In this collection of Torah essays, ... "Held probes the portions in bold, original, and provocative ways. He mines Talmud and midrashim, great writers of world literature, and .. commentators of other religious backgrounds to ponder fundamental questions about God, human nature, and what it means to be a religious person in the modern world"--Back cover.
"Shai Held is one of the most important teachers of Torah in his generation." --Rabbi David Wolpe, author of David: The Divided Heart In The Heart of Torah, Rabbi Shai Held's Torah essays--two for each weekly portion--open new horizons in Jewish biblical commentary. Held probes the portions in bold, original, and provocative ways. He mines Talmud and midrashim, great writers of world literature, and astute commentators of other religious backgrounds to ponder fundamental questions about God, human nature, and what it means to be a religious person in the modern world. Along the way he illuminates the centrality of empathy in Jewish ethics, the predominance of divine love in Jewish theology, the primacy of gratitude and generosity, and God's summoning of each of us--with all our limitations--into the dignity of a covenantal relationship.
“Through Heschel, Held’s work reaches out more broadly to treat us to a profound discussion of the great issues in contemporary Jewish theology” (Arthur Green, Hebrew College Rabbinical School). Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907–1972) was a prolific scholar, impassioned theologian, and prominent activist who participated in the black civil rights movement and the campaign against the Vietnam War. He has been hailed as a hero, honored as a visionary, and endlessly quoted as a devotional writer. In this sympathetic, yet critical, examination, Shai Held elicits the overarching themes and unity of Heschel’s incisive and insightful thought. Focusing on the idea of transcendence—or the movement from self-centeredness to God-centeredness—Held puts Heschel into dialogue with contemporary Jewish thinkers, Christian theologians, devotional writers, and philosophers of religion. “Shai Held’s book is a master class in one of the most significant Jewish voices of our time.” —Tablet “In this lucid and elegant study, one of the keenest minds in Jewish theology in our time probes the vision of one of the most profound spiritual writers of the twentieth century, uncovering a unity that others have missed and shedding light not only on Heschel but also on the characteristically modern habits of mind that impede the knowledge of God. The book is especially valuable for the connections it draws with other philosophers, theologians, and spiritual writers, Jewish and Christian. Enthusiastically recommended!” —Jon D. Levenson, Harvard University “[A] thoughtful, illuminating new study of Heschel’s thought . . . It is one of the many virtues of Shai Held’s book that it helps us to place Heschel alongside not only Kaplan but Halevi, Horovitz, and Rav Nahman―as well as the Psalmist.” —Jewish Review of Books
Bahya Ibn Pakuda was born c. 1050, and lived for some time in Saragossa in Spain. His major work was written in Arabic, but it is most well-known by its Hebrew title Hovot ha-Levavot (Duties of the Heart). It enjoyed enormous popularity and was reprinted many times. In the book Bahya investigates the motivation of Jewish practice and embarks on a philosophical enquiry into the nature of God, religion, and man. He was very much influenced by the Neoplatonism of his age, as well as by the Muslim mystics. This edition by Menahem Mansoor is the first translation of the work from the original Arabic text, and this shows a number of variations from the Hebrew version. He has added an Introduction and Notes which draw attention to the influences on Bahya's thought and to other relevant material.
In The Heart of Torah, Rabbi Shai Held s Torah essays two for each weekly portion open new horizons in Jewish biblical commentary. Held probes the portions in bold, original, and provocative ways. He mines Talmud and midrashim, great writers of world literature, and astute commentators of other religious backgrounds to ponder fundamental questions about God, human nature, and what it means to be a religious person in the modern world. Along the way, he illuminates the centrality of empathy in Jewish ethics, the predominance of divine love in Jewish theology, the primacy of gratitude and generosity, and God s summoning of each of us with all our limitations into the dignity of a covenantal relationship.
An honest, fair, and thorough discussion of the issues raised in Jewish Christian apologetics, covering thirty-five objections on general and historical themes.
Where its predecessor dwelt primarily upon the content, mode, and practitioners of Torah study, this volume focuses upon issues--some theoretical, others pragmatic; some current, others timeless--which concern the practice and implementation of Torah. It opens with an inquiry into whether, and to what extent, Halakhah recognizes the validity and value of an ethic which, in some sense, lies beyond its scope. This is followed by two essays--focused upon events in Israel but of more general significance, as well--which deal with the character--and bounds of Jewish polity. Tangentially related is the subject of the next chapter--straddling the communal and the personal--regarding the parameters of tolerance. The next several chapters treat more purely personal topics--response to suffering, Shabbat prayer, and shemittah. They are followed by discussions of aspects of the sensitive areas of conversion, abortion, and the Israeli chief rabbinate, commingled with two essays, more sociologically oriented, on Jewish self-identification and communal service, and an exchange concerning Baruch Goldstein. These are, in turn, followed by two chapters focused upon modern or centrist Orthodoxy, particularly. The volume concludes with a series of responses to major questions posed in various symposia, in which participants were asked, descriptively and prescriptively, both to evaluate the current Jewish scene and to chart a suggested course for its future direction.
In The Heart of Torah, Rabbi Shai Held's Torah essays--two for each weekly portion--open new horizons in Jewish biblical commentary. Held probes the portions in bold, original, and provocative ways. He mines Talmud and midrashim, great writers of world literature, and astute commentators of other religious backgrounds to ponder fundamental questions about God, human nature, and what it means to be a religious person in the modern world. Along the way he illuminates the centrality of empathy in Jewish ethics, the predominance of divine love in Jewish theology, the primacy of gratitude and generosity, and God's summoning of each of us--with all our limitations--into the dignity of a covenantal relationship.
The Rav here explores the crucial interface between living religious experience and halakhic norms. He analyzes the Amidah, the Shema and other liturgical texts, and considers the tension between human dependence and exaltation.
