
Judaism Is About Love
Recovering the Heart of Jewish Life
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Narrated by:
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Josh Bloomberg
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By:
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Shai Held
About this listen
A profound, startling new understanding of Jewish life, illuminating the forgotten heart of Jewish theology and practice: love.
A dramatic misinterpretation of the Jewish tradition has shaped the history of the West: Christianity is the religion of love, and Judaism the religion of law. In the face of centuries of this widespread misrepresentation, Rabbi Shai Held—one of the most important Jewish thinkers in America today—recovers the heart of the Jewish tradition, offering the radical and moving argument that love belongs as much to Judaism as it does to Christianity. Blending intellectual rigor, a respect for tradition and the practices of a living Judaism, and a commitment to the full equality of all people, Held seeks to reclaim Judaism as it authentically is. He shows that love is foundational and constitutive of true Jewish faith, animating the singular Jewish perspective on injustice and protest, grace, family life, responsibilities to our neighbors and even our enemies, and chosenness.
Ambitious and revelatory, Judaism Is About Love illuminates the true essence of Judaism—an act of restoration from within.
A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
©2024 Shai Held (P)2024 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"Erudite . . . The author balances the academic strength of a scholar with the pastoral sensitivity of a rabbi. Readers will be intrigued by the dizzying array of references to Jewish teachers across the centuries, as well as philosophers, Christian theologians, and others, and he approaches topics such as family relations with practicality and nuance. A highly literate, thought-provoking, persuasive argument for the centrality of love in the Jewish faith."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"[A] paradigm-shifting study . . . Held avoids dogmatism and is never anything less than transparent . . . Held draws profound meaning from Judaism that 'we are capable of living lives animated by love, mercy, compassion, and generosity.' This has the power to reshape Jews' views of their faith."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“This is a truly magnificent book, necessary for our troubled times. Shai Held, one of Judaism’s leading scholars and thinkers, rebuts facile stereotypes of Judaism that contrast Jewish law with Christian love, and demonstrates the centrality of love, imagination, and compassion in the Jewish tradition. Held’s discussion is nuanced: love of strangers is an unequivocal mandate; concerning the love of enemies, however, there are goals, but no easy answers. Nonetheless, Judaism commands, in all of the traumatic situations of our lives, an exacting self-development of emotions and imagination, so that we can hope to live together well with others, as strangers and fellows, in this difficult world. Held’s book should be required reading for Jews and non-Jews alike.”—Martha C. Nussbaum, Distinguished Service Professor of Philosophy and Law, The University of Chicago
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Choosing a Jewish Life (Revised and Updated)
- A Handbook for People Converting to Judaism and for Their Family and Friends
- By: Anita Diamant
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik
- Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Married to a convert herself, Diamant anticipates all the questions, doubts, and concerns, provides a comprehensive explanation of the rules and rituals of conversion, and offers practical guidance toward creating a Jewish identity. Choosing a Jewish Life: A Handbook for People Converting to Judaism and for Their Family and Friends is the definitive guide to the conversion process—for a new generation of Jews-by-choice.
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Helpful content
- By Amazon Customer on 12-08-24
By: Anita Diamant
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How the Talmud Can Change Your Life
- Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book
- By: Liel Leibovitz
- Narrated by: Liel Leibovitz
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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For numerous centuries, the Talmud—an extraordinary work of Jewish ethics, law, and tradition—has compelled readers to grapple with how to live a good life. Full of folk legends, bawdy tales, and rabbinical repartee, it is inspiring, demanding, confounding, and thousands of pages long. As Liel Leibovitz enthusiastically explores the Talmud, what has sometimes been misunderstood as a dusty and arcane volume becomes humanity's first self-help book. How the Talmud Can Change Your Life contains sage advice on an unparalleled scope of topics.
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Timely and Lively
- By Amazon Customer on 05-06-25
By: Liel Leibovitz
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Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza
- A Reckoning
- By: Peter Beinart
- Narrated by: Peter Beinart
- Length: 3 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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In Peter Beinart’s view, one story dominates Jewish communal life: that of persecution and victimhood. It is a story that erases much of the nuance of Jewish religious tradition and warps our understanding of Israel and Palestine. After Gaza, where Jewish texts, history, and language have been deployed to justify mass slaughter and starvation, Beinart argues, Jews must tell a new story. After this war, whose horror will echo for generations, they must do nothing less than offer a new answer to the question: What does it mean to be a Jew?
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Profound
- By Michael Halpern on 02-09-25
By: Peter Beinart
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To Be a Jew Today
- A New Guide to God, Israel, and the Jewish People
- By: Noah Feldman
- Narrated by: Noah Feldman
- Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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What does it mean to be a Jew? At a time of worldwide crisis, venerable answers to this question have become unsettled. In To Be a Jew Today, the legal scholar and columnist Noah Feldman draws on a lifelong engagement with his religion to offer a wide-ranging interpretation of Judaism in its current varieties. How do Jews today understand their relationship to God, to Israel, and to each other—and live their lives accordingly?
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Struggling with Judaism
- By Shmuel M on 05-22-24
By: Noah Feldman
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The Book for Inbetweeners
- The Practical Tanya, Part One
- By: Rabbi Chaim Miller
- Narrated by: Shlomo Zacks
- Length: 27 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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An astoundingly clear adaptation of Tanya, one of the most influential works of Jewish spiritual thought ever written, penned by Chasidic Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (1745 - 1812). This new translation and commentary by best-selling author Chaim Miller renders the text relevant for the contemporary listener with elegant simplicity. The Practical Tanya will guide you on the path of spiritual consciousness to a state of inner freedom and liberation.
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Extremely Fine
- By SandyK on 02-26-23
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Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor
- By: Yossi Klein Halevi
- Narrated by: Yossi Klein Halevi
- Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Attempting to break the agonizing impasse between Israelis and Palestinians, the Israeli commentator and award-winning author of Like Dreamers directly addresses his Palestinian neighbors in this taut and provocative book, empathizing with Palestinian suffering and longing for reconciliation as he explores how the conflict looks through Israeli eyes.
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Israel 101 - but for Jews
- By GoingGoingGone... on 06-13-18
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For Such a Time as This
- On Being Jewish Today
- By: Elliot Cosgrove
- Narrated by: Elliot Cosgrove
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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For Jews today, the attack on Israel on October 7th has drawn a clear and irreversible demarcation in time. On that day, the Jewish community woke up to an unrecognizable new reality, witnessing the stark rise in antisemitism, the world’s oldest hatred, in its wake. But even in this dark hour, the Jewish community is experiencing something profound and beautiful: a deep, abiding connection to community, culture, and faith. Drawing on the rich trove of Jewish history and tradition, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove helps listeners make sense of this fraught time.
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Wise & heartfelt analysis of our times…and a way forward.
- By Henry L. Edwards, MAPP on 10-25-24
By: Elliot Cosgrove
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Everyday Holiness
- The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar
- By: Alan Morinis
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Mussar is an illuminating, approachable, and highly practical set of teachings for cultivating personal growth and spiritual realization in the midst of day-to-day life. Here is an accessible and inspiring introduction to this Jewish spiritual path, which until lately has been best known in the world of Orthodox Judaism. The core teaching of Mussar is that our deepest essence is inherently pure and holy, but this inner radiance is obscured by extremes of emotion, desire, and bad habits.
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this is a must read
- By Shanna Reed on 04-26-18
By: Alan Morinis
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Torah Studies: A Parsha Anthology
- By: Menachem M. Schneerson, Jonathan Sacks
- Narrated by: Shlomo Zacks
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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In a paradigm of true leadership, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of sainted memory, embraced all issues of import to Jews, Jewish life, and beyond, spurring a Jewish revival that continues to gain momentum even after his passing. Through his incisive and illuminating Torah expositions, the Rebbe inspired an awareness of a attainable higher reality and sparked an enthusiasm for Torah study among scholars and layman alike.
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Zacks does Sacks
- By L. Greene on 06-06-17
By: Menachem M. Schneerson, and others
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The Torah
- By: Rabbi Rodney Mariner
- Narrated by: Marie Hoffman
- Length: 16 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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This early 20th-century translation of the Hebrew Bible by the Jewish Publication Society brings to life the history of the Jewish people in a classical way. It includes the Hebrew texts as they actually appear in the Torah scroll and bears all the hallmarks of a classic work.
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Just what the doctor ordered!
- By Anonymous User on 03-04-21
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Judaism for Dummies, 2nd Edition
- By: Rabbi Ted Falcon PhD, David Blatner
- Narrated by: Ira Rosenberg
- Length: 15 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Your plain-English guide to Judaism. Whether you're interested in the religion or the spirituality, the culture or the ethnic traditions, Judaism for Dummies explores the full spectrum of Judaism, dipping into the mystical, meditative, and spiritual depth of the faith and the practice. In this warm and welcoming audiobook, you'll find coverage of: Orthodox Jews and breakaway denominations; Judaism as a daily practice; the food and fabric of Judaism; Jewish wedding ceremonies.
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A good overview
- By James on 10-26-14
By: Rabbi Ted Falcon PhD, and others
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Jewish Literacy Revised Ed
- The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History
- By: Joseph Telushkin
- Narrated by: Josh Bloomberg
- Length: 29 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Widely recognized as one of the most respected and indispensable reference books on Jewish life, culture, tradition, and religion, Jewish Literacy covers every essential aspect of the Jewish people and Judaism. Rabbi Telushkin discusses everything from the Jewish Bible and Talmud to Jewish notions of ethics to antisemitism and the Holocaust; from the history of Jews around the world to Zionism and the politics of a Jewish state; from the significance of religious traditions and holidays to how they are practiced in daily life.
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I Came to this Knowing Nothing!
- By Catherine on 09-13-18
By: Joseph Telushkin
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The Red Tent
- By: Anita Diamant
- Narrated by: Carol Bilger
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Passionate, earthy, deeply affecting, The Red Tent combines rich storytelling with a valuable contribution to modern fiction: a vibrant new perspective of female life in the age that shaped present day civilization and values.
If you like The Red Tent, try The Harlot by the Side of the Road, a recounting of some of the most startling and explicit writings from The Old Testament.
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The key word is 'fiction'
- By R. S. Herron on 03-03-09
By: Anita Diamant
Growing Up Informed by Christianity
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The profound engagement with the Heschel Torah
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Fresh approach to dogma
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Excellent
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What All Religion Should Be
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Accessible and Well-Researched
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