A Tribute to David H. Stern

 

Martha & David Stern in their Yom Kippur whites,
Friday October 7, 2022 

A Tribute to David H. Stern
October 31, 1935–October 8, 2022

“The Rabbis say that the righteous pass away on Shabbat in their own beds, and the most righteous between Yom Kippur and Succot. This what happened to our beloved David,” Martha Stern wrote. 

     “David's funeral was on the day between Shabbat and the beginning of Succot. Since it is a holiday now we only had the part of the day to sit Shiva.
     “We want to say ‘Thank you’ to all of the MANY MANY people who have written so kind and wonderful thoughts about my wonderful husband David H. Stern. We were married 46 years and had a wonderful and amazing life together.”

There have been so many responses to Martha’s Facebook post of her husband’s passing on the Shabbat after Yom Kippur. David Stern is known by anyone who comes into the Messianic Jewish world for any length of time, and it honored by Messianic Jews everywhere as a scholar and theologian who shaped the movement through his tireless works. 

     Here is only a small taste of what people have been writing about David Stern: 

     Daniel C Juster: David and Martha Stern have been foundational to the International Messianic Jewish Movement.  He will be greatly missed.  I first discovered David in 1974….In 1975 we met at Messiah College where David announced he was going to find his wife, then in our next meeting that he had found her….He and Martha have been a wonderful couple in our movement. David's breadth of Messianic Jewish understanding was vast and his mark on the movement is unequaled.  When we had 

David and Martha over to our home last Spring, I was glad he was still sharp enough to talk and understand.  He was so patient in suffering. Martha was an amazing and loving wife through all this, tender, gentle and appreciative.  We will miss David greatly | Ruth Rosen: Dear Martha Stern, sister in
Yeshua, many others will do far more justice to David’s memory than I ever could but I wanted to share just a few thoughts here. For those who knew David primarily as the erudite scholar, I smile to remember some of his other interests in younger years. I hope my memory isn’t playing tricks but I believe David was an expert surfer, is that right? Like you Martha, he defied all stereotypes. ❤️ I also remember how the two of you got together all those years ago. Many who have said “God told me” have been mistaken but David knew the Lord had told him he was about to meet his wife at that conference and there you were!  | Matt Rosenberg:  David H. Stern is one of my heroes. Originally from California (and a surfer) he wrote the “Surfing Guide of California” in 1963. In 1972, he became a believer in Yeshua and in 1979 he made Aliyah to Israel. He earned a Ph.D. in economics at Princeton University and was a professor at UCLA. After coming to faith in Yeshua the Messiah he received a Master of Divinity degree at Fuller Theological Seminary. He also did graduate work at the University of Judaism | Ron Cantor: Dr. David Stern went to be with Yeshua a few days ago. David was a giant in the movement to rebirth a distinct Jewish following of Jesus. His book, “Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel,” had a profound influence on me, though he is mostly known for editing a Jewish version of the Bible | Zvi Stephen Randelman: A great man of God, husband, father, scholar, and pioneer I the messianic movement. He will be missed. UMJC/Russ Resnik:  David was a chief architect of the modern Messianic Jewish movement, and his pervasive presence can be seen through an abundance of citations to his works, his teachings, and his lectures.| Jeffrey Seif:  In no uncertain terms, Dr David Stern was the best of us—and he will long be respected and remembered. | Canon Andrew White: I thank our Lord so much that I knew and loved you and him so much| Chaya Mizrachi: He was a wonderful man, and the two of you an amazing couple | Joseph AmaHura RiverWind: It was an honor and blessing to know him and an honor and blessing to still call you, Martha Stern, our friend |Elliot Klayman: David was one of the foremost architects of the modern messianic Jewish movement, a man for the Messianic times and one of superlative character. He will continue to live among us through his writings and our memories | Joel Liberman: We will also be remembering David at our service and saying Kaddish on his behalf. What a Sukkot he will be having over this next week in heavenly places | Sabra Waldman Brickner: David was a giant in our movement and is irreplaceable. He will be missed, and always remembered for generations to come. David and I send you lots of love | Kenneth Berg: Having spent time with you just yesterday we were all reminded of the immense impact David had within the Messianic community. His dedication to the Word has enabled Gentiles such as myself with a much richer understanding of our Jewish roots | David Dolan: David was a wonderful man, among the great ones I got to know in Jerusalem. I think of him every time I read from my well worn Jewish New Testament | Rabbi David Rosenberg : Our entire community came forward at the end of our service today… to pray for David, for you, for your family, the entire messianic community in Israel and around the world. We love you more than human words can describe. We are permanently inspired to keep Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel | Joan Lipis: David brought so much life and joy to this country and around the world with his humor, music and depth of his teaching | Jody Ryabinov: Alyosha and I send our love and sympathies to you and your family. We think of David as one man of God who stands as a significant figure in history...His Story in the Messianic movement. What David contributed will be known in history books and celebrated when the King returns to Jerusalem | Randy Turner, Beltway Park Church:  What a life well lived | Burt Yellin: The Messianic community has suffered the loss of a great man, and I lost a friend | Philip Gigliott:  Today we mourn the passing of Dr. David Stern who edited the complete Jewish Bible. It was called "complete" because it included the New Testament and the Good News of Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah. The words, names, and terminology connected the Tanakh and the New Testament but more importantly connected the Church with its Hebrew roots | Tov Rose: David encouraged me on several occasions with my writing, research and Bible translation work. His example is a big inspiration for my life | Baht Rivka Whitten:  David Stern, your name will always be remembered for the good you brought into this world | Roy R. Kendall: David’s legacy will live forever | Mike Lambert: David was a great man of God, contributing so much to the body of Messiah with his commentaries on scripture | Corry Keeler: His contributions to the Messianic world in particular, will be appreciated for decades to come | June Volk: David's reward is Great in the World to Come and his memory will be blessed forever | Miriam and Shlomy Abramov | What an amazing human being David was on earth and leaves a great legacy that will live on for so many through his writings | Bob Weiner: What a magnificent man and friend who greatly influenced me and our entire Maranatha movement worldwide on the Messanic Movement | Gary Beresford: I cannot be there but my heart is with you and the family. May HaShem grant you peace. It was an honor to know David and be your neighbor so many years ago | Isaac Sean Steckbeck: I’ll miss David, the times he spoke to me were life changing | David Katz: I’ve admired and respected how you didn’t let David s condition stop the two of you from making every day count. This is what I will remember. |

These are but a few of the messages posted, and here is mine: 

Donna: Even David Stern's enemies — the "anti-missionary" religious activists who persecute Messianic Jews — recognized David's greatness. Martha told me once that they called David "the pope of Jerusalem." In traditional Jewish eyes, it doesn't get any bigger than the pope in Christianity. That is ironic actually because David spent his four decades of his life as a believer seeking to differentiate classic Christianity from classic Messianic Jewish faith. This was his life's work and it is why his works have touched so many of us by teaching us to grasp that differentiation. It is a distinction not meant to divide, but to join us in mutual respect of our own separate identities in the faith: Jew & Gentile, like male and female.
     David Stern was the first Messianic Jew I ever met in person. I was just getting immersed in what Messianic Judaism was on a Messianic bulletin board - forerunner of the internet web - where I learned about two of his books, Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel and A Messianic Manifesto. When I saw he was going to speak at Christ for the Nations, I just had to go to meet him. Tony came with me and took this picture. It was around 1988. In 1989, David's The Jewish New Testament: A Translation of the New Testament That Expresses Its Jewishness was published, and you could say, the rest is history. David Stern continued to write books that not only helped shape the Messianic movement but also began to turn on the light for Christians of what the Bible communicated from Jewish understanding. It blew the doors off of the thinking of many who weren't too proud to accept that God laid the foundations of His Word in the Jewish people.
     As I have been reading over all of the comments posted to Martha Stern's Facebook page, I came to the conclusion that there is no one in our Messianic circles that has not been touched by David's work. That can be said of very few people but it is so true of David. The other thing that rose strongly in my thoughts was Proverbs 18:22, "He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD." I'm old enough to have a classic view of what a wife is, and it is the kind of wife that the Bible speaks of. Martha and I know each other mostly from long distance and our chats over the last many years, but I have been able to see that is exactly the kind of wife she has been to David. Even as his life has been winding down, and taking care of him had become more taxing, more lonely, I have to say Martha has shined as a classic good, godly wife in my eyes.    

David’s birthday, 2016.
Martha has him draped in lyrics from a Beatle song, “Will you still feed me”

As quiet and reserved as David was, Martha is the flip side, sunny, light hearted and full of fun. A match made in Heaven.  Truly, I have admired seeing the pictures she posted of taking David out to many events - even surfing - to keep David engaged in life, in living. I have been touched also seeing so many pictures of visitors to Jerusalem who she allowed to come in to their home to greet David, and to have the opportunity to pay their respects to someone whose impact on the Messianic movement has been so great. It is such a wonderful thing Martha did for David and so many of his admirers. I just wanted her to know that many of us see her too and we think of that other Proverb (31:10-12) "A wife of noble character, who can find? She is far more precious than rubies. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he lacks nothing of value. She brings him good and not harm all the days of her life."
     God bless you, Martha. Your life has suddenly changed, and I pray that your friends there in the Land will shower on you the extra love you need in these days ahead. Love to you, Miriam, Daniel and to all your grandchildren and family.

P.S. In one of our conversations Martha told me about how they downsized from their home to an apartment. David had to part with many of the books in his treasured and extensive library. He donated the books to the Bram Center. That memory led me to a wonderful article yesterday by Boaz Michael called “Another Lesson from David H. Stern.”  The article recounts his experience with David when he was collecting the books David was donating. In one lesson learned Boaz notes that David wrote out the his vision for his life in 1970’s and how well he followed it:
     “Current plans: To study Judaism, probably at the University of Judaism in Hollywood. Later to study in Israel … More distant plans: To write on Messianic Judaism especially programmatics and theology. And, hopefully, to be involved in Messianic Jewish life, shaping and contributing to its future success.” As many have said in tribute, by now the LORD has surely spoken to David, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.”
     To send a message of condolence in comments on David H. Stern’s Offical page on Facebook.