On Love, and Judaism
A new episode of On Being, with Rabbi Shai Held
From Krista:
I’m on record bemoaning across the years that “love” is the most watered-down word in the English language. I know that invoking love feels very soft for our hard realms of politics and war. Yet it is an enduring truth that love is the only force as powerful in a human body as fear. And we inhabit a world that calls us to grow up our capacity to love — and to redeem our relationships to neighbors, strangers, and enemies — as never before, both in the present and for the sake of the world beyond this age of violence we’ve come to inhabit.
Rabbi Shai Held has written an epic theological work called Judaism is About Love. And, as he interrogates Judaism’s complicated history with love, he makes an offering that is of relevance to us all.
You can listen to the episode on our website or wherever podcasts are found.
Find an excellent transcript of this episode, edited by humans, on our show page.
I've been inspired by the works or many Jewish theologians and rabbis, but am confounded that they don't address the slaughter of Palestinians. You can't discuss Judaism as it exists to day without discussing the barbarity. It would be like medieval Catholics ignoring the Spanish Inquisition.
Great interview. It was interesting that the elephant in the room wasn’t addressed until the last 10 minutes. I expected Shai to speak about radical Islam when he spoke about radical Judaism and radical Christianity. I love the answer he gave to the elderly women who asked whether she should love her wife beating ex-husband. So, that is aspirational maybe, that we could wish our enemies, people that call for our death, could have a change of heart before they die. With radical Islam, it is fierce LOVE that is calling them to kill. The Hamas terrorists were filled with ecstasy raping, butchering and burning Jews. They were so ebullient, they wore go-pro cameras, called their parents in absolute bliss. I mourn, really mourn, every single life taken, Gazan lives, Israeli, Christian & Druze lives in the war in Israel. I prayed that Hamas would surrender to spare their neighbors, their own children. I expected the evening of October 7, 2023, that millions of Muslims would take to the streets chanting NOT IN OUR NAME. Bodies were still being recovered, Israel hadn’t yet mounted a response. Instead, there was worldwide celebration, instead of condemnation. Iran through their proxies had the propaganda machine cued up. So, I’d love for there to be a world where Israeli settlers would stop hating, harassing, harming, or killing residents of the West Bank. I don’t think they should live there, and maybe someday, they won’t think they need to. Gazan need to be free from Hamas. There’s a population of Gazans that want to live in peace with Israel as a good neighbor. The pro Palestinian protests harm the people that live in Gaza. The “armed resistance” narrative harms them. They want peace. They want billions of dollars to rebuild, they don’t want billions to be used for the underground system of terror tunnels. Have you ever interviewed the founder of Realign for Palestine? He’s phenomenal, and I feel he’s been shouting into the abyss.