Dear Gramps.

If the Nephites were such faithful Hebrews, why is there no mention of Jewish feasts such as Passover or Hanukkah?

Brenda

Dear Brenda,

The answer as to why the Nephites did not celebrate Hanukkah is an easy one. The Hanukkah holiday commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after the victory of the Jews over the Syrians in 165 BC. So, of course the Nephites would have known nothing about the Hanukkah since they left Jerusalem for the Promised Land of the New World in 600 BC.

However, the Passover was observed by the House of Israel since their escape from the Egyptians under the leadership of Moses. So, why would that holiday not be mentioned in the Book of Mormon? As a matter of fact, there is no feast day or any type of holiday mentioned the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon is not a history of the Nephite people. It is comprised of five separate documents. The first is The Small Plates of Nephi. This record was written by Nephi and the succeeding kings of the Nephites down to the reign of Amaleki, who reigned sometime between 279 and 130 BC, and it was included in the plates that were given to Joseph Smith by the angel Moroni. So the first part of the Book of Mormon–from Nephi to the Book of Mosiah–is a translation of the actual writings of the kings of the Nephites over than period of time. Concerning the content of this record, Nephi gave instruction that is should only contain those things that are pleasing to God and to those who are not of the world. This instruction is found in 1 Nephi 6:3-6.

And it mattereth not to me that I am particular to give a full account of all the things of my father, for they cannot be written upon these plates, for I desire the room that I may write of the things of God.

For the fulness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved.

Wherefore, the things which are pleasing unto the world I do not write, but the things which are pleasing unto God and unto those who are not of the world.

Wherefore, I shall give commandment unto my seed, that they shall not occupy these plates with things which are not of worth unto the children of men.

We note that Nephi’s objective is not to give a full account of the things of his father. He further commands the succeeding writers that they should not write on these plate the things that are not of worth unto the children of men. With that objective and those restrictions, it is understandable why the first part of the Book of Mormon would not deal with any particular other than that which would persuade men to come unto God.

The second part of the Book of Mormon is the abridgement of the Large Plates of Nephi made by the Prophet Mormon. Those plates were also started by Nephi, but only the part from Mosiah, about 130 BC, to shortly after 200 AD appears in the Book of Mormon. It was this part of the Large Plates of Nephi that the Prophet Mormon abridged. Concerning the Large Plates, Nephi gave the following instructions, as found in 1 Nephi 9:3-4:

Nevertheless, I have received a commandment of the Lord that I should make these plates, [the Small Plates of Nephi] for the special purpose that there should be an account engraven of the ministry of my people.Upon the other plates [the Large Plates of Nephi] should be engraven an account of the reign of the kings, and the wars and contentions of my people; wherefore these plates are for the more part of the ministry; and the other plates are for the more part of the reign of the kings and the wars and contentions of my people.

[the Large Plates of Nephi]

So the abridged part of the Book of Mormon was directed to the wars and contentions of the people, rather than to any rituals that they would be observing.

The third part of the Book of Mormon is the Book of Ether. This book is a record of the Jaredites, who lived at the time of the Tower of Babel, and migrated from there to the New World. They lived in isolation from that time until they were destroyed and annihilated by civil war shortly before 600 BC .

The fourth and fifth parts of the Book of Mormon are the personal records of Mormon, born in 310 AD, and his son, Moroni. Since these are biographical accounts and the records of the terrible destruction of the Nephite people by the Lamanites, they contain no information on the religious rites of their people.

Whether or not the Jewish festivals were practiced by the Nephites is not known. But if they were, the fact that they were not included in the record of the Book of Mormon is both logical and reasonable, and does nothing to detract from the fact that the Book of Mormon is a true record of the things that it addresses. The prophet Joseph Smith’s declaration, found in the Introduction to the Book of Mormon that “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” still stands.

Gramps