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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 -Turning Curses into Blessings שמות
Jonathan Sacks -Turning Curses into Blessings שמות Genesis ends on an almost serene note. Jacob has found his long lost son. The family has been reunited. Joseph has forgiven his brothers. Under his protection and influence the family has settled in G
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RAV KOOK ON CHANUKAH: KINDLING THE INDIVIDUAL AND UNIVERSAL LIGHT
RAV KOOK ON CHANUKAH: KINDLING THE INDIVIDUAL AND UNIVERSAL LIGHT The people of Israel are lighting the eight lights of Chanukah everywhere. The Talmud recounts the original disagreement between the schools of Shammai and Hillel about the proper order of
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RAVKOOK ON PARSHAT VAYESHEV: THE DIVINE COINCIDENCES THAT MOVE HISTORY TO ABSOLUTE GOOD
RAVKOOK ON PARSHAT VAYESHEV: THE DIVINE COINCIDENCES THAT MOVE HISTORY TO ABSOLUTE GOOD “אֵ֣לֶּה ׀ תֹּלְד֣וֹת יַעֲקֹ֗ב יוֹסֵ֞ף-These are the chronicles of Yaakov:Yosef…” (Breishit 37:2) Thus the Torah begi
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – A Father’s Love – Toldot
Jonathan Sacks z”l – A Father’s Love – Toldot In this week’s sedra, we see Isaac as the parent of two very different sons. “The boys grew up. Esau became a skilful hunter, a man of the outdoors; but Jacob was a mild man who stayed
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Rav. Sacks z”l Beginning the Journey & Rav Kook z”l Becoming Heroes of Kindness
Rav. Sacks z”l Beginning the Journey & Rav Kook z”l Becoming Heroes of Kindness Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z”l Jonathan Sacks z”l – Beginning the Journey Chayei Sarah 5781 Rabbi Sacks z’’l had prepared a full year of Cove
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Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig – Israel’s Election Result: Resolution or Illusion?
Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig – Israel’s Election Result: Resolution or Illusion? The result of Israel’s 2022 election seems to indicate a resounding “mandate” to govern for Netanyahu and his future coalition partners. To a certain extent, that’
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Steve Kramer – Judaism v Capitulation
Steve Kramer – Judaism v Capitulation Judaism v democracy in the State of Israel is a subject that many American Jews have been arguing for decades. I don’t get it. Could a country that has had five elections in less than four years, in which 71%
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Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig – The Election as a Reflection of Israel’s Quiet (R)evolution
Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig – The Election as a Reflection of Israel’s Quiet (R)evolution Whatever you feel about Israel’s election results, they indicate something else that’s good news for every self-identified Zionist: in practice (albeit not n
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Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z”l – How This Jewish Holiday Decodes the Secret to Happiness
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z”l – How This Jewish Holiday Decodes the Secret to Happiness ABOUT JLI Serving learning centers in over 1,800 communities and on the internet, the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) is the world’s pree
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THE LIGHTS OF RAV KOOK: SUKKOT JOY AND UNIVERSALITY
THE LIGHTS OF RAV KOOK: SUKKOT JOY AND UNIVERSALITY THE LIGHTS OF RAV KOOK: SUKKOT JOY AND UNIVERSALITY “Radiant is the world soul, Full of splendor and beauty, Full of life, Of souls hidden, Of treasures of the holy spirit, Of fountains of strength,
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RAV KOOK ON ROSH HASHANA: RENEWING THE POWER OF RENEWAL
RAV KOOK ON ROSH HASHANA: RENEWING THE POWER OF RENEWAL RAV KOOK ON ROSH HASHANA: RENEWING THE POWER OF RENEWAL We are beginning the 5783’rd year of our human historical experience. Our personal and collective behavior has resulted in a planetary exis
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RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT RE’EH-HOW TO BE BLESSEDLY HAPPY
RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT RE’EH-HOW TO BE BLESSEDLY HAPPY “Behold- I am placing before you a ברכה-blessing and a קללה-curse. The blessing will come if you obey the directives of YHVH, your Elohim, which I am prescribing to you today. The curse wil
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – To Lead is to Listen Eikev 5781
Jonathan Sacks z”l – To Lead is to Listen Eikev 5781 “If only you would listen to these laws…” (Deut. 7:12). These words with which our parsha begins contain a verb that is a fundamental motif of the book of Devarim. The verb is sh-m-a. It occ
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MASEI-Rabbi Sacks: Retribution and Revenge – Rav Kook: ISRAEL’S RESPONSIBILITY TO UNITE THE WORLD
MASEI-Rabbi Sacks: Retribution and Revenge – Rav Kook: ISRAEL’S RESPONSIBILITY TO UNITE THE WORLD Rabbi Sacks: Retribution and Revenge Near the end of the book of Bamidbar, we encounter the law of the cities of refuge: three cities to the east of
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – From Priest to People: Kedoshim
Jonathan Sacks z”l – From Priest to People: Kedoshim My wife and I had the blessing to have met Rabbi Sacks z”l with his wife while we were walking on the Promanade in Tel Aviv a number of years ago. We met and introduced ourselves to th
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Jonathan Sacks z”l covenant and conversations: Not All as it Seems
Jonathan Sacks z”l covenant and conversations: Not All as it Seems Excerpt from the book of Leviticus weekly reading: from Shemini We err if we think of God as capricious, jealous, angry: a myth spread by early Christianity in an attempt to define itsel
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – Fire: Holy and Unholy Shemini
Jonathan Sacks z”l – Fire: Holy and Unholy Shemini The shock is immense. For several weeks and many chapters – the longest prelude in the Torah – we have read of the preparations for the moment at which God would bring His Presence to rest
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – Violence and the Sacred (TZAV)
The Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust · Violence and the Sacred(Rabbi Sacks on Tzav, Covenant & Conversation) Jonathan Sacks z”l – Violence and the Sacred (TZAV) Why sacrifices? To be sure, they have not been part of the life of Judaism since t
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Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig – Why (for God’s Sake) Is the Book of Esther in the Bible?
Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig – Why (for God’s Sake) Is the Book of Esther in the Bible? The Book of Esther hardly paints a positive picture of Jewish practice. Esther and Mordechai are named after the two most important “Gods” in Babylon: Ishtar an
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WHAT RAV KOOK SAYS WE MUST DO IMMEDIATELY TO FIX THE WORLD: Step 2- FIX FAITH, REFINE RELIGION
WHAT RAV KOOK SAYS WE MUST DO IMMEDIATELY TO FIX THE WORLD: Step 2- FIX FAITH, REFINE RELIGION The suffering of human beings and other living species is immense. Disease, war and violence everywhere. We are spoiling and destroying the world. We must stop
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RAV KOOK ON TETZAVEH: HOW TO ILLUMINATE EXISTENCE
RAV KOOK ON TETZAVEH: HOW TO ILLUMINATE EXISTENCE וְאַתָּ֞ה תְּצַוֶּ֣ה ׀ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְיִקְח֨וּ אֵלֶ֜יךָ שֶׁ֣מֶן זַ֥יִת זָ֛ךְ כָּתִ֖ית לַמָּא֑וֹר
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RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT VAYISHLACH:RESTORING THE BROTHERLY LOVE OF YAAKOV AND ESAU
RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT VAYISHLACH:RESTORING THE BROTHERLY LOVE OF YAAKOV AND ESAU “וַיִּשְׁלַ֨ח יַעֲקֹ֤ב מַלְאָכִים֙ לְפָנָ֔יו אֶל־עֵשָׂ֖ו אָחִ֑יו אַ֥רְצָה שֵׂעִ֖יר שְׂדֵ֥ה א
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RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT VAYETZEH: THE HOUSE OF JACOB’S UNIVERSAL MISSION
RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT VAYETZEH: THE HOUSE OF JACOB’S UNIVERSAL MISSION “וַיֵּצֵ֥א יַעֲקֹ֖ב מִבְּאֵ֣ר שָׁ֑בַע וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ חָרָֽנָה׃ Jacob left Beer-sheba, and set out for Haran” (Breishit 28:10) An
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – A Leader’s Call to Responsibility Ha’azinu 5782
Jonathan Sacks z”l – A Leader’s Call to Responsibility Ha’azinu 5782 Rabbi Sacks zt’’l had prepared a full year of Covenant & Conversation for 5781, based on his book Lessons in Leadership. The Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust will continue t
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Courage to Grow & Finding Purpose
Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Courage to Grow & Finding Purpose Finding Purpose On Yom Kippur, we plead with God for forgiveness and reassess our life. Here is a powerful clip from Rabbi Sacks zt”l talking about how to find your purpose in li
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Jonathan Sacks Z”l – Defeating Death Nitzavim 5781
Jonathan Sacks Z”l – Defeating Death Nitzavim 5781 Only now, reaching Nitzavim, can we begin to get a sense of the vast, world-changing project at the heart of the Divine-human encounter that took place in the lifetime of Moses and the birth
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – A Nation of Storytellers Ki Tavo 5781
Jonathan Sacks z”l – A Nation of Storytellers Ki Tavo 5781 Howard Gardner, professor of education and psychology at Harvard University, is one of the great minds of our time. He is best known for his theory of “multiple intelligences,” the
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ELUL-TORAT HARAV KOOK ON ‘TSHUVA/RETURN’
ELUL-TORAT HARAV KOOK ON ‘TSHUVA/RETURN’ Rav. Kook “When one forgets the essence of one’s own soul, when one distracts their mind from attending to the substantive content of their own inner life, everything becomes confused and uncertain. The pr
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – Against Hate Ki Teitse 5781
Jonathan Sacks z”l – Against Hate Ki Teitse 5781 Ki Teitse contains more laws than any other parsha in the Torah, and it is possible to be overwhelmed by this embarrass de richesse of detail. One verse, however, stands out by its sheer count
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – Learning and Leadership Shoftim 5781
Jonathan Sacks z”l – Learning and Leadership Shoftim 5781 The parsha of Shoftim is the classic source of the three types of leadership in Judaism, called by the Sages the “three crowns”: of priesthood, kingship and Torah.[1] This is the
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PARSHAT RE’EH: RAV KOOK ON ‘HOW TO BE HAPPY’
PARSHAT RE’EH: RAV KOOK ON ‘HOW TO BE HAPPY’ The choice is ours: “Behold- I am placing before you a ברכה-blessing and a קללה-curse. The blessing will come if you obey the directives of YHVH, your Elohim, which I am prescribing to you t
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – Defining Reality Re’eh 5781
Jonathan Sacks z”l – Defining Reality Re’eh 5781 One of the gifts of great leaders, and one from which each of us can learn, is that they frame reality for the group. They define its situation. They specify its aims. They articulate its
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – To Lead is to Listen Eikev 5781
Jonathan Sacks z”l – To Lead is to Listen Eikev 5781 “If only you would listen to these laws…” (Deut. 7:12). These words with which our parsha begins contain a verb that is a fundamental motif of the book of Devarim. The verb is sh-m-a
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Fewest of All Peoples Va’etchanan 5781
Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Fewest of All Peoples Va’etchanan 5781 Buried inconspicuously in this week’s parsha is a short sentence with explosive potential, causing us to think again about both the nature of Jewish history and the Jewish tas
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Leader as Teacher Devarim 5781
Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Leader as Teacher Devarim 5781 It was one of the great moments of personal transformation, and it changed not only Moses but our very conception of leadership itself. By the end of the book of Bamidbar, Moses’ career
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – Conflict Resolution Matot-Masei 5781
Jonathan Sacks z”l – Conflict Resolution Matot-Masei 5781 One of the hardest tasks of any leader – from Prime Ministers to parents – is conflict resolution. Yet it is also the most vital. Where there is leadership, there is long-term cohes
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – Lessons of a Leader Pinchas 5781
Jonathan Sacks z”l – Lessons of a Leader Pinchas 5781 The parsha of Pinchas contains a masterclass on leadership, as Moses confronts his own mortality and asks God to appoint a successor. The great leaders care about succession. In parshat Cha
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – Leadership and Loyalty Balak 5781
Jonathan Sacks z”l – Leadership and Loyalty Balak 5781 Rabbi Sacks zt’’l had prepared a full year of Covenant & Conversation for 5781, based on his book Lessons in Leadership. The Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust will continue to distribute these
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PARSHAT KORACH: RAV KOOK ON ‘KORACH INTERNATIONAL
PARSHAT KORACH: RAV KOOK ON ‘KORACH INTERNATIONAL H/T to Rav. Itzchak EvanShayish “Now Korach, son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi, betook himself, along with Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—descendants of Reuben—to rise u
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – Servant Leadership Korach 5781
Jonathan Sacks z”l – Servant Leadership Korach 5781 Rabbi Sacks zt’’l had prepared a full year of Covenant & Conversation for 5781, based on his book Lessons in Leadership. The Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust will continue to distribute these we
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Jonathan Sacks – Confidence Shelach Lecha 5781
Jonathan Sacks – Confidence Shelach Lecha 5781 Rabbi Sacks zt’’l had prepared a full year of Covenant & Conversation for 5781, based on his book Lessons in Leadership. The Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust will continue to distribute these weekly essays
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Politics of Envy Naso 5781
Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Politics of Envy Naso 5781 Rabbi Sacks zt’’l had prepared a full year of Covenant & Conversation for 5781, based on his book Lessons in Leadership. The Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust will continue to distribute these we
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – Leading a Nation of Individuals Bamidbar 5781
Jonathan Sacks z”l – Leading a Nation of Individuals Bamidbar 5781 Rabbi Sacks zt’’l had prepared a full year of Covenant & Conversation for 5781, based on his book Lessons in Leadership. The Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust will continue to dist
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Jonathan Sacks – On Not Being Afraid of Greatness Emor 5781
Jonathan Sacks – On Not Being Afraid of Greatness Emor 5781 Rabbi Sacks zt’’l had prepared a full year of Covenant & Conversation for 5781, based on his book Lessons in Leadership. The Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust will continue to distribute these
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Courage of Identity Crises Tzav 5781
Jonathan Sacks z”l – The Courage of Identity Crises Tzav 5781 Rabbi Sacks zt’’l had prepared a full year of Covenant & Conversation for 5781, based on his book Lessons in Leadership. The Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust will continue to distribut
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – Celebrate Vayakhel-Pekudei 5781
Jonathan Sacks z”l – Celebrate Vayakhel-Pekudei 5781 If leaders are to bring out the best in those they lead, they must give them the chance to show they are capable of great things, and then they must celebrate their achievements. That is w
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – How Leaders Fail Ki Tissa 5781
Jonathan Sacks z”l – How Leaders Fail Ki Tissa 5781 Rabbi Sacks zt’’l had prepared a full year of Covenant & Conversation for 5781, based on his book Lessons in Leadership. The Office of Rabbi Sacks will continue to distribute these weekl
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – Vision and Details Mishpatim 5781
Jonathan Sacks z”l – Vision and Details Mishpatim 5781 Rabbi Sacks zt’’l had prepared a full year of Covenant & Conversation for 5781, based on his book Lessons in Leadership. The Office of Rabbi Sacks will continue to distribute these we
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Jonathan Sacks z”l – A Nation of Leaders Yitro 5781
Jonathan Sacks – A Nation of Leaders Yitro 5781 This week’s parsha consists of two episodes that seem to constitute a study in contrasts. The first is in chapter 18. Yitro, Moses’ father-in-law and a Midianite Priest, gives Moses his first lesso
Advice & Self-Help | Advice & Self-Help
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
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Melania Trump's Malpractice | National Review
This is simply grotesque political malpractice, bordering on sabotage.
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Trump’s Genie Is Out of the Bottle | commentary
An incident involving a speaker for Donald Trump illustrates the way the candidate's attitude has given his supporters a license to express prejudice.
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Prager: Why I Am in Israel — and Why You Should Be | Truth Revolt
I want to explain why I am in Israel. I am in here with 450 American (and a German and a Canadian) listeners to my radio show. About 400 are non-Jews. We are here on a “Stand with Israel” tour organized by the syndicator of my radio show, the Salem Ra
