In this podcast, Rabbi Russ Resnik teaches why and how to count the omer during the days between Passover and Shavuot.

Again this year, the UMJC family joins in seven weeks or 49 days of prayer between Passover and Shavuot, March 30 through May 18, 2010 (alternate dates April 3-May 22), in honor of counting the Omer. Based on Leviticus 23:15-16, the counting of the Omer is a rich Jewish tradition that has become a key time for corporate prayer within the UMJC.

Our theme this year is based on Isaiah 52:7-"Ma Navu, How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.'" Isaiah speaks of beautiful feet, and we will focus on spiritual mobilization, as captured in the phrase, "WALKit!" with one letter defining the emphasis for each week Working, Alive, Learning, Kiruv, Increasing, Teaching, and ending with the ! exclamation point of praise.

Set aside for me Bar-nabba and Sha’ul for the work to which I have called them. Acts 13:2

How can you make a difference in the unfolding progress of tikkun olam, God's plan to repair the world? It is often said you can give a fish or teach someone how to fish. The latter is usually the better plan, at least for the long term. And to be able to teach means to become a leader, one who makes a difference. Some of us are convinced that tikkun olam flows from Israel to the world and that Messianic Judaism is in a decisive spot in its unfolding. We're issuing a call for leaders, guides, Madrikhim and Madrikhot.

The Madrikh - Madrikha program is a post-graduate training and development curriculum designed to increase leadership in Messianic synagogues. It involves a course of study at one of two UMJC approved seminaries for a total of ten courses over a two-year period. The program also includes reading through the Bible twice and passing an oral examination in scriptural proficiency.

The end result is licensure in the UMJC as a Madrikh or Madrikha, a position recognized in our synagogues as valuable for teachers, synagogue officers, cantors, counselors, and other positions of support and leadership.

We are convinced that Messianic Judaism can bring so many more into the joy of Messiah and Torah as leadership increases. Rabbis are only the beginning of the leadership needs of a well-functioning Jewish community and rabbis know there are many other roles to fill. Too often, beleaguered rabbis fill more roles than they can truthfully handle. Isn't it time you became a part of the solution, lending your heart and mind to the great cause of Messiah?

By creating this licensure program, the UMJC is raising expectations for leadership. A licensed Madrikh or Madrikha adds credibility to the leadership structure of any congregation. A Madrikh or Madrikha has gained the endorsement of the wider Messianic Jewish community. This is truly an accomplishment worth pursuing and a responsibility worthy of dedication and sacrifice.

Program

A collaborative effort between the UMJC and its approved graduate schools, MJTI and Netzer David, the program provides a core curriculum of ten courses, four of which can be taken as intensive leadership seminars offered at UMJC Conferences and Mid-Year Leaders' Retreats.

The two-year six-course online sequence consists of the following classes:

1. Messianic Jewish Theology
   
2. Tanakh: The Beginnings of Judaism and the Jewish People
   
3. Apostolic Writings: The Early Messianic Jewish Community
   
4. Messianic Jewish Spirituality
   
5. Jewish Practices in a Messianic Context
   
6. History of Judaism and the Jewish People

The two-year, four-seminar sequence consists of the following classes:

The program also involves a one-year mentoring relationship with a UMJC rabbi, or other approved UMJC leader, and a reading plan that will take students through the entire Bible twice during the two years and lead to an oral exam. Because a Madrikh is a guide in Jewish life and Scripture, he or she will be required to demonstrate a basic knowledge of Hebrew.

How to Apply

Applications are available below. Completed applications should be sent to the Madrikh Program Coordinator Derek Leman (see application below).

To be eligible for admission to the licensure program, students must possess an undergraduate degree and participate in a UMJC congregation.

Qualified, mentored leaders were sent out in the days of the apostles. May tikkun olam increase as our movement grows its number and quality of leaders!

Information about UMJC Credentials

Click here for Application

Recommendation for Admission

The Netzer David International Yeshiva

דודײ ײנצר הבינלאומית ישיבה

Therefore, the Netzer David International Yeshiva offers in-depth training to enable Messianic Jewish leaders to stand within Judaism and among the Jewish people. The Yeshiva equips its students to take various leadership and ministry roles in Messianic Jewish synagogues and ministries, and to sensitively and effectively interact with rabbis and others from within the Jewish community.

Netzer David International Yeshiva also serves the Christian community. Taking seriously the teaching of Romans 11:11-24, the courses offered explore the rich Jewish backgrounds and context of the biblical text. Appreciating the Jewish perspective of the Bible will enable Christians to enrich their faith and deepen their understanding of the Scriptures as they tap into the Jewish roots of their beliefs.

As the late Dr. David Flusser of Hebrew University in Jerusalem expressed it: "Jewish thought is not-as it often claimed-merely a background for Jesus but is in reality the original context and natural framework of his message."

The Yeshiva course of study combines residential studies with distance learning. Residential studies include semester-long courses as well as intensive sessions one to three weeks in length.  These are offered on the campus of St. Petersburg Theological Seminary, where Netzer David International Yeshiva operates autonomously as a separate school under the seminary "umbrella," just as the Gordon Cross School of Undergraduate Studies provides the framework for the undergraduate programs.

Students from all these units of the Seminary enjoy the same accredited status due to their constituting the institutional content of the Seminary.  Distance learning incorporates week-long intensive sessions in various locations outside Florida. It also includes correspondence courses, as well as online courses over the Internet.

WEB ADDRESS:

http://seminary.practice-checkup.com/index.php/the-netzer-david-international-yeshiva-.html

As an approved school of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations (UMJC),  Messianic Jewish Theological Institute (MJTI) serves the Messianic Jewish movement by providing advanced education and training for those seeking ordination within the UMJC. MJTI also furnishes educational opportunities for any qualified students who seek an in-depth understanding of Messianic Judaism that is academically sound, spiritually vibrant, and sensitive to the demands imposed by both the past and the future.

MJTI consists of two schools:

• The School of Jewish Studies (SJS)
  • Offers a fully distance-learning Master of Jewish Studies degree, with concentrations in Scripture, Rabbinic Literature, or Interdisciplinary Study, all taught from a Messianic Jewish perspective
  
  
• The Rabbinical Ordination Institute (RO'I)
  • RO'I offers practical courses in congregational leadership. RO'I also provides spiritual and vocational direction for Rabbinical candidates. While SJS is a distance learning program, RO'I offers intensive, face-to-face courses given in conjunction with UMJC conferences and retreats.