Every year at Passover we ask and answer four questions.
Even though it is not Passover, and we have no seder meal to place before you, so it shouldn't be a total loss, let's ask and answer four questions about The Jewish Advantage.
THE FIRST QUESTION: What Is the Jewish Advantage?
Saul of Tarsus, writing to the Christians in Rome, said that the primary Jewish advantage is that the Jewish people have been entrusted with the very words of God, commonly called The Bible.¹
The Jewish Advantage is also our name for an ancient Jewish approach to becoming biblically proficient.
¹Romans 3:1-2
THE SECOND QUESTION: What is the approach you are promoting?
This ancient approach is the hevruta—a learning partnership with a studybuddy who helps you to delve deeper into the Scriptures, and challenges you to justify your conclusions. This is an approach Jews have been using to study holy books for thousands of years. Think of it in the language of Mishlei, the Book of Proverbs: “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”²
And in Pirkei Avot, our tradition puts it this way, “Provide for yourself a teacher and get yourself a friend.”³ We at the Jewish Advantage providetheteachers , specialists who serve as Personal Trainers for you and your hevruta. We train you both in how to study the Bible, and how to help each other through practicing timetested methods of textual observation, inquiry, discussion and debate.
²Proverbs 27:17
³Pirkei Avot 1:6
THE THIRD QUESTION: Is this some kind of Bible gym?
Well, in a way it is! But instead of being a gym for the body, it is a gym for your heart, soul and mind! Instead of treadmills and barbells, our equipment is books—chiefly the Bible, and a few other reference works we teach you to use, to better open up to you the meaning of the text. Our goal is to help you get a deep, wide, strong and warm engagement with all sixty-six books of the Bible and with the One of whom they speak. And we bring the gym to you. We do the training at your location. Jewish tradition has a name for such a meeting place. It’s called a bet midrash.
THE FOURTH QUESTION: How can I find out More about The Jewish Advantage?
There are two ways you can find out more about The Jewish Advantage.
- Contact us by phone, email, or postal mail, a.k..a. 'snail mail," to find out more.
- Make a donation and purchase copy of our new booklet, The Jewish Advantage: What It Is and How To Make it Your Own. This will explain how almost everyone has lost The Jewish Advantage, and how you and your friends can become training partners, growing in biblical competence! We have fifty prepublication of this brand new publication, personally signed by the author, Dr. Dauermann. These are available to you if you will send a check for a suggested donation of fifty dollars or more. While this is surely more than the price of the book, this is a prepublication autographed and limited edition. So please send your checks for $50.00 or more to: Interfaithfulness, P.O. Box 6137, Altadena, CA, 91003-6137. Please mark the memo line of your check "The Jewish Advantage." That way we can get the book to you and give you appropriate tax credit. Thanks!
