Shayla: Why don’t you adopt all the traditions other Messianics do?

Meforshim:

Though I love my brothers and sisters who do these things, and I understand the attraction of adopting the Jewish culture without reservation or consideration, we’re going to have to come to terms with simply thinking differently from each other on this general issue.

I know that a lot of other messianic congregations wear kippot, observe a lot of the lesser feasts, carry the Torah around the sanctuary while dancing and kissing it, etc. To be honest, I do not feel drawn to a great degree to either discover or adopt the minhagim[1] of other congregations. While many are admittedly wiser than I, they are as human as I, and I would just as soon plod through the Holy Scriptures on my own and discover what Hashem has for me on my own.[2]

While they, my holy and zealous friends, have tended to work on serving Hashem partly through connecting with their ancestors’ mesorah[3] and minhagim, I’m taking a generally different approach. They have worked hard to know more about their roots (whether adopted or genetic) and to reach their goal. Whatever minhagim they learn, they immediately adopt forthwith! I admire their zeal and their love for the People.

For the time being, I would feel hypocritical and insincere if I were to take on the external minhagim (in davening[4] , Shabbat/Yuntif[5] table, chumros, [6] dress, etc) of such a community without even attaining the basics of where I should be on the inside.[7] As I understand it, the most important part of being a talmid[8] is what’s on the inside (thoughts and emunah[9] which lead to speech and behavior[10]).

While I know that acting in a certain way externally is a positive way to produce an internal effect, it also has the danger of allowing one to feel “religious” without having to do the real work, which is internal. I’m concerned that I could fall into that trap and so, right now, minhagim-wise, I’m sticking to the kabalah[11] that I can clearly find as devar mishnah,[12] and asking the Ruach’ ha Kodesh[13] to clarify what minhagim may be useful for the furtherance of my education and the improvement of the spirit of sameach’[14] in my congregation.

While I am willing to consider any minhagim that don’t contradict the revealed will of God, and that seem to be useful in improving my understanding of the Scriptures or in more deeply connecting me to the People, my current feeling is that I will hold off on that until I can feel that I won’t be putting on airs or acting more religious that I feel that I actually am on the inside.[15]

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[1] customs

[2] Acts 17:11

[3] transmitted traditions

[4] ritualistic prayers

[5] Yid. Holiday

[6] stringencies of Jewish law

[7] Matthew 23:25

[8] disciple

[9] Faith or deep abiding belief

[10] Matthew 12:34; Luke 6:45; Proverbs 23:7

[11] Tradition as received from our teachers; 1 Corinthians 11:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:15; 3:6

[12] Clear, settled, black-letter law

[13] Holy Spirit

[14] Happiness or joy

[15] Romans 12:3