Rabbi Phil Bentley
When Jesus was asked for the most important verse he gave the Jewish answers. “You shall love the Eternal your God” and “Love your fellow as yourself.” However, there is a verse, one that most Bible readers would overlook, that is more basic than these.. “This is the story of humanity: when God created us, God made us in the Divine Image.” (Genesis 5:1) The basis for all ethics in the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) is that every human being is made in the Divine Image. In this sermon the wisdom of all three Abrahamic faiths shows how this is true.
RABBI PHILIP J BENTLEY grew up in and near Chicago. His undergraduate degree is from Shimer College, a Great Books school. His rabbinic degrees, including a DD, were granted, along with ordination from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City. He also studied Judaica at the University of Manitoba under Dr. Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. He has served congregations in New Bedford MA, Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles, Jericho NY, Floral Park, Queens, NY, Santa Fe NM, Chicago IL, and Hendersonville NC where he still lives. He has been active throughout his life in peace and human rights work as well as interfaith relations. This includes ten years (1988-98) as Chair of the Jewish Peace Fellowship and numerous board positions on peace and human rights organizations. Rabbi Bentley is married to Phylls (53 years) and they have two sons.
Topics: Divine Image, Ethics, humanity