Teaching Team

Comprehending Conclusions

Every few years the great rabbis, leaders, and scholars of the Messianic Jewish movement come from all around the country, even the world, and gather together in New York for an event hosted by Chosen People Ministries called the Borough Park Symposium. The symposium is meant for many different scholarly Jews, men and women, to come together and hash out difficult and controversial topics, and to present each person's respective theological views. The attendees represent almost every spectrum of legitimate Messianic Judaism, and some holding vastly differing views on Torah observance.

Thankfully I was able to attend the evening events after work, which means that I had the privilege of sitting in on the last seminar of each evening and then spending the rest of the night with everyone else in the hotel bar and lounge. More than just having an excellent time fellowshipping into the wee hours of the morning, I found this symposium to be an awesome and healthy experience. Those who presented topics and those who moderated between the discussions were committed to the principle of retaining unity, even amongst the grand diversity of opinions. People were not berated because of their views, and most everyone made an effort to hear each speaker who presented a controversial topic. It appeared that most people's hearts and minds were open to try and understand the conclusions reached by their illustrious colleagues, dearest friends, and fellow Jewish believers in the Messiah. Discussions were held, both publicly and privately, by people with completely opposing views in love and respect, and of course with occasional jokes being made about each other's stances. The atmosphere was nothing short of downright fun and joyous. It struck me that this is one of the key principles that Yeshua said would distinguish us from all others as his disciples: our love for one another.

The topics were hardly surprising, for they have been the topics of discussion since the rebirth of Messianic Judaism: how much Torah to follow, how much halachah (traditional, rabbinic interpretation of matters of Torah) to follow, and how exactly do the Gentiles fit in to this Jewish movement. The seminars were indeed thought provoking, and the speakers did a wonderful job expressing their positions on each respective topic and then fielding difficult, even blunt, questions.

One of the reasons why an event like this is healthy is that it can be easy to vilify particular points of view when separated from those who hold them. It can also be tempting to look down condescendingly upon those who have not reached the same conclusions; however, when we come together, it is hard to retain any form of "hostility" towards an opposing view. One's heart is moved with love, and there is a desire to fully comprehend the conclusion that another has reached. This does not mean that one changes their positions, but it does mean that a stance previously thought to be inconceivable - or perhaps even preposterous – is not outright dismissed.

Besides everything else, occasions like these are wonderful times to reunite with friends from all around the nation, sitting in the hotel bar and lounge making new friends, speaking of mutual acquaintances, having beers and girly fruit drinks (that even some of the guys wanted to try), schmoozing with people, and trying to invite the fun, bubbly, female, part-Jewish bartender to the nearest Messianic Jewish synagogue (which just so happens to be mine). Even if it were impossible to attend any of the seminars, just the amazing fellowship in the hotel lobby alone would have been worth a plane ticket to New York. Nevertheless, events like these are extremely important for us, and are crucial to continuing to foster a close and supportive community that we desperately need in order to continue to blaze this trail of being Jewish and believing in Messiah, and this coming together of different ideologies coupled with unconditional love for one another proves our uniqueness as Yeshua's disciples. 

About the Author: Jordan Levy is a staff writer for First Fruits of Zion and Vine of David where she also serves by translating from Hebrew, French, and Italian into English. She is dedicated to strengthening her community and providing linguistic and theological teaching.

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