Ask The Messianic Rabbi: How do I convert to Messianic Judaism?[2023]
Read the transcript below, or watch a video of the teaching by Joseph Shulam.
Shalom. My name is Joseph Shulam and the young people of the Netiviah staff have put on, on YouTube, and I think also on the web page a series called: 'Ask the Messianic Rabbi', Okay, I’m here. I am no longer the rabbi; I’ve retired. There’s younger people that were born and raised here that are in the leadership. But since they asked me to answer some of these questions, here is the question: Somebody wrote, “I don’t want to know who it is. I don’t want to know his name. I don’t wanna know his address. I don’t want to know his email or his phone number.” Somebody asks on the site, on the YouTube channel of Netiviah, “I want to convert to Messianic Judaism. How do I do so?”
There is no such thing as Messianic Judaism. I know in America and around the world people call themselves Messianic Jews—even non-Jews call themselves Messianic Jews. Even in Israel, uncircumcised Philistines call themselves Messianic Jews sometimes. Okay, but here’s the question: "I want to convert to Messianic Judaism. How do I do so?"
Well, if I was being bad, like I feel today, the first thing you need to do is to get circumcised, but not with a surgeon’s scalpel, but with a wooden knife. Yes, you can’t be Jewish, Messianic or not Messianic, if you’re not circumcised. So that’s one thing, but that’s against the scriptures. Paul said in First Corinthians, chapter 7, verse 17, “If you’re a Jew, remain a Jew; if you’re circumcised, don’t uncircumcise yourself.” He didn’t say the next thing that I’m going to say, but I’m adding it: Even in heaven, they don’t have glue to fix your circumcision. If you were circumcised, you’re a Jew. You got circumcised, that’s it. He will be a Jew no matter what you believe—whether you’re an atheist, believe in Jesus, believe in Krishna, whoever—you’re a Jew. So that’s one thing.
People can convert to Judaism, and then there is a world, very big process, and it involves circumcision without an anaesthetic, I hope so. And still, even if you convert with Orthodox rabbis, with the Rabbinical Court of Israel, and Judaism anywhere in the world, you still will be, how should I say, discriminated, lightly, by Orthodox Jews. It’s not worth it. It’s really not worth it.
In that same chapter of First Corinthians 7, the continuation of the text from verse 17 says, “For God, it’s not important if you’re Jew or non-Jew because the God of Israel is the God of the whole world. He is the God of the whites and the blacks and the yellows and Jews and non-Jews. The Indians run around almost naked in the Amazon; he’s their God too. And those who worship idols, these—they’re God too. They don’t know it; they should know it. But he’s the God of all creation. He created the mosquito. He didn’t take advice from me. If you would have asked me, ‘Should I create mosquitoes?’ I would have said, ‘No, no, no, they’re bad.’ Yeah, he created the hippopotamus. Yeah, if you would have asked me, ‘Should I create hippopotamus?’ I’d say, ‘Yes, why not? The rivers need somebody big and fat to run the show.’
So don’t convert to Messianic Judaism. You don’t need to convert to Messianic Judaism. It won’t help you to convert to Messianic Judaism. You know what? Give your life to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That is important. That is why God sent the Apostle Paul to be the Apostle to the Gentiles, to fulfill the promises that God made in Isaiah, in Jeremiah, in Ezekiel, in Amos, in Obadiah, in Malachi, and in the Torah itself. Yes, give your life to God. Be like Deborah, that had a Gentile woman, Yael, help win the battle against the enemies of Israel, against Yavin, the king of Hazor, and his general Sisera. And this Yael, the Canaanite—not a Jew, not an Israelite, a Gentile—knew how to give that pagan a headache. She pinned him to the ground with the tent peg.
Ah, learn to love God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and serve him, and serve his community, and your Jewish brothers. Convert to Messianic Judaism? There’s no such thing. Relax, my dear brother. Rejoice, my dear brother, that you’re not going to have to be circumcised, and just continue praising God, studying the word of God, doing good. Judaism doesn’t forbid anybody from eating kosher; you can eat kosher. Judaism doesn’t forbid anybody from celebrating the Sabbath; in fact, it recommends it. In fact, the New Testament recommends it in Acts 15 to go to synagogue, learn Torah. Yes, you can do all these things without conversion, without taking on something that will never help you and only deter you from doing a lot of good that you can as a non-Jew that loves the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as a non-Jew that loves the Jewish people and is willing to help them and serve them and work with them, volunteer with the Jews to do good things.
Yes, and God bless you and clear your mind and clear your faith to be faithful to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to Yeshua, the Messiah, the King of the Jews. Forgive me if I was too harsh.
Thank you, my brother, for the u tube piece on converting to messianic Judaism. You gave the good word about serving the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
I pray often for you and Marcia, for both your work and your health needs. Shalom to you both
C. Philip Slate
Shalom Philip!
Thank you so much for prayers for Joe and Marcia.
many blessings
Shmuel
Netivyah
Shalom – Does not Yeshua say “be baptized?” I thought it said somewhere in the Brit Hadasha that we needed to be baptized into the name of Yeshua?? I have been wanting to be baptized. You make it sound as if I do not need to – but …….
My heart enjoys the words you share. May you be blessed.
Laurie Jakober
Shalom Laurie,
We do have to be immersed in the name of Yeshua. I am sorry that you got the impression that you don’t need to. I can assure you that this is not what was intended or hinted in this video in any way.
I will drop you right below a few of many verse references regarding your comment.
Mathew 28:19
Acts 2:38
Acts 10:48
Acts 19:1-5
Mark 16:16
Hope this helps.
If you haven’t been baptized yet and want to follow Yeshua and give your life to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, I encourage you to be immersed in name of Yeshua. 🙂
hope this was helpful
many blessings
Shmuel
Netivyah
Good to see you are teaching!
This ambiguity is concerning about the ambiguity here: “Judaism doesn’t forbid anybody from eating kosher; you can eat kosher. Judaism doesn’t forbid anybody from celebrating the Sabbath; in fact, it recommends it. In fact, the New Testament recommends it in Acts 15 to go to synagogue, learn Torah. ”
Regardless of what Judaism teaches, the Scriptures teach that everyone who believes in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is to eat clean, keep Shabbat, learn Torah – in short . . .obey ALL of Torah that can be obeyed.
Faithfulness in the Messiah and obedience to the commands of God is the standard by which all of us who are joined to God will be scrutinized.
Shalom
Shalom Eric,
thank you for sharing your heart and your views.
blessings
THANKS…
THE INFORMATION IS OK, BUT CAN YOU RISTRICK SOMEONE WHO ALREADY FOLOW LIKE YOU’RE KEEPING THE FEASTS, HOW TO OVSERS THE SHABBAT AND ALL BLESSING LIKE MESSIAH SAY, IF SOMEONE WHO HAVE NO DIFFRENCE WITH YOU; ITIS BELONG TO YOUR GROUPS?
Shalom Gatbel,
I’m not sure I understand your question, would you please rephrase it?
blessings
Shmuel
Netivyah
Great word. Toda raba.
‘Kunle , a JewYsh follower of YESHUA.
Shalom Kunle,
glad to hear that you enjoyed this teaching 🙂
Blessings
What about Exodus 12:43-49, particularly verse 48? Are uncircumcised males allowed to eat the Passover meal or are they to abstain from that? Sorry for my ignorance.
Shalom dear Joanne,
First of all, on the topic of circumcision you might enjoy this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f–8QaPMFdk
Secondly, in the bible when it speaks about eating the passover it speaks about the meat of the slaughtered passover lamb. Throughout history, laws, certain regulations and circumstances drastically changed.
In Deutoronomy 16:1-8 especially verse 6 we read that as opposed to the circumstances that are mentioned above in the verses you quoted when they left Egypt and were dwelling in temporary dwellings in the desert, now as the nation is about to enter and conquer the land we find the command that suddenly the passover lamb must not be eaten or slaughtered in ones home anymore in a family setting but rather only in the place that the Lord will choose. So, for several hundreds of years the passover had to be sacrificed in the tabernacle of the Lord and eaten in/by that place until the temple was built in Jerusalem.
Now, there is no temple and no passover sacrifice today, and there hasn’t been for a long time. So this is not applicable/ relevant in our current circumstances.
Blessings