses are the result of this change. The Lord has shown us in the Book of Mormon and the New Testament that the Torah is still useful, except that we are to add the ordinances of the High Priesthood and the spiritual commandments back into the Torah on our own.

An example of this way of thinking is shown in these

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statements made by the Lord, “Not only shall you not murder, but you shall not even hate your brother in your heart. Not only shall you not commit adultery, you shall not even lust after a woman in your heart.” The Lord never said stop using the Torah, he showed us how to think of it in a higher way. With this understanding we must also understand that there is a difference between personal use of the Torah and commandments of the Church. People whom I have talked to often misunderstand my meaning of when I say the Torah is still valid. They think I am talking about the Torah as commandments of the Church. This is not what I am saying at all! The Apostle Paul says that we are not under the Law (Torah). This is often interpreted by Christians to mean that we do not need to use the Torah at all. This is not what Paul is intending. Paul also said in the same discussion that: Is the Law (Torah) sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the Law (Torah).” (Romans 7:7) Here Paul is telling us to use the Torah so that we can know what sin is. When Paul said that we are not under the Torah, he is saying that God is trusting us to seek after his will, not commands. The Lord gives commandments to a wicked people. By these commandments the Lord teaches them how to live righteously. Though the Lord gives us commandments, he doesn’t really like doing so. He does it out of necessity, but he would rather that we learn to simply use our own free agency to keep his will. The Lord still gives us commandments because he knows

that we still need them. The commandments that the Church gives us are all that the Lord is commanding us to do, but is this the end of what we are supposed to be doing? The Nephites knew that they had to keep the Law of Moses until it should be fulfilled, but they strived of their own accord to be worthy by the standard of the Law of the Gospel. They tried to live by a higher standard, looking forward to the coming of Christ and the fulfillment of the Law of Moses. Those who could only live by the Law of Moses were not under condemnation because that is all that the Lord had commanded at that time. So when I say the Torah is still valuable in our day I am not talking about holding the Church to the standard of the Torah, I am merely speaking that there is much of the Torah that is beneficial and that it should be adopted not by commandment but by us using our own free agency to keep those beneficial things, knowing that it is given to us by a loving God who understands what is good and not good for us. An individual should study the Torah and prayerfully search through it to find what is still usable and what is not needed anymore. The Book of Mormon and New Testament will help you to do this too. With that understood now I can show you how to divide the Torah to help you sift through what is usable and what is not needed. The Torah can be divided into four categories. 1. Laws of Remembrance, 2. Laws of Justice, 3. Laws of Morality, and 4. Laws of Health. To understand the Torah properly, you

must learn to divide the Torah into at least one of these four categories. Laws of Remembrance are often where people get hung up on the Torah. Laws of Remembrance include the Animal Sacrifice. The Lord tells us in the Book of Mormon that we are not to do Animal Sacrifice any-more. Instead we are to offer a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

This is not all there is to the Laws of Remembrance though. Whenever the Lord says in the Torah, “Do this and remember” that is a Law of Remembrance. By revelation of the ancient Apostles we have learned that these Laws of Remembrance are not important to salvation. A person can be saved through Christ without these Laws in the Torah. That being said, we should also remember that the Lord is all-wise and knows us well. Looking at some of these Laws of Remembrance from a psycho-logical perspective reveals that a lot of these things are designed to help us remember.

One example is the law of putting Mezuzah on the door post and the gate post. Psychologist will tell you that the human brain has a tendency to dump information when we pass through a door. Having these objects on the door posts to focus our minds on the Law, help our brains not dump the Laws of God from our memory. The modern Prophets and Apostles have said that having a picture of the Lord or of the Prophet next to the door to help us remember is similar to this commandment and fulfills the same purpose. The second category of the Torah are the laws of justice. These types of laws fulfill two purposes: to provide laws on how the government

should be run and how to restore balance when a law is broken. The laws relating to the government of Israel are superseded by the laws of the nation we are currently living in.

An example of this are the laws relating to Capital Punishment. We cannot use the Torah code to put people to death because only the American government has the power to sentence an individual to death. We do not need to worry about these laws. There are other laws though about government that we can choose to follow such as not supporting someone for a political office who does not have faith in God. This is a command in the Torah and we can interpret it in our modern time to mean that we should not vote for those who do not have faith in God and are not just.

The other side of Justice Laws though are still enforce to a degree within the Church today. These are the Laws of Restoration. An example of this kind of law is that if you steal the church wants you to restore what was stolen before you can be forgiven. These types of codes still have value today, though the Church simplifies it. As a whole though we should be aware of these type of laws but they are mostly not applicable to us in our day and are replaced by modern revelation. The third category of laws are the Laws of Morality. These laws absolutely have value today and should be studied. An example of a moral law is the commandment: Thou shalt not kill. The Lord taught us in the Book of Mormon and the New Testament that not only are we to not kill in the Law of the Gospel, but that we must also not hate our

brother in our heart. We are to not only not violate the action but to also not violate the spiritual aspect as well. We must learn to identify these type of laws within the Torah and also learn how to interpret them in the higher way that Christ taught us if they can be interpreted as such. The fourth categories of laws are for our health. Many people ignore these laws thinking that they are Laws of Remembrance only. Though these laws can be viewed as a form of remembrance they are also for our health. The Lord used things that are physically harmful to us to help teach us about spiritual things. This does not mean though that we should disregard the physically harmful aspect of it. A perfect example of this are the laws concerning the washing of our bodies after we touch dead bodies. The Torah says that if we touch a dead body we are unclean for a period of time and that we have to was our bodies. In days not so long ago it was a common practice for doctors to touch dead bodies and then deliver babies. Babies and mothers would get sick and even die shortly afterward. It was discovered using the scientific method that if you washed your hands after touching dead bodies, babies and mothers would not get sick and die. How many lives could have been saved if doctors understood that the Lord wanted them to wash themselves after touching dead bodies? This law had little to do with spirituality but it was the Lord trying to protect our health. These laws of health ought to be meditated upon because these laws are still valuable to us today.

The Lord knows what is good for our bodies and not good for our bodies. A healthy body will lead to a longer and happier life, as well as help us to communicate with the Spirit. I have been studying the Torah using this system for the past few years now and doing it this way has helped me to have the Spirit in my life more strongly. It has helped me to develop my gifts and the Lord has shown me much wisdom because of it. The Lord has blessed me greatly because I strive to learn his will in all the scriptures. May the peace of Christ be with you!

t-a Hebrew Corner By Benjamin Thompson

HOUGH it is not absolutely necessary to learn the ancestral language of our

fathers and mothers, I would highly recommend it. In Ephraim’s Shofar, we will provide you with free Hebrew instruction in order to help you to understand the language of our fathers and mothers. It is a language designed by God to help us to understand his ways better. We will provide small portions to make it easier for those with not a lot of time to be able to start being familiar with Hebrew.

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The second letter of the Hebrew Alephbet (pictured above) is the Bayt (pronounced as Bait, also written as Bet). It is pronounced with a hard ‘B’ sound ‘B’ as in Boy. Bayt is also used as a prefix. When Bayt is added to the beginning of a word where it normally does not belong the Bayt is a word in itself. Bayt can be used for the English words: in, with, on, at, or by. The context and pronunciation of the sentence will let you know which one to use. When Bayt is used as a number it represents the number two. Now for some symbolism! The Bayt is supposed to represent a tent on the earth. This represents the physical, material world. It is interesting to note that the very first word in Hebrew is spelled ba, and means Father in English. (In case I forgot to mention it last time, Hebrew is read right to left). Having the word Father be the first word of the Hebrew language shows us how important the Lord considers being a Father is.

Last time we learned that the Aleph represents that the Lord is the First and the Last, and will rise above all things and descend below all things. The Bayt then stands next to the Aleph, showing us that he is the one who created the physical, material world.

Since the Bayt represents a tent, it is also symbolic of our homes, as well as the House of the Lord. This connection is very important because it shows us that the Lord considers our homes (our family structure) to be very important. Our homes ought to be reflections of the Temple of the Lord. Going back to the Hebrew word for ‘Father’ it also shows us that the Father is the head of the home. In the ancient days, when our ancestors lived in tents, when the father was not working, he was sitting in the doorway of the tent making sure that nothing evil or harmful to the family would enter. Though we don’t live in tents, fathers still have this responsibility of being the first line of defense against evil and harm coming into our home.

Studying the Restored Torah Part 2

By Benjamin Thompson

Book of Moses 2:1 And it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, I reveal unto you concerning this heaven and this earth; write the words which I speak. I am the Beginning and the End; the Almighty God. By mine Only Begotten I created these things. Yea, in the beginning I

created the heaven, and the earth upon which thou standest.

Again, the Lord tells us that he is the Creator of this heaven and earth. The Lord does not tell us this out of a sense of pride. It is so that we will come to know that since he created everything, he knows what he is talking about, he knows what works and what doesn’t work. We can trust him and what he says.

Book of Moses 2:2-5 And the earth was without form, and void; and I caused darkness to come up upon the face of the deep. And my Spirit moved upon the face of the waters, for I am God. And I, God, said, Let there be light, and there was light. And I, God, saw the light, and that light was good. And I, God, divided the light from the darkness. And I, God, called the light day, and the darkness I called night. And this I did by the word of my power; and it was done as I spake. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

What we are seeing here now is the beginning of the spiritual creation. The Lord is trying to explain things in a way that we can understand. He uses the phrase “without form and void”. This is not a good enough explanation in Hebrew. The word “without form” in Hebrew would be better represented here using the term “chaotic” or “in confusion”. The word “void” in Hebrew would be better interpreted as “an indistinguishable ruin”. And in this interpretation we get what the Lord is really trying to tell us, both the spiritual and physical state of the earth. Spiritually speaking, the spirit

of the earth was feeling chaotic, the spirit wanted to progress from what it currently was. When the Lord saw that the spirit of the earth was feeling this way, he said to himself, “Oh good, this spirit is ready to become a physical earth.” Now the physical state of the earth was that its physical elements were scattered all over the place. This one word destroys the “creation out of nothing” argument because the earth was made by the Lord gathering these pre-existent material. The phrase “darkness” used in this verse is not referring to evil but rather to a state of sleep or ignorance. The Lord causes the chaos that the spirit earth is feeling to become calm. This feeling is not only applied to the earth, but also the deep and the Lord sends his Spirit to brood over the face of the waters. The “waters” are not referring to literal water, but in Hebrew the term “waters” can also refer to people, or rather, spirit children. Spirits of human kind and all life were also feeling this chaos and confusion that made them want to progress. The “deep” I believe is not referring to our physical location but rather our spiritual location. At this stage of our progression we were on the lowest state as being just intelligence and spirit. The Lord then said “Let there be light.” And he saw that the light was good and he divided the light from the darkness. This is not a physical light or darkness, it is also not a division between good and evil. The “Light” is referring to the spirits that were ready to become physical entities. The “darkness” refers to those who were not yet ready to

progress. Those who are ready are called “Day” by the Lord, those who were not ready are still asleep in ignorance and the Lord calls these “Night”. For this reason the Lord calls Adam the Ancient of Days, being among the oldest of all the ‘Days’. This is what the Lord did the first time.

Book of Moses 2:6-8 And again, I, God, said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters; and it was so, even as I spake. And I said, Let it divide the waters from the waters; and it was done. And I, God, made the firmament, and divided the waters; yea, the great waters under the firmament, from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so, even as I spake. And I, God, called the firmament heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

Next the Lord divides the waters, remember that at this stage water signifies spirit children. So what the Lord is telling us is that he divided up his children in such a way that they would be scattered throughout the heavens. The firmament is referring to the vastness of space and he separates the spirit children family between worlds. All of these different worlds are kingdoms unto themselves, like us, and the Lord is the king of all of them and he visits them one at a time. If you would like to read more on this topic, I would suggest that you read D&C 88:42-61. This is the second thing he did.

Book of Moses 2:9-13 And I, God, said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place; and it was so. And I, God, said, Let there be dry land; and it was so. And I, God, called the dry land earth; and the gathering together of the waters called I the sea. And I, God, saw that all things which I had made were good. And I, God, said, Let the earth bring forth grass; the herb yielding seed; the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind; and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed should be in itself, upon the earth; and it was so, even as I spake. And the earth brought forth grass; every herb yielding seed after his kind; and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed should be in itself, after his kind. And I, God, saw that all things which I had made were good. And the evening and the morning were the third day. Now we start to lose the metaphorical interpretation because it is easier for us to understand what the Lord is doing now. In these verses the Lord is arranging the spiritual forms of the earth and plant life into their physical shapes. This is what the Lord did the third time.

Book of Moses 2:14-19 And I, God, said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven, to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and for years, and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven, to give light upon the earth; and it was so. And I, God, made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; and the greater

light was the sun, and the lesser light was the moon. And the stars also were made, even according to my word; and I, God, set them in the firmament of the heaven, to give light upon the earth; and the sun to rule over the day, and the moon to rule over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And I, God, saw that all things which I had made were good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. Now that the spiritual earth was all set up. The Lord then goes about creating the place where the earth will be. Some may wonder why the Lord did not do this first before organizing the spiritual earth. The reason is that the earth was not originally here in this solar system yet. The earth was created near the celestial sphere of God. When Adam fell, the earth was moved into its current place and needed the light of the sun, moon, and stars to replace the light directly from God. The Lord created these heavenly bodies to be signs, seasons, and time measurements. This is what the Lord did the fourth time.

Book of Moses 2:20-23 And I, God, said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly, the moving creature that hath life, and fowl which may fly above the earth, in the open firmament of heaven. And I, God, created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind; and every winged fowl, after his kind. And I, God, saw that all things which I had created were good; and I, God, blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and

fill the waters in the sea, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. Now that the spiritual earth is ready for life, the Lord begins by establishing the fish and the birds first. Telling us this is meant to show us that the fish and the birds are on a lower level of creation than the other beasts of the field. This should not be taken as meaning that they are less important to God. This is what the Lord did the fifth time.

Book of Moses 2:24-25 And I, God, said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature, after his kind; cattle and creeping things, and beasts of the earth, after their kind; and it was so. And I, God, made the beasts of the earth, after their kind; and cattle after their kind; and everything which creepeth upon the earth, after his kind. And I, God, saw that all these things were good. Next, the Lord establishes the rest of the animals.

Book of Moses 2:26-28 And I, God, said unto mine Only Begotten, which was with me from the beginning, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and it was so. And I, God, said, Let them have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. And I, God, created man in mine own image, in the image of mine Only Begotten created I him; male and female created I them. And I, God, blessed

them and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. After creating the animals the Lord then sets about establishing human kind spiritually. He creates man and woman in his image. It should be noted that the word used for God here is Elohim, which in Hebrew would be better translated as Gods or I prefer the term “Plural God”. The reason he is the Plural God is because Elohim is a man and his wife. So the Plural God creates man and woman in their own image, in the image of Father and Mother.

In order to train mankind to be more like God, the Lord gives to them this earth. Mankind is to have dominion over it and they are to subdue it. To subdue the earth means to use it and cultivate it to fit our own needs. The Lord expects us to use the earth and to give thanks to God for his blessing over it. This dominion and subduing is to also be over the animals. We can use the animals as we need to, but basically, it is our job to guide the animals as the Lord guides us. Not in exactly the same way but the animals follow our example. Consider these words from Joseph Smith: “In pitching my tent we found three massasaugas or prairie rattlesnakes, which the brethren were about to kill, but I said, ‘Let them alone—don’t hurt them! How will the serpent ever lose its venom, while the servants of God possess the same disposition, and continue to make war upon it? Men

must become harmless before the brute creation, and when men lose their vicious dispositions and cease to destroy the animal race, the lion and the lamb can dwell together, and the sucking child can play with the serpent in safety.’ The brethren took the serpents carefully on sticks and carried them across the creek. I exhorted the brethren not to kill a serpent, bird, or an animal of any kind during our journey unless it became necessary in order to preserve ourselves from hunger.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith pg. 71)

Book of Moses 2:29-30 And I, God, said unto man, Behold, I have given you every herb, bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth; and every tree in the which shall be the fruit of a tree, yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein I grant life, there shall be given every clean herb for meat; and it was so, even as I spake. Originally, God designed all life to eat only plants. After time mankind and animals began to learn to eat flesh. As described in the quotation from Joseph Smith above during the millennium this will be restored and it will be restored when we stop destroying the animal races. That being said we are allowed to eat animals but we are counseled to do so sparingly, and in times of winter or famine.

Book of Moses 2:31-3:1 And I, God, saw everything that I had made, and behold, all things which I had made were very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Thus the heaven and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. After the creation of mankind, God looked over all his work and said that it was “very good.” This is very important for us to understand. Everything God created was good. It was perfect. Everything fit together perfectly. As mankind turned away from God they felt the need to alter the creations of God. One example of this is modern wheat. Modern wheat contains 64 chromosomes in its current state. Modern wheat is the product of humans crossbreeding grains. God specifically tells us not to crossbreed plants in the Torah. Earlier wheat (known as Khorasan wheat) is an early generation of wheat created by man from crossbreeding. It has 48 chromosomes. The original wheat that God created is called by us Einkorn, Emmer, and also Farro. These original wheats contains only 14 chromosomes. God designed the human body to eat wheat that contained only 14 chromosomes. Now we are eating wheat that has 64, and for this reason more and more people are developing an allergy to wheat gluten. Fortunately these ancient grains are still available and people who are gluten sensitive and cannot eat modern wheat tend to be able to eat these ancient grains with no problem showing us that what God originally created is good for man.

Book of Moses 3:2-3 And on the seventh day, I, God, ended my work, and all things which I had made; and I rested on the seventh day from all my work; and all things which I had made were finished. And I, God, saw that they were good. And I, God, blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, because that in it I had rested from all my work, which I, God, had created and made. Some people read the Bible and see that we are commanded to keep the seventh day holy and to rest from work. The New Testament never really clarifies it, but implies that the first day of the week became the new Sabbath. Through modern revelation we learn that, yes, Sunday is now the Sabbath to honor the day that the Lord was resurrected. Originally, though I completely understood the reasoning behind it, I secretly wished that we kept the Sabbath on Saturday because of what it says here. The problem was that I had misread the true meaning of this passage. Fortunately, the Holy Ghost helped me to see the truer interpretation of this passage. People become so hung up on the seventh day that they cannot see what the Lord says. The seventh day became special as a day of rest because the Lord ended his work on this day. It is not that the Lord established the seventh day to rest, it is that the seventh day became sanctified for rest because the Lord ended his work on this day. The same thing happened when the Lord changed the Sabbath to Sunday. On Sunday the Lord completed his work of the

atonement, and, just like in the beginning, because the Lord ended his work of the atonement on a Sunday, Sunday became sanctified as a day for rest to honor the ending of the work of the atonement. I would not be surprised if the Sabbath changed when the Lord returns and subdues the nations, not saying it will, but I would not be surprised. And with this passage we end the work of the spiritual creation. May the Lord bless you as you search through his words!

LOOKING AT ISRAELI TRADITION: The Hebrew Calendar

By Benjamin Thompson

HE Hebrew Calendar is not only used traditionally, it is also a commandment in the

Torah. The problem is that it is not described in the Torah so we must use tradition to describe it. The Hebrew Calendar is made up of twelve months that alternate between 30 and 29 days. The first month is 30 days and the second month is 29 days. The months alternate in that order. Every few years, based on the metonic cycle, a thirteenth month is added with 30

days. It is inserted in between the eleventh and twelfth month to bring the calendar back in line with the solar year. Now according to Jewish tradition, they consider the seventh month to be the first month. This practice is in violation with the Torah, which states that the month that has Passover in it is to be the first month. After the Babylonian exile ended, the Hebrew calendar became a point of contention between the temple Levites and the Heretic sects that left Jewish society. The Heretic sects said that the Levites altered the Calendar with the duel use of the lunar calendar, this means that the Levites used a religious calendar where the Passover month is the first month, and used a secular calendar where the seventh month is the first month. This is the calendar used by the Jews today.

The Heretic sects used two separate calendars: a solar calendar for secular everyday use, and a lunar calendar for religious use with the Passover month being the first month. This duel calendar system kept the lunar calendar in check and the thirteenth month was added when it fell too far behind the solar calendar. I tend to agree with the Heretics, especially since the temple Levites ignore the religious calendar and keep the seventh month as the first month contrary to what the Torah has said. Now the question I ask is, should the Hebrew calendar be followed today? In my opinion: yes, because it appears that the Lord still used it when he was restoring the Church. Consider this: When the

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angel Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith in the night on September 21, 1823 it was the first day of the seventh month, known as Rosh Hashanah or Yom Teruah, the Day of the blowing of the trumpets, which is symbolic of the final call to repentance. It also represents the beginning of the final harvest. It is a warning that the judgment of God is coming. The Gold Plates were also allowed to be taken on Yom Teruah on September 22, 1827. The Church was also restored on April 6, 1830, which was during Passover. The Lord says that when he returns he will drink the fourth Passover cup (Matthew 26:29), which suggest that the second coming will revolve around the Passover as well. So though we don’t have to use the Hebrew calendar alone, we ought to be familiar with it so that we are not surprised when the Lord decides to do something. I have been using the Hebrew calendar for the past ten years in addition to the normal calendar.

REMEMBERING OUR HERITAGE:

The Ensign of Manasseh By Benjamin Thompson

HE tribal flag of the Tribe of Manasseh is somewhat of a mystery. We know that it is

somewhat similar to the flag (remember that the flag is actually called a vexilloid) of Ephraim having the symbol of Egypt on it. Instead of having an ox though, it has a creature known as a re’em in Hebrew. The problem is that we do not really know what a re’em is. In the King James Version of the Bible re’em is translated as ‘unicorn’. This is derived from the Greek Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament), which used the word ‘One Horn’ to describe the Hebrew word. Some scholars suggest that the re’em is in fact a now extinct type of wild bull called Aurochs.

It could also be an African Water Buffalo.

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It could also be a white antelope, called in Arabic ‘rim’ which is close to the Hebrew re’em.

Others believe that this re’em is in fact a rhinoceros. This goes back to the tradition that the re’em had one large prominent horn, was large, and could not be tamed for labor. This also makes sense since the animals mentioned before can be domesticated, while the rhinoceros has never been domesticated.

Finally, some people even believe that the re’em is a ceratopsian type of dinosaur, such as the centrosaurus, which had one horn, was very big, and is believed to be untamable. Most people though dismiss this theory as they do not believe that mankind and dinosaurs co-existed.

Regardless of the actual animal, we find that the symbolism is pretty much the same as Ephraim. The re’em is a powerful animal that is wild and must be tamed by the Lord, as we discussed in the previous edition. The Lord will use the horns of Ephraim and Manasseh to push the tribes of Israel back together.

FEATURED ISRAELI CUISINE: ~dah ~yvd[-dyzn

(Nah-zeed a-dah-sheem ha-ah-dom)

By Benjamin Thompson

SRAEL originally had its own special cuisine. Due to the diaspora much of our cultural

foods have been forgotten. Modern Israeli foods are a combination of dishes adopted and modified by Israelites from around the globe. Fortunately, we have records of the type of foods that our ancestors ate so we can begin to recreate our own original cuisine.

After much study, I discovered that not only is original Israeli cuisine really healthy but it is also really tasty. I eat more and more like

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an original Israelite every day and find that it is worth it! The recipe I have decided to include for this month is also one of my favorites. It is called in Hebrew Nazeed Adasheem Ha’Adom (Nah-zeed a-dah-sheem ha-ah-dom). In English this means Stew of Red Lentils. This is another type of food that is mentioned in the Bible. In fact Red Lentil Stew is the type of stew that Jacob made and sold it to Esau when he was really hungry in exchange for his birthright (Genesis 25:29-34). The Hebrew word for ‘stew’ is Nazeed. It is often translated as pottage in the King James Version of the Bible. Nazeed was a very important part of the Israeli diet. It was usually eaten for dinner. It was usually eaten with bread on the side. Bread was dipped into the nazeed instead of using spoons. Jesus Christ dips the sod (which is a piece of bread) into the nazeed and gives it to Judas, as was a custom for the host to do (John 13:26).

In short, nazeed refers to any type of food boiled with water in a pot. The following recipe is one that I have created based on my research of typical Israeli nazeed. Typical nazeed usually contains a type of bean, green leafy vegetables, and spices. Meat can also be added, but ancient Israeli’s did not eat meat that often. It was usually reserved only for special occasions and religious festivals. What you need 7 cups water 2 cups dry Red Lentils 3 cups chopped Leeks 1 bunch fresh Cilantro

½ cup chopped Chanterelle or Poricni Mushrooms 2 cloves smashed garlic 3tbs Cumin powder 1tbs Cinnamon powder 1tbs butter Salt to taste Directions

1. Start by boiling 7 cups of water in a pot.

2. Chop the Leeks, Cilantro, Mushrooms, and Garlic. When the water starts to simmer, add everything that you chopped into the pot.

3. Wait five minutes after putting in the vegetables and then put in the Red Lentils, stirring occasionally. There is no need to cover the pot.

4. After the Red Lentils are soft, add in all the spices, salt, and the butter. For a more authentic dish use goat or sheep butter. Goat and sheep milk was readily available in Israel.

5. Keep cooking, stirring occa-sionally, until the Lentils have broken down, forming a somewhat lumpy paste. This should take between 25-30 minutes after adding in the lentils.

6. Serve hot with a side of bread for dipping. For a more authentic dish try a traditional flat bread. Enjoy!

It doesn’t really matter what type of mushrooms you use. I like the chanterelle and porcini types because they are native to the land of Israel. Most other mushrooms are from France, Italy, or Asia.

Israeli Culture in the New Testament

by Benjamin Thompson

ID you know that there are many aspects of Israeli culture in the New

Testament? Many of these cultural points are missed due to mistranslation. It is mistranslated because the translator did not understand Israeli culture. Sometimes the words are translated correctly, but are not properly understood by the reader. Understanding Israeli culture will help you to understand the New Testament better. Again, we have another mistranslation. Consider the word ‘hem’ in the passage concerning the woman who had an issue of blood twelve years (Matthew 9:20-22). It is translated in the KJV as ‘hem’ or ‘border’ but the word in Greek is kraspedon (kras-pe-don). This word in Greek is not referring to the ‘hem’ of a garment, but would be better translated as ‘fringe’, or even ‘tassel’. This same word can also be found in Matthew 14:36, Mark 6:56, and Luke 8:44.

These fringes or tassels are a commandment in the Torah, which

states: “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue:” (Numbers 15:37-38). Of course Jesus Christ would keep this commandment because he himself gave it. Due to the lack of understanding of the KJV translators many people have overlooked this Israeli practice of wearing fringes on the border of their clothing. Jesus Christ also spoke about this in Matthew 23:5, wherein Jesus Christ says: “But all their works they do for to be seen of men: …, and enlarge the borders of their garments,”. Many have used this passage as a means to denounce the practice of wearing these fringes, called in the Hebrew “Tzitzit”. Rather, Jesus Christ is not denouncing the practice, as we have already seen that he himself wears them. Instead Jesus Christ is denouncing the practice of wearing them for the intent of others to see them.

The true purpose of wearing them was so that when you see it you will remember to keep the commandments, not so that others can see that you are keeping the commandment. Jesus Christ was also denouncing the practice of making these fringes larger than they had to be so that everyone can see them better, again going back to the original idea of wearing them for others to see.

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Israeli Culture in the Book of Mormon

by Benjamin Thompson

UST like Israeli culture can be seen in the New Testament, we can also see elements of Israeli

culture in the Book of Mormon. Many of these cultural points are missed because we do not understand Israeli culture. Understanding Israeli culture will help you to better understand the Book of Mormon. Consider the statement made in 3 Nephi 4:28 – “And their leader, Zemnarihah, was taken and hanged upon a tree, yea, even upon the top thereof until he was dead. And when they had hanged him until he was dead they did fell the tree to the earth,” According to Israeli tradition, only the most heinous of crimes were punished by hanging.

The Torah states: “And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is

hanged is accursed of God;) that the land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.” (Deuteronomy 21:22-23).

The Nephites, keeping the Torah, killed Zemnarihah with the worse type of punishment in the Israeli judicial system. The act of hanging is only for those accursed by God. The act of hanging is symbolic that the person is rejected both by heaven and earth.

This concept can be taken from the Bible though, what is remarkable is that the Nephites chose to cut down the tree as well, which is keeping with the Israelite custom as understood by the Jews, even though this practice is not mentioned in the Torah.

Maimonides, one of the most famous Jewish sages, says that not only is the body of the offender to be buried, but also the instrument of his death was to be buried as well. Maimonides even states that if a man is hanged on a tree, the tree is to also be cut down and buried with him so that there is no remembrance of the evil in the land. This shows us that there are parts of the Mishna Torah (the Oral Law) that were actually in existence among the Jews in Jerusalem before the Babylonian captivity and were brought and continued in the Americas by the Nephites. This means that there are parts of the Mishna Torah that Nephi allowed to be continued when he taught his people how to live. There is no record of the Nephites burying the tree, but the Nephites at least cut down the tree in keeping with part of this tradition.

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Did they know about the Magi? A Native American Tradition

(excerpt from Cherokee Religion, Alvin O. Langdon Phrases in parenthesis added for clarification.)

HEN the Little Brave of Yowa (the name of their God) was born in a village

far across the great waters there were three Medicine Men who came out of the east where the morning sun rises. And they asked of the villagers, where is the Little Brave, the son of Yowa? We saw a star where the morning sun rises and we have come to honor him. But a great Chief was worried and he called all his Chief’s and Medicine Men together, and the great Chief asked where the Little Brave was born. And the priests and Medicine Men said, the Little Brave of Yowa was born in a great village near here, and he shall be great Chief of our people. Then the great Chief went to the village where the Little Brave was, led by the star in the sky-world. And the great Chief paid his respects to the Little Brave, and the Medicine Men gave him their gifts of beads, gold, and other treasures. Then the great Chief told the Medicine Men to take the little Brave to another country, and they took the Little Brave and his mother to a far country where he would be safe from harm, and they called him Tsi Sa (according to Cherokee dictionary, Tsi Sa is their name for Jesus).

Joseph Smith and Herbal Medicine Chapter 1: Without the Light of

the Restored Gospel (Excerpt from Joseph Smith and Herbal Medicine,

Heinerman, John, Joseph Smith and Herbal Medicine, Majority of One Press 1980. Reprinted with permission.)

OSEPH Smith, the Prophet of the Last Dispensation, was born in Vermont, the land of

"folk medicine" as it is sometimes called. Coming from such a place rich in useful lore of the botanical sciences, it would be natural for his family to adopt many of the old home remedies for common cure in those primitive times. The healing with herbs and other natural substances seemed to have been the thing which was in vogue, considering the scarcity of doctors and limited knowledge of medical science in certain regions. Besides that, most country folks were too poor to afford anything else other than the simple advice prescribed by the local herbalist, or one skilled in the natural art of botany. However, strange as this may seem, the Smiths, for some reason or another, came to rely upon physicians more than they did the

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botanic doctor. Of course, this can readily be understood when one considers the fact that they did not have the enlightenment of revelation to attend them, nor the graces, benefits, and blessings of revealed scripture which would have shown them and made clear the proper manner in which to go when illness befell them. Only until after God, in His great and infinite Mercy, saw fit to shed forth Divine Light upon the children of men through a holy and inspired Seer, were they able to see the folly of their former ways, and repent themselves of such things, and adopt a wiser course more pleasing to the Lord, whom they earnestly sought in their daily prayers. Several noted instances of sickness within their family demonstrates their faith and trust in the medical practitioner's arts over those of the herbalist. And, it is, perhaps, with these few incidents found in Joseph Smith's early youth, that the later opinion formed in regards to the medical profession, was ever entertained by him thereafter. It was as a young lad that he suffered his first terrible and excruciating ordeal relative to the surgeon's knife. Mother Smith related the episode as follows:

Joseph, our third son, having recovered from the typhus fever after something like two weeks' sickness, one day screamed out while sitting in a chair, with a pain in his shoulder, and, in a very short time, he appeared to be in such agony that we feared the

consequence would prove to be something very serious. We immediately sent for a doctor. When he arrived, and had examined the patient, he said that it was his opinion that this pain was occasioned by a sprain. But the child declared this could not be the case, as he had received no injury in any way whatsoever, but that a severe pain had seized him all at once, of the cause of which he was entirely ignorant. Notwithstanding the child's protestation, still the physician insisted that it must be a sprain, and consequently, he anointed his shoulder with some bone liniment; but this was of no advantage to him, for the pain continued the same after the anointing as before. When two weeks of extreme suffering had elapsed, the attendant physician concluded to make closer examination, whereupon he found that a large fever sore had gathered between his breast and shoulder. He immediately lanced it upon which it discharged fully a quart of purulent matter. As soon as the sore had discharged itself, the pain left it, and shot lightning (using his own terms) down his side into the marrow of the bone of his leg, and soon became very severe. My poor boy, at this, was almost in despair, and he cried out, Oh, father! the pain is so severe, how can I bear it! His leg soon began to swell, and he continued to

suffer the greatest agony for the space of two weeks longer. During this time I carried him much of the time in my arms, in order to mitigate his suffering as much as possible, in consequence of which I was taken very ill myself. The anxiety of mind that I experienced, together with physical over-exertion, was too much for my constitution, and my nature sunk under it. Hyrum, who was rather remarkable for his tenderness and sympathy, now desired that he might take my place. As he was a good, trusty boy, we let him do so; and, in order to make the task as easy for him as possible, we laid Joseph upon a low bed, and Hyrum sat beside him, almost day and night, for some considerable length of time, holding the affected part of his leg in his hands, and pressing it between them, so that his afflicted brother might be enabled to endure the pain, which was so excruciating that he was scarcely able to bear it. At the end of three weeks we thought it advisable to send again for the surgeon. When he came, he made an incision of eight inches, on the front side of the leg, between the knee and ankle. This relieved the pain in a great measure, and the patient was quite comfortable until the wound began to heal, when the pain became as violent as ever. The surgeon was called again, and he this time

enlarged the wound, cutting the leg even to the bone. It commenced healing the second time, and as soon as it began to heal, it also began to swell again, which swelling continued to rise till we deemed it wisdom to call a council of surgeon and when they met in consultation, they decided that amputation was the only remedy. Soon after coming to this conclusion, they rode up to the door, and were invited into a room, apart from the one in which Joseph lay. They being seated, I addressed them thus: 'Gentlemen, what can you do to save my boy's leg?' They answered, 'We can do nothing; we have cut it open to the bone, and find it so affected that we considered the leg incurable, and that amputation is absolutely necessary in order to save his life.' This was like a thunderbolt to me. I appealed to the principal surgeon, saying 'Doctor Stone, can you not make another trial? Can you not, by cutting the bone, take out the diseased part and perhaps that which is sound will heal over, and by this means you will save his leg? You will not, you must not, take off his leg, until you try once more. I will not consent to let you enter his room until you make me this promise.' After consulting a short time with each other, they agreed to do as I had

requested, then went to see my suffering son. One of the doctors, on approaching his bed, said, 'My poor boy, we have come again.' 'Yes,' said Joseph, 'I see you have; but you have not come to take off my leg, have you, sir?' 'No,' replied the surgeon, 'it is your mother's request that we make one more effort, and that is what we have now come for.' . . . The surgeon commenced operating by boring into the bone of his leg, first on one side of the bone, where it was affected, then on the other side, after which they broke it off with a pair of forceps or pincers. They then took away the large pieces of the bone. When they broke off the first piece, Joseph screamed out so loudly that I could not forbear running to him. On my entering his room, he cried out, 'Oh, mother, go back, go back; I do not want you to come in -- I will try to tough it out, if you will go away.' When the third piece was taken away, I burst into the room again -- and oh, my God! what a spectacle for a mother's eye! The wound torn open, the blood still gushing from it, and the bet literally covered with blood. Joseph was a pale as a corpse, and large drops of sweat were rolling down his face, whilst upon every feature was depicted the utmost agony!

I was immediately forced from the room, and detained until the operation was completed; but when the act was accomplished, Joseph put upon a clean bed, the room cleared of every appearance of blood, and the instruments which were used in the operation removed, I was permitted again to enter. Joseph immediately commenced getting better, and from this time onward continued to mend until he became strong and healthy.

After this trying circumstance, the boy, when a man, would always remember this agonizing event in his young life, and come to shun the surgeon's devices with a cold shudder of chilling memory. His second experience had to do with prescribed medicine, and was without question, one of the main forces behind his determination to resist doctors thereafter, and seek for something better than the medical skills of men. It happened on this wise:

On the fifteenth day of November, 1825, about ten o'clock in the morning, Alvin was taken very sick with the bilious colic. He came to the house in much distress, and requested his father to go immediately for a physician. He accordingly went, obtaining one by the name of Greenwood, who, on arriving, immediately administered to the patient a heavy dose of calomel. I will here notice that

this Doctor Greenwood was not the physician commonly employed by the family; he was brought in consequence of the family physicians absence. And on this account, as I suppose, Alvin at first refused to take the medicine, but by much persuasion he was prevailed on to do so. This dose of calomel lodged in his stomach, and all the medicine freely administer by four very skilled physicians could not remove it. On the third day of his sickness, Doctor McIntyre, whose services were usually employed by the family, as he was considered very skillful, was brought, and with him four other eminent physicians. But it was all in vain, their exertions proved unavailing, just as Alvin said would be the case -- he told them the calomel was still lodged in the same place, after some exertion had been made to carry it off, and that it must take his life. On coming to this conclusion, he called Hyrum to him, and said, 'Hyrum, I must die...' ...But when he came to Joseph, he said, 'I am now going to die, the distress which I suffer, and the feelings that I have, tell me my time is very short. I want you to be a good boy, and do everything that lies in your power to obtain the record. Be faithful in receiving instruction, and in keeping every commandment that is given you...' ...As I turned with

the child to leave him, he said, 'Father, mother, brothers and sisters, farewell! I can now breath out my life as calmly as a clock.' Saying this, he immediately closed his eyes in death... Alvin was a youth of singular goodness of disposition -- kind and amiable -- so that lamentations and mourning filled the whole neighborhood in which he resided. By the request of the principle physician, Alvin was cut open, in order to discover, if it were possible, the cause of his death. On doing so, they found the calomel lodged in the upper bowels, untouched by anything which he had taken to remove it, and as near as possible in its natural state, surrounded as it was with gangrene.

With the unfortunate loss of their beloved Alvin, through an overdosage of prescribed medicine, the family was at a loss for awhile, and had considerable cause to grieve at the death of so fine a young man. Another experience which the family had had several years before this, also involved the use of medicine. In this instance, all of the medical doctor's prescribed drug did not alleviate the condition of the suffering soul: and, in the end, Mother Smith, of consequence, had to turn to the Lord to rescue her daughter from the throes of death.

...The typhus fever came into Lebanon, and raged

tremendously. Among the number seized with this complaint were first, Sophronia; next Hyrum, who was taken while at school, and came home sick; then Alvin; in short, one after another was taken down, till all of the family, with the exception of myself and husband, were prostrated upon a bed of sickness. Sophronia had a heavy siege. The physician attended upon her eighty-nine days, giving her medicine all the while; but on the ninetieth day, he said she was so far gone, it was not for her to receive any benefit from medicine and for this cause he discontinued his attendance upon her. The ensuing night, she lay altogether motionless, with her eyes wide open, and with that peculiar aspect bespeaks the near approach of death. As she thus lay, I gazed upon her as a mother looks upon the last shade of life in a darling child. In this moment of distraction, my husband and myself clasped our hands, fell upon our knees by the bedside, and poured out our grief to God, in prayer and supplication, beseeching him to spare our child yet a little longer. Did the Lord hear our petition? Yes, he most assuredly did, and before we rose to our feet, he gave us a testimony that she should recover. When we first arose from prayer, our child had, to

all appearance, ceased breathing. I caught a blanket, threw it around her, then, taking her in my arms, commenced pacing the floor. Those present remonstrated against my doing as I did, saying, 'Mrs. Smith, it is all of no use; you are certainly crazy, your child is dead.' Notwithstanding, I would not, for a moment, relinquish the hope of again seeing her breathe and live. This recital, doubtless, will be uninteresting to some; but those who have experienced in life something of this kind are susceptible of feeling, and can sympathize with me. Are you a mother who has been bereft of a child? Feel for your heartstrings, and then tell me how I felt with my expiring child pressed to my bosom! Would you at this trying moment feel to deny that God had 'power to save to the uttermost all who call on him:' I did not then; neither do I now. At length she sobbed. I still pressed her to my breast, and continued to walk the floor. She sobbed again, then looked up into my face, and commenced breathing quite freely. My soul was satisfied, but my strength was gone. I laid my daughter on the bed, and sunk by her side, completely overpowered by the intensity of my feelings. From this time forward Sophronia continued mending, until she entirely recovered.

IN SUMMARY

1. Lacking divine wisdom, the Smiths were under the necessity of relying upon human resources, according to the best light they had in their possession then. 2. Young Joseph suffered tremendously under the able skill and profound learning of medical science in those times. 3. The best known medicine for that era, calomel, was directly responsible for the untimely death of Alvin Smith. An autopsy, requested by the physician who administered the lethal dose, proved conclusively that this had been the cause of his demise. 4. Prescribed medicine by skilled physicians, over an extended length of time, does not always help to alleviate the condition of sickness. Only faith and trust in God can guarantee a permanent deliverance, if it is meant to be so in the economy of Heaven.

Modern Culturalisms By Benjamin Thompson

Oy Vey! Modern culture would be really funny, if it wasn’t so sad and destructive to us.

In the ancient times the land was considered to be very important, even calling it ‘mother earth’. Our ancestors farmed the land and it brought forth much food. The land was treated with respect because it gave them their food.

Consider our own society: Instead of holding respect for the land as our source for food, we pave over great sections of land for the sake of our buildings and roads and walk ways. Not only do we pave over it, but we poison it so that it will not grow life and destroy what we made. Once removed it takes great effort to bring life back to the soil, and even then it is still not fruitful. Now instead of growing our own food, as the Lord has taught us, we rely on others to grow it for us. They do so for the sake of money, they do not care about our wellbeing. They do not care for the earth or the seed. They do not even care about what the Lord has said concerning agriculture practices. This means that when the Lord brings judgment over our fields, we will be dragged along with it. We will only have ourselves to blame when we do get dragged along with it.

Q+A:

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