Posts Tagged: jonathan sacks
Parshat Nitzavim: How to Renew a Nation
The Talmud gives an ingenious reading to the line, “Moses commanded us a Torah, as a heritage of the congregation of Israel.” Noting that there...
Parshat Ki Tavo: Be Silent and Listen
During our first coronavirus lockdown, there was one question I was asked more than any other: What about prayer? Just when we needed it the...
Parshat Ki Teitse: Does Love Conquer All?
Our parsha this week contains more laws than any other. Some of them have generated much study and debate, especially two at the beginning --...
The Good Society Is One Whose Leaders and People Behave Morally
Moses, having set out the prologue and preamble to the covenant and its broad guiding principles, now turns to the details, which occupy the greater...
Former UK Chief Rabbi Calls Chinese Persecution of Uyghur Muslims a ‘Desecration of Faith Itself’
A former chief rabbi of Great Britain on Wednesday strongly criticized the China's persecution of Uyghur Muslims, calling it “a moral outrage, a political scandal,...
Kohelet, Tolstoy, and the Red Heifer
The command of the parah adumah, the Red Heifer, with which our parsha begins, is known as the hardest of the mitzvot to understand. The...
A Lesson From Korach: Stop Demonizing Those You Disagree With
Korach was swallowed up by the ground, but his spirit is still alive and well, and in the unlikeliest of places -- British and American...
The 12 Spies and the Coronavirus: What Stories Do We Tell?
In March 2020, whilst launching a new book, I took part in a BBC radio program along with Mervyn King, who had been governor of...
The Blessing of Love
I confess to a thrill every time I read these words: Tell Aaron and his sons, This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say...
The Power of a Curse: the Need for Deterrence
The book of Vayikra draws to a close by outlining the blessings that will follow if the people are faithful to their covenant with God....
Parshat Emor and Coronavirus: The Only Guarantee Is Uncertainty
There is something very strange about the festival of Sukkot, on which our parsha is the primary source. On the one hand, it is the...
The Ethic of Holiness
Kedoshim contains the two great love commands of the Torah. The first is, “Love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord” (Lev. 19:18). Rabbi Akiva called...
A Lesson from the Torah: Vilification and Evil Speech Are Destroying the World
At the risk of disclosing a spoiler, I would like to begin this week’s Covenant & Conversation by discussing the 2019 film A Beautiful Day...
Parshat Shemini: How Judaism Warned of Climate Change and Other Dangers
The story of Nadav and Avihu, Aaron’s two eldest sons who died on the day the Sanctuary was dedicated, is one of the most tragic...
