𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐲 𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫

Dear Brother,

I write to you not as a stranger but as one deeply connected to the long and intricate story of the people of G-d, bound by the cords of Torah, the rhythm of prayers, and the shared hope for tikkun olam—the healing of the world. As we journey through this life with its many questions, joys, and uncertainties, I offer these thoughts—not to instruct or persuade, but to invite reflection on truths that have stirred the hearts of many who share the heritage.

Throughout history, there have been those who looked beyond the horizon of the known, peering into the mysteries of faith, Scripture, and G-d’s promises. Their journeys led them to unexpected places, yet their loyalty to the Jewish people never wavered. They found in Yeshua—Jesus of Nazareth—a light not foreign but familiar, a fulfillment not of a replacement story, but of ancient hopes.

𝐑𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐢 𝐈𝐬𝐚𝐚𝐜 𝐋𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐢𝐧, a beloved teacher and rabbi for decades, wrote that the New Testament was not a Christian text but a profoundly Jewish one. When he read it for himself, he did not find an enemy of the people but a faithful Jew speaking of G-d’s promises to Israel and the nations. He marveled that Yeshua spoke not against the Torah but in affirmation of its heart—justice, mercy, and humility before G-d.

𝐀𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐣𝐚𝐤, a man of courage and conviction, saw in Yeshua not a call to leave his Jewishness behind but an invitation to live it more fully. He understood that the Jewish identity is a divine calling, not something to be abandoned but something to embrace as part of a grander story, one that opens its arms to the nations yet remains rooted in the covenant.

𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐥 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐨𝐟𝐟, a mystic and scholar, saw in Yeshua the Shekinah, the divine presence in our prayers and hearts. To him, Yeshua embodied the very essence of Jewish spirituality—the union of heaven and earth, of G-d and man, a bridge over the chasm of exile that binds our soul to the Eternal.

𝐑𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐢 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐥 𝐙𝐢𝐨𝐧, a shepherd to his people in times of persecution, found strength in the teachings of Yeshua during the darkest days of the Holocaust. Yet he never ceased to be a Jew, praying with tallit and tefillin, walking the path of mitzvot, and yearning for the redemption of Israel.

And so I wonder, my dear brother, whether there is room in your heart for the possibility of a Yeshua who is not alien but fully Jewish; a Yeshua who calls us not to betray the faith but to complete it, to see the Torah not as a burden but as a song of life. What if this Nazarene, so often misunderstood, so often wielded as a weapon against Judaism, was instead a vessel of hope, a gift from the G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

𝐑𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐢 𝐘𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐥 𝐓𝐳𝐯𝐢 𝐋𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐢𝐧 wrote that the prophecies of the Tanakh point to one who would suffer and redeem, one whose life would be both a sign and a sacrifice. Could this be Yeshua? Must we accept everything written of him by others to explore this question for ourselves?

I do not ask you to agree, nor do I ask you to set aside the treasures of tradition. Rather, I ask that you listen—to your heart, to the Scriptures, to the whispers of those who have walked this path before you. 𝐑𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐢 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐁𝐞𝐧-𝐌𝐞𝐢𝐫, who labored for the reconciliation of Israel with its own Messiah, asked not for blind faith but for a heart open to wonder and a mind willing to wrestle with the deepest truths.

If nothing else, see in this invitation the spirit of Israel calling: to ask, to seek, to knock at the doors of heaven with humility and courage. For it is written, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

May the G-d of Israel bless you and guide you on your journey, wherever it may lead.

With love and respect

- echoing the voices of,

Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein,

Rabbi Yechiel Tzvi Lichtenstein,

Abram Poljak,

Paul Philip Levertoff,

Rabbi Daniel Zion,

Moshe Immanuel Ben-Meir,

and your kindred seekers.

P.S. My motivation for this letter: The Torah Pursuant Journey is about conversations, not conversions. It's about loving God and neighbor, not hatred and fear. It's about a future of peace and not the despair of endless wars. Pursuing the Torah would require you to consider the contributions of early Christian thinkers writing from the New Testament. It helps if you see them in their Jewish context, writing a Jewish book for a predominantly Jewish audience. Getting their insights is a very Jewish thing to do. The Moshiach is coming. Let's prepare the way. B"H!