Sholem Asch, One Destiny: an Epistle to the Christians
(trans. by Milton Hindus; New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1945, 88 pp.) Sholem Asch was among the most beloved writers in Yiddish literature for the thirty or more years leading up to the Second World War. Encouraged by the great Yiddish writer I.L. Peretz and vigorously promoted by Abraham Cahan in the Forverts, Asch gained…
Read MoreFrom the Editor – Issue 23
This issue of Kesher does not have a theme, but diverse articles on topics such as the marginality of Messianic Judaism, motifs in the Moses narratives, Gentiles and the liturgy of Judaism, and Second Temple messianism fill out an issue of relevant topics for Messianic Judaism today. Kesher is back from a hiatus and issue…
Read MoreHesed And Hospitality: Embracing Our Place on the Margins
On a recent Shabbat morning, after the Torah reading, the rabbi opened his d’rash by saying: Judaism is a religion of law. In Judaism, we ask the question, ‘What does the halacha say I should do?’ Christianity is different. It likes to ask, ‘What would Jesus do?’ But we already know what Jesus would do-he…
Read MoreGentile Yeshua-Believers Praying in the Synagogue: Why and How
Introduction I have been praying in the synagogue for more than twenty-five years-yet I am not Jewish. This essay explains in both theoretical and practical terms how and why Gentile Yeshua-believers may pray the traditional Jewish liturgy in the company of Jews. It is with a measure of trepidation that I discuss how Jewish and…
Read MoreComplexity in Early Jewish Messianism
“For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and he is the head over all rule and authority” (Col 2: 9-10). “Yeshua said to her, ‘I Am the Resurrection and the Life! Whoever puts [their] trust in me will live, even if [they]…
Read MoreJewish Christianity Reconsidered: Rethinking Ancient Groups and Texts
Jackson-McCabe, Matt, ed. Jewish Christianity Reconsidered: Rethinking Ancient Groups and Texts. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2007. [DR1] Scholars have made considerable progress since the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when specialists in ancient Judaism and early Christianity, such as Emil Schürer, referred to the Judaism of Jesus’ time as Spätjudentum (“Late Judaism”).[1] The use of this…
Read MoreThe Promise Lustiger, Jean-Marie Cardinal.
Lustiger, Jean-Marie Cardinal. The Promise Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007. Jean-Marie Cardinal Lustiger (1926-2007), a child of Polish-born secularized Jewish parents, was raised in Paris, and, with his family, fled to the south of France (Orléans) during WW II. Tragically, his mother returned to Paris to take care of business affairs, was betrayed by her maid…
Read MoreYet I Loved Jacob: Reclaiming the Biblical Concept of Election
Kaminsky, Joel S. Yet I Loved Jacob: Reclaiming the Biblical Concept of Election Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2007. Joel Kaminsky is Director of the Program in Jewish Studies at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. He teaches courses on the Hebrew Bible and on ancient Jewish Religion and Literature. Kaminsky believes that the Christian and Jewish communities…
Read MoreFrom the Editor – Issue 24
As a journal, Kesher continues to distinguish itself as a platform for some of the best of Messianic Jewish scholarship and theological reflection. This issue is no exception and explores a wide range of topics ranging from theology to halakha. It is a privilege to edit such a journal alongside a talented team of editors.…
Read MoreIsrael, Torah, and the Knowledge of God: Engaging the Jewish Conversation
In his paper “Finding our Way Through nicaea,”2 Mark Kinzer sharpens his previous thoughts about the connection between community and the interpretation of scripture.3 Because Messianic Jews are involved in two communities, that connection affects us in unique ways. Kinzer writes, I am proposing a theological and hermeneutical approach in which we as Messianic Jews…
Read More