Are Christian Readers of the Hebrew Bible Guilty of Opening Someone Else’s Mail?

March 25 2022

To Jews, the Tanakh—with its constant exhortations of “the people Israel” and the “house of Jacob”—is a book addressed to themselves as a nation. But does it follow that believing Christians are simply voyeurs when they seek inspiration and instruction in the same text? Jon D. Levenson explores this question in conversation with Kathryn Schifferdecker and Katie Langston. In the process, he explains why the term “election” is a poor rendering of the Jewish concept of chosenness, the significance of the style of rabbinic exegesis known as midrash, and much else.

Read more at Enter the Bible

More about: Hebrew Bible, Jewish-Christian relations, Midrash

A Jewish Obligation to Vote

On October 3, 1984, Rabbi Moses Feinstein—a leading figure among American Orthodox Jews, whose halakhic opinions are obeyed and studied today—wrote a letter encouraging Jews to vote in the upcoming elections. Feinstein, a talmudist of the old school, was born in a shtetl in the vicinity of Minsk, then in the Russian empire, before elections were known in that country. He came to the U.S. in 1937, at the age of forty-one, to escape the ever-worsening persecution of devout Jews in the Soviet Union. That experience no doubt shaped his view of democracy. Herewith, the letter in full:

On reaching the shores of the United States, Jews found a safe haven. The rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights have allowed us the freedom to practice our religion without interference and to live in this republic in safety.

A fundamental principle of Judaism is hakaras hatov—recognizing benefits afforded us and giving expression to our appreciation. Therefore, it is incumbent upon each Jewish citizen to participate in the democratic system which safeguards the freedoms we enjoy. The most fundamental responsibility incumbent on each individual is to register and to vote.

Therefore, I urge all members of the Jewish community to fulfill their obligations by registering as soon as possible and by voting. By this, we can express our appreciation and contribute to the continued security of our community.

Read more at X

More about: 2024 Election, American Jewry, Democracy, Halakhah