Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council

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June 2018 MJRC Ordinations

smicha June 2018 Today was a momentous occasion as Vered Hillel and Isaac Roussel received rabbinical ordination. Vered is the first woman to receive s'mikhah from the MJRC. Below is an excerpt from our standards manual outlining our policy of ordaining women as Messianic Jewish Rabbis.

(Link from the Standards Manual)

1.2.3 In concert with the example of Messiah Yeshua and the teaching of scripture concerning the leadership roles of men and women, we affirm the ordination of women as Messianic Jewish Rabbis.

In issuing this standard, the Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council (MJRC) welcomes women to use their God-given spiritual gifts in our community as leaders, rabbis, and teachers.

Scripture contains a number of examples of women who hold significant roles in leading and shaping the life of the people of Israel and the early community of Yeshua's followers - Miriam, Deborah, Huldah, Esther, Junia (Romans 16:7), and Phoebe (Romans 16:1) to name a few. Scripture often describes these women as having significant positions of leadership within the community: judges, prophets, deacons, emissaries, etc. We regard these women leaders in the Tanach and Apostolic Writings as models rather than as exceptional cases reflecting communal disorder or the lack of men of sufficient caliber to serve as leaders in the community.

Who Are We?

The Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council (MJRC) was formally established in May 2006. It consists of a group of ordained Messianic Jewish Rabbis and associated leaders who share a common vision for Messianic Judaism rooted in Torah, instructed by Tradition, and faithful to Messiah Yeshua in the twenty-first century.

The MJRC had its beginnings five years earlier. At that time a set of Messianic Jewish leaders from New England invited some of their colleagues from outside the region to join them in working on a common set of halakhic standards for themselves and their congregations.

Rabbi Mark Kinzer Releases New Book

kinzer-book

MJRC Rabbi Dr. Mark Kinzer has just released Searching Her Own Mystery, which promises to become a major resource in Messianic Jewish dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church and the Christian world in general. Rabbi Kinzer argues that the Church has yet to explore adequately the implications of the seminal Catholic document Nostra Aetate for Christian self-understanding. The publication announcement from Cascade Books states:

The new Catholic teaching concerning Israel should produce fresh perspectives on the entire range of Christian theology, including Christology, ecclesiology, and the theology of the sacraments. To this end, Kinzer proposes an Israel-ecclesiology rooted in Israel-Christology in which a restored ecclesia ex circumcisione—the “church from the circumcision”—assumes a crucial role as a sacramental sign of the Church’s bond with the Jewish people and genealogical-Israel’s irrevocable election.

Dr. Kinzer is Rabbi of Congregation Zera Avraham in Ann Arbor, Michigan, President Emeritus of Messianic Jewish Theological Institute, and former chairman of the UMJC Theology Committee.

Yasher koach to Rabbi Kinzer!

To see the full announcement, with ordering information, click here.

Our Mission Statement

Rooted in Torah, instructed by Tradition, faithful to Messiah Yeshua

The Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council (MJRC) consists of ordained Rabbis and associates who promote a life of faithfulness to God's covenant among Jewish followers of Messiah Yeshua by providing realistic and practical guidelines for Messianic Jewish observance.

Our core mission is to define, clarify, and foster standards of observance for council members and for those in the Messianic Jewish community who look to us for leadership.

We also exist to serve the professional and personal needs of our members by fostering high standards of professional competence, ethical behavior, and halakhic conduct.