Jewish Roots Glossary

Right now believers around the world are rediscovering the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. Powerful truths and revelation missing from the church for centuries are now being restored; from Shabbat, to the biblical holidays, to the ancient symbols of faith like the mezuzah.

God's wisdom as taught in the Old Testament was never abolished or canceled and Jesus validated this in Matthew 5:17 by teaching that "I did not come to abolish the law or the prophets...'

In other words, the Old Testament is not just the Jewish part of the Bible and the New Testament the Christian part. As Paul taught in 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 the Bible is inspired by God and profitable for doctrine and much more. And ironically when this was written there was no New Testament, only the Torah.

Related Products: Torah Blessing Book, Unveiling Ancient Biblical Secrets

Biblical Holidays: The Hebrew Calendar is divided into spring and fall biblical holidays. One of the many hidden blessings in 'feasts of the Lord' is they reveal Gods master plan of redemption and actually correspond to the 1st and 2nd coming of the Lord. Leviticus 23 calls these Bible Holidays appointed times and holy rehearsals.

God imbedded each holiday uniquely through-out the calendar year for His people to establish a rhythm to life. Each celebration offers a window of opportunity to rehearse and reconnect with His plans of redemption, to draw close to Him, to receive an impartation of fresh revelation and to experience a miracle outpouring of God's blessing.

Believers in biblical days thrived on celebrating these appointed times and today there is a resurgence of interest among churches, pastors and believers to understand these celebrations. In these last days before the Messiah returns the body of Christ around the world is returning to the origins of our faith and we're reconnecting to missing pieces of our heritage and inheritance.

The 7 Feast of the Lord are Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot

First Fruits: The revelation of the first fruits offering contains one of the greatest biblical keys concerning giving and receiving in the Word of God. In Hebrew first fruits are called bikkurim and literally mean the promise of things to come. It is speaking of a harvest. Ancient wisdom says the first fruits offering is one of the three things that has no limits.

This unlimited blessing is what Malachi 3 teaches as we return to the Lord through tithes and offerings. God promises to open the windows of heaven, pour out limitless blessing, rebuke the devourer and cause the whole world to call us blessed! The key to this is hidden in Malachi 3:4, where God says to 'return to the offerings of old'. When you study this passage from the Jewish perspective you understand some things the church has not understood for centuries.

Malachi is speaking about the special offerings we are called to give on three of the major holidays; Passover, Pentecost and Sukkot. God says in Deuteronomy 16:16 that during these major holidays we are not to come before Him empty-handed, or without a gift. These are the first fruits offerings.

Leviticus 23 calls these holidays appointed times. God gives us three uniquely appointed times to sow into the Kingdom. Three windows of opportunity to experience a divine flow of blessing through a supernatural channel that comes from heaven right into our lives.

Kosher: Most Christians live under the teaching and assumption that no dietary laws apply because of Jesus. We're taught that believers 'are not under the law.' Interestingly, even most Jewish scholars believe that not every commandment God gave to Moses applies today. It should be noted however that for Christians to live with the thinking we have no specific obligation to follow God's commandments, ordinances and guidelines cannot be correct. Case in point, the Law of Moses is epitomized in the 10 Commandments and obviously these Old Testament commandments are still in effect.

The basic laws of Kosher as given to Moses are in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. One of the key rabbinical teachings regarding kosher is that because we are called to be a priestly people set apart for the Lord, we are called to restrict the animals we consume because our table is equivalent to the temple altar.

There is a little known but very relevant fact concerning the debate Christians have about whether eating kosher applies or not. If you study the story of Noah in Genesis 6-9 closely God draws a distinction between animals that are clean and unclean. (Genesis 7:2). Only those that are clean may be offered as sacrifices and then eaten as food (Genesis 8:20). While Noah and his family are permitted to eat all animals (Genesis 9:3) God places a clear restriction on food in Genesis 9:4. The point here is that this dietary restriction was given more than 850 years before God gave Moses the 'law' at Mt. Sinai.

Most believers don't realize it but even the New Testament teaches dietary restrictions or eating kosher. In Acts 15 at the great Jerusalem Council, the very first instructions for Gentiles coming into the faith includes restrictions on food; do not eat meat strangled and do not drink blood. The reference to strangled meat means meat not slaughtered in a way that allows the blood to flow out-kosher. The Jewish way is considered the most humane way because the animal dies instantly.

Another key aspect of eating kosher is discussed by Paul in Galatians 2 concerning Peter and the controversy created by some over eating with (unclean) Gentiles. The point can be argued that Paul is giving this New Covenant revelation to make eating kosher a less important principle; that preserving fellowship at meals between Jewish and Gentile believers would become the new top priority. So it should be considered that God has not abolished kosher, rather he has re-prioritized it.

Menorah: The menorah is much more than a beautiful work of biblical art; it's a symbol for God Himself, the source of all Light. Although Christian translators call the menorah a candelabra or golden lamp stand, in Hebrew it is menorah. When we see the menorah we are meant to be reminded that our God is an everlasting light to all believers. The prophets were well aware of this revelation as they wrote these scriptures. Isaiah 60:19: God's Lamp will forever be man's light. Psalm 132:17: God has ordained a lamp to illuminate his anointed ones.

The menorah is the only symbol in all of Jewish Christian history to be designed by God Himself. (Exodus 25:31) Ancient biblical wisdom teaches that Moses had great difficulty in understanding how to make the menorah so God Himself intervened and made the menorah. It was created out of one large ingot of gold as a symbol of both our oneness with God and to represent that the Word of God (Torah) is indivisible and contains all the revelation, wisdom and knowledge of God. The original temple menorah had 7 branches representing the 7 Spirits of God.

The 9 branched menorah, called a Chanukiah, was designed following the miracle of the first Chanukah. This special 8–day celebration commemorates the Maccabees' victory over the Greeks, the regaining of control of Jerusalem, the rededication of the Temple and the miracle of the oil that burnt for 8 days in the Temple Menorah. This 8–day miracle was the starting point of the two additional branches.

Jesus celebrated Chanukah as recorded in John 10:22 and in John 8:12 he connects Himself to the revelation that He is the Living Menorah. (Isaiah 11:1 also connects the menorah with the Messiah.) John the Apostle witnessed a spectacular manifestation of the resurrected Messiah standing in the midst of 7 golden lamp stands (menorahs) Revelation 1:12-13. John is told in Revelation 4:5 that these 7 blazing menorahs represent the 7 spirits of God. It's these 7 spirits of God that are "sent forth into all the earth" in Revelation 5:6.

Mezuzah: The Mezuzah, which means doorpost, is a symbol God has given us to serve as a daily reminder to observe and obey His commandments. It also reminds us that we are blessed, and we are to be a blessing in our coming and going. The actual mezuzah is the scripture from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Deuteronomy 11:13-21. The case that holds the mezuzah can be creatively designed in a multitude of ways.

At the top of every mezuzah is the Hebrew letter "Shin" and is the abbreviation of God's name Shaddai. It is also an acronym for "Guardian of the Doors of Israel." This signifies that both your home and your family are guarded and protected by the Name and the Word of the Almighty. Touching the mezuzah as you enter or leave provides a powerful reassurance that God is watching over you.

Mount your mezuzah on the right hand side of each doorway (except bathrooms), as you enter the room. Affix your mezuzah about two thirds up the door frame with the top half pointing slightly toward the room you are about to enter. Use mounting tape or screws.

Prior to mounting the mezuzah you can pray this blessing:

"Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who sanctified us with His mitzvot, and commanded us to affix a mezuzah."

Shabbat: One of the greatest gifts God gave to mankind is the revelation of the Sabbath, or as it's called in Hebrew, Shabbat. This special day, the 7th day, is an appointed time on heaven's calendar just like each of the other Biblical Holidays described in Leviticus 23 including Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot.

God gave Shabbat to all of mankind in the book of Genesis nearly 2500 years before including it as one of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. God intended this day, the Sabbath, to be a special time; an appointed time; a time set apart from the other 6 days. One of the secrets of Shabbat is hidden in the Hebrew word for 'rest' which is menuhah and means peace, happiness, joy, protection, and blessing.

In the New Testament any controversy we see regarding Shabbat surrounds how we keep it, not, whether we keep it. It's no coincidence that Jesus performed many miracles on Shabbat. This is why he teaches that the Sabbath was made for man and proclaims Himself Lord of the Sabbath. (Mark 2) It's why Hebrews 4 teaches us to be diligent to enter into the Sabbath rest. It's a supernatural time!

Shabbat is the original family altar, a day to direct our attention to the spiritual side of life and focus on the Creator and His will. Shabbat begins just before sundown every Friday night and is ordained by God to be a miracle opportunity for you and your family. The actual celebration includes many different faith-filled blessings over each member of the household. Keeping Shabbat will keep you and your family together in the presence and blessing of the Lord.

Shofar: The main biblical mandate to sound the shofar is taken from Leviticus 23; to blow the trumpet in Zion on the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets. The sounding of the shofar serves many purposes but is primarily thought of as a wake-up call for God's people to arise out of their spiritual slumber; to reconnect to the spiritual mission of being a light to the world and to return to putting God first in our lives.

Ancient teaching connects the blowing of the shofar to signal the coronation of the King. This is why many Bible scholars believe Jesus may well return on the Feast of Trumpets. According to I Thessalonians 4:16 the shofar is blown to proclaim His return and I Corinthians 15:52 describes the shofar blast as part of the rapture of the church.

Of course through the centuries there have been many traditions, guidelines and prohibitions concerning the shofar, how to sound it and when to sound it. For believers in Jesus who wish to incorporate the shofar into their times of personal expression and public use; we encourage you to become aware of both the ancient traditions and modern church guidelines without getting tangled up in strict legalism.

Tallit: The Hebrew prayer shawl called a Tallit is a powerful biblical symbol of faith and prayer. As a Jewish rabbi, Jesus wore a Tallit and it became a point of miracle contact for many who were sick including the woman with the issue of blood and for Jairus and his dying daughter. It's the secret of 'touching the hem of His garment' and is only revealed through ancient Jewish understanding. (See Mark 5:21-43; Mark 6:56; Numbers 15:37-41; Malachi 4:2)

Even today, this special garment plays a significant role in manifesting God's healing power and promises. It was always intended for you to know that by wrapping yourself in a Tallit it would bring you into the secret place of the Most High. It covers your mind from every distraction while releasing the mercies and miracles of God as you pray. (Psalm 91 and Matthew 6:6)

We encourage you to send for your own Tallit today so you can cover yourself and your family in the promises of God.

The traditional Hebrew Blessing when putting on a Tallit is...

"Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to wrap ourselves in the tzitzit (tallit).

Note: At LHM we support the wearing of a Tallit with or without the blue thread. Most Tallits are made without the blue and are considered perfectly legitimate. All of our are Tallits made in Israel and for those without one, a blue thread (tekhelet) may be added separately.

Tzedakah: One of the most powerful teachings in the entire Bible is on the theme of righteousness. Most of our Christian teaching focuses on righteousness as holiness, morality and right standing with God, which is true. However in Hebrew there is another definition which is just as meaningful to our lives.

The common Hebrew word for righteousness is tzedakah and means charity, generosity, justice, fairness. In ancient Judeo-Christian history when you do something kind, something generous, something benevolent its called doing tzedakah or the mitzvah of tzedakah-the commandment to do righteousness. In other words, our giving and doing good deeds are acts of righteousness.

This knowledge gives us a whole new perspective on what Jesus meant when He said in Matthew 6:33 'seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness...' The Lord is telling us to seek an opportunity to do something good and to be a blessing to others. It's the hidden message of being a light to the world. Every time we sow a financial seed or go out of our way to help someone else we are letting our light shine and God is glorified.

Jewish Roots Glossary

© Copyright 2012 Larry Huch Ministries | Policies Larry Huch Ministries, PO Box 610890, Dallas, Texas 75261 • 1-800-978-8546 Follow us on | view website on your

© Copyright 2012 Larry Huch Ministries | Policies
Larry Huch Ministries, PO Box 610890, Dallas, Texas 75261 • 1-800-978-8546
Follow us on | view website on your