Jonathan Bernis

The story of Jacob is really a story of God’s faithfulness.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus told the listeners to his Sermon on the Mount that they needed to be “perfect?”

He had spent the day teaching the crowds about a new way to live, where the wisdom of the world is turned upside down: in God’s kingdom, the poor in Spirit are blessed. We shouldn’t hate our enemies, but instead love and pray for them.

Last year, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jewish Voice treated 14,816 patients at our international medical and dental clinics in Zimbabwe and Ethiopia. That’s nothing short of a miracle. I’ve probably shared this with you before, but the reason we put so much effort and energy into helping impoverished Jewish communities around the world is simple:

The Re-Gathering

God promised to scatter Israel to the “four corners of the earth.” But he also promised to bring them back. We can join that effort!

When you think of a “Jewish person,” what comes to mind?

Perhaps there’s a synagogue in your community. Maybe you’ve seen Jewish families walking there together. Many orthodox Jewish men and women wear black clothing or may wear “payos” — long sideburns that curl near their ears.

When the Jewish people were captives of the Babylonian Empire, King Nebuchadnezzar did a terrible thing: He made an idol. Whenever I read this story in the book of Daniel, I can’t help but wonder: How many times, how many earthly kings, how many wayward peoples, had to make their own false gods before they learned their lesson?