Hope of Israel Ministries (Church of YEHOVAH):

In this article I will present to you the information I've discovered about the mystical meaning of "hair" in ancient Judaism with regard to the apostle Paul's instructions recorded in I Corinthians 11:1-16. First of all, there are two vital points which must be recognized before proceeding into this subject:

1) In I Corinthians 11:2, the Greek word rendered as `ordinances' (KJV) is paradosis which is the exact Greek equivalent to the Hebrew term kabbalah (plural: kabbalot) meaning "received" or "transmitted."

2) In I Corinthians 11:15, Paul states that a woman is to have her head covered while praying -- covered with her own long hair -- because of the "angels" or "messengers" (v.10).

The answers for explaining the historical meanings of Paul's unusual wordings and expressions in I Corinthians 11 are found in Jewish Mystical Kabbalah -- the exact place where Paul instructs us to look -- verse 2.

Frankel and Teutsch inform us of the following concerning the subject of men's facial hair:

"Kabbalists ascribed mystical power to the beard and hair. They sometimes called God `Atika Kadisha' -- the Holy Ancient One, symbolizing God's most transcendent manifestation as a beard with thirteen curls, representing the attri- butes of divine mercy, Exodus 34:6-7). (Encyclopedia of Jewish Symbols, p.18, entry: "Beard.")

The Kabbalists portrayed the Beard on the drawn figure of the Supernal Man (the Heavenly Man) which was identified with the Double Adam or the Second Adam (the Hebrew term for "second" can also mean "double" in the sense of co-Adam). This means the "Second Adam" was actually viewed as the original Heavenly Adam from which the human Adam was copied. Since the copy of the original Heavenly Adam failed in his responsibility in obeying God, he is now replaced by the original Spirit Adam (whom Paul identifies with Jesus Christ in I Corinthians 15:22 & 45-47). Paul writes about Jesus' disciples becoming replicas of the Heavenly Adam (Jesus Christ) through the resurrection from the dead (vs.47-49).

The Kabbalists taught that the Divine Attributes of God, called the Ten Sefirot, including God's Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, outlined in Exodus 34:6-7, are channeled into this Lower World where we presently live through the hair of the Beard on the Heavenly Man (Jesus Christ). Each hair of the Divine Beard was viewed as an energy channel through which God provided spiritual and physical energy by which to sustain His spiritual and physical Creations. Since all things which are physical exist for the purpose of the spiritual, each hair in the Beard provided a necessary form of energy for mankind and the world in which we live. The ancient Israelites were commanded to not shave their beards or trim the corners of their beards because their beards were viewed as sensors or receivers for the emanations of spiritual energy originating from the Beard of the Heavenly Man or Supernal Adam. Having a natural beard was considered as a prerequisite to receiving divine inspiration, in exactly the same manner as taking a ritual purification bath was necessary before human flesh could enter into the Divine Presence inside the Tabernacle or Temple. Most modern Christians have lost sight of the meanings and intents for these very ancient practices which were common prior to the New Covenant.

To go along with a man's beard as a spiritual receptor, God commanded Israelite men to wear a "tallit" (the Jewish prayer shawl) with "tzitzit" ("fringes") on the borders. These "tzitzit" (fringes) were viewed as acting as additional receptors of spiritual energy and inspiration. For instance, in Mark 5:25-34 where it is recorded that a woman with an issue of blood touched Jesus' garment and was instantly healed without first asking Jesus, it is understood that this woman had actually touched the energy-filled "tzitzit" on the border of Jesus' "tallit" (prayer shawl). The prayer shawl was considered as a common everyday item of clothing for devout Jewish men according to the commandment given to Moses for the men of Israel. Therefore, Jesus' question in verse 30, "Who touched my clothes?", is historically appropriate in its wording.

Since the Israelite men were given their beards and tallits with tzitzit to assist with receiving spiritual energy and inspiration, they were, by implication, to pray with their heads uncovered in order to not obstruct the direct flow of spiritual energies. However, it was permitted to wear a round-shaped cap (masculine) while studying Kabbalah and Torah, or to wrap the tallit (prayer shawl) around their head (symbolizing being enwrapped with the Holy Spirit) while studying Kabbalah and Torah. Yet, when it came to directly engaging in mystical practice, i.e., prophesying and/or praying, they were to have their heads (i.e., the hair on top their heads) uncovered. We can understand this when we consider that a woman's long hair is given to her "for a covering." A woman's long hair is her natural tallit and tzitzit given to her by God, and it is for this reason the Israelite women were never commanded to wear the garment of the tallit and tzitzit as were the men. Since a woman's long hair acted like a receiver or sensor for spiritual energies, she was truly an intuitive helper perfectly suited for the man to assist him in his spiritual life, especially since the inspiration ("angels" or "messengers") which a woman received through her hair did not duplicate the spiritual energies and inspiration which a man received through his beard and the tzitzit on his tallit. Now we can properly understand Paul's words in I Corinthians 11:8-9: "For the man is not (physically derived from) the woman; but the woman (is physically derived from) the man. Neither was the man (spiritually) created for the woman; but the woman (was spiritually created) for the man." Verse 10: "For this cause (since the woman was spiritually created for the man to be man's spiritual helper) ought (Greek means "it is obligatory") the woman to have power (Greek exousia meaning "privilege," "force," "influence," "freedom") because of the angels ("messengers" of divine intuition and inspiration)."

If a woman ventures to pray with her head uncovered, she is attempting to pray without the tzitzit God through nature gives to her (I Corinthians 11:6). Since God does not give a man's top hair for tzitzit, he should not attempt to mock a woman's spiritual position by allowing his hair to grow long as if he were trying to mimic a woman's natural tzitzit which is her long hair -- this is the contextual meaning of I Corinthians 11:14: "Doth not even nature itself teach you, that if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?"

It is a shame for a man to attempt to fill the spiritual position of a woman instead of giving himself to obeying his responsibilities as a male before God! The Holy Spirit expresses itself uniquely through each sexual gender! This has never been correctly understood since the early Catholic theologians St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas de-Judaized the New Testament in favor of their own Gentile "Christian" interpretations of how God functions through the different genders.

I realize I'm entering into research areas which were totally unknown and unexplored by the Worldwide Church of God and the Ambassador Colleges. Dr. Herman Hoeh and others stopped short of taking their research out to logical conclusions, and they were afraid of entering into the esoteric knowledge (Kabbalah) of the ancient Israelite culture. This is also the reason why most modern college and university level textbooks on ancient history totally omit information on the ancient Israelite culture! To become acquainted with the past is to make the Catholic and Protestant Churches completely obsolete and unnecessary!

The modern "Christian" world seeks to maintain the status quo simply because the religion of Christianity is first and foremost Big Business! -- not a pursuit for Truth and Contact with the True God of Jesus as it should be! (John 17:3).

-- David C. Whitaker and John D. Keyser.