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I was able to discover the truth about atonement when I was 26 years old, and one year out of law school. I had become involved in some major legal battles in
which people I was battling against were involved the use of occult. I felt I needed some spiritual help or guidance to deal with this, a kind of help that was
clearly beyond anything I could get from the Rabbi. Thus, I went to seek the advice of a fortune teller. However, as it turned out, the Gypsy woman I went to see
was a born-again Christian. Over a period of months, we became friends. She was not forceful at all with me about believing in Jesus. Instead, this Gypsy
woman and other members of her family began praying for me constantly and interceding for my needs. Whatever my needs were, not just spiritual needs,
but material things also, they were praying and God was answering. There were also many prophetic words that she received for me, and which turned out to
be exactly true. As my needs continued to be fulfilled through the prayer and intercession of these gypsies, I began slowly to be convinced that maybe there
was something true about Jesus that I was missing. They rarely spoke to me about Jesus. They just prayed for whatever I asked, and I slowly became
convinced as I saw prayers answered in my life, time and time again. I finally asked if I could attend some Gypsy prayer and bible study meetings, and, though I
felt out of place, I was impressed how these Christian gypsies, who happened to be very poor, nearly illiterate, and completely uneducated, still had a certain
wisdom about God and about the bible, that I felt I lacked despite my Torah observance, my doctorate degree, and my background in Judaism.
After about six months, I began to accept and realize that I was a sinner, and a hypocrite, no matter how observant I might be, I really did not know God and I
certainly was not righteous in His eyes. I began to understand that this is the condition of all men, we are all sinners by nature, no matter how observant we
may be, we still come short of perfection. Thus, the idea that Jesus might just be who these Gypsies think He is, the saviour of humanity, began to seem more
and more plausible. At least, I decided to actually look at the new Testament, a book which I never had read, though I was so sure it was untrue. (It is amazing
how many “intellectuals” have read every book under the sun, but have never read the one book that has influenced human history more than any other – the
bible). At first glance I was shocked to discover that Jesus was actually the Son of King David. I discovered also that Jesus was a Jew, who was perfect in
keeping the Torah, who was circumcised and had a bar mitzvah, and his real name was Yeshua, which I knew meant “salvation”. I never before realized the
simple fact that Jesus is Jewish, and all these people who followed Him and believed in Him were also Jewish. Even Mary, who the Catholics worshipped as a
kind of goddess, was actually just a Jewish girl named Miriam who became Yeshua’s mother.
Secondly, my Gypsy friend suggested to me to read about the “armor of God” in Ephesians 6:10-18. This made a huge impact: “We wrestle not against flesh
and blood, but against principalities and powers in the heavenly places . . . so put on the armor of God that you may be able to withstand . . .” My experience
against spiritual warfare in the courts lead me to realize that no victory could ever be realized through the use of occult, nor through might, nor power of any
kind, but rather, the greatest power is through simple faith in Adon Olam, the Lord of the World – Yeshua the Messiah.
ACCEPTING YESHUA MESSIAH
At the age of 26 in the spring of 1992 I accepted Yeshua as Messiah. A week later I met my biggest blessing from God – a college girl in a hippie skirt, who
smelled of patchouli; with rings on her fingers and bells on her shoes. Her name was “Tara”, and as we grew together in the Lord she became my wife and
the mother of my four children – Ruth, Joseph, David, and Rachel. Tara had a mixed background. She had Christians in her family. She also had a Jewish
grandparent (her mother’s father) and she and her mother had gone through conversion with the Reform synagogue when Tara was 16. Tara identified Israel
as her people, and Yeshua as her Messiah. She also was into the Grateful Dead. It was a match. I could stop there, and be perfectly content, but God has
heaped upon me so many blessings and has multiplied such peace in my heart and in my household, since I received Yeshua, that I could not possibly speak
of it all here.
which people I was battling against were involved the use of occult. I felt I needed some spiritual help or guidance to deal with this, a kind of help that was
clearly beyond anything I could get from the Rabbi. Thus, I went to seek the advice of a fortune teller. However, as it turned out, the Gypsy woman I went to see
was a born-again Christian. Over a period of months, we became friends. She was not forceful at all with me about believing in Jesus. Instead, this Gypsy
woman and other members of her family began praying for me constantly and interceding for my needs. Whatever my needs were, not just spiritual needs,
but material things also, they were praying and God was answering. There were also many prophetic words that she received for me, and which turned out to
be exactly true. As my needs continued to be fulfilled through the prayer and intercession of these gypsies, I began slowly to be convinced that maybe there
was something true about Jesus that I was missing. They rarely spoke to me about Jesus. They just prayed for whatever I asked, and I slowly became
convinced as I saw prayers answered in my life, time and time again. I finally asked if I could attend some Gypsy prayer and bible study meetings, and, though I
felt out of place, I was impressed how these Christian gypsies, who happened to be very poor, nearly illiterate, and completely uneducated, still had a certain
wisdom about God and about the bible, that I felt I lacked despite my Torah observance, my doctorate degree, and my background in Judaism.
After about six months, I began to accept and realize that I was a sinner, and a hypocrite, no matter how observant I might be, I really did not know God and I
certainly was not righteous in His eyes. I began to understand that this is the condition of all men, we are all sinners by nature, no matter how observant we
may be, we still come short of perfection. Thus, the idea that Jesus might just be who these Gypsies think He is, the saviour of humanity, began to seem more
and more plausible. At least, I decided to actually look at the new Testament, a book which I never had read, though I was so sure it was untrue. (It is amazing
how many “intellectuals” have read every book under the sun, but have never read the one book that has influenced human history more than any other – the
bible). At first glance I was shocked to discover that Jesus was actually the Son of King David. I discovered also that Jesus was a Jew, who was perfect in
keeping the Torah, who was circumcised and had a bar mitzvah, and his real name was Yeshua, which I knew meant “salvation”. I never before realized the
simple fact that Jesus is Jewish, and all these people who followed Him and believed in Him were also Jewish. Even Mary, who the Catholics worshipped as a
kind of goddess, was actually just a Jewish girl named Miriam who became Yeshua’s mother.
Secondly, my Gypsy friend suggested to me to read about the “armor of God” in Ephesians 6:10-18. This made a huge impact: “We wrestle not against flesh
and blood, but against principalities and powers in the heavenly places . . . so put on the armor of God that you may be able to withstand . . .” My experience
against spiritual warfare in the courts lead me to realize that no victory could ever be realized through the use of occult, nor through might, nor power of any
kind, but rather, the greatest power is through simple faith in Adon Olam, the Lord of the World – Yeshua the Messiah.
ACCEPTING YESHUA MESSIAH
At the age of 26 in the spring of 1992 I accepted Yeshua as Messiah. A week later I met my biggest blessing from God – a college girl in a hippie skirt, who
smelled of patchouli; with rings on her fingers and bells on her shoes. Her name was “Tara”, and as we grew together in the Lord she became my wife and
the mother of my four children – Ruth, Joseph, David, and Rachel. Tara had a mixed background. She had Christians in her family. She also had a Jewish
grandparent (her mother’s father) and she and her mother had gone through conversion with the Reform synagogue when Tara was 16. Tara identified Israel
as her people, and Yeshua as her Messiah. She also was into the Grateful Dead. It was a match. I could stop there, and be perfectly content, but God has
heaped upon me so many blessings and has multiplied such peace in my heart and in my household, since I received Yeshua, that I could not possibly speak
of it all here.
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