Return to Sinai

This web section is dedicated to all descendants of intermarriage, and in particular to those whose Jewish ancestors converted for one reason or another out of their Jewish faith. Especially, it is dedicated to the descendants of 600 years of forced conversions caused by the Spanish Inquisition, the most gruesome and tortuous machinery for religious persecution ever created. Between 1200 CE and 1800 CE, thousands upon thousands of Sephardic Jews in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and the Americas were forcefully converted away from their Judaism, and the spark of Torah in them was squelched under penalty of torture and death. Today, millions of their descendants exist, only vaguely knowing of their ancestry and the sacred Covenant that was brutally persecuted and suppressed. The spirit of Torah and Israel lies, dormant, in the soul of those descendants of Jews. But not dormant for ever...

If you are a descendant of assimilation, this is for you.

.....


More than three thousand years ago something happened in the Sinai dessert that would change human civilization forever: A people came together under the realization of a sacred duty.

This people felt this realization as a force that manifested itself within them, compelling them to form a nation under the banner of this sacred duty; a duty that would give purpose (and controversy) to them, and eventually influence all other civilizations on earth.

To this incipient nation, the force that manifested itself within them revealed a name in their own language by which to be called: "Yhwh", a Hebrew phrase meaning nothing less than "I am existence" or "I am who causes existence". And the sacred duty revealed at that time came to be known as "Torah", which is Hebrew for "The Teaching", or "The Instruction".

Little did they know that the road ahead would prove to be THE epic struggle of human civilization to understand its own purpose on earth. This tiny nation would be now thrust into the world (often in spite of itself) with a unrelenting need to uphold the explosive revelation that took place in the dessert, and with that revelation came a message for all humankind: "To all humankind there shall be but One, Unfathomable God, and his Teaching we must uphold."

For carrying this message, this tiny nation of Jacob has been the single most persecuted, vilified, and scattered people in the entire saga of homo sapiens.

If you are descendant of Jewish intermarriage, you can not escape that you are a seed of Jacob. Your DNA was at Sinai. And as sure as your DNA was at Sinai, you carry the message inside you. For the promise that was given to Jacob was given to ALL his offspring too:

Genesis 28:12-15 And he [Jacob] dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the LORD stood beside him and said, "I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."


We are indeed spread like the dust of earth. Like tiny pieces of Jacob we inhabit the west and the east. And after years and years of assimilation we literally embody that offspring that inhabits so many of the families of the earth. Shall we not make that to be for a blessing ? No matter how badly persecuted the message has been over the centuries, it still lives in you. Whether you see yourself as a Jew or as a non-Jew, you carry the flag of the Torah inside you and there is a Torah covenant that applies to you, either as Bnai Israel or as Bnai Noach. It is up to you to awaken that Torah in your soul, to let it shine in spite of the centuries of suppression and persecution.

So, Return to that day in the dessert when your ancestors took on the eternal covenant that will not be suppresed until all is fulfilled. Return to Sinai: turn on the light of Torah once again.


References:     Torah for Jews: The 613 Mitzvot      Torah for Non-Jews

New: Share your Journey back to Sinai!
Whether you identify as a Jew or as a Gentile, coming to terms with one's Jewishness is undoubtedly a personal transformation of seismic proportions. Millions of descendants of Jewish intermarriage wrestle with what it all means and where the journey will take them. Know that you are not alone. But know also that your own experiences can provide much needed light and encouragement for those just now starting on their journey. With that in mind, we have started a new section in our community section: "Testimonials: The Return to Sinai". It's about finding our Jewish roots; how we started and how we got to where we are. Please take a look at the testimonials that others have written thus far. More importantly, if you have a story that you believe will help others, then post it. Simply click on "add a blog post" in the following webpage: Testimonials: Return to Sinai. If you are not yet a member, you will be asked to create a login.
Thanks for participating!