SHUVOO NEWSLETTER

Issue No. 25 – February 6, 2007

Door to a hillside Mikveh located near Bat Ayin.

For spiritual purification and family purity, as well as for entry into the Jewish nation,

the Mikveh figures prominently in Jewish life.

 

TO BE A JEW

Shalom Everyone, 

 

Postings from Shuvoo have been few and far between for the past three months.  Given that these communiqués used to be weekly, I feel that our Shuvoo subscribers deserve an explanation for the sudden and prolonged silence.  Initially, the infrequency of postings resulted from that fact I am working fulltime by day and learning Hebrew at night; however, other things unfolded in my life that brought me to a place where my identity as a Jew was questioned, particularly in relation to my passion for doing the work of Shuvoo.  The struggle within that resulted was not pleasant.  I sacrificed a great deal to become a Jew, and, my passion to help my people fulfill our commandment to be “light unto the nations” goes very deep.  On the other hand, to mature into a strong, responsible member of the Jewish community is also of utmost importance to me.  What was I to do?

 

For several weeks now, I’ve been turning over in my mind the issues and questions that the events of the past few months have raised.  The new article linked below is one result of my ruminations.  I have entitled it “To Be a Jew.”  The development of this topic will take the form of more than one posting over an undefined period of time, so stay tuned.  Given that I chose to become a Jew, this first article will take a look at conversion … a popular topic these days.  Strangely enough, becoming a Jew has equipped me amazingly well to counsel others not to convert, yet I would not reverse my own decision even if I could.  Curious?  Read To Be a Jew – Part I  (A Candid Look at Conversion)  http://www.shuvoo.com/articles/AY-to-be-a-jew-or-not.php   I would have preferred to divide these five pages into two articles to make reading easier, but the continuity of content would not allow it. 

 

If you are interested in how near I came to giving up being the very Jew I believe Hashem created me to be, even while in the process of trying to strengthen my Jewish identity, that story will, IY”H, be contained in one of the future postings in these series about becoming and being Jewish.   

 

It is important to state here that we must never forget that Hashem created all mankind.  Israel and the nations, both Jew and non-Jew, have unique roles to play, roles of great value in the Divine Plan.  The Babylonian Talmud, Baba Kamma 38a, states that when one of the Children of Noach engage in the study of the Seven Universal Laws, he or she is able to attain a spiritual level as high or higher than the High Priest of the Jews, who alone has the sanctity to enter the Holy of Holies in the Temple in Jerusalem.  This is no small thing.

 

A second outcome of my recent period of reflection has been a decision to gradually change Shuvoo to a more intimate format of personal Torahs and the sharing of experiences.  This will take time to develop in both form and format, but b’ezrat Hashem, Shuvoo will move progressively in that direction.

 

Shuvoo has many friends here in Israel and in North America that are doing great things in Torah outreach to the nations, as well as outreach (kiruv) to Jews who have become distanced from their heritage and inheritance.  Shuvoo desires to complement and support these individuals and organizations, not to duplicate or compete with their efforts.  We encourage Shuvoo subscribers to avail themselves of the following resources and to support the individuals and organizations making these resources available:

 

The Universal Torah Network (www.universaltorah.com) is posting several video teachings a week by Rabbi Chaim Richman, Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum, Sam Peak and Joe Good.  This website is a treasure house where Shuvoo subscribers can access teachings ranging from 5 to 30 minutes on the weekly Parasha, the Temple, the teachings of Rebbe Nachman, the Universal Torah Laws, and foundational principles of Torah and Judaism.

 

Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum’s “Know Your Bible” program “Nach in a Year” is a valuable source of daily digests studying the Tanach at two, or just a few, chapters a day.  You can subscribe to this email list at http://azamra.org/NaCh.shtml  

 

Rabbi Greenbaum’s weekly internet radio class is broadcast live each Sunday at 10am EST.  This weekly class can be accessed directly via his Azamra Institute website at http://azamra.org/study.shtml

 

Dr. Eugene Narrett updates his website weekly with new essays offering his keen insights into the events impacting Israel at this crucial point in history.  You can also subscribe to his email list to receive his essays direct to your Inbox.  Shuvoo highly recommends the purchase of his most recent book, Israel and the Endtimes, available through his website or at Amazon.com.  I have it on good authority that another book of Dr. Narrett’s riveting collections of essays is in the offing.  His website can be found at www.israelendtimes.com   

 

Our friends Jeremy Gimpel and Ari Abramowitz are continuing their high energy weekly programs “A Light to the Nations” on Arutz-7 internet radio, as well as articles and archived shows on their website at www.thelandofisrael.com  Here both Jew and non-Jew can find material to provoke and to edify. 

 

Rabbi Pinchas Winston offers new material on current world events and his weekly Parsha commentary at www.thirtysix.org   This is a popular website for those seeking a Torah/Kabbalah insight into current events.

 

Torah teacher and mentor Avraham Sutton is presently working on the release of a new book entitled Technology and the Return to Eden that may well be his best teaching yet as he addresses the Sacred Technology of Torah that is concealed within the abundance of technology in our world today and how we can harness that technology to elevate ourselves and our world to regain some of the consciousness and clarity that Adam and Chava enjoyed in Gan Eden.  Shuvoo will let our subscribers know as soon as the book has been published and is available for purchase.

 

Based in America, Noahide Nations (www.noahidenations.com) is an education-focused website for Bnei Noach by Bnei Noach with daily live classes, chat room facilities, community-building features, as well as books and learning resources available for purchase.  The teaching faculty of Noahide Nations includes both Jewish and Bnei Noach instructors, including live classes by Dr. Eugene Narrett.

 

I anticipate that the year 2007 will see the introduction of many more wonderful resources for those seeking spiritual clarity from among the nations.  Never before in history has there been a time with so much Torah being taught, streaming out from Israel to the four corners of the world. 

 

“It will happen at the end of days:  The mountain of the Temple of HASHEM will be firmly established as the head of the mountains, and it will be exalted about the hills, and all the nations will stream to it.  Many peoples will go and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the Mountain of HASHEM, to the Temple of the God of Jacob, and He will teach us of His ways and we will walk in His paths.’ For from Zion will the Torah come forth, and the word of HASHEM from Jerusalem.”  (Yeshayahu 2:2-4)

 

 

Ashirah Yosefah

Ad Matai / Shuvoo

Rehov Cremieux 6A/1

Jerusalem 93108

 

Israel Registration #580545870

www.shuvoo.com