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.[2] 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[3]. 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 Temple.
The Bet HaMikdash served the community in the same way that the synagogue
serves the community. Attending services in the Bet HaMikdash is like attending
the services in the synagogue. The synagogue serves the same purpose for a
community that 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
HaShem, 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 HaShem, 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.[4]
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 Babylon
the synagogue was called "Bet HaKnesset".[5]
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--
Further, Yitro advised Moshe to set up leaders
of ten in:
Shemot (Exodus)
18:13-22 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses
sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto
the evening. 14 And when Moses’ father
in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou
doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand
by thee from morning unto even? 15 And
Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire
of God: 16 When they have a matter, they
come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the
statutes of God, and his laws. 17 And Moses’ father in law said unto him, The
thing that thou doest is not good. 18
Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with
thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it
thyself alone. 19 Hearken now unto my
voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the
people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: 20 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. 21 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: 22 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.
Now if ten men form a
minyan, a congregation, then surely they would form a synagogue and study
together. When one looks at the arrangement of the camp
in the wilderness, they can see that the camp was ten miles across. Those
at the extreme ends would have some difficulty getting to the Tabernacle. For these folks it would make sense to have
a synagogue in their neck of the woods, so to speak.
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:[7]
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.[8] 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.[9] ONE THAT HAS FEWER IS RECKONED A VILLAGE. IN RESPECT OF THESE[10] IT WAS LAID DOWN THAT THEY SHOULD BE PUSHED FORWARD BUT NOT POSTPONED.
THE TIME, HOWEVER, OF BRINGING THE WOOD FOR THE PRIESTS,[11] OF KEEPING THE [FAST OF] THE NINTH OF AB,[12] OF OFFERING THE FESTIVAL SACRIFICE,[13] AND OF ASSEMBLING
THE PEOPLE[14] IS TO BE POSTPONED[15] [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[16] TO MOURN, TO FAST, AND TO DISTRIBUTE GIFTS
TO THE POOR. R. JUDAH SAID: WHEN IS THIS?[17] 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.[18]
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[19] 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,[20] even though [leisured] people come there from outside.[21] 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[22] 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;[23] [which implies that it is to be reckoned as a city] even though it has
not a wall now, provided it had one previously?[24] What then is meant by ‘laid waste’? Laid waste of its ten men of
leisure.
The reason for ten Torah scholars[25] can be deduced from:
Bamidbar (Numbers)
14:27 How long shall this evil congregation exist,
complaining about Me?[26] 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 the 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,[27] 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.[28]
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 three) were the Judges.
These were the Hakhamim,[29] 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.[30]
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,[31] they must write, ‘We were In a session of three,
and one is no more.’[32] R. Nahman b. Isaac said: And if it is written in it: This document has
been produced[33] before us [as] a court of law, more is not
necessary.[34]
We find this office repeatedly in the Nazarean
Codicil:[35]
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. Yosef 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 (twelve relates to government – the twelve 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 Israel from HaShem of hosts, which
dwelleth 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[36] 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 Jerusalem. From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On
the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. After the reading from the
Law and the Prophets, the synagogue rulers sent
word to them, saying, "Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement
for the people, please speak." Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand
and said: "Men of
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 tebah[37] (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)[38]
Chazzan
Overseer
This officer is known today as the Chazzan, Chazzan HaKnesset, or the Beadle.
The qualifications for this office, according
to Shulchan Arukh,[39] 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.
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’.[41]
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 HaShem for the worshippers.[42]
This office is found in the Talmud:
Eiruvin 92b If a congregation was in the
larger one and the Reader[43] in the lesser one, they have dully performed their duty,[44] but if the congregation was in the lesser one and the Reader in the
larger one they have not performed their duty.[45]
Chullin 24b Our Rabbis taught: He whose beard is fully grown is qualified to act as the
representative of a community,[46] to descend before the Ark[47] and to pronounce the priestly benediction.[48] 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.[49] And the other Tanna? He maintains that ‘to have oversight’ is quite a
different matter.[50] But is not this verse stated in connection with the Levites?[51] — 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.[52]
Arachin 11b Rather, said Rami the son of
R. Yeba: The question was with reference to the lamb offered up with the ‘Omer,[53] [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![54] 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].[55] 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 bimah 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[56] (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.[57]
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 Shiur[58] in a low voice[59]; he was also the one who translated the words of the Hakham, who
delivers the Shi'ur in a low voice in Hebrew[60].
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).
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.
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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)