Mission Statement: To train, educate and equip for study both the Jew and the non-Jew in the rich Biblical/Hebraic Heritage.
A Chanukah Tidbit
by Cheryle Holeman
In my reading around on the topic of Chanukah over the years, I have read some Jewish midrash and anthologies that I have enjoyed. One of the most enjoyable books, but very very deep, was one titled Patterns in Time: Chanukah by Rab Matis Weinberg. This book shows us as many Jewish books do, that we don’t understand the Bible as Christians because we haven’t been taught the Jewish way of study. We have been taught only through the Greek mind-set of Logic, and Time-lines, and their viewpoint on things. History was written by the victors–not by the conquered, and so the Greek/Roman ways prevailed. It is not until the last fifty years or so, that Christian scholars like Dr. Robert Lindsey, Dr. Marvin Wilson, Dr. Brad Young, Dr. Ron Moseley, Dr. Doug Wheeler, and Dwight Pryor dared to explore the possibility that the Scriptures were written from a Hebraic perspective, and only if you study it through Hebraic eyes–adding back the correct history, geography, language, idioms, literature backgrounds, customs and manners, archeology and Hebraic mind-set, can you even begin to see our Precious Savior correctly. My heart’s desire is to someday sit down with HIM and His disciples and intelligently discuss the scriptures, AND understand what He said.
When I would read the Bible without that knowledge, it just didn’t make sense. Pastors in local churches usually stumbled over explanations of questions that I would ask, and finally two pastors asked us to leave their churches because they wouldn’t meet my questions, let alone attempt to study for themselves. These topics were considered too "controversial" ten years ago, and its only been recently that we have found out that the Spirit of God is speaking to people all over the world to study HIS Word in the Hebraic manner. So, as I, and others study these things we find these tidbits that enlighten us greatly on the concepts being taught over and over again in the Bible.
I have debated about how to present this "tidbit" and decided to present it as if you know nothing about these studies. If it gets too deep for you, then please put this article on the shelf for later reference, okay? It may or may not be something that you want to include this Chanukah, or even next year, but at some point in time you may have the light bulb go on. I will try to insert in parenthesis the English translation of what you are reading as you go along to aid you in this study.
Remember that the Bible has over 1500 concepts being interwoven. We know the concepts of "salvation" and "redemption" pretty well as Christians. But if you imagine a picture puzzle of 1500+ pieces, you can see that having only two of the pieces isn’t much help, is it?
This is an object lesson that Joseph Frankovic, noted scholar, showed us one time at a conference in Tulsa with Dr. Brad Young, (I will summarize). Imagine a funnel. See it? Now turn it so the big end is up. Christian theologians take scripture and put it in the big open end, and then cram it down the spout until it comes out exactly like they want it! They throw away everything that doesn’t "fit" their theology. But in Jewish thought you soon learn to think THE OPPOSITE! So, what do you do with the object lesson of the funnel? You turn the funnel over with the small end up! Now you take the Scriptures and put them into the funnel, and what comes out after squeezing them this way and that way and examining them in yeshivas or schools through every conceivable manner? The juice flows out all over the place presenting LOTS of pictures in a variety of ways of GOD! The juice washes the WORD over HIM to reveal HIM as bigger than any of us ever imagined! WOW! Conceptual teaching presents VIVID pictures of HIM in our lives as we intimately examine HIM within the context that HE intended.
I hope that you understand the importance of this idea as you read this lesson. My goal is to take something very orthodox and try to explain it to you so that it paints a picture of HIM that you can visualize and experience in the days ahead. HE came as our Savior and LORD, and as such we know that HE died to be intimate with us. As Dr. Doug Wheeler says in his teaching on Face to Face Relationship, HE died to have that relationship with each of us daily. HE desires to be with us and we can’t run hard enough away from HIM, to get away from His desire. We are HIS, and if we would just surrender to HIM, we find that our lives are richer in HIM. The world around us becomes richer because we learn to see HIM in soooo many things that we never saw HIM in before!
Let’s now look at the concept of "time." Very simply, we Christians have been taught to see time as a thin line running out on each end. It has some points along it, but nothing with a pattern or reason. Just time happening here and there. This is the Greek/Roman method of seeing "time." In the Hebrew mind that is the OPPOSITE of the way to view "time." So if you think about that, you should see time as an interwoven thing within God’s plan. A tapestry of sorts where HE weaves us together into a community living in unity. Everything happens for a reason, and because one thing happens another happens that intertwine. Its like our lives. They are interwoven with others, and if we keep ourselves separated entirely from people, then how can something be done for us? We have to leave our isolation and become involved in GOD’s "Time" or His Kingdom. We live without community and involvement in each other’s lives, and we are empty when it comes to God. The Ten Commandments were given in God’s Time for a reason that HE passes down to us even today. Without HIM involved in our time, then we see chaos and destruction all around. Its important that we be open to doing HIS Biding and know HIS Voice to go where HE needs for us to go WHEN HE needs us to go. So, is the concept of Hebrew "time." He spoke to Abraham to go into a new land leaving everything. IF Abraham hadn’t gone, then he would not have received the blessing of God.
This article appears on page 198 in the Patterns in Time: Chanukah book published by Feldheim
"Goshen was an eternal inheritance...there was no pain in Goshen, and they [Yisrael] lived there in the lap of all the luxuries of the world. Zohar B’reishis 211b (Midrash commentary writings)
"Yaakov (Jacob) spent the last seventeen years of his life in Goshen, in the tranquility he had so long desired. ...a life in olam hazeh (this world; our present existence) like that of tzaddikim (righteous men; one of total integrity) in olam habah (the world to come; the next stage of existence). Tanna D’bei Eliyahu 6b.(another commentary’s evaluation of scripture)
"For Goshen was a period of true fulfillment in olam hazeh (this world; our present existence), drawing from the integration of Yosef (Joseph) and Yehuda (Judah), from the blessings of olam hazeh (this world; our present existence) provided by Yosef (Joseph). Goshen was the beginning of the connection of Mashiach ben David (Messiah son of David) from Yehuda (Judah) and Mashiach ben Yosef (Messiah son of Joseph), the beginnings of the process of integration in which Chanukah plays such an important role, a synthesis to be completed in a ge’ulah shelaima (final redemption).
"The Bnai Yisas’char (a school or yeshiva) finds a delightful remez (allusion or hint) to the importance of this meeting in Goshen in the custom of playing with a dreidel, a wooden top, on Chanukah. The wood is to remind us of the two pieces of wood joined in Yechezkel’s (Eziekiel’s) hands, unifying Yehuda and Yosef, whirling about a common center. And the dreidel has letters written on its four sides:
meaning "to Goshen," in the precise spelling of the verse: "Let Judah go up to Goshen before Joseph."
Did your eyes cross or did you see what it is talking about conceptually? Let me explain to you what they are saying: (remember this is Cheryle’s opinion)
Goshen is the place in Egypt where the Hebrews came to live once Joseph was reunited with his family. They were given THE BEST of everything. They lived in the lap of luxury. Jacob lived in Goshen with his family for seventeen years after they were united and it was wonderful. It was so wonderful that they are calling it THE BEST that the world had to offer. Later they went into debt to the new Pharaoh that came to power long after Joseph died, and they became slaves to that Pharaoh because of that debt.
When they lived in Goshen the Jewish midrash (writings) says that it was the beginning of the connection of the teaching and understanding of the Messiah coming forth. There were at least two concepts that came forth during that time—the Messiah son of David and the Messiah son of Joseph. As Christians we are not taught about these concepts. In studying the Jewish writings we have discovered that these concepts were something that were discussed in great detail even during the time of Jesus. They didn’t have newspapers, or TVs or internet, so they would discuss things and memorize to recite back orally later.
The Messiah son of David is seen as the King Messiah that will deliver as a conquering hero seated on the back of a white horse (see Revelations). The Messiah son of Joseph is seen as the Suffering Servant Messiah who would ride through the streets of Jerusalem on the back of a white donkey. All of the aspects of Jesus as the Messiah are discussed right in front of our Christian noses when we read the New Testament AND in the Old Testament. We are not trained to see these concepts being discussed. The idea of "a" messiah versus "The Messiah" is not even discussed in Christianity. We couldn’t present Jesus as a Jewish Messiah to a Jew for the most part. We only know him as HE has been portrayed—a blonde haired, blue eyed Greek that kills Jews in the Holocaust. How sad! He came for the lost sheep of Israel, and we can’t even begin to present HIM as they need to see HIM to accept HIM as their Messiah. If you wish to explore more on the concept of Messiah, please contact our ministry or one in our association for more information, or explore Jewish Encyclopedias at your public library. I am attempting to write a book on messianic concepts for beginners, so do check with me if you are interested.
Let’s continue with the lesson: The last paragraph is extremely interesting when you have a knowledge of the pictures being presented. Here is a Jewish yeshiva that is finding a remez or allusion to the importance of this meeting between the two concepts in the custom of playing with a dreidel. They see it as "two pieces of wood joined in Ezekiel’s hands," which would come together and unify the "House of Judah (Messiah son of David) and the House of Joseph (Messiah son of Joseph)" while it whirls about on a common center. This could be an allusion to two pieces of wood, or the wooden cross, coming together spiritually whirling into one form—THE MESSIAH who is YESHUA!
Another allusion that I see is in the form on the two pieces of wood through the Hebrew letters on the dreidel. When the Hebrews were slaves, the LORD told them to kill a perfect lamb and roast it upon two pieces of wood at a certain time of day to avoid being killed by the Pharaoh many years later. (See the Passover Haggadah and the book of Exodus for more on this topic.) This perfect lamb became known as "the Crown Sacrifice" because the lamb was split open and the enthrals were wrapped around its head and then it was roasted. ALL of that lamb had to be eaten on that night and we know that the Hebrews received "a Great Salvation" experience as a result of following God’s directions within the land of Goshen on that night. It is true that a great miracle (the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus/Yeshua) was being alluded to in Goshen before it happened in Israel many years later. Thus, when you see a dreidel today, you are seeing an illusion to the cross as a form of His Deliverance for all mankind upon the cross.
Do all Jews believe in the concept of Messiah? No. Most Jews in the USA are reform or conservative Jews that do not believe the same as the Orthodox Jews do. The concept of Messiah has been seen present for thousands of years, but we’ve been too busy to see what was right in front of our noses. This concept is a major key to the restoration of the knowledge of the end times.
Please remember that this is simply Cheryle’s attempt to show you how concepts are interwoven through the festival of Chanukah. If this is over your head, then please put it on a shelf until later. Now you can see much in a dreidel, can’t you?