Shabbat Gathering: Judaism is about Love.

Dear Chevrei, as is our custom, we will gather tonight at 5.45p ct to welcome Shabbat. These are the coordinates:

Zoom
Meeting ID: 883 8469 4181
Password: 822665
Phone: +1 312 626 6799

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Here we go.

My chevruta (study partner) and I have decided to do something new: We’re reading Rabbi Shai Held’s new book, Judaism Is About Love: Recovering the Heart of Jewish Life. This was our first week and we read the introduction. We reviewed it together and discussed it. We’re excited about the book.

This is the second time we’re reading a book by R. Held. A couple of years ago, we spent a year reading his commentary on the Parshiot, the weekly Torah portions. It was a rewarding experience. Since then, my chevruta and I have taken a couple of classes taught by R. Held through Hadar, an organization I’ve written about before. So when R. Held’s new book was published, we were primed to read it, especially after learning the premise.

R. Held has written a book about how Jews, especially American Jews, need to take back the idea of love from Christians. He says that Christians have made their religion centered on love and have created the notion that Judaism is about law, not love. Christians have characterized that Judaism is about an angry, vengeful G!d and Christians believe in a compassionate, loving G!d. R. Held maintains this is not really the case at all and describes what Christians have done as anti-Judaism. The fault for this, though, doesn’t fall exclusively on Christians. R. Held says that especially American Jews have come to define themselves as everything that Christians aren’t.

In the introduction (the only part of the book we’ve read so far) R. Held holds up the example of grace, the idea that G!d has freely given us something, and grace is an idea that has been associated with Christians. R. Held says that creation, both of the world and us as individuals, are examples of G!d’s grace. There is nothing we did, or could have done, or can do, to deserve this gift. It is an example of G!d’s complete love.

Regarding how the law fits into this idea, R. Held says that our idea of justice and adherence to the law is our way of trying to give Hashem something in return for the gift of grace. We don’t earn G!d’s love by following the law. G!d already loves us.

We're enjoying R. Held’s new book and I have written pages and pages of notes. As my chevruta and I continue reading, I might have more to write about the book.

And may it be for all of us a blessing.

See you tonight!
Gut Shabbes!

All my love,
brian.