Questions to Ask Jewish People: An Interfaith Comparative Guide

Within Judaism, asking questions isn't just permitted — it's a sacred obligation. The tradition of she'elah u'teshuvah (question and answer) forms the backbone of rabbinic literature. Deuteronomy instructs the people to bring difficult matters to priests and judges: "thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and enquire" Deuteronomy 17:9. This institutionalized inquiry means that questioning Jewish authorities and texts is itself a form of worship.

Moses himself modeled this when the people came to him with their disputes and questions about God Exodus 18:15. Scholars like Rabbi Joseph Karo (16th century) and the Vilna Gaon (18th century) built entire careers on structured religious questioning. Good questions to ask a Jewish person might include: What does your denomination (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist) mean to your daily practice? How do you observe Shabbat? What does Torah study look like in your life?

Jeremiah's vision of the returning exiles also frames inquiry as directional — asking the way back to Zion and covenant Jeremiah 50:5. Asking Jewish people about their relationship to Israel, diaspora identity, and covenant theology opens rich theological ground that's central to Jewish self-understanding.

Christianity's relationship with Judaism is foundational and complex. The New Testament is saturated with questions directed at and by Jewish people. When Jesus performed acts in the Temple, the Jewish authorities immediately demanded accountability: "What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?" John 2:18. This kind of pointed theological questioning shaped early Christian identity through contrast and dialogue.

The Apostle Paul, himself a Pharisee by training, explicitly valued expertise in Jewish customs and questions. In Acts 26:3, he appeals to King Agrippa's familiarity with Jewish matters, saying he is "expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews" Acts 26:3. This suggests that for early Christians, understanding Jewish practice wasn't optional — it was essential context for the gospel.

Christians today who want to engage Jewish people meaningfully might ask: How do you read the Hebrew prophets? What does atonement mean without the Temple? How has the Holocaust (Shoah) shaped modern Jewish theology? Scholars like Amy-Jill Levine (Vanderbilt, 21st century) have argued forcefully that Christians cannot understand Jesus without understanding his Jewish world. There's genuine disagreement among Christian theologians about whether such dialogue is primarily evangelistic or genuinely mutual — that tension is worth naming honestly.

Islam regards Jews as Ahl al-Kitab — People of the Book — and the Quran references Jewish figures, law, and history extensively. The spirit of inquiry that runs through the Hebrew scriptures resonates with Islam's own emphasis on ilm (knowledge) and hiwar (dialogue). While the retrieved passages are drawn from Jewish and Christian scripture, the pattern of seeking guidance from those who know — as Moses did when the people came to him to enquire of God Exodus 18:15 — mirrors Quranic encouragement to ask those with knowledge (Quran 16:43).

Muslim scholars like Ibn Hazm (11th century) and later Ismail al-Faruqi (20th century) engaged seriously with Jewish theology and law. Meaningful questions a Muslim might ask a Jewish person include: How do you understand the covenant with Abraham? What is the role of oral law (Talmud) alongside written Torah? How do Jewish and Islamic dietary laws (kashrut and halal) compare? These questions reflect genuine shared heritage rather than mere curiosity.

It's worth acknowledging that Muslim-Jewish dialogue carries political weight in the contemporary world, particularly around Israel-Palestine. Scholars like Reza Aslan have noted that theological commonality doesn't automatically dissolve political disagreement — and honest interfaith conversation has to hold both realities. The act of asking good questions, as modeled across all three traditions Deuteronomy 17:9Exodus 18:15, is itself a gesture of respect.