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The Sabbath Pt 4

by | Fri, Jun 28 2019

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We’ve discovered that there are there are three main rituals for observing the Sabbath and they are:

  1. Lighting the Sabbath candles – fulfilled by Jesus as the Light of the world.
  2. Saying ‘kiddush’ over the wine – fulfilled by Jesus through His shed blood.
  3. Reciting HaMotzi over the bread (khallah) – fulfilled by Jesus as the Bread of Life.

Normal, regular bread is ‘lekhem’ but Shabbat bread is khallah.

They’re the three essential, main elements that are crucial for understanding the Sabbath, but there are other parts of the Sabbath celebration as well, they include hand washing rituals among the Orthodox community, giving money or gifts to the less fortunate, playing games with family and friends throughout Saturday which are not mandated in the Bible but have developed over time. I’m not going to focus on them, but there are some really wonderful traditions that I want to share with you that have to do with blessings.

Once the blessing of the candles, wine and bread is complete, the husband and father or male head of the household blesses his wife. Now in many Jewish homes this means that he’ll sing Proverbs 31 to her….in front of everyone seated at the table.

The reason he does this is to recognise and acknowledge that without his wife he simply wouldn’t have the kind of home and family that he’s got. Women are so important in the family. They keep the home running, they nurture and care for each member of the family. It’s generally through the woman of the home that meals, the running of the house, the shopping, the preparations for just about everything are taken care of.

Women are uniquely gifted by God to be the way they are; women nest, they nurture, they take care of all the details that men usually aren’t aware of. That’s not because men are bad or lacking, it’s because God has uniquely gifted and wired them differently. They protect, provide for, they build and they surround. Men guard and strengthen what women nest and nurture. That’s why men and women are perfect complements for each other.

So to honour his wife, the man of the house will sing Proverbs 31 over her because he couldn’t bare his life without her.

After blessing his wife, he’ll go on to bless each of his children one by one. Often making his way around the table to kiss them, put his hands on their head, which is to symbolise the imparting of the blessing being given.

The blessing of the children comes from the traditions established by the Jewish patriarchs, using their names to remember the connection to their historical lineage with the promise of ongoing generations.

So the father places his hand on each of his sons saying, “May God make you to be like Manasseh and Ephraim” who were Joseph’s two sons. These names are synonymous with the national name of Israel and Jacob as well.

As he places his hands on each of his daughters he’ll say, “And may God make you to be like Leah, Rachel, Rebecca and Sarah.” These are the matriarchs of the nation of Israel and through them came all the tribes of Israel.

Then the father says a blessing for his entire family which is reminiscent of the Aaronic priestly blessing by saying, “May the Lord bless you and protect you, may the Lord shine His face on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face to you and give you peace.”

After the blessings are given, they sing and they eat and they talk and this celebration meal can last for hours. They have nowhere else to go, nothing else to do, it’s Shabbat. It’s a time for rest and celebration with one another.

I’ve seen this many times in Israel in the dining rooms of the hotels we stay at. Some Jewish families stay in a hotel from time to time to celebrate the Sabbath, and that way, they don’t have to worry about food preparation or clean up, they just give themselves a treat to enjoy the Sabbath together, hanging out in the lobby to talk and enjoy each other’s company, to go to the Synagogue and then head back home when the Sabbath is over.

As believer’s in Jesus, we understand that because of His shed blood and broken body, we can be in perfect fellowship and union with Him and each other. But what I find remarkable, that most Christians are oblivious to and even most Jewish people are oblivious to, is that every single Friday evening, Jews break bread and drink wine, and remember the covenant that God made with them for all eternity…a covenant that was fulfilled by and through Jesus – Yeshua.

Jews celebrate and remember God’s covenant every week without understanding Jesus. Christians know Jesus is the fulfillment of the covenant but all too often they dismiss this remembrance meal – the meal we title ‘communion’ and have it once per month some every two or three months, even though Jesus said, “As often as you do this, remember Me.” (1 Cor 11:25-26) Every time we remember Him in this meal, we’re proclaiming His sacrifice until He returns. We’re not doing this regularly enough which is resulting in the downplaying of its significance and importance of it.

  • Bread.
  • Wine.
  • Salt of the covenant.
  • Remembrance.
  • Eternal life.

And it’s all fulfilled in Jesus our Messiah.

 

Shalom

Mandy