In my last blog I showed that Yeshua first appeared to the Nefites in Bountiful at Passover, holding Passover seders on each of the first two days, as is the custom outside of the Land of Israel. 

On the first day of his visit to Bountiful, after teaching the Nefites, Yeshua called the little children together to pray for them:

And it came to pass that he commanded that their little children should be brought; so they brought their little children and sat them down upon the ground round about him, and Yeshua stood in the midst. And the multitude gave way until they had all been brought unto him. And it came to pass that when they had all been brought and Yeshua stood in the midst, he commanded the multitude that they should kneel down upon the ground. (3 Nefi 8:4a)

Yeshua began by expressing his concern about the wickedness of the people of the House of Israel, and then prayed “things that cannot be written.”:

And it came to pass that when they had knelt upon the ground, Yeshua groaned within himself, and said, Father, I am troubled because of the wickedness of the people of the house of Isra’el. And when he had said these words, he himself also knelt upon the earth, and behold, he prayed unto the Father, and the things which he prayed cannot be written;…(3 Nefi 8:4b)

Here M’raman, in compiling his abridgment, inserts what appears to be material from later account from “the multitude” that:

…the multitude did bear record, who heard him. And after this manner do they bear record: The eye has never seen, neither has the ear heard (Is. 64:3(4)) before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Yeshua speak unto the Father. And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Yeshua speak. And no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father. (3 Nefi 8:4c)

That the multitude cited Isaiah 64:3(4) in their account of this very special prayer is especially important, and we will come back to that passage. M’raman then adds to this account from “the multitude”:

And it came to pass that when Yeshua had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose, but so great was the joy of the multitude that they were overcome. And it came to pass that Yeshua spoke unto them and told them to arise. And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them, Blessed are you because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full. And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bore record of it. And he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them and prayed unto the Father for them. And when he had done this, he wept again. And he spoke unto the multitude, and said unto them, Behold your little ones. And as they looked to behold, they cast their eyes towards Heaven, and they saw the Heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of Heaven, as it were in the midst of fire. And they came down and encircled those little ones about — and they were encircled about with fire — and the angels did minister unto them. And the multitude did see, and hear, and bear record; and they know that their record is true, for they, all of them, did see and hear, every man for himself. And they were in number about two thousand and five hundred souls, and they did consist of men, women, and children. (3 Nefi 8:5)

Then immediately after this prayer and angelic blessing upon the little children, Yeshua commands his talmidim to bring matzah and wine:

And it came to pass that Yeshua commanded his talmidim that they should bring forth some matzah and wine unto him. And while they were gone for matzah and wine, he commanded the multitude that they should sit themselves down upon the earth. And when the talmidim had come with matzah and wine, he took of the matzah, and broke and blessed it, and he gave unto the talmidim and commanded that they should eat. And when they had eaten and were filled, he commanded that they should give unto the multitude. And when the multitude had eaten and were filled, he said unto the talmidim, Behold, there shall one be ordained among you, and to him will I give power that he shall break matzah and bless it, and give it unto the people of my assembly, unto all those who shall believe and be immersed in my name. (3 Nefi 8:6a)

The people ate and “were filled” implying that they ate an entire meal, not just the matzah. This may have been a complete Passover seder, not just the matzah, though the account gives no further specifics. It continues:

And this shall you always observe to do, even as I have done, even as I have broken matzah and blessed it, and given it unto you. And this shall you do in remembrance of my body which I have shown unto you. And it shall be a testimony unto the Father that you do always remember me. And if you do always remember me, you shall have my spirit to be with you. (3 Nefi 8:6b)

In Jewish tradition, the Passover seder involves three pieces of matzah held together in a pouch. The middle piece is removed, broken in half and the broken half is wrapped in a linen napkin. It is put away until the third of the four cups of wine which we drink at the seder. Then it is broken into olive-sized pieces, and passed around to be eaten in memory of the Passover lamb. This is called the “Afikomen,” which some say comes from the Greek word for “last thing eaten,” but others say comes from the Aramaic, and means “I myself have come.” It stands to reason that this would be the piece of matzah Yeshua said should be eaten in remembrance of his body.

The account continues:

And it came to pass that when he had said these words, he commanded his talmidim that they should take of the wine of the cup and drink of it, and that they should also give unto the multitude that they might drink of it. And it came to pass that they did so, and did drink of it and were filled. And they gave unto the multitude, and they did drink and they were filled. And when the talmidim had done this, Yeshua said unto them, Blessed are you for this thing which you have done, for this is fulfilling my mitzvot, and this does witness unto the Father that you are willing to do that which I have commanded you. And this shall you always do unto those who repent and are washed by immersion in my name; and you shall do it in remembrance of my blood which I have shed for you, that you may witness unto the Father that you do always remember me. And if you do always remember me, you shall have my spirit to be with you. (3 Nefi 8:6c)

We drink four cups at the Passover seder: The Cup of Sanctification; the Cup of Plagues; the Cup of Redemption and the Cup of Blessing. This would certainly have been the third cup—the Cup of Redemption that we drink in remembrance of the blood of the Passover lamb, which correlates with the middle, broken piece of matzah, or Afikomen.

Now we must return to the very special prayer Yeshua said over the little children, in relation to the wickedness of the House of Israel. The multitude bore record saying:

The eye has never seen, neither has the ear heard (Is. 64:3(4)) before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Yeshua speak unto the Father. And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Yeshua speak. And no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father. (3 Nefi 8:4c)

That they quoted Isaiah 64:3(4) in relation to this special prayer is very important. This verse reads:

For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. (Isaiah 64:3(4) KJV)

This verse is the subject of a Baraita, which is directly related to the Cup of Redemption which Yeshua was about to drink with the multitude. A Baraita is a pre-Talmudic tradition that does not appear in the Mishnah. This Baraita is quoted in several Rabbinic sources. It appears twice in the Talmud as follows:

What is the meaning of “Eye has not seen” (Is. 64:3)? Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: This is the wine that has been kept in its grapes from the six days in the beginning. (b.Berakot 34b; b.Sanhedrin 99a)

This “wine that has been kept” is the Yayin HaMeshumar (Literally “wine of the keeping). According to tradition, this is wine, prepared at the creation of the earth and withheld until the end times, will be consumed at a great Messianic banquet when the Messiah comes. 

The Midrash Rabbah to Num. 13:2 (500) also cites this Baraita saying:

Because he bared his soul unto death (Is. 53:12) and bruised themselves with the Torah which is sweeter than honey, the Holy One, blessed be He, will hereafter give them to drink of the wine kept in its grapes since the six days in the beginning….(Midrash Rabbah to Numbers 13:2 (500))

So the Midrash Rabbah identifies this wine with the blood of the lamb (Isaiah 53:7) who is the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. 

When Yeshua ended his teaching that day, He was about to expound on Isaiah 52:8-10 but perceived that they were “weak and could not understand my words” (3 Nefi 7:6; 8:1) and when he resumed the next day, he expounded upon Isaiah 52 and 54 (see 3 Nefi 9 & 10). 

The Zohar also cites this Baraita saying:

The Tzadik (The Righteous) is the Yesod (foundation) in Yah, the mystery (SOD) which is the wine which has been kept in its grapes from the six days in the beginning. (Zohar 3:236a; Roeh M’haimna on Pinchas)

The word SOD in Hebrew means “mystery” or “secret” and has a gematria (numerical value) of 70, which is also the gematria for YAYIN (wine). In fact, there is a saying in Hebrew, that the YAYIN (wine) goes in, and the SOD (secret) comes out.

The Zohar identifies the Yayin HaMeshumar with the SOD level of understanding, the mystery of Elohim. In other words, the wine of the keeping is associated with the mysteries of Elohim, which cannot be written nor revealed by man. This is why the Stick of Joseph says “the things which he prayed cannot be written” and “The eye has never seen, neither has the ear heard before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Yeshua speak unto the Father. And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Yeshua speak. And no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.” (3 Nefi 8:4)

This brings us to Paul’s use of this same Baraita in his letter to the Corinthians—in 1 Corinthians Chapters one and two where he writes:

[18] For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
[19] For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. (Is. 29:14)
[20] Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
[21] For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
[22] For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
[23] But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
[24] But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
[25] Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
[26] For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
[27] But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
[28] And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
[29] That no flesh should glory in his presence.
[30] But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
[31] That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. (Jer. 9:23(24)

[1] And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
[2] For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
[3] And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
[4] And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
[5] That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
[6] Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
[7] But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
[8] Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
[9] But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (Isaiah 64:4)
[10] But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
[11] For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
[12] Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
[13] Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
[14] But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
[15] But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
[16] For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? (Isaiah 40:13; Wisdom 9:13) But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Cor. 2:1-16 KJV)

Notice Paul makes use of the Baraita in Chapter 2:

[7] But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
[8] Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
[9] But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (Isaiah 64:4)
[10] But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

And what is truly exciting is that Paul connects this with Isaiah 29 in Chapter 1 verse 19:

[19] For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. (Is. 29:14)

Now if we look to this passage of Isaiah 29 in context we find the source of this wisdom is “a book that is sealed”:

[10] For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.
[11] And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:
[12] And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.
[13] Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
[14] Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
[15] Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
[16] Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?
[17] Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?
[18] And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. (Isaiah 29:10-17 KJV)

You may recall that earlier that day Yeshua was about to begin a teaching on Isaiah 52, but stopped because the people were “weak” and could not understand all the words Yeshua was commanded to teach (3 Nefi 7:6, 8:1). Yeshua resumed that teaching the next day, and it tied Isaiah 52 (3 Nefi 9:9-10, 11) to the “marvelous work” of Isaiah 29:14, identifying the revelation of which we read “that which had not been told them shall they see, and that which they had not heard shall they consider” (Isaiah 52:15) with the revelation of this sealed book in Isaiah 29. 

The fact that the Stick of Joseph makes very clear use of the ancient Jewish Baraita concerning the Yayin HaMeshumar by citing Isaiah 64:3(4) in connection with the wine of the Cup of Redemption is yet another testimony to the fact that the Stick of Joseph is an authentic ancient Jewish document, and that approaching this document from a Jewish perspective can give us great insight into its words.