About
Rabbi Mordecai Griffin is the founder and spiritual leader of Lapid Judaism, a Torah-true, Jewish movement dedicated to restoring the original faith, practice, and message of Messiah Yeshua as it existed within Judaism itself.
Founded in 2014 (5774), Lapid Judaism is a deliberate return to Torah observance, Jewish identity, and authentic orthodox Jewish life, rooted and inspired by the Divine Messiah Yeshua. Today, Lapid Judaism stands as a distinct and growing movement, with new synagogues and Lapid Houses beginning to emerge, guided by a unified vision and halachic seriousness.
Mission
Rabbi Griffin’s life mission is to bring the light of Moshiach and the holiness of the Torah to all people, Jews and God-fearers alike—without erasing Jewish distinctiveness or compromising halachic truth.
Lapid Judaism exists to bring tikkun to the besorah of Messiah—repairing centuries of misunderstanding that recast a Jewish Messiah into a figure foreign to Jewish law, covenant, and identity. The movement affirms that the Messiah of Israel must be Torah-true, and that any messianic claim that leads away from the Law of Moses is, by Torah’s own definition, false.
The name Lapid—Hebrew for torch—reflects both the movement’s purpose and its method: to illuminate, not to dominate; to restore, not to replace.
Heritage and Roots
Rabbi Griffin descends from an ancient and resilient Jewish lineage. Through his mother’s family—the Cohen/Aucoin line—he traces his ancestry to Iberian Jews who fled persecution in Portugal, settled in France, and later immigrated to Port Royal, Canada in the 1700s. From there, his ancestors journeyed south, becoming part of the original Acadian community of Southern Louisiana.
Within this lineage is also a familial connection to the Vilna Gaon, one of the most towering intellectual and spiritual figures in Jewish history. This inheritance is not treated as a mere point of pride, but as a responsibility—one that Rabbi Griffin understands as a call to preserve Torah integrity while confronting historical distortions that separated Messiah faith from Judaism.
He often describes his life’s work as carrying a torch passed down through the centuries—a torch nearly extinguished but never lost.
Service and Discipline
Before entering full-time rabbinic leadership, Rabbi Griffin served in the United States Marine Corps, where he was trained as a gunner and raider craft coxswain. This experience shaped his leadership style—marked by discipline, clarity, responsibility, and an unromantic commitment to truth.
He often notes that the Marine Corps taught him something indispensable to spiritual leadership: conviction without theatrics, authority without ego, and resolve without fear.
Torah Scholarship and Formation
Rabbi Griffin is a Torah scholar with deep grounding in classical Jewish sources. His studies include Talmud Bavli, Midrash Rabbah, Zohar, and halachic literature, alongside sustained engagement with both ancient and modern history. He studied at Yeshiva University, Siegal College of Judaic Studies, and attended advanced yeshiva learning at DATA (Dallas Area Torah Association).
This foundation allows Rabbi Griffin to approach the teachings of Messiah Yeshua not through later theological systems, but through Second Temple Judaism, rabbinic methodology, and Jewish modes of interpretation. His teaching consistently emphasizes that Messiah did not abolish Torah, replace Judaism, or found a new religion—but taught as a Torah-faithful Jew within Israel.