The Heart of Torah by Rabbi Shai Held

Help us make Rabbi Shai Held's book available to Hebrew-speaking audiences. The Heart of Torah: Essays on the Weekly Torah Portion by Rabbi Shai Held Though Jews have been writing commentaries on the Bible for literally thousands of years, Rabbi Shai Held's The Heart of Torah offers strikingly original and compelling interpretations. Drawing on commentators ancient and modern (and Jewish and Christian), Held opens new understandings of the text that gave rise to Judaism and much of Western civilization. In this two-volume set of essays—two for each weekly Torah portion—Held illuminates the centrality of empathy in Jewish ethics; the predominance of divine love in Jewish theology; the primacy of gratitude and generosity in Jewish spirituality; and God’s summoning of each of us, with all of our limitations, into the dignity of a covenantal relationship. Held’s analyses are challenging, uplifting, and at moments even arresting. At the same time, his accessible approach engages newer readers alongside experienced scholars. Anyone interested in Jewish theology, spirituality, or biblical interpretation will be drawn to, and enriched by, The Heart of Torah. About Rabbi Shai Held: President and dean of the Hadar Institute in New York City, Rabbi Held is one of the outstanding Jewish thinkers and leaders in North America. A 2011 recipient of the prestigious Covenant Award for excellence in Jewish education, he has been named multiple times to Newsweek’s list of the 50 most influential rabbis in America. More information: ShaiHeld.com. To donate by bank transfer, contact us: israel@hadar.org