It is crucial for Jews to understand and reject the concept of Supersession or Replacement Theology, which posits that Christianity has replaced Judaism as the chosen people of G-d. This belief has led to centuries of persecution and mistreatment of Jews, and it is important to recognize its untenability in the light of the sources themselves.
The Torah itself refutes the idea of rejection, as seen in passages like the curses of Bechukotai, where G-d promises to never cast away or abhor the Jewish people, even in times of faithlessness. G-d’s promises are eternal, and He will never break His covenant with the Jewish people, even if they stray.
Even in exile, G-d has not abandoned His people, as seen in passages from Isaiah and Jeremiah that emphasize G-d’s unwavering commitment to the Jewish people. The rejection of rejection is a central theme in the Torah and Tanach, reminding us that G-d’s love and covenant with the Jewish people are eternal and unbreakable.
It is important for both Jews and Christians to reject the harmful notion of replacement theology and embrace a relationship of mutual respect and understanding, recognizing the shared heritage and values that connect us as children of G-d.
Regenerate G-d rejects humanity, saving only Noah, when He sees the world full of violence. Yet after the Flood He vows: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done” (Gen. 8:21). That is the first rejection of rejection.
Then comes the series of sibling rivalries. The covenant passes through Isaac not Ishmael, Jacob not Esau. But G-d hears Hagar’s and Ishmael’s cries. Implicitly He hears Esau’s also, for He later commands, “Do not hate an Edomite [i.e. a descendant of Esau] because he is your brother” (Deut. 23:7). Finally, G-d brings it about that Levi, one of the children Jacob curses on his deathbed, “Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel” (Gen. 49:6), becomes the father of Israel’s spiritual leaders, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. From now on all Israel are chosen. That is the second rejection of rejection.
Even when Israel suffer exile and find themselves “in the land of their enemies” they are still the children of G-d’s covenant, which He will not break because G-d does not abandon His people. They may be faithless to Him. He will not be faithless to them. That is the third rejection of rejection, stated in our parsha, reiterated by Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, axiomatic to our faith in a G-d who keeps His promises.
Thus, the claim on which Replacement or Supersession theology is based – that G-d rejects His people because they rejected Him – is unthinkable in terms of Abrahamic monotheism. G-d keeps His word even if others break theirs. G-d does not, will not, abandon His people. The covenant with Abraham, given content at Mount Sinai, and renewed at every critical juncture in Israel’s history since, is still in force, undiminished, unqualified, unbreakable.
The Old Testament is not old. G-d’s covenant with the Jewish people is still alive, still strong. Acknowledgement of this fact has transformed the relationship between Christians and Jews and helped wipe away many centuries of tears.