[Torahman]

Shalom Grateful! I am of Russian, partial Jewish descent. I was raised Catholic, I mean really Catholic: grammar school, high school, college,altar boy, commentator, spent 2 weeks in a convent and have been in the secret crypts below St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. I never knew anyone who had a vibrant, passionate relationship with G-d, except perhaps for a couple of Paulist nuns. My path to Judaism was a long journey that took me through politics, the Psychedelic Revolution, Yoga, Buddhism and Pentecostalism. The last item, Pentecostalism, was during the 'Jesus Movement' of the 70's. This was in California at a "Oneness" Church, at which I had a life changing experience and vision of G-d. That church culture stressed sincere spiritual experience, and personal holiness: separation from 'worldliness', modesty in dress. Abstenance from TV, Pop Culture, liquor, etc.. On a visit to my family in Brooklyn I realized that the Orthodox Jewish women dressed just like our Pentecostal girls. I remembered the Jewishness I was exposed to as a boy, and I instantly longed for it. So began my persuit of the Torah. The torah is the foundation of all hope for humanity. If had been done away with as my Catholic Church had said, what would we put in its place? The answer was, "the Beatitudes". That's from the 'Sermon on the Mount' but what they don't tell you is the end of the Sermon that the Master gave that day: "think not that I have come to destroy the Torah. I have not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or tittle shall pass from the Torah until all has been fulfilled. Therefore (in the future) whosoever breakes the least of the commandments and teaches others to do so shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven, buy whosoever keeps them and teaches others as well shall shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Something was wrong. The Churches say hat the Law has indeed been abolished. Or that we are now free to treat G-d's commandments like a sort of spiritual buffet, picking out those laws that pique our fancy. Cans Christianity, great as it was, is failing. Western Civilization is crumbling before our eyes, and the churches are powerless to stop it. How can this be if Yeshua said that his movement would conquer the very Gates of Hell? Something is missing. And I and people all over the world, from all kinds of traditions are discovering that what is missing is the Torah. This is the Messianic Jewish movement and it is restoring true followers of Yeshua (Jesus) to the Scriptures, the People, and the Land of Israel. When you sit at the feet of the Master and hear him speak in his proper Hebrew context, it's like " the L-rd came from Sinai.... With ten thousands of his holy ones...out from his Right Hand went a fiery Torah for them." The word becomes Fire. My prayer for you is that you would hear His voice, speaking from the fire, as He did to Moses, and said, "take off your shoes, for the ground upon which you stand is Holy."

[Grateful2God]

And Shalom to you, my brother!

Thank you for the wonderful post! I read through several times as our journeys have their own kind of similarities! I, too was a cradle Catholic, and was blessed with good instruction, at home, in Church, and in most of my schooling- all parochial, but high school had some teachers who took advantage of people's limited access to the documents, and promulgated their own ideas, instead of what was in the documents. I argued, but felt betrayed, so I went looking elsewhere, too! My story of on my FR homepage. I was drawn to Judaism, but could not deny my Jesus as the Messiah. As I said, had I known of Messianic Jews, i would have seen if anyone of them would have accepted me.

Modesty is a rare thing nowadays, and is more and more derided today. When i was little, my Mom clipped and saved assn article from a syndicated columnist in our local news paper. When I was old enough (she had kept it on the family Bible all those years. It was called something like, "Soon They'll Stone Virgins." Boy, was she right! A lot of insight- who would imagine things would get this bad?

How wonderful that you had Jewish roots! What a beautiful heritage! From my earliest childhood, I was taught that Jesus was born into a Jewish family, part of G-d's Chosen People. Benziger's Bible history had tons of footnotes making parallels between Old Testament figures and Jesus. We learned both in tandem, as we have The Readings for Daily Mass (which Salvation is kind enough to post for us in several versions with commentary.

The time has come for me to say my prayers and sleep. Of its alright, I would like to finish my response.

In the meantime, a day full of the joy and peace and blessings only He can give!

Shalom, : )

Grateful