Answers WithHeld - Hadar Institute

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Faith WithHeld: A Conversation Between Sarah Wildman and R. Shai Held

Monday, April 27, 2026 • Duration 01:00:29

When the unthinkable happens, what remains of faith? Journalist Sarah Wildman, who lost her young daughter, joins Rabbi Shai Held in a searching conversation about grief, love, and the struggle to go on. They will probe how mourning collides with meaning-making, and how faith might fracture, endure, or be remade in the wake of devastating loss. Recorded in Fall 2025.
This conversation is part of the Faith WithHeld series, generously sponsored by the Schiller family.

Want the full Q&A? Catch the video version here: https://youtu.be/YNZb_AkS7Ec

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Dreaming of the Messiah: What Can We Learn from Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook?

Thursday, September 25, 2025 • Duration 39:23

Was Rabbi Kook a mystic, a radical, or a realist? And what did he really believe about redemption?
In this season finale, Rabbi Shai Held is joined by Professor Yehudah Mirsky to unpack the bold and complex messianic vision of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook and the ways in which this vision still reverberates today. Together, they explore Kook’s hopes for a transformed humanity, his belief in the spiritual potential of the Jewish people, and how his messianism shaped (and was shaped by) the politics of his time.

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Can We Judge Everyone Favorably?

Wednesday, July 23, 2025 • Duration 38:39

Can we really judge everyone favorably? Rabbis Shai Held and Steve Greenberg dive into this Jewish idea, exploring how a generous outlook can transform relationships, personal healing, and even our view of God. But where do we draw the line? Tune in for a candid conversation that gets real about the power – and potential pitfalls – of seeing the best in everyone.

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Welcome Back for Season 2 of Answers WithHeld!

Thursday, July 17, 2025 • Duration 01:31

Rabbi Shai Held returns with a new cast of guest for another season of Answers WithHeld, the podcast where we confront big questions with bold thinking and honest searching.

Every week, Rabbi Shai Held invites a leading thinker or teacher to explore one powerful Jewish idea or the life and legacy of a great Jewish thinker: Can We Really Judge Everyone Favorably? Is Torah Study the Highest Value? Is There Choice in Accepting the Torah? No pressure.

Together, we wrestle with timeless questions, uncover new insights, and model what it means to take Torah and Jewish thought seriously.

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Why Do You Believe in God?

Monday, May 13, 2024 • Duration 33:12

In this special season finale, R. Shai Held welcomes his two oldest children to model a genuine conversation about God, experiences, belief, and doubt. Lev and Maya share some of the biggest questions on their minds as well as offer sage advice to grown-ups about how to have meaningful and impactful conversations with kids.

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What Happens After I Die?

Monday, May 6, 2024 • Duration 38:27

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.

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Why Do Bad Things Happen?

Monday, April 15, 2024 • Duration 42:00

R. Aviva Richman joins R. Shai Held to discuss one of the most difficult moral and religious questions - why do bad things happen? Where is God when they do? Personal childhood memories of confronting this question lead them to explore how being present might mediate God's presence, to appreciate petitionary prayer in nuanced and sophisticated ways, and to wonder about God's role of holding loss in times of tragedy.

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What If I'm Not Sure I Believe in God?

Monday, April 8, 2024 • Duration 36:30

What if I don't believe in God? What if I'm not sure? Rabbi Dr. Leon Wiener Dow joins Rabbi Shai Held to reflect on the importance of doubt and continuing to question. They identify some of the straight-jackets that we put on our thinking about God and explore the possibility of being open to a spiritual life with or without a belief in God.

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Am I My Brother's Keeper?

Monday, April 1, 2024 • Duration 42:41

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.

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Why Did God Create the World?

Monday, March 25, 2024 • Duration 40:42

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.

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Answers WithHeld – Details, episodes & analysis

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Answers WithHeld – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Youtube2

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

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Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Youtube2