One of the great joys in the rabbinate is being invited to speak at churches to non-Jews interested in Judaism. It really is a wonderful honor, not only to represent Judaism to those less than familiar with it, but also to speak to those who are honestly curious about us.
Of course, that joy is intertwined with challenge. In this case, I've been invited to a local church speak on Basic Judaism (their title). Format is a half-hour lecture plus a half-hour of Q&A. Age of the group is mixed. When I pressed them to be a little more specific ("Basic Judaism" could take several years of study, after all!), the organizer replied: "I think those attending would be most interested in what is the core of Judaism, what do Judaism and Christianity have in common, and what are the major differences."
Hoo, boy. So let me ask y'all (Jews and non-Jews): where should I start? What would you want to study, or present? I do have an idea of where to go with this, by the way (I would never ask you to do my work for me!) but I'm curious as to what y'all think.
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