Messianic rabbi points Jews, Gentiles to Christ in the heart of the Bible Belt
'A visible image of Yeshua'
At Baruch Hashem, they use Yeshua — the Hebrew name of Jesus — and the congregation is comprised of both "Jews and Gentiles, both distinct but also one body that is worshiping the God of Israel and glorifying the name of Yeshua."
According to the synagogue's statement of faith, Baruch HaShem — Hebrew for "Blessed is the Name" — believes the "Gentile Christian Church becomes part of an enlarged multinational Israel through union with Yeshua, one-man Israel, and through union with the Messianic Jewish Synagogue."
The statement adds:
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The Gentile Christian Church is now part of a holy, priestly people, a renewed eschatological Israel founded on Yeshua’s twelve chosen Emissaries, and participates in the fulfillment of Israel’s mission to be a light to the nations.
At the same time, neither the Gentile Christian Church nor the Body of Messiah as a whole is a replacement for national Israel (the Jewish people), nor does the Gentile Christian Church inherit fully the promises given to national Israel.
"There's this idea of working together, the remnant of Israel and the remnant of the nations, working together for the purposes of bringing all of Israel and all of the nations to the God of Israel," Waldman explained.
With Saturday services in the morning, afternoon and evening, services at Baruch Hashem typically begin with prayers from a Siddur, a Jewish prayer book, before moving to liturgical pieces, a Psalm reading, and a song set, what most Christians refer to as a time for corporate worship — in its fullest sense.
"In the Jewish world, all prayers and petitions are presented in first-person plural, so it's never about 'me' the individual, but it's about our community, and it's about 'Lord, remember us, forgive us,'" he explained. "Each one of us is an individual, but we recognize that we are part of a more collective body."
After worship comes the reading of the Torah, which is a part of every Saturday service, as the rest of the Jewish world operates on the same reading schedule.
"If you're a synagogue [in Dallas], or a synagogue in Shanghai, or a synagogue in Buenos Aires, you're all reading the same passage of Scripture that week," he said, adding that there is some variation for assemblies inside the land of Israel.
Before the reading begins, however, the Torah scrolls are walked around the synagogue, and the congregation is given the opportunity to touch or even kiss the scrolls, a practice Waldman says can be traced back to Psalm 2, which reads, "Kiss the Son, lest He be angry with You."
"It's very interesting when you look at the Torah scroll; it's actually not paper, it's lambskin, it's actually flesh, and the writing that's on it is the Word of God written on flesh," he said.
The scroll is attached to two pieces of wood, collectively called the etz chaim, which means in Hebrew "Tree of Life," a clear allusion, Waldman added, to Christ.
"As followers of Yeshua, we recognize John 1, which talks about the Word of God who became flesh, and what we read eventually is. He hung on a tree of death for the purpose of bringing life," he said. "So we see the Torah scroll as a visible image of Yeshua walking through our community today."
After the Torah reading, Waldman typically delivers a message from either the Old or New Testament. Right now, they're reading Luke and Acts.
Ian M. Giatti is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ian.giatti@christianpost.com.
