When modern political Zionism emerged around the turn of the twentieth century, most Orthodox Jews opposed it. David Novak More Quotes by David Novak More Quotes From David Novak Theology always has moral implications, and morality is always undergirded by theology. David Novak always theology morality moral It seems unavoidable that history will always link the reestablishment of the State of Israel with the tragedy of the Holocaust. David Novak will always tragedy history In historical messianism, the reign of the Messiah is brought about by a Jewish ruler powerful enough to gather the Jewish exiles back to the land of Israel, reestablish a Torah government there, and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. David Novak temple back government powerful The community in which one hears the voice of God structures how one hears that voice and interprets what it says. David Novak how voice community god It has always been inevitable that, living as a small minority among a Christian majority, some Jews would convert to Christianity. David Novak small always living christian Unlike the issue of messiahhood, which arose when Jews and Christians were members of the same religio-political community and spoke the same conceptual language, the issues of the incarnation and the Trinity divide people who are no longer members of the same community and who no longer speak the same language. David Novak community language speak people Roots can live without branches, although truncated; branches cannot live without roots. David Novak cannot live without roots The work of man is to respond to the Covenant by obeying the commandments of the Torah, those commandments that can be obeyed here and now. David Novak respond now man work The relationship between God and his people was always the one having absolute primacy, the one that had basically to determine all human relationships, whether those within the covenanted community itself or those between the covenanted community and the outside world. David Novak community god relationship people The one and only time I met Pope Benedict XVI was when he was Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. David Novak met only he time Although most Christian churches advocate some sort of mission to non-Christians, no Jewish group advocates a mission to non-Jews. Proselytization seems to be foreign to Judaism. David Novak mission some group christian We Jews who willingly and happily confirm our covenantal status and its attendant rights and duties must take the question of mission seriously: either to accept it or reject it knowingly and with conviction. David Novak status seriously mission accept A religious commitment coupled with theological awareness gives Jews a much better way to answer the claims made upon us by missionaries representing other religions than do the rather weak political and cultural arguments of the secularists. David Novak better political way commitment Proselytizing is only wrong if coercive or deceptive. Coercion, whether violent or not, is immoral, just as deception is immoral. David Novak wrong only just deception The Vatican's recognition of the State of Israel in 1997 could not have occurred without John Paul's leadership. David Novak without recognition israel leadership Christianity and Judaism are united above all in their common affirmation and implementation of the moral teaching of the Hebrew Bible, or 'Old Testament,' and the traditions of interpretation of that teaching. David Novak traditions old moral bible The common moral praxis of Jews and Christians is most definitely theologically informed by the doctrine we share in common: The human person, male and female, is created in the image of God. David Novak image person moral god A traditional rabbi is the man to whom the community and its members turn to rule on what Jewish law requires of them, particularly in cases of doubt. David Novak man community doubt law The rabbi is often the regular preacher in the synagogue, the man whose sermons offer his community more general theological and moral guidance. David Novak more man moral community As a traditional Jew, I have benefited personally from the hospitality of Chabad Hasidim on many occasions, and I marvel at how many Jews Chabad has brought back to their primordial home. David Novak how back hospitality home
