Tevilah

[alon]

I'm wondering if I should participate in a tevilah. I do now identify myself with the Messianic community, however I am still sorting out what that means to me. Which of the mizvot apply to me? Some I will not be able to strictly keep, for various reasons. Guess I see it as a covenant between me and God, and I might not be able to keep the whole thing. I'd like to do it, but I don't take doing it lightly. Any thoughts?

Dan C

[messianicmama]

I think it's a gradual process for most people. Keep what you can now, more as you're able and 5 years from now you'll be amazed with the amount of that you keep. Do you mind me asking what you don't think you can keep now?

[alon]

Jun 23, 2013 11:04:59 GMT -8 messianicmama said:

... Do you mind me asking what you don't think you can keep now?

No problem. You know a little about my wife's history. She gets really upset with anything that draws attention to her Jewishness, and really angry with things that remind her of the way she was raised. So I won't be able to do things like wearing tzitzit all the time. I keep the Sabbaths myself as best I can, but much of the meaning is lost without her participation.

Other things, like saying prayers and laying tefillin also bring back many things from her childhood and make her angry. Same when I use Hebrew names or terms. I can understand this in a way, as I feel the same about the Baptists, if not as deeply.

Others I'm not sure of, like netalat yadayim. I think that modern handwashing meets and exceeds the requirements. However it does take the ritual out of it, even though I think of it when I do (usually). But it seems sort of pointless to do both. So I have a lot to work through even without her hangups.

Just generally confused and conflicted on many issues.

Dan C

[Frank T. Clark]

I felt so touched reading your confession of your struggles with finding the truth and acting the truth. I have had many of the same struggles, especially with the wife, family, friends, and even fellow believers, so I can deeply relate. I offer this word of reminder and encouragement. God knows and understands the struggle. He has always accepted you as you are and is always leading you deeper into an experience with Him. Follow as the Spirit leads and have as much patience with yourself and others as our loving Heavenly Father, Our Savior, and the Spirit of Guidance have for us. Trust that the Spirit will also guide your wife, gently, patiently, but firmly. It took my wife about seven years. It was worth the wait.

[Yedidyah]

Shalom!
I think the best thing to do is stay open to the Ruach and let it guide you throughout the proccess. I think that after each biblical season we should look back and see some changes within ourselves for the better. We need to stand firm in our beliefs and not stray off the narrow path. In a year from now you should not be the same person you were, you should be stronger in the word and in doing so a stronger person with a better relationship with the Father. Always seek His will for our lives. I will give you a hint His will for Tevilah within our lives can be found in the .

[alon]

Just to update:

I did go through tevilah at Lake Roosevelt last Summer. I was privileged to have R Reuel officiate as their men's group all went through tevilah at the same time. He also baptized me separately since this was my confession of becoming a Messianic believer.

I do n'tilat yadayim after waking, before meals, after elimination, and before Bible study or working on leather projects for my synagogue. I will undergo tevilah any time I can get a rabbi and a mikvah in close proximity!

Dan C

[Elizabeth]

What's the recommendation for baptism for those of us without a Messianic community? There are some Messianic congregations within my area, but they are a distance away, and I am not sure of what they believe and practice. How do we do it and where should we go? How is the process different than what we were used to in Christianity. I was baptized as an infant so maybe some people would say I am not even baptized yet.... What should we be looking for to make sure it's good in G-d's eyes. This is the next step for me, but I don't know where to go or how to do it.

[alon]

Mar 28, 2017 7:15:38 GMT -8 Elizabeth said:

What's the recommendation for baptism for those of us without a Messianic community? There are some Messianic congregations within my area, but they are a distance away, and I am not sure of what they believe and practice. How do we do it and where should we go? How is the process different than what we were used to in Christianity. I was baptized as an infant so maybe some people would say I am not even baptized yet.... What should we be looking for to make sure it's good in G-d's eyes. This is the next step for me, but I don't know where to go or how to do it.

This is an old post! Good to see the archives being used. There's another (old) post with more information here:

theloveofgod.proboards.com/thread/2916/baptism

Many Messianic communities do not fully understand tevilah, and so may not practice it correctly. And those that do usually don't have the facilities to do it as often as they should. So don't feel too left out if you can't participate. This is one of those areas where grace abounds.

Even where there is agreement for the most part, there may be differences in understanding. For example, my synagogue teaches that n'tilat yadayim (ritual handwashing) is a substitute, like tevilah for the hands, when you don't have access to a mikvah. However the parent synagogue of the forum teaches that n'tilat yadayim has pagan origins and they do not do it. Also we only go in alone and immerse ourselves. The parent synagogue does this except the first time, which they do pretty much like an adult Cristian baptism with full immersion (not sprinkling). 

I think tevilah is important, if you can find a Messianic Rabbi who understands how to do it. Any observant believer can read for you while you immerse yourself though. So if you can find a suitable mikvah you could do tevilah without a Rabbi. But it is a ritual bath, not a regular bath. And you must be able to fully immerse yourself in the living waters, which means a clean water source with an inlet and outlet so it flows. The reader reads from or the prophets, or sometimes Psalms. 

Here is a link to a pretty decent writeup on tevilah:

www.heartofisrael.net/teachings/rabbi/mikveh.htm

Hope those two links and this info can fill out your understanding a bit more. 

Dan C