Note: "It is a rule in the UPCI that no licensed Minister may publicly contend for any view that may bring disunity to the organization, the mouths of Prophets within this group are gagged and the pens of scribes are forbidden to write. With this form of ecclesiastical censorship lording over the rank and file of this organization, there will never be a public questioning of Dr. Segraves's beliefs which he publishes to be true when they are false. Since there can be no publicized dissent of his opinions and theories from within the ranks of the UPCI, someone outside of this organization must take up the responsibility to call his prophetic beliefs false." - Pastor Rev. Reckart [sic]
Remember
the verses in the New Testament that speak of The “Falling Away” when
some will give “Heed to Deceiving Spirits And Doctrines Of Demons?
Well THAT
DAY IS ALREADY HERE. Counterfeit
Revivals and our wholesale adoption of doctrines and practices
DIRECTLY derived from the occult...Tongues, Magic Hair, The Word of Faith
Movement, Labyrinths, Contemplative Prayer, Slain In The Spirit and
Santa Claus.
Holy Magic Hair "the Power of Angels"
(Updated 01.05.13)
Note: Christian churches are filled with passionate men and women of all ages who love God with all their being, and have a deeply genuine love for other people. Many "Bible believing Christians" believe many unbiblical heresies. The wide acceptance of the beliefs within Christendom does not make it biblical.
Holy Magic Hair "the Power of Angels"
David
K. Bernard, the recently elected General Superintendent of the
United Pentecostal Church International, has seemingly put his stamp
of approval on the increasingly popular practice of laying
hair among Apostolic circles.?
While
condemning the practice under certain conditions, the following quote
is being termed as a “free pass” legitimizing HMH doctrine :
There
have been reports of women letting down their long hair as part of
making a specific, urgent prayer request. If the idea was to obligate
God to answer prayer or to create a new method of praying, then this
action was misguided. If
instead it was a spontaneous act to confirm their consecration, then
it could have been a legitimate means of expressing and focusing
faith.
Holy
Magic Hair
As an
introduction, we encourage you to listen to the following videos of a
June 29, 2008 sermon by an evangelist named, Lee Stoneking, who
teaches a Holy Magic Hair Doctrine.
- Power of angels?
- God compelled to pour out his gift of the Holy Spirit because of uncut hair?
- Receiving the Baptism of the Holy Ghost through the laying of hair?
- A distinct anointing?
- No results in prayer? Losing authority in prayer?
- The devil knows we carry the glory of God in our hair?
- A woman can gain power with God by having her hair grow long?
Cutting hair is a salvational matter?
Bernard’s
symposium paper regarding hair doctrine
The
Bible’s Teaching about Hair Length:
Culture
or Command?
Presented
by David K. Bernard
The
New Testament contains teaching about the respective hair lengths of
men and women. Most denominational churches consider it to be merely
a cultural teaching that does not apply today. Some interpret the
passage in question to mean that women must pray with a type of cloth
on their heads. Most conservative churches at one time taught women
to have long hair, and some continue to do so today.
All
Scripture is given by the inspiration of God** (II
Timothy 3:16). We should not ignore any passage of Scripture, for
each is precious and important. [Note:
The only Scripture Sha'ul (Paul) is referring is the TaNaCH, the Old
Testament. There was not a NT bible written, these letters were
compiled much later.] We should especially
heed instructions to the New Testament church, for we are part of
that church. Let us analyze this passage of Scripture in that light.
Bear
in mind, the Jewish Scriptures were written in Hebrew, not in seventeenth
century King James English. What has made Christian believers so vulnerable to Bible tampering is that almost none of them can read or understand the Hebrew Bible in its original language. Virtually no Christian child in the world is taught the Hebrew language as part of a formal Christian education. As he and countless other Christians earnestly study the Authorized Version of the Bible, there is a blinding yet prevailing assumption that what you are reading is Heaven-breathed. Tragically, virtually every Christian in the world reads the translation of men rather than the Word of God. On the other hand, every Jewish child in the world who is enrolled in a Jewish school is taught to read and write Hebrew long before he or she even heard the name of Luther.
Unbeknownst to Mr. Bernard and parishioners worldwide, the King James Version and numerous other Christian Bible translations were meticulously shaped and painstakingly retrofitted in order to produce a message that would sustain and advance Church theology and exegesis. This aggressive rewriting of biblical texts has had a devastating impact on Christians throughout the world who unhesitatingly embrace these corrupt translations. As a result, Christians earnestly wonder why the Jews, who are the bearers and protectors of the divine oracles of God, have not willingly accepted Jesus as their messiah. [1]
century King James English. What has made Christian believers so vulnerable to Bible tampering is that almost none of them can read or understand the Hebrew Bible in its original language. Virtually no Christian child in the world is taught the Hebrew language as part of a formal Christian education. As he and countless other Christians earnestly study the Authorized Version of the Bible, there is a blinding yet prevailing assumption that what you are reading is Heaven-breathed. Tragically, virtually every Christian in the world reads the translation of men rather than the Word of God. On the other hand, every Jewish child in the world who is enrolled in a Jewish school is taught to read and write Hebrew long before he or she even heard the name of Luther.
 |
| One of many examples of Scripture Tampering. |
Unbeknownst to Mr. Bernard and parishioners worldwide, the King James Version and numerous other Christian Bible translations were meticulously shaped and painstakingly retrofitted in order to produce a message that would sustain and advance Church theology and exegesis. This aggressive rewriting of biblical texts has had a devastating impact on Christians throughout the world who unhesitatingly embrace these corrupt translations. As a result, Christians earnestly wonder why the Jews, who are the bearers and protectors of the divine oracles of God, have not willingly accepted Jesus as their messiah. [1]
**Please
Note:
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
2Pe 3:16 Indeed, he [Paul] speaks about these things in all his letters. They contain some things that are hard to understand, things which the uninstructed and unstable distort, to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.
Act 17:11 Now the people here were of nobler character than the ones in Thessalonica; they eagerly welcomed the message, checking the Tanakh every day to see if the things Sha'ul was saying were true. CJB
Shaul preached for three Sabbaths in the synagogue in Thessalonica. He preached from Scriptures (Old Testament, including Torah). It’s important to understand synagogue worship a bit. The synagogue read from the Torah, and the Writings, and the Prophets on every Shabbat. Shaul was preaching from JEWISH scrolls kept only at the synagogue, as they were too expensive for most to have personal copies of them.
The synagogue was the place where the scriptures were kept and studied DAILY (Acts 17:11) , and especially on Shabbat. The message of Jacob in chapter 15, therefore, is that MOSES would continue to be declared on the Sabbath, and the new Gentile converts would have plenty of time to learn to live their new life in Messiah.
Verse 11 shows Paul in another synagogue. Verse 17 shows him in yet another in Athens.
Acts 18:1
Next, he’s in Corinth, reasoning with Jews and gentiles in the synagogue on EVERY SHABBAT. Reasoning over what? What scriptures did he expound? What was he teaching them? He was teaching Messiah from the OLD TESTAMENT. At this point, the gospels we know had not even been written! The gospel was preached from the Torah! [the Tanakh ]
....Culture or Command continued
I
Corinthians 11:1-16
Verses
1-2. Paul admonished believers to follow him and to keep the
ordinances or teachings that he had delivered to them. Among these
ordinances is his teaching concerning hair in the subsequent verses.
Verses
2-3.
God is the head of Christ. As
a human, Jesus **submitted to the eternal Spirit of God that
dwelt in Him, thereby setting an example for us. Christ subjected His
flesh to the plan and purpose of God, even to death (Philippians
2:8).
Similarly,
Christ is the head of the man, and the man is the head of the woman.
God intends for the man to be the leader of the family. He is to be
the spiritual representative of the home. A woman is to respect the
leadership of her own husband (Ephesians 5:22; Colossians 3:18; I
Peter 3:1).
Verse
4. A man should not have his head covered when he prays or
prophesies (which here includes anointed preaching and testimony). If
he does, he dishonors his head or leader, namely, Christ.
Verse
5. A woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered
dishonors her head or leader, which is the man. In other words, the
sexes should not try to change places. The woman’s covering is sign
of her role in God’s plan. According to verse 15, long hair is the
symbolic covering that God has given her.
Verse
6. If a woman is not going to cover her head (by letting her hair
grow long), then this is equivalent to cutting off her hair. But this
is a disgrace or a shame to her. It signifies the taking away of her
glory in God’s sight. Since it is a shame for her hair to be shorn
(cut) or shaved, she should be covered (let her hair grow long).
Verses 5-6 use the Greeks words xuraō, meaning to
“have oneself shaved,” and keirō, meaning
to “cut one’s hair or have one’s hair cut.”1
Verses
7-9. Adam was created in the image of God and subsequently Eve
was also (Genesis 1:26-27). The man is the representative of the
family before God, with the authority and responsibility to provide
for, protect, and lead his family. As a sign of his position, his
head should not be covered (with long hair, verse 14).
The
woman originally came from the man (Genesis 2:22). She is his
partner, a helper comparable to him (Genesis 2:20), who respects his
position and follows his godly leadership. Woman is the crowning
glory of man. To demonstrate this relationship, her head should be
covered (verse 6) with her glory, which is her long hair (verse 15).
In
short, male and female are equally important in God’s plan, but
their roles are distinct. God wants this distinction to be displayed
and preserved outwardly by their hair.
"In some religions, women choose to cover their hair. While this practice is often tied to modesty, in some traditions it relates to the restraint of power. Although not a specifically Wiccan or Pagan custom, there are some individual Pagans who have incorporated this into their belief system. Marisa, a California Pagan who follows an eclectic path rooted in Eastern traditions, says, “I cover my hair when I go out, because for me, it’s a matter of keeping the power of the crown chakra contained. I uncover it when doing ritual, because then the crown chakra is open and uninhibited, and allows me to commune directly with the Divine.”
In a number of traditions of folk magic, hair is strongly associated with the human spirit, and can be used as a way to control an individual. There are countless recipes found in hoodoo and rootwork that involve the use of human hair as part of a spell or “trick,” according to Jim Haskins in his book Voodoo and Hoodoo."
In addition, there are a number of superstitions and customs about hair, particularly when it comes to cutting. It is believed in many areas that if you cut your hair at the time of the full moon, it will grow much faster – but hair cut during the dark of the moon will grow thin and possibly even fall out! SeaChelle, a practicing witch whose family has roots in Appalachia, says, “When I was a little girl, my grandmother used to tell me that after she cut our hair, we had to bury the clippings in the ground. You couldn’t burn it, because it would make the hair you had left grow brittle, and you couldn’t just toss it outside, because birds would steal it to use in their nests, and that would give you a headache.”
"A picture snapped surreptitiously and posted to Reddit's r/funny thread has drawn attention to a little known tenet of the Sikh faith. "Yes, I'm a baptized Sikh woman with facial hair," Balpreet Kaur, a college student, wrote in response to her picture. Kaur, an Ohio State University sophomore studying neuroscience and psychology, is a baptized Sikh, and as such follows the so-called "5 Ks," or five physical symbols that date back to the creation of the faith by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699, according to BBC. One of the tenets is kesh, or uncut hair...".* Cenk Uygur and John Iadarola (host of TYT University and Common Room) break it down on The Young Turks.
In addition, there are a number of superstitions and customs about hair, particularly when it comes to cutting. It is believed in many areas that if you cut your hair at the time of the full moon, it will grow much faster – but hair cut during the dark of the moon will grow thin and possibly even fall out! SeaChelle, a practicing witch whose family has roots in Appalachia, says, “When I was a little girl, my grandmother used to tell me that after she cut our hair, we had to bury the clippings in the ground. You couldn’t burn it, because it would make the hair you had left grow brittle, and you couldn’t just toss it outside, because birds would steal it to use in their nests, and that would give you a headache.”
Verse
10. The angels are involved with this subject, as they observe
the obedience or disobedience of humans to God’s plan. A woman
should have “power” on her head as an example to the angels. The
Greek word here is exousia, meaning “authority,” and
in this context it indicates a mark or sign of authority. The angels
look to see if women have the sign of consecration, submission, and
power with God, or if they are rebellious like Satan. Women’s hair
shows the angels whether or not the church is submissive to Christ,
the head of the church.
Verses
11-12. Women are not inferior to men, and men are not complete
without women. Both depend on each other. This principle of
complementarity and interdependence is especially true in the church.
The roles are different, however, and God has designated the man to
be the leader of the family.
Verse
13. Paul used a question as a part of his teaching method. Is it
proper for a woman to pray to God uncovered? His answer is no; it is
a shame for her to do so (verse 5).
Verse
14. Nature, not just custom, teaches a man to have short hair but
a woman to have long hair. Since God is the Creator of nature, the
teaching of nature in this situation comes from God. God’s purpose
is to make a distinction of the sexes in this area.
Verse
15. A woman’s hair is given for her glory and for a covering to
satisfy the requirements of the preceding verses.
The
Greek word for “have long hair” here is komaō, which
means to “wear long hair, let one’s hair grow long…. (Greek men
do not do this),”2 or to “wear tresses of
hair.”3 The word for “covered” in verse 6
is katakaluptō, meaning “to cover wholly, i.e.,
to veil.”4 The word for “covering” in verse 15
is peribolaion, which is “something thrown around
one, i.e., a mantle, veil.”5 Thus, verses 5-6 teach
that a woman’s head should be covered wholly or veiled. Verse 15
says her hair is a mantle or veil; it is a symbolic article of
apparel for the head. Clearly, long hair is the covering that meets
the requirements of verses 5, 6, and 13.
Verse
16. The church has no custom of being contentious over the
teachings of God’s Word. It has no custom regarding hair other than
what Paul had just described. Some say this verse means that if
anyone disagrees with these teachings then obedience is not required.
If this were true, however, then Paul’s entire teaching in this
section would be in vain, and he would be condoning contention and
disobedience to God’s Word and the ordinances of the church.
Reading verses 2 and 16 together, the message is that we should obey
these teachings instead of being contentious.
“HaShem did not create woman from man's head, that he should command her, nor from his feet, that she should be his slave, but rather from his side, that she should be near his heart” (Hebrew Proverb)
“HaShem did not create woman from man's head, that he should command her, nor from his feet, that she should be his slave, but rather from his side, that she should be near his heart” (Hebrew Proverb)
Symbolism
of the Teaching
As
Paul explained in this passage of Scripture, hair symbolizes the
relationship of husband and wife, which in turn represents the Lord’s
relationship with the church. A woman’s
long hair symbolizes that she submits to God’s plan and to the
family leadership of her husband. It is her glory. It
is a sign to the angels of her commitment to God and her power with
God. It is a covering so that she can pray and prophesy publicly
without being ashamed. Similarly, a man’s short hair symbolizes
that he submits to God’s plan and accepts the family leadership
position. For both married and unmarried, this symbol indicates
obedience to God’s will.
Paul
further explained that even the nature of things teaches us on this
matter. How so? First, nature teaches that there should be a visible
distinction between male and female. Second, in almost all cultures,
men have worn short hair in comparison to women. Third, men are ten
times more likely to grow bald than women. It is natural for a man
not to have any hair but unnatural for a woman not to have hair. In
addition, the Old Testament indicates that it is shameful for a woman
to cut or lose her hair (Isaiah 3:17, 24; Jeremiah 7:29).
When
men and women follow the biblical teaching on hair, they follow God’s
plan as established in creation. Hair length makes a distinction
between the sexes, which God considers to be important. (See Genesis
1:27; Deuteronomy 22:5.) Since to a great extent the world has
abandoned this divine symbolism, it is also a mark of separation from
the world (II Corinthians 6:16-17).
In
our day, it has become fashionable to reject God’s creative
purpose, to state that gender identity is socially constructed and
that people can self-identify as male, female, both, in between,
neither, or transgender. Some anthropologists and sociologists claim
there are three, four, or many genders. In this social context, it is
even more important to uphold scriptural teachings concerning male
and female identity in outward appearance (hair and dress).
God
always gives us a choice to do His will or not. He never forces us to
be what He wants us to be. We did not choose to be male or female,
however; that choice was determined for us at conception. By our
choice of dress and hairstyle, we show acceptance or rejection of
God’s plan for us as male or female, husband or wife, father or
mother. The roles are equally important in family, church, and
society, but they are different. God wants us to demonstrate our
willingness to accept the roles He has chosen for us.
The
relationship between husband and wife is like that between Christ and
the church. The husband is the head of the wife as Christ is head of
the church (Ephesians 5:22-23). Therefore, when Christian men and
women demonstrate their acceptance of God’s plan by their hair,
they also demonstrate the church’s submission to Christ.[sic]
by David K. Bernard General Superintendent
by David K. Bernard General Superintendent
Another look at i Corinthians 11:2-16. presented by Daniel l. Seagraves... if over an altar or over another person or by letting it blow in the wind.
Segraves, who wrote what is deemed as the first official response by a UPCI theologian denouncing this dangerous heresy in an November 2009, Pentecostal Herald, is adamant in his disapproval of this liturgical or prayer practice.
"It is a rule in the UPCI that no licensed Minister may publicly contend for any view that may bring disunity to the organization"
In Segrave’s 2009 UGST symposium paper, in response to Bernard and those who have taken license to teach this heresy, he writes :
I Corinthians 11:10 is interpreted by some to mean that if women have long hair it gives them some kind of power or authority in the spiritual realm. It has even been suggested that women should let down their long hair, laying it on the altar, on another person, or shaking it in the wind in order to evoke this power. Support for this view is found in anecdotal evidence and reference works related to witchcraft and occultism. To interpret Scripture by anecdotal evidence is dangerous; our final authority is Scripture, not experience. To interpret Scripture by reference to witchcraft and occultism is even more dangerous. Scripture warns us to avoid the influence of these ideas; we are to be simple concerning evil and wise concerning what is good. (See Romans 16:19.)
Concerning the meaning of I Corinthians 11:10, we can say with certainty that it says nothing about evil spirits, it says nothing about how a woman’s hair is arranged, and the word “hair” does not appear in the verse. I will forego further discussion here in view of the fact that my article “Another Look at I Corinthians 11:10: A Plea for Caution” appeared in the November 2009 issue of the Pentecostal Herald just before this symposium. The article addresses this subject in detail, and I commend it to those who are interested in this text and/or concerned about this novel interpretation.
In response to the idea that there is a “magic formula in prayer that enables us to obtain whatever we want when we want it,” David Bernard writes,
Some women have let down their hair as part of making a specific, urgent prayer request. If the idea is to obligate God to answer prayer, then this action is misguided. If the purpose is to confirm their consecration, then it could be a legitimate means of expressing and focusing faith. We can draw an analogy to the positioning of the sick so that Peter’s shadow would fall on them . . . and the use of handkerchiefs to pray for the sick . . . . Such practices were not mandatory and probably not even typical, but they were legitimate expressions of faith in the apostolic church.
I completely agree that we cannot obligate God to answer prayer and that there is no “magic formula” enabling us to obtain whatever we want when we want it. I can also appreciate the desire to acknowledge the genuineness of any act of faith, no matter how bizarre it may seem or whether or not there is any biblical warrant for it. But my concern is that the teaching that is currently circulating among us does not see the letting down of a woman’s long has as a simple confirmation of consecration. Rather, it is being presented as a technique guaranteeing all kinds of miraculous results from the salvation of lost loved ones to the healing of diseases to the protection of children from any harmful effects of immunization to the ability to win back lost romantic affections. This is in addition to the idea of power over evil spirits. It seems there is no end to this; in one meeting the speaker suggested that God only knows what would happen if all of the Pentecostal women in the world would let down their hair and allow it to blow in the wind.
As my wife and I discussed this teaching, she reminded me of an episode in our life when our daughter was very young and contracted some kind of respiratory ailment. As we rushed to the hospital with our daughter gasping for breath (and with the brakes of our car going out on the way), my wife screamed at God, “You’ve got to heal our daughter! We’ve always paid our tithes!”
We have biblical precedent for the use of prayer cloths, even though we probably don’t use them in the same way that the handkerchiefs and aprons taken from Paul’s body were used. We even have biblical precedent for the possibility that someone could be healed as the shadow of a person of faith passes over them. We have no biblical precedent for a woman letting down her hair as a confirmation of consecration or to express and focus her faith. I do believe that there are such things as “special miracles” (Acts 19:11), and I don’t think the biblical record exhausts the ways miracles may occur. If it were not for the current abuse of I Corinthians 11:10, I might agree to the legitimacy of a woman letting down her hair to confirm her consecration, although God certainly knows of her consecration no matter how her hair is arranged.
But the current climate on this issue is so troubling, so divisive, and so potentially harmful that I do not wish to suggest any degree of legitimacy to a practice that is based on misinterpreting a text, that draws on the claims of the occult, and that promises the ability to control outcomes. Instead, I would rather point people to simple faith in God that requires no props and that avoids any appeal to non-biblical sources for insight. I am concerned that some women, thinking they have found new depth of meaning in Scripture, will be tempted to look further into the realm of the occult for new insights on spirituality. [sic]
http://www.ugst.org/uploaded/Symposium%252F2009%252FPapers/3_Seagraves_-_Response_to_Bernard.dochttp://www.pdf-txt.com/doc/1-corinthians-2.html
Question: Hair
Length and Religion (Pagans View)
A reader
asks, “I recently explored the option of joining a local Wiccan
coven, and was floored when the High Priestess told me that if I
became part of her group, I’d have to let my hair grow long.
Because of my job, I have to keep my hair fairly short – it’s a
safety issue – but she said that it was a tenet of “our religion”
to let our hair grow long. She went on to tell me it was a way that
Wiccans pay tribute to the goddess and embrace the sacred feminine.
Is this true? Will I never be able to join a coven unless I grow my
hair long? Help!”
Answer:..."The notion of hair as tied to religious belief is actually a pretty complex one. In some belief systems, hair is associated with magical power. Why is this? Well, it may be purely psychological. Take, for instance, a woman with long hair who wears it up in a neat bun, pulled back from her face, while she is at work. Her hair is kept tidily out of her way while she does her job, tends to her family, and so forth. And yet once this woman steps into a magical setting, she removes the pins and combs, setting her hair free – it’s a liberating feeling, to literally let your hair down. It brings a primitive sense of wildness and raw sexuality to the moment, and that in itself can be very powerful indeed." From: Does hair length impact our religious practice?
…for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.
Christianity turns the Word of God into a carnival magic act where the phrase, now you see it, now you don’t, perfectly describes the antics that Christian theologians, preachers, apologists, and street operatives use to eviscerate the Law of God.
They do this to promote and sell a new and improved religious product, which they insist is the only “truth”. [sic]
Is it worth losing the Power of Angels?
Her son was trying so hard Sunday after Sunday to get the Holy Ghost. For some reason he could not pray through. Finally one Sunday she took her hair and laid it on her son. She began to remind God of the power that she had because her hair was uncut, and you know what happened almost instantly? Her son received the Holy Ghost!!!
What, does God come on the scene immediately for you?
"I know personally of apostolic women who gave in and cut their hair. As a result, they were miserable, depressed and regreted ever going it. You undergo a major spiritual catastrophe by cutting your hair. You will not receive the same results in prayer. You will not have the same anointing you once possessed. Uncut hair is serious business. OH GOD give us revelation and understanding!"
"Sister, DO NOT cut your hair, I repeat PLEASE don’t do it!" [sic]
"Consider this: why is it that when a woman backslides, the first thing she does is cut her hair?? The devil knows that we carry the glory of God upon our uncut hair. The devil knows that there is POWER in our hair. We have a distinct anointing when we have uncut hair. I remember the first time I walked into a Pentecostal church where the ladies had uncut hair, you could FEEL the difference in anointing on the women! There was something about them that was so beautiful, holy and radiant. They almost looked like angels to me (that is no exaggeration). ”
This has drawn the attention, criticism and ire of those who believe this free pass may threaten Bernard’s vision of a return to “Apostolic Identity”.
Note: "It is a rule in the UPCI that no licensed Minister may publicly contend for any view that may bring disunity to the organization, the mouths of Prophets within this group are gagged and the pens of scribes are forbidden to write. With this form of ecclesiastical censorship lording over the rank and file of this organization, there will never be a public questioning of Dr. Segraves's beliefs which he publishes to be true when they are false. Since there can be no publicized dissent of his opinions and theories from within the ranks of the UPCI, someone outside of this organization must take up the responsibility to call his prophetic beliefs false." - Pastor Rev. Reckart
The post encapsulates what effect the teachings of men, like Lee Stoneking, are having on some within the Oneness Apostolic movement. A woman by name of Harvelia testifies on Kendra’s site that it was Stoneking’s influenced her towards similar views:
“Just recently I attended a conference where Bro. Lee Stoneking was speaking. His message was coming from 1 Cor. 11:5 and he was speaking about how the woman’s uncut hair being their glory – I was not raised in Pentecost/Apostolic; however, about three years ago the Lord led me to leave my former church which was is a prodominately [sic][ black apostolic church which I was a part of for over fifteen years. I had never receive such teaching - and it just left me wondering why the black apostolic churches are not teaching this. I had to call my sister because she's been apostolic/pentecost longer than I have - but she's never receive the teaching. I currently wear my hair naturally and have done so off and on for years. I felt bad when Bro. Stoneking was teaching because I recall cutting my hair - but this was never taught in my former church.Then it also leaving me wondering why it is not being taught in the african/black churches. " (http://kendrathaler-hair.blogspot.com/p/hair-testimonies.html)
"Error begets error. The pat answer given by some who tell the Body of Christ that these forms of consecrations and personal convictions are not salvific … may need to reexamine what is really being taught in their ranks." [sic]
Power of angels?
God compelled to pour out his gift of the Holy Spirit because of uncut hair?
Receiving the Baptism of the Holy Ghost through the laying of hair?
A distinct anointing?
No results in prayer? Losing authority in prayer?
The devil knows we carry the glory of God in our hair?
A woman can gain power with God by having her hair grow long?
 |
| This picture was taken at the Alabama’s Ladies retreat. Sis Patty Twyman took down her hair to summon the power of the angels over the prayer requests. Many prayers were answered. |
One of the endearing points of HMH advocates is that the idea that there is power in uncut hair can be verified in the wicca religion where the witches believe there is power in uncut hair.
Such proof can be seen in the message that is pro-HMH that I posted under the HMH post....
Another HMH advocate posted in her blog:
Did you know that witches won't cut their hair because they try to tap into the power promised to us in 1Cor 11? Do you know why Indians used to scalp their enemies? Do you know why Nuns and Buddhist monks shave their hair? What does tar and feathering mean? Do you know who it was that first starting the hair cutting trend? What date was that? What about the hippie movement?
What significance is there when hair is found at the scene of a crime?
Daniel Alicea, the man who operates holymagichair.com, found in his research that...
"Most wiccan witches agree that there is no added or extra power in uncut hair while recognizing it is used in ritual magic...but so is eye newt, toe of frog...wool of bat and tongue of dog."
He even quotes one wiccan saying "Hair does not give you extra power and you don't lose power if it's cut."
Keeping in mind, believers on both sides are united against this magic hair heresy.
Some prevailing doctrines in certain circles that I believe have led to the extreme, present-day HMH doctrine can be traced to the teachings of men like of S.G. Norris and Murray Burr.
As early as the PAJC days in 1945, S.G. Norris, former president of Apostolic Bible Institute, General Presbyter and author, proposed elements now found in modern-day HMH doctrine.
On pages 3 and 12 of The Pentecostal Outlook, Volume 14, Number 9, September 1945, S.G Norris suggests that uncut hair results in a “special blessing” and power with God because of the angels. He also proposes that women have always been the leaders in prayer and power with God.
Here are a couple of the quotes from SG Norris’ Back to Holiness article :
Then Paul tells why a woman can either gain power with God by having her hair grow long or why she loses power with God if she cuts or bobs it (Verse 7 of this same chapter 1 Corinth. 11) (pg.3)
But, you women say,why should I leave my hair grow when most all other women are having theirs cut? My answer to you is a wonderful promise of God found in this same chapter we are considering today. First Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 10. Don’t forget that God never asked any of us to pay a price of holiness without offering some grand reward for our obedience, Listen …
“For this cause, or because of this allowing your hair to grow and using your hair as your covering when praying or worshipping at the house of God, then for this cause ought the woman to have power because of the angels.
” Now maybe you never just considered this verse before, but God has angels on this earth not visible to the naked eye, but present just the same, around and near those who far the Lord … the angels encamp around them that fear Him.
So there is a special blessing –a grand reward of power with God and the presence of holy angels around about a godly woman that does NOT cut her hair.
Here is a promise that I wish every woman listening in today would remember. First of all Christ needs you! … the womanhood of any generation that knew God have always been the leaders in prayer and power with God … So women, here is a promise to every godly woman, that you will have power with God because of the presence of angels, providing you use your hair for a covering and not cut it or bob it off. [sic]
Burr, in a October 1954 Pentecostal Herald article entitled “The Hair Question” asserts the following views:
1. Cutting hair is a salvational matter.
“This a matter of life or of death, eternal salvation or eternal condemnation”.
2. Short hair affects spirituality.
“Mark these words, you will never find a really spiritual woman with short hair”
3. Cutting affects God’s favor over one’s life
” It is a shame for a woman to pray with short hair. You may not need God now; but one day you will need him more than anything else in this world. Perhaps in sickness, your baby, your husband, yourself. In death, in distress, how will you be able to kneel before him in sincerity with your short hair, a very banner of rebellion, mocking Him even as you try to lay hold of him in prayer’
**Although
the belief in the unity of God is taught and declared on virtually
every page of the Jewish Scriptures, the doctrine of the Trinity is
never mentioned anywhere throughout the entire corpus of the Hebrew
Bible. Moreover, this doctrine is not to be found anywhere in the New
Testament either because primitive Christianity, in its earliest
stages, was still monotheistic. The authors of the New Testament were
completely unaware that the Church they had fashioned would
eventually embrace a pagan deification of a triune deity. Although
the worship of a three-part godhead was well known and fervently
venerated throughout the Roman Empire and beyond in religious systems
such as Hinduism and Mithraism, it was quite distant from the Judaism
from which Christianity emerged. However, when the Greek and Roman
mind began to dominate the Church, it created a theological disaster
from which Christendom has never recovered. By the end of the fourth
century, the doctrine of the Trinity was firmly in place as a central
tenet of the Church, and strict monotheism was formally rejected by
Vatican councils in Nicea and Constantinople.2
When
Christendom adopted a triune godhead from neighboring triune
religious systems, it spawned a serious conundrum for post-Nicene
Christian apologists. How would they harmonize this new veneration of
Jesus as a being who is of the same substance as the Father with a
New Testament that portrays Jesus as a separate entity, subordinate
to the Father, and created by God? How would they now integrate the
teaching of the Trinity with a New Testament that recognized the
Father alone as God? In essence, how would Christian apologists merge
a first century Christian Bible, which was monotheistic, with a
fourth century Church which was not?
Bear in mind, Jesus never said he is God.
The
answer may come as a shock to many Christians but Jesus never said he
is God. Actually, he said over and over that he is the son of God,
which means that he is not God. Jesus made it clear in many ways that
he is not God; that God is greater. “If you truly loved me you
would rejoice to have me go to the Father, for the Father is greater
than I” (John 14:28). Jesus taught the mankind to pray to the
Father, our Creator, not to himself. In fact, he did not mention
himself in any way, nor did he indicate that we should pray in his
name. His instructions were very specific: we are to pray to God
alone.
JESUS' GOD IS JUDAISM'S GOD In no place in the New Testament did Jesus claim to be God, or God incarnate, or part of a Trinity, or in any way a special substance of God. This idea of Christianity has no basis in Jesus' pronouncements and finds its beginning in the forgery of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek and later all English versions of the Old Testament with its resultant quotes in the New Testament. Religious concepts having more in common with "literalized" Sun worship and "literalized" astral worship became included into later Greek and later English versions of the Hebrew Scriptures and all quotes taken from them that we find in the New Testament. These, of course, send up applied to this Jesus. In so doing a human messiah and anointed one of God becomes a "literal" Sun-godman and even God himself. Idolatry and blasphemy are the fruit of such forgery and seldom does the New Testament Christian know of this because it never dawns upon him to investigate the integrity of his Christian Bible and its faithfulness in translation from the Hebrew Bible that Jesus used. The Jewish Messiah was never to be God incarnated!
A
much-used analogy to describe this is that of an ocean. If God is
like an ocean, then our soul is like a drop of water taken from the
ocean. The drop of water can become one with the ocean but can never
be label as the ocean itself. A human soul can become one with God
and attain salvation but can never be label as God Himself. Jesus
could have been one with God but not God Himself.
United Pentecostal Church International, a sister denomination of the Catholic Universal Church, known as UPCI, a oneness (Jesus Only) form of Nicean Christianity. As sincere as many of these followers are in their beliefs about the deity of Jesus being God and their heretical belief that the UPCI has taken the place of the Jews (the Tribe of Judah) as the elect of HaShem, they miss the understanding of the oneness of God, the roll of the Jews in the last days and where their beliefs and doctrines actually come.
The
fundamental idea that God is incorporeal, meaning that He assumes no
physical form. God is Eternal, above time. He is Infinite, beyond
space. He cannot be born, and cannot die. Saying that God assumes
human form makes God small, diminishing both His unity and His
divinity.
As the Torah says: "God is not a mortal" (Numbers
23:19) Num
23:19
"God is not a human who lies or a mortal who changes his mind.
When he says something, he will do it; when he makes a promise, he
will fulfill it.
Links are below for anyone wanting a better understanding how Oneness denominations DO NOT go back to the original doctrine of the Talmidim (Disciples) of the first century but, are theories of men from the late 1800's and early nineteenth century. (1914)
Pentecostals,
members of the Assemblies of God churches, and some other
charismatics usually place great emphasis on spiritual "gifts
and manifestations, claiming that there is a special post-salvation
gift/experience called the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit" or
"Second Blessing", in which the Holy Spirit, in all His
fullness, is poured out on the believer and that the initial evidence
of this "Second Blessing" is speaking in other tongues as
the Spirit gives utterance. When someone is "overcome by the
Spirit" they often begin speaking gibberish, wave their arms, or
even fall writhing on the floor. Apparently the speaker is said to be
possessed by the Holy Spirit with the person himself having no
control over his own tongue, which is is usually taken as absolute
proof that one has been baptized in the Spirit, a highly prized
spiritual goal. But if, as shown, tongues were a known language
in the New Testament and there is absolutely no evidence to show that
it was some form of ecstatic speech, and Paul instructed that
everything was to be done decently and in order, where does the the
unintelligible gibberish, jerking, twitching, falling on the floor
etc. all come from? Is it even possible that the devil has
substituted the true gift of tongues with a knock-off version? Has
the allure of receiving some form of deeper spiritual experience
deceived countless millions into accepting this counterfeit?
SEARCH the Roots of your faith.
The UPCI emerged out of the Pentecostal Movement, which traces its origins to the teachings of Charles Parham in Topeka, Kansas, and the Azuza Street Revival led by William J. Seymour in 1906. Rejected by the mainline churches, Pentecostals began to form organizations of their own. One of these new groups was the Assemblies of God, which formed in 1914. In 1925, three new Oneness churches were formed: the Apostolic Churches of Jesus Christ, the Pentecostal Ministerial Alliance, and Emmanuel's Church in Jesus Christ. In 1927, steps were taken toward reunifying these organizations. In 1932, the Pentecostal Ministerial Alliance changed its name to the Pentecostal Church, Incorporated to reflect its organizational structure. In 1936, Pentecostal Church, Incorporated ministers voted to work toward an amalgamation with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ. Final union, however, proved elusive until 1945 when these two Oneness Pentecostal organizations combined to form the United Pentecostal Church International. [1]
Pentecost: A feast of the universal Church -the Catholic doctrine, [2]
United Pentecostal Church International, a sister denomination of the Catholic Universal Church, known as UPCI, a oneness (Jesus Only) form of Nicean Christianity. As sincere as many of these followers are in their beliefs about the deity of Jesus being God and their heretical belief that the UPCI has taken the place of the Jews (the Tribe of Judah) as the elect of HaShem, they miss the understanding of the oneness of God, the roll of the Jews in the last days and where their beliefs and doctrines actually come.
The
fundamental idea that God is incorporeal, meaning that He assumes no
physical form. God is Eternal, above time. He is Infinite, beyond
space. He cannot be born, and cannot die. Saying that God assumes
human form makes God small, diminishing both His unity and His
divinity.
As the Torah says: "God is not a mortal" (Numbers
23:19) Num
23:19
"God is not a human who lies or a mortal who changes his mind.
When he says something, he will do it; when he makes a promise, he
will fulfill it.
Links are below for anyone wanting a better understanding how Oneness denominations DO NOT go back to the original doctrine of the Talmidim (Disciples) of the first century but, are theories of men from the late 1800's and early nineteenth century. (1914)
Pentecostals,
members of the Assemblies of God churches, and some other
charismatics usually place great emphasis on spiritual "gifts
and manifestations, claiming that there is a special post-salvation
gift/experience called the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit" or
"Second Blessing", in which the Holy Spirit, in all His
fullness, is poured out on the believer and that the initial evidence
of this "Second Blessing" is speaking in other tongues as
the Spirit gives utterance. When someone is "overcome by the
Spirit" they often begin speaking gibberish, wave their arms, or
even fall writhing on the floor. Apparently the speaker is said to be
possessed by the Holy Spirit with the person himself having no
control over his own tongue, which is is usually taken as absolute
proof that one has been baptized in the Spirit, a highly prized
spiritual goal. But if, as shown, tongues were a known language
in the New Testament and there is absolutely no evidence to show that
it was some form of ecstatic speech, and Paul instructed that
everything was to be done decently and in order, where does the the
unintelligible gibberish, jerking, twitching, falling on the floor
etc. all come from? Is it even possible that the devil has
substituted the true gift of tongues with a knock-off version? Has
the allure of receiving some form of deeper spiritual experience
deceived countless millions into accepting this counterfeit?
Ask yourself,Holy Magic Hair or Witchcraft?
The history of hair goes back to the times of the Bible and beyond. The Bible talks of a man called Sampson who obtained supernatural powers through his long hair. His hair was later cut and consequently he lost his powers.
G.A. Gaskell writes,
‘Hair of the head is a symbol of faith,
intuition of truth, or the highest qualities of the mind.’
Dictionary of all Scriptures
intuition of truth, or the highest qualities of the mind.’
Dictionary of all Scriptures
Bhagwan Shiv also had long hair and Hindus bathing in sacred Ganga is produced through these long hairs. Even Brahma, Vishnu and other deities also have long hairs.
Prophet Mohammad and other prophets in Muslims also have long hairs and beard also.
Zorothustra of Zorrostrians also have long hair and beard also.
Even Jesus Christ had long hair and a beard.
The 10 Gurus of Sikhism all kept their hair uncut .
Even Sidhs and Jogis in Hindism keep hair uncut. You can see qazis and peers in Islam who also wear long hair.
Everybody believe God to be a perfect creator. It therefore follows that whatever He creates is perfect. The keeping of uncut hair is therefore, recognition of God’s perfection and the submission to the Will of God. (Hukam) This includes Arm pit hair, Leg hair, Facial hair, ladies!!! "Un-Cut" as the Reverend Lee Stoneking said...he looked it up in the Greek. ?!
(It's just a sampling of a list, too. There are many more issues than this!)
Challenge
to Oneness Christians, Messianic Jews and Hebrew-Christians
Ready?
The
Challenge: Simply & honestly answer these questions:WITHOUT
taking anything out of context, mistranslating, or imposing a
pre-conceived notion. (All chapter and verse numbers are according to
Christian bibles.)(It's what they use)
(It's just a sampling of a list, too. There are many more issues than this!)
Why
does the subject of 2 Sam. 7.14 “commit iniquity,” if, according
to Hebrews 1.5, this is Jesus?
Why
does the speaker in Psalms 41.4 say, “I have sinned against Thee,”
if, according to John 13.18, this is Jesus?
Why
does the speaker in Psalms 69.5 mention his “folly” and his
“wrongs” if, according to John 15.25, John 2.17, Romans 15.3, and
John 19.28, this is Jesus?
Why
is the speaker in Psalms 69.31 (who we have already established is
Jesus) declaring that praise and thanksgiving will please God better
than a sacrifice??????? Of all places for Jesus to bring this up
(which would be strange enough in any event), isn’t this the
strangest, right when he’s on the cross??????
Why
does God, in Jer. 31:29-30, make a point of stressing that “everyone
will die for his own iniquity” – immediately before introducing
the new covenant, whereby Jesus will die for everyone else’s
iniquity? Isn’t that a rather strange way for the “tutor to lead
us to Christ?”
When
does the new covenant of Jer. 31:31 come into effect? If it was 2,000
years ago, why hasn’t the first 3/4 of verse 34 happened yet?
Why
will there be sin sacrifices when the messiah comes, when the New
Testament is adamant that there won’t be? (Hebrews 9:28; Heb.
10:10,12,14,18; Ezekiel 3:18,19,21,22,25; Ezek.44: 27, 29; Ezek.
45:17,20,22,23,25)
Why
is Torah law going forth from Zion in the messianic age, in the sight
of all the nations of the world, instead of Jesus, if the law is a
curse and Jesus has fulfilled and replaced it? (Isaiah 2.3, Micah
4.2)
Why
are the Jews keeping (DOING) the Torah law in the messianic age, if
it is a curse and Jesus has fulfilled and replaced it? (Ezek. 37.24)
Why
is no one who is uncircumcised IN THE FLESH allowed to enter the
temple in the messianic age, if “neither circumcision nor
uncircumcision means anything,” according to Paul? (Gal.5.6, Ezek.
44.7) Whose opinion should I trust, Paul’s or God’s?
Why
does “forever” have an expiration date in Christianity? (Romans
10.4; Ps. 119: 44, 111, 152, 160, 172, 142; Deut. 29.29)
How
can Jesus be qualified to be the messiah through Davidic lineage if
he did not have a human father? Can the “Holy Spirit” be of the
seed of David?
How
can Jesus be qualified to be the messiah through Davidic lineage,
even through Joseph, if Joseph came through the cursed line of
Jeconiah? (Jer. 22:28-30, Matt. 1.11,12)
How
can Jesus be qualified to be the messiah through Davidic lineage,
even through Mary, if she came from Nathan, the wrong son of David,
as well as from the cursed line? (Luke 3:31, 1 Chron. 22:9,10, Luke
3:27)
How
could both Matthew’s and Luke’s genealogies be correct, and
divinely inspired, even if they are of two different people, if they
diverge (at Nathan and Solomon) and then come back together (at
Shealtiel)? How can two brothers have the same grandchildren???
Why
don’t the genealogies in the New Testament agree with each other,
or with 1 Chronicles 3, which came first and CANNOT be incorrect?
Why
is Paul so anxious for you to not study the genealogies? (1 Tim.1:4,
Titus 3:9-11)
Why
is Hebrews 8.9 wrong about what God said in Jer. 31.32?
Why
is Hebrews 10.5 wrong about what God said in Psalm 40.6?
Why
is 2 Corinthians 3 wrong about what God said in Exodus 34.29-35?
Why
is John 19.37 wrong about what God said in Zech 12.10?
Why
are Romans 9.33 and 2 Pet. 2.8 wrong about what God said in Isaiah
28.16?
Why
is Romans 10.6-8 wrong about what God said in Deut. 30.12-14? Why
does it leave out Deut. 30.11, and the last half of verses 12, 13,
and 14???
Why
is Romans 11:26-27 wrong about what God said in Isaiah 59:20-21?
Why
is Matt. 12.21 wrong about what God said in Isaiah 42.4? Why does he
leave out what it really says – “He will not be disheartened or
crushed until he has established justice in the earth”?
Why
is Matt. 1.12 wrong about what God said in 1 Chron. 3.19?
Why
is Matt. 2.6 wrong about what God said in Micah 5.2?
Why
is Luke 4:18-19 wrong about what God said in Isaiah 61:1-2?
In
Romans 9:24-26, why does Paul leave out the first part of Hosea 1.10,
which tells us that the verses he is quoting (the second half of
Hosea 1.10, and Hosea 2.23), refer to the sons of Israel?
Why
does Matt. 2.15 leave out the first half of Hosea 11.1, which says
that Israel is God’s son?
Where
in the Hebrew scriptures is the verse, “And he shall be called a
Nazarene,” quoted in Matthew 2.23?
How
can it be possible that the holy and inspired men of the New
Testament were so ignorant of the Hebrew scriptures?
Why
doesn’t Jesus himself know his own scripture, if he’s God and he
wrote it? (Math. 23.35; Zech 1.1,2; 2 Chron 24.20,21)
Why
is Jesus wrong in Math. 5.43 about what God said in Lev. 19.18?
Why
does Jesus change God’s law (Math. 5.32, Luke 16.18 – declaring
every legally divorced woman an adulteress, and every man married to
a legally divorced woman an adulterer), if “I did not come to
abolish the law,” and “whoever annuls one of the least of these
commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the
kingdom of heaven?” (Math. 5.17,19)
Why
do most Christian translators lie about what God said in Hosea 14.2,
and change His words, “take away all iniquity… that we may
present our lips as bulls” (demonstrating that prayer substitutes
for sacrifice) to “… the fruit of our lips?”
Why
do Christians never mention verses like Hosea 14.2 or 1 Kings 8:44-52
or 2 Sam 12:13 or Lev. 5:11-13 or Ps. 32.5 or Isaiah 6.6-7 which
demonstrate that one does not need a blood sacrifice to have their
sins forgiven, or verses like Proverbs 21.3 or Psalms 40.6 or Hosea
6.6 or Psalms 69:30-31 or 1 Sam. 15.22 which say clearly that God
actually PREFERS other methods of atonement to blood sacrifice, or
Jeremiah 7:22-23 which goes so far as to say that God NEVER EVEN
COMMANDED US ABOUT SACRIFICES???
Why
are there numerous stories in the torah of people who sinned, and
were forgiven through prayer and repentance – WITHOUT A SACRIFICE,
such as David in 2 Sam 12:13, or the city of Nineveh in Jonah – and
not a single story, ever, of someone who sinned and gave a sacrifice
in order to be forgiven?
How
can Jesus be both the high priest (per Paul in Hebrews), who comes
from the tribe of Levi, and the messiah, who comes from the tribe of
Judah?
How
can Jesus be the Passover lamb for the gentiles, especially the
uncircumcised, if outsiders were forbidden to partake of it? (Ex.
12:43,45,48)
Why
is the New Testament so concerned about the laws of the paschal lamb
when it comes to the 2nd half of Ex. 12.46 (see Jn. 19.36), but not
at all concerned with these laws when it comes to Ex. 12:
3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,44, the first half of 46, or 48?
What
good is Jesus as a sin sacrifice to the intentional sinner, since
(with one exception, Lev. 6.2,3) the sin sacrifices were only for the
unintentional sinner? (Lev. 4: 2,13,22,27; 5:15,18)
How
can Zech. 12.10 be referring to Jesus’ crucifixion, as John 19.37
says it is, when Zechariah is clearly describing an end-time
apocalyptic war that has not yet taken place?
How
can Zechariah be making a “dual” prophecy, when according to the
Christians, this passage refers to God being pierced? Is he going to
be pierced again when he returns in glory?
When
was the last supper – the seder night (the first night of passover)
or the night before? (Matt. 26.17-19, Mark 14.12-16, Luke 14.7-15,
John 13.1-2)
When
did Jesus die – the first day of Passover or the day before? (Matt.
26, Mark 14, Luke 22, John 18.28, 19.14)
Why
did God, in Jer. 31.16, tell Rachel that her children would return,
if He was referring to the dead children in Matthew 2.16? Were they
going to come back to life?
Why
are the nations putting their hands on their mouth in Micah 7.16,
much like in Isaiah 52.15? What is it that they’re seeing and being
ashamed of?
Why
did the church put an unnatural chapter break between Isaiah 52.15
and 53.1?
Why
did the Christian translators remove the two plural references to the
servant in Isaiah 53.8 and 9 and replace them with a singular form?
Why
does the servant in Isaiah 53.10 have physical children (“zera”/seed)
if it refers to Jesus?
If
“zera” really means spiritual children in Is. 53, why do all
Christians agree it means physical offspring in every other place in
the bible that it is used to refer to people?
If
“zera”/seed really means spiritual children, which ONE of the
world’s Christians is the true child of Jesus, since according to
Paul in Gal. 3.16, “seed” refers to only one person?
Why
are there many clear prophecies which state that Israel is despised
and afflicted, but none which say this about the messiah?
Why
is the automatic Christian response to the problems of Isaiah 53
ALWAYS to quote the rabbis they otherwise despise and mock and whose
writings they don’t believe in, that Jesus berated and Paul called
“men who turn away from the truth” (Titus 1.14)?
Why
did the disciples not understand what Jesus was talking about in Luke
18:31-34 and Mark 9:32, if it was always common knowledge among the
Jews that the messiah was to suffer, die, and rise from the dead?
Why
did Jesus make predictions that didn’t come true, if that’s a
sure sign of a false prophet? (Math. 16:38, Mark 9:1, Luke 9:27,
Deut. 18:20-22)?
Why
does God the Father know something Jesus doesn’t know (Mark 13.32)
if Jesus IS the Everlasting Father, and the Mighty God, according to
Isaiah 9.6?
Why
do the writers of the New Testament translate the word “moshiach”
correctly as “an anointed one” every time it appears in the
Torah, except for in Daniel 9?
Why
do the writers of the New Testament translate the word “ca’ari”
correctly as “like a lion” every time it appears in the Torah,
except for in Psalm 22.17?
Why
do the writers of the New Testament translate the words “y’mei
olom” correctly as “days of old” every time it appears in the
Torah, except for in Micah 5.2?
Why
do the writers of the New Testament translate the word “bar”
correctly to “cleanliness” or “purity” every time it appears
in the Torah, except for in Psalm 2.12? Why is it that 5 verses
earlier King David knew the correct word for “son,” but not in
verse 12?
Why
don’t the writers of the New Testament translate “ha’almah”
as “virgin” in Proverbs 30.19, if that’s what it means? (What
the four “ways” in vs. 19 have in common is that they leave no
trace, as evidenced by vs. 20 that follows.)
Why
did the Septuagint authors use “parthenos” in Genesis to describe
Dina who had just been raped, if it means virgin according to
messianic authorities?
If
Isaiah 7.14 refers to the virgin birth of Jesus, via “dual
prophecy” (since it obviously can’t refer to him via the
context), then whose was the other virgin birth that occurred at the
time of the prophecy?
*
Why are there numerous prophecies about gentiles bowing and
apologizing to the Jews in the last days, and admitting they (the
gentiles) have been wrong, and not a single prophecy the other way
around – of the Jews apologizing to the gentiles – if it is
indeed the Jews who are wrong?
*
Why are we commanded NOWHERE in the Jewish scriptures to believe in
the messiah when he comes, if our salvation depends on it?
*
Why do all the prophecies that Jesus supposedly fulfilled deal only
with the PERSON of the messiah, which the Torah barely mentions, and
have nothing to with the ACCOMPLISHMENTS of the messiah, which the
Torah is very specific about?
*
Why is it that all of the prophecies that Jesus supposedly fulfilled
are all things that are of no practical advantage to anyone, and do
nothing to improve the quality of anyone’s life, while all of the
prophecies that he did NOT yet fulfill are all things that will be of
tremendous benefit to every individual on the planet, and all of
mankind as a whole? (For example, how does a virgin birth that
happened 2000 years ago, or Jesus’ being thirsty and being offered
vinegar, or being born in Bethlehem, or being killed with a robber,
or riding on a donkey, etc… help me out at all? How do any of these
“fulfillments” solve a single problem in my life, or anyone’s?
Yet, on the other hand, when there is world peace, and all the evil
people are gone, and all the sick are healed, etc… now THERE are
some messianic prophecies we can surely use. )
*
Why is it that all of the prophecies that Jesus supposedly fulfilled
are all things that CANNOT BE PROVEN, while all of the prophecies
that Jesus did NOT yet fulfill, on the other hand, are all things
that COULD NOT BE DENIED IF HE HAD fulfilled them – even just ONE
of them?
*
Why is it that the ONLY way to fit Jesus into the torah’s messianic
prophecies is through the use of extreme force? Why is one or more of
the following methods ALWAYS required? 1) taking verses out of
context, 2) mistranslating, 3) placing a 2,000 year gap (at least) in
the middle of a verse – totally unjustified by the context – i.e.
sweeping any failure of Jesus to fulfill the scriptures under the rug
of the 2nd coming, or 4) making verses up? Why can’t the torah ever
just ONCE mention Jesus clearly, if it’s so important that we
believe in him?
ARE
ALL OF THE ABOVE FACTS JUST TREMENDOUS, AMAZING, UNBELIEVABLE
COINCIDENCES???????
If
God changed his mind about so many crucial things He
said in the Torah, as demonstrated above, and now wants us to believe
in Jesus, why didn't he have the decency to come down to
ALL of us, and endorse Jesus in person to make it clear to us, as he
came down to all 3 million of us on Mt. Sinai to endorse Moses, to
make sure we would believe in the Torah forever? (Ex. 19:9.11,17, Ex.
24.17)
Why
does God break one of His own commandments, “You shall
not place a stumbling block before the blind” (Lev. 19.14), since
according to 2 Cor. 3.14 and 4.4 I am blind, and according to Rom.
9.32, 1 Peter 2.8, and 1 Cor 1.23, the above challenges are all part
of “a stumbling stone?”
Why
does God trick us, and present us with such tremendous
difficulties as the above questions, and then throw us into hell for
rejecting an apparent false god, who’s really not false, if “God
our Savior desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge
of the truth?” (1 Tim. 2.4)
Why
is the Christian God such a sadist? And why do Christians expect Jews
to want to embrace such a God? **
Exodus 20:2-3 - The First of the Ten Commandments
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, and of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.” (See also Deuteronomy 5:7)
Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man that He should lie, nor a mortal that He should change His mind.”
Deuteronomy 4:11-12 “You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no image; there was only a voice.”
Deuteronomy 4:35 “You are the ones who have been shown, so that you will know that God is the Supreme Being, and there is none other besides Him!”
Deuteronomy 4:39 “Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the Lord, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other!"
Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one.”
Deuteronomy 6:14 “You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you!”
Deuteronomy 32:39 “See, now, that I, I am He - and no god is with Me...”
I Samuel 2:2 “There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside Thee; neither is there any Rock like our God."
I Samuel 15:29 “The Eternal One of Israel will not lie nor change His mind: for He is not a man that He should change His mind.”
I Kings 8:27 “For will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; how much less this house that I have built?”
I Kings 8:60 “So that all the nations of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other!”
II Kings 19:19 “Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that You alone, O Lord, are God.” (Psalm 113:5)
Isaiah 40:18 “To whom then will you liken God? To what likeness will you compare unto Him?”
Isaiah 40:25 “To whom will then you liken Me, that I should be his equal?” says the Holy One.
Isaiah 42:8 “I am the Lord, that is My name, and My glory will I not give to another. Neither My praise to graven images!”
Isaiah 43:10-11 “You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me no god was formed, nor will there be one after Me. I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no Savior.”
Isaiah 44:6-8 This is what the Lord says, Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty, “I am the first and I am the last; apart from Me there is no God! Who then is like Me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before Me...Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”
Isaiah 44:24 So said the Lord, your Redeemer, the One who formed you from the womb, “I am the Lord Who makes everything, Who stretched forth the heavens alone, Who spread out the earth by Myself.”
Isaiah 45:5-6 “I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God... I will strengthen you...I order that they know from the shining of the sun and from the west that there is no one besides Me; I am the Lord and there is no other!”
Isaiah 45:18-19 For this is what the Lord says – He who created the heavens, He is God; He who fashioned and made the earth, He founded it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited – He says: “I am the Lord, and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob's descendants, ‘Seek Me in vain.’ I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right.”
Isaiah 45:21-22 “...who announced this before, who declared it from the distant past? Is it not I, the Lord, and there is no God apart from Me, a righteous God and Savior; there is none but Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other!”
Isaiah 46:5 “To whom shall you liken Me and make Me equal and compare Me that we may be alike?”
Isaiah 46:9 “Remember the first things of old, that I am God and there is no other; I am God and there is none like Me.”
Isaiah 48:11 “...And My honor I will not give to another.”
Hosea 13:4 “And I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but Me, no Savior except Me!”
Joel 2:27 “And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and I am the Lord your God, there is no other; and My people shall never be ashamed.”
Malachi 2:10 “Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why should we betray, each one his brother, to profane the covenant of our forefathers?”
Psalm 73:25 “Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You.”
Psalm 81:8-9 “Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, if you would listen to Me! Let there be no strange god among you; nor shall you worship any foreign god."
Psalm 146:3 “Do not put your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no salvation!”
Nehemiah 9:6 “You alone are the Lord; You made the heavens, the heavens of the heavens and all their host, the earth and all that is upon it, the seas and all that is in them, and You give life to them all, and the heavenly host bow down before You.”
I Chronicles 17:20 “O Lord, there is none like You, neither is there any God beside You, according to all that we have heard with our ears!”
The Eternal Consequences of Idol Worship
I have been told that if I don't believe in Jesus as my savior I am going straight to Hell after I die. This seems like a compelling reason for me to believe in Jesus particularly since I have also been told that there is no consequence within Judaism if I believe in Jesus. Therefore, I have nothing to lose by believing in Jesus, so why shouldn't I believe in him as my savior?
Answer: Actually, belief in Jesus is a horrendous sin with grave consequences for any Jew who professes to do so. To understand this let us look at the tragic apostasy of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and its dominant tribe, Ephraim. God, speaking through the prophet Hosea declares, "When Ephraim spoke with trembling, he became exalted in Israel; but when he became guilty through Baal, he died" (Hosea 13:1). When they served God, Ephraim was "exalted," but when they became guilty of idol worship and remained unrepentant despite prophetic warnings to cease their sinful ways they signed their own death warrant. Ephraim died a spiritual death long before it suffered national destruction.
From the prophetic message we learn that apostates, even during their lifetime are reckoned as dead as long as they remain unrepentant. The prophet not only denounces belief in molten images fashioned by craftsmen, but also those who trust in a false savior- god: "And I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt, and gods beside Me you should not know, and there is no savior but Me" (Hosea 13:4).
God desires the apostate's repentance and beckons him/her to renounce iniquity: "From the clutches of the grave I would ransom them, from death I would redeem them, I will be your words of death; I will decree the grave upon you. Remorse shall be hidden from My eyes" (Hosea 13:14).
For the apostate who does not repent, God says, "I will decree the grave upon you." In a more literal sense, "I will be the cause of your being cut off to the grave." Katavcha, from the verb ketev, denotes "cutting" (e.g. Psalms 91:6). Its primary meaning is "to cut," but in Hosea 13:14, ketev takes on the secondary meaning "decree." In Hebrew, the primary word for decree is gezayra, the root of which is gezer, "to cut." There are a number of word roots in Hebrew whose primary meaning is "cutting," yet have a secondary meaning of a final, permanent decision or ruling (e.g., pasak, chakak, gezer, charatz, karat).
As we see, the belief in the false savior-god Jesus is a grave sin. The unrepentant apostate is not only shunned and considered dead by the Jewish community. God Himself considers the unrepentant apostate as spiritually dead in this life and in physical death the apostate is all the more so "cut off."[3]
Exodus 20:2-3 - The First of the Ten Commandments
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, and of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.” (See also Deuteronomy 5:7)
Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man that He should lie, nor a mortal that He should change His mind.”
Deuteronomy 4:11-12 “You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no image; there was only a voice.”
Deuteronomy 4:35 “You are the ones who have been shown, so that you will know that God is the Supreme Being, and there is none other besides Him!”
Deuteronomy 4:39 “Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the Lord, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other!"
Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one.”
Deuteronomy 6:14 “You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you!”
Deuteronomy 32:39 “See, now, that I, I am He - and no god is with Me...”
I Samuel 2:2 “There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside Thee; neither is there any Rock like our God."
I Samuel 15:29 “The Eternal One of Israel will not lie nor change His mind: for He is not a man that He should change His mind.”
I Kings 8:27 “For will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; how much less this house that I have built?”
I Kings 8:60 “So that all the nations of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other!”
II Kings 19:19 “Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that You alone, O Lord, are God.” (Psalm 113:5)
Isaiah 40:18 “To whom then will you liken God? To what likeness will you compare unto Him?”
Isaiah 40:25 “To whom will then you liken Me, that I should be his equal?” says the Holy One.
Isaiah 42:8 “I am the Lord, that is My name, and My glory will I not give to another. Neither My praise to graven images!”
Isaiah 43:10-11 “You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me no god was formed, nor will there be one after Me. I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no Savior.”
Isaiah 44:6-8 This is what the Lord says, Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty, “I am the first and I am the last; apart from Me there is no God! Who then is like Me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before Me...Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”
Isaiah 44:24 So said the Lord, your Redeemer, the One who formed you from the womb, “I am the Lord Who makes everything, Who stretched forth the heavens alone, Who spread out the earth by Myself.”
Isaiah 45:5-6 “I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God... I will strengthen you...I order that they know from the shining of the sun and from the west that there is no one besides Me; I am the Lord and there is no other!”
Isaiah 45:18-19 For this is what the Lord says – He who created the heavens, He is God; He who fashioned and made the earth, He founded it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited – He says: “I am the Lord, and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob's descendants, ‘Seek Me in vain.’ I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right.”
Isaiah 45:21-22 “...who announced this before, who declared it from the distant past? Is it not I, the Lord, and there is no God apart from Me, a righteous God and Savior; there is none but Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other!”
Isaiah 46:5 “To whom shall you liken Me and make Me equal and compare Me that we may be alike?”
Isaiah 46:9 “Remember the first things of old, that I am God and there is no other; I am God and there is none like Me.”
Isaiah 48:11 “...And My honor I will not give to another.”
Hosea 13:4 “And I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but Me, no Savior except Me!”
Joel 2:27 “And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and I am the Lord your God, there is no other; and My people shall never be ashamed.”
Malachi 2:10 “Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why should we betray, each one his brother, to profane the covenant of our forefathers?”
Psalm 73:25 “Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You.”
Psalm 81:8-9 “Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, if you would listen to Me! Let there be no strange god among you; nor shall you worship any foreign god."
Psalm 146:3 “Do not put your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no salvation!”
Nehemiah 9:6 “You alone are the Lord; You made the heavens, the heavens of the heavens and all their host, the earth and all that is upon it, the seas and all that is in them, and You give life to them all, and the heavenly host bow down before You.”
I Chronicles 17:20 “O Lord, there is none like You, neither is there any God beside You, according to all that we have heard with our ears!”
The Eternal Consequences of Idol Worship
I have been told that if I don't believe in Jesus as my savior I am going straight to Hell after I die. This seems like a compelling reason for me to believe in Jesus particularly since I have also been told that there is no consequence within Judaism if I believe in Jesus. Therefore, I have nothing to lose by believing in Jesus, so why shouldn't I believe in him as my savior?
Answer: Actually, belief in Jesus is a horrendous sin with grave consequences for any Jew who professes to do so. To understand this let us look at the tragic apostasy of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and its dominant tribe, Ephraim. God, speaking through the prophet Hosea declares, "When Ephraim spoke with trembling, he became exalted in Israel; but when he became guilty through Baal, he died" (Hosea 13:1). When they served God, Ephraim was "exalted," but when they became guilty of idol worship and remained unrepentant despite prophetic warnings to cease their sinful ways they signed their own death warrant. Ephraim died a spiritual death long before it suffered national destruction.
From the prophetic message we learn that apostates, even during their lifetime are reckoned as dead as long as they remain unrepentant. The prophet not only denounces belief in molten images fashioned by craftsmen, but also those who trust in a false savior- god: "And I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt, and gods beside Me you should not know, and there is no savior but Me" (Hosea 13:4).
God desires the apostate's repentance and beckons him/her to renounce iniquity: "From the clutches of the grave I would ransom them, from death I would redeem them, I will be your words of death; I will decree the grave upon you. Remorse shall be hidden from My eyes" (Hosea 13:14).
For the apostate who does not repent, God says, "I will decree the grave upon you." In a more literal sense, "I will be the cause of your being cut off to the grave." Katavcha, from the verb ketev, denotes "cutting" (e.g. Psalms 91:6). Its primary meaning is "to cut," but in Hosea 13:14, ketev takes on the secondary meaning "decree." In Hebrew, the primary word for decree is gezayra, the root of which is gezer, "to cut." There are a number of word roots in Hebrew whose primary meaning is "cutting," yet have a secondary meaning of a final, permanent decision or ruling (e.g., pasak, chakak, gezer, charatz, karat).
As we see, the belief in the false savior-god Jesus is a grave sin. The unrepentant apostate is not only shunned and considered dead by the Jewish community. God Himself considers the unrepentant apostate as spiritually dead in this life and in physical death the apostate is all the more so "cut off."[3]
**This
list may be copied and passed around, as long as credit is given to
leeannesmailbox@aol.com, who gives at least half of the credit to
Rabbi Tovia Singer.
Witchcraft (also called witchery), in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the use of alleged supernatural or magical powers or spells.
SEE ALSO: "Why the Church Teaches Jesus is not the Messiah" link
 |
The actress who plays the witch in geico commercial... Jordana Oberman |
The Torah Source For Covering One’s Hair
Chaya, a kabbalistic feminist, explains why married Jewish women cover their hair! Don’t miss this explanation about what it really means to be a feminist – all put to rhyme and rhythm. Just keep in mind that “female power is found within.” So – watch out Miley Cyrus!
We recently layned Parshas Naso which contains the Biblical source for the obligation of a married woman to cover her hair. An eesha sotah is a woman whose husband suspects her of having acted immorally. The Torah commands the Kohein to take various steps to demonstrate that the sotah has deviated from the modest and loyal path of most married Jewish women (Rashi 5:15-27). Among the procedures, the pasuk clearly states: “ufora es rosh haisha…” and he shall uncover the hair of the head of the woman (5:18). One can only uncover something that has previously been covered; in this case the Torah is referring to the married woman’s hair! There are those who translateufora as to undo which in this case simply adds a detail. Rashi clearly explains (ibid) that married women would braid their hair under the covering that they wore.
The Kohein needed to uncover and undo this braid. Why? “Soser es klias searah” he (the Kohein) undoes the braiding of her hair, “mekan liBnos Yisrael shegiluy harosh genay hu lahen,” from here we learn that for married Jewish women uncovered hair is a disgrace for them!’ There exists an assumed suspicion that the sotah has sinned grievously. She has, at the very least, secluded herself with another man for a long enough period of time to act inappropriately, after having been warned by her husband not to do so. Whether or not she has actually sinned will be determined by what happens after she drinks the special waters prepared by Kohein.
From the date given at the onset of parshas Bamidbar, we infer that the events in parshas Naso took place in the second year of Bnei Yisrael’s stay in the Midbar. It is safe to assume that all married women covered their hair. It is also possible that they may have been covering their hair for generations. Remember, they dressed differently then we do today.
There is a hint to this in parshas Korach in the way the wife of Ohn ben Peles prevents him from joining Korach’s rebellion against Moshe. At the beginning of the parsha, the Torah lists the members of Korach’s group and Ohn ben Peles is mentioned. As many women know, the night before the rebellion, Ohn confided in his wife his regret for having agreed to join the group. How could he get out of this commitment? Ohn’s wife knew that as rebellious as this group was, they were all talmeidei chachomim and kept the mitzvos. The next morning, eishes Ohn sat herself right at the opening of her tent – on the inside, with her hair uncovered. Each member of Korah’s group who would come to pick up her husband would be faced with a moral dilemma. And that is what happened, the moment they saw Ohn’s wife sitting with her hair uncovered, they instinctively turned and walked away. Chazal praise Ohn’s wife whose actions saved his life.
Recently, someone asked me why women are not obligated to wear tefillin. The questioner seemed hurt by this exclusion. She was surprised to learn that in actuality women do wear a form of tefillin and they wear it way longer then men do. I was referring to this mitzvah – the obligation of married women to cover their hair. This idea is found in Rabbi Falk’s sefer Oz Vehadar Levusha. In it he says: “The head covering enables a woman to fulfill the mitzvah of kisuy sa’aros (covering her hair) minute by minute throughout the day thereby enabling her to earn great rewards both in this world and in the World to Come… While a man adorns his head with tefillin for about an hour day, a woman has the merit to adorn her head with an article of mitzvah throughout the length of the day”. Rabbi Falk adds that “Hagaon Rav Shimon Schwabzt”l, once said that women are not obligated in the mitzvah of tefillin because they wear “their tefillin” throughout all hours of the day. They therefore do not require the added sanctification of tefillin as in the case of men” (Oz Vehadar p.243).
Indeed, the Chofetz Chaim in Mishnah Berurah states that kisuy sa’aros of a married woman is a catalyst to give additional yiras Shamayim to her children.
Baruch Hashem, today, stylish and yet refined sheitels abound as well as nicely designed tichels. One can also find beautiful hats that cover the hair properly. There are many talented women who offer excellent service in styling and maintaining sheitels. We worry so much about the negative influences of society on our children. Let us make a recommitment to the Torah obligation to cover our hair properly, with the knowledge that we are doing the will of Hashem. At the same time we are adding to the arsenal another protective layer for our families to keep them safe from the moral depravity around us. With Hashem’s help we will succeed.
The author dedicates this article li’eluy nishmas her paternal grandfather Reb Moshe ben Eliezer Lieber Gelbtuch zt”l whose yahrtzeit is the 24th of Sivan and her paternal grandmother Breindel Yocheved bas Menachem Mendel Gelbtuch (nee Katz) Hy”d.
The Kohein needed to uncover and undo this braid. Why? “Soser es klias searah” he (the Kohein) undoes the braiding of her hair, “mekan liBnos Yisrael shegiluy harosh genay hu lahen,” from here we learn that for married Jewish women uncovered hair is a disgrace for them!’ There exists an assumed suspicion that the sotah has sinned grievously. She has, at the very least, secluded herself with another man for a long enough period of time to act inappropriately, after having been warned by her husband not to do so. Whether or not she has actually sinned will be determined by what happens after she drinks the special waters prepared by Kohein.
From the date given at the onset of parshas Bamidbar, we infer that the events in parshas Naso took place in the second year of Bnei Yisrael’s stay in the Midbar. It is safe to assume that all married women covered their hair. It is also possible that they may have been covering their hair for generations. Remember, they dressed differently then we do today.
There is a hint to this in parshas Korach in the way the wife of Ohn ben Peles prevents him from joining Korach’s rebellion against Moshe. At the beginning of the parsha, the Torah lists the members of Korach’s group and Ohn ben Peles is mentioned. As many women know, the night before the rebellion, Ohn confided in his wife his regret for having agreed to join the group. How could he get out of this commitment? Ohn’s wife knew that as rebellious as this group was, they were all talmeidei chachomim and kept the mitzvos. The next morning, eishes Ohn sat herself right at the opening of her tent – on the inside, with her hair uncovered. Each member of Korah’s group who would come to pick up her husband would be faced with a moral dilemma. And that is what happened, the moment they saw Ohn’s wife sitting with her hair uncovered, they instinctively turned and walked away. Chazal praise Ohn’s wife whose actions saved his life.
Recently, someone asked me why women are not obligated to wear tefillin. The questioner seemed hurt by this exclusion. She was surprised to learn that in actuality women do wear a form of tefillin and they wear it way longer then men do. I was referring to this mitzvah – the obligation of married women to cover their hair. This idea is found in Rabbi Falk’s sefer Oz Vehadar Levusha. In it he says: “The head covering enables a woman to fulfill the mitzvah of kisuy sa’aros (covering her hair) minute by minute throughout the day thereby enabling her to earn great rewards both in this world and in the World to Come… While a man adorns his head with tefillin for about an hour day, a woman has the merit to adorn her head with an article of mitzvah throughout the length of the day”. Rabbi Falk adds that “Hagaon Rav Shimon Schwabzt”l, once said that women are not obligated in the mitzvah of tefillin because they wear “their tefillin” throughout all hours of the day. They therefore do not require the added sanctification of tefillin as in the case of men” (Oz Vehadar p.243).
Indeed, the Chofetz Chaim in Mishnah Berurah states that kisuy sa’aros of a married woman is a catalyst to give additional yiras Shamayim to her children.Baruch Hashem, today, stylish and yet refined sheitels abound as well as nicely designed tichels. One can also find beautiful hats that cover the hair properly. There are many talented women who offer excellent service in styling and maintaining sheitels. We worry so much about the negative influences of society on our children. Let us make a recommitment to the Torah obligation to cover our hair properly, with the knowledge that we are doing the will of Hashem. At the same time we are adding to the arsenal another protective layer for our families to keep them safe from the moral depravity around us. With Hashem’s help we will succeed.
The author dedicates this article li’eluy nishmas her paternal grandfather Reb Moshe ben Eliezer Lieber Gelbtuch zt”l whose yahrtzeit is the 24th of Sivan and her paternal grandmother Breindel Yocheved bas Menachem Mendel Gelbtuch (nee Katz) Hy”d.
You can enter into a deep, joyful and fulfilling relationship with the One Creator of heaven and earth without having anyone else involved in that relationship aside from the two of you: God and yourself.
Don’t let anyone tell you that your Creator is “unapproachable”. You don’t need anyone to stand between you and Him.He is close to all who call upon Him in truth (Psalm 145:18). - Rabbi Eli Cohen
Don’t let anyone tell you that your Creator is “unapproachable”. You don’t need anyone to stand between you and Him.He is close to all who call upon Him in truth (Psalm 145:18). - Rabbi Eli Cohen
sources:
Lee Stoneking preaching at POLR
"I'm A Pentecostal"
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