Where is God? Lessons from the Book of Ruth Artwork

Answers WithHeld

A podcast where we confront big questions with bold thinking and honest searching. Each week, Rabbi Shai Held sits down with a leading thinker or teacher to explore one powerful Jewish idea. This podcast doesn’t have all the answers, but it can uncover new insights and model what it means to take Torah and Jewish thought seriously.

All Episodes

Answers WithHeld

Where is God? Lessons from the Book of Ruth

September 03, 2025 • Hadar Institute

What does it mean to embody God’s love in a world where God sometimes feels absent?
In this episode, Rabbi Shai Held is joined by Christian biblical scholars Dr. Judy Fentress-Williams and Dr. Ellen Davis to explore what the Book of Ruth reveals—not just about loyalty and love, but about God’s subtle presence in human lives. Together, they ask: What does it mean for God to work through ordinary people? Can human faithfulness reveal divine faithfulness?