September 27, 2026 Essay | Parish Lecture Series 2026-2027: Jewish and Catholic Law in Dialogue
Both modern Judaism and contemporary Christianity are based on the Word revealed in the Jewish scriptures and trace their roots to the Judaism of Jesus’ time. Following the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D., Judaism gradually evolved primarily into Rabbinic Judaism, while early Christianity developed from the movement initiated by Jesus and his disciples, distinguishing itself from the various forms of Judaism over time. With Jesus, who was himself a Jew, the first Christians effectively adopted the principles of Judaism as they existed at the time and adapted them to the new post-Easter situation. Accordingly, the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, in its Declaration on the Relation of the Church with non-Christian Religions, Nostra Aetate, states: “Since the spiritual patrimony common to Christians and Jews is thus so great, this sacred synod wants to foster and recommend that mutual understanding and respect which is the fruit, above all, of biblical and theological studies as well as of fraternal dialogues.” This rich shared heritage is a solid foundation and a true treasure for Jewish-Christian dialogue.
A “fraternal dialogue” is what I propose for the St. Ignatius Loyola Lecture Series for 2026-2027, and I do so in friendship and collaboration with Rabbi Emma Dubin, Assistant Rabbi of Temple Emanuel, and Dr. Alyssa M. Cody, Director of the Center for Interfaith Dialogue at Temple Emanuel. Together we have organized four evenings—two hosted by Temple Emanuel and two hosted by St. Ignatius.
The dialogue will be centered on the systems and traditions of law in the respective religious communities, exploring the role of religious law in shaping faith, ethics, and community life. Through respectful conversation we will examine shared values and distinct approaches to interpreting and upholding sacred traditions in the modern world.
The dates and venues of the four evenings are:
- Monday, October 5, 2026, at 6:30 PM; Temple Emanuel, 1 East 65th Street, the lobby entrance between 5th and Madison Avenue.
- Monday, November 16, 2026, at 7:00 PM; St. Ignatius Loyola, Wallace Hall,
- Monday, January 25, 2027, at 6:30 PM; Temple Emanuel.
- Monday, February 22, 2027, at 7:00 PM; Wallace Hall.
Here is a brief synopsis of the first session.
Session 1: Introduction to Law in Catholicism and Judaism
What really is religious law? In our first session, we’ll explore what law means in each religion — where authority resides within the tradition, how legal thinking has developed over millennia, and how binding religious “law” really is in our faith communities today. This is an opportunity for intimate interfaith study of legal texts of both traditions, from the Biblical to the contemporary.
Subsequent sessions will deal with topics such as judges and courts, hierarchical structures, marriage law, and membership.
In a recent Joint Note from the Dicasteries for the Doctrine of the Faith, for Promoting Christian Unity, and for Interreligious Dialogue, titled, “A Journey of Hope: Sixty Years of Interreligious Dialogue and Fraternity in the Light of the Conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate,” we read, “The more Christians come to know and love the Jewish roots of their own tradition, the better they understand themselves in the practice of faith, and the stronger their religious identity becomes—even though, for this to happen, Christians must know their own faith tradition well and be firmly rooted in it.”
It is hoped that this year’s lecture series will be not only a fruitful intellectual exercise but an authentic encounter with our Jewish neighbors, in a spirit of peace, friendship, and a shared search for truth and goodness. As Pope Francis exhorted us in his Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti, “Approaching, speaking, listening, looking at, coming to know and understand one another, and to find common ground: all these things are summed up in the one word ‘dialogue’” (par. 198).
Rabbi Dubin, Dr. Cody, and I look forward to welcoming many members of our respective congregations!
— Fr. Michael Hilbert, S.J., Associate Pastor