Jonathan Sacks
ARTICLES BY: Jonathan Sacks
The Torah and the Ecological Imperative
In the course of setting out the laws of war, the Torah adds a seemingly minor detail that became the basis of a much wider...
Parshat Re’eh: The Only Way to Be Happy Is to Share Happiness With Others
If we were to ask what key word epitomizes the society Jews were to make in the Promised Land, several concepts would come to mind:...
Why Jews Must Remember History
In Eikev, Moses sets out a political doctrine of such wisdom that it can never become redundant or obsolete. He does it by way of...
Parshat Va’etchanan: Why the Jewish People Are So Small
Near the end of parshat Va’etchanan is a statement with such far-reaching implications that it challenges the impression that has prevailed thus far in the...
In Judaism, Teachers Are the Heroes
Imagine the following scenario: You are 119 years and 11 months old. The end of your life is in sight. Your hopes have received devastating...
The Torah and the Religious Significance of Israel
In this week's parsha, the long journey is nearing its close. The Jordan is almost within sight. We have read the long itinerary of stops...
Taking a New Look at the Book of Deuteronomy
Below is an excerpt from the book Covenant & Conversation: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible, Vol V: Deuteronomy: Renewal of the Sinai Covenant,...
Parshat Matot: Judaism Believes That Children Are the Future
The Israelites were almost within sight of the Promised Land. They had successfully waged their first battles. They had just won a victory over the...
Judaism Has No Kings
Moses said to the Lord, “May the Lord, God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over this community to go out and...
In Judaism, Religion and Nationhood Coincide
The year is 1933. Two Jews are sitting in a Viennese coffee house, reading the news. One is reading the local Jewish paper, the other...
Parshat Chukat: Did Losing Miriam Cause Moses to Strike the Rock?
It is a scene that still has the power to shock and disturb: The people complain. There is no water. It is an old complaint...
Parshat Korach: An Argument for the Sake of Heaven
The Korach rebellion was not just the worst of the revolts from the wilderness years. It was also different because it was a direct assault...
Why We Fear Freedom — Shelach Lecha
The episode of the spies is one of the most tragic in the entire Torah. Who sent them and to what end is not entirely...
Parshat Behaalotecha: Divided Despite Divisions
The parsha of Behaalotecha speaks about the silver trumpets -- clarions -- that Moses was commanded to make: The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Make two...
