Haverim Update Excerpt ARCHIVE

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The following is an excerpt from Dwight's newsletter sent monthly to Haverim along with his latest article and teaching* on CD or in MP3...

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But Esau ran to meet him [Jacob] and embraced himvand fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. (Genesis 32:3 ESV)

Shalom Haverim!

In rabbinic tradition Esau/Edom is associated with Israel’s enemies, first with the Roman Empire and later with Christianity. The experience of Jews with the Church has been a bitter one indeed, and surely grounds for revulsion and avoidance. And yet Rav Kook, the esteemed first Chief Rabbi of the modern State of Israel, believed that eventually Judaism and Christianity would be reconciled as brothers, even as Jacob and Esau. Differences would remain but a genuine mutual respect would emerge, to the benefit of all humanity.

It was in that spirit that a few days ago in Atlanta a small group of notable Orthodox rabbis and Jewish scholars met with an equal number of evangelical scholars and Christian leaders for two days of open theological discussion. Keren and I were privileged to participate in that unprecedented event, initiated by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin and his Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation.

Special Notice: My son, Ben, will ride in a 102-mile Pelotonia bike tour on the 20th of this month to raise money for cancer research, in memory of his mom, herself a cancer victim. The Center will make a significant contribution to this worthy cause in honor of Jeanette Pryor. For further details and to lend support to Ben’s effort click here.

* Would you like to listen to Dwight's first lecture in Hebrews? Click here.

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