Judaism is About Love with Rabbi Shai Held

We know Judaism is about mitzvot (commandments), engaging with Torah and Jewish wisdom and about a rhythm of holidays that often center around prayer, togetherness and food. Have we considered that, at its foundation, Judaism is about love? Join Rabbi Jessy Dressin in conversation with Rabbi Shai Held as we explore this idea, which is the focus of Held’s newest book: Judaism is About Love (2024). As one of today’s leading theologians and great Jewish thinkers, this evening will be filled with meaningful discussion about the foundational ideas of what it means to be Jewish and a thoughtful investigation as to why we often don’t discuss this idea that love is at the foundation of all that is Jewish in our Jewish spaces.

Rabbi Shai Held—philosopher, theologian, and Bible scholar—is President, Dean, and Chair in Jewish Thought at the Hadar Institute. He received the prestigious Covenant Award for Excellence in Jewish Education, and has been named multiple times by Newsweek as one of the fifty most influential rabbis in America and by the Jewish Daily Forward as one of the fifty most prominent Jews in the world.