Sermon Tone Analysis

Traditions and goodness

Tradition, Tradition!

I may not have said that as well as Tevye from fiddler on the roof but I think everyone knows what this teaching is about.

Tradition.

We are in a season of very traditional activities.

Last week we gathered and enjoyed the Pesach together.

We followed a Haggadah and participated in many traditional activities.

Some of us have been counting the Omer and reciting traditional prayers this week.

In our lives we maybe seeking to keep more traditions.

So at this point let us discuss tradition and really understand it.

First let us understand what tradition is.

A simple understanding of tradition is a Teaching or Ritual that has been handed down.

So when we are keeping a tradition we are keeping a Teaching (belief) or Ritual (custom) that has been impressed upon us by some one from a previous generation.

This seems pretty straight forward.

Yet some people mistake tradition for habit, conformity, quaintness or rejection of change.

To a Torah observer real tradition is about a life of true goodness, which requires a devotion to spiritual precepts.

Some times these traditions can take different forms depending on a cultures understanding of a precept.

So a good example of this is we abstained from the leavening this week.

Most cultures abstained from the 5 grains of oats, rye, barley, spelt and wheat.

Some cultures included more grains and legumes.

Both traditions are good and serve the same purpose.

These traditions should not divide us.

If one is convinced in their heart that a tradition is good, if the tradition does not violate Torah, and it serves a purpose then they should do that tradition.

Even if that tradition does not serve a purpose directly in Torah, if it is good and does not counter Torah then one should keep it.

Some may think that is a strange statement.

Why should we keep a Tradition that is not directly in Torah?

Well it builds community and fellowship.

An example of this is the Happy Birthday song.

We sing this song yet it is not commanded in Torah and it is a totally man made tradition.

Should we keep it?

I think so.

Another one Thanksgiving the Holiday.

While certainly we are commanded to give our Heavenly Father thanks the actual day is not a commanded holiday yet it is clearly good to keep.

Or should we give these up because there is not a specific Torah commandment about them?

What about Yeshua when he spoke about Traditions?

Was he against traditions?

2 “Why do Your taught ones transgress the tradition of the elders?

For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

3 But He answering, said to them, “Why do you also transgress the command of Elohim because of your tradition?

15 1 Then some P’rushim and Torah-teachers from Yerushalayim came to Yeshua and asked him, 2 “Why is it that your talmidim break the Tradition of the Elders?

They don’t do n’tilat-yadayim before they eat!” 3 He answered, “Indeed, why do you break the command of God by your tradition?

4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ 5 But you say, ‘If anyone says to his father or mother, “I have promised to give to God what I might have used to help you,” 6 then he is rid of his duty to honor his father or mother.’

Thus by your tradition you make null and void the word of God! 7 You hypocrites!

Yesha‘yahu was right when he prophesied about you,

8  ‘These people honor me with their lips,

but their hearts are far away from me.

9  Their worship of me is useless,

because they teach man-made rules as if they were doctrines.’

”

4 “For Elohim has commanded, saying, ‘Respect your father and your mother,’ and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’

5 “But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me has been dedicated,”

6 is certainly released from respecting his father or mother.’

So you have nullified the command of Elohim by your tradition.

What a bold thing for Yeshua to say.

“Their worship of me is useless, because they teach man-made rules as if they where doctrines.”!

7 “Hypocrites!

Yeshayahu rightly prophesied about you, saying,

8 ‘This people draw near to Me with their mouth, and respect Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

9 ‘But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as teachings the commands of men.’ ”

There is a lot in these verses.

When one first reads this it may seem that Yeshua has a problem about washing hands.

One might think Yeshua is upset that the Tradition of washing hands is being kept at all.

I find 3 important points in this passage with the first 2 supporting the 3rd point.

1st this gets missed easily but the word for break here in Greek is παραβαίνω parabainō, par-ab-ah´ee-no and means literally to violate a commandment.

The Greek word for break as in break bread or break a stick is κλάω klaō, klah´-o.

They are very different.

So the Pharisees and scribes are accusing Yeshua and his disciples specifically of violating a commandment.

2nd Yeshua tells the Pharisees plainly they are breaking a commandment by their traditions.

Which commandment and which traditions?

It is not the handwashing tradition that breaks a command, it is the tradition of declaring something Korban that violated the commandment to “Honor your father and mother” and “Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death”.

Yeshua is not speaking against washing hands at all.

3rd point Keeping their tradition is without merit for they do not keep the commandments.

In other words tradition with out understanding is worthless.

2nd Yeshua tells the Pharisees plainly they are breaking of command by their traditions.

Which command and which traditions?

It is not the handwashing tradition that breaks a command, it is the tradition of declaring something Korban that violated the commandment to “Honor your father and mother” and “Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death”.

James Strong, A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 54.

So where does the tradition for washing hands come from?

Well the Torah commandment this connects to is found in .

The specific commandment for the Kohanim to wash hands is in to give context we will read surrounding scriptures.

2nd Yeshua tells the Pharisees plainly they are breaking of command by their traditions.

Which command and which traditions?

It is not the handwashing tradition that breaks a command, it is the tradition of declaring something Korban that violated the commandment to “Honor your father and mother” and “Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death”.

Terumah must be kept pure, and the Kohen who eats it must be pure.

Since a person's hands are active and might have come in contact with something unclean or impure, a Kohen must wash his/her1 hands before consuming terumah.

Institute for Scripture Research, The Scriptures (South Africa: Institute for Scripture Research (Pty) Ltd, 2000), .

This applies only to bread, for olive oil and wine are not generally eaten directly with the hands.

In order to keep us ready for the time when we will once again be eating terumah - with the coming of our righteous Messiah, our rabbis instituted the washing of hands before eating any bread.

In order to insure that the Kohanim wash, the Sages applied this rule to all Jews, kohanim and ordinary Israelites alike.

The specific commandment for the Kohanim to wash hands is in to give context we will read surrounding scriptures.

17 ADONAI said to Moshe, 18 “You are to make a basin of bronze, with a base of bronze, for washing.

Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it.

19 Aharon and his sons will wash their hands and feet there 20 when they enter the tent of meeting—they are to wash with water, so that they won’t die.

Also when they approach the altar to minister by burning an offering for ADONAI, 21 they are to wash their hands and feet, so that they won’t die.

This is to be a perpetual law for them through all their generations.”

So one may see how this has been changed.

1st it is required of Ahron and his sons.

2nd it is their hands and feet.

So even in the tradition it is not being kept according to the commandment.

This is an explanation from the site askmoses.com

and a similar explanation is given on chabad.com.