Shai Held’s study of Abraham Joshua Heschel is a journey into the depths of the soul of the great theologian’s essential writings. Painstakingly researched and deliberate in its use of language, Abraham Joshua Heschel: The Call of Transcendence, is a masterful exploration of Heschel’s work.
Best suited to the reader who is already familiar with Heschel’s writing and terminology, one can easily imagine such a person eagerly diving into Held’s presentation, making use of the extensive notes and references to the primary sources. Indeed, these notes and references — not only to Heschel’s writings but to those of other leading scholars and theologians in conversation with Held’s study — are the crown jewels of this work, placing Held’s book at the center of any serious engagement with Heschel’s writings. It is unlikely, however, that a novice student with limited familiarity with Heschel’s original thought will find Held’s study to be helpful in untangling Heschel’s voluptuous and enigmatic language.
Held’s study is a book to be savored: it is too richly detailed to be absorbed in anything but short sittings. For the reader with the patience and the necessary philosophical and theological backgrounds, reading Held’s work is a decadent and enormously rewarding process to be treasured.
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Debby Miller is a long-time board member of Jewish Book Council, serving on its Fiction committee, and later founding the National Jewish Book Award for Book Clubs. She is currently a Vice President of the organization. Debby is based in Greensboro, NC and has been involved in the Jewish community through National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), AIPAC, B’nai Shalom and the Federation. She was president of the local Women’s Division and campaign chair, and also got involved in the National Women’s Division. One of her primary philanthropic endeavors is her work with JDC, where she has been a member of the board since 1994.
