
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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Story
After a decade as a political speechwriter - serving as head speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama, a senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama, and chief speechwriter for Hillary Clinton on her 2008 presidential campaign - Sarah Hurwitz decided to apply her skills as a communicator to writing a book...about Judaism. And no one is more surprised than she is. Sarah Hurwitz is on a mission to close this gap by sharing the profound insights she discovered on everything from Jewish holidays, ethics, and prayer to Jewish conceptions of God, death, and social justice.
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Must-read for prospective and new Jewish converts
- By Danielle Nathanson on 09-14-19
By: Sarah Hurwitz
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Living a Jewish Life
- Jewish Traditions, Customs, and Values for Today's Families, Updated and Revised Edition
- By: Anita Diamant, Howard Cooper
- Narrated by: Dina Pearlman
- Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Addressing the choices posed by the modern world, Living a Jewish Life explains the traditions and beliefs of Judaism in the context of real life. It explores the spectrum of liberal Jewish thought, from Conservative to Reconstructionist to Reform, as well as unaffiliated, new age, and secular. Celebrating the diversity of Jewish beliefs, this guide provides a wealth of information that allows listeners to make informed choices about how to incorporate Judaism into their lives.
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Revised for gender fluid people.
- By Franhp on 12-26-24
By: Anita Diamant, and others
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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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Not in God's Name
- Confronting Religious Violence
- By: Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
- Narrated by: Jonathan Sacks
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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In this powerful and timely book, one of the most admired and authoritative religious leaders of our time tackles the phenomenon of religious extremism and violence committed in the name of God. If religion is perceived as being part of the problem, Rabbi Sacks argues, then it must also form part of the solution. When religion becomes a zero-sum conceit and individuals are motivated by what Rabbi Sacks calls "altruistic evil", violence between peoples of different beliefs appears to be the only natural outcome.
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excellent book
- By Trejac on 07-26-21
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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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Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew
- By: Emmanuel Acho, Noa Tishby
- Narrated by: Emmanuel Acho, Noa Tishby
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Informative and accessible, Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew has a unique structure: Acho asks questions and Tishby answers them with deeply personal, historical, and political responses. This book will enable anyone to explain—and identify—what Jewish hatred looks like. It is a much-needed lexicon for this fraught moment in Jewish history.
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Such an important read today, and always.
- By Anonymous User on 05-05-24
By: Emmanuel Acho, and others
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3,000 Years of Judaism in 30 Days
- Understanding Jewish History, Beliefs, and Practices
- By: Howard Lupovitch
- Narrated by: Howard Lupovitch
- Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Explore the storied history, texts, and traditions of one of the world’s oldest living religions and civilizations. As an award-winning professor and an observant Jew, Howard Lupovitch brings a wealth of knowledge to his audio course on Judaism. With the balanced perspective of a scholar, he guides you through its rise, development, and diversification. Under his tutelage, you will also discover the fascinating differences and similarities between Judaism and other Abrahamic faiths.
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Comprehension Story of Judaism Well Told
- By Merle N. Savedow on 12-13-20
By: Howard Lupovitch
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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
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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