QUESTION BOX :
Messianic Jewish Proselytes ?

To: Rabbi Aharon Chaimberlin
Greetings in the name of Yeshua HaMashiach. Shalom. My name is Anthony and I am 32 years and a gentile believer in Mes-siah Yeshua. I am writing regarding the subject of Conversion to Judaism within the context of Messianic Judaism. You are probably aware that the Torah allowed for strangers or foreigners to live among the nation of Yisrael and that if circumcised they could partake of the pesach. There is the example of Ruth and mention of proselites in the book of Acts (among others). As a Messianic Rabbi and leader of Petah Tikvah do you belong to a beit din or does your congregation allow for conversion to Judaism? Do you have a program of conversion within your congregation or any other congregation that you are aware of with a Messianic Jewish context?

As a believer in Messiah Yeshua, I agree that such a thing is not necessary for salvation or mandatory for gentile believers (Acts 15,21). However, do you allow for a voluntary conversion by a gentile believer who wishes to identify with the Jewish nation in a more profound and committed way and take on the attendant responsibilities of a proselyte??

I hope G-d's blessings are with your congregation as you seek to be a faithful Jewish witness for his majesty Messiah Yeshua and I look forward to your reply.
Yours in Messiah Yehoshua, A.P.

OUR REPLY: Messianic assemblies have different views on this issue. Some Messianic Jewish congregations do not recognize proselytes to Messianic Judaism. It is strictly a matter of genealogy. If one or both parents were (or are) Jewish, the individual is considered Jewish. If this same person believes in Yeshua as his Messiah, he is considered a Messianic Jew, regardless of whether or not he or she observes Shabbat or the basic dietary laws of Leviticus 11.

Other Messianic Jewish congregations recognize conversions done by Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform rabbis. If such a convert also believes in Yeshua as Messiah, he also is considered a Messianic Jew. We happen to believe in and accept proselytes within a Messianic Jewish context.

Proselytes to Judaism are nothing new. After that very first Passover in Egypt, we read that "a mixed multitude" went out with the Israelites. According to Rashi, a multitude of people of various nationalities converted to Judaism and accompanied the Jews out of Egypt. There is no record of a tribe of "Gerim" (Converts), so it seems that these converts were adopted into the various 12 tribes of Israel.

Regarding the converts, Torah says, "And when a stranger (ger) sojourns with you, and will keep the Passover to YHWH, let all his males become circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the Land; for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and to the stranger that sojourns among you." The word for "stranger" is ger, which also means "convert." Torah was for both the convert and for the native-born in Israel. This is one of many passages in which the Torah requires that converts be treated as equals.

A very famous convert was Ruth. She said to Naomi, "Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God." She had a heart conversion to Judaism long before any ritual ceremony was performed to confirm the spiritual choice she made. Even though she was a descendant of Moab, she was welcomed into the nation of Israel. This convert to Judaism was the great-grandmother to King David, who in turn was an ancestor to the Messiah.

Much later on, we read of a time when many Gentiles converted to Judaism: "And many among the Gentiles became Jews, for the fear of the Jews fell upon them." This was a time when the Jewish people gained victory over their enemies.

Proselytes in Jewish Tradition

Anyone who has accepted Judaism out of sincere conviction without ulterior motives is called a ger tsadik (righteous proselyte) or ger emet (true proselyte). Maimonides wrote, "All who adopt Judaism are Abraham's disciplesÖ There is absolutely no difference between us." Emperor Hadrian (117-138 C.E.) forbade conversion to Judaism with the threat of the death penalty. However, prior to Hadrian, Judaism was very actively proselytizing in most nations. According to some, about 2 million Roman citizens had converted to Judaism prior to Hadrian. Later, because of decrees of the Byzantine and Roman churches, most of Judaism abandoned proselytizing.

"A would-be proselyte is neither persuaded nor dissuaded." "If one sincerely wishes to adopt Judaism, welcome and befriend him; do not repel him." "If one comes to ask for admission to Israel, he is not received at once, but is asked, 'Do you not know that this nation is downtrodden and afflicted, subjected to many ills, liable to varied penalties for disobedience to the precepts of the Torah?' If he persists, he takes a ritual bath and submits to circumcisionÖ" (These quotations from the Talmud are all as quoted in the Encyclopedia of Jewish Concepts, by Philip Birnbaum, Hebrew Publishing Company, NY, 1975, pp. 132-133.)

Maimonides, replying to a question from a proselyte, wrote, "You have asked about the prayers and benedictions, whether you should say, our God and God of our fathersÖ You should pray like any Jew by birthÖ Any stranger who joins us till the end of timeÖis a disciple of our father Abraham and a member of the householdÖ You are to say our God and God of our fathers, because Abraham is your fatherÖ You may certainly say in your prayers who has chosen us, who has given us the TorahÖand who has separated us, because God has indeed chosen you and separated you from the peoples and given you the Torah; for, the Torah is given alike to us and to the stranger, as it is written: 'One Torah and one judgment shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.' Let not your lineage be light in your eyes. If our lineage is from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, your lineage is from God himself."

There have been times in history when tribes have converted to Judaism, of which the Khazars of the 8th Century are the most famous. During times of persecution such as the Inquisition, it was down-right dangerous to convert to Judaism. However, there have always been converts to Judaism, both in Biblical times and down through history.

Proselytes & the New Testament

There were proselytes and God-fearers in the Gospel accounts. The Jews hated the Romans-for good reason; Israel was under Roman occupation. The Romans ruled with an iron rod. Thousands of Jews had been crucified because of their opposition to Rome, perhaps the most painful, barbaric method of execution ever devised. Yet even the Romans had a few good men. Yeshua complimented a Roman centurion for his great faith. Another centurion named Cornelius was the first Gentile to accept Yeshua without first converting to Judaism. This was a rather radical concept at the time. A Gentile accepting the Jewish Messiah without first converting to Judaism was hard to understand. It took a while before Yeshua's followers could accept such a thing.

Yeshua's talmidim (disciples) had the same religion that Yeshua had-Judaism. They didn't convert to Christianity. Christianity came along later. The first reference in the Bible to people being called Christians were the Gentiles in Antioch who believed in Yeshua.

The earliest believers in Messiah Yeshua were all Jews or proselytes to Judaism, and continued to be Torah-observant Jews. Yeshua's "Great Commission" to "make disciples of all nations" was probably understood by his disciples as a command to introduce all the nations to the truths of Judaism with Yeshua being the Messiah. Yeshua never came to this planet to start up a new religion; He came here to be the Messiah for the "old" religion-Judaism. Some of the Jewish leaders considered those who believed in Yeshua to be heretics. However, the early Messianic Jews were considered Jews, and their religion was Judaism. They were not considered converts to any other religion.

In Acts chapter 2, we read about all the Jews who had come to be in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Shavuot (Pentecost) from various nations around the known world, "both Jews and proselytes." There were 3,000 who believed the message brought forth by Shimon Kefa (Simon Peter). Most of those who came to believe in Yeshua were Jews, and some were from among the proselytes.

When Rav Sha'ul returned from one of his missionary trips among the Gentiles, he was happy to tell the Jewish believers in Jerusalem about the "things God had wrought among the Gentiles." When the Messianic Jews in Jerusalem heard of it, "they glorified the Lord, and said to him, 'You see, brother, how many myriads (tens of thousands) of Jews there are which have believed, and they are all zealous for the Torah (the Law, or Teaching).'"

The arguments that would be used against Gentiles proselytizing into Messianic Judaism would be taken from the Pauline Epistles. Rav Sha'ul, in writing to the Galatians, was coming out against the heresy that Gentiles had to convert to Judaism in order to believe in the Jewish Messiah and be saved. This issue was already dealt with in Acts 15 and 21. There were minimal requirements for Gentiles who came to believe in Yeshua, to "abstain from things contaminated by idols, from sexual immorality, and from what is strangled, and from blood." However, the very next verse reads, "For Moses from ancient times has in every city those who preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day." It was assumed that the Gentiles would continue to attend synagogues, and as they learned more, would grow in their level of Torah-observance. We read in Acts 13:43, 14:1. 17:4, 17:17, and 18:4 that the Gentile proselytes continued in the synagogues, which remain an excellent place for learning Torah.

"Certain men (of the Messianic Jews) came down from Judea taught the breth-ren (the Gentile believers), saying, 'Except you be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved'" Also, "There rose up certain men of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, ''It is necessary to circumcise them (the Gentile believers), and to direct them to observe the Torah of Moses.'" Rav Sha'ul was very opposed to the concept that Gentiles had to get circumcised and observe the Law of Moses to get saved. We are all, both Jew and Gentile, saved by the blood of Yeshua which was shed for our salvation at Golgotha. We obey his commandments because it is an expression of our love for Him. Yeshua said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." The Law was never abolished by Yeshua. There have always been Gentile God-fearers who loved the God of Israel, but stopped short of getting circumcised. Circumcision is required only for the physical descendants of Abraham. However, Gentiles could voluntarily choose full conversions and get circumcised, and often did, even in New Testament times and later. The heresy, however, would be teaching Gentiles that they had to get circumcised and keep the Law of Moses to be saved. This isn't true even for the Jews who believe in Messiah.

Proselytes in the 20th Century

More and more, we are encountering Gentile believers who identify much more with Messianic Judaism than they do with Protestant Christianity. They don't celebrate the man-made or pagan holidays such as Easter that have been adopted into the Church; instead, they celebrate the Holy Days of the Bible, such as Passover. They don't observe a Sunday day of rest; instead they observe Shabbat, as given to us in the Scriptures. They identify with Israel and the Jewish people. The believers of the First Century were not Catholics, Baptists, Pentecostals, or Lutherans. They were Messianic Jews, sometimes called "sect of the Way", Nazarenes, or simply Jews. Some have found traditional non-Messianic rabbis who were willing to perform the conversion. Others choose to have their conversions done by Messianic rabbis. Messianic Jewish conversions are not accepted for those desiring aliyah. Unfortunately, many Messianic rabbis refuse to do Messianic Jewish conversions. Since Protestant and non-Messianic Jewish conversions are accepted, so should Messianic Jewish conversions.

It may be natural for Jews who believe in Yeshua to identify more heavily with the faith of the First Century. However, more and more Gentiles also want to identify with the faith of the First Century believers. There is nothing wrong with being a Baptist or Pentecostal or whatever. Those who have trusted in Yeshua for their salvation are just as "saved" as those who identify themselves as Messianic Jews.

Messianic Jews are happy to accept all those who are truly born-again of the Spirit of God as brothers and sisters in the Messiah, regardless of whichever church or denomination they belong to. We are all part of the Body of Messiah. Messianic Jews aren't better or more loved than Christians. However, just for the record, please remember that before there were Catholics or Protestants, there was Messianic Judaism, which predates Christianity by some decades.

In Messianic Judaism, there are also those who are "strangers at the gate." They like to attend Messianic Jewish congregations, sing Messianic Jewish songs, and celebrate the Holy Days and Shabbats. They love Israel and the Jewish peo-ple. They are happy to identify themselves as Christians or even Messianic Gentiles. However, they have no desire to "convert" to Messianic Judaism, nor should such a conversion be forced upon them.

Another very happy development is Christian Zionism. There have been Christian Zionists for well over a hundred years. Many Christian Zionists were a real encouragement to early Jewish Zionists. However, Christian Zionism has really blossomed since 1948, when Israel became a nation. We need Christians who love Israel and the Jewish people, and remain in their churches as Christians. God isn't calling all Christians to convert to Messianic Judaism, although He is certainly calling a few to do so.

Conversion to Messianic Judaism is first and foremost a matter of the heart. When Ruth said, "Your people are my peo-ple, and your God my God," she had already converted in her heart.

However, instruction and teaching are necessary adjuncts for proselytes to Judaism, Messianic or otherwise. This is in sharp contrast to Christianity, in which someone can say the "Sinner's Prayer" and get baptized all in the same day. In Judaism, it is "Study to show yourself approved to God, as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth." These were Paul's instructions to Timothy, a very Judaic concept.

Traditionally, the conversion candidates are required to appear before a beit din ("house of judgment"), which is normally a panel of three rabbis. He or she is questioned. If at least two of the three rabbis is satisfied with the conversion candidate, then the process for formal conversion can be completed that same day, or shortly thereafter.

Male candidates are required to get circumcised. In the event that the male convert is already circumcised, he is required to get a "mock bris," in which a couple drops of blood are drawn from that very sensitive part of the anatomy.

Lastly, the candidate proceeds to the mikveh (ritual immersion). This is similar to baptism as described in Romans 6. It is rich in symbolism. In Romans 6, it is symbolic of dying to the old nature of sin, being buried with Messiah, identifying with the death and burial of Messiah Yeshua. Rising out of the water is symbolic of rising out as a new creation in Messiah Yeshua. In the conversion mikveh, it is symbolic of "dying" as a Gentile and being resurrected as a Jew. Unlike Christian baptisms, the candidate immerses him or herself, three times. After rising the third time, (s)he says the Sh'ma and says the blessing, "Blessed art Thou, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with Thy commandments, and commanded us about the immersion," At that time, the candidate is officially a Jew, and must take upon him or herself all the privileges and responsibilities of being a Jew.

Those who were married before the conversion are expected to have a Jewish wedding after the conversion process is completed. The conversion is considered so complete that they are considered completely different people. Therefore, if they don't get married, the bed they share would be considered fornication. They need to re-legitimize their relationship by getting married. And a party of course!