“. . . every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.” Matthew 13:52

As January turns to February, many of us will be gathering in Los Angeles for the annual Hashivenu Forum. The Forum is a venue where Messianic Jewish professional and lay leaders gather to ponder the deeper meaning of our Messianic Judaism. This year, the focus of the Forum is “Encountering the God of Israel in the Messiah of Israel.” Our goal is to go beyond generalities to specifics.

It will be my privilege to present a paper at this year’s Forum. To readers of Verge, it will be no surprise that my thoughts will be drawn primarily from the wisdom of the Jewish sages. I do not draw from the sages simply because I think that they have nice or worthwhile things to say. The stakes in hearing their voices are far greater: They are the ones who, within the Jewish people, preserved and passed on God’s covenant love for Israel and the vital place of Torah in Jewish life. God, Israel, and Torah: These issues go to the heart of the Jewishness of Messianic Judaism.