Conversion to Judaism, Part 1

We are a Traditional Jewish Congregation, Inspired by Mashiach.

We help Jews who believe in Yeshua do a formal return to Judaism.

We also help non-Jews who believe in Yeshua and are drawn to Torah do a formal conversion to Judaism.

In this first lesson in our new series, we would like to expound on the topic of conversion to Judaism for non-Jews, as well as a formal return to Judaism for those with Jewish ancestry.

Can a follower of Yeshua convert to Judaism and become a Jew?

If you are not Jewish, you may be interested in Torah & Judaism because of your faith in Yeshua and coming to the understanding that he was a Torah-observant Jew. You may have even considered converting to Judaism in the past, but because of your belief in Yeshua were told it is impossible to convert to Judaism. This is false. It is based on an understanding that many Christians adopt, that Jewishness is only through the blood. They do not treat Judaism as a religion that one can convert to. This misunderstanding is partly to due historical anti-semitism that has been carried down throughout the centuries, but that discussion is for another time.

A Jew, according to Judaism, which is the religion established by the Torah, is someone who is either born of a Jewish mother, or someone who converts to Judaism. But what does it mean to convert to Judaism? In its simplest terms, converting to Judaism means to accept the Torah covenant just as the children of Israel did at Mt. Sinai when the Creator’s Torah was spoken to us in a miraculous show of thunder and lightning with thick clouds.

Midrash, or Jewish legend, states that ALL Jewish souls were present at Sinai on that day to accept the covenant. This is based on the words from the Torah portion Nitzavim.

It says in Devarim / Deuteronomy 29,

8 Observe therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may make all that ye do to prosper.

9 Ye are standing this day all of you before the LORD your God: your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel,

10 your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in the midst of thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water;

11 that thou shouldest enter into the covenant of the LORD thy God—and into His oath—which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day;

12 that He may establish thee this day unto Himself for a people, and that He may be unto thee a God, as He spoke unto thee, and as He swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

13 Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath;

14 but with him that standeth here with us this day before the LORD our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day—

The verses above show that the covenant of Torah given at Sinai is for all who would accept it, not just in the past but also in future times. In Yeshua’s time, there was no such thing as Christianity, and Yeshua never meant to abolish Torah or usurp the religion (Judah) or the people (Israel) that were established by the Torah. Christianity is an antinomian (anti-Torah) offshoot of Judaism. This is not what our Master Yeshua ever intended be done in his name.

Yeshua said in Matthew 5,

17 “Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.

18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished!

19 Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Everything certainly has not passed away yet, neither have all the prophecies in the Bible been fulfilled. Therefore the Torah still stands, and it has continued to provide protection and blessing, morality and ethics, and the knowledge of the Creator and his dealings with mankind, not only to the Jewish people but also to the entire world. Torah is the way Yeshua walked and should also be the way his followers walk if they are to truly to follow him.

Why should someone be barred from accepting the Torah just because they follow Yeshua, a Jew who also followed and magnified Torah? Well, the reasons have to do with the long history of anti-semitism, but again, that discussion is for another time, and our conversion process actually includes learning about this important history. If Yeshua is understood in his proper historical context, there should be no reason that a follower of Yeshua should be excluded from Judaism. Working with several Orthodox Rabbis, we offer a halachic way for people to become Jewish even as believers in Yeshua.

Conversion to Judaism is acceptance of the words of the Creator himself - his Torah. It is a commitment to live by the Torah as best as one can. If you believe the Torah to be true, and have decided to follow the Creator’s words and serve him as he has directed in his holy Torah, then conversion to Judaism is certainly open to you. We can help you. This is what we do.