הכנסת בית - Bet HaKnesset
By Hillel ben David
(Greg Killian)
דרשן -
The “Darshan” (Expounder)
The Temple =>
The Esnoga => Human Body
In this study I would like to explore the structure of the synagogue and
its importance to the community.
Lets start by examining the concept of a community. A community, qahal in
Hebrew, is a Jewish community of any size. The qahal was a well established
concept and was called an ekklesia in the Nazarean Codicil. In English
we translate the Greek ekklesia as church.
So, whenever we see the word church in our Nazarean Codicil’s, we should have
in mind the concept of a qahal, a community or congregation. A community does
not happen because folks happen to live together. A qahal requires much work
and the support of HaShem:
Tehillim (Psalm) 127:1 “Except HaShem builds the house, they labour in vain that build it;
except Ha-Shem watches over a city [community] the watchman keeps watch in
vain.”
The Midrash on this Psalm gives us some
insight as to what kind of work is required to establish and prosper a qahal:
Midrash to Tehillim
127:1 “R. Judah the Prince sent R. Hiyya, R. Jose,
and R. Ammi to visit cities in the land of Israel, and to set up in them
teachers of Scripture and instructors of Oral Law. They came to one city in
which they found no teacher of Scripture and no instructor of Oral Law, and
they said to the people: ‘Fetch us the chief watchmen of the city.’ The people
brought the watchmen of the city to the Rabbis, and the Rabbis said: ‘Are these
the watchmen of the city? In truth, they are the destroyers of the city.” And
when the people asked the Rabbis: ‘Who then, are the watchmen of the city?’ the
Rabbis answered: ‘The watchmen of the city are the teachers of Scripture and
instructors of Oral Law.” Hence it is written: “Except HaShem watches over a
city, the watchman keeps watch in vain.”
From this midrash we learn that the study and application of the
scriptures and the oral law, are the work that a
group of people put in to establish a qahal. However, without a structure to
impart this wisdom, the qahal will not prosper. The structure that establishes
and prospers a qahal is the synagogue.
Church[2]. The Greek Ecclesia means
simply an Assembly: any assembly of
people who are called out (for that
is the etymological meaning of the word) from other people. Hence, it is used
of the whole nation of Israel as distinct from other
nations. The Septuagint uses the word Ecclesia
seventy times when it translates the Hebrew word: kve (qahal could also be spelled Cahal), from which we get our English word
call. It means to call together, to assemble,
or gather together.
Since I have explored the concept of a qahal in greater depth in my paper
on Church, I will not elaborate here.
Let me repeat:
“The synagogue
is the structure
that HaShem
established
to regulate
and establish a
qahal (community)
and to cause it
to prosper.”
Once a community is established with the structure of the synagogue, then
HaShem establishes and prospers the qahal. This notion will help us to
understand the second verse of Tehillim 127:
Tehillim (Psalm) 127:2 “It
is in vain for you that you rise up early, and sit up late. You that eat the
bread of toil, so He (G-d) gives unto His beloved in sleep.”
The synagogue provides the structure whereby a qahal, a community,
becomes rooted in HaShem. The synagogue is an extension of the Bet HaMikdash, the
Chagee (Haggai) 1:4-10 “Is this a time for yourselves to sit in your paneled houses, whilst
the House (of G-d) is in ruins? So now, thus said Ha-Shem, Master of Legions:
Set your heart to (consider) your ways! You have sown much but bring in little,
eating without being satisfied, drinking without quenching thirst; dressing,
yet no one is warmed; and whoever earns money earns it for a purse with a hole.
Thus said Ha-Shem, Master of Legions: Set your heart to your ways! Go up to the
mountain and bring wood and build the
The synagogue,
together with the
is the most important institution
in Judaism.
The well-being of the individual, the family,
and the community depends on the structure and officers of the synagogue.
The synagogue, traditionally, was the name of
the building where Jews and Gentiles gathered to pray. But, in a classical
sense, a synagogue is to a Chaburah (fellowship) what a cathedral is to
a parish church. That is, a synagogue and its officers is the structure of a
very large and well established community, while a Chaburah (fellowship)
is a gathering of a smaller community for fellowship, prayer,
and learning.
Chaburah members create the structure of their
group. They decide when, where, and how often they are to meet, how their
meetings will be conducted, and what they will do together. Some chaburot are
composed solely of adults, while others include entire families. Itself a
surrogate extended family, the Chaburah broadens the network of people
available to provide support to its members, and affords husbands, wives, and
children a sense of belonging. Both during periods of crisis and at times of
celebration, families can turn to one another for support.[3]
The structure and purpose of the synagogue is
very different from the Chaburah, as we shall see.
Synagogue: [Middle English, from Old French sinagoge, from Late Latin synagoga, from Greek sunagoge, assembly, synagogue, from sunagein, to bring together : sun-, syn- + agein, to lead]
Sephardi: Esnoga,
Yiddish: Shul
Ukrainian: kloyz
Polish: shtibl
In Judea and
Ezekiel called it a
“Little Sanctuary” (Yehezechel
In the Greek versions
of the Apocrypha they reference "proseuche" or "House of
Prayer"1.
A Beit Noach (a gathering of those who follow
the seven Noachide laws) is called Kenesiyah (a
small and feminine word to denote that it is a
receptor from the Bet Knesset.)
There is some debate as
to when the synagogue first came into existence. There are some that say Moses
instituted it, others say that it began when
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 8:13-16 HaShem Almighty is the one
you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are
to dread, And he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he
will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And
for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a
snare. Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be
snared and captured." Bind up the testimony and seal up the law among my disciples.
Tehillim (Psalms) 74:1-8 {A <maskil> of Asaph.} Why have you rejected us
forever, O God? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
Remember the people you purchased of old, the tribe
of your inheritance, whom you redeemed--
Those who see the
synagogue as formed during the captivity use the book of Yehezechel (Ezekiel)
to prove their point. The term used is a “little sanctuary” found in:[6]
Yehezechel (Ezekiel)
(The phrase "little sanctuary"
faithfully indicates the role of the synagogue in the thoughts and lives of the
people.)
Strong’s dictionary
defines a ‘sanctuary’ as:
4720 miqdash, mik-dawsh'; or miqqedash (Exod.
----------------- Dictionary Trace --------------
6942 qadash, kaw-dash'; a prim. root; to be (causat. make, pronounce or
observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally):-appoint, bid, consecrate,
dedicate, defile, hallow, (be, keep) holy (-er, place), keep, prepare,
proclaim, purify, sanctify (-ied one, self), x wholly.
The Targum (Pseudo-Jonathan to Shemot
II Luqas (Acts)
Another term used to prove
that Moses gave us the synagogue is the term: “Assembly of Elders”. This term
is found in:
Yehezechel (Ezekiel) 14:1 Some of the elders of
Yehezechel (Ezekiel) 20:1 In the seventh year, in the fifth month on the tenth
day, some of the elders of
An elder, zaken, as we
shall see, is one of the officers of the synagogue.
A synagogue could be
formed in any town large enough to have a congregation capable of supporting ten Torah scholars, who were men of leisure[7]. These men were not lazy or idle men, but, were at leisure only to take
care of the synagogue, and to give themselves to Torah study.
Megilah 5a MISHNAH. WHAT IS RECKONED A LARGE TOWN? ONE
WHICH HAS IN IT TEN MEN OF LElSURE.[8] ONE THAT HAS FEWER IS RECKONED A VILLAGE. IN RESPECT OF THESE[9] IT WAS LAID DOWN THAT THEY SHOULD BE PUSHED FORWARD BUT NOT POSTPONED.
THE TIME, HOWEVER, OF BRINGING THE WOOD FOR THE PRIESTS,[10] OF KEEPING THE [FAST OF] THE NINTH OF AB,[11] OF OFFERING THE FESTIVAL SACRIFICE,[12] AND OF ASSEMBLING THE PEOPLE[13] IS TO BE POSTPONED[14] [TILL AFTER SABBATH] BUT NOT PUSHED FORWARD.
ALTHOUGH IT WAS LAID DOWN THAT THE TIMES [OF READING THE MEGILLAH]
ARE TO BE PUSHED FORWARD BUT NOT POSTPONED, IT IS PERMISSIBLE ON THESE
[ALTERNATIVE] DAYS[15] TO MOURN, TO FAST, AND TO DISTRIBUTE GIFTS
TO THE POOR. R. JUDAH SAID: WHEN IS THIS?[16] IN PLACES WHERE PEOPLE COME TO TOWN ON MONDAYS AND THURSDAYS. IN
PLACES, HOWEVER, WHERE THEY DO NOT COME TO TOWN EITHER ON MONDAYS OR THURSDAYS,
THE MEGILLAH IS READ ONLY ON ITS PROPER DAY.
GEMARA.
[TEN MEN OF LEISURE]: A Tanna taught: The ten unoccupied men who attend
synagogue.[17]
Every community large
enough to have a significant Jewish population which could support the three
Hakhamim (Rabbis) who make up the bench of three, and
the other seven officers, would have a synagogue. If a
city was not big enough to have and support these ten
officers, then it was not called a city, it was called a village.
Megilah 3b R. Joshua b. Levi also said: A
city in which there are not ten men of leisure[18] is reckoned as a village. What does he tell us? We have already learnt
this: ‘What is a large town? One in which there are ten men of leisure. If
there are less than this, it is reckoned as a village’. — He had to point out
that the rule applies to a city,[19] even though [leisured] people come there from outside.[20] R. Joshua b. Levi also said: A city which has been laid waste and
afterwards settled is reckoned as a city. What is meant by ‘laid waste’? Shall
I say, that its walls have been destroyed, in which case if it became settled[21] it is reckoned as a city but otherwise not? [How can this be], seeing that
it has been taught: R. Eleazar son of R. Jose says: [The text says], which has
a wall;[22] [which implies that it is to be reckoned as a city] even though it has
not a wall now, provided it had one previously?[23] What then is meant by ‘laid waste’? Laid waste of its ten men of
leisure.
The reason for ten
Torah scholars[24] can be deduced from Numbers 14:27 “How long shall this evil
congregation exist, complaining about Me?[25] I have heard how the Israelites are complaining about Me.” If we take
away Joshua and Caleb, and there remains only ten; namely the spies of the
land. The idea of a “minyan” (“number”) is also inferred from this passage.
Now, these “spies” were not ordinary men, but rulers, i.e. Judges or Hakhamim,
as we can see in:
Bamidbar (Numbers) 13:1-16 And HaShem spake unto
Moses, saying, Send thou men, that they may search the
Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.
Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.
Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.
Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun.
Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of
Raphu.
Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.
Of the tribe of Joseph, [namely], of the tribe
of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.
Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.
Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael.
Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.
Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.
These [are] the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land.
And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua.
A “ruler”, in the Torah, is a Hakham, a Judge on the Bet Din. We can see
again that the ten are Tsadiqim, righteous ones, from
Avraham’s plea:
Bereshit (Genesis) 18:23-33
And Abraham drew near, and said, Will You consume the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there are fifty righteous
within the city: will You consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous
that are therein? That be far from You to do after this manner, to slay the
righteous with the wicked, that so the righteous should be as the
wicked; that be far from You: shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
And HaShem said, If I find in
Note that Abraham was
looking not for ordinary men, but for “righteous men”. He was looking for men
who knew Torah and Halakha and followed it as a
pattern in their lives. This is what makes one righteous. Keep in mind that a
quorum of ten Jewish men can form a minyan, these same ten can NOT form a
synagogue. To form a synagogue we need to have Tsadiqim (righteous men) or
rulers (judges or Hakhamim). These ten Tsadiqim (“A’asarah Tsadiqim” in Hebrew)
could also form a minyan.
Some say that the ten men of the synagogue is derived from the smallest group
that Moses created in 1:
Shemot (Exodus) 18:13-21 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge
for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. When his
father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, "What
is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all
these people stand around you from morning till evening?" Moses answered
him, "Because the people come to me to seek God's will. Whenever they have
a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform
them of God's decrees and laws." Moses'
father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good. You and these
people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for
you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some
advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before
God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are
to perform. But select capable men from all the people--men who fear God,
trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain--and appoint them as officials over
thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.
Notice that the ten men are spoken of in regard to the dispensation of
justice. This was the primary purpose of the bench of three and a major purpose
of the officers of the synagogue. This is why they had to be Tsadiqim – Judges
on the Bet Din.
The primary purpose of
the synagogue was the dispensation of justice, which was primarily achieved
through the study, teaching, and application of the Torah, The Prophets, the
Writings (Tanach), and the Oral Law. This means that
these ten Tsadiqim had to be well learned in the Torah and Halakhah. They had
to be trained as Judges (Today we would call these men Rabbis or Hakhamim).
This can be seen in:
II Luqas (Acts) 17:1 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to
Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As his custom was, Paul went
into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
II Luqas (Acts) 15:19-21 "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should
not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are
turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling
them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from
sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For Moses
has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the
synagogues on every Sabbath."
II Luqas (Acts) 19:8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three
months, arguing persuasively about the
Luqas (Luke)
So, a synagogue is a structure
where Yeshua and all the Apostles and disciples went
to learn, teach, and apply justice.
The principle service of the synagogue was held on Sabbath
morning, and included, according to the Mishna, the
recitation of the Shema[26], prayer, Reading from the Torah and Haftarah with translation, a sermon
(derashah - ‘searching’) based on the Torah reading, and finally the Aaronic
benediction. The sages often interchanged the word ‘synagogue’ with the phrase
‘house of prayer’, though they everywhere agree that
the assemblage was primarily one for instruction in the Torah.[27]
The following are the
officers in an ideal synagogue, in a large city. These are not found in every
village synagogue. These are the ideal, not the normal found in all synagogues,
but rather only in the larger synagogues. Consider the size a town might have
to be in order to support three Rabbis just for the Bench of three, for
example.
The “ten
Tsadiqim”, the “righteous men”, or officers of the synagogue are:
Hakhamim – bench
of three – Bet Din 3
Sheliach Bet Din/
Sheliach Tsibur 1
Darshan or Magid 1
The Masoret
1
Parnassim or
Shamashim 3
Moreh/Meturgeman 1
Total
. . . . . . . . . . 10
Now that we see office
of these ten men, let’s look at each individual officr:
בד של
שלשה The bench of three
Judges
ראש
הכנסת Rulers of the
synagogue - Archisynagogue
The community was governed by the Bet Din, the house of justice; or sunédrion
transliterated סנהדרין, Sanhedrin. The members of the Bet Din were
called "rulers".
The Bet Din had it in their power to dispense justice to the community.
These men (minimum of 3) were the Judges. These were the Hakhamim, the
Rabbis, who were well schooled in the law – the Torah.
It was this office that decided any differences that arose in the community.
They judged matters concerning money, thefts, losses, restitutions, ravishing a
virgin, of a man enticing a virgin, of the admission of proselytes,
laying on of hands, and other matters spoken about in tractate
Sanhedrin. These were also called the Rulers
of the Synagogue, because they were responsible for caring for the
synagogue and they exercised the chief power.
The other seven officers, of the synagogue, in their various areas
of ministry must at all times be subordinate to, and faithful in carrying out
the directions and judgements of the Bet Din, the bench of three.
Strong’s dictionary
defines the ‘Ruler of the synagogue’ as:
752 archisunagogos, ar-khee-soon-ag'-o-gos; from 746 and 4864; director
of the synagogue services:-(chief) ruler of the synagogue.
--------------- Dictionary Trace ----------------
746 arche, ar-khay'; from 756; (prop. abstr.) a commencement, or
(concr.) chief (in various applications of order, time, place or rank):- beginning,
corner, (at the, the) first (estate), magistrate, power, principality,
principle, rule.
4864 sunagoge, soon-ag-o-gay'; from (the redupl. form of) 4863; an
assemblage of persons; spec. a Jewish "synagogue" (the meeting or the
place); by anal. a Mashiachian church:-assembly, congregation, synagogue.
Under Moses, four grades of judges were appointed:
Shemot (Exodus)
18:20-22 And thou shalt teach
them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk,
and the work that they must do. Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the
people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place
[such] over them, [to be]
rulers of thousands, [and]
rulers of hundreds,
rulers of fifties, and
rulers of tens:
And let them judge
the people at all seasons: and it shall be, [that] every great matter they
shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be
easier for thyself, and they shall bear [the burden] with thee.
So later, in the Jewish
state, there were four grades of courts of justice
under the supreme Sanhedrin which took the place of Moses. A court of three judges in every city, one of twenty-three in every
large city, two of twenty-three at the foot of the Temple Mount and, at the entrance to the Temple, and as
the supreme tribunal, the court of seventy-one which sat in the Chamber of Hewn
Stone of the Temple itself. Just as the first Jewish judges, in Shemot (Exodus)
18, were elected from the people and by the people, so later on, one of the
qualifications demanded for a judgeship was to be tested by the people. There
could always be an appeal from a lower court to the one above it, right up to
the full Sanhedrin. But it was not the litigants who appealed, but in cases
where it was in any doubt, the lower court itself went up to the one above it..
The judges themselves are to bring cases in which they are not confident of
giving correct decisions, up to you, and this can very well imply that they
were first to submit their case to the court immediately superior to them
before they brought it to Moses.[28]
The Talmud, in many places, speaks of this court of three.
The minimum is mentioned in:
Kethuboth 22a If three sit to confirm a
document and one of them dies,[29] they must write, ‘We were In a session of three, and one is no more.’[30] R. Nahman b. Isaac said: And if it is written in it: This document has
been produced[31] before us [as] a court of law, more is not necessary.[32]
We find this office
repeatedly in the Nazarean Codicil:
Matthew 9:18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain
ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and
lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.
Luqas (Luke) 13:10-16 On a Sabbath Yeshua was teaching in one of
the synagogues, And a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for
eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When
Yeshua saw her, he called her forward and said to her, "Woman, you are set
free from your infirmity." Then he put his hands on her, and immediately
she straightened up and praised God. Indignant because Yeshua
had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people,
"There are six days for work. So come and be healed
on those days, not on the Sabbath." The Lord answered him, "You
hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?
Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound
for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound
her?"
Now, I would like to take a small diversion to give some insight into a
special synagogue passage: This next passage will be explained by the teaching
I received from my teacher, Hakham Dr. Yoseph ben Haggai:
Marqos (Mark) 5:22-24 Then one of the synagogue
rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Yeshua, he fell at his feet And
pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and
put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." So Yeshua went
with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him...
Keep in
mind that Yair, Jarius, is a prominent Rabbi on the bet din of a large
synagogue in a large city. He is a very prominent man who is held in high
esteem by many people. Yet, notice that he acknowledges the superiority of the
Torah wisdom of His Majesty King Yeshua.
Now His
Majesty is being asked to lay hands – that is, to take the source of blessing,
the hands sanctified by washing, and use them to bring the blessing of healing
to the daughter of this Torah Sage. Suddenly, we have an interruption to our
story:
Marqos (Mark) 5:25-34 And a certain
woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things
of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered,
but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Yeshua, came in the press behind,
and touched his tzitzith. For she said, If I may
touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her
blood was dried up; and she felt in [her] body that she
was healed of that plague. And Yeshua, immediately knowing in himself that
virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who
touched my tzitzith? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude
thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to
see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down
before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy
faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
This woman
who had been with a flow of blood (from malfunctioning ovaries – the source of
life with the medium of life, the blood) for twelve
(12) years, signifying a problem related to justice (12 relates to government –
the 12 tribes – which exists solely to dispense the justice of HaShem.
This
anonymous woman touches the tzitzith, the symbol of Torah,
on His Majesty the Living Torah. The tzitzith, as an extension of the very body of His Majesty, when touched can be felt just as we
can feel the touching of any of our bodies.
The woman
who’s life, the blood the symbol of life even as Torah is the symbol of life,
has been ebbing out of her, is healed when she comes under the talit, under the authority
of the Torah. The Torah that she grasps, now gives her life and the outflow of
her life fluid now ceases.
She placed herself under the discipline of the Master
and of the Torah. Mida kneged mida (measure for measure) – She had some minor sin that needed to be rooted out. It could be a very minor
problem – yet to get correction we must go back under the authority of the
Torah. Her sin was in not being under Torah authority.
Her faithful obedience to place herself under
authority of the Torah had healed her.
However,
because she has touched Yeshua, he has become
unclean. He will no longer be able to lay hands on the daughter of Yair because
He has become unclean. So, the story picks up where it left off before the
interruption:
Marqos (Mark) 5:35-43 While Yeshua was
still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler.
"Your daughter is dead," they said. "O Why bother the teacher
any more?" Ignoring what they said, Yeshua told the synagogue ruler,
"Don't be afraid; just believe." He did not let anyone follow him
except Peter, James and John the brother of James. When they came to the home
of the synagogue ruler, Yeshua saw a commotion, with people crying and
wailing loudly. He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and
wailing? The child is not dead but asleep." But
they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child's father and
mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He
took her by the hand and said to her, <"Talitha koum!"> (which
means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!"). Immediately the girl
stood up and walked around (she was twelve years
old). At this they were completely astonished. He gave strict orders not to let
anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.
Note the juxtaposition of the key phrases between these two stories:
Your faith has healed you –
fear not only believe.
Note also that the three greatest (in Torah learning) disciples
(Tsefet, Ya’aqov, and Yochanan the brother of Ya’aqov) are forming a Bet Din.
These Rabbis in training are learning on the job.
It
is also necessary that we understand that a child
under twelve normally takes refuge under the talit of the Rabbi when he does the Aaronic
benediction, in the synagogue. This teaches us that those under twelve are
under the authority of their fathers and Rabbis
who are their teachers. They grasp his tzitzith whilst he gives the blessing.
Children under the age of twelve are called to come
under the talit of the rabbi when he does the Aaronic benediction. A
menstruating woman over the age twelve – is no longer under the talit of the
father or Rabbi.
Why does he tie her hands with the talit and lay the
talit over the girl? A talit does not become unclean because it is touched by
something unclean. A talit always maintains it’s purity as long as the tzitzith
are intact. We must not worry about becoming unclean, because our cleanliness
is ONLY for the benefit of others. We are clean for a purpose. We must not
worry about performing a mitzva because it makes us unclean. Mashiach hands were unclean, therefore he could not
touch the little girl. Therefore, He tied her hands without touching her. This
tying was the same as the binding in:
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 8:16-20 Bind up the
testimony, seal the law among my disciples. And I
will wait upon HaShem, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. Behold, I and
the children whom HaShem hath given me [are] for signs and for wonders in
Binding the tzitzith to the hands means that the
person comes under the authority of the Torah, and the Torah always brings
life!!! Laying the talit, further, over the girl’s head is the same as the
little children coming under the talit of the Rabbi giving the Aaronic
benediction.
The Peshitta does not contain this ending: ‘Damsel (I say to thee), arise.’ My teacher translates
this verse as:
41 (YbH) and, having tied the hands of the child (with
his tsitsit), said to her: ‘Talita Qumi;’ [which is, being interpreted, ‘She
that is under the Talith
arise’].
The greatest form of teaching is to bind the Torah on
his talmidim. Sickness is just death by degrees. The root cause is a
misalignment between the life of the individual and the exactness of Torah.
He charged them not to spread
the word that He was a miracle worker, rather He wanted to be known as a Torah
teacher. The ministry of Mashiach ben Yoseph is to
bring people closer to the Torah.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 61:1 The spirit of the
Lord HaShem [is] upon me; because HaShem hath anointed me to preach good
tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of
the prison to [them that are] bound;
Herein ends my Beloved Teacher’s insights. Now we return to the
synagogue study where we were examining passages regarding the Rulers of the
Synagogue:
Luqas (Luke) 8:41-42 Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell
at Yeshua's feet, pleading with him to come to his
house Because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve,
was dying. As Yeshua was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him...
Luqas (Luke) 8:49-56 While Yeshua was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus,
the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," he said.
"Don't bother the teacher any more." Hearing this, Yeshua said to
Jairus, "Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed." When
he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except
Peter, John, and James, and the child's father and mother. Meanwhile, all the
people were wailing and mourning for her. "Stop wailing,"
Yeshua said. "She is not dead but asleep."
They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and
said, "My child, get up!" Her spirit returned, and at once she stood
up. Then Yeshua told them to give her something to eat.
Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had
happened.
Luqas (Luke) 13:10-17 On a Sabbath Yeshua was teaching in one of
the synagogues, And a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for
eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When
Yeshua saw her, he called her forward and said to her, "Woman, you are set
free from your infirmity." Then he put his hands on her, and immediately
she straightened up and praised God. Indignant because Yeshua had healed on the
Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, "There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not
on the Sabbath." The Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Doesn't each
of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the
stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter
of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on
the Sabbath day from what bound her?" When he said this, all his opponents
were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he
was doing.
II Luqas (Acts) 13:13-16 From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga
in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to
II Luqas (Acts) 18:7-8 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius
Justus, a worshiper of God. Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire
household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him
believed and were baptized.
II Luqas (Acts) 18:12-17 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a
united attack on Paul and brought him into court. "This man," they
charged, "is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the
law." Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, "If
you Jews were making a complaint about some
misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you.
But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law--settle
the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things." So he had
them ejected from the court. Then they all turned on Sosthenes the synagogue
ruler and beat him in front of the court. But Gallio showed no concern
whatever.
The Bench of three sat in the seat of Moses:
Matityahu 23:1-3 Then spake Yeshua to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying,
The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they
bid you observe, [that] observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for
they say, and do
In the synagogue, Moshe’s seat is behind the teba (the bima) to monitor
what is going on and to ensure that the service is kosher.
(Angel of the Assembly or Angel of the Church)
שליח בית
דין
- Sheliach Bet Din
(Angel of the Court)
Bishop of the congregation
Baal Teffilah (Master of Prayer)[33]
Chazzan
overseer
This officer is known
today as the Chazzan, Chazzan HaKnesset, or the Beadle.
The qualifications for
this office, according to Shulchan Arukh - OH 53:4-9, were:
1. Humility
2. Acceptability to the
congregation.
3. Knowledge of the rules of prayer
and the proper
pronunciation of the Hebrew
text.
4. An agreeable voice.
5. Proper dress.
6. A beard.
(Magen Avraham to Shulchan Arukh
OH. 53:6)
This office is also known in the Nazarean Codicil as the Bishop.
The Sheliach Tzibbur
and the Sheliach
Bet Din were known as Apostles (which is a transliteration of the Greek
“Apostolos”).
The Sheliach Bet Din was also known as the
messenger, or emissary, of the Bet Din. This officer administered the judicial
decisions of the Bet Din (bailiff), faithfully transmitted Halakhah, supervised the conversion procedure under the
authority of the Bet Din, and the laying of hands on behalf of the Bet Din of
leaders of small Jewish congregations/fellowships (Hebrew: “Chaburot”) or Batei Noach (Houses of Noach) under its jurisdiction.
These officers are normally Hakhamim. This is the office that Hakham Shaul
held.
Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Yeshua HaMashiach,
called [to be] an apostle (Sheliach Bet Din), separated unto the gospel (Masorah=oral Torah) of God.
II Luqas (Acts) 9:1-2 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and
slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high
priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if
he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them
bound unto Jerusalem.
This man is appointed by the Bet Din and is
approved by the congregation. While there may be many in the community that
hold this office, there is only one office. Under the authority
of the Sheliach bet Din are the Paqidim (clerks) and also the Soferim
(Scribes).
The holders of the second office, the Sheliach Tzibbur, are the Masters
of Prayer or Cantors in the synagogue, and as such
are called in the Nazarean Codicil the “angels of the congregation” since they
represent the community before HaShem in prayer.
This man was the public
minister of the synagogue. He was responsible for public prayer, or appointing
those who read from the Torah, and he sometimes preached if there were no
others to discharge this office. This man did not read the Torah publicly, but,
every Shabbat he called out seven
of the synagogue (on other days fewer) whom he judged fit to read. He stood by
those that read and carefully made sure that they read correctly. He would
correct them if they made an error. It is for this reason that he was also
called an ‘overseer’.[34]
Formerly, in the Temple service in Jerusalem, the
Angel of the Church was the priest (Kohen) who acted
as the leader of prayer in intercession with God for
the worshippers.[35]
This office is found in
the Talmud:
Eiruvin 92b If a congregation was in the
larger one and the Reader[36] in the lesser one, they have dully performed their duty,[37] but if the congregation was in the lesser one and the Reader in the
larger one they have not performed their duty.[38]
Chullin 24b Our Rabbis taught: He whose beard is fully grown is qualified to act as the
representative of a community,[39] to descend before the Ark[40] and to pronounce the priestly benediction.[41] When does he [the priest] become qualified
for Temple service? When he produces two hairs. Rabbi says: I say, only when he is twenty years
old. R. Hisda asked: What is Rabbi's reason? — Because it is written: And they
appointed the Levites from twenty years old and upward to have oversight of the
work of the house of the Lord.[42] And the other Tanna? He maintains that ‘to have oversight’ is quite a
different matter.[43] But is not this verse stated in connection with the Levites?[44] — One must accept the statement of R. Joshua b. Levi. For R. Joshua b.
Levi said: In twenty-four passages the priests are referred to as Levites, and
the following is an example: And the priests the Levites the sons of Zadok.[45]
Arachin 11b Rather, said Rami the son of
R. Yeba: The question was with reference to the lamb offered up with the ‘Omer,[46] [namely]: Was the new month decreed in its right time or not so that the
lamb may be offered? — R. Avya demurred to this: They should have seen when the
paschal lamb had been sacrificed, when the leavened bread had been eaten![47] Rather, said R. Ashi: It is the same as with the messenger of the congregation,
who consults [formally asks for permission to start the prayer].[48] Now that you have come to this answer, say: Even if it was the case of
the [daily] obligatory burnt-offering, [yet there
is no difficulty]: It is the same as with any messenger of a community, who
consults [his congregation].
This office is found several times in the
Nazarean Codicil:
Luqas (Luke) 4:14-21 Yeshua returned to
Matityahu (Matthew)
Matityahu (Matthew) 10:16-20 I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.
Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. "Be on your
guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog
you in their synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors
and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.
But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At
that time you will be given what to say, For it will not be you speaking, but
the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Revelation 2:1 "To the angel of the church in
Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven
stars in his right hand and walks among the seven
golden lampstands:
Revelation 2:8 "To the angel of the church in
Revelation
Revelation 2:18 "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are
the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
Revelation 3:1 "To the angel of the church in
Revelation 3:7 "To the angel of the church in
Revelation
Strong’s dictionary
defines a bishop as:
1984 episkope, ep-is-kop-ay'; from 1980; inspection (for relief); by
impl. superintendence; spec. the Chr. "episcopate":-the office of a
"bishop", bishoprick, visitation.
----------------- Dictionary Trace ------------------
1980 episkeptomai, ep-ee-skep'-tom-ahee; mid. from 1909 and the base of
4649; to inspect, i.e. (by impl.) to elect; by extens. to go see, relieve:-
look out, visit.
1985 episkopos, ep-is'-kop-os; from 1909 and 4649 (in the sense of
1983); a superintendent, i.e. Chr. officer in gen. charge of a (or the) church
(lit. or fig.):-bishop, overseer.
The office of the
overseer is found several times in the Nazarean Codicil:
I Timothy 3:1-7 Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer,
he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the
husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able
to teach, Not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome,
not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his
children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage
his own family, how can he take care of God's church?)
He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the
same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders,
so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.
Titus 1:7-9 Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be
blameless--not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not
violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves
what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must
hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can
encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
II Luqas (Acts) 20:26-29 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent
of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole
will of God. Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy
Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the
Philippians 1:1-2 Paul and Timothy, servants of Mashiach Yeshua, To all the saints in Mashiach Yeshua at
Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: Grace
and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Yeshua Mashiach.
I Tzefet (Peter) 2:21-25 To this you were called, because Mashiach suffered
for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. "He
committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When they hurled
their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no
threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself
bore our sins in his body on the
tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds
you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have
returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
The chazzan is to the left and slightly in front of the Aron Qodesh with
a podium. He moves to the bima when reading the Torah.
The
Meturgeman is in the center of the synagogue between the Aron and the Bima.
שמשים - Shamashim
Deacons /
Deaconess
The deacons[49] (minimum of three) consist of two males and one female, and
were responsible for the care of the poor. These were the social workers,
Jewish style. They are in charge of the Mikveh,
administration of funds, the buildings and equipment of the synagogue, visiting
of the sick, attending of the orphans and widows, and of the “Burial Society”.
The Shamash also had
the duty of announcing the arrival of the Sabbath by
blowing six blasts on the shofar.[50]
These three were also the administrators of the synagogue, and
performed the duties of the president, secretary, and treasurer. In general,
they were mature or older men and women unless they were educated as social
workers. These officers worked under the authority
and direction of the Bet Din. Hakham Shaul speaks of this office:
1 Timothy
That is, since they
have taken good care of bodily needs they are also able
to take care of spiritual needs.
Strong’s dictionary defines a ‘pastor’ as:
4166 poimen, poy-mane'; of uncert. affin.; a shepherd
(lit. or fig.):-shepherd, pastor.
I Timothy 3:12-13 A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his
children and his household well. Those who have
served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Mashiach Yeshua.
Ephesians 4:7-13 But to each one of us grace has been given as
Mashiach apportioned it. This is why it says: "When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men." (What does "he
ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly
regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) It was he
who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and
some to be pastors and teachers, To prepare
God's people for works of service, so that the body of Mashiach may be built up
Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge
of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the
fullness of Mashiach.
I Tsefet (Peter) 2:22-25 "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in
his mouth." When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate;
when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who
judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live
for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep
going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of
your souls.
(The
interpreter or Translator)
תורגמן - Targumim
(To explain or translate)
The “Moreh” (Amora)
(Teacher)
זקנים
- Zaken - Presbyters
The one who expounded
the Torah was called Meturgeman or translator. The
Meturgeman translates (explains) the reading of the Torah and Haftarah, almost
simultaneously. The Yemenites still do it.
The Meturgeman was the
one who repeats in a loud voice the words of the Hakham, who whispers the
Shi’ur in a low voice[51]; he was also the one who translated the words of the Hakham, who
delivers the Shi'ur in a low voice in Hebrew[52].
This man (minimum of
one) was skilled in languages (tongues) and stood by
those that read, to translate the Hebrew reading into
the vernacular language of the synagogue.
At the synagogue, the meturgeman is in the middle of the congregation.
Strong’s dictionary
defines the ‘interpreter’ as:
1328 diermeneutes, dee-er-main-yoo-tace'; from 1329; an
explainer:-interpreter.
------------------- Dictionary Trace ----------------
1329 diermeneuo, dee-er-main-yoo'-o; from 1223 and 2059; to explain
thoroughly; by impl. to translate:-expound, interpret (-ation).
I Corinthians 14:26-28 What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has
a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue
or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two--or at the
most three--should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there
is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to
himself and God.
The Talmud speaks of this man:
Pesachim 117a Our Rabbis taught: As for all the songs and praises to which David gave
utterance in the Book of Psalms, R. Joshua said: He spoke them in reference to
himself; R. Joshua said: He spoke them with reference to the [Jewish]
community; while the Sages maintain: Some of them refer to the community, while
others refer to himself. [Thus:] those which are couched in the singular bear
upon himself, while those which are couched in the plural allude to the community.
Nizzuah and niggun [introduce psalms] relating to the future; maskil [indicates
that it was spoken] through a meturgeman [interpreter]; [the
superscription] To David, a psalm’ intimates that the Shechinah rested upon him
and then he uttered [that] song; ‘a psalm of David’ intimates that he [first]
uttered [that particular] psalm and then the Shechinah rested upon him.
Kethuboth 8b A child [of R. Hiyya, the son of Abba] died, The first day he [Resh
Lakish] did not go to him. The next day he [Resh Lakish] took with him Judah
the son of Nahmani, his meturgeman. [and] said to him: Rise [and] say
something with regard to [the death of] the child.
T'murah 14b To say that he should not delete the case of drink-offerings [from the
above Baraitha], and yet there is no contradiction. Here, we are dealing with
drink-offerings which accompany a sacrifice, while there we are dealing with
drink-offerings which are brought by themselves. And if he had found [someone]
could he have written the letter? Did not R. Abba the son of R. Hiyya b. Abba
report in the name of R. Johanan: Those who write the traditional teachings
[are punished] like those who burn the Torah, and he who learns from them [the
writings] receives no reward. And R. Judah b. Nahman the Meturgeman of
Resh Lakish gave the following [as exposition]: The verse says: Write thou
these words and then says: For after the tenor of these words, thus teaching
you that matters received as oral traditions you are
not permitted to recite from writing and that written things [Biblical
passages] you are not permitted to recite from memory. And the Tanna of the
School of R. Ishmael taught: Scripture says, ‘Write thou these words’, implying
that ‘these’ words you may write but you may not write traditional laws! — The
answer was given: Perhaps the case is different in regard to a new
interpretation. For R. Johanan and Resh Lakish used to peruse the book of
Aggadah on Sabbaths and explained [their attitude] in this manner: [Scripture
says:] It is time for the Lord to work, they have made void thy law, explaining this as follows: It is better that one
letter of the Torah should be uprooted than that the whole Torah should be
forgotten.
These officers are also called
Zaqenim (Elders) or Presbyters in the Nazarean Codicil.
Strong’s defines a Presbyter
as:
4245 presbuteros, pres-boo'-ter-os; compar. of presbus (elderly);
older; as noun, a senior; spec. an Isr. Sanhedrist (also fig. member of the
celestial council) or Chr. "presbyter":-elder (-est), old.
The following verses from the
Nazarean Codicil talk about this officer:
Matityahu (Matthew) 15:2 Why do thy disciples
transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they
eat bread.
Matityahu (Matthew)
Matityahu (Matthew) 21:23 And when he was come
into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of
the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee
this authority?
Matityahu (Matthew) 26:3 Then assembled
together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto
the palace of the high priest, who was called
Caiaphas,
Matityahu (Matthew) 26:47 And while he yet
spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with
swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.
Matityahu (Matthew) 26:57 And they that had
laid hold on Yeshua led [him] away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the
scribes and the elders were assembled.
Matityahu (Matthew) 26:59 Now the chief
priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Yeshua,
to put him to death;
Matityahu (Matthew) 27:1 When the morning was
come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against
Yeshua to put him to death:
Matityahu (Matthew) 27:3 Then Judas, which
had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and
brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
Matityahu (Matthew) 27:12 And when he was
accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.
Matityahu (Matthew) 27:20 But the chief
priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and
destroy Yeshua.
Matityahu (Matthew) 27:41 Likewise also the
chief priests mocking [him], with the scribes and elders, said,
Matityahu (Matthew) 28:12 And when they were
assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto
the soldiers,
Marqos (Mark) 7:3 For the Pharisees,
and all the Jews, except they wash [their] hands oft, eat not, holding the
tradition of the elders.
Marqos (Mark) 7:5 Then the Pharisees
and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of
the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
Marqos (Mark)
Marqos (Mark)
Marqos (Mark)
Marqos (Mark)
Marqos (Mark) 15:1 And straightway in
the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes
and the whole council, and bound Yeshua, and carried
[him] away, and delivered [him] to Pilate.
Luqas (Luke) 7:2-5 And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and
ready to die. And when he heard of Yeshua, he sent unto him the elders
of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and
heal his servant. And when they came to Yeshua, they besought him instantly,
saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: For he loveth our
nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.
Luqas (Luke)
Luqas (Luke) 20:1 And it came to pass,
[that] on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel,
the chief priests and the scribes came upon [him] with the elders,
Luqas (Luke)
Yochanan (John) 8:9 And they which heard
[it], being convicted by [their own] conscience, went out one by one, beginning
at the eldest, [even] unto the last: and Yeshua was left alone, and the woman
standing in the midst.
II Luqas (Acts)
II Luqas (Acts) 4:5 And it came to pass
on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes,
II Luqas (Acts) 4:8 Then Peter, filled
with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of
II Luqas (Acts)
II Luqas (Acts)
II Luqas (Acts)
II Luqas (Acts)
II Luqas (Acts) 15:2 When therefore Paul
and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined
that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this
question.
II Luqas (Acts) 15:4 And when they were
come to
II Luqas (Acts) 15:6 And the apostles and
elders came together for to consider of this matter.
II Luqas (Acts)
II Luqas (Acts)
II Luqas (Acts) 16:4 And as they went
through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were
ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.
II Luqas (Acts)
II Luqas (Acts)
II Luqas (Acts)
II Luqas (Acts) 24:1 And after five days Ananias the high priest descended with the
elders, and [with] a certain orator [named] Tertullus, who informed the
governor against Paul.
II Luqas (Acts) 25:15 About whom, when I
was at
1 Timothy 5:1 Rebuke not an elder,
but entreat [him] as a father; [and] the younger men as brethren;
1 Timothy 5:2 The elder women as
mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.
1 Timothy
1 Timothy
Titus 1:5 For this cause left I
thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting,
and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:
Bereans (Hebrews) 11:2 For by it the elders
obtained a good report.
Ya’aqov (James)
1 Tsefet (Peter) 5:1 The
elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the
sufferings of Mashiach, and also a partaker of the
glory that shall be revealed:
1 Tsefet (Peter) 5:5 Likewise, ye
younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all [of you] be subject one to
another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
2 Yochanan (John) 1:1 The elder unto the
elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also
all they that have known the truth;
3 Yochanan (John) 1:1 The elder unto the
wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.
Revelation 4:4 And round about the
throne [were] four and twenty seats: and upon the seats
I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on
their heads crowns of gold.
Revelation 4:10 The four and twenty
elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth
for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
Revelation 5:5 And one of the
elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of
the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to
loose the seven seals thereof.
Revelation 5:6 And I beheld, and,
lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the
elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes,
which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
Revelation 5:8 And when he had taken
the book, the four beasts and four [and] twenty elders fell down before the
Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are
the prayers of saints.
Revelation 5:11 And I beheld, and I
heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the
elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and
thousands of thousands;
Revelation
Revelation 7:11 And all the angels
stood round about the throne, and [about] the elders and the four beasts, and
fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
Revelation 7:13 And one of the
elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white
robes? and whence came they?
Revelation 11:16 And the four and
twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and
worshipped God,
Revelation 14:3 And they sung as it
were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders:
and no man could learn that song but the hundred [and] forty [and] four
thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
Revelation 19:4 And the four and
twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the
throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
Strong’s dictionary
defines an elder as:
2205 zaqen, zaw-kane'; from 2204; old:-aged, ancient (man), elder
(-est), old (man, men and... women), senator.
---------------- Dictionary Trace ---------------
2204 zaqen, zaw-kane'; a prim. root; to be old:-aged man, be (wax) old
(man).
Yehezechel (Ezekiel)
Ezra 3:12 But many of the priests and Levites and
chief of the fathers, [who were] ancient (zaken) men, that had seen the first
house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with
a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 3:2 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the
prudent, and the ancient (zaken),
Yeshayahu (Isaiah)
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 24:23 Then the moon shall be
confounded, and the sun ashamed, when HaShem of hosts shall reign in
This officer is in charge, under the supervision of the Bet Din, of the
primary and secondary schools in the community, and the training of children
for Bar/Bat Mitzva. The exceptional
literacy among Jews is directly attributable to this
office and the effort that was expended in education. During the dark ages when
even kings could not read, Jewish children could read.
This officer, also translates the reading of the Torah into the
vernacular in the synagogue, and if the sermon is said in Ivrit (Hebrew), they also translate that sermon into the
vernacular. These can also be Hakhamim.
Additionally, a school teacher
is needed because we are bringing in young Gentiles
and they need to learn Torah too.
“Magid” (Preacher)
Prophet
The Darshan was the officer who expounded the
Torah in a sermon, delivered after the reading of the "Haphtarah," or
section from the prophets. Because of this they were also called Prophets and were
called as such in the Nazarean Codicil. They also delivered sermons whenever
the occasion demanded it.
This is similar to the classical British and
European universities, where the “lecture” (or the outline of the lecture and
associated materials) is prepared by a Professor and delivered by another
person (frequently an advanced post-graduate student) called a “reader” or
“lecturer.”
In the synagogue, one or all of the Bet Din
were responsible for preparing of the outlines for all sermons which were
taught to the Darshan. The Darshan, in turn, would deliver the full sermon to
the community in the synagogue, or to the associated fellowships called
Chaburot.
This office is also in charge of helping anyone
plead their cases before the Bet Din (much as attorneys are used in the secular
justice system), and as such function as counselors or in a consolatory
capacity on behalf of the Bet Din.
Smaller communities, however, were not able to
employ even one Darshan on a regular basis; and some of the Darshanim seem to
have been traveling preachers:
Matityahu (Matthew) 4:23 And Yeshua went about all
Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel
of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease
among the people.
II Luqas (Acts)
13:4-5 So they, being sent
forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto
Chullin 27a A Galilean traveling lecturer expounded: Cattle were created out of the
dry earth and are rendered fit by the cutting of both organs; fish were created
out of the water and are rendered fit without any ritual slaughtering; birds
were created out of the alluvial mud and are therefore rendered fit by the
cutting of one organ. R. Samuel of
Sanhedrin 70a ‘Ubar the Galilean gave the following exposition: The letter waw [and] occurs thirteen
times in the passage dealing with wine: And Noah began to be an husbandman, and
he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine and was drunken; and he was
uncovered within his tent. And Ham the father of
Sanhedrin 88a Come and hear! R. Josiah said: Three things did Ze'ira, an inhabitant
of Jerusalem, tell me: [i] If the husband renounced his
warnings, they are null; [ii] if the father and mother wished to pardon a
‘stubborn and rebellious son’, they may do so, and [iii] the [local] Beth din
may pardon a rebellious elder, if they desire it. But when I went to my
colleagues of the South, they agreed to the [first] two but not to the
rebellious elder, that contention might not increase in
A Darshan arriving in such a community knew ahead of time on what the
Torah and Haftarah readings would be, because the custom in
The Darshan normally was seated behind the
bima, when he delivered his sermon. This practice is clear from the fact that
in Talmud, Midrash, and
the Nazarean Codicil, the expression used to introduce what happened or was
said by a particular Darshan during a public sermon is "He sat and
expounded":
Shabbath 30b On another occasion R. Gamaliel sat and expounded, Palestine is
destined to bring forth cakes and wool robes, for it is said, There shall be an
handful of corn in the land. But a certain disciple scoffed at him, quoting,
‘there is no new thing under the sun!’ ‘Come, and I
will show you their equal in this world,’ replied he. He went forth and showed
him morels and truffles; and for silk robes [he showed him] the bark of a young
palm-shoot.
Luqas (Luke) 4:20-21 And he closed the book, and he gave [it] again to the
minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the
synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this
scripture fulfilled in your ears.
Midrash Rabbah - The
Song of Songs I:53 Once as Ben ‘Azzai sat and
expounded, the fire played round him. They went and told R. Akiba, saying,
' Sir, as Benn ‘Azzai sits and expounds, the fire
is flashing round him.’ He went to him and said to him: ' I hear that as you
were expounding the fire flashed round you.’ He
replied: ‘That is so.’ He said to him: ‘Were you perhaps treating of the
secrets of the Divine Chariot?’ ‘No,’ he replied. ‘I was only linking up the
words of the Torah with one another and then with the words of the prophets,
and the prophets with the Writings, and the words rejoiced as when they were
delivered from Sinai, and they were sweet as at their original utterance. And
were they not originally delivered from Sinai in fire, as it says, "And
the mountain burned with fire"?’ As R. Abbahu sat and expounded,
the fire flashed around him. He said: ‘Am I perhaps not linking together the
words of the Torah in the proper way?’ For R. Levi said: ' Some are able to
link together but not to penetrate, and some are able to penetrate but not to
link together.
So, the Darshan sat and expounded from a
special chair behind the bima, or Tebah (Sephardic)
(a lectern where the Torah was placed). This was the seat of Moshe.
Midrash Rabbah - Exodus
VIII:3 And Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet
(VII, 1). ‘Just as the preacher sits and preaches whilst the interpreter sits
before him, so shalt thou speak all that I shall command thee, [to Aaron] and
Aaron thy brother will speak unto Pharaoh.’ By means of both of them were all
these things performed, as it is said: And Moses and Aaron did all these
wonders before Pharaoh (XI, 10).
(Master
of the Tradition)
Masoret
Evangelist
This officer is either an
itinerant or resident “catechist” whose function is to help/teach proselytes in
their process of conversion and integration into the Jewish community (He also
acts as a “cult buster” a “defender of the faith”), help in the preventing of
assimilation or deviation from Halakhah as taught by the Bet Din, as well as
responsible for the preparation of instruction materials in the achievement of
their areas of responsibility before and under the direction of the Bet Din. He
can be a Hakham and is certainly a Rabbinical student.
Strong’s definition of
“synagogue”:
4864 sunagoge, soon-ag-o-gay'; from (the redupl. form of) 4863; an
assemblage of persons; spec. a Jewish "synagogue" (the meeting or the
place); by anal. a Mashiachian church:-assembly, congregation, synagogue.
------------------- Dictionary Trace ----------------
4863 sunago, soon-ag'-o; from 4862 and 71; to lead together, i.e. collect
or convene; spec. to entertain hospitably):-+ accompany, assemble (selves,
together), bestow, come together, gather (selves together, up, together), lead
into, resort, take in.
Nazarean Codicil
references to "synagogue":
Matityahu (Matthew)
Matityahu (Matthew) 6:2 "So when you give to the needy, do not announce
it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the
streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their
reward in full.
Matityahu (Matthew) 6:5 "And when you pray, do
not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues
and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have
received their reward in full.
Matityahu (Matthew)
Matityahu (Matthew)
Matityahu (Matthew) 12:9 Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue,
Matityahu (Matthew)
Matityahu (Matthew) 23:6 They love the place of honor at banquets and the most
important seats in the synagogues;
Matityahu (Matthew)
Marqos (Mark)
Marqos (Mark)
Marqos (Mark)
Marqos (Mark)
Marqos (Mark) 3:1 Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a
shriveled hand was there.
Marqos (Mark)
Marqos (Mark)
Marqos (Mark)
Marqos (Mark) 6:2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and
many who heard him were amazed. "Where did this man get these
things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him,
that he even does miracles!
Marqos (Mark)
Marqos (Mark) 13:9 "You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local
councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand
before governors and kings as witnesses to them.
Luqas (Luke) 4:15-16 He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. He went
to
Luqas (Luke)
Luqas (Luke)
Luqas (Luke)
Luqas (Luke)
Luqas (Luke)
Luqas (Luke) 6:6 On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue
and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled.
Luqas (Luke) 7:5 Because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue."
Luqas (Luke)
Luqas (Luke)
Luqas (Luke)
Luqas (Luke)
Luqas (Luke)
Luqas (Luke)
Luqas (Luke)
Yochanan (John)
Yochanan (John) 9:22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who
acknowledged that Yeshua was the Mashiach would be
put out of the synagogue.
Yochanan (John)
Yochanan (John) 16:2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is
coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.
Yochanan (John)
II Luqas (Acts) 6:9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the
Freedmen (as it was called)--Jews of
II Luqas (Acts) 9:2 And asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that
if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might
take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
II Luqas (Acts)
II Luqas (Acts) 13:5 When they arrived at
II Luqas (Acts)
II Luqas (Acts) 13:42-43 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue,
the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. When the synagogue was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and
Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
II Luqas (Acts) 14:1 At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue.
There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed.
II Luqas (Acts)
II Luqas (Acts) 17:17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the
God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who
happened to be there.
II Luqas (Acts) 18:4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade
Jews and Greeks.
II Luqas (Acts) 18:7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of
Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire
household believed in the Lord; and many of the
Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized.
II Luqas (Acts)
II Luqas (Acts)
II Luqas (Acts)
II Luqas (Acts)
II Luqas (Acts) 24:12 My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or
stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city.
II Luqas (Acts) 26:11 Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them
punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them,
I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.
Ya’aqov (James) 2:1-4 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Yeshua Mashiach, don't
show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your synagogue wearing a gold ring
and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show
special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good
seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or
"Sit on the floor by my feet," Have you not discriminated among
yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
Revelation 2:9 I know your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are rich! I know the
slander of those who say they are Jews and are not,
but are a synagogue of Satan.
Revelation 3:9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim
to be Jews though they are not, but are liars--I will make them come and fall
down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.
References to
"episunagoge", a complete synagogue:
Bereans (Hebrews) 10:25 Let us not give up meeting
together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one
another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 Concerning the coming of our
Lord Yeshua Mashiach and
our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, Not to become easily
unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come
from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.
Matityahu (Matthew) 24:31 And he will send his angels
with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end
of the heavens to the other.
Marqos (Mark)
Matityahu (Matthew) 23:37 "O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those
sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together,
as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.
The “ten Tsadiqim”, the “righteous men”, or officers of the synagogue
are:
Hakhamim – bench of three – Bet Din 3
The following are the menorah, the seven.
These next seven men were also called the seven good
men of the city. They are frequently referred to, by this name, in the Talmud.[53]
Sheliach Bet Din/ Sheliach Tzibbur 1
Darshan or Magid 1
The Masoret 1
Parnassim or Shamashim 3
Moreh/Meturgeman 1
Total
. . . . . . . . . . 10
These ten officers as a team, and under the wise
direction and supervision of the Bet Din, these are the basic officers an synagogue.
The so called “five fold gifts”, of Ephesians
4:11, are in reality seven officers, and as a team are said to act as the
menorah, or Chanukiya, of the community. It is in this context that we can
understand such texts as:
Revelation 1:12-13 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I
saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks [one]
like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt
about the paps with a golden girdle.
Revelation 1:19-20 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and
the things which shall be hereafter; The mystery of the seven
stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks.
The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches:
and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
Revelation 2:1-5 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These
things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in
the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour,
and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou
hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them
liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured,
and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have [somewhat] against thee, because thou
hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and
repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will
remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
Hakham Shaul writes about the officers of the
synagogue when he lists the gifts that Mashiach
bestowed:
Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists;
and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting
of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Mashiach:
These five offices are a summary representation
of the officers of the synagogue. The ten officers of the synagogue act
together as a mechanism to reach the Gentiles with
the message of Torah:
The rulers of the synagogue, were so named
because they were responsible for caring for the synagogue and they exercised
the chief power.
The other seven officers, of
the synagogue, in their various areas of ministry must at all times be
subordinate to, and faithful in expressing the directions and judgements of the
Bet Din, the bench of three.
The Bet
Din is like the Mashiach – hidden. Where two or three are gathered in My name,
there I am in their midst.
The Bet Din represents Mashiach
and was amidst the menorah, the other seven officers:
Revelation 1:12-13 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I
saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks [one]
like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt
about the paps with a golden girdle.
The other seven officers represent the menorah
and are the “table”, the officers who were very visible:
I Luqas (Luke) 6:1-6 And in those days,
when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the
Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows
were neglected in the daily ministration. Then the twelve
called the multitude of the disciples [unto them], and said, It is not reason
that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore,
brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy
Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give
ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry
of the word. And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose
Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus,
and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: Whom
they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid [their] hands
on them.
In the above pasuk, Tables = scriptoriums in the synagogue, these were
the officers of the synagogue who were very public.
A menorah is not put under a bushel basket. Instead it is put on a hill.
These public officers are the menorah spoken of in Revelation 1 and 2.
And all of the gifts can rotate among these men.
The synagogue was near a body of water for a mikveh and for the Tashlikh ceremony on Rosh HaShanah. Often synagogues were constructed near
bodies of water. Josephus speaks of a custom of Hellenistic Jewish communities
"who make their places of worship near the sea.":