Teaching Team
The Yahrzeit of Paul Phillip Levertoff
Tonight begins the month of Av, the fifth month of the biblical Jewish calendar. Among the many events that have occurred in this month throughout the history of the Jewish people, the Messianic community has a very special event to commemorate-honoring the life and work of Paul Phillip Levertoff. His yahrzeit (anniversary of his death) is 1 Av.
In Judaism, a yahrzeit is a special opportunity to reflect upon a person's life and to honor the accomplishments they have achieved. Other customs include lighting a yahrzeit candle, studying special passages of Torah, and giving tzedakah (charity) in their name.
Paul Phillip Levertoff, born Feivel Levertoff, was raised in an Chassidic home. His family was Sephardic and was a descendent of Rabbi Schneur Zalman. As a child he attended cheder (Hebrew primary school) and later the prominent Volozhin Yeshiva. While studying abroad after graduating yeshiva, Levertoff obtained a New Testament. Reading it first in German, then in Hebrew, Levertoff was puzzled. The book of the Christians seemed "more his than theirs." After this period of study, Levertoff became a fervent believer that Yeshua of Nazareth was indeed the Messiah.
Levertoff went on to be a prominent pioneer in the early days of the Hebrew Christian movement. He also continued to be involved in the Jewish world of his day, as a translator for the Jewish publisher Soncino Press. He was a prolific writer and teacher, and was appointed the professor of Hebrew and Rabbinics with the Institutum Judaicum Delitzschianum in Leipzig, Germany. With his mastery of Hebrew, Yiddish, Talmud, Jewish mysticism, and anti-missionary polemics, Levertoff more than adequately filled the chair left behind by the late Yechiel Lichtenstein.
Due to the ravages of World War I, Levertoff left Germany and settled in Wales. While there, he was ordained as an Anglican priest. Yet, Levertoff had no intention of leaving his rich Jewish heritage behind, but sought to establish a congregation of Jewish believers in Jesus. Levertoff sought to reach out to "... those Jews who are not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ and of their Jewish origin ... to unite as a community ... and institute Jewish Christian services of worship which would present our Faith in terms of the rich background of devotional and mystical Jewish traditions." This was no typical church service. Levertoff donned both his Anglican alb along with a tallit and kippa. Services included readings from the Torah scroll and an authentically Jewish liturgy recited with Chassidic fervor.
The modern Messianic movement stands today indebted to the pioneering spirit and thorough scholarship of Paul Phillip Levertoff. Though he departed in 1954, his influence thankfully has not. May his memory continue to be for a blessing.
(Appreciation goes to Jorge Quinonez for his research on Levertoff and other Jewish believers)
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At First Fruits of Zion, we are dedicated to keeping alive the memory of the great saints, teachers and rabbis who have stood for Torah and Messiah in generations past. Notables like David Baron, Rabbi Yechiel Lichtenstein, Rabbi Yitzchak Lichtenstein, Chaim Yedidah (Lucky) Pollak, Paul Phillip Levertoff, Joseph Rabbinowitz and others are examples of godly men who found faith in Yeshua in the midst of Orthodox Judaism. All of them grew up in Orthodox Jewish homes, all of them received Yeshiva educations and all of them became apostles of Yeshua of Nazareth. Their heroic stories and inspiring testimonies have been featured in the pages of our messiah magazine publication.
Now First Fruits of Zion is undertaking an ambitious project to bring the writings of these nineteenth century Torah giants to the English reading world. Translating their books and commentaries from German and Hebrew and reprinting works that have slipped into obscurity, we hope to resurrect the voices of these pioneers of the modern Messianic Jewish movement.
Tentatively titled the Vine of David Remnant Series, we are preparing our first release for early 2009. We plan to reprint Paul Phillip Levertoff's classic Love and the Messianic Age, a comparison of Chassidic Judaism and the Gospel of John. Watch for it at www.ffoz.org
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Visitor Feedback:
Inspiring endeavors of FFOZ on all these orthodoxy-turn-messianic products are great stuff to those who hunger to learn and understand the Jewishness of our Master and His works. Keep it more coming, brothers.
FFOZ and TorahResource always never disappoints me and can never quenches my thirst....
Take care and may HaShem blesses you all greatly.
Thomas
Thomas Ho | August 2, 2008 5:41 AM
May a Tzaddik's memory serve as a blessing.
Paul Phillip Levertoff Z"TL
Jeremiah Michael | August 2, 2008 10:04 PM
I have enjoyed these articles in "messiah magazine" over the months. My wife enjoyed them even more. It is reassuring to know that the G-d of the whole earth, at all times has a remnant within in own poeple, who He chooses to His own ends.
It is good to remember the dead, we will meet them again some day.
Steve
p.s. looking forward to reading his book next year.
cyberlizard | August 3, 2008 12:23 PM
Paul Phillip Levertoff was indeed a wonderful Messianic pioneer. I have had the pleasure of reading "Love in the Messianic Age", and found it a deep and enjoyable read. Now, if only his lost work, "Christ in the Shekhinah" could be located--that would be wonderful!
Are you simply reprinting the abridged English edition? Or, are you going back to the longer original German "Die religise Denkweise der Chassidim: nach den Quellen dargestellt" (printed ca. 1918) and translating it into English in its entirety and publishing that?
In any event, I look forward to seeing FFOZ's edition of this book.
JG Allan
JG Allan | August 6, 2008 1:32 AM
I'm so thankful for FFOZ and for bringing to light those who became believers in Messiah-while still being Jewish. I'd like to see even the short articles you have published in FFOZ in a small booklet form for us to buy. Do you think that could be a project? It really helps to uplift the body of Messiah and especially those of Jewish origin (especially for our children) and those who follow the Messiah without a drop of Jewish blood, but love the chosen people of God. I just love to read about these men (what about the women or their wives-that would be interesting also). Please keep up the good work. We need to know the past saints.
Mountain Woman | August 15, 2008 10:45 PM