Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

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	Select an Archives Section: JP Archives: Covenant & Conversation 54 Archived Articles Found in Covenant & Conversation Next 20 Articles > 1) Posted Sep 07 2010 Leaving It To The Almighty By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks One of the most tragic moments in Western civilization came when Christians began distinguishing between what they called the "Old Testament G-d of vengeance" as opposed to the "New Testament G-d of love." This is not a small error. One trembles to think how many Jews lost their lives because of it. It survives today, even among good and sensitive people. There is hardly a week when I do not see some reference to it in the national press. It is one of those taken-for-granted assumptions that lie buried so deep within a culture that rarely if ever are they examined in the clear light of day. Read Article 2) Posted Jul 28 2010 Greatness Is Humility By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks A sequence of verses in this week's sedrah gives rise to a beautiful Talmudic passage - one that has found a place in the siddur. It is among the readings we say after Ma'ariv on Saturday night as Shabbat comes to an end. Read Article 3) Posted Jul 21 2010 The Poet And Mystic Vs. The Philosopher By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks One of the most profound disagreements in Judaism is the one between Moses Maimonides and Judah Halevi on the meaning of the first of the Ten Commandments. For Maimonides (1135-1204), the first command is to believe in G-d, creator of heaven and earth: Read Article 4) Posted Jul 15 2010 The Centrality Of Justice And Compassion By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks As Moses begins his great closing addresses to the next generation, he turns to a subject that dominates the last of the Mosaic books: justice. "I instructed your judges at that time as follows: 'Listen to your fellow men, and decide justly [tzedek] between each man and his brother or a stranger. You shall not be partial in judgment. Listen to great and small alike. Fear no one, for judgment belongs to G-d. Any matter that is too difficult for you, bring to me and I will hear it.' " Read Article 5) Posted Jul 07 2010 Torah Education: The Best Investment By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks In one of this week's parshiyot, Mattot, the Israelites are almost within sight of the Promised Land. They have waged a victorious campaign against the Midianites. We feel the tempo quicken. No longer are the Israelites in the desert. They are moving inexorably toward the Jordan, to the west of which lies their destination - the land "flowing with milk and honey." Read Article 6) Posted Jun 30 2010 The Lighting Of Candles By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks Knowing that he is about to die, Moses turns to G-d and asks him to appoint a successor. Read Article 7) Posted Jun 23 2010 Dwelling Alone And Beating The Odds By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks One of the most profound and influential comments ever made about Jewish destiny was made by the pagan prophet Bilaam in this week's sedrah: "As I see them from the mountaintops, gaze on them from the heights, behold it is a people that dwells alone,not reckoned among the nations" (Numbers 23:9). Read Article 8) Posted Jun 16 2010 The Need For Chukkim By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks This week's sedrah, Chukat, opens with a concept that gives it its name: "This is the statute of the Torah..." Chukkim (statutes) constitute a specific category of biblical law. Traditionally they refer to the commands that seem to have no obvious reason - either in terms of social justice or historical memory. They include such laws as the prohibition against eating meat and milk together, wearing clothes of mixed wool and linen (sha'atnez), and sowing a field with two kinds of grain (kilayim). Read Article 9) Posted Jun 09 2010 True Conflict Resolution By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks The Korach rebellion was the single most dangerous challenge to Moses's leadership during the 40 years that he led the people through the wilderness. The precise outline of events is difficult to follow, probably because the events themselves were tumultuous and disorderly. The narrative makes it clear, however, that the rebels came from different groups, each of whom had different reasons for resentment. Read Article 10) Posted Jun 02 2010 The Hidden Spirituality Of Tzitzit By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks This week's sedrah, Shelach Lecha, ends with one of the great commands of Judaism - tzitzit, the fringes we wear on the corner of our garments as a perennial reminder of our identity as Jews and our obligation to keep the Torah's commands: Read Article 11) Posted May 26 2010 The Covenants Of Fate And Destiny By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks The sedrah of Beha'alotcha speaks about the silver trumpets - clarions - Moses was commanded to make: "The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 'Make two trumpets of silver; make them of hammered work. They shall serve you to summon the congregation [edah], and cause the camps [machanot] to journey' "(10:1-2). Read Article 12) Posted May 18 2010 Celebrating Life By Meeting Its Challenges By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks This week's sedrah contains the laws relating to an unusual phenomenon in religious life: the case of the nazirite, an individual who undertook - by oath and for a limited period - a special set of self-imposed restrictions. He vowed (1) to refrain from wine and other intoxicants, including anything made from grapes; (2) not to have his hair cut; and (3) not to allow himself to be defiled by contact with the dead. Read Article 13) Posted May 12 2010 The Indispensable Wilderness By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks The sedrah of Bamidbar (in the wilderness) is usually (though not this year) read directly before the festival of Shavuot - "the time of the giving of the Torah" - when we recall the revelation at Mount Sinai. Indeed the opening verse refers to Sinai: "And the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai..." What is the connection between wilderness and revelation? Read Article 14) Posted May 05 2010 The Proper Use Of Power By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks "And ye shall hallow the 50th year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family" (Leviticus 25:10). Read Article 15) Posted Apr 28 2010 Sukkot's Specialness By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks This week's sedrah outlines the festivals that give rhythm and structure to the Jewish year. Examining them carefully, however, we see that Sukkot is unusual and unique. Read Article 16) Posted Apr 21 2010 Sin And Atonement By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks "On this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins" (Leviticus 16:30). Read Article 17) Posted Apr 14 2010 The Sign Of The Covenant By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks The sedrah of Tazria begins with the laws of childbirth and the command of circumcision: "On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised" (Leviticus 12:3). Since the days of Abraham, this has been the sign for males of the covenant between God and the people He has summoned to be His witnesses. Read Article 18) Posted Apr 08 2010 To Eat, Or Not To Eat By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks The second half of Exodus and the first part of Leviticus form a carefully structured narrative. The Israelites are commanded to construct a sanctuary. They carry out the command. This is followed by an account of sacrifices to be offered there. Then, in the first part of this week's sedrah, the kohanim (priests) are inducted into office. Read Article 19) Posted Mar 24 2010 Blood, Idolatry, Or War By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks This week's sedrah, speaking about sacrifices, prohibits the eating of blood. "Wherever you live, you must not eat the blood of any bird or animal. If anyone eats blood, that person must be cut off from his people" (Leviticus 7:26-27). Read Article 20) Posted Mar 17 2010 The Sin Offering By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks Sefer Vayikra is about sacrifices, and though these laws have been inoperative for almost 2,000 years since the destruction of the Temple, the moral principles they embody are still challenging. Read Article 54 Archived Articles Found in Covenant & Conversation Next 20 Articles >
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