Actually its Mishnah Shekalim/Sheqalim 7:4 that youre referencing. Once again, we have Emperor Constantine and his mother, Helena, to thank for the erroneous selection of the site of Jesus birth. This parallel passage is part of an extensive section of Micah dealing with the first advent of the Lord. The Lords incarnation brought God down to man. When we first entered the cave there was another group of tourists within. Furthermore, the lambs were slaughtered by the Israelites, privately by each family, and the priests poured the blood on the base of the altar. Imagine the spiritual and prophetic significance of heavens angelic messenger revealing to these shepherds the birth in Bethlehem of the spotless and sin-free Lamb of Elohim who was destined to be sacrificed from the beginning of the world (Rev 13:8; John 1:29; 2 Cor 5:21; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5). In Hebrew, the name of the tower is Migdal Eder. At Migdal Eder the ewes delivered in a clean environment (as specified by Rabbinic regulations for these special temple animals) and their lambs were sorted and immediately inspected for spot or blemish. Clean cloths cleaned off the lambs, after which they were wrapped in cloths to keep them warm. The Temple of God is the only place where the Jewish people are allowed to offer animal sacrifices to God. Many of Bethlehem's sheep were raised for sacrifice at the Temple. Why is it that most of us have never heard of Migdal Edar, let alone in referenceto the birth of Jesus? My position is that they went to where the newborn lambs were typically wrapped in swaddling clothes in the manger in the Tower of the Flock (Migdal Edar), not far from where they were tending the sheep which birthed the lambs used for sacrifice in the Temple. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. WebIf the 14th of Nissan fell on the Sabbath, the first group stationed itself on the mount of the Temple in Jerusalem, the second group in the el, the space between the Temple wall and the Temple hall, while the third group remained in the Temple court, thus awaiting the evening, when they took their lambs home and roasted them on a spit of God commands that burnt offerings (animal sacrifices) must be a permanent statute for the Jewish people to perform in order to receive forgiveness of sins (iniquity). One year old lambs were also needed during Passover and other festivals. literally House of God], he and all the people that were with him. And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. The priest passed the basin to his fellow priest, and he to his fellow, each receiving a full basin and giving back an empty one. Not true. I am currently researching the shepherds from Luke and shepherds/shepherding throughout the Bible. After being washed and salted, the infant was then wrapped with long strips of linen or cotton swaddling bands. They saw it at the time of Yeshuas birth and they journeyed from their country to look for him and honour him. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". At that elevation there is usually a mild snow if any. Edersheims book was the result of a seven year effort. An analysis of bones found in an ancient Where was the tower of the flock located? So the minimum age for any sacrifice is eight days. It is defined as a stall where animals are kept, and in Luke 13:15 it is translated that way. Both were used, depending on the sacrifice. Suffice it to say that it was in the springtime, during Passover]. He died on Passover when the sacrificial lambs were sacrificed. Comprised of the Mishnah and the Gemara, it contains the opinions of thousands of rabbis from different periods in Jewish history. I believe that Jacob trusted in God for redemption and that he knew God would eventually make all things right, including the removal of death and heartache. Note: The following Post is taken from the book by Joseph Lenard entitled Mysteries of Jesus Life RevealedHis Birth, Death, Resurrection, and Ascensions. There is an interesting clue in the Greek Interlinear Bible. Equally so, was the belief that He was to be revealed from Migdal Eder, the tower of the flock. ThisMigdal Eder was not the watchtower for the ordinary flockswhich pastured on the barren sheep ground beyond Bethlehem, but lay close to the town, on the road to Jerusalem. The Rest of the Story: Shepherds Abiding in the Field. It was also the place ewes were safely brought to give birth to the lambs. Mangers in 1st century Israel were made of stone as it was more abundant than wood. This part of the sign was not enough on its own because any new-born baby would be wrapped in swaddling cloths. Beyond this, and with regard to the other points you raise in your comment, youll have to provide specific references from the Mishnah and Gemara, so that I can look them up, or else Im just taking your word for it, like I did for that of Alfred Edersheim. Excerpted with permission from Every Persons Guide to Passover (Jason Aronson, Inc). He resurrected on the Feast of First-fruits when Israel offered the first fruits of the land to the Eternal. He sent the Set-Apart Spirit to his disciples on Shavout (Pentecost). Why did the shepherds bring the sheep to Jerusalem? Once the sheep were of age the shepherds would bring them to the city of Jerusalem to be sacrificed for the Sabbath (Friday). Generations of hereditary shepherds tended the sacred flocks. Their job was to raise animals that were healthy and without blemish and pure enough for the temple sacrifices as stated in the Eternals instructions in the book of Leviticus. The symbolism of the eating of the paschal lamb with the matzah and bitter herbs was a reminder to the Israelites of an enslaved past. The shekalim 7:7 of the Mishnah does not suggest that Migdal-Eder was used as a permanent location for sacrificial lambs. People finding free livestock would want to offer something they did not have to pay for. If this was so then, it makes no sense that they would be outcasts since they were doing a service and raising product for Temple service and service for the people. Perhaps most significant, sheep were used as part of the temple sacrifices. So an event as important as his birth would have to coincide with a Festival as well. It was important that the lambs that were to be sacrificed did not have any blemishes (broken legs, or injuries). And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also. Once the sheeps blood was completely spilled for all of the sins the priest would return to the people and proclaim, It is finished. WebSacrifices were stopped after the Temple's destruction because the Torah specifically commands Jews not to offer sacrifices just anywhere; An olah could be made from cattle, sheep, goats, or even birds, depending on the offerer's means. WHEN WAS YESHUA THE MESSIAH BORN? Sin came into the world through Adam in the Garden of Eden, as presented in the early chapters of Genesis. December would have been too cold and probably too rainy for the shepherds to be out at night watching their flocks. [Alfred Edersheim The Life and Times of Jesus Messiah (1899)], There was a place just outside of the town of Bethlehem, but still within the region commonly known as Bethlehem, where Passover lambs were kept by specially trained and purified shepherds. Reference the Gemara. The Season Clue: Cody Buresh 15 Looking back over the experiences of this trip I am extremely grateful and amazed that this group of Wabash men have had the opportunities to go on many adventures such as: staying on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, visiting the city of Jericho, having the privilege to tour the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and many other mind-baffling occurrences. I give credit to Cooper P. Abrams, III and his article Where Was the Birth Place of the Lord Jesus? The shepherds did not have to search every stable in Bethlehem. Non-Israelites and uncircumcised ones were precluded from participating in the feast of the paschal lamb because the occasion was one of reaffirming Gods covenant with the Israelites. One would think that the New Testament would tell us precisely where the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Itdoes not. According to the laws of the time, the sheep that were used for the offerings had to be a one-year-old male sheep that had been outside for 365 days (one year). The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. Lets look at two passages in Genesis (Genesis 35:521 and Genesis 48:7): And they journeyed: and the terror of the God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. Once the sheep were of age the shepherds would bring them to the city of Jerusalem to be sacrificed for the Sabbath (Friday). I doubt lambs were born in Adar. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Posted March 25, 2010. These sheep were apparently kept outdoors all year Note: In my next Post I will discuss the significance of Migdal Edar. Ill take sheep smell any day over that of chickens, for example. Zevach Sh'lamim: Peace Offering. Summary: There was a place just outside of the town of Bethlehem, but still within the region commonly known as Bethlehem, where Passover lambs were kept by specially trained and purified shepherds. The Sadducees, in charge of Temple sacrifices, also owned the Bethlehem fields and the lambs raised there. An Israelite slaughtered his offering and the priests caught the blood. Yeshua lay in the tomb after living a life without sin. You never know, a seed that was planted in someones heart on December 25 may just yield fruit for the kingdom of Elohim! An analysis of bones found in an ancient How old did sheep have to be to be used for sacrifices? We do it on December 25th merely because it is a centuries old, entrenched tradition and we use this time to bring the good news and of the Nativity story in Matthew and Luke. There was no need for the angel to give the shepherds directions to the place of Jesus birth they already knew exactly where to find him! It decided it would be another good day to rain and be cold, all of our wet feet did not agree. When Messiahs presence comes, everything that was before is old everything now is new. . It is also widely known that the word Bethlehem means house of bread. This too may be a referenceto Jesus, as He stated during the Seder (Last Supper) with His Disciples that He is the bread which is broken for each of us (Luke 22:19); and He had previously said that He is the true bread which came down from heaven (John 6:3233) and that He is the bread of life (John 6:35). And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. . There is a teaching in the modern church that shepherds were outcasts, sinners, untrustworthy, banned from the Temple because they smelled and were unclean. Surrounding the town of Bethlehem grazed flocks of sheep tended by shepherds trained by the Levitical priesthood to provide the lambs for temple sacrifices. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. The idea was to restore the livestock to its owner. I checked the elevation of Bethlehem and its 2,556 feet or close to half a mile in elevation. There is a teaching in the modern church that shepherds were outcasts, sinners, untrustworthy, banned from the Temple because they smelled and were unclean. Kuehls Temple, Where Was Herods Temple? We see from the New Testament Scripture that Jesus was, indeed, born in Bethlehem. Joseph belonged to the family of David, which is why they were in Bethlehem that night. While this ritual was performed the Levites sang the Hallel [Talmud Pesachim 64a]. 170-235, [This date varies from year to year as the Hebrew months are based on the moon. Suppose each family brought one or two animals (which, down through history, was the norm). My Jewish Learning is a not-for-profit and relies on your help. And yes, no mention is made specifically of Bethlehem here, as Alfred Edershiem mentions in his book and which I quote. GOD CONTINUE TO HAVE FAVOR,GRACE AND PEACE UPON YOUR LIFE,AS YOU DO HIS WILL. If the lambs were one year oldat the time they were sacrificed during Passover that means they would have been born at around the same time a year before, that is, in the Spring, during the lambing season. What they saw was not a star but a rare phenomenon that happens every 6000 years and it pointed them to Israel and to Yeshua. And found in the temple those that sold oxen, &c. Used for sacrifice. Since these sheep needed to remain outside the shepherds were also outside, not using the cave during the awful winter (rainy season). On this day the calendar changes, the old calendar is gone and a new one begins. The hills around Bethlehem were home to the hundreds of lambs used in ritual worship at the Temple. But he did understand that God was all-powerful and that He was good, holy, and righteous. The need for a substitutionary sacrifice and shedding of innocent blood to atone for sin is well established in Scripture, beginning in Genesis 3:21, where God made use of animal skins to cover the nakedness and shame of Adam and Eve following their disobedience. I believe that God intended that from the place of Jacobs greatest sorrow, where his beloved Rachel died, would later come the Messiah, who would bring eternal life and joy for all those who trust in Him. Who is better than these shepherd-priests to welcome the Lamb of the Eternal. And yet Jewish tradition may here prove both illustrative and helpful. Herod died shortly after his murderous order. Every part of their lives revolves around the Temple. Thus, Jewish tradition in some dim manner apprehended the first revelation of the Messiah from that Migdal Eder, where shepherds watched the Temple-flocks all the year-round. Where did the shepherds get the Lambs for sacrifice? Our plans were to (first) travel to the actual location where Jesus Christ was born and view the manger, but surprisingly the Prime Minister of Great Britain (David Cameron) also had the same idea so we had to make a quick change. Aramaic is one of the Semitic languages, an important group of languages known almost from the beginning of human history and including Arabic, Hebrew, Ethiopic, and Akkadian [ancient Babylonian and Assyrian]). And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. By his wounds, you have been healed For you had gone astray like sheep. The construction of the magnificent Temple in Jerusalemlent new significance to the festival of Passover. When Habib was explaining the many intricate steps of the sheeps life I was astounded by the parallelism to Jesus Christ. I am going to be focusing mainly on the knowledge that we gained about the biblical period from our experiences today. In Proverbs 14:4, in the Septuagint [Greek translation of the Old Testament], the word means a stall or a crib. What, then, was the stall or manger referred to in the New Testament; and what kind of animals were fed or housed there? pinpoints the exact place where the Messiah was born. Presumably they were carefully watched over to keep them safe from incurring any blemish that might render them unusable for the temple service. First His birth, then His death, resurrection, etc, The Eternal commands us to begin the year and everything on the first day of the month of Nissan. Suffice it to say that it was in the springtime, during Passover]. Oh yeah, some circulate that the special shepherds were priests. 2) lying in a manger. Pronounced: TALL-mud, Origin: Hebrew, the set of teachings and commentaries on the Torah that form the basis for Jewish law. It would have to be a Spring Festival as everything would have to be in order. a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger? To be a sign, it would have to be distinctive, understandable, and unique. Typically, Migdal Eder, at Bethlehem is the perfect place for Yeshua the Messiah to be born. Therefore, according to the Jewish regulations, the flocks under the care of the shepherds near Bethlehem must have been for the Temple-services. These shepherds watched over sheep destined as sacrifices in the Temple at Jerusalem. Everything points to these shepherds watching over sheep used for sacrifice. Ill let you research this subject out. Jesus Movements, Where Was Herods Temple? The church was designed to have only one high point in order to represent a tent that the shepherds would live in. Used by permission. God promised it, pictured it, and performed it at Migdal Edar. There is a theological explanation for why Passover occurs in the spring. The explanation for the uniqueness of the Passover sacrificial rite may be found in its commemorative aspects. On the ground floor, a room was designated for the delivery and protection of these special lambs. And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padan-aram, and blessed him. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. Sheep have wool and can easily withstand cold temperatures. The clues to the possible season of Yeshuas birth are based on teachings by Jonathan Cahn. There also were many spaces within the ceiling to allow the natural light to illuminate the room representing the star light and also the light of the heavenly host. The Mishnah states it is because livestock eats crops. So an event as important as his birth would have to coincide with a Festival as well. They were not there when Yeshua was born but around two years later they found him and his parents living in a house. The place these special Temple sheep used for delivery of their lambs was the tower of the flock, located close to the road between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. On that day, God came down and tabernacled with man. The Eternal is an Elohim of order. These bands helped to provide comfort to the child, the tight bands replicating the feeling of the womb. The cave provided protection from the natural predators ready to snatch the newborns away. The census required families to travel back to their fathers town of origin. Where did the sacrificial lamb come from? About 400 years after Samuel, during the religious revival in the reign of King Josiah (637-607 BCE), reference was made to a Passover celebration with this statement: The king commanded all the people saying, Keep the Passover unto the Lord your God, as it is written in this book of the covenant. For there was not kept such a Passover from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah; but in the eighteenth year of King Josiah was this Passover kept to the Lord in Jerusalem [II Kings 23:21-23]. When the Magi arrived in Jerusalem they went to Herod to inquire about this King that was to be born. When was Yeshua really born? Migdal Eder, the Tower of the Flock, was the place where lambs destined for the Temple were born and raised. Once the lambs were of age, the shepherds would take them to Jerusalem for the temple sacrifices. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roasted with fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it (Exodus12:8). They were of various sizes and around 6 to 8 inches deep. How did they know about Yeshua? Thankfully, on our farm, we only raised biblically kosher animals, so there were no pigs. In the area of the camp, a sign proclaimed that "George II is Chief of the Chilkoots and a friends [sic] Many people including me have covered this topic over and over again for decades, so all the info is out there already. WebOfferings are mentioned in the Book of Genesis, but further outlined in the later four books of the Torah, including aspects of their origins and history.. (765) 361-6100, Civil Rights Road Trip: Selma and Tuskegee, Juthani 15 Seeing New Sides to Old Dispute, Morrison 14 Torn Between Beauty, Ugliness, Story of Bethlehem Sheep More than Legend. Passover again assumed its prime function as a religious festival. When Messiahs presence comes, everything that was before is old everything now is new. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Here it is said that the Israelites, led by Joshua, successor to Moses, kept the feast at Gilgal. Once the lambs blood was completely spilled for all of the sins, the priest would turn to the people and proclaim, It is finished or it is accomplished. Every important event in Yeshuas life corresponds to a Festival or day commanded by the Eternal. Because of the planets involved and their position in the sky they deduced that a Righteous King would be born in Judea. But some scholars maintain that this date has been doctored because there still exists a page in his writings stating that springtime is the proper season of Yeshuas birth. He died on Passover when the sacrificial lambs were sacrificed. The Romans would not have called for a census during winter as it would have been very hard for the people to travel long distances in the cold and rain. The impression given is that they were able to go with haste because they knew from the description of the wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger exactly where to go to the Tower of the Flock, Migdal Edar. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. John the Baptist likened Jesus to those lambs carefully chosen for sacrifice in the Temple. Learn how your comment data is processed. This sacrifice was meant to be sufficient to atone for the sin-debt of all mankind.
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