Celebrating Hanukkah with Jews #2

The Holy Scrolls (written in Hebrew on animal skin) in the Great Synagogue are carefully protected under the colourful velvet covering. The rabbis unroll them each week to read to the congregation.

The Scripture is read in the Hebrew language in all the synagogues across the world, though teaching is given in the language of the land the diaspora Jews understand.

The Scrolls in the Great Synagogue in Sydney - Tue 20 Dec 2022

No image of any creature is painted or erected in the Great Synagogue – human or animal. Not on their stain-glass windows, or their stunning arches, pillars, or walls. I imagine this must be so to banish from their worship even the faintest whiff of idolatry, banned by the second commandment of Moses.

Instead, I found much glitter in the myriads of lights, intricate ornaments, and the high shrine that housed the holy scrolls. My eyes were having a feast. They were so pretty - and distracting. I wondered if these were unconscious substitutes for the images forbidden to the worshippers in the sacred building. Maybe we Christians do the same with our glittery Christmas celebrations? Our adulation of the latest ‘celebrity’ in the Church? Our high-tech worship with audio-visual bling-bling?

I asked myself, ‘Have we lost the reality of the living God? Are we grasping at the substitutes?’

Jews give the greatest weight to the Torah out of all the Scriptures, the rabbi said, i.e. the first five books of the Bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy - because ‘every word was DICTATED to Moses by God VERBATIM.’ They are read the most in the synagogues. (Note, the Jewish Old Testament has books in a different order.)

Then comes the Prophets – Joshua to Malachi. God INSPIRED (even COMPELLED?) the prophets to write the divine message, but using their own words.

Finally the Writings – eg. Psalms, Proverbs, Daniel, etc – are Scriptures but with lesser weight than the Torah and the Prophets. E.g. David did not HAVE to write his songs – he voluntarily wrote them, but with divine inspiration.

Really?!! It never occurred to me to weigh the inspiration upon the different writers of the Scriptures. I come from the Christian tradition that takes every letter, comma, and dot (perhaps even the cover pages!) of both the Old and New Testament as coming forth afresh from the very mouth of God.

Jesus quoted from Genesis to Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Jonah, Psalms, and Daniel – just to name a few books. And He said to the Jews, ‘You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.’ (John 5:39-40)

Then it struck me that there is just ONE THING – actually ONE PERSON who stands between these dear Jews and us Christians. ONE NAME we Christians know we cannot say in the synagogue – Jesus Christ the Son of God - Yeshua the Jewish Messiah - whom they have rejected and cast away! (My heart weeps for Israel when I think of this.)

Yet I can also see the days coming, in the not-too-distant future – the Jewish hearts melting and opening wide to embrace their beloved Messiah Yeshua - because their gentile friends give their hearts, time, money and even their lives to save them, the Jews.

All because of OUR Saviour and THEIR Messiah who gave up His life for us and for them.

Mia Kim