Kingdom Ready Blog

A couple of my recent weekly posts have been about people who made a journey from one set of Biblical beliefs to another because of their investigation of the literal truth of Scripture.  This search for truth led one former trinitarian woman to see that her old beliefs in the trinity did not match up to what Scripture actually showed.  Another long-time Oneness preacher/singer/songwriter was led to finally see that Jesus is not the same literal being as God, but is really His Son, the real human Messiah.

Now I wish to present a slightly different perspective of a Jewish man who rekindled his ancestral faith while realizing that Jesus (or using his preference – Yeshua) was/is the human Jewish Messiah.

This man’s name is Louis Vos Levitz and he is the Rabbi of a very rare Messianic “Unitarian” congregation in Woburn, MA.  It is rare because most Messianics are trinitarian.  This fact was something I covered in a article a year or so ago entitled – “Messianic Judaism – a WOLF in SHeep’s clothing to Judaism & true Messianic belief” (in which I quote Louis from an article of his on his own website – http://www.shomeryisrael.org/index.shtm).

Here is his interesting faith story:

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Shalom and welcome to our web page!My name is Louis (Aryeh Baruch) Vos Levitz, the spiritual leader of our congregation.I would like to tell you a little more about our lives, and some history as it relates to Kehillat Shomer Yisrael.

My wife Aliza and our three daughters – Batyah, Tehillah and Mesha – are South African nationals, and have been permanent residents of the United States since September 1996. Prior to us immigrating to the United States we lived in the wine lands of Cape Town, the southernmost part of the Republic of South Africa.

I grew up with parents that acknowledged God, but with no serious convictions of their own. I in turn, had no religious convictions of my own. Judaism and Jewish identity was not even in the viewfinder of my spiritual periscope. The family tree and origin was never discussed, and in some sense it was avoided. On more than one occasion, when I inquired about the family line, my father told me, “It is better not to discuss things of the past.” Certain memories plagued me for many years, like the dark features and short stature of my father’s family. My father also told me that he had a name that he never used, Ari. I later discovered that my father’s grandmother, nee Levi, fled Spain to Portugal and subsequently ended up in South Africa, where she married a man from Prussian descent. If ever there was a self-hating family, my father’s was it! My mother’s relatives, her maiden name Niemand a contortion of the original Neeman, emigrated from Eastern Europe to Holland and subsequently South Africa. The Cape of Good Hope, from the seventeenth century onwards, became not unlike America, the “new hope” for the persecuted, a place to make a new life. Because of religious intolerance, to work for the Dutch East Indian Trading Co. meant only one thing, you had to be a Protestant. Many Jews “converted” to Christianity for the sake of entry to the Cape of Good Hope and some assimilated to the extent that they lost all Jewish connection. It was only early in the nineteenth century that another religion was allowed in the Cape Colony, and the remaining practicing Jews built the first synagogue on South African soil.  The majority of South African Jews however were from Lithuania. A few, if any, Holocaust survivors came directly to South Africa; they mostly came via America or one of the other countries after the liberation of the Nazi camps. As an adult I had to endure my share of anti-Semitism, which however created a very tight–knit Jewish community, even if you where out on the fringe. Orthodoxy was, and still is the norm for South African Jews, with a few Reform congregations and no Conservative movement.

In August 1983, at thirty-three years of age, I had a dramatic spiritual, mystical encounter with God. I became convicted that Yeshua indeed was the Messiah of Israel, and had an inner compulsion to pursue Judaism. Within days, I made the discovery that it was the gentile world that renamed him Jesus. It was through translations and transmissions, from Hebrew to Greek, to Latin, that this Jewish man ended up as blond blue eyed Jesus. Aliza, who was raised in a marginal Christian home, with Jewish ancestry on her mothers side, was confused when her religiously indifferent husband of then eleven years marriage, all of a sudden became a religious fanatic with a wild Jewish bent. Kosher diet all of a sudden became an issue, a Mezuzah went up on the front door, and Shabbat became the focus of our week as we progressively became more observant.

I had a new found passion and unquenchable thirst for Torah. I also wanted to learn more about this Jew Yeshua and enrolled at a Bible Academy for a two year program, from which I graduated in 1985. During this time at school I found myself discontent with the syllabus and depth of study, particularly in the areas of hermeneutics and apologetics. I could not understand why, even though the historical references of Christian history showed a break of the church with Torah beliefs, that they could expect a Jew to follow their tradition. Especially since this break was birthed out of a negative reaction to Jews and Judaism. I realized that the faculty and student body, believed that Christianity replaced Judaism as the “better” faith. Jews were those poor souls who had lost their favor and connection with God. What further confounded me was the common practice of approaching the Hebrew Scriptures from the “New” Testament backwards. I found it increasingly difficult to try and harmonize traditions that were contrary to Torah and Jewish life. I realized that even though I shared a similar belief with my gentile friends that Yeshua was indeed the Messiah, there was a deep theological divide that transcended logic.

My studies took on a direction and momentum of its own, as I started reconstructing the Text of the “New” Testament back to its Hebrew historical, cultural context. My resources included traditional Jewish writings, Jewish Mysticism and oral tradition. I realized that unless one had a good understanding of Jewish Mystical thought, it became near impossible to correctly interpret the writings of the 1st century Jewish followers of Yeshua. I lived in a world of tension, trying to reconcile two different traditions, seeking to pacify my gentile friends whom I cared for deeply, whilst maintaining and remaining true to my inner convictions. The Dean of the school in a state of exasperation once asked me, “why I don’t go to a synagogue,” as it seemed to culturally and theologically suit me better. Our lives now as a young family with the arrival of our first child, took on new momentum. We realized that we could no longer live in two worlds, straddling two cultures. This would certainly guarantee our daughter and subsequent children to grow up with a confused identity. I graduated in 1985, and soon after in 1986 discontinued our connection with the Protestant world.

We began looking  for a good business opportunity that would  allow us to play a bigger part in the Jewish community. We started a kosher delicatessen with a hechsher (kosher certification) from the Orthodox Beit Din. South Africa however was fast changing, crime was on the increase, and life in general was starting to get too complicated. This placed a great amount of pressure on our business and personal safety, and motivated our emigration to the United States.

Upon arrival in the US I joined the Yeshiva program of a Messianic Jewish denomination. It  soon became apparent to me, that my own informal Judaic studies had equipped me in a way that I had a better grip on a lot of theological issues than the Messianic Movement. Even though the Movement has brilliant thinkers, Messianic “Judaism” I soon realized, is nothing other than a Hebraized expression of Protestantism. I initially thought that I could possibly play a role in bringing about change and a return to authentic Judaic practice. To some extent I was successful, and individual lives have been influenced, but at large the movement remains firmly entrenched in Christian tradition. As immigrants to the US, we struggled with some cultural differences, but the most difficult was that we no longer lived in a predominant Jewish community. Even though this was a trying time and transition, it did provide us an opportunity to officially affirm our status as Jews. My return to Judaism was affirmed by undergoing Hatafat dam Brit, and Aliza along with our daughters, officially claimed their place amongst the daughters of Israel. As a family, we went through the mikvah, leaving behind the old.

I nurtured a vision for a traditional synagogue, that would honor Yeshua as the greatest son of Israel and Messiah while remaining true to Torah and Jewish tradition; A Synagogue which will restore the faith of the Torah loving Jew Yeshua, to its rightful place in Israel. This Synagogue will help secularized and estranged Jews, especially those who have become assimilated through Protestant practice, make teshuvah and return to the Torah and Hashem. This dream and vision was realized with the birth of Kehillat Shomer Yisrael on the North Shore of Boston, just before Pesach 2001.

Our relationship with the greater Jewish community, with me now as a religious professional and part of a prominent Messianic organization, became more tenuous. Because of our connection with the Movement, we could not publicly proclaim our loyalty and adherence to Judaism, and unfortunately were not given the opportunity to do so by the Jewish press. However we did  get some partially favorable press coverage, and as our position became more public, my association with the organization became more problematic. Honesty, however had to prevail, as we worked through all the issues at stake both theologically and hallachicaly. The final outcome and vote of our congregation was unanimous, and we parted with the Messianic Movement and Messianic “Judaism,” to continue our pursuit of the knowledge of Torah, HaShem and Mashiach, within a traditional framework.

I wish not to say anything disparaging, I also do not wish to defame another person, organization or faith, as we trust  HaShem to be The One that orchestrates our paths, in pursuit of truth. Truth, I believe, is revealed through Messiah, who must lead one deeper into Torah. I unashamedly recognize Yeshua as the long awaited Messiah whom God will return for the final redemption. He certainly changed my life and turned my heart to Torah and brought about my return to Jewish practice. He is the mediator and eternal Cohen between man and God, but most definitely, not to be worshiped in place of God. As we go about pealing away layer upon layer of gentile teachings, superimposed and attributed to this loyal, Torah loving Jewish man, we sometimes suffer personal attacks on our own character. The Chachamim (Sages) remind us that  the Suffering Servant, “Moshiach the leper,” endures so much more on behalf of Israel.

My hope, vision and prayer, is that through my own life and practice, as I follow Yeshua Ha Tzaddik, that his life and faith be exemplified in our growing community.  Thereby the rest of the world may get to know the true Messiah, as the greatest teacher, redeemer king, high priest and son of Israel. Chabbad Lubavitch, who also long for their Messiah’s return, has a slogan, “We Want Moshiach Now” to which I would reply, “We Have Moshiach Now.” My quest is for righteousness and justice in his name, and for his namesake.

There is a fundamental Torah truth, and that is, never try and elevate oneself at the cost of someone else’s character.  To do so, is a disparaging thing, an averah, which God hates. HaShem reminds us in Parasha Shoftim; Tzedek, tzedek tirdoff, righteousness, righteousness should you pursue.  May he speed us on our daily return to Torah.

I am looking forward to be of service to you,

Aryeh (Louis) Baruch Vos Levitz