She Turned Tragedy into Transformation

I met Joy several years after her mother unexpectedly passed away while on vacation. This tragedy pushed Joy to seek ways to cope with her loss. For a short time, she turned to drugs, and then, convinced she had discovered the truth, she turned to Jesus.

After I met with Joy’s father, he followed my advice and agreed to speak to Joy’s minister if she agreed to meet with me.

My first conversation with Joy lasted four hours. I found her to be sincere and thoughtful. She was honestly looking for truth and the meaning of life. She explained that although she grew up in a very traditional Conservative Jewish home, she had never felt a spiritual connection to God.

I did.nt criticize Joy; instead, I encouraged her to continue her search. As King Solomon says in Proverbs 2:4-5, “If you seek it like silver, and search for it as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the awe of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”

Joy took those words to heart and decided to study with me on a regular basis. Together, we examined the

context and the Hebrew original of the many biblical prooftexts she assumed were referring to Jesus. Slowly, she noticed a pattern of mistranslations and biased interpretations.

Not only did the correct reading make sense, but her exploration of the spiritual dimension of Judaism was a refreshing, eye-opening experience for her.

Joy became a regular at our Shabbat table and eventually traveled to New York and Israel to study full-time. She later married and raised a beautiful Jewish family.

Joy described her transformation and return to Judaism as reconnecting a link of love for God and her parents to a chain that stretches back to Moses and Abraham.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz

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