Rabbi Nichol received a BA in music from Ithaca College, Master of Divinity from Biblical Theological Seminary, Doctor of Ministries in Homiletics from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and Master of Jewish Studies from Hebrew College in Newton, Massachusetts. He received smicha (ordination) from the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations in 1986. Dr. Nichol and his wife Susan live in Needham, MA and have four grown children and growing gaggle of grandchildren!

Why I think the MJRC Is Important

Simply stated, without ongoing, corporate interaction with our Jewish tradition and its interface with the teachings and Person of Messiah Yeshua, modern Messianic Jewish leaders can have no worthy authoritative voice in our communities. Or to put the matter very concretely, if the practical experience of "Shabbat" or "kashrut" changes dramatically among each and every Messianic Jewish synagogue, leaders unintentionally trivialize the experience for our congregants and short-circuit any hope of passing a clear message to succeeding  generations. Beyond this, we trivialize our claim to fidelity to basic Jewish norms. Every branch of Judaism reflects on the meaning and application of the Halachah. This is what rabbis do! Messianic Jewish rabbis  - those who have earned the right to the title through a meaningful educational process culminating in Smichah (ordination) need to come together to hammer out, under the guidance of the Ruach Ha Kodesh, the ever-developing meaning of Messianic Judaism. This is the precious purpose and mandate of the MJRC. I count myself privileged to be part.