Answers WithHeld

R. Shai Held's children, Lev and Maya, discuss belief in God, doubts, and experiences. They explore deep questions about God's role in the world, human responsibility, free will, and the interplay between religion, science, and spirituality. The conversation touches on the existence of evil, divine intervention, and navigating beliefs with children.

Questions surrounding our own mortality are some of the hardest to ask, and certainly some of the hardest to answer. What happens when we die? What does it mean to have a soul? R. Sharon Cohen Anisfeld joins R. Shai Held for a deeply meaningful exploration of these profound questions.

Aviva Richman, a thoughtful rabbi focused on compassionate responses to suffering, joins Shai Held to tackle the difficult question of why bad things happen. They share personal memories, highlighting how being present can offer solace during times of pain. The conversation explores the role of compassion in parenting, providing children with the tools to navigate grief and adversity. Richman reflects on divine love and the complexities of prayer amid loss, emphasizing the nurturing presence of God and the importance of resilience in the face of life's challenges.

Rabbi Dr. Leon Wiener Dow reflects on doubt and questioning in spirituality, emphasizing the importance of open-minded exploration and embracing uncertainty. The discussion explores diverse perceptions of God, liberating spirituality from cultural constraints, and the transformative power of doubt in spiritual journeys. Anecdotes of validation and spiritual awakening highlight the value of questioning beliefs and contributing to a better world.

Universalism or particularism? It's often cited as a debate of one versus the other, but R. Shai Held and R. Jill Jacobs reflect on how both these priorities can actually strengthen the other. They consider texts that speak to how we live out our values as well as how to raise kids who care deeply.

Why did God create the world - and why did God create me within it? R. Yitz Greenberg joins R. Shai Held to ponder these theological questions and consider what it means to have a posture of gratitude and to know that we each have an individual mission or purpose in the world.

What do we do when we encounter morally troubling parts of Torah? Dr. Arna Poupko Fisher joins R. Shai Held to try and understand slavery in the Torah's historical context, as well as how we might understand the Torah more broadly as launching us into a more ethical legal trajectory.  Their sage advice on nurturing kids' moral passions and finding our own confidence when faced with difficult questions is relatable for parents, educators, and adults in general.

In a playful and poignant way, Rabbis Shai Held and Brad Artson explore questions of science and Torah. Was the world really created in six days? What are the truths we can discover when we look deeply at Torah and its stories?

R. Avi Killip and R. Shai Held continue to explore questions about God, especially thinking about the role of doubt. How can we understand God when we just don't know? And how can we have conversations with kids when we ourselves aren't sure?

In this inaugural episode, R. Avi Killip joins R. Shai Held to explore a very big question - who is God? Their poignant conversation includes personal stories of early wonderings about God as well as particular images from text and tradition that are most resonant and meaningful.