(创01)第九小时的神圣恩宠：犹太基督文化中神的美好
（Genesis01）The Sacred Grace of the Ninth Hour: God’s Goodness in Jewish and Christian Cultures
（Applied Grok and edited by Mijale. 中文在后面。）
In Jewish and Christian traditions, the ninth hour (approximately 3:00 PM) may be regarded as a sacred moment, filled with times of divine favor. In the Jewish spiritual text Brit Menucha, the ninth hour is described as a “good moment,” while in Christianity, Jesus’ death on Good Friday at the ninth hour, along with the splitting of the Temple veil, symbolizes the pinnacle of divine redemption. By exploring these traditions, we can see how God’s goodness (Tov) manifests at the ninth hour, revealing God’s mercy and grace.
The Ninth Hour in Jewish Tradition: Insights from Brit Menucha
According to Brit Menucha (folio 19), the ninth hour is considered particularly auspicious due to its spiritual alignment with the number 9. The website article (https://din.org.il/2019/12/05/השעה-התשיעית-מה-מקור-הסגולה/) cites the following original text:
“ובתשיעית נענה ישראל על הים, ושעה תשיעית שעת ששון והברכה והשמחה היא שעת המנחה, בזו השעה נענה אליהו כדכתיב בעלות המנחה ויגש אליהו וגו’. קבלה יהיה בידך, שהשנה התשיעית ליובל – שנה מובחרת. החדש התשיעי – חדש טוב מן הטובים וחדש רצון. ויום התשיעי לחדש – מן המובחר שבכל החדש. ושעה תשיעית של יום, שעה טובה ומובחרת משעות היום。”
(Translation: “In the ninth, Israel was answered at the sea; the ninth hour is a time of gladness, blessing, and joy, it is the time of the afternoon sacrifice, when Elijah was answered, as it says, ‘At the time of the offering of the afternoon sacrifice, Elijah approached…’ You should know that the ninth year of the Jubilee is an exceptional year, the ninth month is the best of good months, a month of favor, the ninth day of the month is the most exceptional of the month, and the ninth hour of the day is a good and exceptional hour among the hours of the day.”)
This passage emphasizes that the ninth hour is a “good moment” (shaa tova), due to its association with the afternoon sacrifice and historical miracles (such as the Red Sea and Elijah’s sacrifice). The Israelites’ cry at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:10) may have occurred at the ninth hour, with God’s response initiating redemption. The number 9 corresponds to the ninth alphabetically ordered Hebrew letter Tet (ט), the first letter of the word Tov (טוב) (meaning “good”). The Zohar notes that in the Bible, Tet first appears in (Genesis 1:4) “God saw the light, that it was good” (Tov), symbolizing divine goodness and the grace of creation. The ninth hour’s favor stems from a channel of divine abundance, endowing this moment with special efficacy for sacrifice and prayer.
The Ninth Hour in Christianity: Redemption and the Splitting of the Veil on Good Friday
In Christianity, the ninth hour is the moment of Jesus’ death on the cross, occurring on Good Friday (Matthew 27:45–51). The New Testament records that from the sixth hour to the ninth hour (noon to 3:00 PM), darkness covered the earth, and Jesus, after crying out at the ninth hour, gave up his spirit, at which point the Temple veil was torn in two from top to bottom. This moment coincides with the Jewish afternoon sacrifice, symbolizing divine mercy.
Good Friday is called “good” because Jesus’ death is seen as the ultimate sacrifice for humanity’s sins, opening the path to salvation (John 3:16). The splitting of the veil marks the opening of the divine realm, allowing humanity to approach God directly (Hebrews 10:19–20). This “goodness” reflects God’s love and mercy, as the Apostle Paul states: “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19). The sacred timing of the ninth hour, combined with the grace of the afternoon sacrifice, highlights God’s good plan.
Connections to God’s Goodness
Jewish tradition and Christianity share a profound resonance in the “goodness” of the ninth hour:
- Sacred Timing: In Jewish tradition, the ninth hour is a moment of grace during the afternoon sacrifice; in Christianity, Jesus’ death and the splitting of the veil occur at the time of the afternoon sacrifice, symbolizing God’s merciful intervention.
- Goodness (Tov): Jewish tradition views the ninth hour as a “good moment” through Tet/Tov, reflecting divine grace, with Tet first appearing in Genesis’ “good” (Tov); Christianity sees the ninth hour as the redemptive moment of Good Friday, with the veil’s splitting manifesting God’s love. Tet symbolizes divine light, akin to Jesus as the “light of the world” (John 8:12).
- Sacrifice and Redemption: In Jewish tradition, the ninth hour is a time of sacrificial response (e.g., Elijah, the Red Sea cry); in Christianity, the ninth hour is the time of Jesus’ sacrifice and the veil’s splitting, fulfilling the divine plan. Both experience God’s goodness at this moment.
Conclusion: The Eternal Manifestation of God’s Goodness
Whether through Jewish tradition’s Tov (via Tet and the ninth hour’s grace) or Christianity’s redemption and the splitting of the veil on Good Friday, the ninth hour is a testament to God’s goodness. In the spiritual wisdom of Brit Menucha, the ninth hour is a channel for Red Sea redemption; on Jesus’ cross, it is the moment of reconciliation between humanity and God, with the veil’s splitting revealing divine closeness. These traditions together reveal that God’s mercy and grace shine at the ninth hour, proving God is good (Tov), eternally responding to His creation with love.
第九小时的神圣恩宠：犹太基督文化中神的美好
(应用了Grok，经Mijiale修改.)
在犹太教和基督教传统中，第九小时（约下午3点）被视为神圣时刻，充满恩宠时刻。在犹太教灵性文本《Brit Menucha》中，第九小时被描述为“美好时刻”，而在基督教中，耶稣在“好星期五”（Good Friday）第九小时的死亡以及圣殿幔子裂开，象征神救赎的巅峰。通过探索这两个传统，我们可以看到神的美好（Tov）如何在第九小时显现，彰显神的慈爱与恩典。
犹太传统中的第九小时：《Brit Menucha》的启示
根据《Brit Menucha》（第19页），第九小时因其与数字9的灵性对齐而被视为特别吉利的时间。网站文章（https://din.org.il/2019/12/05/השעה-התשיעית-מה-מקור-הסגולה/）引用了以下原文：
“ובתשיעית נענה ישראל על הים, ושעה תשיעית שעת ששון והברכה והשמחה היא שעת המנחה, בזו השעה נענה אליהו כדכתיב בעלות המנחה ויגש אליהו וגו’. קבלה יהיה בידך, שהשנה התשיעית ליובל – שנה מובחרת. החדש התשיעי – חדש טוב מן הטובים וחדש רצון. ויום התשיעי לחדש – מן המובחר שבכל החדש. ושעה תשיעית של יום, שעה טובה ומובחרת משעות היום。”
（译文：“在第九时，以色列人在海边得到回应；第九小时是欢乐、祝福和喜悦的时刻，是下午祭献的时间，Elijah 在此时间得到回应，如经文所述，‘在下午祭献时，Elijah 靠近……’ 你应知晓，禧年的第九年是卓越之年，第九个月是最好的好月份，是恩宠之月，第九日是月中最为卓越之日，第九小时是日中最好的好小时。”）
这段文字强调第九小时是“美好时刻”（שעה טובה），因其与下午祭献和历史神迹（如红海、Elijah的祭献）相关。以色列人在红海的呼求（出埃及记14:10）可能发生在第九小时，神的回应开启了救赎。数字9对应字母表第九个希伯来字母 Tet (ט)，是单词 Tov (טוב)（意为“好”）的首字母。《佐哈尔》指出，在圣经里Tet 首次出现在（创世记1:4）“神看光是好的”（Tov）中，象征神圣的美好与创造的恩典。第九小时的恩宠源于神圣丰盛的通道，赋予这一时刻祭献与祈祷的特殊效力。
基督教中的第九小时：好星期五的救赎与幔子裂开
在基督教中，第九小时是耶稣在十字架上死亡的时刻，发生在好星期五（马太福音27:45–51）。新约记载，从第六小时到第九小时（中午至下午3点），黑暗笼罩大地，耶稣在第九小时呼喊后交付灵魂，圣殿幔子随即从上到下裂为两半。这一时刻与犹太人的下午祭献时间重合，象征神圣的慈悲。
好星期五被称为“好”，因耶稣的死被视为为人类罪孽的终极牺牲，开启了救恩之路（约翰福音3:16）。幔子裂开标志着神圣领域的开放，人类可直接亲近神（希伯来书10:19–20）。这一“美好”反映了神的爱与慈悲，正如使徒保罗所说：“神在基督里，使世界与自己和好”（哥林多后书5:19）。第九小时的神圣时机，结合下午祭献的恩宠，凸显了神的美好计划。
神之美好的连接
犹太传统和基督教在第九小时的“美好”上有着深刻的共鸣：
- 神圣时机：在犹太传统中，第九小时是下午祭献的恩宠时刻；在基督教中，耶稣的死与幔子裂开同在下午祭献时间，象征神的慈悲介入。
- 美好（Tov）：犹太传统通过 Tet/Tov 将第九小时视为“美好时刻”，反映神圣恩典，Tet 首次在《创世记》“好”（Tov）中出现；基督教视第九小时为“好星期五”的救赎时刻，幔子裂开彰显神的爱。 Tet 象征神圣光，类似耶稣作为“世界的光”（约翰福音8:12）。
- 祭献与救赎：犹太传统的第九小时是祭献回应之时（如Elijah，红海呼求）；基督教的第九小时是耶稣的牺牲与幔子裂开，完成神圣计划。两者都在此时刻体验神的美好。
结论：神的美好永恒显现
无论是犹太传统的 Tov（通过 Tet 和第九小时的恩宠），还是基督教好星期五的救赎与幔子裂开，第九小时都是神之美好的见证。在《Brit Menucha》的灵性智慧中，第九小时是红海救赎的通道；在耶稣的十字架上，它是人类与神和好的时刻，幔子裂开彰显神圣亲近。这些传统共同揭示：神的慈爱与恩典在第九小时闪耀，证明神是美好的（Tov），永远以爱回应祂的创造。