We have been asked several times, “Who is willing to do a Messianic conversion?” The answer is, we are. Our Beit Din will convert people to Judaism, independent of their belief on who Mashiach is or isn’t. What this means is that we have converted people who are believers of Yeshua, as well as people who are not. Because being a Jew means entering into the Torah covenant, and there have been Jews for thousands of years before and after Yeshua’s life on earth. We follow the historical pattern of conversion just as all Jews did in times past, even during Yeshua’s time.
The laws of conversion that we covered in previous lessons have nothing to do with belief in any Mashiach. There is the issue of having a kosher understanding of Yeshua, and that is something that we teach in our series, “Yeshua in the Torah.”
We have had Orthodox Rabbis refer people to us for conversion. They refer people to us for various reasons. For example, they refer people to us who believe in Yeshua, and Rabbis know that they would not be able to convert through a normal local Beit Din, so they refer them to us. Another example is if people are unable to move to a Jewish community either for financial reasons or because they are caring for a loved one and can’t relocate. Of course, the Rabbis that refer people to us are not typical, they are also open-minded and think outside the box of normative Judaism, otherwise they would have no ties with us at all whatsoever.
Sometimes the men who sit on our Beit Din are followers of Yeshua. Sometimes they are not, but they are open to Yeshua as a Tzadik, or a righteous Jew. They are all shomer-Jews, meaning they are guardians of the Torah. Sometimes our Beit Din consists of people who have Orthodox smicha, or ordination. Sometimes they do not have smicha, but they are kosher witnesses qualified to serve on the Beit Din because of their observance level.
As we have stated in previous lessons, our conversions are for the purpose of entering into the covenant of Torah. They are to help provide Jewish identity, and to provide converts with our Jewish community to connect with, because community life is an important part of being a Jew.
A few of our converts have gone on to join other Jewish communities and even make aliyah, but these cases are rare and should not be expected. Our conversions are not for the purpose of making aliyah or joining other Jewish communities. If people wish to do these things, our conversion is not for them. They should convert with whatever community they wish to be a part of.
If you are interested in becoming Jewish, entering into the Torah covenant of Hashem, and becoming part of Israel through the Benei Avraham community and Beit Din, please join us for Shabbat services online or in person, join us for the holy days here in the Dallas, Texas area, and start studying the book, “To Be a Jew” by Hayim Halevy Donin. May Hashem be your light, your strength, and your guide always.
