Rabbi Ari Averbach hosts Rabbi Shai Held for a candid conversation on God, suffering, prayer, and love in Jewish life. Held shares how theology “chose him” through a childhood of cognitive dissonance (secular home, yeshiva schooling), why he teaches text-first, and how opening honest, adult conversations about faith can revive American Jewish spirituality. He contrasts predicate theology (“God as verb”) with a more traditional theism (“God in our response”) and explores what that means for prayer, action, and pastoral care.
Diving into Psalms of lament—especially Psalm 77 and Psalm 44—Held shows how remembering the Exodus can both comfort and intensify pain, legitimizing protest as authentic piety. He discusses hospital rooms and funerals where humility matters: sometimes people need presence, sometimes theology. The aim is a richer Jewish vocabulary that invites curiosity across differences, whether between denominations or in interfaith dialogue.
Major Publications & Media
- Judaism Is About Love: Recovering the Heart of Jewish Life (2024): His widely discussed book exploring the central role of divine and human love within Jewish theology and ethics.
- The Heart of Torah (2017): A two-volume collection of deep, ethically driven essays focused on the weekly Torah portions.
- Abraham Joshua Heschel: The Call of Transcendence (2013): A critical study of the renowned 20th-century theologian's religious philosophy.
- Answers WithHeld: He hosts a podcast produced by the Hadar Institute, engaging with various theological and text-based topics.
Accolades
- Covenant Award: Recipient of the prestigious Covenant Foundation award for excellence in Jewish education.
- National Recognition: Repeatedly named one of America's 50 most influential rabbis by Newsweek and one of the world's 50 most prominent Jewish figures by the Jewish Daily Forward.
What is Moral Courage: From the Study of Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis?
“Moral Courage” shares Jewish ideas and conversations — inspired by the works of Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis — that make Jewish wisdom more accessible, inclusive and relevant to today’s complicated world. Rabbi Schulweis was a longtime pulpit rabbi at Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, California, from 1970 until his passing in 2014, who made Judaism approachable and accessible. He believed that humanity could do divine work in the world, trying to make it a better place. He was a cofounder of the anti-genocide program Jewish World Watch, and said that Jews have a moral responsibility to help those who are suffering, wherever they are. He was also the founding Chair of the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, recognizing Christians who saved Jews from the Holocaust. His is a voice that we need now—to give us direction and hope, in an otherwise troubled time. Executive Produced by Sad Clown Productions and Mayim Bialik. Hosted by Rabbi Ari Averbach.