One of the best e-mails I received every week comes from Israel. It’s sent from Daniel Rona, an Israeli LDS tour guide in the Holy Land. He always gives interesting insights into the Hebrew language and how it supports the restored gospel.

In this week’s e-mail, which is intended to be a supplement to Gospel Doctrine class, I learned the following:

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(1.) KEY TO RECOGNIZING THE MESSIAH:
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The true meaning of the Messiah’s life and those who testified of Him
is the SPIRIT. The word for spirit in Hebrew is Ruach Elohim, the
breath, the wind of God. “And Moses said . . . Would God that all
the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his
spirit upon them!” (Numbers 11:29)

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(2.) A GIFT:
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As previously stated, there are some people who do not have that gift
yet, and those that do must exercise patience and love because
eventually more will get that gift and be very happy. The gift of
belief comes from God.

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(3.) BELIEVING SUPERCEDED BY “DOING:”
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In Judaism, “belief” is superceded by “doing.” Hence, the 613
commandments (365 don’ts, 248 do’s) have preeminence over
faith. “The biblical word emunah (and its other forms) which is
often translated as `belief’ really means `trust’ or `confidence,’
which is something quite different.” (Encyclopedia Judaica, Jr.)

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(4.) BEYOND “DOING:”:
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Although Jewish prayers and benedictions are prepared to be followed,
rather than be spoken from the heart, some of these benedictions
still carry an admonition to go beyond the `do’ to embrace `faith’
(Emunah) in God.

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(5.) IN THE NAME OF THE LORD:
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Ba’al Shem Tov is a descriptive title which means the “Good Master of
the Name” (or the “Master of the Good Name”), and the “Name” refers
to the Name of God. Thus the bearer of the title was a person who
was able to invoke the Name of God for the purpose of healing the
sick or in other worthy causes.”

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(6.) “IF YOU DON’T USE IT, YOU’LL LOSE IT:”
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It is difficult to develop spiritual gifts when you do not make an
effort to use them. The inspired translation of the following verse
makes the lesson of using spiritual gifts easier to understand. “For
whosoever receiveth to him shall be given, and he shall have more
abundance; but whosoever continueth not to receive, from him shall be
taken even that he hath.” (Matthew 13:12) “If You Don’t Use It,
You’ll Lose It.” This modern proverb echoes the message, by
exercising the gift, it expands and grows. Jesus’ parables are like
paintings, they must be studied for more interpretation. They
contain nature and human references so that more people with
differing gifts would be able to understand them.

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I find these e-mails very interesting and enlightening. Anybody interested in signing up for these free e-mails can visit Daniel Rona’s web page here.

My father took one of Daniel Rona’s tours of Israel and gave it high marks. My wife and I hope to go on a tour sometime next year.