Zahav

With Sukkot falling on October 7 this year, our joy-filled holiday has become a time to remember and mourn. Four of our staff share reflections.

Ask an Israeli how to say “Jesus” in Hebrew, and they’ll likely say: Yeshu. Yet scholars say his name is Yeshua, which has a very different meaning.

It’s a well-known fact that the first followers of Jesus were Jewish. But how has happened with Jewish followers of our Messiah in the ages since?

Though Sam was Jewish and Val was a Gentle Christian, they had almost everything in common. But would Jesus be the dividing line to keep them apart?

A lot of people will say that it doesn’t matter what we believe as long as we basically qualify as “a good person.” Why doesn’t Jesus agree?

When couples delay the hard conversations, conflict doesn’t disappear. But facing them early can lead to real connection and shared meaning.

Since I’m Jewish and believe in Jesus, people sometimes say things to me like, “Your grandfather must be turning over in his grave.” Are they right?

If we trace the roots of the New Testament language, the term “church” actually comes originally from the assembly of God’s people in the Tanakh.

In regards to Torah, was Jesus observant like Orthodox Jews? Was he “the first Reform Jew”?  And how religious do you have to be to follow him?

“I was happily surprised when my Orthodox dad came to my Jews for Jesus talk—then blown away by his reaction when I spoke of the blood of the lamb.”

Jesus didn’t come to start a new religion. His famous Last Supper was a Passover Seder in which he announced the new covenant promised in the Tanakh.

Why doesn’t God always respond when we pray to him for worthy causes, like the release and safe return of the October 7th hostages?

What Jesus said about family sounds very shocking. But it can actually give us new perspective on how to love our closest friends and relatives.

If our anxieties run deep, we need a deep solution. Inner peace was not a goal that Jesus was urging us to achieve, but a gift he was offering.

For years, I saw Dylan’s songwriting talent as a wall I couldn’t climb. But now I see it as a window looking into something bigger than all of us.

Jesus might seem to some like a sagely peacenik. But on closer inspection, we can see he was a different type of teacher with a very clear mission.

With thousands of churches and Messianic congregations out there, what makes one right for you?

Is saying Happy Hanukkah just a social ritual, or is it something more significant? Aden’s story gets to the heart of what we celebrate in Hanukkah.

For interfaith couples, these holidays may highlight differences, but their shared themes of light, hope, and family offer opportunities for unity.

Like many, I used to insist that I was spiritual but not religious, seeking my own path to truth and the transcendent. Here’s why that doesn’t work.

The things Jesus taught about charity and love for neighbors are widely appealing. But one central claim he made about himself is offensive to many.

Some see Jesus as a good-hearted social reformer who was tragically naïve about the politics of his day. But does that view get Jesus right?

Our response to a controversy that is brewing over a new Netflix show that cast an Israeli Jewish woman to play the mother of Jesus.

Why was the Second Temple in Jerusalem destroyed in 70 AD? Interestingly, the rabbis and Jesus had some similar things to say about this.