ANSWER: “Beit Or” is Hebrew for “House of Light”.

ANSWER: While many members of Beit Or have Christian backgrounds and we all believe that Yeshua is the Messiah, we are not a Christian denomination or church.

ANSWER: Messianic maybe the closest description for Beit Or that most people would understand and accept. We look at ourselves in the way that Yeshua looked at his disciples. They were known as “ma-ameniem” or in English- “the believers”. Our view is that we want to be like Yeshua, in doing so we believe upon Him and we keep the same commandments He kept that we might be pleasing in the sight of His Father who sent Him.

ANSWER: This is an open and wide ranging question because the answer can vary based on the perception of what people call being “Jewish”. We are not specifically from the tribe of Judah, and most members do not have “Jewish” or better put Hebrew lineages in their families. Spiritually speaking, we are Hebrew (Jewish) as we keep Torah as the standard for living. But most of us do not have “Jewish” blood and we are not organized as other synagogues. Most people would label us as Messianic which unfortunately is not an adequate label either.

ANSWER: Beit Or does not have an official bible version that we use for reading and studying. We generally recommend that people bring the bible that they are most comfortable with. Common versions of bibles used in Beit Or include the King James Version and David Stern’s “Complete Jewish Bible”.

ANSWER: We have nothing against dancing, but we absolutely prohibit dancing in the sanctuary during services or other solemn gatherings. However during celebrations and the like, dancing is perfectly fine. We are aware that many Christian and Messianic assemblies allow dancing during services. We however do not find any evidence in the Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, and or any of the New Testament letters that the believers in the bible ever danced in the temple of God or any synagogue during any Shabbat gathering.
The reasons for this are quite simple. First, when we are assembling before Adonai, it is meant to be a time of communing with Adonai through praise, prayer and study. This is a time to be still in mind and body before the Creator of the Universe. Second, dancing will cause the typical person to sweat and most likely that person will become smelly and sticky. This is not a pleasant situation for others. We are to present ourselves to be clean and sweet smelling when we go before Adonai. Third, it is common in other congregations for men and women to dance in the same area and even with each other during services. In our view, this only provides fodder for distraction and temptation. In our experiences with attending other services and conventions we have found the typical dancer would bump into our members and other people around them. We see dancing in any form during service to be a complete disregard for the sanctity of God’s presence.
Many people today enjoy “Davidic Dancing” at the services and even have books and classes on this style of dancing. This despite the fact that the bible records King David dancing one time- in the streets, but not in the temple. No one to our knowledge actually knows how King David danced and we do not consider it relevant or important in regards to our daily walk with Adonai. Our view is that too much is made of dancing, and of Davidic dancing. We do understand that dancing can be an outlet for self-expression and even for stress. But there is a time and place for everything… Shabbat services is not one of them.

ANSWER: Beit Or is not for everyone. The vision, the goals, the desires, and the work that needs to be done is not for everyone. Beit Or is not for the comfortable or the uncommitted. Beit Or is for the person who wants to change his or her entire way of life. Walking in the footsteps of Yeshua is a way of life, Torah is a way of life. It warrants a continual commitment to change, inside and outside striving for perfection. Beit Or is not only about a way of life, but about leadership and bearing fruit for the kingdom of God. We are not looking for those who want everything in place and ready to go. Yeshua said that the harvest is plenty and the workers are few. Beit Or needs workers for the harvest we desire to reach.

ANSWER: No. Beit Or does not advocate the teaching of “tongues” or any form of babbling as a form of communication with God in prayer. “Tongues” in the bible is nothing more than another word for “languages”- known languages. The use of “tongues” has been warped out of form and context by various religious organizations and teachers. There is no secret communication channel with God beyond a person’s thoughts since God is the only one who can see into our hearts.

ANSWER: We recommend you bring a bible that you like reading as well as pen and paper for notes. That’s about it. But it would be even better if you also brought your family, friends, and even your enemies (as Rabbi Isaac Levy would say).

ANSWER: Our services have elements that are common to other congregations such as prayer and worship. We start our service with the blast of the shofar and go right into blessings and prayer. Where our services stand out from other churches and synagogues is that after we pray and sing, the remainder of our time is spent with our bibles open, taking notes as Rabbi Isaac Levy teaches. Our services are more like bible studies as the Rabbi allows for questions at the end of his teaching. At the end of services, Rabbi Isaac Levy who is from the tribe of Levy will gather the children and dismiss with the Levitical blessing and the we break bread together.

ANSWER: Many synagogues require a conversion process of one kind or another that might require classes, physical demonstrations, tests, etc. Beit Or does not require these kinds of things. We welcome anyone who has a desire to learn and to change according to God’s word. True conversion is a matter of the heart, but self-evident in word and deed.

ANSWER: Beit Or member adhere to the kosher requirements as set forth by Torah, but we do not concern ourselves with the rabbinics that have been built up around keeping kosher.