Homosexuality: The Christian Perspective
By: Lehman Strauss , Litt.D., F.R.G.S. Homosexuality: The
Q. What is homosexuality?
Homosexuality is the manifestation of sexual desire toward a member of one's own sex or the erotic activity with a member of the same sex. (The Greek word homos means the same). A lesbian is a female homosexual. More recently the term "gay" has come into popular use to refer to both sexes who are homosexuals.
Q. How does one determine if the practice of homosexuality is right or wrong?
That depends upon who is answering the question. The Christian point of view is based solely upon the Bible, the divinely inspired Word of God. A truly Christian standard of ethics is the conduct of divine revelation, not of statistical research nor of public opinion. For the Christian, the Bible is the final authority for both belief and behaviour.
Q. What explicitly does the Bible teach about homosexuality?
This question I consider to be basic because, if we accept God's Word on the subject of homosexuality, we benefit from His adequate answer to this problem. I am concerned only with the Christian or biblical view of homosexuality. The Bible has much to say about sex sins in general.
First, there is adultery. Adultery in the natural sense is sexual intercourse of a married person with someone other than his or her own spouse. It is condemned in both the Old and New Testaments (Exodus 20:14; I Cor. 6:9, 10). Christ forbids dwelling upon the thoughts, the free play of one's imagination that leads to adultery (Matthew 5:28).
Second, there is fornication, the illicit sex acts of unmarried persons which is likewise forbidden (I Corinthians 5:1; 6:13, 18; Ephesians 5:3).
Then there is homosexuality which likewise is condemned in Scripture. The Apostle Paul, writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, declares that homosexuality "shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (I Corinthians 6:9; 10). Now Paul does not single out the homosexual as a special offender. He includes fornicators, idolators, adulterers, thieves, covetous persons, drunkards, revilers and extortioners. And then he adds the comment that some of the Christians at Corinth had been delivered from these very practices: "And such were some of you: But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the spirit of our God" (I Corinthians 6:11). All of the sins mentioned in this passage are condemned by God, but just as there was hope in Christ for the Corinthians, so is there hope for all of us.
Homosexuality is an illicit lust forbidden by God. He said to His people Israel, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination" (Leviticus 18:22). "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them" (Leviticus 20:13). In these passages homosexuality is condemned as a prime example of sin, a sexual perversion. The Christian can neither alter God's viewpoint nor depart from it.
In the Bible sodomy is a synonym for homosexuality. God spoke plainly on the matter when He said, "There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel" (Deuteronomy 23:17). The whore and the sodomite are in the same category. A sodomite was not an inhabitant of Sodom nor a descendant of an inhabitant of Sodom, but a man who had given himself to homosexuality, the perverted and unnatural vice for which Sodom was known. Let us look at the passages in question:
But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house around, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. (Genesis 19:4-8)
The Hebrew word for "know" in verse 5 is yada`, a sexual term. It is used frequently to denote sexual intercourse (Genesis 4:1, 17, 25; Matthew 1:24, 25). The message in the context of Genesis 19 is clear. Lot pled with the men to "do not so wickedly." Homosexuality is wickedness and must be recognized as such else there is no hope for the homosexual who is asking for help to be extricated from his perverted way of life.
Q. You said that sexua1 intercourse outside of marriage is condemned in the Bible. How do you explain marriage ceremonies in which two persons of the same sex are united by an officiating clergyman or justice of the peace?
There are cases on record where a marriage license was issued to persons of the same sex. I recall one such incident in Phoenix, Arizona. A marriage license was issued in the Maricopa County clerk's office to two men 39 and 21 years old respectively. The two men are reported to have "married" in a private ceremony.
However, to call a union of two persons of the same sex a "marriage" is a misnomer. In the Bible, marriage is a divinely ordered institution designed to form a permanent union between one man and one woman for one purpose (among others) of procreating or propagating the human race. That was God's order in the first of such unions (Genesis 1:27, 28; 2:24; Matthew 19:5). If, in His original creation of humans, God had created two persons of the same sex, there would not be a human race in existence today. The whole idea of two persons of the same sex marrying is absurd, unsound, ridiculously unreasonable, stupid. A clergyman might bless a homosexual marriage but God won't.
Q. A Jesuit Priest, John J. McNeill, reportedly said in a conference (Christianity Today, June 3, 1977), "There is no clear condemnation of homosexual activity to be found anywhere in the Bible." How does a church leader arrive at such a conclusion?
This particular Jesuit priest, like some other supposedly Christian theologians, have totally ignored the Scriptures as the guidelines for Christian behaviour in regard to homosexuality. McNeill does not speak for the Roman Catholic Church, but for a small segment of priests who, having vowed themselves to celibacy, that is, to abstain from marriage and sexual intercourse, have found sexual gratification in homosexual acts.
However, religious sex perverts are plentiful among protestants. Protestant leaders on both sides of the Atlantic have gradually eased away from the Scriptures. In England men like Bishop John Robinson, in his book Honest to God made a play on the term "The New Morality," which in reality was a plea to open the door to immorality making it respectable and thus acceptable. The Bishop went so far as to describe the unscriptural adulterous relationship as "a kind of holy communion." This modern concept of Christian ethics rejects totally the precepts laid down by God in His Word. It is blasphemous and atheistic.
Recently in America ten homosexually oriented religious organizations, comprised of men and women from more than a dozen denominations, and from seventeen states and Canada, met at Kirkbridge, a retreat and study center near Bangor, Pennsylvania. The retreat was entitled, "Gay and Christian." But the two terms, "gay" and "Christian" are mutually exclusive, incompatible, incongruous.
Representing the women at that retreat, Nancy Krody a lesbian, spoke on "The Lesbian Christian Experience." Here again is a misnomer. A practicing Christian, from the biblical viewpoint, will not be a practicing homosexual. Of course, I make the distinction between a professing Christian and a practicing Christian. Calling one's self a Christian does not make one a Christian.
Malcolm Boyd speaks about "The Gay Male Christian Experience." Boyd, a protestant clergyman, says he has been a homosexual secretly for years. Only recently he made a public announcement of his homosexuality. He claims that his public announcement of his homosexuality has brought him back to the church. Boyd does not tell us what he means by the "church"!
Following is one point on which the speakers at Kirkbridge agreed: "A monogamous homosexual relationship characterized by fidelity, honesty and love is possible, desirable, and honoring to God."
Any evil condemned in Scripture cannot be honoring to God. Homosexual religious leaders attempt to smooth over the breaks and rough places with Christian terminology so that a euphoria predominates, but God is not in it. A truly born again person, who loves and understands the Bible as God's revelation to him, will not condone an evil that God condemns. "If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him" (I John 2:29). "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity" (II Timothy 2:19). Practicing homosexuals are engaged in a divinely forbidden evil.
Q. Why do homosexuals refer to themselves as "gay"?
The word "gay" means merry, exuberant, bright, lively. More recently it has been adopted by homosexuals. In its original use it did not have this double meaning. The clever adaptation of the word "gay" by homosexuals has robbed it of its pure meaning, thereby corrupting a once perfectly good word. I never use the word "gay" when referring to homosexuals. There are many bright, exuberant, merry people in this world who are not sexual perverts.
Q. You made reference to First Corinthians 6:9-11. What is the meaning of the word "effeminate" in verse 9?
There are certain words in every language that can be used in a good or bad sense. In the context of this verse the use of "effeminate" is obviously in a bad sense. It is listed among other evils which are condemned. It describes feminine qualities inappropriate to a man. It is normal and natural for a woman to be sexually attracted to a man; it is abnormal and unnatural for a man to be sexually attracted to another man. Many male homosexuals are effeminate, but not all. Nor are all lesbians unduly masculine.
Q. Are there other Scriptures in the New Testament which deal with homosexuality?
Yes. Romans 1:24-27; I Timothy 1:10 and Jude 7. If one takes these Scriptures seriously, homosexuality will be recognized as an evil. The Romans passage is unmistakably clear. Paul attributes the moral depravity of men and women to their rejection of "the truth of God" (1:25). They refused "to retain God in their knowledge" (1:28), thereby dethroning God and deifying themselves. The Old Testament had clearly condemned homosexuality but in Paul's day there were those persons who rejected its teaching. Because of their rejection of God's commands He punished their sin by delivering them over to it.
The philosophy of substituting God's Word with one's own reasoning commenced with Satan. He introduced it at the outset of the human race by suggesting to Eve that she ignore God's orders, assuring her that in so doing she would become like God with the power to discern good and evil (Genesis 3:1-5). That was Satan's big lie. Paul said that when any person rejects God's truth, his mind becomes "reprobate," meaning perverted, void of sound judgment. The perverted mind, having rejected God's truth, is not capable of discerning good and evil.
In Romans 1:26-31 twenty-three punishable sins are listed with homosexuality leading the list. Paul wrote, "For this cause God gave them up into vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet" (Romans 1:26, 27). These verses are telling us that homosexuals suffer in their body and personality the inevitable consequences of their wrong doing. Notice that the behaviour of the homosexual is described as a "vile affection" (1:26). The Greek word translated "vile" (atimia) means filthy, dirty, evil, dishonourable. The word "affection" in Greek is pathos, used by the Greeks of either a good or bad desire. Here in the context of Romans it is used in a bad sense. The "vile affection" is a degrading passion, a shameful lust. Both the desire (lusting after) and the act of homosexuality are condemned in the Bible as sin.
Q. There are those persons who say that homosexuality, even though a perverted form of the normal, God-ordained practice of sex, is a genetic problem, constitutionally inherited. Is there evidence to support this view?
I read in a periodical that in June, 1963 a panel of specialists in medicine, psychiatry, law, sociology and theology participated in a conference on homosexuality called by the Swiss Evangelical Church Union. That group reached the conclusion that homosexuality is not constitutionally inherited, it is not a part of one's genetic makeup. The ill-founded and unverifiable myth that homosexuality results from genetic causes is gradually fading away.
There are possibly a number of different ways in which homosexual practices could begin. When boys and girls reach puberty and the genital organs develop, it is not uncommon for boys to experiment with boys, and girls with girls. In prisons where men and women are denied access to persons of the opposite sex for long periods of time, some are introduced to homosexuality for the first time.
A young Christian woman came to our office in Detroit for counseling. She became involved in lesbianism when her marriage began to fail. She was introduced to her first homosexual experience by a divorcee who was her neighbor. After six months of practicing lesbianism she was convicted of her sin and sought help. We were able to show her from the Bible that she was sinning and that God stood ready and willing to forgive and cleanse her. She confessed and forsook her sin, and continues to this day to live a happy, normal Christian life.
Homosexuality must be accepted for what God says it is-- sin. Some homosexuals will attempt to circumvent the plain teaching of the Bible with the insipid reply that they are the way God made them. There is not the slightest bit of evidence in Scripture to support this false concept. God never created man with a so-called "homosexual need." No baby is born a homosexual. Every baby is born male or female. In every place the Bible refers to homosexuality, the emphasis is upon the perversion of sexuality. The practicing homosexual is guilty of "leaving the natural use of the woman" (Romans 1:27), meaning that his behaviour is "against nature" as in the case of the lesbian (Romans 1:26). Inasmuch as homosexuality is opposed to the regular law and order of nature, the genetic concept must be ruled out completely. If homosexuality were a genetic problem, there would be little hope for the homosexual simply because there is no way that the genes in a person can be changed.
Q. Are there contributing factors to homosexuality for which a homosexual might not be responsible?
Yes, I believe there are. I have not done much research in this area, however, studies made by others showed varied deviations from the average or normal parent-child relationship. For example, clinical cases show that some homosexuals have not had a normal or natural relationship with the parent of the same sex. In some instances there has been a wide gap between father and son. There are those boys who have been neglected by their unaffectionate fathers. The boy who has not had a good and wholesome relationship with his father could have an unfulfilled need for a father relationship with a man. Now that need will not start out as a sexual one, but there are cases on record in which the sexual relationship has developed. I know one case of a homosexual adult who seduced a 13 year old boy whose father had forsaken him. Before the boy's contact with the older man he had no knowledge whatever of homosexuality. The older man seduced the boy.
Lesbianism has been known to follow this same pattern. Some mother-daughter relationships are not conducive to a normal social and sexual development. One young woman came to her pastor seeking help. She had gotten involved with a lesbian in the community where she lived, a woman twenty-one years her senior. The girl's parents had a defective marriage which ended in divorce when the daughter was ten years old. Her mother became bitter and resentful against all men. She convinced her daughter that men were not to be trusted, and that man's one goal was to exploit women sexually. The daughter grew up with a fear of men, a fear totally unwarranted. She was an easy victim of the seductive older lesbian. The good and wise pastor showed the counselee from the Bible that homosexuality was sinful and that God condemned it. She confessed her sin to God and received Jesus Christ as her Savior and Lord. Today she is happily married to a fine Christian man.
Q. Do you believe that the homosexual controversy is causing problems for the churches of America?
Evil in any form is a problem in the church. It always has been. The greater problem, however, is the church's failure to discipline evil when it arises. Karl Menninger's book, Whatever Became of Sin?, deals directly with that point. There are ministers, priests, and rabbis who never talk about sin. There was a time when the minister of God's Word preached the whole counsel of God. Today many pulpits are silent on the sin question. Sin has become fashionable and therefore acceptable. When sin gets its victim into serious difficulty, the psychiatrist and psychologist tell him he is sick. The church must face the fact of sin squarely.
Q. Does the Bible tell us how the church should deal with sexual sins?
In Old Testament times in Israel God dealt severely with homosexuals. He warned His people through Moses, "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them" (Leviticus 20:13). Every Jew knew that homosexuality was an abomination, a disgusting practice to be loathed, hated. This was God's attitude toward that evil practice. He hated it to the extent that He considered it worthy of punishment by death. Now God loved His people Israel dearly, and it was from His great heart of love that He chastened them. The Epistle to the Hebrews says, "For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth" (Hebrews 12:7). When God issued His law forbidding homosexuality, and the punishment for those persons who violated that law, He did so in order to prevent them from sinning. However, when anyone broke the law, the offender paid the penalty due him. God is a holy God who hates and judges sin. Parents who love their children will not refrain from warning them of prevailing evils, nor will they fail to chasten them when they disobey. The church today not only tolerates sin but in some instances condones it. God does neither.
In the New Testament the principle of discipline was applied with apostolic authority. In the church at Corinth the young man who was committing fornication with his step-mother was excommunicated. Paul instructed the church to take that action "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . and with the power (i.e. the authority) of our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Corinthians 5:1-8). In Romans 1:21-32 where Paul shows the Gentile world in its downward plunge into sin, including the sin of homosexuality, verse 32 concludes with the words, "who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death . . . " Worthy of death, yes. But today we are not under law but under grace. People used to hear and heed the Gospel-truth, the message that God is holy, man is a sinner, and that through faith in the substitutionary death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, sinful people can be born again and thereby delivered from the guilt and penalty and practice of their sins.
Q. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for the church?
Nothing is more foundationally essential for the church and the world than a return to the truth. Recently I read where someone said we are suffering from a famine of the worst kind, "a truth-famine." Our modern culture is in a degenerating, deteriorating stage caused by a departure from the truth. And I must say unequivocally that truth does not exist independently of God, and His written Word the Bible, and His Son Jesus Christ. Truth is in no sense of man's imagination or contrivance. Man in his fallen state does not know truth, and that is why he continues to go on sinning. A civilization without the truth is doomed to oblivion. Every ancient civilization that ignored God and His laws has crumbled. Our present civilization is well on the road to doom. We cannot survive independently of God and His Word.
The Church must return to the truth, the whole truth, the sum total of truth founded and grounded upon Him Who said, "I am the truth" (John 14:6). In our Lord's high priestly prayer for His own He prayed, "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth" (John 17:17). There must be in our churches the clear exposition of the Scriptures and a continuing exaltation of the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ if our civilization is to be saved from the disasters that overcame past civilizations. Any civilization with a philosophy or a doctrine which denies the real truth cannot survive.
Q. Do you see any prophetic significance in the recent homosexual upsurge?
Yes, I do. However, I would suggest caution on this point. It is not uncommon for preachers to attach a prophetic meaning to every earthquake, riot, war, moral scandal or political disaster, labeling all such events as "signs of the times."
The modern homosexual upsweep is one phase of a declining trend in morals. When the disciples asked our Lord, "What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the consummation of the age?" He told them that "iniquity shall abound" (Matthew 24:3, 12). There is today a permissiveness and a promiscuity in sexual behaviour unprecedented in the history of America. There is little restraint upon the widespread of material containing pictures and writing depicting erotic behaviour intended to cause sexual excitement. This would be included in our Lord's prophecy about abounding iniquity.
There is also a prophetic statement in Paul's Second Epistle to Timothy which has some bearing upon the subject we are discussing. Paul said, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection . . . " (II Timothy 3:1-3). Homosexuality is an unnatural affection, practiced by persons "that defile themselves with mankind" (I Timothy 1:10), translated in the New American Standard Version "homosexuals," and in the New International Version, "perverts." I conclude, in the light of these Scriptures, that the rise of homosexuality is very definitely a trend which indicates the approaching end of the age.
Q. Have you personally counseled with homosexuals?
Yes, in two pastorates over a period of twenty-five years. In each instance the homosexual was a man in his thirties who had seduced teen-aged boys. The seduction of younger persons is a pattern most homosexuals follow. They seem to prefer gratifying their lust with youth. This is a pattern typical of men who marry several wives. Men who do not respect their marriage vows pursue women younger than themselves. One man of wealth was reportedly married and divorced six times. Most of his wives were young enough to be his daughters. The two homosexual men who applied for a marriage license in the Maricopa County Clerk's Office in Arizona were 39 and 21 years old, quite a variation in ages.
Q. Do you attach any significance to the age factor you mentioned?
Yes, I do. I see a potential threat to young people who are exposed to homosexuals. Older practicing homosexuals are a threat to the youth.
Q. Do you care to make any comments on the Anita Bryant crusade in Dade County, Florida?
In my judgment Anita Bryant was justified in the action she pursued. She did not want her children exposed to the influence of a practicing homosexual in the public school classroom. Inasmuch as homosexuality is classified in the Bible as an evil, to insist that children be exposed to homosexual teachers in the public schools would be an infringement upon the rights of parents and their children. Under no condition would I permit my children to be subjected to the influence of a sex pervert. As an American citizen I consider that choice to be my right. Anita Bryant laid her career on the line in the bold and courageous stand she took. She should not have to fight the battle alone. Christians should support her.
Q. What should be the Christian's attitude toward the homosexual?
We must always keep before us the fact that homosexuals, like all of us sinners, are the objects of God's love. The Bible says, "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Jesus Christ "is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (I John 2:2). The Christian who shares God's love for lost sinners will seek to reach the homosexual with the gospel of Christ, which "is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth" (Romans 1:16). As a Christian I should hate all sin but I can find no justification for hating the sinner. The homosexual is a precious soul for whom Christ died. We Christians can show him the best way of life by pointing him to Christ. Our Lord said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). We are obligated to take the gospel to all.
Q. How can we help Christians who get involved in the practice of homosexuality?
We can help them by seeking to draw their attention to what God says in His Word. In a kind and loving spirit we can show them that they are wrong. However, the homosexual must admit to the fact that he is living in sin and that he has the desire to be made free from it. Without a genuine conviction of God's displeasure and a strong desire to do God's will, there is no hope. A truly born again person cannot continue to practice sin without reaping the results of miserable unhappiness brought on by loss of fellowship with God, the fear of retribution and the anxiety produced by guilt. The homosexual must ask himself, "Is the temporary gratification of the flesh worth all the penalty and losses I must suffer?"
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mercoledì 20 maggio 2009
sabato 9 maggio 2009
The 33rd day of the Omer, Celebrating Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai
The 33rd day of the Omer, Celebrating Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai
Lag Ba'Omer 2009: Tuesday 12 May, 2009
Bonfires, will thus be Monday 11 May, 2009 at night. In Hebrew, the letters are used for counting. Lamed equals 30, Gimmel equals 3. The 33rd day of the Omer, is thus called "Lag".
The Omer
The Omer is a period of counting from the second night of Pesach/Passover for 50 days until the holiday of Shavuot. This is based upon the verse from Scripture: "you shall count for yourselves from the day after the festival rest, from the day you bring the Omer Sacrifice, seven full weeks shall they be. Until the day after these seven full weeks shall you count fifity days, and then you shall bring a New Offering to Me" (Leviticus 23:15-16). Although the offerings can no longer be brought without a Holy Temple, we count these days for many reasons even today.
During the Omer, minor practices of mourning are observed: refraining from wedding ceremonies, cutting the hair, shaving, and others. This custom is in commemoration of a tragic loss of 24,000 disciples of Rabbi Akiva who perished between Pesach and Shavuot.
Lag Ba'Omer
On Lag BaOmer, these restrictions are lifted. Lag BaOmer is the day that the holy Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, author of the Zohar, passed away. Haircuts, shaving, weddings, and joyous music are permissible on this day.
As with all Jewish holidays, the holiday starts in the evening. One major custom is bonfires. The bonfire symbolizes the great light of the Rashbi's (Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai's) Torah, the Zohar. Sings and circles of dance accompany the flames higher and higher.
Since haircuts were one of the activities restricted during the Omer, Lag BaOmer is traditionally a day for the "halakah", or "upshurnish" of three year old boys. Man is likened to a tree in Jewish lore, and the fruit of a tree is not used for eating or profit for three years. Likewise, there is a tradition to leave a young boy's hair for three years untouched, only cutting it when he fills three years. Many wait until Lag BaOmer of his third year for the initial haircut. Those who can make the journey to Mount Meron, the Rashbi's final resting place, prefer to have the haircut performed there.
Sources and History of Lag BaOmer Customs
Previous to the Arizal (Rabbi Isaac Luria Ashkenazi) in the late 1500's, records show that the Lag BaOmer celebration at Mount Meron had different significance and practice. In "BaShvil Haaretz" May 2005, an article by Yanon Shabtiel quotes Binyamin Mitodela (1170), Rav Pitachiah Morgensburg (1180), and Rav Shmuel Bar Shimshon (1211) among others that the journey to Meron for Lag BaOmer was to visit the cave of Hillel and Shammai. Yes, they all indicate that at that time the belief was that they shared a common final resting place. The common practice at that point was to visit the spring that even today flows in the area and pray for plentiful rainfall in the coming year.
By 1473 a letter from a traveler mentions both the Hillel/Shammai practice as well as Rashbi. In the words of this letter, "Meron: there is one cave wherein are buried 10 important Elders, among them Shammai and Hillel. A short distance from there is another cave in which are buried Rabbi Shimon Ben Yochai and his son.. and in that cave there is not a spring of sweet water at all. Rather Hebrews come at the three festivals to see the graves of the great "Tsadikim", Righteous Ones, especially the resting place of Rabbi Shimon Ben Yochai. They beseech with prayers, penitence, and supplications to the Almighty, may He be blessed, that He should send them water that they may remain there for a number of days. Immediately the dew would come..."
It was during the time of the Arizal and his students that the current practices and customs became dominant, according to the research of Shabtiel. In "Shibchei HaAri", Shlomo Shlomil ben Chaim writes that the Ari's students would come to Meron twice a year to unite and learn intensely the book of the Zohar for 10 days. There he wrote that the twice a year were 10 days before Shavuot, and 10 days before Rosh Hashana.
In contrast, Rav Chaim Vital, the primary student and author of most of the writings attributed to the Ari, wrote that on Lag BaOmer the Ari himself would take his young son to Meron with all of his household and cut the child's hair as is the well known custom. He would make a day of feasting and festivity.
So it appears that as with many customs of today, the strongest current customs are based on practices established by the Arizal and his students.
Picnics, BBQ's, and Bonfires
Get a JewishByte.com shoulder bag to pack your picnic, a baseball cap for that shul baseball game, or a snuggly sweatshirt for the late night bonfire. All with our Jewishbyte.com Lag BaOmer design:
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sabato 2 maggio 2009
Religious Affairs: Jesus's Zionists
Religious Affairs: Jesus's Zionists
Apr. 30, 2009
Matthew Wagner , THE JERUSALEM POST
Like most religious Zionists, Aryeh Bar-David sees the hand of God in the establishment of the Jewish state and the Jewish people's repeated victories against its enemies. Yom Ha'atzmaut has religious meaning as a tangible sign that God is fulfilling his biblical promises to the Jewish people. "God's intervention in the course of history is so clear that, for me, it is absurd that people think we are just another secular democratic country," said Bar-David, who met me on Remembrance Day outside the Old City's Damascus Gate.
"This," said Bar-David, gesturing toward the outer wall of the Old City, "is the manifestation of God's prophecies as stated in Ezekiel, Jeremiah and other places in the Bible," referring to the victory in the Six Day War which gave Israel control of east Jerusalem, including the Old City.
Also similar to many religious Zionists, Bar-David, a veteran of four wars, is convinced that his religious faith helped him cope with life-and-death situations in combat. Under Ariel Sharon, he took part in some of the bloodiest battles for control of the Suez Canal during the Yom Kippur War. As platoon sergeant, Bar-David was forced to take over command when the platoon commander was killed in an ambush. "No matter how dangerous things got, I never feared anything. In a way I had a longing to be in heaven, closer to God. So I was not ever scared by the prospect of dying."
But, unlike most Jewish religious Zionists - who see the establishment of the state as a precursor to the yet-to be-revealed messiah - Bar-David has a radically different eschatology. That's because Bar-David is a Messianic Jew.
"Days are coming when the Jewish people will be forced to realize that Yeshua is the only solution to all our troubles," said Bar-David, using the Hebrew name for Jesus.
Bar-David, 62, is a second-generation Messianic Jew, whose father, a Bulgarian Jew, "came to the faith" while studying in Switzerland and immigrated to Israel before the Holocaust.
Bar-David is one of about 10,000 Messianic Jews living here who believe that Jesus is the messiah and the son of God, and that accepting him as such is a precondition for spiritual redemption. They call themselves Jewish because most were born to a Jewish mother or father.
Still, the belief that Jesus is the messiah who already revealed himself once and will be making a second coming normally places someone squarely outside the Jewish fold. In fact, it is difficult to imagine anything less Jewish. Historically, one of the centerpieces of the Jewish faith was its categorical rejection of Christianity. Throughout the ages since the advent of Christianity, thousands of Jews have preferred martyrdom to accepting Jesus.
But Bar-David and other members of the Messianic community see themselves not only as Jews, but also as ardent Zionists and patriotic Israelis. They reject Christian replacement theology that sees, for instance, the Catholic Church, as the new chosen people. For the Messianic community, the Jewish people are still God's chosen people, even if they rejected Jesus. The establishment of Israel is a tangible manifestation of the prophecies of the Bible. The ingathering of the exiles, the return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel, is part of God's master plan for the final redemption. Fighting in the IDF against Israel's enemies is tantamount to taking part in the fulfillment of biblical prophecies. To be on Israel's side means to be on God's side.
THIS "FAITH-BASED" Zionism is what motivated about 2,000 Messianic Jews and Evangelical Christians from all over Europe including Finland, Norway, Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy and Cyprus to meet in Geneva last week and demonstrate against Durban II.
"I'd say we were probably the largest single pro-Israel contingent in Geneva," said Calev Myers, a Jerusalem-based attorney who heads the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, a legal advocacy group for religious rights that represents mostly Evangelical Christians and Messianic Jews.
Myers, who works in the law firm established by Gideon Hausner, the attorney-general who prosecuted Adolf Eichmann, gave a speech in Geneva in which he strongly defended Zionism and called Iran, China, Libya and other countries that took part in Durban II members of the "fourth Reich."
But Messianic Jews' variety of religious Zionism is not always appreciated. In probably the most violent attack against a Messianic Jew that took place, Ami Ortiz, 15, a dual American-Israeli citizen and the son of a Messianic Jewish pastor, was seriously wounded when a bomb exploded in his home in Ariel on Purim (March 20) last year. The bomb was concealed in a gift basket placed on the doorstep.
This is not an isolated incident. The US State Department's Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, released in September 2008, pointed to a marked rise in violence against Messianic Jews. Some of the incidents mentioned included a public burning of the New Testament in Or Yehuda in May 2008, and the fire-bombing of the Baptist church on Jerusalem's Rehov Narkiss, the meeting place of a Russian-language Messianic Jewish congregation.
Members of the Messianic community are also singled out by the Interior Ministry. For instance, a Christian Chinese couple who came for a pilgrimage was recently detained at Ben-Gurion Airport after they gave border-control officials the name of a Messianic Jew as a contact person here. They were released only after they signed an affidavit assuring they would not proselytize during their visit.
As a result, men like Daniel Yahav, the son of Holocaust survivors who "came to the faith" as a young man and now serves as pastor of a Messianic congregation in Tiberias, are wary of media exposure which might attract unwanted attention. Yahav preferred not to divulge the name of his congregation or its size.
Yahav said that the open animosity some Israelis show toward Messianic Jews does not dampen his or others' Zionist fervor. "We are willing to stand up for our beliefs, even if most Israelis reject them, and that shows our sincerity and faith," said Yahav, who said that he was the first Messianic Jew to become an officer after the IDF changed its exclusionary policies in 1980s.
Do messianic Jews seek out suffering for their faith as a way of emulating Jesus?
"No one wants to suffer," Yahav said. "We want to live a comfortable life like everyone else. Still, when suffering comes, it is a merit, and there will be reward in heaven for it."
AN INTERESTING phenomenon that arises again and again in conversations with Messianic Jews is their strong commitment to military service as part of their loyalty to the state. Yahav said that there are two IAF pilots who are members of his congregation, and several others who belong to elite combat units. The situation is similar at Moshav Yad Hashmona, a small cooperative settlement of about 20 families, most of them Messianic Jews, located west of Jerusalem, according to Ayelet Ronen, its secretary.
Like the Orthodox religious Zionists who see their military service as a mitzva, Messianic Jews also see it in religious terms. In fact, several Messianic Jews said they respected religious Zionists for their selfless service to the state, and felt they had many things in common with them - except, of course, for the belief in Jesus.
Messianic Jews' dedication to the military is based on their belief that one must be a good citizen and pray for the success of the state no matter where one lives. But it also has to do with a type of religious Zionism.
"Part of Messianic community's success in military service has to do with discipline," said Ronen. "We put a lot of emphasis on behavior and conduct. For instance, premarital sex is not accepted, and young people are expected to act in a responsible way. These values seem to help our young people when they get to the IDF.
"Also, our youths are encouraged to reach a deep level of religious conviction independently. Faith is not forced on them. So when someone does commit himself to the faith, it is a result of an internal, not an external, process. And this gives them a lot of strength. But most importantly, we know that when we fight for the Jewish people, we are fighting on God's side."
According to Michael - who helps run Mercaz Netiva, a youth organization for Messianic Jews aged 13 through 17 that includes a one-week premilitary preparation course called Netzor - there are presently 200-300 Messianic Jews serving in the IDF.
Messianic Jews see no contradiction between Jesus's pacifist teachings, such as the Sermon on the Mount, in which the faithful are taught to turn the other cheek to their enemies, and Messianic Jews' service in the IDF.
Michael, who is an officer in the Givati Brigade, believes that Jesus's teachings make military service more of a challenge.
"As believers, we are obligated to love and respect our enemies. But we are also citizens of Israel, which obligates us to serve in the IDF. Every believer has to ask if he is doing what is right and good. The most difficult test is when we are involved in policing the Palestinian population at checkpoints or during patrols inside Palestinian villages.
"I personally see it as an opportunity to behave in a compassionate, ethical way, and serve as a witness for Jesus's teachings. There are about 200 or 300 of us spread out throughout the IDF having a positive impact, serving as examples.
"We believe this state of affairs will not last forever, though. Eventually, there will be a time of peace ushered in by the prince of peace. In that day, everyone will recognize that Jesus is the messiah."
This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710831191&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull
[ Back to the Article ]
Copyright 1995- 2009 The Jerusalem Post - http://www.jpost.com/
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710831191&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter
Apr. 30, 2009
Matthew Wagner , THE JERUSALEM POST
Like most religious Zionists, Aryeh Bar-David sees the hand of God in the establishment of the Jewish state and the Jewish people's repeated victories against its enemies. Yom Ha'atzmaut has religious meaning as a tangible sign that God is fulfilling his biblical promises to the Jewish people. "God's intervention in the course of history is so clear that, for me, it is absurd that people think we are just another secular democratic country," said Bar-David, who met me on Remembrance Day outside the Old City's Damascus Gate.
"This," said Bar-David, gesturing toward the outer wall of the Old City, "is the manifestation of God's prophecies as stated in Ezekiel, Jeremiah and other places in the Bible," referring to the victory in the Six Day War which gave Israel control of east Jerusalem, including the Old City.
Also similar to many religious Zionists, Bar-David, a veteran of four wars, is convinced that his religious faith helped him cope with life-and-death situations in combat. Under Ariel Sharon, he took part in some of the bloodiest battles for control of the Suez Canal during the Yom Kippur War. As platoon sergeant, Bar-David was forced to take over command when the platoon commander was killed in an ambush. "No matter how dangerous things got, I never feared anything. In a way I had a longing to be in heaven, closer to God. So I was not ever scared by the prospect of dying."
But, unlike most Jewish religious Zionists - who see the establishment of the state as a precursor to the yet-to be-revealed messiah - Bar-David has a radically different eschatology. That's because Bar-David is a Messianic Jew.
"Days are coming when the Jewish people will be forced to realize that Yeshua is the only solution to all our troubles," said Bar-David, using the Hebrew name for Jesus.
Bar-David, 62, is a second-generation Messianic Jew, whose father, a Bulgarian Jew, "came to the faith" while studying in Switzerland and immigrated to Israel before the Holocaust.
Bar-David is one of about 10,000 Messianic Jews living here who believe that Jesus is the messiah and the son of God, and that accepting him as such is a precondition for spiritual redemption. They call themselves Jewish because most were born to a Jewish mother or father.
Still, the belief that Jesus is the messiah who already revealed himself once and will be making a second coming normally places someone squarely outside the Jewish fold. In fact, it is difficult to imagine anything less Jewish. Historically, one of the centerpieces of the Jewish faith was its categorical rejection of Christianity. Throughout the ages since the advent of Christianity, thousands of Jews have preferred martyrdom to accepting Jesus.
But Bar-David and other members of the Messianic community see themselves not only as Jews, but also as ardent Zionists and patriotic Israelis. They reject Christian replacement theology that sees, for instance, the Catholic Church, as the new chosen people. For the Messianic community, the Jewish people are still God's chosen people, even if they rejected Jesus. The establishment of Israel is a tangible manifestation of the prophecies of the Bible. The ingathering of the exiles, the return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel, is part of God's master plan for the final redemption. Fighting in the IDF against Israel's enemies is tantamount to taking part in the fulfillment of biblical prophecies. To be on Israel's side means to be on God's side.
THIS "FAITH-BASED" Zionism is what motivated about 2,000 Messianic Jews and Evangelical Christians from all over Europe including Finland, Norway, Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy and Cyprus to meet in Geneva last week and demonstrate against Durban II.
"I'd say we were probably the largest single pro-Israel contingent in Geneva," said Calev Myers, a Jerusalem-based attorney who heads the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, a legal advocacy group for religious rights that represents mostly Evangelical Christians and Messianic Jews.
Myers, who works in the law firm established by Gideon Hausner, the attorney-general who prosecuted Adolf Eichmann, gave a speech in Geneva in which he strongly defended Zionism and called Iran, China, Libya and other countries that took part in Durban II members of the "fourth Reich."
But Messianic Jews' variety of religious Zionism is not always appreciated. In probably the most violent attack against a Messianic Jew that took place, Ami Ortiz, 15, a dual American-Israeli citizen and the son of a Messianic Jewish pastor, was seriously wounded when a bomb exploded in his home in Ariel on Purim (March 20) last year. The bomb was concealed in a gift basket placed on the doorstep.
This is not an isolated incident. The US State Department's Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, released in September 2008, pointed to a marked rise in violence against Messianic Jews. Some of the incidents mentioned included a public burning of the New Testament in Or Yehuda in May 2008, and the fire-bombing of the Baptist church on Jerusalem's Rehov Narkiss, the meeting place of a Russian-language Messianic Jewish congregation.
Members of the Messianic community are also singled out by the Interior Ministry. For instance, a Christian Chinese couple who came for a pilgrimage was recently detained at Ben-Gurion Airport after they gave border-control officials the name of a Messianic Jew as a contact person here. They were released only after they signed an affidavit assuring they would not proselytize during their visit.
As a result, men like Daniel Yahav, the son of Holocaust survivors who "came to the faith" as a young man and now serves as pastor of a Messianic congregation in Tiberias, are wary of media exposure which might attract unwanted attention. Yahav preferred not to divulge the name of his congregation or its size.
Yahav said that the open animosity some Israelis show toward Messianic Jews does not dampen his or others' Zionist fervor. "We are willing to stand up for our beliefs, even if most Israelis reject them, and that shows our sincerity and faith," said Yahav, who said that he was the first Messianic Jew to become an officer after the IDF changed its exclusionary policies in 1980s.
Do messianic Jews seek out suffering for their faith as a way of emulating Jesus?
"No one wants to suffer," Yahav said. "We want to live a comfortable life like everyone else. Still, when suffering comes, it is a merit, and there will be reward in heaven for it."
AN INTERESTING phenomenon that arises again and again in conversations with Messianic Jews is their strong commitment to military service as part of their loyalty to the state. Yahav said that there are two IAF pilots who are members of his congregation, and several others who belong to elite combat units. The situation is similar at Moshav Yad Hashmona, a small cooperative settlement of about 20 families, most of them Messianic Jews, located west of Jerusalem, according to Ayelet Ronen, its secretary.
Like the Orthodox religious Zionists who see their military service as a mitzva, Messianic Jews also see it in religious terms. In fact, several Messianic Jews said they respected religious Zionists for their selfless service to the state, and felt they had many things in common with them - except, of course, for the belief in Jesus.
Messianic Jews' dedication to the military is based on their belief that one must be a good citizen and pray for the success of the state no matter where one lives. But it also has to do with a type of religious Zionism.
"Part of Messianic community's success in military service has to do with discipline," said Ronen. "We put a lot of emphasis on behavior and conduct. For instance, premarital sex is not accepted, and young people are expected to act in a responsible way. These values seem to help our young people when they get to the IDF.
"Also, our youths are encouraged to reach a deep level of religious conviction independently. Faith is not forced on them. So when someone does commit himself to the faith, it is a result of an internal, not an external, process. And this gives them a lot of strength. But most importantly, we know that when we fight for the Jewish people, we are fighting on God's side."
According to Michael - who helps run Mercaz Netiva, a youth organization for Messianic Jews aged 13 through 17 that includes a one-week premilitary preparation course called Netzor - there are presently 200-300 Messianic Jews serving in the IDF.
Messianic Jews see no contradiction between Jesus's pacifist teachings, such as the Sermon on the Mount, in which the faithful are taught to turn the other cheek to their enemies, and Messianic Jews' service in the IDF.
Michael, who is an officer in the Givati Brigade, believes that Jesus's teachings make military service more of a challenge.
"As believers, we are obligated to love and respect our enemies. But we are also citizens of Israel, which obligates us to serve in the IDF. Every believer has to ask if he is doing what is right and good. The most difficult test is when we are involved in policing the Palestinian population at checkpoints or during patrols inside Palestinian villages.
"I personally see it as an opportunity to behave in a compassionate, ethical way, and serve as a witness for Jesus's teachings. There are about 200 or 300 of us spread out throughout the IDF having a positive impact, serving as examples.
"We believe this state of affairs will not last forever, though. Eventually, there will be a time of peace ushered in by the prince of peace. In that day, everyone will recognize that Jesus is the messiah."
This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710831191&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull
[ Back to the Article ]
Copyright 1995- 2009 The Jerusalem Post - http://www.jpost.com/
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710831191&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter
lunedì 27 aprile 2009
Yom ha-Azma'ut / Israel Independence Day
Yom ha-Azma'ut / Israel Independence Day
Yom ha-Azma'ut, or Israel Independence Day, is commemorated each year on the fifth day of the Hebrew month Iyar. This day marks the end of the British Mandate and the official forming of the State of Israel in 1948. Jewish sovereignty over the ancient homeland enabled Jewish people to return to Israel from the four corners of the world, as the Bible predicted they would. The modern state of Israel is comprised of Jews from hundreds of nations and as many different backgrounds and languages. Yet, a distinct Israeli Jewish culture and style has emerged as demonstrated by the use of Hebrew as a common language. This means the gospel of Y'shua can be proclaimed to millions of our people using one language!
Of the almost six million Jews that have settled in Israel, less than one percent believe in Jesus. As we Jews for Jesus celebrate Israel Independence Day, we also recognize our dependence on God as we seek to reach Jews in Israel and all over the world with the message of Y'shua.
Read about a true story of reconciliation between a Israeli Jewish believer and an Arab Muslim family in The Sulha: Reconciliation in the Middle East and a heart-warming story of the first American Messianic Jewish couple to immigrate (make aliyah) to Israel at our online store.
http://jewsforjesus.org/
Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel Independence Day)
Overview: Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel Independence Day)
Israel's Independence Day is celebrated on the fifth day of the month of Iyar, which is the Hebrew date of the formal establishment of the state, when members of the "provisional government" read and signed a Declaration of Independence in Tel Aviv. The original date corresponded to May 14, 1948.
Most of the Jewish communities in the Western world have incorporated this modern holiday into their calendars, but some North American Jewish communities hold the public celebrations on a following Sunday, in order to attract more participation. In the State of Israel it is a formal holiday; so almost everyone has the day off.
Yom Ha'atzmaut in Israel is always preceded by Yom Hazikaron--Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers. The message of linking these two days is clear: Israelis owe their independence--the very existence of the state--to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for it.
The official "switch" from Yom Hazikaron to Yom Ha'atzmaut takes place a few minutes after sundown, with a ceremony on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem in which the flag is raised from half staff (due to Memorial Day) to the top of the pole. The president of Israel delivers a speech of congratulations, and soldiers representing the army, navy, and air force parade with their flags. In recent decades this small-scale parade has replaced the large-scale daytime parade, which was the main event during the 1950s and '60s. The evening parade is followed by a torch lighting (hadlakat masuot) ceremony, which marks the country's achievements in all spheres of life.
Other than the official ceremonies, Israelis celebrate Yom Ha'atzmaut in a variety of ways. In the cities, the nighttime festivities may be found on the main streets. Crowds will gather to watch public shows offered for free by the municipalities and the government. Many spend the night dancing Israeli folk dances or singing Israeli songs. During the daytime thousands of Israeli families go out on hikes and picnics. Army camps are open for civilians to visit and to display the recent technological achievements of the Israeli Defense Forces. Yom Ha'atzmaut is concluded with the ceremony of granting the "Israel Prize" recognizing individual Israelis for their unique contribution to the country's culture, science, arts, and the humanities.
The religious character of Yom Ha'atzmaut is still in the process of formation, and is still subject to debate. The Chief Rabbinate of the State (which consists of Orthodox rabbis) has decided that this day should be marked with the recital of Hallel (psalms of praise), similar to other joyous holidays, and with the reading of a special haftarah (prophetic portion). Most ultra-Orthodox Jews, in Israel and abroad, have not accepted this ruling, and some Orthodox Jews chant the Hallel psalms without the blessing which precedes it.
On the other hand, HaKibbutz HaDati (Modern Orthodox Kibbutz Movement) initiated a version of the prayer Al HaNissim ("Concerning the Miracles") to be added to the Amidah (the central prayer recited while standing) on Yom Ha'atzmaut, as it is on Hanukkah and Purim. This special addition to the liturgy of the day was not approved by the Chief Rabbinate but was adopted by the Masorti (Conservative) and the Progressive (Reform) congregations in Israel. Some rabbis argue that Yom Ha'atzmaut should be viewed in conjunction with Hanukkah and Purim, since all three commemorate a "miraculous" victory of the Jews over an enemy of superior military might. It should be noted that most Israelis do not consider Yom Ha'atzmaut a religious holiday at all.
For American Jews, celebrating Yom Ha'atzmaut has been a way to express solidarity with the state of Israel and to strengthen their alliance with it. In many communities, it is one of few occasions in which Jewish organizations and synagogues of different ideologies and denominations cooperate in forming a common celebration. In many North American congregations, the joint public celebration often is augmented by a religious service. In some cases, this would occur on the Shabbat closest to Yom Ha'atzmaut and would consist of additional readings added to the service and, usually, the singing of Hatikvah (the Israeli national anthem).
The standard Reform prayerbook, Gates of Prayer (Shaarei Tefillah) includes a service for Yom Ha'atzmaut, while the Conservative prayerbook, Sim Shalom includes Hallel and Al Hanissim to be recited on this occasion.
There is not yet an accepted "tradition" of how to celebrate this holiday, and only time will tell whether certain customs, foods, prayers, and melodies will be linked in the Jewish mind with this holiday, as with holidays that emerged many centuries before Yom Ha'atzmaut. For Jews around the world, joining with Israelis celebrating Yom Ha'atzmaut has become a concrete link in the Jewish connection to the land of Israel.
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Jewish_Holidays/Modern_Holidays/Yom_Haatzmaut.shtml
Israel's Independence Day is celebrated on the fifth day of the month of Iyar, which is the Hebrew date of the formal establishment of the state, when members of the "provisional government" read and signed a Declaration of Independence in Tel Aviv. The original date corresponded to May 14, 1948.
Most of the Jewish communities in the Western world have incorporated this modern holiday into their calendars, but some North American Jewish communities hold the public celebrations on a following Sunday, in order to attract more participation. In the State of Israel it is a formal holiday; so almost everyone has the day off.
Yom Ha'atzmaut in Israel is always preceded by Yom Hazikaron--Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers. The message of linking these two days is clear: Israelis owe their independence--the very existence of the state--to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for it.
The official "switch" from Yom Hazikaron to Yom Ha'atzmaut takes place a few minutes after sundown, with a ceremony on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem in which the flag is raised from half staff (due to Memorial Day) to the top of the pole. The president of Israel delivers a speech of congratulations, and soldiers representing the army, navy, and air force parade with their flags. In recent decades this small-scale parade has replaced the large-scale daytime parade, which was the main event during the 1950s and '60s. The evening parade is followed by a torch lighting (hadlakat masuot) ceremony, which marks the country's achievements in all spheres of life.
Other than the official ceremonies, Israelis celebrate Yom Ha'atzmaut in a variety of ways. In the cities, the nighttime festivities may be found on the main streets. Crowds will gather to watch public shows offered for free by the municipalities and the government. Many spend the night dancing Israeli folk dances or singing Israeli songs. During the daytime thousands of Israeli families go out on hikes and picnics. Army camps are open for civilians to visit and to display the recent technological achievements of the Israeli Defense Forces. Yom Ha'atzmaut is concluded with the ceremony of granting the "Israel Prize" recognizing individual Israelis for their unique contribution to the country's culture, science, arts, and the humanities.
The religious character of Yom Ha'atzmaut is still in the process of formation, and is still subject to debate. The Chief Rabbinate of the State (which consists of Orthodox rabbis) has decided that this day should be marked with the recital of Hallel (psalms of praise), similar to other joyous holidays, and with the reading of a special haftarah (prophetic portion). Most ultra-Orthodox Jews, in Israel and abroad, have not accepted this ruling, and some Orthodox Jews chant the Hallel psalms without the blessing which precedes it.
On the other hand, HaKibbutz HaDati (Modern Orthodox Kibbutz Movement) initiated a version of the prayer Al HaNissim ("Concerning the Miracles") to be added to the Amidah (the central prayer recited while standing) on Yom Ha'atzmaut, as it is on Hanukkah and Purim. This special addition to the liturgy of the day was not approved by the Chief Rabbinate but was adopted by the Masorti (Conservative) and the Progressive (Reform) congregations in Israel. Some rabbis argue that Yom Ha'atzmaut should be viewed in conjunction with Hanukkah and Purim, since all three commemorate a "miraculous" victory of the Jews over an enemy of superior military might. It should be noted that most Israelis do not consider Yom Ha'atzmaut a religious holiday at all.
For American Jews, celebrating Yom Ha'atzmaut has been a way to express solidarity with the state of Israel and to strengthen their alliance with it. In many communities, it is one of few occasions in which Jewish organizations and synagogues of different ideologies and denominations cooperate in forming a common celebration. In many North American congregations, the joint public celebration often is augmented by a religious service. In some cases, this would occur on the Shabbat closest to Yom Ha'atzmaut and would consist of additional readings added to the service and, usually, the singing of Hatikvah (the Israeli national anthem).
The standard Reform prayerbook, Gates of Prayer (Shaarei Tefillah) includes a service for Yom Ha'atzmaut, while the Conservative prayerbook, Sim Shalom includes Hallel and Al Hanissim to be recited on this occasion.
There is not yet an accepted "tradition" of how to celebrate this holiday, and only time will tell whether certain customs, foods, prayers, and melodies will be linked in the Jewish mind with this holiday, as with holidays that emerged many centuries before Yom Ha'atzmaut. For Jews around the world, joining with Israelis celebrating Yom Ha'atzmaut has become a concrete link in the Jewish connection to the land of Israel.
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Jewish_Holidays/Modern_Holidays/Yom_Haatzmaut.shtml
Holocaust Memorial Day (Yom Ha-Shoah)
Holocaust Memorial Day (Yom Ha-Shoah)
The full name of the day commemorating the victims of the Holocaust is “Yom Hashoah Ve-Hagevurah”— literally the "Day of (remembrance of) the Holocaust and the Heroism." It is marked on the 27th day in the month of Nisan — a week after the seventh day of Passover, and a week before Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day for Israel's fallen soldiers). It marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising.
The date was selected by the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) on April 12, 1951. The full name became formal in a law that was enacted by the Knesset on August 19, 1953. Although the date was established by the Israeli government, it has become a day commemorated by Jewish communities and individuals worldwide.
In the early 1950s, education about the Holocaust (Shoah, meaning catastrophe, in Hebrew) emphasized the suffering inflicted on millions of European Jews by the Nazis. Surveys conducted in the late 1950s indicated that young Israelis did not sympathize with the victims of the Holocaust, since they believed that European Jews were "led like sheep for slaughter." The Israeli educational curriculum began to shift the emphasis to documenting how Jews resisted their Nazi tormentors through "passive resistance" — retaining their human dignity in the most unbearable conditions — and by "active resistance," fighting the Nazis in the ghettos and joining underground partisans who fought the Third Reich in its occupied countries.
Since the early 1960s, the sound of a siren on Yom Hashoah stops traffic and pedestrians throughout the State of Israel for two minutes of silent devotion. The siren blows at sundown and once again at 11:00 A.M. on this date. All radio and television programs during this day are connected in one way or another with the Jewish destiny in World War II, including personal interviews with survivors. Even the musical programs are adapted to the atmosphere of Yom Hashoah. There is no public entertainment on Yom Hashoah, as theaters, cinemas, pubs, and other public venues are closed throughout Israel.
Many Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox rabbis have never endorsed this memorial day, nor have they formally rejected it. There is no change in the daily religious services in some Orthodox synagogues on Yom Hashoah. The Orthodox Rabbinate of Israel attempted to promote the Tenth of Tevet — a traditional fast day commemorating the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem in ancient times — as the "General Kaddish Day" in which Jews should recite the memorial prayer and light candles in memory of those who perished in the Holocaust. Several ultra-Orthodox rabbis have recommended adding piyyutim (religious poems) that were written by contemporary rabbis to the liturgy of the Ninth of Av, and many communities follow this custom. Ismar Schorsch, the chancellor of the Conservative movement's Jewish Theological Seminary, has also suggested moving Holocaust commemorations to Tisha b'Av, because that is the day in which Judaism ritualizes its most horrible destructions.
Jews in North America observe Yom Hashoah within the synagogue as well as in the broader Jewish community. Commemorations range from synagogue services to communal vigils and educational programs. A few congregations find it more practical to hold commemorative ceremonies on the closest Sunday to Yom Hashoah. Many Yom Hashoah programs feature a talk by a Holocaust survivor, recitation of appropriate songs and readings, or viewing of a Holocaust-themed film. Some communities choose to emphasize the depth of loss that Jews experienced in the Holocaust by reading the names of Holocaust victims one after another — dramatizing the unfathomable notion of six million deaths. Many Jewish schools also hold Holocaust-related educational programs on or near Yom Hashoah.
Rituals associated with Yom Hashoah are still being created and vary widely among synagogues. Attempts have also been made to observe this memorial day at home. One suggestion is that every Jewish home should light a yahrzeit (memorial) candle on this day.
There have been numerous attempts to compose special liturgy (text and music) for Yom Hashoah. In 1988 the Reform movement published Six Days of Destruction. This book, co-authored by Elie Wiesel and Rabbi Albert Friedlander, was meant to be viewed as a "sixth scroll," a modern addition to the five scrolls that are read on specific holidays. Six narratives from Holocaust survivors are juxtaposed to the six days of creation found in Genesis.
In 1984, Rabbi David Golinkin of the Masorti (Conservative) movement in Israel wrote an article in which he suggested a program of observance for Yom HaShoah, which included fasting. One of the most recent achievements is Megillat Hashoah (The Holocaust Scroll) created by the Conservative movement as a joint project of rabbis and lay-leaders in Canada, the U.S., and Israel. This Holocaust scroll contains personal recollections of Holocaust survivors and is written in biblical style. It was composed under the direction of Professor Avigdor Shinan of Hebrew University and published by the International Rabbinical Assembly, the international body of Conservative rabbis, and the Masorti (Conservative) movement's Schecter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem.
Rabbi Avraham (Avi) Weiss, a modern Orthodox rabbi in New York, wrote a special Haggadah for the Yom HaShoah seder, to create a seder (much like on Passover and Tu b'Shevat) in which the story of the Holocaust is retold.
While Yom Hashoah rituals are still in flux there is no question that this day holds great meaning for Jews worldwide. The overwhelming theme that runs through all observances is the importance of remembering — recalling the victims of this catastrophe, and insuring that such a tragedy never happen again. The Shoah (Holocaust) posed an enormous challenge to Judaism and raised many questions: Can one be a believing Jew after the Holocaust? Where was God? How can one have faith in humanity? Facing this recent event in history, does it really matter if one practices Judaism? Jewish theologians and laity have struggled with these questions for decades. The very fact that Jews still identify Jewishly, practice their religion — and have embraced the observance of Yom Hashoah answers some of the questions raised by the Holocaust.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: My Jewish Learning, Learn@JTS, Rabbi David Golinkin "Yom Hashoah: A Program of Observance", Conservative Judaism, Vol. XXXVII, no. 4 (Summer 1984), p. 52-64
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/yomhashoah.html
Yom Ha-Zikaron
Yom Ha-Zikaron
by Avi Hein
Since the establishment of the State of Israel, four new holidays have been added to the Jewish national calendar – Yom HaShoah v' HaGevurah (Holocaust Heroes and Martyrs' Day), Yom Ha-Zikaron (Memorial Day), Yom Ha-Aatzmaut (Independence Day), and Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day). In Israel, these holidays are widely observed as national holidays, but outside of Israel they claim varying degrees of prominence and commemoration.
The Israeli Knesset established the fourth of Iyar, the day preceding Yom Ha-Atzmaut, as a Memorial Day for soldiers who lost their lives in battle for the creation of the State of Israel and all those soldiers who died subsequently defending the State of Israel.
Perhaps because much of the Israeli population has relatives or close friends who have died defending Israel, Yom Ha-Zikaron is widely observed throughout all sectors of Israel, with the exception of most Arabs (Druze and Beduoin, many of whom have served in the Israeli military, being a notable exception) and non-Zionist haredi Jews. Throughout the entire day (beginning at sunset, per the Jewish lunar calendar) places of entertainment are closed by law. Unlike in America, in which Memorial Day is often used simply as an excuse for another sale, Israeli shops, restaurants, movie theaters, etc. are shut down. The radio and television stations play programs about Israel's wars and show programming that convey the somber mood of the day.
Perhaps the most widely recognized commemoration, as on Yom HaShoah, an air raid siren is played twice during Yom Ha-Zikaron. All activity, including traffic, immediately ceases. People get out of their cars, even in the middle of otherwise busy highways, and stand in respect for the sacrifice of those who died defending Israel. The first siren marks the beginning of Memorial Day and the second is sounded immediately prior to the public recitation of prayers in military cemeteries.
Numerous public ceremonies are held throughout Israel. Special readings and poems are often recited. There is a national ceremony at the military cemetery on Mt. Herzl, where many of Israel's leaders and soldiers are buried. Many schools and public buildings have memorial corners with memorials to those from their community who died in Israel's wars.
While mostly viewed in a secular national character, there is also a religious component to Yom Ha-Zikaron. There is a special yizkor (rememberance) prayer and "El Maleh Rachamim" memorial prayer for members of the Israeli Defense Forces who died in the line of duty, which is read at many of the Yom Ha-Zikaron ceremonies. Some members of the religious Zionist (national religious) community has also added special prayers to the prayer service for the evening prayers on Yom Ha-Zikaron. The mourners kaddish is often said. The development of Yom Ha-Zikaron as a religious holiday is still developing.
Since the second intifada, many have extended Yom Ha-Zikaron to remember not only soldiers who died defending Israel but also security guards through their daily guarding of public buildings, restaurants, and cafes they have given their life to save the lives of those inside due to terrorist attacks.
In tune with the Jewish tradition of recognizing joy in times of sadness and sadness in times of joy, Yom Ha-Zikaron's somber end heralds the beginning of the joyous and festive Yom Ha-Atzmaut, Independence Day.
Outside of Israel, Yom Ha-Zikaron is not widely observed, except perhaps for a short commemoration that is held prior to evening observances of Yom Ha-Atzmaut.
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Source: "Overview: Yom Ha-Zikaron," MyJewishLearning.com, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, World Union of Jewish Students - Yom Ha-Zikaron
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/yomhazikaron.html
by Avi Hein
Since the establishment of the State of Israel, four new holidays have been added to the Jewish national calendar – Yom HaShoah v' HaGevurah (Holocaust Heroes and Martyrs' Day), Yom Ha-Zikaron (Memorial Day), Yom Ha-Aatzmaut (Independence Day), and Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day). In Israel, these holidays are widely observed as national holidays, but outside of Israel they claim varying degrees of prominence and commemoration.
The Israeli Knesset established the fourth of Iyar, the day preceding Yom Ha-Atzmaut, as a Memorial Day for soldiers who lost their lives in battle for the creation of the State of Israel and all those soldiers who died subsequently defending the State of Israel.
Perhaps because much of the Israeli population has relatives or close friends who have died defending Israel, Yom Ha-Zikaron is widely observed throughout all sectors of Israel, with the exception of most Arabs (Druze and Beduoin, many of whom have served in the Israeli military, being a notable exception) and non-Zionist haredi Jews. Throughout the entire day (beginning at sunset, per the Jewish lunar calendar) places of entertainment are closed by law. Unlike in America, in which Memorial Day is often used simply as an excuse for another sale, Israeli shops, restaurants, movie theaters, etc. are shut down. The radio and television stations play programs about Israel's wars and show programming that convey the somber mood of the day.
Perhaps the most widely recognized commemoration, as on Yom HaShoah, an air raid siren is played twice during Yom Ha-Zikaron. All activity, including traffic, immediately ceases. People get out of their cars, even in the middle of otherwise busy highways, and stand in respect for the sacrifice of those who died defending Israel. The first siren marks the beginning of Memorial Day and the second is sounded immediately prior to the public recitation of prayers in military cemeteries.
Numerous public ceremonies are held throughout Israel. Special readings and poems are often recited. There is a national ceremony at the military cemetery on Mt. Herzl, where many of Israel's leaders and soldiers are buried. Many schools and public buildings have memorial corners with memorials to those from their community who died in Israel's wars.
While mostly viewed in a secular national character, there is also a religious component to Yom Ha-Zikaron. There is a special yizkor (rememberance) prayer and "El Maleh Rachamim" memorial prayer for members of the Israeli Defense Forces who died in the line of duty, which is read at many of the Yom Ha-Zikaron ceremonies. Some members of the religious Zionist (national religious) community has also added special prayers to the prayer service for the evening prayers on Yom Ha-Zikaron. The mourners kaddish is often said. The development of Yom Ha-Zikaron as a religious holiday is still developing.
Since the second intifada, many have extended Yom Ha-Zikaron to remember not only soldiers who died defending Israel but also security guards through their daily guarding of public buildings, restaurants, and cafes they have given their life to save the lives of those inside due to terrorist attacks.
In tune with the Jewish tradition of recognizing joy in times of sadness and sadness in times of joy, Yom Ha-Zikaron's somber end heralds the beginning of the joyous and festive Yom Ha-Atzmaut, Independence Day.
Outside of Israel, Yom Ha-Zikaron is not widely observed, except perhaps for a short commemoration that is held prior to evening observances of Yom Ha-Atzmaut.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: "Overview: Yom Ha-Zikaron," MyJewishLearning.com, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, World Union of Jewish Students - Yom Ha-Zikaron
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/yomhazikaron.html
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