Today was a great day for me, particularly my Judeophile
self. [Is that a word? I just made it a word. After 5 months in Israel during
my junior year, I have developed a love for Jews and Israel, and I relish every
chance I get to interact with that culture.]
First, I saw a bumper sticker for Obama, but ‘Barak Obama’
was written using Hebrew characters. I was pleased with my ability to read
Hebrew (I took 11 credits’ worth of that language) and posted a picture of the
bumper sticker on facebook, as you may have seen. I also spent some time
looking for a way to type Hebrew letters on my phone so I could tell my friends
Happy Hanukah, although I ultimately gave up.
I also spent some time in first three chapters of the biblical
book of Luke.
[In Luke, we come across Jews who are longing for Elijah (‘Eliyahu’
in Hebrew), who will prepare the way for the Messiah (‘Meshiach’). In Luke, 1
we meet two childless women (the Bible is full of them!), as well as their
husbands. Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah await a child, and then an angel
appears promising a child “in the spirit and power of Eliyahu, to turn the
hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of
the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17). The
angel, of course, is quoting directly from the prophecy in Malachi 4:5-6, in
which God promises that he will send Eliyahu before the Meshiach arrives. Soon
after Elizabeth becomes pregnant with “Eliyahu,” her childless cousin Mary is
told by an angel that she would bear a son to be named “Jesus” (or “Yeshua” in
Hebrew). Yeshua would “be given the throne of his father David”…in other words,
he would be the Meshiach. Finally, in Luke 2 we meet the Jewish prophets Simeon
and Anna who also are awaiting Eliyahu and the Meshiach. When they meet baby
Jesus at the Temple for his dedication, they praise God that they were able to
see the Meshiach before they died.
So in just two chapters of Luke we meet Eliyahu, Yeshua
the Meshiach, and the Jews who are eagerly awaiting both of them.]
This evening I walked into a gift shop owned by a Jewish
man, Mark Levine, and his wife. [It turns out they live in Carlisle, PA and
know my friend Rachel Jetter!] In their shop I found a cup that had two things
written on it in Hebrew. On one side it said “Cos Eliyahu”—the Cup of
Elijah/Eliyahu. At Pesach (‘Passover’), Jews must always have a chair at the
table that is open for Eliyahu, since they never know when he will come back to
prepare the way for the Meshiach.
On the other side of the Cup of Eliyahu was a phrase I did
not know. It said “Cos Yeshuaot Asha.” I asked Mark (who spent 10 years in
Israel) what it meant. We talked about how the name “Yeshua” (Joshua/Jesus)
means “redemption” or “salvation”, and so the phrase probably means “Cup that
brings salvation.” Mark helped explain that when Eliyahu comes, he will be
bringing God’s salvation because he will be ushering in the kingdom of the Meshiach.
I was able to confirm and clarify this understanding further after a great
conversation with my good friend (and Hebrew expert!) Adela, who also studied abroad
in Israel with me.
So, in conclusion: I started today reading in Luke about Jews who eagerly awaited the coming of Eliyahu—who would prepare the way for Meshiach, who was named Yeshua, the bringer of Yeshuaot (salvation).
Then I ended the day by actually meeting Jews who eagerly await the coming of Eliyahu who will prepare the way for
the Meshiach, the bringer of Yeshuaot (salvation).
Amazing.
Today was a great day for me, particularly my Judeophile
self.
