… Lagos Chief Rabbi says the presence of Torah ignites peace, prosperity***
The Jewish Community in Nigeria last weekend held Lagos, particularly the Victoria Island spell-bound as they took to the streets to celebrate the dedication of a (Nigerian) Torah Scroll, the Jewish holiest object of worship, after comprehensively offering earth-moving prayers for the peace, progress and prosperity of Nigeria.
A spirit lifting affair which began after the 4pm to 5.30pm Saturday rain, the celebration witnessed the presence of several Rabbi from places which included the New York, Kinshasa, and even from Jerusalem.
In great joys, men carry the Torah Scroll like the Ark, and dancing on the streets
A three-prong affair, the symbolic event started from one residential venue, where all first assembled, prayed, dedicated the Torah, before taking to the streets, dancing; after which they headed to a five -star restaurant, to round off the highly lively celebration well after 11.00 pm.
Interestingly, it was not a sole-Jewish celebration as Nigerians and other Africans were well represented. The way they danced was a genuine re-enactment of what Biblical King David did; and the rhythm and melody of their music was absolutely, infectious!
Africans families were fully involved
Speaking during the occasion, the Chief Rabbi of Lagos, Mendy Sternbach said he was particularly happy because the development enabled a unique opportunity of assembling several Rabbis to come together, and collectively pray for Nigeria, the leaders, and the people, particularly for the peace and progress of the country, stressing that the Torah is a book of life, whose physical presence, remarkably exudes peace and prosperity.
“The Torah is a book of life, and now we have it in Nigeria. It is going to bring life, prosperity, peace, unity! And like I said before, we need to have a good physical life, in order to serve God spiritually!”, Mendy Sternbach stated, adding that though the Torah is absolutely very spiritual, it nonetheless, is going to positively impact on all Nigerians: Christians, Muslims and all other religions, because mankind, irrespective of race or mode of worship is of God!
“We are all people of God; and so, this Torah is to benefit and prosper everyone!”
Torah is for all nations!
He confirmed that the Jews presently do not have a permanent place of worship in Nigeria, and posited that the desire to develop one would soon start, funded by all and sundry who show interest, knowing that the presence actually engenders peace.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have a permanent place here, even though we have dedicated the Torah.
“But, we will enjoy the opportunity to build a permanent place, with this Torah dedication. We will need a new synagogue. And we are hoping with this dedication now, especially now that we have the Torah, we now need to build house for the Torah. We hope people would have a sense of urgency to give the Torah a permanent place, because for now, we are only using a temporary place.
“All these times, we go from place to place. But, we sincerely hope we can build together with Nigerians. It is a project we shouldn’t see as an outsiders’ project. It is a wholly Nigerian project, commissioned, reaching and finished in Nigeria. It is a Nigerian thing; and it is part of making a Nigerian synagogue!
Asked how he intends to dissuade many Nigerian Christians who, in seeing the Jews as ‘God’s people’, with special endowments for intelligence and skill for prosperity may want to join them, rather than for the sake of worshiping God, the Chief Rabbi of Lagos said God has a duty to also provide for those who worship Him in truth.
“To worship God, you need to have peace of mind, and this means you don’t have to worry where your next meal comes from. Yes! We are not talking about being or becoming very rich people, but we need to teach people how to manage and save their resources, so that they can have enough money to be comfortable, especially in paying bills and debts.
“So, we should also be free when we come together, to ask God, for physical blessings. Even though it is not just that we are coming for the physical, but we must also ask God to take away our concerns, particularly, what keeps us sleepless at night; take it away. It should not be only when we are uncomfortable, that we can come to God. This is because this is what the word of God says too!
Speaking further, the Lagos Chief Rabbi indicated that the beauty of knowing God, particularly as delivered by Moses, over 3,000 years ago is the focus of the Torah, noting that in addition to knowing the Torah, the Rabbis also must understand how to dissect the core message of the Law.
Asked if the Rabbis studies anything else outside the Old Testament, Sternbach highlighted that the knowledge and understanding of the Rabbi actually goes beyond merely knowing the Old Testament.
“We are not limited to the study of the areas you know of. We also study the Book of the Laws. But, it is from the discussions of the Rabbi, via the questions, answers and proof that the real message is found. And this is where one really gains the real intelligence!”, he explained further.
The Maritime First learnt that Nigerian Torah was not only written in Nigeria, it was also crafted in the tradition of how Moses, over 3,000 years ago delivered it. The Torah Scroll is not only painstakingly written, it is also meticulously scrutinized, as any mistake or alteration, automatically renders the whole book unusable.
It was also learnt that the Jews do not go out of their ways to evangelize, like other religious worshipers do!