Jonathan Sacks
ARTICLES BY: Jonathan Sacks
The Greatness of Remembrance
The drama of younger and older brothers, which haunts the book of Bereishit (genesis) from Cain and Abel onwards, reaches a strange climax in the...
The Greatness of Growth and Change
The sequence from Bereishit (Genesis) 37 to 50 is the longest unbroken narrative in the Torah (Bible), and there can be no doubt who its...
Disguise and the Mending of Identity
Joseph is now the ruler of Egypt. The famine he predicted has come to pass. It extends beyond Egypt to the land of Canaan. Seeking...
The Jewish Refusal to be Comforted
The deception has taken place. Joseph has been sold into slavery. His brothers have dipped his coat in blood. They bring it back to their...
A People Capable of Feeling Distress, Even in Victory
Jacob and Esau are about to meet again after a separation of twenty two years. It is a fraught encounter. Once, Esau had sworn to...
Encountering G-d
It is one of the great visions of the Torah. Jacob, alone at night, fleeing from the wrath of Esau, lies down to rest,...
Faith Does Not Mean Passivity
The sedra (bible portion) of Chayei Sarah focuses on two episodes, both narrated at length and in intricate detail. Abraham buys a field with a...
Reinterpreting Bible Scenes Illuminates New Meanings
It is one of the most famous scenes in the Bible. Abraham is sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat...
Parenting in Judaism: Learning from Abraham
The call to Abraham, with which (the Bible portion of) Lech Lecha begins, seems to come from nowhere: "Leave your land, your birthplace, and your father's...
True Morality and the Story of Noah
Is there such a thing as an objective basis of morality? For some time, in secular circles, the idea has seemed absurd. Morality is what...
Thoughts From the UK’s Chief Rabbi on Yom Kippur 5773
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the supreme moment of Jewish time, a day of fasting and prayer, introspection and self-judgement. At...
Thoughts from the Chief Rabbi for Rosh Hashanah 5773
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is a kind of clarion call, a summons to the Ten Days of Penitence which culminate in the Day...
The Torah: Listening and Law
It would be reasonable to assume that a language that contains the verb "to command" must also contain the verb "to obey." The...
Letting Go of Hate
Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies...
