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Jonathan Sacks : God’s Shadow VAYAKHEL

Jonathan Sacks: God’s Shadow VAYAKHEL In Vayakhel we meet, for the second time, the man who became the symbol of the artist in Judaism, a man by the name of Betzalel. Then Moses said to the Israelites, “Know that the Lord has chosen Betzalel son of Ur

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Jonathan Sacks – Leadership Means Making Space TETZAVEH

Jonathan Sacks – Leadership Means Making Space TETZAVEH Tetzaveh is, as is well known, the parsha in which for once Moses take second place. In fact, he is not mentioned by name at all, and all the focus is on his brother, Aaron, and on the role he

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Jonathan Sacks – Building Builders TERUMAH

Jonathan Sacks – Building Builders TERUMAH As soon as we read the opening lines of Terumah we begin the massive shift from the intense drama of the Exodus with its signs and wonders and epic events, to the long, detailed narrative of how the Israeli

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Jonathan Sacks – God’s Nudge MISHPATIM

Jonathan Sacks – God’s Nudge MISHPATIM First in Yitro there were the Aseret Hadibrot, the “Ten Utterances”, the Ten Commandments, expressed as general principles. Now in Mishpatim come the details. Here is how they begin: If you buy a Hebr

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Jonathan Sacks – Deed and Creed YITRO

Jonathan Sacks – Deed and Creed YITRO The parsha of Yitro records the revolutionary moment when God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, entered into a mutually binding agreement with a nation, the Children of Israel, an agreement we call a brit, a covena

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Jonathan Sacks – The March of Folly BO

Jonathan Sacks – The March of Folly BO There is a fascinating moment in the unfolding story of the plagues that should make us stop and take notice. At the opening of this week’s parsha, seven plagues have now struck Egypt. The people are sufferin

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Jonathan Sacks – The Birth of History – VAERA

Jonathan Sacks – The Birth of History – VAERA The parsha of Vaera begins with some fateful words. It would not be too much to say that they changed the course of history, because they changed the way people thought about history. In fact, they

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Jonathan Sacks – The Challenge of Jewish Leadership SHEMOT

Jonathan Sacks – The Challenge of Jewish Leadership SHEMOT I used to say, only half in jest, that the proof that Moses was the greatest of the prophets was that when God asked him to lead the Jewish people, he refused four times: Who am I to lead? T

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Jonathan Sacks – Grandparents VAYECHI

Jonathan Sacks – Grandparents VAYECHI Every Friday night we re-enact one of the most moving scenes in the book of Bereishit. Jacob, reunited with Joseph, is ill. Joseph comes to visit him, bring bringing with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

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Jonathan Sacks – The Space Between VAYIGASH

Jonathan Sacks – The Space Between VAYIGASH “What do porcupines do in winter?” asked Schopenhauer. “How can they stay warm?” If they come too close to one another, they will injure each other. If they stay too far apart, they will freeze. Li

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Jonathan Sacks – Sibling Rivalry MIKKETZ

Jonathan Sacks – Sibling Rivalry MIKKETZ Listen to these words that are among the most fateful and reverberating in all of Jewish history: Joseph recognised his brothers, but they did not recognise him. Gen. 42:8 The Torah is a deep book. We make a

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Jonathan Sacks – Speech Therapy VAYESHEV

Jonathan Sacks – Speech Therapy VAYESHEV From Vayeshev to the end of the book of Bereishit we read the story of Joseph and his brothers. From the very beginning we are plunged into a drama of sibling rivalry that seems destined to end in tragedy. Al

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Jonathan Sacks – Collective Responsibility VAYISHLACH

Jonathan Sacks – Collective Responsibility VAYISHLACH By any standards it was a shocking episode. Jacob had settled on the outskirts of the town of Shechem, ruled by Hamor. Dina, Jacob’s daughter, goes out to see the town. Shechem, Hamor’s son,

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Jonathan Sacks: The Character of Jacob VAYETSE

Jonathan Sacks: The Character of Jacob VAYETSE What kind of man was Jacob? This is the question that cries out to us in episode after episode of his life. The first time we hear a description of him he is called ish tam: a simple, quiet, plain, straight

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Jonathan Sacks – Why Did Isaac Love Esau? TOLDOT

Jonathan Sacks – Why Did Isaac Love Esau? TOLDOT   Even before they were born, Jacob and Esau struggled in the womb. They were destined, it seems, to be eternal adversaries. Not only were they were different in character and appearance. They al

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Jonathan Sacks – Abraham: A Life of Faith CHAYEI SARAH

Jonathan Sacks – Abraham: A Life of Faith CHAYEI SARAH Abraham, the Sages were convinced, was a greater religious hero than Noah. We hear this in the famous dispute among the Sages about the phrase that Noah was “perfect in his generations,” mea

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Jonathan Sacks – The Binding of Isaac: A New Interpretation

Jonathan Sacks – The Binding of Isaac: A New Interpretation   It is the hardest passage of all, one that seems to defy understanding. Abraham and Sarah have waited years for a child. God has promised them repeatedly that they would have many de

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Jonathan Sacks – On Being a Jewish Parent LECH LECHA

Jonathan Sacks – On Being a Jewish Parent LECH LECHA The most influential man who ever lived does not appear on any list I have seen of the hundred most influential men who ever lived. He ruled no empire, commanded no army, engaged in no spectacular

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Jonathan Sacks – A Nail of Faith – A Story for Succot

Jonathan Sacks – A Nail of Faith – A Story for Succot Here is what I learned from the first time I built a sukkah (aside from the fact that I am not particularly good at woodwork!). Wishing you and your families a wonderful Sukkot. Chag Sameac

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Jonathan Sacks – The Spirituality of Song HA’AZINU

Jonathan Sacks – The Spirituality of Song HA’AZINU With Ha’azinu we climb to one of the peaks of Jewish spirituality. For a month Moses had taught the people. He had told them their history and destiny, and the laws that would make theirs a

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Jonathan Sacks z”l – We Are What We Remember KI TAVO

Jonathan Sacks z”l – We Are What We Remember KI TAVO One reason religion has survived in the modern world despite four centuries of secularisation is that it answers the three questions every reflective human being will ask at some time in his

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Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Greatness of Humility SHOFTIM

Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Greatness of Humility SHOFTIM At a dinner to celebrate the work of a communal leader, the guest speaker paid tribute to his many qualities: his dedication, hard work, and foresight. As he sat down, the leader leaned ov

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Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Deep Power of Joy – RE’EH

Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Deep Power of Joy – RE’EH On 14 October 1663, the famous diarist Samuel Pepys paid a visit to the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in Creechurch Lane in the city of London. Jews had been exiled from England

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Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Spirituality of Listening – EIKEV

Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Spirituality of Listening – EIKEV It is one of the most important words in Judaism, and also one of the least understood. Its two most famous occurrences are in last week’s parsha and this week’s: “Hear O

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Jonathan Sacks – Seven Principles for Maintaining Jewish Peoplehood

Jonathan Sacks – Seven Principles for Maintaining Jewish Peoplehood “Hope rebuilds the ruins of Jerusalem. The Jewish people kept hope alive and hope kept the Jewish people alive. That is the message of Tisha B’Av.” ~ Rabbi Sacks    

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Jonathan Sacks – To 120: Growing Old, Staying Young DEVARIM

Jonathan Sacks – To 120: Growing Old, Staying Young DEVARIM On 27 March 2012, to celebrate the diamond jubilee of the Queen, an ancient ceremony took place at Buckingham Palace. A number of institutions presented Loyal Addresses to the Queen, thanki

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Jonathan Sacks – The Complexity of Human Rights MATOT-MASEI

Jonathan Sacks – The Complexity of Human Rights MATOT-MASEI The book of Bamidbar comes to a close that is very strange indeed. Earlier in the parsha of Pinchas we read of how the five daughters of Tzelophehad came to Moses with a claim based on just

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Jonathan Sacks – Moshe’s Disappointment – PINCHAS

Jonathan Sacks – Moshe’s Disappointment – PINCHAS Hidden beneath the surface of parshat Pinchas, the Sages uncovered a story of great poignancy. Moses, having seen his sister and brother die, knew that his own time on earth was coming to a c

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Jonathan Sacks z”l – What Makes God Laugh – BALAK

Jonathan Sacks z”l – What Makes God Laugh – BALAK There is an old saying that what makes God laugh is seeing our plans for the future.[1] However, if Tanach is our guide, what makes God laugh is human delusions of grandeur. From the van

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Jonathan Sacks z”l – Healing the Trauma of Loss CHUKAT

Jonathan Sacks z”l – Healing the Trauma of Loss CHUKAT It took me two years to recover from the death of my father, of blessed memory. To this day, almost twenty years later, I am not sure why. He did not die suddenly or young. He was well int

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Jonathan Sacks z”l – Hierarchy and Politics: The Never-Ending Story KORACH

Jonathan Sacks z”l – Hierarchy and Politics: The Never-Ending Story KORACH It was a classic struggle for power. The only thing that made it different from the usual dramas of royal courts, parliamentary meetings, or corridors of power was that

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Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: Watch The Way of Identity: On Being a Jew (Ten Paths to God)

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: Watch The Way of Identity: On Being a Jew (Ten Paths to God) This video is about ‘The Way of Identity’ and is the video for Unit 1 of Rabbi Sacks’ ‘Ten Paths to God’ curriculum project. The Way of Prayer

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Jonathan Sacks z”l – Two Kinds of Fear SHELACH LECHA

Jonathan Sacks z”l – Two Kinds of Fear SHELACH LECHA One of the most powerful addresses I ever heard was given by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, on this week’s parsha: the story of the spies. For me, it was nothing

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Jonathan Sacks z”l – From Despair to Hope BEHA’ALOTECHA

Jonathan Sacks z”l – From Despair to Hope BEHA’ALOTECHA There have been times when one passage in this week’s parsha was, for me, little less than lifesaving. No leadership position is easy. Leading Jews is harder still. And spiritual

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Rabbi Jonathan Sacks – The Mutating Virus: Understanding Antisemitism

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks – The Mutating Virus: Understanding Antisemitism “The hate that begins with Jews never ends with Jews.” On 27th September 2016, Rabbi Sacks delivered a keynote address entitled ‘The Mutating Virus: Understandin

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Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Sound of Silence BaMidbar

Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Sound of Silence Bamidbar Bamidbar is usually read on the Shabbat before Shavuot. So the Sages connected the two. Shavuot is the time of the giving of the Torah. Bamibar means, “in the desert”. What then is the con

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Jonathan Sacks z”l – Family Feeling BEHAR-BECHUKOTAI

Jonathan Sacks z”l – Family Feeling BEHAR-BECHUKOTAI I argued in my Covenant and Conversation for parshat Kedoshim that Judaism is more than an ethnicity. It is a call to holiness. In one sense, however, there is an important ethnic dimens

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Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Courage to Admit Mistakes ACHAREI MOT-KEDOSHIM

Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Courage to Admit Mistakes ACHAREI MOT-KEDOSHIM Some years ago I was visited by the then American ambassador to the Court of St James, Philip Lader. He told me of a fascinating project he and his wife had initiated in 1

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Jonathan Sacks z"l - The Plague of Evil Speech TAZRIA-METZORA

Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Plague of Evil Speech TAZRIA-METZORA The Rabbis moralised the condition of tzara’at – often translated as leprosy – the subject that dominates both Tazria and Metzora. It was, they said, a punishment rather than

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Jonathan Sacks z”l Watch-Israel at 75: Home of Hope

Jonathan Sacks z”l Watch-Israel at 75: Home of Hope Celebrating Israel’s 75th anniversary with inspiration and wisdom from Rabbi Sacks. This new animation illustrates Rabbi Sacks’ narration from the album Israel: Hope of Hope, which explores the

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Watch Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z”l – On The Holocaust

Watch Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z”l – On The Holocaust Rabbi Sacks on the Holocaust: A conversation with Karen Pollock of the Holocaust Educational Trust. Rabbi Sacks was in conversation with Karen Pollock MBE, chief executive of the Holocaust Educ

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Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Dangers of Enthusiasm SHEMINI

Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Dangers of Enthusiasm SHEMINI Excavating the history of words can sometimes be as revealing as excavating the ruins of an ancient city. Take the English word “enthusiasm”. Today we see this as something positive. O

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the Choreography of Love: Understanding the Significance of Sacrifice in Judaism Today

Jonathan Sacks z”l – Understanding Sacrifice TZAV One of the most difficult elements of the Torah and the way of life it prescribes is the phenomenon of animal sacrifices – for obvious reasons. First, Jews and Judaism have survived without t

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Atone for the Sin of the Golden Calf & Reconstitute the Community: "Mending Broken Bonds: Shabbat & The Mishkan - Restoring the Power of Communities

Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Social Animal – VAYAKHEL-PEKUDEI The Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust · The Social Animal (Rabbi Sacks on Vayakhel-Pekudei, Covenant & Conversation) Download the PDFs: > English > Hebrew > Spanish > French At the begin

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Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Closeness of God כי תישא Ki Tissa

Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Closeness of God כי תישא Ki Tissa The more I study the Torah, the more conscious I become of the immense mystery of Exodus 33. This is the chapter set in the middle of the Golden Calf narrative (between Exodus ch

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Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Therapeutic Joy of Purim

Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Therapeutic Joy of Purim There is a unique law in the approach to Purim. Mishe-nichnas Adar marbim be-simcha: “From the beginning of Adar, we increase in joy.” It is stated in the Talmud (Taanit 29a), and is based

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Jonathan Sacks z”l – Inspiration & Perspiration Tetzaveh

Jonathan Sacks z”l – Inspiration & Perspiration Tetzaveh Beethoven rose each morning at dawn and made himself coffee. He was fastidious about this: each cup had to be made with exactly sixty beans, which he counted out each time. He would then

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Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Gift of Giving: Terumah

Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Gift of Giving: Terumah It was the first Israelite house of worship, the first home Jews made for God. But the very idea is fraught with paradox, even contradiction. How can you build a house for God? He is bigger than

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Jonathan Sacks z”l – Doing and Hearing:משפטים

Jonathan Sacks z”l – Doing and Hearing:משפטים One of the most famous phrases in the Torah makes its appearance in this week’s parsha. It has often been used to characterise Jewish faith as a whole. It consists of just two words: na’a

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“Why I am a Jew” | Whiteboard Video Animation | Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

“Why I am a Jew” | Whiteboard Video Animation | Rabbi Jonathan Sacks “The deepest question any of us can ask is: Who am I? To answer it we have to go deeper than, Where do I live? or What do I do? The most fateful moment in my life came

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Jonathan Sacks – Spirits in a Material World וארא

Jonathan Sacks – Spirits in a Material World וארא Rabbi Sacks Web Site The Torah sometimes says something of fundamental importance in what seems like a minor and incidental comment. There is a fine example of this near the beginning of this par

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Jonathan Sacks z"l - The Power of Praise Vayeshev 5781

Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Power of Praise Vayeshev 5781 Reuben is the leader who might have been but never was. He was Jacob’s firstborn. Jacob said of him on his deathbed, “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my s