Dictionary T Tabernacle Hebrew, “mishkan,” “residence” or “dwelling place.” known as the Tent of the Congregation, Tent of Meeting, Tabernacle of Testimony, or Tabernacle of Witness. The Tabernacle was a portable was a temple to and an earthly house of YHVH. It was used by the Israelites from the Exodus until their conquest of Canaan. T The Tabernacle had an inner sanctuary called the Holy of Holies that was created by a veil suspended by four pillars. This sanctuary housed the Ark of the Covenant. It also had an outer sanctuary called the Holy Place which contained a gold lampstand, the north side had a table for the showbread, the south side housed the Menorah, holding seven oil lamps to give light, and on the west side, before the veil, was a golden altar for burning incense. The Tabernacle was constructed of 4 woven layers of curtains and 48 15-foot wood boards that were overlaid with gold, held in place by bars and silver sockets. It was furnished with items of value taken from Egypt. The Tabernacle was set up outside the camp so the people could direct their worship toward it. See 3 Moses 37; Exodus 25-31, 25-40 Tammuz The fourth month on the Hebrew calendar, the tenth civil month today. According to legend, Noah sent out a dove on the 17th of Tammuz to see if the flood waters had calmed, and the bird returned. Tammuz was also in this month that Moses broke the first tablets of covenant when he discovered the Israelites worshipping a golden calf. Tammuz occurs in June– July on the Gregorian calendar. Tav/400 Tav (or Taw, or Taf) is the twenty second and final letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. It signifies 400. Tav is the last letter of emet, Hebrew for “truth.” The other letters of the word, Aleph, and Memis are the first and middle letter. Thus, truth is all encompassing, “from aleph to tav” or “from beginning to end.” As the symbol of truth, perfection, and completion, it is a mark, a sign, an omen, or a seal. It represents Tikkun Olam, the restoration of all things or repair of the world on a grand level. More personally, it is teshuvah; a return to the essence and purpose of one’s life. In Christ Tav represents completion, growth in Grace. We must reach the end of the old before beginning again, or being born again, with the Oneness of Aleph, this is the cycle of teshuvah. Tav is the final letter of Beresheet, “In the Beginning”, the first word of the Torah. This shows us that God had the end planned from the beginning. The Creation set in motion all of existence that all may reach their final state of perfection, their true selves. This is after all the plan, to reach the fulfillment of creation. Without the beginning, Aleph, we have met, Hebrew for “dead.” Teshuvah (תשובה) “return,” usually translated as “repentance,” “redemption,” or “grace.” Tet/9 Tet (or Ṭeth or Teith) is the ninth letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. It signifies the number nine (the number of man), or 9,000 if followed by an apostrophe. Teth literally means “basket” or “nest.” It is the symbol of the good in God’s creation. Dealing with purity and impurity, Tet teaches us to choose the light. More than this, it also helps us see the hidden good to be found when what we perceive to be “bad things” happen. Tet’s essence is feminine; representing femininity and pregnancy, as full-term pregnancy requires nine months. It reminds us of Chesed, the kindness and mercy in God’s creation (1 Nephi 3:40-41, 46-64 RAV,11:3-4, 8-22 OPV). Everything is eternal, thanks to Christ’s atonement nothing has to be lost. Thus, Tet is both the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, and it is the fruit of the Tree of Life. By knowing good from evil we may separate the light from the darkness. By choosing the light, Christ cleans and purifies us, erasing bad deeds that were caused by our slavery to Ego. Tet allows for teshuvah. Tevet The tenth month on the Hebrew calendar, which is the fourth civil month today. It is known as the muddy month. Tevet occurs in December–January on the Gregorian calendar. Tevilah Hebrew, “washing/baptism.” A ritual washing, full body immersion in “living water” for ablution, similar to the Christian baptism. The Torah requires washing in water, full immersion, as a means of purification in 4 Moses 19:2 and Leviticus 15:13. Because we are temples of God, we wash our bodies to be worthy of the Holy Spirit. See Zenos 9:15-16. The Thirteen Attributes of Mercy Shelosh-‘Esreh Middot HaRakhamim The thirteen attributes of mercy are alluded to a number of times in the Bible. Found in 3 Moses 32:13-15, and Exodus 34:6-7. According to Kabbalah and Judaism, they tell us how God governs the world. 1. יהוה YHVH: compassion before and after a person sins 2. יהוה YHVH: mighty in compassion to give all creatures according to their needs 3. אל El: God is the ruler over all, God’s mercy sometimes surpasses His own words 4. וםּרח Rachum: merciful: that mankind may not be distressed 5. וןּוחנ VeḤanun: gracious: if mankind is already in distress 6. םּיפא ִארך Erekh Appayim: slow to anger 7. חסד-ורב VeRav Hesed: plenteous in goodness/kindness 8. ואמת VeEmet: plenteous in truth 9. לאלפים חסד נצר Notzer Hesed Laalafim: keeping mercy/ kindness unto thousands 10. עון נשא ׂNoseh Avon: forgiving iniquity 11. ופשע VaFeshah: forgiving transgression 12. הּוחטא VeḤata’ah: forgiving sin 13. ונקה VeNakeh: acquitting or cleansing We see these attributes mentioned throughout the scriptures. The idea here is that: 1. God loves us knowing we will sin, knowing our flawed nature. 2. God still loves us after we have sinned, He prepared teshuvah knowing that we would fall away and so made a way to return. 3. God is merciful beyond our human comprehension. 4. God is merciful, so we shouldn’t over stress about our flaws, but put our faith in Him. 5. God is good to us, even when we are underserving. 6. God gives us time to see the error of our ways and come home. 7. God gives us greater blessings than we deserve. 8. God never goes back on His word; God keeps all of His promises. 9. God remembers our good deeds and tips the scales in our favor thanks to the mercy of Christ’s Grace. 10. God forgives us, even when we openly rebel against Him, if we will return to Him. 11. God understands that we will unknowingly break His Laws and forgives us of this also. 12. God will always forgive us, He longs for our return home (think of the story of the prodigal son, see Luke 15:11–32). 13. God will wash away our sins, we will be clean as if they never happened; however, if we do not repent there will be consequences. See 3 Moses 32:13-15, Exodus 34:6-7, Numbers 14:18, Joel 2:13, Jonah 4:2, Micah 7:18, Nahum 1:3, Psalms 86:15, 103:8, 145:8, and Nehemiah 9:17. Tif’eret Hebrew, “Beauty.” Tif’eret is the bosom where we feel the Holy Spirit and where the Light of Christ overflows from our kli to fill the world. It occupies a place on the middle pillar of the Tree of Life, as it is a lower reflection of Keter. Tif’eret is a unique Sephirot as it is connected to all of the other Sephirot, with the exception of Malkuth. It is tied to all the subjective paths of the unconscious. It is the Philosopher’s Stone, the restoration of all things, containing the transmutative properties. When we chose good, it allows God’s light to pour from us, changing us and the world. When we choose evil it pollutes us, there by polluting the world. Tif’eret represents the sun, it takes a central place in the Tree of Life just as the sun is at the center of the solar system. It is not the center of the universe, yet it still gives light and life. Like man, it did not create itself. Tif’eret can be seen as a metaphor for mankind’s role in the creation. Tikkun ha-olam More commonly “tikkun olam,” meaning “for the sake of repairing the world.” The term, “tikkun olam,” refers to the end of the seventh day of creation, the time when the Divine light that was shattered and scattered into “broken shards,” these “shards” being a basis for the material world, coming back together, sealed as one in and by the Creator’s power. This appears to be the very definition of “the end of days,” which some call the eighth day of creation, the day Jesus Christ rose from the grave. Tishrei See Ethanim. Token A Hebrew feminine noun, representing the will to receive. A token is also a sign; something intended to represent or indicate something else. For example, the rainbow (1 Moses 13:42-43, Genesis 9:12-13) or the blood on the doors to ward off the angel of death (4 Moses 11-13, Exodus 12:13). Signs and tokens are also used in the Endowment rituals (1 Moses 27:41, 2 Moses 8:44, Book of Remembrance 14-23). Torah Hebrew, “Instructions,” “Teachings,” or “Law.” The Jewish Torah would be the 5 books of Moses found in the Christian Old Testament: • Genesis • Exodus • Leviticus • Numbers • Deuteronomy Coming from the nation of Judea, the Jewish Torah appears to be a combination of the Torah of Judah and the Torah of Levi. The Torah from the plates of brass (te Stick of Ephraim) is both similar to that found in the Old Testament, yet also unique. With the exception of the fifth book, they did not have titles in the traditional sense, or chapters but were broken up by text. Listed below are their “titles” from the plates along with their inspired titles: • 1 Sefer Moses (The Book of Beginnings): The Book of Moses, The Word of YHVH given us by His servant Moses, who freed Israel from her bondage of doubt and disbelief • 2 Sefer Moses (The Book of Joseph): The Book of Moses, The record of our father, Joseph, son of Jacob and Rachel, savior of Israel, as written by the hand of Moses • 3 Sefer Moses (The Book of Moses): The Book of Moses, The Record of Moses, savior of Israel; the exodus of Israel from the world, and the Marriage Covenant of Israel with YHVH, as written by the hand of Moses • 4 Sefer Moses: The teachings of Moses and Zipporah, as given them by YHVH in Egypt and upon the Mount of Strength • The Book of Ha’Torah (5 Sefer Moses): Sefer Ha’Torah, The Words which Moses spoke unto all Israel in the wilderness In addition, there is also the Book of the Law of the Lord, a modern translation of the essence of the Torah of Judah. This book was translated by James Strang from 18 loose plates, according to witnesses. The text contains selections pertaining to running a church and kingdom here upon the earth. The Book of the Law of the Lord may be found in Doctrines of the Saints. These books, the Jewish Torah, the Stick of Ephraim, and the sections of the Torah of Judah, may also be studied with the Inspired Translation of the Bible (IV), also known as the Joseph Smith Translation (JST). Tower/the Tower See Magdalene. Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil Tree of Knowledge In Kabbalah, the sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge brought the mixture of good and evil into the world. We now must separate the light (good) from the darkness (evil) inside each of us. Once the evil is separated from holiness through teshuvah, the Shechinah, or the Presence of God, can come back down to earth, where the sin of the Tree had caused Her to depart, as described in the Visions and Parables of Zenos. Knowing good from evil gives us true free agency, the wisdom from the Divine Feminine, the Light of Christ, to choose for ourselves. See 1 Moses 4:16, 5; Melchizedek 3-9; Genesis 2:9, 3; Visions and Parables of Zenos; 2 Nephi 1:94-121 RAV, 2:14-27 OPV. Tree of Life After Adam and Eve disobeyed God, eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they were driven out of the Garden of Eden, leaving behind the tree of life, representing sin separating us from God. To prevent their access to this tree, Cherubim with a flaming sword were placed at the east of the garden as guards. This tree represents En Sof, or the Tree holding the Sefirot that was in the Garden of Eden and seen by Lehi and Nephi in vision, representing the Divine Feminine. See 1 Moses 4:16, 5:45, 48; Melchizedek 2:10; Genesis 2:9, 3:22-24; Zenos 2:16, 3:40, 9:5-14; 1 Nephi 3:46-53, RAV, 11:8-13 18g:20; Book of Remembrance 5:32, 46. Tsavah Hebrew, “invite,” or “instruct explicitly;” “to lay charge upon,” “give charge to,” “command,” or “order.” Tsohar Hebrew, a precious stone or orb that glows in the dark. See Ether 1:60-68 RAV, 3:1-6a OPV. Tunic Hebrew, “kuttoneth.” In the Garden of Eden God gave Adam and Eve tunics, kuttoneth, to wear (1 Moses 5:43, Genesis 3:21). This is the same term used in Exodus 28:2 when God commands that the Levites wear holy garments. In the Book of Remembrance 12:3 we see that these were the Garments of the Holy Priesthood. These garments were passed down to Noah and Na’amah, taken by Ham (1 Moses 14:4-16). Later, Esau took them back, giving them to Jacob (1 Moses 36:25-34). Then Jacob makes new garments, likely based on the orginal for his son, Joseph (2 Moses 2:11, see Coat of many colors). From the text we see that this tunic had symbols on it and went past the knees (4 Moses 32:1- 21, Book of Remembrance 14:28-30). Tzadi/90 (or Tsadeh or Tsadde) 18th Hebrew Letter is the eighteenth letter of the the Hebrew Alphabet. It signifys the number ninety. Tzadi represents the Tsaddik, one who is righteous, strives to be true, loving justice and fairness, straight and fully honest. Tsadde represents the idea that the world is broken, and every person must face their own evil and learn to restore it through the Grace of Jesus. Humility and righteousness are two of the defining traits of Tzadi. It signifies the Essence of the Creator, guiding us and dwelling within the one who is humble as the Holy Spirit. Tzadik Yachad “the righteous one set apart to unite my people.” Used when a prophet or leader is being called a Messiah, an anointed one. See 1 Moses 2:21, 9:44, 10:13, 14:26, 19:16, 3:9, 2 Moses 2:8, 15:28, and 15:37. Tzara’at A crippling disease that reduced people to a state of paralysis. It is traditionally translated into English as "leprosy" because the authors of the Septuagint translated the term into the Greek lepra (λέπρα), or "lepros." However, tzara'at is not a normal, scientifically understood disease, but a form of spiritual discipline. It comes when Israel is wicked and does away when they repent. See 3 Moses 45:12-17, 4 Moses 47-48, 5 Moses 25:11, Leviticus 13- 14, Deuteronomy 24:8. Tzitzit Hebrew, "fringe." knotted ritual fringes, or tassels, worn in antiquity by Israelites. They are typically white strings with a blue thread to represent that Israel is a kingdom of priests and priestesses. The purposes of this instruction is that of a daily reminder to bring God's love into action. The white thread may represent purity, as we are made pure by God's grace. The blue likely representing the sapphire tablets, the stone God wrote the Law upon. However, the Book of Remembrance states that the white represents a "white [seer] stone" and "the sea of wisdom (Book of Remembrance 31:15). See 4 Moses 7:23-26, 22:14, 32:7; 5 Moses 17:21-26, 23:12; Numbers 15:37-41; Deuteronomy 22:12; Book of Remembrance 26:11; Doctrines of the Saints 114:30, 124:9-10; Chesed, Yesod.