Episode Description
One of Rabbi Shai Held’s first experiences of love was from his father, who loved him ferociously. Tragically, he died when Shai was 12 years old. The experience shook Shai’s belief and trust in God.
But Rabbi Held is someone who can hold the messy contradictions of faith and love. He understands that one minute, we can feel intense love, and the next, we’re full of resentment and frustration. Rabbi Held is also the most generous of teachers: he shares his struggles and doubts, in order to hold space for our own.
Rabbi Held's latest book is called Judaism is About Love. It is a radical and provocative effort that points to love as the heart of the Jewish faith.
Rabbi Shai Held is president of the Hadar Institute, an educational center that builds egalitarian Jewish communities through learning, prayer, and acts of kindness. He has received the Covenant Award for excellence in Jewish education and was included multiple times in Newsweek’s list of most influential rabbis in America.
You will walk away from this raw, emotional interview understanding that love is more than a sentiment - - and you'll learn that focusing on divine love is central to your everyday spiritual health.
Links and resources:
About Rabbi Shai Held
About the Hadar Institute
With & For is a podcast of the Thrive Center, an applied research center that exists to catalyze a movement of human thriving, with and for others through spiritual health.
Learn more at thethrivecenter.org. Follow us on Instagram @thrivecenter. Follow us on LinkedIn @thethrivecenter
Dr. Pamela Ebstyne King hosts With & For, and is the Executive Director of the Thrive Center and the Peter L. Benson Professor of Applied Developmental Science at the School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy at Fuller Seminary. Follow her @drpamking.
About With & For
Host: Pam King
Senior Director and Producer: Jill Westbrook
Operations Manager: Lauren Kim
Social Media & Graphic Designer: Wren Juergensen
Senior Producer: Clare Wiley
Executive Producer: Jakob Lewis
Produced by Great Feeling Studios
Special thanks to the team at Fuller Studio and Fuller Seminary’s School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy. The podcast was made possible through the support from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.