Teaching Team
Yartzheit of the Chacham Ephraim
Tags: stoning
In Judaism, the memory of a loved one is recalled yearly on the aniversary of his/her death (in Yiddish, yartzeit). One special yartzeit for believers is that of a little known Tiberias rabbi who remained faithful to the Messiah and to the faith of his fathers.
Ephraim ben Joseph Eliakim was the son of the leading Tiberias rabbi. He rose quickly and eventually became one of the local rabbinical judges earning him the title of Chacham (sage) and married the Chief Rabbi’s daughter. Ephraim very much disliked Christians. His dislike was so great that he would not permit his family to visit the local Christian hospital in case of illness. Once the head of the Church of Scotland in Tiberias, Rev. William Ewing, was passing through Ephraim’s town. This church leader spoke Hebrew and thus greeted the rabbi. The rabbi was shocked; a person whom he disliked offered him such a warm greeting. Ephraim came to the church leader’s home, and so began a series of discussions on the nature of the Messiah. While studying with Williams, the question of the Temple’s destruction arose. The first Temple was destroyed due to idolatry. However, there was no idolatry in the days of the Second Temple. Ephraim knew the standard responses but was not content with these answers. He recalled the Talmud in Yoma 9b saying the Temple was destroyed due to baseless hatred. Soon he began to feel a voice inside of him say “Cease to hate Me. Love Me and I will give you peace.”
As a result of his journey towards belief in the Messiah, Ephraim would suffer several persecutions including floggings, starvation, imprisonment and beatings. He was labled a traitor and condemed to a Jewish colony at Lake Huleh; his name was blotted out among his community. After a brief time of tilling soil, Ephraim journeyed to Nazareth and was immersed into the Messiah. It is here that he learned of the tribulations he would endure for the sake of the gospel. His wife and children were taken from him; Ephraim’s in-laws prevented him from seeing them. He eventually went to Jerusalem, but the image he gained caused people to be suspicious of him. He worked as a stone carrier and often used his earnings to help the poor. The head rabbis of Jerusalem knew of his previous stature in Tiberias and asked him to abandon his laborious work and become a teacher. He refused and decided to continue in his service of the Messiah. A local Christian organization offered him a position that allowed him to serve his Master. The organization gave him a room on Jaffa Road where he met with people and discussed his belief in the Messiah. As a result, he suffered persecutions including stoning. Since persecution could not silence Ephraim, the local rabbinate sought to persuade him by offering him the seat of Chief Rabbi. Since the rabbis were now willing to dialogue with him, Ephraim began to explain Yeshua as being the Messiah. As a result many did not believe but some, however, did.
After a number of years of serving his Messiah and enduring several severe persecutions, Ephraim lay in his bed and uttered words of praise to his Messiah for the opportunities he had in serivce to the Kingdom of God. He passed on August 30, 1930 (6 Elul 5690) after saying this prayer: “He was buried the following day. He fought the good fight, finished the course, and kept the faith.” *Based on the story of Ephraim ben Joseph Eliakim as found in the book “Would I? Would You?” edited by Henry and Marie Einspruch (Baltimore: 1970), Lederer Foundation. pp. 50-57.
For the yartzeits of other Jewish believers be sure to check out the monthly eRosh. To receive this resource sign up at www.ffoz.org
(Credit: Brian R. Volunteer/ Researcher)
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