Ephraims Shofar Vol 1

7/21/2019 Ephraims Shofar Vol 1

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ephraims-shofar-vol-1 1/20

olume 1: Tevet 2015

hwhyl vdq



Ephraim’s Shofar is a free electronic magazine so please freely distribute it

© Benjamin Thompson November 2015

Chief Editor: Benjamin Thompson

My name is Benjamin Thompson, I am of the Tribe of Ephraim, and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-DaySaints. I live in the Bay Area of California. I have always been attracted to Israeli culture and then I discovered that my

ancestors were Jewish. Since then I have studied my ancestral culture and language. This study has greatly blessed me.As I searched I discovered that there were more people like me who wanted to study their Israeli heritage but did not

know where to start. The purpose of this magazine is to help all those with Israeli heritage who are interested in learningabout their heritage and to help them not feel alone.

Would you like to write an article for Ephraim’s Shofar?

Send articles by e-mail with Ephraim’s Shofar in the subject line, to:

[email protected]

Please be sure to include your name that you want published, and, if you wanttoo, also add which tribe of Israel you are from.

Would you like to automatically receive Ephraim’s Shofar every month?Send us an email with your name and the word: Subscribe in the subject line:

[email protected]

Disclaimer:It should be noted that though Ephraim’s Shofar is madeby members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-DaySaints, it is not an official publication created by the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The opinionspresented in this publication do not necessarily reflect the

opinions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.Ephraim’s Shofar is not meant to establish doctrine oranswer questions for the Church. It is intended only to helpall people interested in exploring their Israeli heritage andcultural background from the perspective of the

Restoration.



A Forgotten CultureBy Benjamin Thompson

N my opinion, we often forget thatwe, as members of the Church,are also part of the House of

Israel. It does not matter if you are ofliteral descent or adopted in but tothose who do have Jewish ancestors

it takes on a little different meaning:Our ancestors were scatteredbecause of their wickedness. As partof this, our ancestral culture hasbeen destroyed and forgotten.Instead, they have adopted thecultures where they have been

scattered to. All members of theChurch within this nation are faced

with a somewhat similar dilemmatoday.

As the surrounding culturebecomes more corrupt and wickedbefore the Lord, we risk becoming

dragged along with it, even if we do

not know it. We are warned in theBook of Mormon that in the last days“they have all gone astray save it bea few, who are the humble followersof Christ; nevertheless, they are led,that in many instances they do errbecause they are taught by theprecepts of men.” (2 Nephi 28:14). So

assuming we are the humblefollowers of Christ we must admitthat there are times that we errbecause we have been taught the

precepts of men. I believe our modern

society is the reason for this. OurAmerican culture was originally abeacon of light to the world, but nowit has been perverted andscientifically designed by the wickedelites to destroy and enslave us. As

they push this wicked culturalagenda upon the nation, it has

become more apparent that aconflicting culture needs to arise tohelp push back this wicked cultural

agenda.Due to the diaspora, we, as

Israelites, have forgotten that we dohave a conflicting culture that hasthe power to overcome this wicked

cultural agenda: The culture of theHouse of Israel. This culture, when

combined with the doctrines of therestoration becomes a powerful toolin the cultural war. And it is a war.A war of words and ideas. Its

casualties are our children. As theybecome enamored with a culturescientifically designed to destroy and

enslave them, they cannot help butto become corrupted and dragged

along by it.As with all things the Lord has

given us free agency to develop ourown cultural ideas. It is not theresponsibility of the Church to

provide us with culture. The Church

must have the ability to insert itselfinto any culture in the world. It is up

to us to use our own free agency todevelop our own culture within our

own respective nations.I believe it would benefit us

greatly to re-examine our ownancestral cultural heritage as

I



Israelites. This culture was developedby prophets and servants of the Lordin ancient times. The Lord guided thecreation of this culture. It is based off

of the revealed words of the Lord.

How could this restored Israeliculture not benefit us? That beingsaid it must also be stated that ourancestors had also corrupted it, so itis not perfect in its current form, butwhen the doctrines of the Restored

Gospel are used to correct the errors,it returns it to its more original state

as the Lord originally intended it. The purpose of Ephraim’s

Shofar is to help Restored Israelites

understand their cultural heritageand to show them how it can bringblessings to their lives. This is notmeant to say that all traditions of thesurrounding culture are bad, but we

must look at all things as to whetherthey conflict with the Lord’s word or

not. All good traditions ought to bekept and all bad traditions ought tobe rejected. The other purpose ofEphraim’s Shofar is to help all those

interested in learning this culture sothat they can better understand thescriptures. The scriptures were

written by Israelites, who had theirown culture and wrote to those who

also had this culture. The scriptureswere meant to be read by those whoalso had this culture. By studyingthis culture you will gain a greaterunderstanding of the scriptures.

I would also like to point out

that the things discussed here arenot meant to be taken as

commandments from God, but weare free to use wisdom and study to

shape our lives as well. It is my hopethat we can be a light to the worldspiritually and culturally. May peacebe with you!

t-aHebrew Corner By Benjamin Thompson

HOUGH it is not absolutelynecessary to learn theancestral language of our

fathers and mothers, I would highlyrecommend it. In Ephraim’s Shofar,we will provide you with free Hebrew

instruction in order to help you tounderstand the language of ourfathers and mothers. It is a languagedesigned by God to help us to

understand his ways better. We willprovide small portions to make iteasier for those with not a lot of timeto be able to start being familiar withHebrew.

To start with, learning theHebrew Alphabet (or, in Hebrew,

Alefbet) is an absolute necessity. Though anybody can learn the

letters, understanding the lettersthemselves become another matterentirely. Each Hebrew letter isdesigned to teach a Godly principle.

The first Hebrew letter is Aleph

(Ah-lef) – (shown in picture below).

The funny thing about Hebrew

is that it has no vowel letters likeEnglish does (a,e,i,o,u), instead you

simply have to be taught the correctpronunciation. The letter Aleph by



itself actually does not have anypronunciation. Instead, it takes onthe sound of the vowel associatedwith it (more on that later). For now

just memorize its form and name.

Hebrew letters also take on therole of numbers. If Aleph is used asa number, its number is “one”.

Some Hebrew letters are alsoadded to the front (prefix) or end(suffix) of a word to add descriptive

words. Aleph is also used as a prefix.When Aleph is added to the front of a

word where it usually does not go, itmeans “I will …”.

Now for the symbolism! Tounderstand this letter we mustdeconstruct its individual parts(pictured above).

Starting with the second linenext to the number 2: This linerepresents time from beginning to

end, or rather the first and the last. This symbolizes that the Lord is theFirst and the Last, the Aleph and the

Tav. This also represents everythingin time. The upside down L shape

next to the number 1 representsrising above. The L shape next to thenumber 3 represents descendingbelow. Since the prefix form of Alephmeans “I will …” this is also added to

its symbolism. The letter Aleph is

trying to teach us that the Lord, whois the first and the last, will riseabove all things and descend belowall things, even using His own voicethrough the letter Aleph, the Lordsays, “I am the First and the Last, Iwill rise above all things and descendbelow all things.” How beautiful!

Studying the Restored TorahPart 1

By Benjamin Thompson

HE Torah (the first five books of

the Bible) is much more than just the Law of Moses. Though

it does contain the Law of Moses, theBook of Mormon has shown us howto use the Torah using the new

interpretation that Christ personallytaught to the Nephites when Hevisited them.

Greater yet, the Lord hasrestored many things that were

removed from the Torah through theProphet Joseph Smith, showing usthat the Lord still intends for us touse the Torah, though not in the waythat the Jews do.

The Torah is not only aspiritual document, but it is also a

cultural, economic, and politicaldocument as well. The Torahcontains a lot of the wisdom of God.It is meant to help us to build up aculture that is pleasing unto God.

It is my hope to inspire you to

make the study of the Restored Torahimportant to you. In studying theRestored Torah we must understand

that the Lord teaches us in two ways:First, by direct commandment.Second, by example.

An example of a directcommand is this: “Thus says the



Lord …”. The Lord directly tells ussomething that he wants or does notwant. The second way is just asdescribed, by example, the Lord will

give us stories and expects us to

meditate upon them.As part of Ephraim’s Shofar, I

will show you a new way to look atthe Restored Torah in the hope thatit will greatly benefit you. To startwith we will look at the very

beginning of the Restored Torah, thatwe call the Book of Moses.

Book of Moses 1:1-2“The words of God, which he

spake unto Moses at a time whenMoses was caught up into anexceedingly high mountain, and hesaw God face to face, and he talkedwith him, and the glory of God was

upon Moses; therefore Moses couldendure his presence.”

As we study the scriptures it isour duty to put ourselves into theshoes of the writer and try to think of

ourselves in their position. As weread about Moses meeting God faceto face, it is as if we are meeting God

face to face. Eventually we will meetGod face to face. The most important

principle to see in this passagethough is that every single one of ushas the ability to approach God andto speak with him. Though we maynot have a grand vision as Moses did,

we can still pray and have the

guidance and teaching through theHoly Ghost. It becomes our

responsibility to learn how toapproach God and to learn from Him.

Book of Moses 1:3-8“And God spake unto Moses,

saying: Behold, I am the Lord God

Almighty, and Endless is my name;for I am without beginning of days orend of years; and is not this endless?And behold, thou art my son,

wherefore look, and I will show thee

the workmanship of mine hands, butnot all; for my works are without end,and also my words, for they nevercease; wherefore, no man can beholdall my works except he behold all myglory; and no man can behold all my

glory, and afterwards remain in theflesh, on the earth. And I have a work

for thee, Moses, my son; and thou artin the similitude of mine OnlyBegotten; and my Only Begotten is

and shall be the Savior, for he is fullof grace and truth; but there is noGod beside me; and all things arepresent with me, for I know them all.And now, behold, this one thing I

show unto thee, Moses, my son; forthou art in the world, and now I show

it unto thee. And it came to pass, thatMoses looked and beheld the worldupon which he was created. And asMoses beheld the world, and the

ends thereof, and all the children ofmen, which are and which werecreated; of the same he greatly

marveled, and wondered.”

The Lord introduces himself toMoses (and us as well). He is the LordGod having all power, no beginning,and no end. More important Moseslearns that he is a son of God. We

are also the children of God. This

means that the Lord loves and guidesus, just like we love and guide our

own children. The Lord personalizeshimself to us.

Next, the Lord then introduceshimself as the Creator. The Lord doesnot tell us this out of a sense of pridein his work. It is so that we can



understand that since He created allthings, He also knows howeverything works. He knows whatgoes well together and knows what

does not work. We can trust what he

says because he is our Father. The Lord also says that there is

no other God but him. Any otherthing that presents itself as a God isfalse. Any teaching, thought, idea,principle, philosophy, or way that

contradicts what the Lord has said isfalse.

Book of Moses 1:9-11“And the presence of God

withdrew from Moses, that his glorywas not upon Moses; and Moses wasleft unto himself; and as he was leftunto himself, he fell unto the earth.And it came to pass, that it was for

the space of many hours beforeMoses did again receive his natural

strength like unto man; and he saidunto himself, Now, for this cause, Iknow that man is nothing, whichthing I never had supposed; but now

mine eyes have beheld God; but notmine natural but my spiritual eyes,for mine natural eyes could not have

beheld, for I should have witheredand died in his presence; but his

glory was upon me, and I beheld hisface, for I was transfigured beforehim.”

Moses after experiencing such

a powerful vision is left to himself

and his own power. He comes tounderstand that we, as humans, are

nothing when compared to God. Thismeans that mankind must depend

on God for truth and direction.Mankind is corruptible and can leadastray.

Book of Moses 1:12-23“And now it came to pass, that

when Moses had said these words,behold, Satan came tempting him,

saying, Moses, son of man, worship

me. And it came to pass that Moseslooked upon Satan, and said, Whoart thou, for behold I am a son ofGod, in the similitude of his OnlyBegotten; and where is thy glory, thatI should worship thee? For, behold, I

could not look upon God except hisglory should come upon me, and I

were transfigured before him. But Ican look upon thee in the naturalman. Is it not so surely? Blessed be

the name of my God, for his Spirithath not altogether withdrawn fromme; or else where is thy glory, for it isdarkness unto me, and I can judgebetween thee and God; for God said

unto me, Worship God, for him onlyshalt thou serve. Get thee hence,

Satan, deceive me not; for God saidunto me, Thou art after thesimilitude of mine Only Begotten.And he also gave unto me

commandment, when he called untome out of the burning bush, saying,Call upon God in the name of mine

Only Begotten, and worship me. Andagain, Moses said, I will not cease to

call upon God. I have other things toinquire of him; for his glory has beenupon me, and it is glory unto me;wherefore, I can judge between himand thee. Depart hence, Satan. And

now, when Moses had said these

words, Satan cried with a loud voice,and went upon the earth, and

commanded, saying, I am the OnlyBegotten, worship me. And it came to

pass, that Moses began to fearexceedingly; and as he began to fear,he saw the bitterness of hell;nevertheless, calling upon God he



received strength, and hecommanded, saying, Depart hence,Satan; for this one God only will Iworship, which is the God of glory.

And now, Satan began to tremble,

and the earth shook, and Mosesreceived strength and called uponGod in the name of the OnlyBegotten, saying to Satan, Departhence. And it came to pass, thatSatan cried with a loud voice, with

weeping, and wailing, and gnashingof teeth, and departed hence; yea,

from the presence of Moses, that hebeheld him not. And now, of thisthing Moses bore record; but because

of wickedness, it is not had amongthe children of men.”

Next, Moses is tempted by theDevil. This is very telling to us

because it shows us that if we receiverevelation from God we also can

receive revelations from the Devil. Infact I would say that since there mustbe an opposite in all things we alsomust be tempted by the Devil

through revelation to the samedegree that God has given usrevelation. Just because we receive

a revelation we must be aware thatwe could also be deceived by the

Devil. We must judge all revelationsthrough the square of the Scripturesand the Prophets that the Lord hasgiven to us.

Book of Moses 1:24-35

“And it came to pass, thatwhen Satan had departed from the

presence of Moses, that Moses liftedup his eyes unto heaven, being filled

with the Holy Ghost, which bearethrecord of the Father and the Son; andcalling upon the name of God, hebeheld again his glory; for it rested

upon him, and he heard a voice,saying, Blessed art thou, Moses, forI, the Almighty, have chosen thee,and thou shalt be made stronger

than many waters; for they shall obey

thy command even as if thou wertGod. And lo, I am with thee, evenunto the end of thy days, for thoushalt deliver my people frombondage; even Israel my chosen. Andit came to pass, as the voice was still

speaking, he cast his eyes and beheldthe earth; yea, even all the face of it;

and there was not a particle of itwhich he did not behold, discerningit by the Spirit of God. And he beheld

also the inhabitants thereof, andthere was not a soul which he beheldnot, and he discerned them by theSpirit of God, and their numberswere great, even as numberless as

the sand upon the seashore. And hebeheld many lands, and each land

was called earth; and there wereinhabitants on the face thereof. Andit came to pass, that Moses calledupon God, saying, Tell me, I pray

thee, why these things are so, and bywhat thou madest them? And beholdthe glory of God was upon Moses, so

that Moses stood in the presence ofGod, and he talked with him face to

face. And the Lord God said untoMoses, For mine own purpose have Imade these things. Here is wisdom,and it remaineth in me. And by theword of my power have I created

them, which is mine Only Begotten

Son, who is full of grace and truth.And worlds without number have I

created, and I also created them formine own purpose; and by the Son I

created them, which is mine OnlyBegotten. And the first man of allmen have I called Adam, which ismany. But only an account of this



earth, and the inhabitants thereof,give I unto you; for behold there aremany worlds which have passedaway by the word of my power; and

there are many also which now

stand, and numberless are they untoman; but all things are numberedunto me; for they are mine, and Iknow them.”

Moses passed the test. He

correctly identified the differencebetween the Lord and the Devil. He

was not deceived by false revelation.In response the Lord returns toMoses and shows him everything

concerning this earth and that theLord has created many earths justlike this one.

The reason for Moses telling usthis is not a show of personal

greatness. Just like the Lord told ushe is the Creator so that we will learn

to trust him, so to can we also trustMoses because the Lord showed himeverything concerning this earth.Moses was taught by the Lord what

works and what does not work. Wecan trust Moses as a servant of Godand we can rely upon the words that

he has written.

Book of Moses 1:36-42“And it came to pass, that

Moses spake unto the Lord, saying,Be merciful unto thy servant, O God,and tell me concerning this earth,

and the inhabitants thereof; and also

the heavens, and then thy servantwill be content. And the Lord God

spake unto Moses, saying, Theheavens, they are many and they can

not be numbered unto man, but theyare numbered unto me, for they aremine; and as one earth shall passaway, and the heavens thereof, even

so shall another come; and there isno end to my works, neither to mywords; for this is my work and myglory, to bring to pass the

immortality, and eternal life of man.

And now, Moses, my son, I will speakunto you concerning this earth uponwhich thou standest; and thou shaltwrite the things which I shall speak.And in a day when the children ofmen shall esteem my words as

naught, and take many of them fromthe book which thou shalt write,

behold I will raise up another likeunto thee, and they shall be hadagain among the children of men,

among even as many as shall believe. These words were spoken untoMoses in the mount, the name ofwhich shall not be known among thechildren of men. And now they are

spoken unto you. Amen.”

To end this chapter the Lordshows us that he has gone throughthis cycle of creating worlds over andover again. Since he has done this so

many times, we can know that heknows exactly what he is doing.Ultimately, the Lord’s goal is to take

us, His children, and to make usgreater than we currently are.

We are also warned thatmankind is wicked and will alter thewords of God and of Moses, but tocombat this, the Lord would raise upanother who was like Moses so that

we could have these lost words again.

This other servant is Joseph Smithwho restored what was lost in the

Torah. The Lord tells us that hewould be like Moses. In this way,

just like we can trust Moses, we canalso trust Joseph Smith. May theLord bless you as you learn to trustHim and his servants.



LOOKING AT ISRAELI TRADITION:

Lighting the Sabbath CandlesBy Carly Mitchell, Ephraim

VERY Friday night among

observant Jews, Jewishwomen in every household

light the candles in preparation for

the Sabbath. I had first seen thistradition performed in the

movie Fiddler on the Roof, but I hadnever really thought about it until my

son brought it up to me to try it. Hehad to show me how to do it becauseI didn’t know how. We are Latter-Day

Saints but we have always beeninterested in Jewish traditions. To

be honest, I didn’t really think muchabout this one until I actually triedit. I was amazed, and surprised, as Ifirst tried it when we were having aPassover dinner that my son washosting. He was teaching us how all

Jewish feasts and traditions pointtoward Jesus Christ. The Holy Ghostfell upon me as I did the lighting ofthe candle ceremony letting me know

that I was doing something good.

The lighting of the Sabbath

candles is not mentioned in the Bibleat all. Instead, it is a tradition. We

know that not all traditions are badas long as they do not contradict the

scriptures and the prophets.I would recommend to you that you give this tradition a try and see if

it blesses your home as it has blessedmine. To do this tradition correctly,it is done on the night before the

Sabbath day (or any other holyday). For us that would be Saturday

night since we keep the Sabbath onSunday in remembrance of theLord’s Day. It is done at dinner time

when the family is all sitting downtogether to eat. It is the first thingdone, even before blessing the food. The woman of the house stands

opposite her husband, puts a scarfon her head, and then lights two longcandle sticks.

She waves her hands threetimes over the flame, each time

bringing her hands towards herheart. Then, she recites these wordsfrom Numbers 6:24-26--“May the

E

According to Jewish tradition, the reason

women light the candle is that when

Abraham did it the oil in the lamp would last

for the day, but when Sarah did it the oil

would last for the week. He saw this as a

sign that Sarah was supposed to do it. Later,

when Isaac took Rebekah as a wife, when

Rebekah lit the lamps the same thing

happened for her. Isaac saw this as a sign

that she was a worthy successor to Sarah.

Women who are married light two candles,

women who are not married only light one

candle. The first light is for herself and the

second light is for her husband.



Lord bless thee, and keep thee; maythe Lord make his face shine uponthee, and be gracious unto thee; maythe Lord lift up his countenance

upon thee, and give thee peace.”

She sits back down. They then havethe blessing over the food and eatdinner like normally. Like I said

before, this is not a commandment,but a tradition, but I think this is a

good tradition because it invited theHoly Ghost. I would highlyrecommend giving this tradition atry.

REMEMBERING OUR HERITAGE: The Ensign of Ephraim

By Benjamin Thompson

CCORDING to the Book ofNumbers (Numbers 2:2) eachof the tribes of Israel were to

pitch their tents by their tribal

ensign. An ensign is basically a flag. The Bible does not actually describe

these flags. I was curious about myown tribe’s tribal flag so I started tostudy information about it.

As a result of my research I

concluded that the Tribe ofEphraim’s flag is actually called avexilloid. A vexilloid is a type of

banner that is hung on a cross likestaff. It was a black background,with a bull, and the symbol of Egypt.

The symbolism of the bullcomes from the blessing of the tribesof Joseph in the Book ofDeuteronomy (Deuteronomy 33:13-17). Ephraim is compared to a

bullock, which is a bull. Manassehis compared to a unicorn, which is a

mistranslation of the Hebrew wordRe’em. We will save that discussion

for next time though.Why did the Lord give the bull

symbol to the tribe of Ephraim?Understanding the reasoning behind

A

In my opinion the reason women light the

candles is to represent that women are the

fire of the home, and that, like fire warms

and comforts all those around it, so too ought

women to do in their own homes.

Jewish tradition also has it that before

reciting the above quote, she covers her eyes

and says this quick blessing: Blessed are

you Lord our God, King of the Universe who

sanctified us with his commandments, and

commanded us to kindle the light of the Holy

Sabbath. I do not use this blessing because

the Book of Mormon teaches us that we are

not sanctified by the commandments only by

the Son, and it is also not done in the name

of the Son.



this will help us to understand whowe are. The bull is a very useful workanimal, it is very strong and durable. The problem is that bulls can also be

considered ‘wild’. A bull must be

broken to be useful. So too is the Tribe of Ephraim a wild bull to theLord. The Lord wants to use the tribeof Ephraim for his work but ourrebellious spirit must be broken sothat we can do it. Our ancestors were

a rebellious tribe, even to the pointwhere they whole-heartedly turned

away from the Lord. To break theirspirit the Lord scattered them in thehope that in their scattering they

would learn obedience. That time isnow, we are learning to be obedientto the Lord and He is using us tobegin the Restoration of Israel!

Why the color black? This

color, according to tradition, may bethe color of the gem on the priestly

breastplate for the Tribe of Joseph. Itis meant to remind us of the priestlybreast plate the Levitical High Priestis supposed to wear.

What is the symbol of Egypt? This is where we don’t really knowwhat that looked like. Some people

have suggested and oasis with trees,others have suggested a pyramid. In

my opinion the solution is simple,what was the symbol of Egypt inancient times. The answer was

simple: This symbol is thehieroglyph for the land of Egypt. It

represents the two mountain rangeswith the valley and river Nile running

through it. The Israelites spokeEgyptian so I do not see why they

would not know this symbol. Now,the reason for adding the symbol ofEgypt was to show that Joseph was

“over Egypt”.

I hope that this has given youa greater insight on the Tribe ofEphraim.

FEATURED ISRAELI CUISINE:

hsr[

(Ah-ree-sah) By Benjamin Thompson

SRAEL originally had its own

special cuisine. Due to thediaspora much of our cultural

foods have been forgotten. Modern

Israeli foods are a combination ofdishes adopted by Israelites aroundthe globe. Fortunately, we haverecords of the type of foods that ourancestors ate so we can begin to

recreate our original cuisine.After much study, I discovered

that not only is original Israelicuisine really healthy but it is alsoreally tasty. I eat more and more likean original Israelite every day and

find that it is worth it! The recipe I have decided toinclude for this month is one of my

favorites. I eat it with just about everymeal! It is called in Hebrew Aresah(Ah-ree-sah). The reason we know somuch about Aresah is because themodern day recipe known as Tabouli

I



is descended from it and is still eatentoday in the Middle East.

The Hebrew word Aresahmeans cracked sprouted grain. It is

often erroneously translated as

‘dough’ in the Old Testament. Wholegrain kernels were sprouted for threedays (do you see the Christiansymbolism there?) then they were leftto dry in the sun. These dried kernelswere then cracked so they formed not

a flour but a finely ground meal thatI would say was like sand. This

cracked grain was then soaked untilit became soft and then was mixedwith leafy greens that were available.

No cooking was necessary for it. Today you do not have to go

through this process to prepareAresah (though to be honest I preferto sprout my own grain, dry it, and

crack it myself). In modern times the Turkish word ‘Bulgur’ is used to

describe this type of cracked grain.Bulgur is usually available in yourlocal Middle Eastern or Indiangrocery store for a really good price. I

used to buy it myself until I startedcracking my own Aresah.

Below is a basic recipe to make

Aresah. Anything can be added orsubtracted based on like. The key to

Aresah is the cracked grain with leafygreens. As long as it has that it isacceptable as Aresah:

½ cup dried Bulgur

1 large bunch fresh Parsley

1 large bunch fresh Cilantro3 cups chopped Dandelion leaf

(Arugula leaf may also be usedinstead).

½ cup chopped mint leaves.1 Tomato - diced½ Onion – diced Juice from one Lemon

½ cup Olive OilRed Wine or Apple Cider Vinegar totasteSalt to taste

1. Start by soaking the dried bulgurin water (it doesn’t matter how muchbut I would put in at least twice theamount of bulgur). It should take 20minutes to soften (it depends on thegrain though, most bulgur is wheat

and wheat usually takes around 20minutes). While your bulgur is

softening you can start to prepare theother stuff.

2. Chop the all the leafy greens finelyand put them in a mixing bowl.

3. Dice the tomatoes and the onion.

4. Pour in the olive oil, at least 1/2cup. All the leafy greens should have

a glow to them.

5. Squeeze lemon juice into mixture.

6. I don’t actually measure my redwine vinegar I put in a few splashes

It is an Israeli tradition to not only say ablessing before eating a meal, but also for the

one who is preparing the food to say a quick

prayer of thanks to God for giving us the fruit

of the earth before cutting the vegetables and

fruit to be used.

Did you know that both dandelion and

arugula were used in Ancient Israel which iswhy I prefer to use them. Another common

plant was mallow and wild lettuce. The

common folk often harvested wild greens

because it was cheaper than trying to grow

leafy greens like lettuce and such that we

use today.



give it a stir. If it is not tangy enoughI add more until I like the taste.

7. Sprinkle salt to taste.

8. By this time your bulgur might beready. It should have nearly doubledin size. You can take a spoon andtaste some. It should be soft like ithas been cooked. Drain the bulgurand then mix it in with the leafy

greens until it is evenly mixed.

9. Now you are ready to serve! Aresahis often used as a side to other dishesto enhance their flavor.

BEING PREPARED:Lentils and Food Storage

Carly Mitchell, Ephraim

ENTILS are a wonderful item tohave in your family’s foodstorage supply. They store well

for long periods of time. Here is a listof selling points on the humble,

versatile lentil.

1.

Quick Cooking: You can beeating lentil soup or stew madefrom scratch within half an

hour.2.

Less Water: Beans are very

nice but they take a lot of waterand time. First you soak beansovernight, dump the water,

add fresh water then cook forhours and hours. That’s awhole bunch of resources thatmight not be able to be spent

in an emergency situations.

With lentils, just add water,cook, done in twenty minutes! This can even be done whilecamping.

3.

Lentil Sprouts: Lentils arequick and easy to sprout. Soak

them for a few hours, strain,leave them in a bowl, bag, or

jar rinsing once or twice dailyuntil they are to your desiredmaturity. This is a fine way to

get a fresh vegetable into yourdiet.

4.

Lentil Flour: Lentils can beground into flour and used forbaking or pancakes. Lentil

flour can be used alone oradded to grain or nut flour. It

is gluten free for folks whoneed to take that route. Youcan even make sprouted lentilflour for added nutrition and

sweetness. Just sprout thelentils a tiny bit, let dry, thengrind into flour.

Here are some recipe ideas. Since

we are talking about food storage andpossibly emergency circumstances,whatever you have handy is what togo with.

Lentil Soup

½ cup dry lentils2 cups water

Any vegetables you haveSautéed onions

A splash of hot sauceSalt and pepper to taste(do not add salt until lentils are soft)



Lentil Stew ½ cup dry lentils2 Cups water1/3 cup hulled barley or 1 cup

cooked rice

potato cubes, celery, carrot slices,sautéed onions and mushroomsSimmer much of the water away.Salt and pepper to taste(do not add salt until lentils are soft)

Lentil Loaf (like meat loaf)2/3 cup dry lentils then cooked

1/3 cup dry barley then cooked

In a large bowl mix together onions,

mushrooms, grated carrots--whatever you have!Add any seasonings you like.Stir in a few beaten eggs.I also like to add in flax meal.

Put in a loaf pan. I like to line the

loaf pan with parchment paper foreasy removal.

Cover and bake at 375 degrees for

about an hour, maybe a bit longer.

All of these recipes are rather

sketchy. The reason is that there isnot right or wrong way. When using

food storage, and especially inemergency conditions, we need touse what we can get. Be creative! Itwill never taste the same twice. It willalways be an adventure!

Israeli Culture inthe New Testament

by Benjamin Thompson

ID you know that there aremany aspects of Israeliculture in the New

Testament? Many of these cultural

points are missed due tomistranslation. It is mistranslatedbecause the translator did notunderstand Israeli culture.

Understanding Israeli culture will

help you to understand the New Testament better.

The word “Napkin” occurs inthe New Testament four times: Luke19:20, John 11:44, John 20:7, andActs 19:12). In Greek the word is

soudarion (soo-dar-ee-on), in Hebrewthe word is txpjm (mit-pa-chat). The

problem is that the translators didnot understand the word so theyused napkin. The word is actually

referring to a head scarf worn bymen. In modern Arabic we refer tothis as a shemagh or keffiyah. This

head scarf symbolizes that you are afree man and also of noble birth.Since all of us are the descendants ofAdam, we all are of noble birthright.Head scarves are still worn by bothChristians and Jews in the MiddleEast.

D

The color and style of the head scarf

represents the tribe and/or region of thewearer. Notice the netted pattern on this

head scarf. It is possible that this pattern

goes back to the Sea of Galilee and

represents fishermen from that region. This

pattern has become common in the Middle

East.



Israeli Culture inthe Book of Mormon

by Benjamin Thompson

(Above: Moroni prays over the gold plates)

UST like Israeli culture can beseen in the New Testament, we

can also see elements of Israeliculture in the Book of Mormon. Many

of these cultural points are missedbecause we do not understand Israeliculture. Understanding Israeli

culture will help you to betterunderstand the Book of Mormon.

Look at Mosiah chapters onethrough chapter six. These chaptersare very interesting from an Israeliperspective. The Nephites take theirtents and encamp themselvesaround the temple. They listen to the

words of King Benjamin and theyoffer sacrifices according to the Lawof Moses.

People who are not aware ofIsraeli culture would take no noticeof the significance of this event. Whatwe are looking at is the Nephitepractice of the Festival of Tabernacles (Sukkot). In this festivalIsraelites would leave their homes todwell in tents. It was required for

them to go to the temple at this timeto offer sacrifices as the Torah says.

They would also go to hear the wordsof the High Priest. We can see fromthe Book of Mormon that theNephites continued this practice ofcelebrating the Festival of

Tabernacles.

Did Native Americans know aboutthe Sticks of Judah and Joseph?

(excerpt from “Israel will be Gathered”

Evening and Morning Star, Independence, Mo.,Vol. 2. No. 1., June, 1833)

N the forepart of the last month,about three hundred and sixtyIndians, of the Kiekapoos and

Pottowattamies, pitched their tentson the east before this town, andtarried one night. They were on their

way to the place assigned them forthe land of their inheritance, being

gathered by the government of theUnited States, …

Their agent remarked that

“they drunk no spirituous liquors,”and those who saw them can beartestimony that they were quiet andinoffensive, and different from manyother tribes that have been gathered.

They have a prophet, in whom theyplace great confidence, and he

instructs them that the day is nigh,when the Great Father will send hisSon on the earth: then [as he says]white man and red man be one.

Their idea of what is to come topass in the last days, theresurrection of the righteous, and

their living on earth with the Lordwhile wickedness ceases to trouble

the saints, seems to be very correctas far as we could ascertain. They arevery devout apparently, and praynight and morning; yes, evenchildren and all. They have two flat

sticks about one foot long, tied

together, on which are severalcharacters, which, they say, the

Great Father gave to their prophet,and mean as much as a large book.

They say one of these sticks, is for theold book that white man has [thebible?], the other for the new book[the Book of Mormon?], white man

J

I



has it written on paper, Great Fatherwrites it in red man’s heart.

They seem to pray from thesesticks—and worship on the Sabbath

with great solemnity, commencing

with a salutation from the greatest oroldest to the least that can walk, andending with the same token offriendship.

Joseph Smith and Herbal Medicine

Preface (Preface from the book Joseph Smith and Herbal

Medicine, Preface written by Dr. John R. Christopher.

Heinerman, John, Joseph Smith and Herbal Medicine,Majority of One Press 1980.Reprinted with permission.)

T is very refreshing to have a booksuch as this one come out so thepublic can know what the original

teachings of the Mormon Churchwere in regards to healing of the sick.

The admonition in the 42nd section,43rd verse of the Doctrine and

Covenants of our Church was quiteplain when it states: And whosoeveramong you are sick, and have notfaith to be healed, but believe, shallbe nourished with all tenderness,

with herbs and mild foods. This revelation was given

through Joseph Smith, the Prophet,

in 1831 in the presence of twelveElders and is considered counsel tothe saints. I was happy to return toSalt Lake City, the center stake of

Zion, with the knowledge of herbs. I

had graduated from an herbal collegein Vancouver, B.C. (the DominionHerbal College) and knew I would bewelcomed home with open arms byall the Church members, now that Ihad this knowledge of herbs as an aid

for healing the sick. The Prophet Joseph Smith and President

Brigham Young had both studiedand used herbs, but the knowledge ofthese principles was pushed into the

background and practically forgottenby many, because orthodox medicinewas now being so broadly taught andaccepted by "most" of the saints.

Instead of being accepted, as I

had hoped, I was generally ridiculed,laughed at, and, at times, arrested

and imprisoned for my teachings andpractice as an herbalist. Many of mypatients were converts to theMormon Church from foreign lands,

where the practice I was teachingwas well accepted. Even though thepeople from other countries came to

me, "certain" members who hadgrown up in the Church ridiculed

me. It was hard to take. Though nearly forty years have

passed by since starting an herbalpractice in Utah, and although I havebeen accepted as a teacher and

lecturer worldwide, at home in my

own Church, many people feel that Ishould still be classified with witch

doctors. Still, there are many peopleof my Church who agree with me.

The Prophet Joseph used anumber of herbs in hisrecommendation for the sick, but oneof his favorites was cayenne, as it

I



was with President Brigham Young.When I returned to Salt Lake City topractice, I do not think much morethan a pound of cayenne per month

was being used in the entire state of

Utah for nutritional purposes (or so acertain spice company in Salt LakeCity told me), and it was quite a jobto teach my students and patientsthe value of, and how to use,cayenne. The company who "does

up" and markets my herbal formulastold me this morning that they are

now using from twenty-five to thirtytons of cayenne per year inshipments to people for nutritional

purposes. This is only one of anumber of herbal processors here inthe state, so you can see the trend inthe popularity of this herb alone, andcayenne is only one of many herbs

being used alone or in formulastoday.

Cayenne is one of God'swonderful herbal creations thatnever ceases to amaze! Lecturingrecently, we heard the following

story:One person told how he had

cut deeply with a sharp instrument

the inside of his hand, fingers andpalm. The blood spurted out in

streams. He poured a large amountof cayenne pepper into the wound,and within seconds the blood flowslowed down to congealed drippingand the bleeding stopped entirely

before many seconds had passed.

With a goodly amount of cayennecovering the wound, he then

wrapped it. He was so excited aboutthe rapid results he could hardly wait

for the regular herb meeting. But, ashe said, the "punch line" was lost,because instead of a nasty raggedscar to show how severely he had

been hurt, the area was healed andthere was no scar.

Many of the old herbalistsclaim that in cases of severe cuts,

gunshot wounds, etc., cayenne can

be taken internally as a tea and thebleeding will stop by the time, inmost cases, you can count to ten.Cayenne goes immediately into theblood stream and adjusts the bloodpressure from the top of the head to

the bottom of the feet, equalizingpressure over the whole body. This

takes the high pressure, whichcauses rapid bleeding, away from thewound and clotting starts

immediately.Cayenne has been accepted by

some of the orthodox medicalprofession, as mentioned in MerckIndex, Materia Medica and

Pharmacology and other standardvolumes. Let's go into more detail.

In the first place cayenne isclassified as a "stimulant."Stimulants are herbal agents thatquicken, excite and increase nervous

sensibility, thereby stimulating thefunctional activity and energy of thebody. These herbs (stimulants) are

natural native substances.(Remember that alcohol is not a

stimulant, but an irritant and adepressant.) Stimulants increase thepower of the pulse and carry theblood to all parts of the body, tendingto equalize and restore the balance of

circulation in all parts.

Cayenne has been used forages to aid stomach ulcer cases. We

have seen some of the extremelypainful cases given relief, and then

healed by using cayenne faithfullyeach day over a period of weeks ormonths. It should be used untilpains are gone and permanent relief



is assured. A story flashed back tomy mind of an interesting case ofstomach ulcers. A lady had beenattending our herbal lecture series

for some time. One day she told us

about her husband’s severe case ofstomach ulcers.

The recommendation fromtheir doctor was to have part of hisstomach removed, but he said hewould rather suffer the pain than

risk such an operation. He alsorefused his wife’s suggestion to try

cayenne, ridiculing her studies.When he would see me in town, hewould bellow, “Hello, Doc! Killed

anybody with cayenne, today?” Hebecame so obnoxious, I avoided himwhen I could. Months went by andone day I saw him coming down thestreet toward me. I tried to avoid him,

but he came, “head on.” This time Iwas amazed, because there were no

cutting remarks or sarcasms. In fact,he was very apologetic and asked ifhe could talk to me for a minute, andthen told me this story.

He had come from work, onenight, “sick enough to die,” withstomach ulcers. His wife was not at

home. He was in such pain hewanted to commit suicide. He went to

the medicine cabinet to find somekind of medicine poisonous anddeadly enough to kill him. But hediscovered his wife had thrown outall the old bottles of pharmaceutical

medicine. All that was left in the

medicine cupboard were some herbsand a large container of cayenne

pepper. He was so angry that, uponseeing the cayenne, figured it, in a

large dose, would kill him by burninghim up. He took a heapingtablespoon of the cayenne in a glassof hot water, gulped it down and

rushed into the bedroom. He fellupon his bed and covered his headwith a pillow so the neighborscouldn’t hear his “dying screams.”

The next thing he knew, his wife was

shaking him awake the nextmorning. She had told him he hadslept all night (instead of being upevery half hour for anti-acid tablets). To his amazement he discovered thatthe pain was gone, for the first time

in months. He continued usingcayenne three times a day faithfully.

I have had a very interestinglife watching thousands of peoplereceive successful results with the

use of herbs. Many calls and letterscome from people who say their liveshave been changed to healthier andmore pleasant living through the useof herbs.

Cayenne is one of the finesthealing, nutritional herbs known to

mankind. It is not a drug, it is a foodof the highest value. I personallyhave used it faithfully for well overthirty years. This is one reason I have

the strength and energy to lecture in40 to 50 cities a year all over theUnited States and Canada, i.e., one

week in the west coast, next week inCanada, and the following week-Ohio

or New York. With natural living, theuse of cayenne and other herbs, I, atmy age, have been fortunate enoughto not suffer “jet lag” with all this year-round traveling. I praise the

Lord for restoring, and expanding the

knowledge of Herbology and hope Joseph Smith and Herbal Medicine

will encourage its readers towithstand the undeserved ridicule.



Humor: Modern Culturalisms By Benjamin Thompson

Oy Vey! Modern culture would be

funny, if it wasn’t so sad anddestructive to us. Consider the words

of an older Lamanite:

When told the reason for daylightsavings time the old Indian said… “Only a white man would believe that

you could cut a foot off the top of ablanket and sew it to the bottom of a

blanket and have a longer blanket.”

http://www.republicoflakotah.com/2009/daylight-savings-time/

Look what modern society has done.

God established the Sun to be ourtime piece. God gave us longer hours

of light in the summer so we can domore work. God gave us shorterhours of light in the winter so we can

have more rest. Now our culturechanges the clock so we can workmore in the winter when Godintended us to rest. We are even

taught by public schools that weshould have breaks in the summer.Oh well … guess I should go back to

work now.

Q+A:

Do you have a question that youwould like answered in this

magazine? If you have a question,

most likely other people do as well. If you would like to have a relevantquestion answered, please sendquestions to:

[email protected]

Don’t forget to put Q+A in the subject

line!

Ephraims Shofar Vol 1

Documents

Transcript of Ephraims Shofar Vol 1