Judaism is About Love

 The timing of this new book, Judaism is About Love is perfect.  In the book,  Rabbi Held explains it is time for people to put down their weapons whether they are physical or psychological. It is time to come back to one of the most basic commandments of both Judaism and Christianity, love your neighbor as yourself.  The perfect way to help change your way of thinking is to read this fabulous book by philosopher, theologian, Bible scholar, and of course author, Rabbi Shai Held. 

Held explores in depth the concept of love.  In each chapter Held calls on us all to reexamine our behavior and thinking to embrace the stranger, the widow, the orphan and the downtrodden.

Jewish belief has altered over the years to thinking of Judaism as the religion of law and Christianity as the religion of love.  Held argues that Judaism is about love, that GD has implanted in us the capacity to love. GD believes in us and wants us to love.  We have individual agency though and he will not force us to love.  To quote Held, “To return to where we started, all this talk about divine love may strike some readers as…well, unJewish. And, that’s precisely why I’ve written this book: to help us overcome impoverished and distorted understandings of the Jewish tradition. Judaism tells us of a GD of love who summons us to lead lives of love; both for one another and for GD”.

The philosopher Midge Midgley is quoted in the book saying, “We are not self contained and self-sufficient, either as a species or as individuals, but live naturally in deep mutual dependence.”  Therefore, Held concludes, if GD loves us unconditionally, and we are created in the image of a relational GD, then we are always in need of relationships.  We need one another, family, friends, and the greater community and all humanity.  We need to work to overcome our yetzer hara, our evil inclination. Held asserts that we all have the capacity for love but also have the opposite ability that can be fostered by fear and unhealed hurts.  

Take a step toward a better understanding of love in Jewish thinking both through Torah and tradition to live a good life.  The author is hoping that Judaism is About Love will be inspiring to non Jewish readers as well, learning about Judaism and its relationship to Christianity.