In the heart of a profound spiritual journey lies the question: Why do anti-rabbinic sentiments exist within the Messianic movement, and what drives many Messianics towards Orthodox Judaism, thereby leaving Yeshua behind?
The quest for these answers begins with a deeply personal story that encapsulates the complexity and emotion inherent in these spiritual transitions. It's the story of a journey from passionate Christian faith to the pursuit of truth within the Messianic movement, culminating in a shift to Orthodox Judaism. This narrative does not just recount a change in religious belief but encompasses a profound transformation of identity, severing ties with both Yeshua as the Moshiach and the community once called family.
My story starts when I returned from Israel after a year of study. The return to the United States was marred by a cultural void, a longing for the rich Jewish heritage left behind. An attempt to integrate into a Chabad house was met with resistance due to a Christian past, leading to a sense of alienation and a return to familiar grounds - the Messianic congregation. Here, a friendship formed, with someone I will refer to as ‘Maggie’, a connection that offered a glimpse into the depth of Jewish tradition and its harmonious coexistence with faith in Yeshua. We became good friends quickly. I was still somewhat nervous with anything having to do with the Rabbis at this point. She began to share what she had learned and how she connected to Judaism. I started going over to a friend’s house, whose family was much more rabbinically observant. I had many conversations with this family, and I saw the wisdom that Jewish tradition had. When I saw that this family was able to maintain their faith in Yeshua and be observant, I was able to let my guard down.
I was on the same track as them with my learning and observance. We all wanted to have a community that was learning the things we desired to learn. As time unfolded, Maggie's journey took a pivotal turn. Her deep dive into Orthodox texts, alongside her new husband, began to sow seeds of doubt about their belief in Yeshua. These doubts eventually caused some of the believing community to push them away. Influenced by doubts, a struggle to express doubts with the believing community, and trying to make sense of Anti-Missionary rhetoric, they found themselves at a crossroads: choosing between their Messianic beliefs and a return to Orthodox observance. Eventually, they chose the latter, leaving behind not only Yeshua but also their loved ones. The last I heard, they converted in Milwaukee and now live in Atlanta – but I haven’t heard from them since.
This story is not unique but reflects a broader trend. Many within the Messianic movement face a dichotomy: the longing for a deeply rooted Jewish community versus the Christian-influenced nature of the Messianic practice. The Orthodox Jewish world, with its shuls, mikvahs, and a robust learning environment, offers a sense of belonging and tradition often missing in Messianic congregations. In stark contrast, the Messianic community, with its once-a-week services and Christian-like formats and often anti-tradition/rabbinic stances, struggles to fulfill the deep-seated need for a connection to Jewish heritage.
Let me paint a picture of what a typical messianic community looks like, and an orthodox community look like so you might get a glimpse into the issues. A Messianic congregation meets on Saturday morning, and maybe they will have a class once a week outside of that meeting. Most people drive at least 30 minutes to get there, so it’s hard to get together on your own since everyone is spread out (sometimes hours apart). You go into a service, get announcements, three or four songs, a sermon, a closing song, and eat a bagel or have a potluck loaded with electric crockpots people carried from home and plugged in. There may be a couple of Hebrew prayers thrown in as well. Walk into most Christian churches on Sunday – it’s roughly the same format. Most places meet once a week – maybe twice a week for bible study.
In contrast to the above, when you go to an orthodox shul, it not just once a week – its three times a day (for men). Every day you get to gather, study and pray together. Jewish law requires that at least ten men gather three times a day for prayer (and study and fellowship is common at these times). On Shabbos – no one drives, so everyone lives within walking distance of each other. Did someone have a baby recently? Is someone sick? Need babysitting? All these things are built into the community and are readily available. Need a loan? You can get one interest-free. There are even organizations called Gemachs that let people borrow or have items they might need, like wedding dresses, baby items, kosher food, and anything else they might need. All these things point to one thing – the support of the community. The other thing that is focused on in the Jewish community is bringing holiness into everyday living. It’s not just prayer – it is blessing everything you eat, sanctifying the marriage by abiding by the family purity laws, or making your food holy by keeping kosher, and therefore you dip all your dishes into pure mikvah water. It’s heavily focused on giving to those in need and showing a very practical path to serving G-d in everyday life. And yet, if you’re a follower of Yeshua – you’re often faced with losing this community and left with the choice of denying Yeshua or losing the community and spiritual ‘bread’ the soul of the person desires.
Often times it feels like you have to reject Yeshua to follow Moses or you can keep Yeshua but have to follow the Korachs of the faith. This leads people to choosing to either reject Rabbinic Judaism or reject Yeshua, as they see the two as incompatible, or they can’t find a community willing to harmonize the two.
Yet, there is a path less traveled, one more aligned with the Messianic vision of Jew and Gentile worshipping side by side. This is why our observant Messianic community exists, and it presents a beacon of hope! It's an initiative that seeks to harmonize the observance of Rabbinic Judaism with the faith in Yeshua. This vision is about creating a community where one does not have to choose between traditional Jewish observance and belief in Yeshua - where both can coexist, nurturing both the Jewish soul and faith in the Messiah.
Our dream is to establish a community here, in the middle of the orthodox community – where three times a day – orthodox believers, seekers, and Messianic Jews can gather three times a day and live within walking distance and have a close and loving community. And what can we offer to those in the church or messianic congregations? By teaching scripture and Rabbinic sources that Yeshua is indeed the Messiah and provide them with a way to counter and educate anti-missionaries who are ill informed of the truth of Messiah who are pulling fellow Jews away from Messiah.
Where we are, we are pioneers in Observant Messianic Judaism, paving the way for others to travel easier. Creating a community is not easy to do alone. But by having a community, people can see the light and proclaim, “Here are Jews who are faithful to the Torah of their forefathers and to Yeshua the Messiah!” For many, there is no place for them to go. They have to choose to isolate and cut themselves off from the community, or belong to a community that opposes their way of practice. This isn’t just about creating one community, this is about starting a chain reaction of communities. People will be able to finally be able to feed their souls and ease the pain of this current exile slightly.
Inspired by the legacy of Yedidiah Pollak, a 19th-century Orthodox Jew who embraced Yeshua, this initiative stands as a testament to faith, perseverance, and the unyielding spirit of those who dare to forge a new path in the tapestry of religious belief.
“Because the burden of guarding the Testimony rests upon me, I will stand my watch, answering anyone who reproaches me for it. I belong to the assembly of the Testimony. I am a Hebrew and I fear the God of heaven. I am a Jew and behold, I observe the Torah, the written Torah and the oral Torah, and my soul is inextricably bound to Yeshua the Messiah. He is my life-breath, for he is my Savior King.”
About the Author
Rivkeh Costello is the founder of Ahavas Chinam, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing the truth of Yeshua to the nations and making disciples. Rivkeh and her husband, David, are building a Jewish community where any Jew, of whatever observance, can come and daven, learn, and live out a Jewish life while maintaining or exploring faith in Moshiach. For more information about Ahavas Chinam, please visit their website at www.AhavasChinam.com
Comments