Bret Butterfield Testimony of B'nai Shalom Jewish Mormons 2013
Bret is on the board of B'nai Shalom and has been involved for many years.
Dear Board Members of B'nai Shalom,
I would like to share some thoughts on why I am a member of B'nai Shalom being from Joseph. I totally believe that B'nai Shalom's mission is to help Judah maintain their identity as Jews in the framework of the restored Gospel. It is because the Jews have maintained their identity that brought us the Bible, which a fourteen year old boy read that prompted him to go to a grove of trees to commune with Elohim and Jehovah.
The Scripture 2 Nephi 29:4 which I gave as a theme to my Jewish Mission yesterday, in context of bringing forth the Bible says, "And What thank they the Jews for the Bible, which they received from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors and pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles?"
Verse 5, "O Ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people? Nay, but ye have cursed them, and hated them and not sought to recover them. But behold I will return all these things upon your own heads; for I the Lord have not forgotten my people."
Isaiah 11:12- "And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth."
I feel that we are under condemnation, if we don't work together to help recover Judah, and when we are able to recover or outreach to Judah, they need a forum to not only acclimate in the restored Gospel and New Covenant, but to celebrate and help promote greater understanding of Jewish culture, heritage and traditions via B'nai Shalom.
Again, because Judah was diligence and maintained their identity, their culture, heritage and Traditions that we have Salvation unto the Gentiles. So Thank you Judah! You were the only tribe that was strong enough to pull this off, for you are a Lion's whelp.
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David Ben-Gurion said to Ezra Taft Benson: "You know, there are no people in this world who understand the Jews like the Mormons." Nephi, the greatest Joseph emissary to the Jews, said in 2 Nephi 33:8 "I have charity for the Jew, I say Jew, because I mean them from whence I came." Nephi really understood Jews, because he lived with them. With that said, most Mormons from Joseph attempt to have charity for Judah, but we really don't understand the travails and the labors and pains of Judah. We from Joseph also need a forum like B'nai Shalom to help us understand Judah, to also help celebrate your diligence, to help us understand your Jewish culture, heritage and traditions, because that is what maintained your identity that help bring forth the restored Gospel and so that we can bring about what Isaiah 11:13 promised. It's up to us. '"The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah and Judah shall not vex Ephraim." |
What better way to help us understand each other than through B'nai Shalom. We of Joseph can share Green Jello with Carrots, but Judah can share, the Passover or Seder meal, that was practiced in the Old and New Testaments and the Book of Mormon which became the last last supper and help all of us understand better the New and Everlasting Covenant renewed every week with the Sacrament.
We are just starting to work together as indicated in Jeremiah 50:4-5 "In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the children of Israel, shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping, they shall go and seek the Lord their God. They shall ask the way to Zion, with their faces, thitherward saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten."
So let's get going!