THE ABRAHAM J. HESCHEL CENTER FOR CATHOLIC-JEWISH RELATIONS THE JOHN PAUL II CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF LUBLIN

I’m confident that everyone here is familiar – even VERY familiar – with the story of the Exodus from Egypt, with God’s deliverance of the Jewish people out of slavery and oppression and into freedom. So we don’t need to go over that.And I’m also sure you’re familiar with… Read more… »

Bedouins are nomadic Arab tribes still living in ancient Palestine's desert and mountainous areas. They are mainly engaged in sheep herding. Surprisingly, even a group of dozens of Bedouins can speak only a language they understand and cherish customs peculiar to them. Living far away from cities and larger… Read more… »

My initial plan for our commentary was to talk about how one of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24, both historically and grammatically, may have been a woman. But the first reading, Acts 3.13-15, 17-19, demands commentary. If left without commentary, the reading threatens… Read more… »

Run to the tombThe Gospel of John we read on the Resurrection Sunday tells of a special run to the tomb. It is started by Mary Magdalene, who sets out as the first one, at dawn. Darkness, which still reigns, symbolizes the disbelief and despair, in which the disciples… Read more… »

Palm Sunday is a prelude to the Holy Week of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ. For Christians, it is the most important time of the liturgical year. This year we read the Gospel of Mark which narrates Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.According to scholars, this is the first… Read more… »

Saved from exterminationPurim is the day where we celebrate being saved from extermination at the hands of the advisor to the Persian king as is told in the Book of Esther. I’m sure you’re all familiar with the story, but briefly, Haman was a royal official in the court… Read more… »

In the Gospel according to John (12, 28-30), we read: "Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again…Jesus answered and said: “This voice did not come for my sake but for yours". A heavenly or prophetic voice is a well-known phenomenon which… Read more… »

Jesus expels merchants and money changers from the Temple. However, a crucial question arises: is this criticism a general indictment of all Jews in the time of Jesus, or is it specifically targeted at the temple's priests? - Orthodox Rabbi Guy Alaluf answers this question in a commentary for… Read more… »

In Judaism, fasting is a desire to purify and get closer to God. Its purpose is conversion. Fasting itself is useless if it does not lead to abandoning one's evil deeds," stressed Shlomo Libertovski in a commentary for the Heschel Center KUL on the Gospel of the First Sunday… Read more… »

Listening to the story of the healing of Simon Peter's mother-in-law, who rose from her her bed and “waited on” Jesus and his disciples, we can perceive it as a message to women to serve men always and everywhere, regardless of circumstances - about why this impression is misleading… Read more… »

In this Sunday's verses of the Gospel, Jesus strictly commands Satan to be silent when he calls Him "the Holy One of God." He said: "Quiet! Come out of him!" (Mk 1:25), literally: "Put a muzzle on." He had a reason to say so, says in his commentary for… Read more… »

The readings this Sunday focus on idea of the Kingdom of God and what it means to meet the presence of God in our lives. God can speak to us even through someone like a prostitute, even if we are great sinners. What matters is our response to His… Read more… »

In the Gospel scene, John the Baptist, in front of his disciples, bears witness to Jesus calling him "the Lamb of God." In light of the Hebrew Bible, this title had a profound meaning. What these words meant to the Jews of Jesus' time and Christ's first words in… Read more… »

On the fortieth day after the birth of a son, according to Jewish Law, three events took place: the "purification" of the child's mother, the "redemption" of the firstborn, and the "presentation" of the child. Luke does not mention the redemption of Jesus. He goes straight to the "presentation"… Read more… »

Christmas is the most joyous and extraordinary miracle in which we celebrate the Incarnation of the Son of God. In this celebration we can see both the continuity and novelty that Christ brings to the history of salvation recorded in the Old Testament. This is illustrated in the Gospel… Read more… »

"Hail Mary"The world's oldest inscription of Mary is written in Greek. It is found on the base of a column from the temple that stood at the site of the Annunciation in Nazareth. These are the words "XE MAPIA" (Chaire Maria), a reference to the first words spoken to… Read more… »

Today’s verses of the Gospel (Jn 1:6-8, 19-28) for the Third Sunday of Advent focuses on John the Baptist. He is the type of Advent figures who teach us how to live this time and our lives wisely.The name John (Hebrew Johanan) means “YHWH has shown mercy and grace”.… Read more… »

Another important piece of Jewish home and ritual life is the Chanukiah: a 9 branched candleholder which we use on Chanukah. Many people – Jewish included! – will also call this a Menora, which gets a bit confusing.Menora actually refers to the 7 branched candelabrum made of pure gold… Read more… »

Biblical texts generate multiple interpretations. The rabbinic description for this phenomenon is shiva panim l’Torah, “seventy faces to the Torah.” The image suggests that each verse, each phrase, is like a beautifully cut gem with intensely shining facets. When we read Scripture, we should see multiple facets, and so… Read more… »

The First Sunday of Advent, which is also the first Sunday of the liturgical year, opens, as it does every year, a unique period in the life of the Church, a time of yearning and waiting for the coming of the Lord. We wait to meet Him and often… Read more… »

In the Gospel of Matthew– chapter 25 verses 31 – 46, The Final Judgment, we learn about practical social justice. We learn about mercy which brings us closer to God.The Babylonian Talmud (tractate Sotta 14a) deals with the question of how we, human beings, could come closer to God,… Read more… »

The Desert Fathers say this: our spiritual life is like the Lake of Gennesaret and the Dead Sea. If we only receive the Word of God, the gifts of the kingdom, but do not share it with others, we become as dead as the Dead Sea. If we accept… Read more… »

In ancient Israel, marriage was based on a contract, which had to be accompanied by a written document. The formula for entering into marriage sounded more or less like this: "She shall be my spouse, and I shall be her husband, from this day forward until eternity." On the… Read more… »

To the rescue of the captives and hostages in Gaza and the elevation of the souls of the Israelis who were murdered and killed this October.Matthew 23 is an extremely critical text, where the Pharisees and the Scribes serve as a negative model: Jesus teaches his disciples how not… Read more… »