First and last name:Tom Bledsoe, Jr.
City, State and Country: Calhoun, Georgia, USA
Inquiry: B"H
Dear Yirmeyahu ben David,

May HaShem bless you and your ministry. I too was raised baptist, and left the Christian church to become Torah Observant. I would much rather email you directly, but I cannot find through the automated website any other way to contact you. I recently completed the initial contact form. I would like to order the initial book(s), but since you no longer accept credit cards through the website, I went to the Schueller site and found to my dismay that the costs are twice as much as quoted on your site. I understand that I do not merit (nor do I wish to have) a free education, but I have spent the last 4 years reading books from the Breslever tradition (mostly Rabbi Shalom Arush schlita, but now daily from Likutey Moharan) and I have to say, your texts are so much more expensive that it prices me beyond what I can do. I believe that R. Yehoshua ben Yoseph was Moshiach, and want to learn from you in these regards, as well as the Teimani Nusach for my personal prayers (I use the chabad siddur now as best I can) but the automated site is very confusing and frustrating to navigate. I understand your need not to be hassled by the insincere, but humbly ask to speak with you by email. I am slowly learning Ivrit, and have come a very long way in a few years, but you possess a knowledge very special, and don't think that you would not turn away a humble talmid that is just not able to figure out the website in order to get started. Many of the "required" readings in the early blocks I read years ago (as well as a lot of other similar books) and am starting with you from a very different perspective than perhaps many of your traditional beginning non-Jewish talmidim. I need to move forward from where HaShem has brought me, not backwards, and although I will do as you ask, I beg consideration when finding a starting point and the costs required. Todah Rabbah and Shabbat Shalom as night has fallen faster than I can write.

2011.11.06, 1045  Y^әru•shâ•laꞋ yim Universal Time

If you'll be specific about exactly where you're experiencing confusion in navigating NQ (the "Netzarim Quarter" Village; our website) I'll be happy to try to find ways to make the instructions clearer for visitors.

The books on the Schueller House site are a] hardcopy in contrast to the ebooks listed in NQ and b] current prices. That my prices were inadequate to continue the expenses of providing the books is silent but eloquent testimony to their inadequacy. We discuss the prices from time to time and, in fact, I'm not sure his prices are sufficient to cover his expenses.

I don't feel I can be of any help until a person has internalized a certain level of basic knowledge as a foundation that I can build on. Only you can do that. I'm no substitute for it and I cannot build where this foundation has not been properly laid. This minimal foundation is offered in our חברותא—and required before I can be of help, There is no shortcut or fast track. Accordingly I conduct private email correspondence only with graduates of our on-line חברותא course, handling foundational questions (orbiting the decision whether to commit to Torah and the Netzarim Beit Din) in the public forum where everyone can benefit.

There is another way to view your request. You have followed your own eyes and heart to plot your path and are asking me to contradict millennia of Torah and Halakhah to make allowance for your way... instead of you seeking the Torah and Halakhah Way of the Beit Din. Try posing your request to some Orthodox rabbis for conversion and you'll develop a more realistic perspective.

2011.11.06, 1458  Y^әru•shâ•laꞋ yim Universal Time

Inquiry: B"H

Shalom Paqid Yirmeyahu. Thank you for your reply. My confusion on the site came from hurriedly trying to purchase your materials from your site, and when pressing "checkout" no being able to check out. I now understand it is because you no longer can "checkout" directly from your site. It was also disappointing that there is no way to email you, and explanations on the introduction are limited to 800 characters. I understand you do not wish to be contacted until someone has done the initial work, but there is very little room for communication or explanation which is not my experience with other Orthodox Jewish sites.

We are the only Orthodox Jewish site that accepts followers of RibꞋ i Y^әho•shuꞋ a as the Mâ•shiꞋ akh. There is no other Orthodox Jewish site with which to compare us. Their interest is in maintaining cordial relations with goy•imꞋ , to forestall enmity that results in misojudaism and enmity against Yi•s^ә•râ•eilꞋ . That is all. They will not accept you as a potential convert or geir.

The N^әtzâr•imꞋ , by contrast, are where the rubber meets the road between the Jewish community and former Christians who recognize the imperative to follow RibꞋ i Y^әho•shuꞋ a. We are the only ones responsible for ensuring that former Christians carry no Christian baggage with them when we , not they, accept a geir who follows RibꞋ i Y^әho•shuꞋ a into the b^әrit Tor•âhꞋ .

I am reaching out to you precisely because I left the Christian Church 3 years ago, and the so-called Messianic Movement is no better (no different really) than the Christian church. I would never dream of asking you to break Torah. The fact is I have read exclusively Torah based teachings for the last few years: beginning with both of R. Donin's books which you have in your "shop", and several other basics of Judaism books years ago. I have read every article on the Chabad and Breslever sites. I receive 4 weekly shiurim from the OU. I have read the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch and the Orach Chaim. For the last year, I have read the weekly Parsha and Haftora, and with this year's cycle have begun reading a chapter a day of Mishneh Torah (English trans). I have read about 25 books based on the teachings of Rebbe Nachman, and now incorporate a portion of the Likutey Moharan to my weekly study. I have found the "blanks" left from my childhood teachings of the "Gospel" and am convinced I am beginning to understand what Yeshua haMoshiach meant in his teachings only now by learning the teachings in Orthodox Judaism....

You're certainly on the right track… and I sympathize with your plight. My wife and I traveled a very similar, and even more difficult path. Then, there was no one to show the Way, no Beit Din of the N^әtzâr•imꞋ . You're 100% correct that Christians who adopt a few Jewish trappings or make racist (genetic) claims that their Christianity is Judaism are not legitimate.

I appreciate your sincerity that you wouldn't dream of asking me to breach Tor•âhꞋ  – knowingly. It's the unknowing requests to which I referred. Asking a Beit Din to do it your way instead of you doing it the Beit Din Way is backwards, expecting a breach of Tor•âhꞋ . I don't think you've yet wrapped your mind around the authority of the Beit Din to determine such matters–not the individual (as customary in Christianity). It's an essential point. While a number of Jewish books have been written over the centuries to counter Church challenges, no Jewish book in the world for the past 2 millennia has focused on relating a pre-Christian 1^st century P^әrush•iꞋ  RibꞋ i to Tor•âhꞋ . My books break new ground in historical discovery, new sources and logical detective work. No matter how many Jewish books you read, you won't have gotten to step 1 in that subject until you read my books. This is easily demonstrated in that there is no other representation of RibꞋ i Y^әho•shuꞋ a in the entire Orthodox Jewish community globally. It is not possible to obtain the necessary foundation–recognition in the Orthodox Jewish community (from the N^әtzâr•imꞋ )–elsewhere.

2011.11.06, 1500  Y^әru•shâ•laꞋ yim Universal Time

Inquiry: I have had coffee several times with a young Chabad Rabbi, Zalman Charytan, and have attended Rosh HaShanah services there. He is very gracious and welcoming, and Beth and I are invited to come for kabbalat shabbat at his home with others, as well as their monthly Shabbat service. But since we are 45 minutes away, I have mixed emotions about driving in a car to an Orthodox service. Although we are certainly not perfect, we do try to stay at home and listen to shiurim from R. Lazer Brody and read Torah on shabbat. I've not eaten pork or shellfish in years, and try my best to separate meat and dairy. We do not yet have a kosher kitchen but have talked about the next steps involved. I have gone through about 3 different siddurim, but currently use the chabad (because it is the easiest for me to understand). I wear a kippah daily and tallit katan (mostly when I'm wearing a shirt that isn't tucked in). I have a Talit Gadol and tefillin but do not feel worthy to use them yet. There are mezuzot on every door in my office (we are renting a home from goyim at the moment).

So no, I am not following after my own eyes. It is that I know only aleph, and am looking for someone who knows aleph and bet.

I commend you for your general direction and progress, but who is setting your course syllabus… and who is judging what should be acceptable – you or an Orthodox Beit Din? These are issues so alien to Christianity that former Christians are usually blindsided by them out of left field.

HaShem has recently answered longstanding prayers by putting my in a situation where I can resume my Hebrew language studies under a Jewish teacher (I probably have a vocabulary of around 200 words right now but without vowelizations am lost). After Havdalah, I purchased your two electronic books from Schueller, and found where the Conflict of the Church and Synagogue can be be downloaded for free. I have already read the first 3 chapters, and although many of his Christian biases make me uncomfortable, I will complete the reading.

It's good that you can study עברית if it's from a native Israeli speaker so that you get the pronunciation correct. I've seen Ash•k^әnazꞋ im visitors who couldn't communicate with Israelis and I had to translate for them. It was really bizarre because my Iv•ritꞋ  is poor. The S^әphârâd•iꞋ  pronunciation is also an essential step toward Tei•mân•iꞋ  pronunciation.

2011.11.06, 1502  Y^әru•shâ•laꞋ yim Universal Time

Inquiry: Unfortunately, it will be several months before I can afford to purchase your translation and commentary on Mattityahu which I understand is required before I will be considered for further instruction. My fervent desire is to learn to pray the daily and shabbat prayers in Teimani Nusach with proper cantillation. It is only proper for me to be reminded in last week's parsha Lech Lecha that Avraham Aveinu did not receive the sign of the covenant until he was 99 years old and had followed HaShem's instructions for many many years before it happened. Who am I to be impatient? I apologize for using so many "characters". Shalom, Tom

I admire and commend your general direction. In the interim, book reports are required on Conflict as well as WAN and ABNC. Once these are done, we'll go from there.