From the Editor   “Behold the Man”—these words from John 19:5 became the title of a 2017 Israel Museum exhibit subtitled “Jesus in Israeli art.” Much of the exhibit remains available online at the museum website, www.imj.org.il/en/, and its implications for Messianic Judaism remain compelling. This issue of Kesher features an article by historian Judith…

Judith Mendelsohn Rood Scandalon The seers and the prophets had foretold it long ago That the long awaited one would make men stumble But they were looking for a king to conquer and to kill Who’d have ever thought He’d be so weak and humble Chorus He will be the truth that will offend them…

Dialogue between Christians and Jews, between Judaism and Christianity, on both academic and institutional levels, has been in play for decades now. But, ironically, Messianic Jews, who can claim a deep connection to both communities, have been left out of the dialogue. Such exclusion by the wider Jewish world may reflect the tragic history of…

Introduction: Kabbalah Kabbalah, a term which means “received” as related to tradition,1 has developed in stages from ancient Judaism to the present. Kabbalism underwent a radical change within medieval Judaism, with a mystical and secretive bent, based upon new revelations and understanding of the Bible, Talmud, and tradition. The gist of medieval kabbalism is that…

The Besorah of Mark is considered by a wide consensus of scholars to be the earliest account we possess of the life of Yeshua the Messiah, underlying the later accounts of Matthew and Luke.1 Nevertheless, from my perspective as a veteran Messianic Jewish student and teacher, Mark is often overlooked. John is commonly presented, especially…

As Messianic Judaism continues through the inchoate stages of the 21st century, it can ill afford to ignore the larger social issues surrounding it. I believe that no single issue has loomed larger on the world scene this past half century than that of equality for all people. It is a concern that is multi-facetted,…