Participants: Alex Schlussler (Host), Rachel Hyman (Host), Sasha Bolotnikov
Series Code: BTOR
Program Code: BTOR000010
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00:01 Shalom and welcome.
00:02 Today on Back To Our Roots we are going to experience 00:06 a traditional Sabbath opening. I'm glad you're with us. 00:32 Hello and welcome to Back To Our Roots. 00:34 I'm Pastor Alex Schlussler 00:36 and I'm Rachel Hyman, minister of music. 00:38 This is Havez and this is Lori. 00:40 We want to welcome you today to our program. 00:43 Today is a very special program indeed. 00:45 We are going to be looking at a traditional celebration 00:49 of bringing in the Shabbat. 00:51 Rachel, this is going to be so exciting. 00:54 I know we've had so many people really interested in this 00:56 so we're going just get right into it. 00:59 And a little bit later we'll be explaining exactly 01:02 what's happening. So just sit back and enjoy 01:05 as from a traditional perspec tive we welcome in the Shabbat. 01:54 Blessed are You, O Lord our God, 01:56 King of the universe, who has sanctified us by His commandment 02:00 and the blood of Yeshua the Messiah 02:03 and has commanded us to be a light to the nations 02:07 and has given us Yeshua, our Messiah, the light of the world. 02:11 And then we take the cup which is filled with the fruit 02:15 of the vine and we say the blessing. 02:23 Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe, 02:26 who created the fruit of the vine. 02:48 And in front of us we have two challahs. 02:51 And we have two challahs because we remember 02:55 how when the children of Israel wandered through the desert 02:59 He gave them manna to eat. 03:01 But He also gave them a very special commandment: 03:04 that on the Sabbath day they weren't to work. 03:07 So God poured out a double portion of His heavenly bread 03:10 the manna - an extra amount - so that the day before Shabbat 03:13 they could collect all that bread - the manna - 03:16 and they wouldn't have to worry about being fed. 03:18 So we remember this double blessing 03:21 that our God pours out on all of those who are faithful 03:25 to honor His Shabbat. 03:27 We say the blessing of the bread. 03:36 Blessed are you, O Lord our God, who brings forth 03:39 bread from the earth. And we break the bread 03:44 and because we know that our Messiah - Yeshua - is the bread 03:48 of life we remember Him. 03:50 And Yeshua... He was born in a very special place 03:54 the Bible tells us. 03:55 It says that He was born in a place called Bethlehem 03:59 or Bet Lahm... which literally means the house of bread. 04:02 So how wonderful is it that our Messiah, the Bread of Life, 04:06 was born in the house of bread. 04:19 Is that good? OK. 04:22 Come around and let me bless you children. 04:27 So on that evening of Shabbat 04:31 as we're beginning... it's called Erev Shabbat... 04:33 we gather our children together because one of the most 04:36 important things that we do on the Shabbat 04:39 is as a family we spend time together 04:42 and we bless each other. 04:43 So we take this time as the dad of the house 04:46 brings his children around and he first says a blessing 04:50 over his children. And then traditionally he would read 04:53 from the book of Proverbs chapter 31 04:55 which is the virtuous woman. He would read that over his wife 04:59 as well. And so we're going to just say the blessing 05:01 over the kids. And we say from the book of Numbers 05:04 May the Lord bless you and may He keep you. 05:07 And may the Lord make His face to shine upon you 05:09 and be gracious to you. 05:11 And may the Lord lift His countenance upon you 05:13 and bring you His peace. And then I say it in Hebrew. 05:43 I say Shalom which means peace and blessings upon you. 05:47 Thank you so much, children. 05:48 You can go and we'll see you back in just a little while. 05:54 All right. So we want to 05:58 now get into it and talk with you just a little bit about 06:02 what you saw. What the sig- nificance of these things are. 06:05 And so we're going to invite our brother Alexander Bolotnikov. 06:09 We call him Sasha. He's our resident theologian 06:12 and just keeps us on track. Sasha why don't you come on out? 06:16 Well, Shabbat Shalom. Shabbat Shalom. 06:20 It's good to see you, Sasha. 06:22 You know Sasha, I've known you for so many years. 06:24 And Sasha is... I kid he's our theologian... but truly 06:28 Sasha is completing his Ph. D. and he's just one of the most 06:34 knowledgeable people in these areas that I know. 06:37 So it's just a great blessing to have you with us 06:39 as we celebrate the Shabbat. 06:43 Good to be with you again on this Shabbat evening. 06:45 Yes, thank you so much. 06:47 So we did some interesting things here that are traditional 06:51 within the Jewish faith... the Jewish religion. 06:53 And let's start first of all 06:55 with the lighting of the candles. 06:58 As I said in the beginning 07:00 the tradition is is that because the woman is the one 07:04 who Messiah would come through 07:06 she is the one that brings the light of the Sabbath in. 07:11 And I know that there's a lot of concepts and ideas... 07:14 things about the Shabbat Queen and all this. 07:17 Can you talk just a little bit about some of those traditional 07:20 things for us? One of the things is 07:23 the principle behind all the tradition: to make the 07:27 Sabbath special. Yes, absolutely! 07:30 And of course we didn't have at this time 07:35 first century, second century. We want to backtrack to 07:39 when Jesus lived on this earth. Yes. 07:42 There was no wax candle and nice candleholders 07:48 you know, with... But you know what? While you're... 07:50 Before you go any further let me bring one thing in about this 07:53 because the question was asked: you know, we have these 07:55 beautiful things: the beautiful silver, cup, and plate 08:00 and these beautiful candle- holders. You know, one of the 08:03 things that I always loved within Judaism is... 08:07 And it's not that you're trying to be over the top 08:10 with these things but it's just this whole idea 08:12 that everything that we do we want to honor God 08:16 to the highest that we can. 08:17 So with whatever resources God has given you 08:19 when it comes to the things that we are using 08:22 especially to honor Him: the Shabbat cup, the candleholders 08:26 we want to be able to provide the best that we possibly can. 08:28 And so that's why these things have a tendency to be 08:31 more decorative and more ornate. 08:33 And the ornament on these candleholders 08:36 is very typical for Jewish com- munity that lives in diaspora. 08:40 It's the images of Jerusalem. Again let me say, diaspora 08:44 means these are Jews that live outside... now would be 08:48 outside of Israel but it would have been outside of Judea. 08:51 Anyone that lives... so we're in the disaspora. 08:54 Yeah, but regardless of where Jews live 08:57 their eyes are always focused on Jerusalem. 09:00 So you've got these Jerusalem candleholders. Yes. 09:03 But back in those times in Judea of the first century 09:07 and the turn of the eras there was nothing like this. Right. 09:11 The archaeologists have found numerous clay lamps 09:17 like this shape. Right. And these lamps were... 09:21 That was the lighting fixture of the day. 09:25 The problem was that these lamps 09:29 were basically using oil... olive oil. 09:33 Yes. And olive oil is the major staple. 09:37 The level of poverty... you can't compare it to anything 09:42 back in those days. The majority of the people 09:45 lived an extremely simple life - 09:49 in poverty it was really - 09:53 and, you know, the gallon of olive oil... I mean, you can 09:57 spend today $30, $35. You buy a nice gallon of olive oil. 10:02 And you know, three hours of work - something like this. 10:07 The same amount of olive oil would cost back in those days 10:12 for some day laborers up to three months' income. 10:18 And so lighting in a house 10:22 it wasn't the option. 10:25 For many families it wasn't the option. 10:27 People would go to sleep with sundown 10:31 and rise for work with the sunrise. 10:34 So the Sabbath was an exception 10:38 because that day you're supposed to spend time together 10:43 as a community so you do light the candles. 10:46 So this is how far we can trace the idea 10:50 of having the light on Shabbat. Right. 10:54 So let's talk about the idea now of the fruit of the vine 10:59 and this blessing. And it's really probably rightly put 11:03 sanctification of the Sabbath through the cup. Correct? 11:07 Yes, yes. And when we talk about the Sabbath 11:11 we have to have in mind 11:15 Genesis chapter 2... what the Lord does. 11:19 He blesses; He sanctifies; 11:24 and He makes. Right. 11:31 So I also know within Jewish tradition today there's 11:34 the two main themes. Actually He rests. 11:37 So He rested, blessed, and sanctified. 11:39 So everything on the Sabbath greeting is about these three 11:45 actions. Right. And it's the remembrance... 11:47 To remember what God had done. Exactly; exactly. Right. 11:50 So let's talk a little bit about the bread. 11:53 You know, I've had many people get confused because 11:56 within the Christian community as soon as you talk about 11:59 bread and juice or wine 12:01 then right away their mind goes to the Lord's Table 12:04 or communion. And this isn't anything like that at all. 12:07 No. That goes back... This is a totally different thing. 12:10 So you know, that's maybe a different program 12:12 and a different time. So let's just talk a little bit. 12:14 You know, the challah and the idea that this represents 12:19 all foods... not just bread. Exactly. The idea of 12:22 the bread on Sabbath goes back to the shewbread 12:27 table which is at the sanctuary. 12:30 And you already mentioned also the manna 12:33 and that's why we have two. But the general idea 12:36 Biblically goes back to the ritual of the shewbread. 12:39 Because remember in the sanctuary there were daily 12:43 rituals - yes. Offerings of the lambs 12:46 and lighting of the seven-lamp candle and the incense. 12:52 There were yearly rituals. We discussed the festivals. 12:57 And there were weekly rituals. And the only one weekly ritual 13:02 which we have is the ritual where a priest would consume 13:08 and replace the bread... the twelve breads... 13:12 at a special table in the Holy Place. That's right. 13:15 This ritual is important because it shows... 13:21 it goes directly opposite to pagan sanctuary. 13:27 In the pagan worship the theology is that people 13:31 feed God. Yeah, that's right. 13:36 And here we pray to God and we say: "Blessed are You, 13:40 O Lord God, who gives the bread to us from the ground. " 13:45 Exactly. Right; right. So a really important part 13:48 of this then is the idea of us gathering together. 13:52 And Shabbat is so much about community 13:55 and about fellowship within the family. 13:56 And it's really from a Jewish perspective 14:01 it never should be a burden, it never should be a labor. 14:05 The Shabbat is always a joy to us. 14:07 That it's something that you work hard all week long 14:10 and then when we come to the Shabbat it's not: "Oh, man, 14:13 it's the Shabbat. " No, it's: "Ah, thank you Lord. 14:16 It's the Shabbat. " I don't have to pick up my 14:18 cell phone; I don't have to check my e-mail; I don't have to 14:20 work. I can just be together with my family and friends 14:23 and rejoice in the Shabbat. 14:24 Rachel, you've prepared a song for us today. Um-hmm. 14:27 And I'd love to invite you to go over and get ready. 14:30 We have our friend Martin who is with us once again. 14:33 Welcome Martin. 14:35 And Rachel, what's the name of the song today? 14:38 It's called Shabbat Qodesh which means 14:40 holy Sabbath. It's kind of like a Hebrew version 14:43 of This is the day that the Lord has made. All right! 14:45 Well let's rejoice. 18:16 Amen; amen. 18:18 Rachel, why don't you come on back over. 18:19 Martin, why don't you come join us as we close the Shabbat? 18:24 We've had just a wonderful Sabbath with our family together 18:29 and a Sabbath meal and a day with the Lord. 18:31 And as the sun begins to set on the Shabbat 18:35 we have a special little ceremony that we do 18:38 that's called havdalah. 18:39 Havdalah. The Hebrew word it comes from 18:42 the Hebrew L'havdil, 18:43 and it means to separate or to differentiate. 18:47 And what it is is that we're leaving the sacredness, 18:49 the beauty of the Shabbat but now we're going into the 18:53 secular week. But see, the thing is is that 18:56 when we leave the Shabbat we don't want to just leave it 18:58 behind. We want to be able to take a little bit of the 19:01 Shabbat with us throughout the week. 19:03 So havdalah we start and it's chanted with a cup. 19:08 And we fill it with the fruit of the vine. 19:15 We fill the cup. 19:18 And we say a blessing over the cup. 19:24 Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, 19:26 who brought forth the fruit of the vine. 19:29 We don't pass this one around. Sorry. 19:32 He's lookin' at me: I want some juice. 19:34 And then these other strange things that we have: 19:38 we have a special little container. 19:42 This is called a spice box. 19:43 Now I wish those of you watching could enjoy the smell. 19:48 In just a minute we're going to pass this around 19:50 and it's got this beautiful aromatic smell of cinnamon 19:54 and cloves and all kinds of things. 19:56 And it's to remind us of the sweetness of Shabbat 19:59 and what the newness of creation will be 20:02 when God returns. Since Shabbat is a memorial 20:05 of creation we also have this special braided candle. 20:10 Now if you remember, when we started the Shabbat 20:13 Rachel lit two candles and there was a small little flame. 20:16 But we're going to light this one in just a minute 20:18 and you're going to see it's a much bigger flame. 20:20 And the whole idea is that the light that we go out of the 20:23 Shabbat with should be so much more 20:26 than the light that we came in with. 20:28 Because we've spent the whole time with God. Yes? Amen? 20:32 And we say: "Behold, God is my salvation. 20:35 I will trust and I will not be afraid 20:38 for the Lord my God, He is my strength and my song. 20:41 And He also has become - we could say - my Yeshua... " 20:45 which is His name but that also means my salvation. 20:48 We light this and then we come back over 20:52 to the spices. And I'm going to open it up. 20:55 Mmm, I love this smell. Here, smell this. 20:59 Do you smell it? Smell it again. 21:01 He's afraid to stick his nose down there. 21:03 Here. And we're going to pass this around and everyone 21:05 will get a sniff. And we say: 21:14 "Blessed are you, O Lord our God, Creator of the universe, 21:17 who creates the species of spices. " 21:20 Doesn't that smell good? 21:21 You know, some... In some traditions they'll take 21:24 the cloves and they'll have a big handful. 21:26 And everyone will take a little handful of cloves. 21:29 And they put it in their pocket so that when they leave 21:32 on the Shabbat, when it's over, 21:33 they have these cloves in their pocket 21:35 that all week long you can take the cloves 21:38 and you can smell them. You go: "Oh man, I can't wait 21:40 for Shabbat to come again 'cause it smells so good. " 21:44 And then we take this special candle 21:47 and we say the blessing over the candle. 21:55 "Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe 21:57 who creates the light of fire. " 21:59 And then because we believe that Yeshua is the light of the 22:03 world - Jesus is the light of the world - we add this 22:05 and we say: "In Him was life and the life was the light of men. 22:09 And the light shined in the darkness, and the darkness 22:12 didn't understand it. " 22:13 Now there's such a great and beautiful teaching 22:16 that we have with the havdalah candle. 22:18 And because we're in a studio we have all these bright lights. 22:22 We can't see it as well but you have to imagine 22:25 that you know, no matter how small the light is, 22:29 how small the flame is, you can take one little candle 22:32 or one little match and you can be in a completely 22:35 black dark room and that one little candle, 22:38 once your eyes adjust, you'll be able to see the whole room. 22:41 Right? So the idea is is that this light that we see 22:45 the light always pushes the darkness away. 22:48 And Jesus - Yeshua - is the light of the world. 22:51 You see, where that light is darkness can never dwell. 22:55 Isn't that a wonderful thing? 22:57 Yeah? Yeah... say "yeah. " 23:01 And then we say: "Arise and shine 23:04 for the light has come and the glory of the Lord 23:07 has risen upon you. " And the glory of the Lord 23:10 we're speaking of, of course for us, is our Messiah 23:13 Yeshua. Amen? He truly is the light of the world. 23:17 And then we say: "Blessed are You, O Lord our God, 23:20 King of the universe who makes a distinction 23:23 between the holy and the secular; 23:25 light and darkness; Israel and the nations; 23:29 the seventh day and the sixth day of labor. 23:31 Blessed are You, O Lord our God, 23:33 who makes a distinction between the holy 23:36 and the secular. " And at this point 23:39 the Shabbat is coming completely to an end now. 23:44 We've had a beautiful day. 23:46 And we've rested and we've enjoyed fellowship 23:49 and we've had great meals. 23:51 Don't you love the Shabbat meals? 23:53 I do. Um-hmm. You know, what I love 23:56 about the Shabbat meals is that they're just waiting. 23:59 We come home from service after the morning 24:01 and there's this big meal just waiting for us to dive in 24:05 and eat it. You know? Do you like that? 24:08 Yeah, we all like that. 24:10 And you know, guys, the whole idea for us 24:14 and the Shabbat is that even to say that I keep 24:18 the Shabbat infers that it takes work to do it. 24:23 So we should never say we keep the Shabbat. 24:26 We keep the Sabbath. No! We celebrate 24:30 the Sabbath. We celebrate what God has given us. 24:33 We celebrate that God... He created all things 24:37 and then the scripture says on the seventh day He rested. 24:40 And He said: "I want you to remember that if God 24:44 can rest then how much more should you as My creation, 24:49 as My children, rest on the Sabbath day. " 24:52 So we have to remember that. 24:54 That the Sabbath day is a joy. It is a time to sit back 24:58 and be with friends and talk and share things. 25:03 It's a time that we put aside all of the things that we do 25:06 normally through the week, right? 25:09 You know, a good rule to remember is if you do it 25:11 through the week you don't do it on Shabbat. 25:14 Right? Because then it's common. 25:17 That's right. You know for some people 25:19 oh to relax is to sit down on the couch 25:21 and maybe put the TV on. 25:22 That's not the right thing to do, is it? 25:25 Because all week long people are sitting on the couch 25:27 watching TV. We're supposed to get together 25:30 as a family and talk - bond - and enjoy good food. 25:34 And really look forward... You know, for a lot of people 25:37 that might be the only time that they actually come together 25:41 as a family. And some of the best memories 25:45 that we ever make are the ones of us sitting around. 25:48 And you know, our society is so full of broken families. 25:53 Of children that never have the time with their parents. 25:58 If we were honoring, if we were celebrating the Shabbat 26:02 in the way that God asked us to do 26:04 that wouldn't be happening 26:05 because we would be focusing, we would be saying blessings 26:09 upon our children and our wives and our friends 26:12 and our family. We would be coming together 26:14 especially that one time. And you know what I've found 26:17 is that when you do it on the Shabbat and it's such a joy 26:21 you get hungry for it, right? 26:24 Man, I really love the time that we sat down together. 26:27 We had a meal and we just talked. 26:30 And you know, just because we do this on the Shabbat 26:32 doesn't mean we can't do it many other days through the week. 26:36 And that's the idea that we want to be hungry. 26:38 The Shabbat is something very special, 26:40 but God created it so that we could rest, 26:42 so that we could fellowship. 26:44 So as the sun has set on another Shabbat 26:47 the last thing that we do is what's left of the juice 26:52 is we take the cup and we begin to pour out the cup. 26:56 And for us as believers in Jesus as our Messiah 27:01 what I believe we should understand is just as we 27:04 pour out this cup we need to remember that our 27:07 Messiah - that Jesus - poured out His life for us. 27:11 And may we through this week 27:15 God, with Your strength and Your Holy Spirit, 27:18 may we also pour out our lives for Him. Um-hmm. 27:26 We pour it all out and the last thing that we do 27:29 is we take the havdalah candle 27:32 and we extinguish the candle in the juice. 27:37 Sorry. No one gets to drink it. 27:39 We extinguish the candle and we declare that God is holy. 27:44 He is holy; He is holy. 27:47 And we say: "Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh. " 27:49 That means God is three times holy 27:51 because He is the One that gives us the Shabbat. 27:55 God bless you and we hope to see you very soon 27:59 on Back To Our Roots. |
Revised 2014-12-17